(FT4) First bits of OM-D specs…
Digital-Camera-Info posted first spec bits about the OM-D. That’s what he found out:
1) It has an OM look
2) Built-in 1.44 dots integrated viewfinder
3) New in body stabilization and AF system
4) Comes in Black and Silver
5) Weather sealed magnesium body
6) 16 megapixel sensor
7) Width 121mm, weighs 425g
Worldwide shipment in late March
In Summary: The EVF has the same resolution of the current external VF-2 viewfinder (Click here to see on Amazon). We know that it looks like an old OM but there were so many different OM bodies that it really doesn’t help us a lot! Here is again the list of all OM filmcamera. My favorite design is the OM-1.
M-1OM-1
OM-1 MD
OM-1N
OM-2
OM-2N
OM-2S/SP
OM-3
OM-3Ti
OM-4
OM-4T/Ti black and chrome
OM-10
OM-20 (OM-G)
OM-30(OM-F)
OM-40 (OM-PC)
OM-77AF (OM-707)
OM-88 (OM-101)
OM-2000
—
Rumors classification explained (FT= FourThirds):
FT1=1-20% chance the rumor is correct
FT2=21-40% chance the rumor is correct
FT3=41-60% chance the rumor is correct
FT4=61-80% chance the rumor is correct
FT5=81-99% chance the rumor is correct
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jeff
5 months ago |unless the viewfinder gives blowjobs what is the point?
why would they have the same viewfinder resolution as the old as shit ep2.
P
5 months ago |I think they will introduce some kind of adapter with prism just like the leica one. When attached, the new transparent viewfinder will be overlayed on the optical view may be…
lnqe-M
5 months ago |Yes the i hope also.
MJr
5 months ago |Resolution doesn’t say anything about performance, maybe it even has 0,0001ms response/refresh time who knows. I’d gladly take that over 10 million pixels. Anyway, it’s completely different to have a small ‘prism’ like the OM1, or a big hump on top like the VF-2.
Esa Tuunanen
5 months ago |More likely response time is 10ms as it’s LCD which are slow.
Having basically zero pixel response time needs OLED based EVF.
MJr
5 months ago |And we know for certain it’s going to be LCD do we ?
Anyhow, the sony one that is so highly regarded takes a second or two to switch on, and it isn’t completely lag free either. Lots to be improved upon besides resolution, which was my point.
BS Artiste
5 months ago |Response time is more important to me than resolution. However, I can see that high view finder resolution might be needed for manual focusing.
Jarda
5 months ago |+1
It seems no revolution, neither evolution!
Fraenzken
5 months ago |1.44 million dots is very much o.k. for me if response- and blackout time are substantially improved. If AF for 4/3-lenses is also a good bit better, I’d call it a big step forward – the first body of the whole mft/mirrorless bunch I’d be seriously tempted to buy. Ymmv, though.
Cheers
Frank
DonParrot
5 months ago |“More likely response time is 10ms as it’s LCD which are slow.
Having basically zero pixel response time needs OLED based EVF.”
—-
Why then is the Sony OLED smearing more at fast camera movement than the EVF 2?
Eric
5 months ago |I am hoping for a higher resolution EVF also, but it seems like only Sony has anything better at the moment, and they’re not sharing. It’s surprising how Sony got so far ahead of everyone else on this. You’d think Samsung would be neck and neck with them.
Hopefully Olympus has some sort of trick up their sleeve a’la Fuji’s hybrid solution to make up for it. The Panasonic G1 had a 1.44 dot EVF three years ago after all…
spam
5 months ago |The 1.44 million dot EVF was best on the market from Panasonic G1 was released late 2008 until last summer when the new Sony EVF started shipping. And the Sony one is better, but not really “far better”. The G1 made a jump from typical 230K dots to 1.44 million, a much larger jump than the Sony EVF. Of course I prefer the Sony one, but 1.44 million (and even 230K) is good enough for framing. More pixels are better for focus control, but I’d much rather have peaking than the increased resolution if I had to choose.
Esa Tuunanen
5 months ago |> The G1 made a jump from typical 230K dots to 1.44 million
Sorry but (Konica)Minolta A2 had 920k dot EVF already in 2004!
ShatteredSky
5 months ago |Yep, and it was already quite good, too. For its time that camera was incredible.
Cheers
Tom
5 months ago |OOh, the Minolta A2, my favourite digital camera of all time!
The best form factor of any digital – one of a few cameras to actually take advantage of using a sensor over film… Oly (God bless them) seems to be stuck with old design paradigms – can’t wait to see the new OM-Ds!
Shame we can’t have an ILC A2 I guess.
ShatteredSky
5 months ago |Yes, I am still mad at myself for dropping it on concrete. It still sold though in 1/3 functional form. A new version with an updated viewfinder, 2/3 sensor, sealed and a brighter 24-120/200 lens would have been nice.
Cheers
spam
5 months ago |I know A2 had a 920k EVF in 2004, I actually owned an A2 for quite some time. You couldn’t buy an A2 in 2008/09 though, all cameras available then had 200K to 250K EVFs (and some even lower resolution). Btw, I compared the A2 EVF to the G1 one when G1 came out, the difference was huge.
Fraenzken
5 months ago |I seem to be the only one who isn’t tempted by the Fuji solution at all. The optical viewfinder doesn’t sound like a revelation to me (dual magnification? what if you want to use other lenses as the speculated 72-200 zoom?). I wouldn’t like a mirror solution with an EVF overlay either – too expensive for what it offers. As I said, for me 1.44 mio dots with a better magnification than the VF-2 (maybe 1.4; this would equal optical FF viewfinders which have a magnification of about 0.7) and a short response- & blackout-time would be great.
lnqe-M
5 months ago |+1
nicwalmsley
5 months ago |No I agree, the Fuji vf sounds like too many compromises for me. Starting to think the integrated vf is going to become a bone of contention. Hope Olympus keep a smaller line going, with the better sensor.
Will
5 months ago |If you want to use other lenses you can either use the optical vf with frame lines or just use the EVF like any other EVF.
You realise that EVFs are trying to get to a stage that they will perform like OVFs with virtually no lag, so Fuji’s is much much better right now, you have the choice, you can use it like an EVF if you want, and those of us (and there are many) who understand several benefits of an OVF can also use that, best of both worlds.
Dana
5 months ago |Gods. WHAT is your disease?! So grumpy!
nicwalmsley
5 months ago |Would be nice to think kids could be reading this website, hey?
Edit – in reference to the “unless the VF makes coffee, what’s the point” comment at the top
Barry
5 months ago |He must have a very small willy as well as no thought for minors…
MJr
5 months ago |And your kids know the B word ? There’s no pictures you know.
Barry
5 months ago |.
OlyFan
5 months ago |Then don’t buy it. God! The camera is not even released and we already have naysayers.
Anonymous
5 months ago |You are a moron. There is nothing wrong with the VF-2. It’s an excellent viewfinder.
Dumdum
5 months ago |The point is that it leaves the hotshoe for flashguns to be put in (or mics, etc.). I can’t believe you overlooked that so quickly.
Will
5 months ago |I use the VF-2 on my EP-2 as my only camera, it’s a great EVF but it lags meaning timing shots is quite impossible if anything is moving and also it looks horrible on top.
To be honest i’m not so sure about this OM-D, it sounds like a trick to allow for a big bump for the EVF, which is exactly what I don’t want, but it’s not out yet and i’ll give it a shot, so far the Fuji is winning (except for AF).
Fish
5 months ago |Late March? That’s pretty quick.
So when is the official announcement?
achiinto
5 months ago |The New Camera OM-D is like the OM-1 which can take photo without the use of Battery.
This is FT-Zeroooooooooo. But I do hope that it is possible.
MacroFan
5 months ago |Since EP3 is in low stock and I have to wait a few more weeks, I will cancel my EP3 and order this irrespective of the pricing
fgl42
5 months ago |Good idea!
MrKal_EL
5 months ago |Getting more and more antsy!…
Harold GLIT
5 months ago |so maybe we can expect the 12mm and the 45mm in black
Harold
P
5 months ago |I guess..Though I hope they don’t play the same game like Sony did…You can only buy black lenses with the camera.
lol
5 months ago |Im a little bummed that the viewfinder isnt as high resolution like the nex-7..but its still a good view finder, glad it isnt the vf3
I hope it works better with 4/3rd lenses then again the 4/3-m4/3 couplers arent weathersealed are they?
achiinto
5 months ago |I am guessing that this OM-D will have support for 43 mount and will come with a weather sealed adapter or at list will be a purchasable accessory.
I recall there is a mention of a new line of product. I wonder what that is. Any news about this Admin?
MJr
5 months ago |1. not so sure about that.
2. yes … the digital OM line, no ?
Anonymous
5 months ago |so… will it be like a Pana G3 with a tweaked sensor, internal IS and better materials / styling? of course at a double price…
jules
5 months ago |Do you know of any magnesium alloy weather sealed bodies from any company that are dirt cheap?
Gabriel
5 months ago |Pentax K5 naked cost you 1000$. With a 100% OVF, IBIS, great sensor and handling.
Forbes
5 months ago |The Pentax K200D wasn’t all that expensive.
Narretz
5 months ago |http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdigicame-info.com%2F2012%2F01%2Fom-dom.html
According to this website, the sensor has 16.05 MP. If you remember, Oly has always around 0.20 effective MP more than Panasonic from the same sensor. So G3 has 15.8 effective from 16.6 MP. So it’s a pretty good guess Olympus has the sensor from the G3 instead of a new one.
Vivek
5 months ago |A GH-2 with a retro look???
Robbie
5 months ago |I can have the same EVF but may be higher fps?
MJr
5 months ago |Olympus has a great page themselves about the OM history, and more.
http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/camera/om/
Tho Admin doesn’t get commission for linking us there unlike ebay clearly
Do
5 months ago |I’m shocked, there was an OM-4. What happened in Japan, are they more superstitious now than back in 1983 ?
Anonymous
5 months ago |They better believe it, OM-4 was the last of the OM pro camera. The number “4″ sounds like “dead” in Chinese.
I guess Nikon does not believe in this crap.
MJr
5 months ago |Well they shouldn’t have made those words so similar then !
Tho there are plenty english words that sound like dead. pun intendead ..
P
5 months ago |Olympus did have E-410, E-420, E-450…
SF
5 months ago |Hmm, so in worst case scenario they glue the VF-2 at the top of an E-P3, cover it with an OM-styled hump and sell it as OM-D with integrated VF.
But I am still hoping for any kind of positive suprise.
Gabriel
5 months ago |Do
5 months ago |Your “worst case” scenario, given that it includes weather-sealing and an Oly-treated G3 sensor would be actually a quite good one in my eyes.
Eric
5 months ago |I was thinking the same thing. Worst case is still pretty good. I have hope that Oly will surprise us with something (hopefully a new EVF), but a simple weather sealed E-P3 with better sensor would alone make for a wonderful camera.
TomR
5 months ago |I think ‘worst case’ described by Do and SF is exactly what we will get. For the right price it could win the day for me if weather sealed primes came out as well.
The camera you describe would be a good hiking camera with a 17mm 1.4.
In fact in some ways it might be the camera that i have been wanting since my OM2.
milt
5 months ago |425 grams is not that light – assume it is body only.
SF
5 months ago |E-P3 is 122mm wide and weights 322g,
so take the E-P3 plus VF plus weathersealing and you have 425g.
nicwalmsley
5 months ago |Pen Mini is almost half the weight:
109.5 mm (W) x 63.7mm (H) x 34.0mm (D)
265g (including Battery and Memory card), 217g (body only)
MJr
5 months ago |Yes, and Santa Claus is much heavier. But that is to be expected.
A 100 grams more weight to the E-P3 is exactly what it needs imo.
Mr. Reeee
5 months ago |425g ain’t heavy!
The GH2 weighs 392g and probably about the same with a battery and SD Card.
Bob B.
5 months ago |This is a magnesium body…which is light…but it weighs MORE than plastic!!!!!! Remember what a CAMERA feels like!!! LOL!
Mr. Reeee
5 months ago |You mean a REAL film camera? Yep, sure do!
Forbes
5 months ago |Yes, 425g should be pretty good. A nice solid “user” camera sounds pretty nice.
Boooo!
5 months ago |1.44 million pixels, or 1.44 million “dots”?
Because if it’s “dots”, then it’s 480 thousand pixels, meaning only 800×600. That’s not enough
admin
5 months ago |dots sorry
Richard
5 months ago |At digital camera info it says 1.44 Mpixel vf, but that can perhaps be a translation error from their site?
MJr
5 months ago |I think it said pixels here too, but Admin corrected it.
GeorgeH
5 months ago |It’s likely the latter. Sony’s 2.4M dots is closer to the 1024/768 resolution. (I think)
Mikey
5 months ago |So all these rumors that got us super excited are starting to disappear. No hybrid/evf viewfinder. No new revolutionary evf. No new amazing sensor. No new pro lenses.
What to expect:
Gx1/g3 sensor with the same performance.
Same evf with a small increase in performance.
Improved processor for speed and autofocus (small improvements).
Om retro looks.
Weather sealing.
Essentially, this is the Olympus version of the gh2. Nothing revolutionary.
SF
5 months ago |sad but might be true.
Mikey
5 months ago |A bit sad yes. The rumors had me really hyped up. I thought this was going to have a revolutionary new viewfinder that would allow phase detection and would bridge four thirds and micro four thirds users.
This still mIght be my first mirrorless camera though. Since it doesn’t bring anything revolutionary to the table, it has to bring some gorgeous looks.
The x-pro1 is nice but the autofocusing system is too slow. Nex autofocusing system is decent but it’s not at the m43rds level. Nex lens lineup is also lacking. The zeiss underperforms for the price as well.
flash
5 months ago |A Hybrid viewfinder would not work on a mft camera.
Jesper
5 months ago |well, no one said anything about hybrid evf right? Previous rumors only stated, incredible viewfinder. Only fantasies to blame.
TheEye
5 months ago |The use of the term “incredible” may have been hyperbole. :p
Mr. Reeee
5 months ago |If the OM-D only shuts people up about EVF “humps” it will be a worthwhile camera.
BS Artiste
5 months ago |The location of the prism in a mirror camera is probably a reasonable place to have an integrated EVF and a more powerful pop-up flash in a mirrorless camera. The disadvantage of a co-axially mounted strong flash is that an off-center flash is better at reducing red-eye reflections of the blood in the back of people’s retinas.
I would rather have the “hump” and a large, high-quality EVF with a large and powerful pop-up flash. I don’t really care one way or another whether the functionality is implemented using mirrors and OVF vs. electronics and EVF. I just want comparable capabilities. Ultimately, EVF will win. Even though I am engineer/lawyer who loves technology, when taking photographs, I just want the functionality of the camera to be top quality regardless of the technology used to implement the functions.
Agent00soul
5 months ago |What I dislike about Panasonic’s cameras is not so much the hump but the fact that the eyepiece sticks out a fair bit at the back of the camera. This makes it snag pockets etc. I know, since my wife has a G2.
Let’s hope Olympus has been able to avoid this. The viewfinder on the OM cameras didn’t stick out much.
juanko
5 months ago |Good news if:
New AF System = Phase-Difference AF = Full Compatibility with AF 4/3 lens
WT21
5 months ago |PDAF/CDAF hybrid? That would get me excited. I was about to get a DSLR for a specific project, but if they had on-sensor PDAF (or some other trick) that might do it for me.
Ranger 9
5 months ago |Phase-detect AF is only slightly more likely than antigravity neckstrap lugs. It would require a completely different sensor (as Nikon has shown), and Olympus doesn’t have the capability or funds to do that.
This is going to be a strictly conventional camera with nice styling, that’s all. Nothing wrong with that. The Lumix GH2 takes excellent pictures, and so will the OM-D because the specs are so similar.
Some people will be willing to pay extra (and give up some of the GH2′s video prowess) for a weather-sealed body that feels more metallic, and that has in-body stabilization for old lenses and (presumably) wireless TTL flash, which Olympus has and Panasonic doesn’t.
Come to think of it, I’ve often wished the GH2 had wireless TTL flash myself… hey, admin, is this on the OM-D features list? Maybe I’ll want one of these after all…
Javier Rodríguez
5 months ago |hope so too.
Battery grip will give us more clues about that, but no information about yet.
So where is the surprise with the VF?
other important things we don’t know yet:
- f.p.s, maybe 5?
- exposure control. i hope -5 to 5 stop
- built in flash. IR flash control?
Regards
AirShaker
5 months ago |Things might begin to make sense :
- yesterday : 16mp tweaked sensor to provide super evf
- sooner today : sensor providing higher dynamic range
- now : same resolution evf
What I can imagine is the same sensor as the GX1 and G3 tweaked by olympus to provide ultra fast sensor readout speed.
That speed would allow the image in the EVF to be a downsampled version of the sensor instead of the line skipped version as it is the case today. This would allow a gain in signal to noise ratio of more than 3 stops in both the EVF and screen. The increased speed would also naturally provide a higher refresh rate. That could explain the fact that the EVF is the greatest feature despite the fact that it packs the same number of pixel as the VF2.
As for the better dynamic range, the pluses of the fast readout speed would be an ultra fast multiple exposure as it has already been suggested. An example of such implementation is in the Red cameras and their HDRx mode, see here :
http://vimeo.com/24636714
What makes me thinks that this is not the case however is the fact that such a sensor would mean global shutter and video quality that is far better than any interchangeable lens camera to date.
If that was the case, olympus would have put more emphasize on this new sensor as the main feature of the camera and not the EVF…
Brod1er
5 months ago |Think the comments are a bit negative. It had a weathersealled magnesium body which is much better than Panasonic. It is not a silly price given the quality of this type of casing. The other specs are reasonable and we don’t know anything about how well it performs in practice. Patience friends.
jacek
5 months ago |I wonder if the source of Digital-Camera-Info information is 43rumors
admin
5 months ago |LOL! No. I know him and he is a good guy. He has his own sources althaugh I sometimes suspect some of the sources are the same.
Bob B.
5 months ago |admin, you forgot to add 25.8 DR on the list above…the is the most important spec. above all others!!!!!!!!!!!
If ALL of this is true…it is certainly worth the money. Its the right size and weight!~!
admin
5 months ago |25.8 DR?
Zo
5 months ago |I believe he ment 25800 ISO per past rumor
MJr
5 months ago |Think he’s talking about dynamic range in useless DxO mark currency.
Bob B.
5 months ago |Sorry….I meant HDR and ISO 28,500. Didn’t mean to confuse.
The spec I am most intrigued about is “HDR”. This I want to see.
I am sitting back and waiting for tech tests on Fuji XP1 and I will do the same for this…until it checks out.
nobody
5 months ago |I suppose you mean ISO 25,600
I fail to understand why camera makers don’t just use 25,000 and 50,000 and 100,000. Going by the DXO figures, the real ISO values are clearly less anyway.
Bob B.
5 months ago |nobody…you are correct….admin had that number wrong on the last post. The ISO number is 2 x 12,800
which is ISO 25,600. Thanks nobody…I was too excited to think. LOL!
Mar
5 months ago |Why whining? Still by far the best m43 camera so far…
If you want oled vf buy no lens next and quit being like bitch
jchan
5 months ago |width = 121mm = another girly camera
“”black and silver”" means no retro two-tone?
frosti7
5 months ago |its bigger then GH2
P
5 months ago |The OM series was about 135mm and those cameras were definitely not ‘girly’.(if that means anything :p )
MJr
5 months ago |if black and silver (chrome) is no retro two-tone then what is ?
Anonymous
5 months ago |I think it means an option of black or silver, not black and silver. There is a black or a silver 12-50 lens option on amazon uk.
MJr
5 months ago |That’s probably true, but then the Silver version would most likely have a black fake leather skin around the middle. There were all-black And Chrome-black OM bodies also.
Mar
5 months ago |Why whining? Still by far the best m43 camera so far…
If you want oled vf buy no lens next and quit behaving like little biatch.
Mike
5 months ago |The weight is between E-420 and E-620. Not too bad…
Esa Tuunanen
5 months ago |And as gripless brick ergonomically below both.
So still no m4/3 successor for 4/3 bodies. (E-420 is ergonomically lot more comfortable than GH2)
Mike
5 months ago |Maybe the modular grips will fit…
Charlie
5 months ago |I’m so excited I could pee!
But please, no fake GH3 hump.
frosti7
5 months ago |heh..E-P3+G3+Weather sealing= OM-D, sorry, this is not OM-D, this is OM-junk
Dana
5 months ago |And you take pictures with anything besides a smart-phone?
Dana
5 months ago |Today we found out that the wreck of the Costa Concordia was because the Captain was blogging on camera rumors sites, making rude comments, instead of attending to navigation…
owczi
5 months ago |Such a lovely sight, all these comments
Hopes and disappointments seem to be going in a sine-like curve; a bit of rumor, a bit of hype, then slowly disappointment kicking in as some of the speculations start looking unrealistic, and then somebody picks up on one bit that still just-might-happen, and then over and over again 
And this will keep going on non stop until the camera is announced and reviewed 
While this new camera may or may not win Olympus some market share (or re-gain, if it supports regular 4/3 in some way), I think whatever the final spec is, it will be good for all Oly m43 users (oly vs. pana aside):
- Those who have already upgraded to E-P3 will not regret it _that_ much, if at all, because it may not be super revolutionary,
- Those who skipped the E-P3 will be really happy to upgrade,
- Those who haven’t considered buying into mFT, or Olympus mFT, will now have another option to consider.
Win-win to me really. What is interesting to me though is whether this means the end of the E-P line. While I’m sure Olympus won’t dump the various PLs and PMs, will there ever be an E-P4?
mclarenf3
5 months ago |Best comment I have read so far.
Camaman
5 months ago |That is exactly where I am at.
bean5y
5 months ago |This may be the first camera I consider upgrading to from my GF-1! Although, the special deals on the GH-2 have been tempting..
Berneck1
5 months ago |Certainly sounding promising….
Duarte Bruno
5 months ago |First it was the revolutionary EVF, and then we learned it’s 1.44M.
Then it was the specially tweaked sensor with amazing DR, and then we’ll probably learn that it’s the G3 one with hyped SAT.
I’m getting the feeling that the only thing really new on the OM-D (and what you can’t get on any recent Panasonic body) is IBIS that finally works as it should and
weather sealing.
Does anyone see anything else?
Raúl
5 months ago |When will you learn to stop the hype before is too late?
I smell another dissapointment the 8th of February, and not because the camera is bad, but because everyone expect it to be revolutionary: FF, hybrid viewfinder, organic sensor… come on….
Just relax and don’t let your imagination go wild
Dana
5 months ago |Indeed. Unsubstantiated rumors of mega-gee-whiz-wowsex kill products. We heard this rumor mill say almost verbatim things about the E5 before release, leading to disappointment.
It’s like promising your kid a 30-30 rim fire lever-action rifle for Christmas from Santa and actually getting him a .22 bolt-action varmint gun.
ENOUGH with these rumors that simply seem designed to drive site traffic!
Narretz
5 months ago |So, you don’t want rumors? How is admin to know if the rumors are true or to which extent? You are basically saying “no rumors at all”. Feel free to check dpreview everyday for official announcements, and you should be happy.
ange7
5 months ago |“promising your kid a 30-30 rim fire lever-action rifle for Christmas from Santa and actually getting him a .22 bolt-action varmint gun.”
did you know analogies are meant to help communicate complex ideas simply?…yeah you thought “f that, I’ll go in the opposite direction”
Hype is fun…it’s why we’re here, plus I learn a bit here and there in these pages. If it’s a disappointment then I don’t buy…alla ep-3 that I passed on. Olympus users know all about disappointment ( stares at amazing 43 glass and then at dusty e-3 ). But you’ve got to dream a little.
bilgy_no1
5 months ago |Of course there will be widespread disappointment when the final product is launched. That’s just because part of the crowd on this website is impossible to please. The other part want the exact opposite, so there are always people complaining.
Let’s just say that in the bare minimum case (G3 sensor with Olympus processing, built-in EVF, weather sealing, magnesium build, around €999), we will still get an interesting and up-to-date Olympus camera.
isaac ali
5 months ago |I can’t believe so many people are complaining. This camera is going to be excellent. New sensor, for Oly at least. Integrated EVF and weathersealing. Definitely a step above the already great E-P3. What’s not to like? Not every camera can be groundbreaking. Evolution is not a bad thing.
Fraenzken
5 months ago |+100!
fgl42
5 months ago |Sounds like a smaller, better, less expensive E5. That’s not a bad thing IMO. Any new art filters?
Mike
5 months ago |The best thing on the E-5 is that you can use (Top)Pro Zuiko lenses with SWD in my opinion. So if it supports PD-AF – this would be a great thing.
Peter F
5 months ago |It is a black and silver camera
OR, do you have a choice of (1) black , or (2) silver
ty
5 months ago |Hope it is not just mere face-lift from an existing camera.
Now if OM can come up with a digital back that fits into my OM4, that would be very tempting.
Efat
5 months ago |It is too heavy! GX1 is about 270g. NEX-7 with EVF and battery is 350g! GH2 is 390g. E-P3 with battery is 370g…
Z
5 months ago |Weather sealed magnesium body = more weight.
It would likely be the lightest weather sealed exchangeable lens body ever!
(Another engineering first from Olympus)
Kylberg
5 months ago |The weight increase will make the camera a bit more stable to hold and the difference is so small. + If you want a small and light camera, there are already several of those to buy.
Mr. Reeee
5 months ago |27 grams = 1 ounce… that’s about all I remember from the 80s.
Yeah, a metal body will be marginally heavier than a polycarbonate body.
A D700 weighs 995 grams! A D7000 = 780g.
Maybe some people should dry their tears and go work out a little (or keep BOTH hands on the keyboard) instead of bitching about an ounce or three.
mooboy
5 months ago |In terms of still image IQ, a D700 kills every m43 camera out there. The attraction to many of m43s is the reduced size and weight.
The weight and size doesn’t concern me when actually taking a photo, but, when walking around/packing carry on luggge a small m43 kit is much preferrable. So, for my usage, concern about weight is justified.
Why assume your needs/attraction to m43s is same as everyone elses?
Mr. Reeee
5 months ago |Yeah, I agree. Size and weight were why I bought into M4/3 instead of getting a D700.
All the hand wringing over a few grams is pretty silly.
I don’t assume my needs are the same as everyone’s. If we’re talking a few ounces plus or minus, that’s just quibbling. If we’re talking POUNDS, that’s a huge difference.
Barugg
5 months ago |Nothing other than a g3 in a weathersealed retro dress. Embarrassment is all i see same catastrophic same old eye cancer flicker box.
I knew it , unless the thing has a kind of optical viewfinder, another let down and lukewarm update from olympus , will they ever learn?
I feel sorry for olympus and the om name and for the faithful clients too, when is too much too much?
Ronbot
5 months ago |“Nothing other than a g3 in a weathersealed retro dress.”
And the MacBook Pro/Air is just another Intel laptop in a slim metal body.
Such negativity and whining even before knowing the entire spec or seeing an image of/from it. You guys are just so depressing. Hugs anyone?
As for me, I’m excited. Seems like a nice camera to replace my E-PL2+VF-2; almost lost that EVF in many occasions and the “new” sensor is appreciated. If it feels as solid as my OM-1, oh man…
Hopefully, it also has touch/tilt screen and all that jazz since it is supposed to be the top of the line.
Nils Erik
5 months ago |Is FT almost dead, and everyting new now mFT only? Just wondering if I should sell all my Oly FT stuff and buy Fuji X1-Pro. Or grow old waiting…
KI
5 months ago |The VF-2 is actually very good. If it has been incorporated into a nice OM-like body, it could produce some pretty good results.
Lets see if they finally got 1080p video (unlikely, but why not?), faster AF with 4/3-lenses (there was some talk about an adapter with some lens or something that could improve it), higher dynamic range (!), and possibly better fps (5fps?, but probably 3)…
Waiting for more specs.
Gareth Lovering
5 months ago |If bits from all of the cameras on the market were put into one body we still would not be happy. We might end with a CanPanKonPus Mk1. Lol
Ian
5 months ago |For the camera to share the OM name, it should come bundled with an OM -> m4/3 adapter.
ange7
5 months ago |I and many others have one…we don’t want to pay for another one.
Al
5 months ago |Retro OM body needs retro style lenses, the only ones might look good on this new body would be 12mm, 45mm, and the 25mm Leica. So, save little more for the new line of the lenses…lol.
Ronbot
5 months ago |This body + a revised 17mm prime f/1.8? Drool…
Will
5 months ago |The only major difference of this OM-D and the Panny GX1 is the integrated VF, is that right? Am I missing anything else?
io
5 months ago |Weather sealing and IBIS, as far as we know.
Alan
5 months ago |lucky – they happen to be the ones I have!
Miroslav
5 months ago |1) It has an OM look – hopefully they put a modern spin on it, unlike Fuji. No faux leather all over, please.
.
2) Built-in 1.44 dots integrated viewfinder – great. Tried and tested, won’t contribute to higher price.
3) New in body stabilization and AF system – excellent. Oly is top in these two in mirrorless anyway.
4) Comes in Black and Silver – whatever
5) Weather sealed magnesium body – if it does not add bulk ( see no. 7 ) I’m OK with it.
6) 16 megapixel sensor – good as long as it’s better than current 4/3 sensors
7) Width 121mm, weighs 425g – I’d like a bit smaller, but will manage
All in all, so far so good. Keep the good rumors coming, admin
.
Goffen
5 months ago |Don’t forget the remote flash. And Oly jpgs
flash
5 months ago |I thought a bit about the size rumoured.
The OM-2 body weights 520 grams and is 136 mm wide,
The OM-PC body weights 460 grams and is 135 mm wide.
The OM-D body rumored 425 grams and is 121 mm wide,
The Pan GH2 body weights 392 grams and is 122 mm wide.
The E-420 body weights 380 grams and is 129.5 mm wide.
The EP-3 body weights 369 grams and is 122 mm wide.
If memory serves me the OM-1 is about 10 grams or so less the the OM-2 and is the exact same size, they share leather cases etc.
The E-420 is the closest in weight to it! So this shows that the e-420 packed in a lot for its weight, with the OM-D is a little smaller but much heavier, likely a bigger battery. While I know the 420 has a mirror, did it have a prism? Prisms weigh a bit.
Do to the weight etc. this cannot be the “PRO Pen”, IMHO. Which is ok, as long as it has a bit more DR then the P3, with viewfinder attached I might be happy.
Jim Ramsey Khoury
5 months ago |The e-420 has a pentamirror, and a very small one at that. The weight of the OM-D seems fine. Can anyone round up the weights of other weather-sealed ILCs?e e-
Jim Ramsey Khoury
5 months ago |The e-420 has a pentamirror, and a very small one at that. The weight of the OM-D seems fine. Can anyone round up the weights of other weather-sealed ILCs
Kylberg
5 months ago |The most “pro” in mirrorless is the Fuji Xpro:
a) Optical viewfinder means you can see both what is inside the frame and outside of it. This is the key to most of the best photos are taken with Leica RF – you have more control in a dynamic scene, can re-compose and catch that very moment.
b) The new sensor technology seems to bring APS-C close to FF. If so a very small camera for that IQ
c) If it works like the X100, it is a bit complex to use and requires the user to understan and utilise the technology. An ordinary user may be disappointed with results.
m4/3 is for us enthusiasts!
4/3 is dead
Charlie
5 months ago |“4/3 is dead”
No, fat cameras are a dying breed.
Atle
5 months ago |Sounds pretty nice, hope its not bigger than EP3 in other dimensions. It is a slight dissapointment that is is even heavier than the Ep3 though, which already is a bit on the heavy side for its size. Would it be possible to use more plastic or lighter materials?
Spititom
5 months ago |I have GF1 and I’m looking for a build in EVF upgrade. So what would I gain:
- IBIS
- faster AF
- better IQ
I’d say these three are for sure.
I could dream of an aperture ring (OM Design?), a speed dial and an ISO dial.
Sounds really good to me. Really.
Tom (long time reading, first comment ever!)
Marcelo
5 months ago |About the weight compleins, what part of “5) Weather sealed magnesium body” did u not understand?
Atle
5 months ago |They don’t have to make the camera with magnesium body. So why is it wrong to point out that one would like a bigger design-focus on less weight?
nobody
5 months ago |Obviously, the OM-D will not be the smallest and lightest m43 camera. But there are a lot of m43 cameras that are smaller and weigh less. Why don’t you use one of those instead?
Any feature set is a compromise. Cameras that incorporate more features will always tend to be bigger and heavier (and costlier) than those that have less features. Choose your poison
Atle
5 months ago |Well, because I also would like things like better dynamic range, better ISO, better focusing and so on. But i guess that will propagate into other models later down the road at least. I didn’t expect it to be the smallest or lightest pen-cam, but i was hoping for something not bigger than, and maybe slightly lighter than the EP3
Robbie
5 months ago |Judging from the fact that Olympus always “recycle” their sensors over and over again, you can be certain that there’s going to be one model for you in near future.
L.S.
5 months ago |Please Admin… something about 4\3 compatibility ? from my point of view and my guess for many many others the OM-D is the last chance to save the Zuiko lenses !!!
rootkit
5 months ago |+1
My E-5 (“upgrade” from E-620), 12-60, 150/2 and Panny 25/1.4 look more and more likely to be sold and replaced with a D700 (don’t want the mpix of a D800).
The OM-D might replace my GH-2, and maybe my EP-2+VF-2 too. If it supports 4/3rds well, It might make me keep the 150/2.
Gino
5 months ago |Any indication if it will have tilt screen? I’m not going to give up my EPL3, it is so addictive!
DanL
5 months ago |I’m also not giving up my EPL3. However I do have five lenses for it and will probably get a second body sometime. Not at all sure this one is it, but overall I’d say it’s a good sign of things to come.
Andre M
5 months ago |I want an OVF…. my wait for that seems endless! I feel that OVF will never be substitutable, don’t you?
flash
5 months ago |It will be substituted, through the lens viewing is truly good, but the substituted will not really be better. The reason it will be substituted is to do it right is to costly in both weight and money; just look at the low end DSLRs finder they are not that good some do not even use a prism. Luckily the EVIL viewfinders should get better over time, and in a while almost as good as a true SLR viewfinder, with some added benefits.
I do not think rangefinder optical lens will ever be popular as they are difficult to do correctly and limiting due to parallax error. I grew up on old rangefinders (they use to be cheap till collectors thought otherwise) so I like them, but did give up on them for reasons of framing and lack of macro ability which was important to me at the time. Fuji has some good ideas but a camera should be used one way with all lens and be part of a complete system for most enthusiast, and there always will be that nagging parallax error, even with great optical correction it does not disappear.
MJr
5 months ago |OVF ? You’ve got 3 options. Buy a SLR, Buy a Fuji X-, Buy hot-shoe OVFs for prime lenses. voigtlander, zeiss, and leica has some. It just wont work in any other form factor, not a OM type body anyway, not without a big mirror.
nobody
5 months ago |Nothing wrong with that, but in that case, m43 cameras seem not to be your cup of tea
Andre M
5 months ago |I would love so see m43 in a E-… format, that is my real wish
flash
5 months ago |Is this the reason for the hump? http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2011-11-09&usg=ALkJrhiC6MJSBUALxNJgVyLEDSY-dDr9gQ
Look at the date of the Patent, it is in the right time frame to implemented if it really works.
ljmac
5 months ago |Good find! Looks very promising indeed…
Matthias
5 months ago |And I want it in Red like my E-PL2…
lnqe-M
5 months ago |No pink. LOL
Matthias
5 months ago |No, not pink. Red, like my E-PL2. For me, black and silver are so boring colours…
DonParrot
5 months ago |New AF sytem – wow!!!
Could this be the IR-AF we have been discussing here passionately last summer, prior to the launch of the latest PEN range?! Now this would be something.
Mikey
5 months ago |Don’t get too excited. This probably means it’s just been updated to be faster. Maybe low light AF has been improved.
Omolympus
5 months ago |Where is the VF revolution Ogawa was talking about?
Why is it only the same width as a Pen? This was meant to be a different line
That’s not aimed at Joshis. The OM was wider and handled better for it.
43esystemeer
5 months ago |maybe in wishful heaven
TomB
5 months ago |Interesting tidbit from the digicame-info site that ADMIN links to as his source:
(google translate) The warship is part in something like a dial. That is, as it looks to OM series.
This is the third bullet item. I begged a Kanji -reading friend to look at the page for me and decipher it. He siad the character means “Battleship” and he looked in Wikipedia-JA to get some idea of what this might be… reading a bit, he tells me that “battleship” is the Japanese term for the film advance lever and his interpretation of the line (軍艦部にはダイヤルのようなものがある。) is that the camera will have an actual film-advance lever, like the OM, but this lever will have some dial-like function. Anyone else who can translate?
M
5 months ago |Admin, do you have any idea if it has a grip? none of the OM cameras seem to have a grip
Charlie
5 months ago |WhoTF wants a “film advance lever” on a digital?
No need for silly, unnecessary appendages.
Pro cameras don’t have that kind of b.s.
Fants
5 months ago |Heh, I’d LOVE a film-advance lever if using it was optional. It could be justified if, for example, cocking the shutter mechanically saved a noticeable amount of battery life.
Silly, I know, but there’s just something I love about flipping that stupid little lever between pictures.
TomB
5 months ago |Charlie: Sprinkle a grain of salt on it, no? This is just one gaijin’s lousy translation of something posted on a japanese rumour site.
Nevertheless, I can think of some uses for a lever-type control – for instance as a replacement/complement to the usual directional arrow buttons that surround the back dial. Flip the lever out one way and it act’s like the right arrow, push it in a bit in the other direction and it’s left arrow. If you have big clumsy fingers (me!) or are wearing gloves, it’s much better than little arrow buttons. Not saying that is what the “battleship” lever will be used for on the OM-D (or confirming that it even exists), just saying please don’t dismiss new ideas out of hand.
T-L
5 months ago |Maybe you can use it to charge battery on the run, if you flip it fast enough for reasonable amount of time.
Nick
5 months ago |Would this be an upgrade to my E-3? Should I go for an EP-3?
Mike
5 months ago |Sigh.
You know, with Olympus, looking over their history, it’s been revolution-evolution-evolution-etc like over a decade or two each time. It’s that Japanese kaizen thing. Often they were even late to market, like the OM-1 and the E-1.
It’s admirable that Olympus is trying to make it so there’s a µ4/3 camera for anyone, but really, I still think their largest misstep was to abandon 4/3 entirely. It’s the whole reason there’s this chaotic interregnum where there’s no µ4/3 flagship that is equivalent to the high end cameras in everyone else’s digital lines. Maybe originally, they just couldn’t compete with Canikon so they just went to some other market. Maybe this OM-D *wry grin* will fix it all. I suspect not. Still, the strengths of µ4/3 lies with the “just-right” set of compromises… reasonable size, excellent lens choice, good choice of camera bodies with their plusses and minuses, and acceptable (but not excellent) image quality.
I think we fans and previous Olympus users ask a lot more from Olympus than the average consumer. The average consumer, normally being the bulk of sales, end up being catered first and hopefully they finance the toys we here want. If they see fit to make good enough toys we fans and users might even do a little advertising for them. Now if Olympus actually had any marketing to speak of in the US… maybe we’d be talking.
I took a E-P3 on a trip with coworkers, and we had a side outing one night in DC at the then newly launched MLK memorial. Using my E-P3 with 20 f/1.7, a coworker took the most brilliant night shots he’d ever seen (JPEG + RAW). When he got home, he bought a E-PM1 with 14-42 and bought my 17mm f/2.8. Before me, he’d never even heard of Olympus. Hah.
Whatever the OM-D ends up being I’ll accept it for what it is. It’s not any better in any other camp, really, just different things to complain about. Everything Canon is so large because of the laws of optics concerning the EF mount and having to move large pieces of glass fast. Sure, my 5D takes gorgeous pictures even today, and my 1D3 is incredibly fast. But my E-P3 with 45mm f/1.8 is 90% of the 5D in quality (note that the 5D’s dynamic range, being 90 years old in camera years, isn’t much different from the E-P3), and the whole setup fits inside the lens case for my EF 70-200 f/2.8 L. Even when you up the ante with a 5D2 I don’t see the improvement in image quality as being worth the extra kilos.
There are also two camps of tool users; those that adapt to the product and those that expect the product to adapt to them. I see µ4/3 as very strongly for users that can adapt to the product in order to exploit the system’s main strengths. Not enough DR? Bring a ND grad filter (yes i know, very old fashioned today, but hey, we used them in film). Not enough high ISO performance? Use more f/1.x lenses (ok, we need more of these). EVF vs OVF vs LCD? Erm, well, this one is harder. µ4/3 is specialized; if you need the system to adapt to your every need, you’re going to end up with something the size of that 1D3 I mentioned earlier (or really, a 1DX). YMMV.
You gain some, you lose some. I still think overall, I’m gaining more with Olympus than losing. Ask me again next year and I may say differently.
Fants
5 months ago |I’m in agreement pretty much everywhere here. Except…
As a 5D2 user who has been gradually downsizing his kit to the smallest possible lenses without sacrificing IQ, I’m getting quite sick of lugging the whole thing around. BUT I have to strongly disagree with your assertion that the 5D2′s IQ advantage over m4/3 setups isn’t worth the extra weight. There isn’t an m4/3 body/lens combo that even comes close to the pixel-level detail of the 5D2 – entirely because of the pixel pitch of each camera. I’ve got a 60×90″ print hanging on the wall behind me that I made with the 5D2 and an old Zeiss 35-70 zoom…never could have done that with a GX1.
Of course, for people who don’t print large (stupidly large, in my case) and don’t need much subject/background separation, m4/3 is great. Anyone shooting for the web or anything under 12×18 would be silly not to give m4/3 a serious look. And depending on how OM-like this OM-D turns out to be, I may very well be weeping over the fact that it’s m4/3. I just can’t bring myself to buy into the system.
Robbie
5 months ago |I think most people will agree with you and the OP wasn’t bashing 5D2 in my opinion. And then, there’s always the medium format.
Mike
5 months ago |Yeah, I wasn’t bashing the 5D2. I just rarely print beyond A3 and so the point of diminishing returns for me is a little sooner than those that do, at least as far as the 5D goes. I am also one of the few that find the 5D2′s tonal curves somewhat less contrasty than the 5D so perhaps I also don’t see the 5D2 as much of an advancement as I really should.
Raist3d
5 months ago |“You know, with Olympus, looking over their history, it’s been revolution-evolution-evolution-etc like over a decade or two each time. It’s that Japanese kaizen thing. ” (first dust buster amongst other things).
Nope. The E-1 in a way was its own little revolution. The E-330 was also a revolution (first live view).
Mike
5 months ago |Hm, I suppose I’ll concede that.
Ep3zd50_ninja
5 months ago |The specs doesnt say anything about it being m43..
Narretz
5 months ago |I guess you could say the same about the new PENs when they were announced.
O
5 months ago |It should be FT5.
Raist3d
5 months ago |No EVF revolution apparently.
Miroslav
5 months ago |Wasn’t actually needed… EVF/OVF combo is destined for another model, E-7 I presume.
panasonic
5 months ago |Good thing not cheap; cheap thing not good!
lol…
Robbie
5 months ago |More specs released
http://digicame-info.com/2012/01/om-d5.html
1. Looks like OM but not entirely, more streamlined.
2. Three dials? near the hump. Button placement similar to E-P3
3. Grip similar to E-P3 but all the way to the bottom of the camera (Leather covered.)
4. Bundled with a detachable GN10 Flash
5. 5 axis(?) IBIS
6. Fast AF and 3D CAF(?)
7. ISO 200~25600
8. movable back screen 610000 dot
9. MPO image saving format
ange7
5 months ago |Robbie is pushing for admin’s job. Nice find.
5 axis?
up-down, left-right, rotate along vertical, rotate along horizontal, and forward-back …. lol who knows.
lnqe-M
5 months ago |5 axis IBIS is very interesting, i hope also next E- camera it have.
43esystemeer
5 months ago |will there be any next esystem camera?
Olaf
5 months ago |According to Olympus, Yes! They are working on the replacement for the E-5.
Miroslav
5 months ago |Thanks. Sounds even better: three dials, some kind of grip ( hope it’s removable ), movable screen. Pity for the flash, though… Hopefully they’ll make high speed sync version of FL-300 R.
Narretz
5 months ago |Rise and shine, more specs:
http://photorumors.com/2012/01/17/more-olympus-om-d-specs/comment-page-1/#comment-47828 (via digicam-info):
So, no grip apparently. And faux leather, hmmm.
And Photorumors admin confused EVF with rear screen – which has less dots than the EVF? Seems to be a movable screen with the same technology as the EP3.
But I think the biggest letdown will be the minimum ISO of 200, if it’s true. That really is not pro. Screams higher ISO = marketing = G3 sensor. But the other stuff sounds nice, dials, new AF, new shake reduction.