Olympus E-M1 Review -- First Impressions

by Mike Tomkins
Posted 09/10/2013

With the announcement of the Olympus E-M1, two birds have been killed with one stone. The E-M1 is both a new flagship for the OM-D series, and a replacement for the long-in-the-tooth Olympus E-5 digital SLR. In one smooth move, Olympus has given the OM-D series a new aspirational benchmark, and answered the concerns of photographers shooting with its Four Thirds-series SLRs, who've long wanted to know the future of their seemingly-dormant format. And it's answered in style, delivering a camera that combines the best of both the SLR and mirrorless worlds, and adds some significant, brand-new features, as well.

The 16-megapixel E-M1 is the first Olympus mirrorless camera with on-chip phase detection autofocus, resolving performance issues when shooting with Four Thirds lenses. It has a mighty-impressive electronic viewfinder which is, in essence, a refined version of the well-received VF-4 viewfinder accessory.

It also boasts a higher-resolution tilting monitor, and adds freezeproofing to its roster of outdoors-friendly shooting features. And acknowledging that sharing is key, it sports in-camera Wi-Fi connectivity, although this too has been refined since we first saw it in the PEN E-P5 compact system camera. And there's more, besides, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

For Four Thirds shooters, there's no question which feature will be key: The greatly-improved support for their existing lenses, some of which were truly superb. From the start, earlier PEN and OM-D series models have been able to accept Four Thirds lenses via an adapter. The problem was that the shooting experience was degraded, compared to that you'd get when shooting with a true Four Thirds body. Autofocus was slower, and neither continuous AF nor tracking were possible when shooting with an adapter. For certain lenses, autofocus wasn't possible at all. The reason: Four Thirds lenses were designed for use with phase-detection autofocus, and Micro Four Thirds cameras used only contrast-detection.

The 16-megapixel Olympus E-M1 changes all that, pairing contrast-detect autofocus with on-chip phase-detect. In the process, it makes the jump to Micro Four Thirds a much more palatable proposition for photographers who want to keep shooting their Four Thirds lenses. (And if you've already accepted the compromise and made the jump, upgrading to the E-M1 will make shooting with your Four Thirds glass fun again.)

The Olympus E-M1 doesn't just appeal to Four Thirds shooters, though. As the new flagship and object of desire for Olympus' interchangeable-lens camera lineup, the E-M1 is packed with features that will appeal to enthusiasts and pros alike.

As you'd expect, the magnesium alloy body of the E-M1 is fully weather-sealed, but it's now freezeproof as well. It also includes the clever 2x2 twin-dial control system introduced earlier this year with the PEN E-P5. And while it's a little larger than that of the E-M5 -- due in no small part to a much more prominent, SLR-like handgrip -- it's also a whole lot smaller than was the E-5.

Inside, there's a generously-specified electronic viewfinder that aims to make converts of optical viewfinder fans. Olympus has also included its five-axis, in-body image stabilization system, as well as a refinement of the Wi-Fi wireless networking feature-set -- including remote control capability -- that was introduced in the P5 mirrorless. And there's plenty else besides in Olympus' most capable mirrorless camera to date, as you'll see in our hands-on first impressions of the camera below.

Available from October 2013, the Olympus E-M1 will initially ship body-only, with pricing set at around US$1400.

Place your pre-order with trusted Imaging Resource affiliates Adorama or B&H now:

Adorama:

• Olympus OM-D E-M1 -- Body only, US$1399

• Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens -- US$999

B&H:

• Olympus OM-D E-M1 (Body Only) -- Body only, US$1399

• Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens -- US$999

• Olympus HLD-7 Battery Grip -- US$199

Without any further ado, let's take a tour of the Olympus E-M1 camera body.

 

Olympus E-M1 Review -- Walkaround

by Mike Tomkins

The Olympus E-M1 shares a similarly retro styling aesthetic with the earlier E-M5, but from all angles looks much more feature-packed. A panoply of controls -- many of them programmable -- sprout from almost every surface. It's a very slight 0.1-0.2 inches (6-8mm) wider and taller than the E-M5, and 0.8 inches (20mm) deeper.

Loaded and ready to go, body weight is some 17.5 ounces (497g), about 2.5 ounces (72g; 17%) heavier than was the E-M5. Compared to the E-5 (31.5 ounces / 892g), though, body-only weight is around 27% lower, giving a pretty significant advantage in portability over the SLR model.

Seen from the front, the most striking change is the new handgrip. It gives the Olympus M1 much more SLR-like handling, and explains the increase in depth. We're big fans of this new grip, which makes it much more comfortable and secure in-hand.

Don't be mistaken in thinking it bulky, though: the SLR-like looks are somewhat deceiving. Even with the handgrip, it's still 0.2 inches (6mm) less thick than the smallest SLR on the market -- the Canon SL1 -- despite that camera's extremely shallow grip. The modest depth of the mirrorless body makes the E-M1's grip seem much deeper than it truly is.

Where the E-M5 had just one control -- the lens mount release button -- on its front surface, the E-M1 sports three. Directly across the lens mount from the release button are two new controls, nicely positioned for fingertip access. One is for depth-of-field preview, and the other for one-touch white balance. A dimple on one button helps to distinguish them by touch.

Another new arrival on the Olympus E-M1's front panel is a flash sync terminal, located at the top left corner (as seen from the camera's rear), right where the AF assist lamp was on the E-M5. That lamp has now jumped across the lens mount in the E-M1, and sits alongside the OM-D logo, snug against the top of the handgrip. The deep sculpting at the top of the grip ensures your fingers won't accidentally stray and cover the lamp.

Switching to the top deck, it's apparent that the Olympus E-M1's body hasn't grown much in thickness compared to that of the E-M5. The greater depth is accounted for simply by the new handgrip, and a slightly more generous eyecup for the electronic viewfinder.

As in its predecessor, there's no popup flash strobe. Instead, you're reliant on external strobes to throw more light on your subject, and as an alternative to the front panel's flash sync terminal, a hot shoe at top center caters to these.

To the left of the hot shoe are the Power switch, AF / Metering mode button, and Drive mode / Self-timer / HDR button. (Fans of HDR photography will doubtless appreciate not having to dig for this in the menu system.) The Power switch location is, admittedly, a bit unusual. It probably makes more sense than the location used in the E-3 and E-5 digital SLRs, and mirrored in the OM-D E-M5, though. All three cameras placed the switch at the bottom right corner of the rear panel. Sitting snug alongside the viewfinder hump as it does, the E-M1's Power switch should be less prone to accidental operation.

On the other side of the hot shoe, you'll find a cluster containing all of the controls from the E-M5's top deck. There's a locking Mode dial, twin dials with which to control exposure variables, plus the Curves and Movie buttons. Cleverly, the Mode dial locks with one press of the button, and unlocks with a second press, so you can leave the dial free to spin if you expect to be changing modes in a hurry. The Shutter button sits in the center of the front dial.

A nice touch is that the Olympus E-M1 adopts the 2x2 Dial Control system which debuted on the E-P5. This lets you adjust the function of the front and rear dials with a flick of a switch encircling the Autoexposure Lock / Autofocus Lock button, which sits just to the right of the electronic viewfinder and directly behind the Mode dial. On the other side of the viewfinder is a Display button, used to manually toggle between the viewfinder and monitor being active. The E-M1 can also switch these automatically, courtesy of a proximity sensor which sits just right of the viewfinder window.

The electronic viewfinder itself, incidentally, is related to the VF-4 external viewfinder which debuted alongside the E-P5 compact system camera. That viewfinder was truly superb, pairing extremely high resolution with a very generous magnification. The built-in viewfinder on the E-M1 is even better, because it now adjusts the backlight level to account for scene brightness. Previously, the backlight illumination was constant, and the viewfinder's LCD panel was used for brightness control. The result is that the brightness no longer appears to ebb and brighten as it did with the VF-4.

The new viewfinder also has more dynamic range, and pretty minimal latency. Olympus is rightly proud of the optics used, which control chromatic aberration nicely, even in the corners. Of course, all of this has minimal effect on your final images, but it makes for a much more optical viewfinder-like experience -- important given that Olympus is courting converts from its long-dormant DSLR line.

Between the viewfinder and flash hot shoe is Olympus' proprietary Accessory Port 2, seen in several past OM-D and PEN-series cameras. This allows attachment of a range of accessories, all of which sit in the hot shoe above, and so preclude use of a flash strobe. These include several electronic viewfinders (the only reason you might want to use these would be for shooting at low angles, since they can be tilted), the SEMA-1 external microphone adapter, MAL-1 Macro Arm Light, and PP-1 PenPal Bluetooth adapter.

Beneath the viewfinder sits a 3-inch articulated monitor, which like that in the E-M5 can be tilted upwards 80 degrees, or downwards 50 degrees. It's not the same OLED panel used in the M5, however. The E-M1's monitor is an LCD and has a higher resolution of 1037k dots. It includes a capacitive touch overlay, similar to those found in modern smartphones.

An array of controls line the right side of the LCD, but thanks to the relocated Power switch and the slightly wider body, they feel much less cramped. Buttons include Menu, Playback, Delete, and Info, as well as a four-way controller with central OK button. Beneath the button cluster, and just to the right of the Delete button, there's a small three-hole grille for the E-M1's speaker. There's also a Function1 button at top right, sitting on long and steeply-raked triangular bevel that also serves as a thumbgrip.

On the left side of the camera body, you'll find a strap lug, which unfortunately uses a metal-on-metal D-ring, a design we've oft commented on because it tends to make noise during video capture if there's a strap attached. Beneath sit two rubber compartment doors. The top covers a new external microphone jack. Beneath, the second door covers the combined USB and standard-def A/V port, and the high-definition HDMI video output. You can also see the left port for the built-in stereo microphone, located on the side of the viewfinder hump. Gone is the speaker grille from the E-M5, relocated to the rear panel.

And finally, the right side of the body -- shown here mounted on the optional portrait grip -- is largely featureless. There's a second neck-strap lug with D-ring, the second port for the stereo mic, and an access door for the Secure Digital card slot, which is compatible with UHS-I and SDHC / SDXC cards.

It's also worth noting that the portrait grip replicates the twin dials of the camera body, letting you continue to use the 2x2 Control Dial system regardless of orientation. It also has two Function buttons of its own, and a locking lever that ensures you won't accidentally bump its controls if you're shooting in landscape orientation.

 

Hands-on with the Olympus OM-D E-M1

by Dave Etchells

When you pick up the OM-D E-M1, the first thing that stands out is its grip. While the E-M5 had a reasonable grip, it was always rather understated, and sometimes left me feeling like it could slip from my hand if I wasn't careful. The E-M1 is an entirely different experience. The grip is deeply sculpted, with a very prominent lip at the top for your middle finger to rest against for support, and the shutter button is angled down just right for comfortable shooting.

The auxiliary battery grip is excellent as well, with a very similar grip profile, and manages to provide good purchase for your hand when shooting vertically without adding much bulk at all.

As a camera designed to work with the original (larger) Four Thirds lenses as well as the current Micro Four Thirds optics, we were surprised how well the compact but solid body balanced with even relatively large lenses attached to its front. Associate Editor William noticed this while he was out shooting with the lens, while Dave was interviewing some of the Olympus execs from Japan who were in attendance at the launch event. So it was entirely independently that Dave learned that this was in fact a very specific design goal for the E-M1. Given that William noticed it immediately without having been primed to look for it speaks to how well the designers accomplished this balancing act.

It's seemingly a very small thing, but our hands-down favorite feature of the camera was the toggling lock on the mode dial. Press once to lock the dial, and it won't budge if jostled, press it again and it unlocks and turns freely. Compare this to other approaches, where you have to hold down the lock button in order to make any changes: We've always found that irritatingly awkward, and Olympus has provided the perfect solution. It's head-smackingly obvious once you've seen it, so one wonders why someone else hasn't come up with this solution years ago.

Another thing we really liked is the extent to which the user interface is configurable. A lot of cameras will let you assign functions to a button or two here or there, but with the Olympus E-M1, virtually every control can be customized. Not only that, but taking a page from the Sony RX1, the four-way controller on the rear panel has no labels for pre-assigned functions. When I first shot with the RX1, I found this surprisingly liberating. Somehow, not seeing function labels on the 4-way buttons left me much more motivated to assign the functions I wanted those keys to have. It's a little hard to explain, but I made far more use of the configurable UI on the RX1 than I ever had on any camera before. The Olympus E-M1 similarly encourages experimentation and modification.

We've at this point had only a very short time shooting with the Olympus OM-D E-M1, but are so far wildly enthusiastic about its design, build quality, and performance. If the image quality in the lab is anything like what we're expecting, we're confident saying that Olympus has a real winner on its hands. As popular as the OM-D E-M5 has been, we think the E-M1 has if anything even more potential. With its weather sealing and rugged die-cast body, this is a camera built to take a beating in hard-core professional use out in the field. Combine that with the ultra-compact nature of both the camera and the Micro Four Thirds lenses (especially the 12-40mm f/2.8 announced with it, and the forthcoming 40-150mm f/2.8 due next year), and a pro could pack a full professional system into a smallish fanny pack. We think the Olympus OM-D E-M1 is poised to convert a lot of traveling pros to the Micro Four Thirds platform. Stay tuned for our full lab tests.

In the meantime, here are some gallery shots taken with various Olympus Micro Four Thirds and Four Thirds lenses, and you can visit our Olympus E-M1 Gallery page for more.

Olympus E-M1: Sample Gallery Images
M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8: 1/4s, f/5.6, ISO 1600	M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8: 1/4s, f/5.6, ISO 1600
Zuiko 7-14mm F4.0: 1/6s, f/4.0, ISO 1600	M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0: 1/30s, f/2.0, ISO 1600
Zuiko 14-35mm F2.0: 1/2s, f/2.0, ISO 200, HDR1	Zuiko 14-35mm F2.0: 1/2s, f/2.0, ISO 200, HDR2
Zuiko 12-60mm F2.8-4.0: 1/320s, f/4.0, ISO 100, Flash	Zuiko 12-60mm F2.8-4.0: 1/320s, f/4.0, ISO 100, Flash

Low-pass filters, the lack thereof, and moiré

There's been a strong move in the camera industry lately to remove low-pass filters (aka anti-aliasing filters or LPFs) from cameras, in pursuit of greater image sharpness. The Olympus OM-D E-M1 is one of the latest camera models to join this trend.

At IR, we feel strongly that eliminating low-pass filters is a bad idea, and a mistake for the industry. While the vast majority of natural subjects aren't subject to aliasing and moiré issues, many man-made objects have the sort of regular patterns that trigger the problem.

The real problem is that once you've got moiré or color aliasing in your images, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove.

In an interview of Olympus executives and R&D engineers at the E-M1 launch event, they noted that they'd built a large library of images in which moiré or aliasing could be a problem, and then worked systematically to eliminate the issue in each individual scenario. We'd say that their efforts were perhaps largely successful, but not completely so.

While it's true that you can use more global knowledge of a subject's structure (things like recognizing areas that should be a solid color, etc) to intelligently remove aliasing effects, it's a fundamental mathematical fact that aliasing cannot be a priori distinguished from subject detail. Bottom line, no matter how intelligent your processing, there will always be situations in which aliasing will be unavoidable, unless you use a low-pass filter to remove spatial frequencies higher than twice the pixel pitch.

The samples below show a couple of examples where we encountered color aliasing or moiré effects with the Olympus E-M1. It's important to note that we're not particularly picking on Olympus here, or at least not on them alone: We've seen similar effects from every camera on the market that lacks a low-pass filter (and on a number in which the LPF is simply too weak to fully do its job.) Still, these examples show the sorts of problems that are ultimately unavoidable with missing or too-weak low-pass filters.

 

As noted above, these examples don't point a finger at Olympus alone: The same or worse can be found in the output from virtually any high-end camera built without an LPF.

If you're aware that you're having aliasing problems, you can often deal with the situation in-camera, by any of several means: 1) Tightening or loosening your framing slightly, to put the offending detail at a higher or lower spatial frequency than what's causing the problem; 2) Very slightly defocusing, to eliminate the highest spatial frequencies; or 3) Stopping down to the point that diffraction limiting slightly reduces sharpness. These are all both a hassle and problematic, though, and often times, you won't know that you have a moiré problem until you're off location and back in the studio, looking at your images on a computer.

Is this moiré issue a show-stopper for the Olympus E-M1? That'll be a personal decision for everyone. If you shoot a lot of architectural imagery or fashion with regular fabric patterns, it could be a consideration. On the other hand, if most of your shooting is natural objects, you might never see it.

If it is an issue for you, that begs the question of what other alternatives are available. Unfortunately, as we said at the outset, most camera manufacturers seem to be moving in this direction, especially with their higher-end models. There are still some high-end cameras with with LPFs in the market, but in many cases they're weak LPFs which don't completely address aliasing problems. If a camera has an LPF at all, it's unlikely that its image processing algorithms will have anti-aliasing routines built in to address the issue, so you may end up worse off with a weak LPF than one that's missing entirely, but has image processing to help alleviate the problems that result.

Bottom line, this is looking like something we're simply going to have to deal with as photographers, at least until the no-LPF fad abates. We at IR are hoping that the industry as a whole will come to its senses sooner than later, and focus on eliminating what become unavoidable problems, simply for the sake of an extra smidgen or two of sharpness. In the meantime, this looks like the face of the future.

 

Olympus E-M1 Review -- Technical Info

by Mike Tomkins

Sensor. Although its 16.1-megapixel resolution is little changed from that of the E-M5, Olympus has based the E-M1 around a brand-new Live MOS image sensor. So if resolution hasn't changed appreciably, what's new? The main tweak is the addition of on-chip phase detection autofocus pixels, staggered across the sensor. These allow for phase-detect autofocus with legacy Four Thirds lenses, and with Micro Four Thirds lenses when using continuous autofocus.

Olympus says that it has also improved noise performance of the sensor versus that in the E-M5, and removed the optical low-pass filter for better per-pixel sharpness. Like any OLPF-free camera -- and they're becoming increasingly common -- that's going to increase the risk of moiré patterning, false color, and other such artifacts, however.

Total resolution of the new sensor is 16.8 megapixels, and it has a 4:3 aspect ratio. Raw images are recorded at a resolution of 4608 x 3456 pixels.

Processor. Alongside the new image sensor sits an equally-new image processor. Dubbed TruePic VII, it's one generation removed from that in the E-M5, and two generations from the processor in the E-5. Changes include a newer-generation Fine Detail Technology II processing function which works to further reduce moiré and false color, and which Olympus says has allowed it to remove the optical low-pass filter altogether.

The new processor also includes adaptive routines for compensating lateral chromatic aberration and optimizing sharpening, and these take account of both the lens type and aperture value in use. It's not yet clear whether this applies only for JPEG shooting or for raw as well. Interestingly, though, we're told the function can correct for at least some third-party lenses as well, including those from Micro Four Thirds partner Panasonic, and perhaps Sigma as well.

Sensitivity. By default, the Olympus E-M1 has a sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 1600 equivalents, with the lower end of the range being described as the Low position. (In other words, the base sensitivity of the sensor is likely above ISO 100. Like the Low positions on other cameras, the sensor would be intentionally overexposed, then the exposure corrected. The result would be a longer exposure, but reduced dynamic range in the highlights.) It isn't immediately clear what the actual base ISO sensitivity is.

Under manual control, a much wider range from ISO 100 (L) to ISO 25,600 equivalents is available, in either 1/3 or 1EV steps. The upper limit for the Auto ISO function can also be adjusted to limit sensitivity to anything from ISO 200 to 25,600 equivalents.

Performance. The Olympus E-M1 is capable of shooting at up to a manufacturer-claimed 10 frames per second in burst mode, an extra one frame each second beyond the figure given for the E-M5, and double the speed claimed for the E-5. Autofocus and exposure must be locked from the first frame to achieve this rate, however.

Despite the increase in speed, burst depth has also risen, and is now double that of the E-M5, with the E-M1 able to capture 36 raw frames at 10 fps. Reduce the shooting rate to 6.5 fps with autofocus enabled, and not only do you get autofocus and exposure metering between frames back, but you will also manage 54 raw frames in a burst, according to Olympus. Note that both frame rate figures are applicable with image stabilization disabled. Enabling it will lower the shooting rate, but Olympus doesn't specify by how much, so we'll need to spend some more time with the camera to get an idea of the difference.

Lens mount. Just like the Olympus E-M5 before it, the E-M1 features a Micro Four Thirds mount, and will accept Four Thirds and many other lens types via optional adapters. Support for Four Thirds lenses should be much better than in the E-M5 and PEN-series cameras to date, however, thanks to on-chip phase detection autofocus.

Focusing. The addition of phase-detect AF brings with it new branding for the autofocus system in the E-M1: Dual FAST AF. The phase detection system offers up a total of 37 PDAF points, while a further 81 preset contrast-detect AF points are provided by default. (When the Magnified Frame AF function is active, much finer focus-point selection is possible, with a potential 800+ focus points available across the image frame.)

The PDAF pixels are staggered across the central, diamond-shaped phase-detect AF area on the sensor, to ensure that you can't notice artifacts in your final images. (Since these pixels don't contribute image data for the final image, information from surrounding pixels is used to interpolate a value for the "missing" pixels -- exactly the same process most cameras use to fill in for stuck or hot pixels.)

Autofocus speed when using Four Thirds lenses on the E-M1 body should, we understand, be similar to those achieve with equivalent Micro Four Thirds lenses. The manner in which the system operates is quite interesting, and gives an indication of Olympus' satisfaction with its FAST-branded AF algorithms, which make up the contrast-detect side of the equation.

Four Thirds lenses use the new phase detection system at all times, both for single and continuous autofocus. Micro Four Thirds lenses, though, use contrast-detection alone for single autofocus and during movie capture. It's only when still image continuous autofocus is enabled that Micro Four Thirds lenses take information from the phase-detect pixels into account. (And by doing so, the E-M1 can offer burst shooting at 6.5 fps complete with continuous autofocus.)

Not only will the new phase-detect system provide greater compatibility with autofocus on Four Thirds lenses, as well as better focus performance and support for continuous autofocus, all absent with adapted Four Thirds lenses on previous Micro Four Thirds bodies -- it will also provide for more accurate autofocus. That's because there's no longer a separate phase-detect sensor, and so the data used to focus your Four Thirds lenses will be coming from the image sensor itself, ruling out the front / back focusing issues common on conventional SLR cameras. (And those issues could rear their head even with a well-calibrated sensor when subjected to temperature changes that caused expansion or contraction of the camera's internal.)

Another handy advantage is that the PDAF system has no fixed baseline, unlike most dedicated sensors. That means that where typical SLRs don't provide more accurate autofocus beyond a certain maximum aperture, the on-chip system can do so right up to the maximum aperture of the lens in use.

As in the E-M5, the Olympus E-M1 provides a choice of automatic AF point selection, 9-area grouped point selection, and single-point selection with two point sizes. There's also a Face Detection function with Eye-Detection capability, letting you select whether the camera should focus on the left eye, the right eye, or the eye which is nearer to the camera.

There's also an autofocus assist lamp, a manual focus assist function, and a focus peaking function.

Stabilization. Olympus has retained much the same 5-axis image stabilization system it developed for the E-M5 in the new flagship E-M1. It still corrects for yaw, pitch, vertical motion, horizontal motion, and roll, however it now has refined algorithms. We're told to expect it to be more effective at slower shutter speeds, although there's no spec for how much of an improvement the system will show.

The system is said to yield a 4 EV correction, to CIPA testing standards, and has four operating modes. It can stabilize on both axes, horizontally only, vertically only, or choose between the three as the camera deems appropriate. If using a manual lens or a lens adapter, you can dial in an appropriate focal length in 37 steps from 8 to 1000mm.

Sensor shift stabilization can also be used for movie capture, unlike some cameras which limit you to digital image stabilization for movies. You can also opt to use the in-lens stabilization provided by certain Panasonic lenses.

Dust. The E-M1 features Olympus' patented Supersonic Wave Filter dust reduction system, just as you'd expect. It operates via a piezoelectric element that vibrates the cover glass overlying the sensor, and shakes dust particles free. They're then captured on an adhesive membrane beneath the imager. We've subjectively found piezoelectric systems like these to be significantly more effective than those using lower-frequency motion from a sensor-shift assembly.

Lenses. As noted, the Olympus E-M1 accepts both Four Thirds lenses via an adapter, and Micro Four Thirds lenses natively. It's worth noting, though, that simultaneous with the launch of the E-M1, Olympus has reorganized its M.Zuiko Micro Four Thirds lens lineup, and introduced a new lens line that aims to mirror its high-grade, durable, dust-and-splashproof body. The new M.Zuiko Pro line launches with one model, a 12-40mm f/2.8 constant-aperture zoom lens, and a 40-150mm f/2.8 constant-aperture zoom will follow in the second half of 2014. Beneath the M.Zuiko Pro category sit the M.Zuiko Premium lenses, prime lenses with high image quality. Finally, the standard M.Zuiko lenses are intended to offer the most compact, lightest packaging of the trio.

Viewfinder. One of the key challenges Olympus faces in persuading Four Thirds-mount SLR owners to switch to a mirrorless model is the viewfinder. Photographers who've spent much time shooting with an SLR often form a very strong attachment to their optical viewfinder. Although they offer advantages in other areas, electronic viewfinders are hard-put to rival the bright, sharp view of the world, and the instantaneous response provided by their optical brethren.

The company clearly recognizes that, and has gifted the Olympus OM-D E-M1 with a refined version of what was already among the best electronic viewfinders we've seen.

Based around much the same display and similar optics to those used in the optional Olympus VF-4 external viewfinder accessory, the E-M1's viewfinder is large, bright, sharp, and responsive.

It has a high resolution of 2.36 million dots, and a default refresh rate of 120 frames per second. Impressively, this speed is able to be boosted to 240 frames per second, if needed. Display latency is a short 29 milliseconds, according to Olympus.

Thanks to generous 1.48x magnification (35mm equivalent: 0.74x), it yields a viewfinder image larger than that of a full-frame camera like the Nikon D800. And as you'd expect in a camera aimed at enthusiasts and pros, field of view is 100%. There's a diopter correction function, too, which spans a range from -4 to +2 diopters.

Olympus' viewfinder optics are designed to keep chromatic aberration to a minimum for a clear view from corner to corner, and the company has revisited how it handles EVF brightness adjustment as scene brightness changes. Previously, the backlight was constant, and the LCD did all the work. Now, the backlight too is variable, for a more satisfactory experience. The display also has more dynamic range than in the past.

The net result is a viewfinder that, while not optical, is the next-best thing. And of course, it can do things your optical viewfinder can't. You'll get a live image during video capture, for example, and shooting information can be overlaid on the live image.

Filter effects can also be previewed in real time, and impressively, so too can one of the two available HDR effects. And of course, you can preview different aspect ratios, or magnify the viewfinder to aid in focusing. You can even preview highlight and shadow control settings, or the hue / saturation as controlled by the twin dials. And you can overlay one of five different framing grids, or a dual-axis level.

Monitor. Even if the typical Olympus E-M1 shooter will likely be spending most of their time looking through the viewfinder, the LCD monitor is still important too. For one thing, you'll be using it whenever it isn't practical to get your eye to the finder -- when shooting overhead, for example, or low to the ground. For another, if you want to show friends and family your photos without transferring them from the camera, the monitor's your best bet.

Olympus has upgraded the E-M1's 3.0-inch display, which now sports higher resolution than that of the E-M5. The total dot count is 1.037 million, up from 614 thousand dots in the E-M5. It's also now an LCD panel, rather than an Organic LED. There's a +/- 7-step control over both brightness and color available, and two color-tone selections -- vivid or natural -- so you can tune the display to your tastes, as well.

Touch-sensitive. As in the E-M5, the monitor is also an input device, thanks to a capacitive touchscreen overlay.

Functions that can be controlled via touch include the shutter, autofocus area selection and enlargement, live guide, super control panel, art filter menu, Wi-Fi settings, playback zoom, and playback image selection.

Articulation. The display also caters to viewing from a wide range of angles, thanks to its articulated, tilting design. Just as in the E-M5, the Olympus M1's display tilts upwards by around 80 degrees for shooting from the waist or low to the ground, and downwards by as much as 50 degrees for over-the-head shooting.

Flash. There's no built-in flash on the Olympus E-M1, but that's not surprising. Internal strobes -- while handy if you don't want to lug around a second piece of gear -- are a design feature that's more commonly associated with consumer cameras. Enthusiast and pro gear typically forgoes a built-in strobe in favor of a hot shoe and flash sync terminal, and the Olympus E-M1 does the same.

An FL-LM2 strobe is included, just as it was with the E-M5. The FL-LM2 is weather-sealed, just like the camera body, and has a guide number of 7 meters at ISO 100.

Flash sync is possible at 1/320 second when using the FL-LM1 or FL-LM2 strobes, which are intended specifically for the PEN and OM-D series cameras. With other strobes, flash sync is ordinarily 1/250 second. Super FP-capable strobes can sync at 1/125 to 1/8000 second.

Flash exposure compensation is available within a range of +/-3EV, in steps of 0.3, 0.5, or 1EV.

The flash hot shoe is also used to mount Accessory Port 2 accessories. More on that in a moment.

Exposure. The Olympus EM-1 offers shutter speeds ranging from 1/8000 to 60 seconds, set in 1/3, 1/2, or 1EV steps. A Bulb mode is available, and so is a Time mode which defaults to an eight minute exposure, but which allows anywhere up to 30 minutes.

Exposure modes include Intelligent Auto, Program (with Program Shift), Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, Manual, Bulb, Time, Scene Select, Art Filter, and Underwater Wide / Macro.

Scene modes include Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Sport, Night, Night + Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, DIS mode, Macro, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Fisheye Conv., Wide Conv., Macro Conv., and 3D. This last functions only with the H-FT012 3D lens, manufactured by Panasonic.

Exposures are metered using the image sensor, and are considered as 324 distinct multi-pattern areas. The Digital ESP metering system also provides Center-weighted Average, Spot, Highlight Spot, and Shadow Spot metering modes. It has a working range of -2 to 20 EV at ISO 100 with a 17mm f/2.8 lens.

Exposure compensation is available within a generous +/-5EV range, set in 1/3, 1/2, or 1EV steps. You can bracket exposures, too, with a choice of 2, 3, 5, or 7-frame bracketing in 0.3, 0.7, or 1EV steps. (The largest step size is only available for five frames or less, though.) And bracketing isn't just limited to exposure: you can also bracket ISO sensitivity, white balance, flash, and art filters.

You can also adjust the camera's metering system in 1/6EV steps, within a +/-1EV range, and this adjustment will be applied to all exposures, even if no exposure compensation is set. (And if you do set exposure compensation, it will be added to or subtracted from the adjusted value.) This is a great feature if you find that the camera consistently under- or over-exposes slightly for your own personal taste.

Creative. The Olympus E-M1 also offers a generous selection of creative effects. These include a dozen Art Filters, each of which can be coupled with a selection from eight different Art Effects. There are also two in-camera HDR modes, a Time Lapse function, a Multiple Exposure function, a Starlight mode, and a PhotoStory function. You can also play with aspect ratios, selecting between the default 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, and 3:4. Raw files are simply tagged with the aspect ratio crop, which can be undone in software. JPEGs are permanently cropped.

Perhaps the most interesting options are the new HDR modes, because they mark the first time that Olympus has provided in-camera HDR merging capability in an interchangeable-lens model. You have two choices: HDR1 shoots for a fairly realistic rendering of the scene, much as your eye would see it, while HDR2 goes for a crunchy, in-your-face artistic effect. Exposures with the HDR1 mode can be previewed through the viewfinder. HDR2 exposures don't allow live preview, but provide up to a whopping 14EV range in a single image. Either way, the camera will merge your multiple exposures for you, and handle microalignment if the camera moved slightly between exposures.

The Time Lapse mode has also been revisited since the E-P5, and now allows 999 frames in a single time-lapse session -- more than ten times as many as before. The longest interval time is 24 hours, so if an external power source and sufficient card space were provided, you could conceivably shoot a single time-lapse of close to two years, nine months in duration. You can also create 100-second time lapse movies, in-camera.

Shooting that many frames at once, though, it pays to note just how many exposures you're shooting. Olympus doesn't rate the shutter life of the E-M1, but typically, life expectancies range from the mid to high tens of thousands of exposures on consumer cameras, up to the mid-hundreds of thousands for professional models. If you're regularly shooting around a thousand exposures at a pop, you could conceivably run out your shutter life in fairly short order. But that's true of any SLR, and we have a feeling, part of why interval modes often have such low exposure limits.

Multiple Exposure mode simply stacks two exposures to create a single image that's an additive combination of the two. It's much like exposing a frame of film twice.

The Starlight mode is similar to Sony's Handheld Twilight, shooting eight frames in a burst and then stacking them to average out the noise. The result is a high-ISO, low-light image with lower noise levels than would be typical, but the technique is best-used with relatively static subjects.

Art Filters on offer in the E-M1 include an updated Diorama filter, which can now opt to blur the left / right of the frame, instead of the top / bottom. The strength of the blur effect increases the further the distance from the autofocus point, so if for example you shoot a portrait with focus on the subject's eye, the filter helps to emphasize their eye even more by softening the rest of their face and the background.

Other Art Filters include Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Cross Process, Gentle Sepia, Dramatic Tone, Key Line, and Watercolor. Art Effects which can be paired with these include Soft Focus, Pin-Hole, White Edge, Frame, Star Light, Defocus, B&W (Yellow, Orange, Red, or Green), and Picture Tone (Sepia, Blue, Purple, or Green.) Note that not all effects can be paired with all filters.

And lastly, the PhotoStory feature seen previously in the XZ-10 and E-P5 makes it into the Olympus E-M1 as well. Simply put, this lets you capture several images in sequence, and then they're combined in-camera to make a single-image collage. Not necessarily the kind of feature you'd expect to find in a camera aimed at enthusiasts and pros, but those who like to share from the camera may appreciate it.

Level gauge. The Olympus E-M1 also includes a dual-axis level gauge that helps ensure both level horizons and parallel verticals -- at least, if that's what you want. Camera tilt can be indicated either in the electronic viewfinder, or the rear-panel LCD.

Video. Like any modern interchangeable-lens camera, the Olympus E-M1 can shoot high-def video. The feature-set is reasonably rich, but there's one important catch: regardless of resolution, the frame rate is fixed at a progressive-scan 30 frames per second. It isn't possible to shoot at a film-like 24p, nor at a higher 60p/60i rate, as in many recent cameras.

If you're willing to live with that, though, you can look forward to automatic, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual exposure, autofocus both before and during video, internal stereo or external stereo microphone connectivity, and wind noise reduction. You'll get a choice of three resolutions (Full HD 1920 x 1080; HD 1280 x 720; VGA 640 x 480) and two compression types (MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 in a MOV container at 720p or above; Motion JPEG in an AVI container at 720p or below.) You'll also be able to apply a variety of movie Art Filter effects, and these will have less of a frame-rate impact than on previous models. You can even shoot time-lapse movies.

For movie autofocus, you'll find that the Olympus E-M1 uses contrast detection at all times -- both before and during capture -- when a Micro Four Thirds lens is mounted. If you switch to a Four Thirds lens on an adapter, you'll get phase detection autofocus before capture, but will be restricted to manual focus during capture.

That limitation may be related to the demands of reading off the phase detection pixels during movie capture, but we're speculating here. Either way, the experience shooting with autofocus during capture using a Four Thirds lens likely wouldn't have been terribly satisfactory: Four Thirds lenses weren't designed with the needs of movie recording in mind. For the best performance, you'll want a Movie and Still Compatible, MSC-branded lens attached.

Movies are restricted to 29 minutes in length, a 4GB file size limit for H.264 capture, and a 2GB file size limit for Motion JPEG capture.

Wireless communications. Another important change between the Olympus E-M1 and the earlier E-M5 is that the new camera sports Wi-Fi wireless networking connectivity. We saw this first on the Olympus E-P5 mirrorless earlier this year, and the E-M1's 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless feature set is similar, but refined.

We should note right off the bat, though, that some central-American countries are going to miss out here, because Wi-Fi is disabled in their cameras. That's apparently down to the high cost of getting wireless devices certified by the local equivalent of the FCC in these countries. But for most, Wi-Fi will be available, and even more worth using than ever before.

In-camera Wi-Fi makes it easier to get your photos and videos off the camera, and onto your smartphone or tablet for sharing on social networks. Setup is a slight bugbear, though, and quite a few manufacturers have resolved this using Near Field Communications, which adds an extra radio to the camera. This is great for ease of use, but it's not universally supported by smartphones and tablets (and not supported at all by Apple.) It also adds to the camera's size, weight, and cost.

As in the E-P5, Olympus has gone its own route, taking advantage of the near-ubiquitous cameras on smart devices these days. The E-M1 shows a Quick Response code -- a type of two-dimensional barcode -- on its screen when ready to pair via Wi-Fi, and you scan this using your smart device's camera. The connection is then configured between both devices for you, automatically. If you don't have a camera on your smart device, of course, you'll need to pair manually.

Once connected, you can not only download movies or images, but also control the camera remotely. As in the E-P5, this includes a live view feed and remote shutter release, but it also now allows Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, or Manual exposure. You can thus control aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and white balance remotely. You also have access to both single and burst shooting, all without a cable. You can even set autofocus manually, by touching the live view feed on the smart device's screen.

Perhaps coolest of all, you can control Time / Bulb exposure remotely, and see the image being built up over time as it's exposed, on the smart device screen. (Astrophotographers will love this -- at least, so long as they don't mind losing some night vision by looking at a bright phone or tablet screen!)

You can have up to four clients connected to the camera at any one time -- two less than in the E-P5 -- and while only one can be controlling it, all four can receive copies of the camera's images for instant sharing with a group of friends or colleagues at the same location. The Olympus E-M1 also allows you to piggyback on your phone or tablet's GPS receiver for geotagging of images, a function offered by some competitors. (And, we'll be honest, one we've never found terribly useful, since you have to leave power-hungry GPS running on the mobile device to capture a track log, rather than it running on the camera only as needed.)

All of these features are provided for with a free app, available for Android or iOS devices. The app also allows you to edit photos remotely, and you can then share them using the features of your smart device.

Wired connectivity. As well as its new wireless connectivity, the Olympus E-M1 offers quite a range of wired inputs and outputs. These include a combined USB 2.0 High Speed data and NTSC / PAL standard-definition video output, a high-definition HDMI video output, and a standard 3.5mm microphone jack, plus a flash hot shoe, flash sync terminal, and Olympus' Accessory Port 2 connector.

This last sits directly behind and beneath the flash hot shoe, and AP2-compatible devices sit in the hot shoe when in use. (And thereby, prevent use of flash at the same time, unless you're using a sync cable.) Compatible devices include several electronic viewfinders (the only reason you might want to use these would be for shooting at low angles, since they can be tilted), the SEMA-1 external microphone adapter (which, again, replicates functionality already provided by the camera body), MAL-1 Macro Arm Light, and PP-1 PenPal Bluetooth adapter.

Storage. The Olympus E-M1 stores images and movies on Secure Digital cards. It's compatible with the higher-capacity SDHC and SDXC cards, as well as the higher-speed UHS-I types. At least a Class 6 card is recommended for video capture.

It also works with Eye-Fi cards, although obviously the camera has its own wireless connectivity, so there's little reason to use in-card Wi-Fi unless you already own the card. (And if you do, note that Eye-Fi's Endless Mode is not supported.)

Power. The E-M1 draws power from a proprietary BLN-1 lithium-ion battery pack. Battery life is rated at 350 shots on a charge to CIPA testing standards, which includes image stabilization. (But not flash, we're presuming, since there's not a built-in strobe.)

Accessories. A variety of accessory products will be offered alongside the E-M1.

Likely the most popular of these will be the HLD-7 Power Battery Holder. This addon grip mounts on the camera's base, and when attached with batteries installed, yields roughly double the battery life. It also offers a second set of controls for portrait-orientation shooting.

Other accessory options that will be available alongside the Olympus E-M1 include the PT-EP11 Underwater Case, GS-5 Grip Strap, CBG-10 Camera Bag, CS-42SF Soft Camera Case, and CSS-P118 Shoulder Strap.

Price and availability. Available from October 2013, the Olympus E-M1 will ship body-only, with a pricetag of US$1400.

The 12-40mm f/2.8 lens is priced at US$1000, and the HLD-7 Power Battery Holder will cost US$200.

Pricing for the other accessories hasn't been disclosed, and nor has their availability.

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