Olympus Bows OM-D MILC, 2 P&S Cameras

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 2/8/2012

Center Valley, Pa. - Olympus introduced the E-M5 mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, billed as the first in a new series of Olympus OM Digital (OM-D) Micro Four Thirds products.

The Olympus E-M5 ($1,000 estimated retail) is the first mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera in Olympus' new OM-D series.

Olympus also introduced two new point-and-shoot offerings, including an advanced all-weather model.

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 will target advanced photographers, offering a built-in electronic viewfinder, strong image technology, fast creative control and a classic, rugged body design that is sand, sun, sleet and snow resistant.

 The body design was said to "evoke the classic design of the original OM Series introduced 40 years ago." The Olympus OM-D Series is a new Micro Four Thirds camera system, combining features from Olympus E-System d-SLR line with those of the compact Olympus Pen Series.

Key features include a 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor, TruePic IV image-processing engine, five-axis image stabilization system, built-in electronic viewfinder with a 120 fps refresh rate, high-resolution electronic viewfinder (EVF), tilting 3-inch OLED camera-back, 3D AF tracking, face and eye detection AF, 9 fps sequential burst shooting, 11 in-camera art filters, display, multi-aspect ratio shooting, RAW and JPEG capture with multi-exposure overlay support for both, and 1080i HD video capture in MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264).

To compliment the OM-D E-M5, Olympus introduced the HLD-6 Power Battery Grip, the FL-600R electronic flash and the MMF-3 Four Thirds mount adapter that will accept a Four Thirds Standard-compliant lens on a Micro Four Thirds Standard-compliant camera body.

Olympus said it also plans to introduce later this year two new Micro Four Thirds lenses -- the M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f1.8 and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f2.8 macro.

The camera, which will be available in a choice of black or silver body colors, will ship in April at a $1,000 suggested retail (body only); $1,300 (for black or silver body with black M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50 mm f3.5-6.3 EZ lens) or $1,100 (black body with black M.Zuiko Digital 14-42 mm f3.5-5.6 II R lens).

 Olympus introduced two point-and-shoot cameras, the SZ-31MR his, which combines a 24x wide-angle optical zoom lens (25-600mm zoom equivalent in 35mm) with a new touch panel LCD and Intelligent High-Sensitivity/High-Speed (iHS) technologies that capture images and videos in challenging backlit and low-light conditions.

Key features include: 3-inch (920,000-dot) LCD, 10 fps burst shooting, 1080p HD video capture, multi-recording capability, 16-megapixel resolution, TruePic V processing engine, multi-motion movie stabilization,

SZ-31MR iHS will ship in April in a choice of black or silver with a strap, USB cable, USB-to-AC adapter (F-2AC), lithium-Ion battery (LI-50B), quick start guide, A/V cable, instruction manual on CD-ROM and a software CD-ROM at a $400 estimated street retail.

 The Olympus Tough TG-820 his is waterproof (33 feet), shock-proof (from 6 feet), freeze-proof (to 14 degrees F), crush-proof and dust-proof.

Key features include 3-inch 1 million-dot HyperCrystal III LCD, 10x digital zoom, a 12-megapixel back-side illuminated CMOS sensor, TruePic VI processing engine, 1080p HD video capture, multi-motion movie image stabilization, and fast AF system.

The Olympus Tough TG-820 iHS will ship in March at a $300 estimated street retail with a wrist strap, USB cable, A/V cable, USB-to-AC adapter (F-2AC), lithium-Ion battery (LI-50B), quick start guide and instruction manual on CD-ROM. It will be offered in a choice of silver, black and blue.

Between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. ET on March 9, Olympus said Facebook fans can participate in a special two-hour live Olympus Tech where Olympus spokespeople will take questions on a the OM-D.