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One Pen, three lenses, one flash from Olympus

pkina-dinkusThe rumoured Olympus OMD E-M1 Mk11 (pictured below right) turned out to be not so much a product as a ‘development announcement’ at Photokina, but the new Pen E-PL8 and a trio of high-end lenses filled the new product bill on the Olympus stand.

okympus-em1-iiThe lenses are a 30mm f3.5 Macro, a super-fast prime, the 25mm f/1.2 Pro, and a 12-100mm f4.0 Pro zoom. In addition, Olympus announced the FL-900R, a high-intensity, weatherproof, wireless flash.

Suffice it to say at this point that the second -generation E-M1 has a 20-megapixel sensor and can shoot at a blistering 18fps in Raw, or even faster if you can do without autofocus support.

The camera has 121 cross-type AF on-sensor phase detection points, spread over a wider area than the original E-M1. Olympus says the autofocus system is completely new.  It can shoot 4K video, including the wider aspect ratio Cinema 4K, at up to 236mbps.

Other features include an upgraded EVF (120fps); higher capacity battery with faster charging; dual SD slots; better grip.

More on the OMD E-M1 Mk11 when it is actually released – which should be later this year.

To access the Olympus OMD E-M1 Mk11 press release: olympus-om-d-e-m1-mark-ii-development-announcement

Olympus Pen E-PL8
e-pl8
The snapshooter-friendly, 16-megpixel E-PL8 has an ISO range of 100 – 25,600, an 8.5fps burst rate and advanced flip-out monitor.

It can record movie clips at Full HD/30p, and features art filters which can be used for both stills and video.

The downward-opening, 3-inch, 1,040,000-dot touch LCD screen is designed for easy selfies, and the camera has Wi-Fi and a dedicated smartphone app for instant sharing uploading and sharing. The app also lets you use your smartphone as a remote control.

The front of the body features synthetic leather and patterned finishes for each colour option. The camera will come in white, brown and black and will be available in Australia from October at an RRP of $899 with the 14-42mm kit lens.

A range of matching accessories will be available, including body jackets, lens covers, shoulder straps and camera bags.

Olympus Pen EP-L 8 press release: olympus-pen-e-pl8

Lenses and outdoor flash unit
The M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 Pro is a fast standard prime lens (equivalent to 50mm in 35mm format). It comprises 19 elements and includes eight special elements (among them Super ED lens and ED lenses plus E-HR and HR elements) that suppress all types of aberrations. The lens design achieves de-focusing effects that transition smoothly from the focused surface, according to Olympus.

It will be available in October for a cool $1999.

Press release: olympus-m-zuiko-25mm-f1-2-pro-lens

The M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f4 IS Pro lens is a professional zoom lens with dustproof, splashproof and freezeproof construction, and constant f4 maximum aperture. The optical design include special lenses such as DSA (Dual Super Aspherical) lenses, ED lenses, and Super HR lenses to minimise aberrations. Something called Z Coating Nano technology suppresses ghosting and flare. In-lens image stabilisation and the Olympus 5-axis sync IS, working with the camera’s in-body stabilisation, provides a claimed 6.5 EV compensation performance.

The Olympus M.Zuiko 12-100mm f4.0 PRO Lens will be on sale from October 2016 at an RRP of $1799.

Press release: olympus-m-zuiko-12-100mm-f4-0-pro-lens

olympus_m30mmf35mc-blk_smlThe Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 30mm f/3.5 Macro can focus as close as 9mm and has a top magnification of 1.25x (2.5x in 35mm). It has a circular aperture diaphragm for pleasing bokeh, and a high-speed focus system.

It has a working distance of 14 mm for true 1:1 macro shooting, but can also be used as a general-purpose lens.

It supports the 5-axis Image Stabilisation of the OM-D and Pen cameras.  Inner focusing ensures the physical lens length does not change. The new 30mm f3.5 Macro will be available in October for an RRP of $399.

Press release: olympus-m-zuiko-30mm-f3-5-macro-lens

The Olympus FL-900R flash unit features a guide number of 58 and a zoom range of 24-200mm – well-suited to the new 12-100mm zoom. Features include charge time of 2.5 seconds, continuous firing at 1/32 power, and 1/128 power available. It is sealed against dust and splashes, and can be operated wirelessly. An LED light allows for continuous lighting for video.

No local release details are available.

 

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