Olympus' E-M10 'OM-D for all' is coming in March

Olympus continues  innovating their products at a relentless pace. In less than two years they've introduced a semi-professional OM-D M-5, a new Olympus PEN and fused their E-System Four Thirds pro camera line with the innovative Micro Four Thirds system with the stunning OM-D E-M1 as well as an impressive array of lenses.

The OM-D line is getting a new model which is more compact yet just as innovative and impressive as its larger, more enthusiast-oriented siblings. The E-M10 from Olympus is being touted as the OM-D for all.

The E-M10 combines the outstanding image quality, speed and power of the flagship Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the Olympus OM-D E-M5 into an extremely compact and stylish all-metal body. Coming in to the US in March and in Canada soon after, the E-M10 will have an SRP of $699.99 Body only, available in Black and Silver and $799.99 Body in Black or Silver with M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42 mm f3.5-5.6 II R lens.

Featuring the new TruePic VII image processor, the same found in the OM-D E-M1, 16 megapixel Live MOS sensor, Wi-Fi technology, a large, high-speed electronic viewfinder, 3-axis image stabilization, ultrafast autofocus and a built-in flash, it’s the OM-D for photographers looking for an affordable, yet powerful, system camera they can use every day.

This is an excellent value for a camera of this caliber, specially if you consider it has a built-in EVF, built-in Wi-Fi and built-in flash. These are features that usually cost extra in other compact systems and require the purchase of additional components.

The new, super-slim M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm f 3.5-5.6 EZ pancake zoom lens and the super-bright M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm f1.8 expands Olympus Micro Four Thirds line-up to 15 lenses.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10’s 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor, combined with the TruePic VII image processor and M.ZUIKO lenses, delivers beautiful image quality with high resolution, superior color reproduction and high sensitivity that exceeds other cameras in its class.

A maximum sensitivity of ISO 25600 is perfect for shooting dark scenes and indoor shooting locations, and ISO LOW mode (100 equivalent) expands the low-sensitivity end. The sensor’s rich dynamic range makes smooth gradations possible and beautifully depicts high-contrast highlights and shadows. Fine Detail Processing II technology configures the appropriate sharpness processing for each individual lens resulting in natural, high-quality resolution.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10’s in-body 3-axis image stabilization system is derived from the world’s first 5-axis system in the E-M5 and E-M1. The 3-axis version effectively counteracts yaw, roll and pitch with both still shots and HD movies, regardless of the lens attached to the camera yielding great results even in poor lighting conditions or when using an exposure time of 1/15 second or less.

The on-board FAST AF is Olympus’ fastest-ever AF system and uses 81 target areas that cover the whole image. Small AF Target and Super Spot AF modes make it possible to zoom in and focus accurately on minute sections of the frame. The E-M10 is also capable of capturing high-speed action with 8fps sequential shooting, the fast processor supports continuous capture of up to 20 RAW frames or an unlimited number of JPEG frames*,  and the Continuous Auto Focus with Tracking mode accurately tracks and captures moving subject as fast as 3.5 fps.

What Olympus has done here is take the most impressive features of their flagship OM-D cameras and condesed it into a smaller, more affordable body that can open up the system to users who may have been reluctant to invest into the system. For current Olympus photographers who already own the E-M5 or the E-M1, they can consider getting a more affordable second or third body to use with their lenses.