Today Olympus marks the 50th anniversary of the legendary PEN F with the launch of the new Olympus PEN E-P5, a digital update of a classic film camera designed with breakthrough technology and incredible performance advancements. Developed for photographers looking for superior image quality in a portable body, the PEN E-P5 delivers a stellar shooting experience with 1/8000th of a second shutter speed – a world-first for the Compact System Camera class – built-in Wi-Fi, autofocus advancements, easy-access manual controls and a host of other features.

The new optional high-definition VF-4 viewfinder provides an impressive 1.48X magnification, a 2.36 million dot LCD, eye detect to turn it on at the right time, and intuitive functionality that enable real-time viewing of shooting conditions.

View Olympus official sample images.

Olympus PEN E-P5

Retro. The Olympus PEN E-P5 is the successor to the popular E-P3. It merges the cool retro design of the compact PEN F rangefinder camera with the high-end qualities of a [mirrorless] DSLR. New is the requisite Wi-Fi social sharing features (with easy set-up using QR code) we see cropping up in all new cameras. This allows Wireless Touch AF Shutter (view the image on your smartphone and use touch AF on smartphone to trigger the shutter on the camera) and Geo-tagging.

The distinctive styling of the PEN F rangefinder camera is carried over quite attractively. The use of high-quality textured metal for the top plate, shutter button, lens release button and arrow pad cover lends a premium look and feel to the camera. Olympus claims countless mock-up prototypes were used to finalize the design and placement of controls and dials. The PEN E-P5 will be available in an all-black, silver top and black, or white body.

The PEN E-P5 probably comes closest to match the high-end features of a DSLR: 1/8000 sec. max. mechanical shutter speed, Continuous Shooting at 9fps, 5 axis image stabilization, 1/320 sec. sync speed with the built-in pop-up flash, up to 1/4000 sec. sync speed with Super FP external flash, a high-speed AF (30% faster than E-P3), short release time lag mode, 3.0-in. 1.04 million pixels tiltable LCD, 0.5 sec. start-up, Focus Peaking function with use of manual focus lenses, optional external VF-4 EVF (2.36 million dot and 1.48x viewfinder magnification) with eye-sensor.

A new feature for those who travel a lot is the Photo Story theme that allows you to include multiple photos (or views of the scene) in a single one. Other features include Time Lapse and Art Filters.

Continue Reading »

Olympus PEN E-P5

PRESS RELEASE

THE ONLY THING RETRO ABOUT IT IS THE WAY IT LOOKS: NEW OLYMPUS FLAGSHIP PEN E-P5® TAKES COMPACT SYSTEM CAMERAS TO A NEW LEVEL

Advanced Performance in a Classic Design: 1/8000th of a Second Shutter, Built-in Wi-Fi, Custom Control, Creative Functions, Optional VF-4 Viewfinder and More

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., May 10, 2013 – Olympus marks the 50th anniversary of the legendary PEN F with the launch of the new Olympus® PEN E-P5, a digital update of a classic film camera designed with breakthrough technology and incredible performance advancements. Designed for photographers looking for superior image quality in a portable body, the PEN E-P5 delivers a stellar shooting experience with 1/8000th of a second shutter speed – a world-first for the Compact System Camera class – built-in Wi-Fi, autofocus advancements, easy-access manual controls and a host of other features.

The new flagship in the Olympus PEN series exudes detailed craftsmanship, from a seamless design to an all-metal casing that houses many of the same award-winning technologies found inside Olympus’s premier Micro Four Thirds® camera, the OM-D E-M5®: 16-Megapixel TruePic VI Live MOS sensor, FAST AF, 5-Axis Image Stabilization and more.

Continue Reading »

TechRadar has published its Olympus XZ-10 review.

The Olympus XZ-10 occupies the lucrative premium compact camera space that seems to be ever-growing in the number of options available to consumers. These cameras offer much more than a bog-standard compact, and certainly much more than a smartphone. Generally offering full manual control, other inviting features include fast aperture lenses and raw format shooting.

TechRadar has just published its Olympus TG-2 review.

The new Olympus TG-2, which replaces the Olympus TG-1, has all the usual tough credentials. It’s waterproof down to 15m (49ft), shockproof for drops from up to 2m (6.6ft), freezeproof down to -10C (14F) and crushproof to 100kg (22lbs).

Olympus PEN E-PL5 Review

An express review of the Olympus PEN E-PL5 review was just published at Neocamera. This compact mirrorless camera is the mid-level model among Micro Four-Thirds cameras and features a high-speed CMOS sensor with 16 megapixels and is capable of both 8 FPS continuous shooting and full 1080p HD video capture.

Find out how it performs in the E-PL5 review and take a look at images in the samples gallery to see how it performs at all ISO sensitivities.

Olympus STYLUS XZ-10

“Today Olympus refines its X-Series with the extremely compact and lightweight Olympus STYLUS XZ-10, which incorporates many of the same high-performance features of the flagship STYLUS XZ-2 in a stealthier body. The new high-end compact is an ideal combination of optical brilliance and usability in a pocket-sized design that blends a super-bright f1.8 to 2.7 zoom lens, pro-style manual settings, ISO 6400, 12-Megapixel backlit CMOS sensor and powerful TruePic VI image processor.”

This video presents “Olympus Stylus XZ-10″:

PRESS RELEASE

THE OLYMPUS STYLUS XZ-10^® IHS PROVES LESS IS MORE WITH LIGHTWEIGHT HIGH PERFORMANCE

 New Ultra-Portable, Ultra-Bright High-End Compact Puts Power in Your Pocket at an Affordable Price

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., February 19, 2013 – Olympus refines its X-Series with the extremely compact and lightweight Olympus STYLUS XZ-10, which incorporates many of the same high-performance features of the flagship STYLUS XZ-2 in a stealthier body. The new high-end compact is an ideal combination of optical brilliance and usability in a pocket-sized design that blends a super-bright f1.8 to 2.7 zoom lens, pro-style manual settings, ISO 6400, 12-Megapixel backlit CMOS sensor and powerful TruePic VI image processor.

Its flexible 26-130mm* wide-angle iZuiko^® Digital 5x optical zoom lens with excellent brightness, even at its maximum zoom, fits into a body that is about 40 percent smaller by volume** than its predecessor. Olympus’s advanced iHS image processing technology, and a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor combine with the large-aperture lens to deliver high-sensitivity, low noise and blazing auto-focus performance that translates to excellent image quality from a compact camera. Even at high ISO settings, iHS technologies deliver low noise and radiant colors with crisp details and rich gradation in both dark and light parts of the frame.

Continue Reading »

Today Olympus makes high-performance super-telephoto shooting more accessible than ever before with the affordable M.ZUIKO ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 II lens (35mm equivalent 150-600mm). Olympus has redesigned the lens to match the distinctive OM-D E-M5 and PEN Micro Four Thirds series cameras and added a new advanced ZERO (Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical) coating to keep scratches off, and eliminate ghosting and lens flare even in bright lights.

Continue Reading »

Five more companies have announced their support for the Micro Four Thirds System standard. This is good news in the sense that there might soon be a profusion of mFT cameras and lenses, hopefully of high quality and affordable, setting it as a de facto standard for interchangeable lens cameras and videos both for consumers and manufacturing. The main advantage of the mFT system standard is, of course, the ability to exchange lenses across different camera brands.

PRESS RELEASE

January 21, 2013

Blackmagic Design Pty. Ltd., JK Imaging Ltd., PHOTRON LIMITED, SVS-VISTEK GmbH and ViewPLUS Inc. join the Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group

Olympus Imaging Corp. and Panasonic Corporation jointly announced the Micro Four Thirds System standard in 2008 and have since been working together to promote the standard. Now we are pleased to announce that five more companies have recently declared their support for the standard and will be introducing products compliant with the Micro Four Thirds System standard.

Blackmagic Design Pty. Ltd., one of the world’s leading innovators and manufacturers of creative video technology; JK Imaging Ltd., new representative for the world-famous “KODAK” branded cameras; PHOTRON LIMITED, the world’s leading manufacturer of high speed digital imaging systems; SVS-VISTEK GmbH, an innovative company that develops professional machine vision components and systems and ViewPLUS Inc., a developer of advanced imaging-related equipment. With the addition of exciting new products from these companies, the Micro Four Thirds lineup will become much more diverse, further increasing the potential of this advanced digital imaging system.

As the company responsible for initiating both the Four Thirds System and Micro Four Thirds System standards, Olympus Imaging Corp. will continue to develop and enhance the product lineup for both standards to meet the diverse needs of our customers.

Blackmagic Design Pty. Ltd. :
An Australian company established in 1984 that manufactures high quality electronic equipment for broadcast and video production.
Blackmagic Design Pty. Ltd. Website : http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/

JK Imaging Ltd. :
An American company established in 2012, and the recently announced brand licensee for “KODAK” branded cameras, pico projectors and other digital imaging products.
JK Imaging Ltd. Website : http://www.kodakcamera.jkiltd.com

PHOTRON LIMITED. :
A Japanese company established in 1968 that provides manufacturing, sales and service of professional film and video equipment and photo- instrumentation.
PHOTRON LIMITED. Website : http://www.photron.com/

SVS-VISTEK GmbH :
A German company established in 2001 that develops, manufactures and distributes professional machine vision components and systems.
SVS-VISTEK GmbH Website : http://www.svs-vistek.com/

ViewPLUS Inc. :
A Japanese company established in 1998 that provides video equipment and the solutions which link communication and image processing as well as sensing technology.
ViewPLUS Inc. Website : http://www.viewplus.co.jp/english.html

The outlines of the standards can be checked at the Four Thirds website;
http://www.four-thirds.org/en/
http://www.four-thirds.org/en/microft/