Today, Olympus announces the latest model in its OM-D line of Micro Four Thirds cameras, the E-M10. Together with the camera, a new 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens is announced, sporting a pancake-like profile as slim as that of the 17mm f2.8 lens. The second new Micro Four Thirds lens introduced today is the 25mm f1.8, which sports an angle-of-view comparable to that of a classic normal 50mm lens. The third new lens is a 9mm fisheye body-cap lens. All the details on the new OM-D camera and M.Zuiko lenses after the break.
Olympus OM-D E-M10
The OM-D E-M10 is positioned below the original OM-D E-M5, and it’s the new entry-level OM-D model. While the sensor is apparently the same 16 megapixel CMOS imager found in the E-M5, the new E-M10 has a less sophisticated 3-axis image stabilizer, as opposed to the E-M5’s and E-M1’s 5-axis IS. Also, in order to justify its entry-level positioning, it doesn’t come with any form of weather resistance. What the E-M10 gains over the E-M5 though is a built-in pop-up flash.
The rest of the E-M10’s specs are mostly identical to those of the E-M5, with a couple of small differences. ISO ranges from 200 to 25,600 natively, though it can now be set to ‘LOW’ as well. The viewfinder is the same 1.44 million dot model, and the screen is still 3″, although it now sports just over 1 million pixels. Movie recording is unchanged with 1080/30p, but still no 24p or 25p support. Together with the E-M10, Olympus also introduces a new accessory handgrip, the ECG-1.
The OM-D E-M10 body will be available in black and silver colors from early March 2014 for US-$ 699. The kit with the new 14-42mm pancake lens will retail for US-$ 799.
M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ
The OM-D E-M10’s kit lens now sports a pancake form factor, which is a first for Olympus but has previously done by other manufacturers, such as Panasonic with the tiny 12-32mm lens for the Lumix GM1. According to the press release, the new 14-42mm EZ lens sports the same image quality as the previous kit lens. Together with the 14-42mm EZ, Olympus also introduces an accessory lens cap that automatically opens when the lens is extended.
Both the M.Zuiko 14-42mm EZ lens and the automatic lens cap will be available in black and silver colors. The new 14-42mm kit lens retails for US-$ 399 when bought individually.
M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8
Also announced today is a new M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8 lens, which closes the gap between the 17mm f1.8 wide-angle lens and the 45mm f1.8 short telephoto lens. Design-wise, the new 25mm f1.8 is very close to the 45mm f1.8, and image quality is said to be equal to the latter. This would be the second ‘normal’ 50mm-equivalent lens available for the Micro Four Thirds system, after Panasonic’s Leica-branded 25mm f1.4. It is the second 25mm lens Olympus has made for a 4/3-type sensor, following the 25mm f2.8 pancake lens for the old Four Thirds DSLR system.
The M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8 will be available in black and silver and will retail for US-$ 399.
Olympus 9mm Fisheye Body Cap Lens
More of a toy than a serious lens seems to be the new 9mm fisheye body cap lens, which continues the clever combination of lens and body cap introduced with the original 15mm f8 body cap lens. The new 9mm fisheye is similar in design to its predecessor, also has an f8 aperture, and features a focusing lever as the only mechanical element.
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