Olympus OM-D E-M5: a retro Micro Four Thirds camera, from rumor to announcement

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 may be the company's first weatherproof Micro Four Thirds camera, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to take it for a swim. For that you'll be wanting the PT-EP08 underwater housing, which will be put on sale at the end of July in Japan for ¥112,350 ($1,360) — more than the price of the camera body itself. That's not all, though, as you'll also need the waterproof lens port to house the M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm F3.5-5.6II, 14-42mm F3.5-5.6IIR, and ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 lenses, which will set you back a further ¥38,000 ($460). There's also a port adapter for select Four Thirds SLR lenses that'll sell for ¥17,000 ($206). All this will let you use the EM-5 to a depth of 45 meters (147.64 feet), and the camera has an underwater white balance mode to minimise time spent fiddling with the menu system in diving gloves.

Olympus went back to its roots today with the OM-D E-M5, a brand-new Micro Four Thirds camera that you'd probably guess was about 40 years old if it weren't so shiny. The E-M5 is the first in the company's new OM-D line, and even the name harkens back to the cameras of yore: the OM-1 was released in 1972, and was at the time one of the slimmest SLRs on the market. The new camera sits at the top of Olympus' Micro Four Thirds offerings, more expensive than the PEN models — the E-M5 will cost $1,099.99 with a kit lens when it goes on sale in April.

The camera's gotten a bit of an upgrade in specs and performance (it's digital, for one), but it still looks every bit as good as it did 40 years ago. The magnesium alloy body comes in either black or chrome, though whichever option you pick will be wrapped in black synthetic leather. This is a mirrorless camera, with the pentaprism hump in the center now occupied by an electronic viewfinder — an EVF is nice, but we can't help but wonder if form outweighed function in the decision to keep the hump in place. There aren't a lot of physical, but the mode dial and scroll wheels move smoothly and easily. The camera felt a little delicate in my hand, but it's apparently quite the contrary: the magnesium alloy body is also splashproof and dustproof, and Olympus reps assured me it's ready to weather the elements. We also got to test out the new battery grip, which gives the E-M5 a very DSLR-like feel — it adds a vertical shutter button, a larger grip, and a second battery that should at least double the life of the camera.

Olympus has finally pulled the curtain back on what has been possibly the most leaked camera in recent memory: the OM-D E-M5. Just as the PEN cameras were inspired by the company's half-frame shooters of the '50s and '60s, the first camera in the OM-D line harkens back to OM-series film SLRs first sold in the '70s. So, the pentaprism bump now houses a 1.44-megapixel electronic viewfinder, two programmable dials provide manual control, and the camera comes in black or the classic chrome finish you see above. The body is actually quite a bit smaller than you might think, however, measuring 4.8 inches wide and 1.8 inches deep. There's no room for a built-in flash, but the E-M5 comes bundled with a small accessory unit that slots into the hot shoe.

Inside, there's a new Micro Four Thirds 16.1-megapixel sensor with 5-axis image stabilisation, an ISO range of 200-25,600, and support for 1080p video. Olympus is touting its new autofocus system in particular on the E-M5, said to beat the already-speedy EP-3. The E-M5 is the first Micro Four Thirds camera from Olympus to have support for a battery grip, which relocates both control dials and the shutter release for shooting in portrait orientation. This, together with its dust and splash proof magnesium alloy design, should make it a more enticing "professional" option than any PEN to date. The E-M5 will be out in April for a body-only price of $999.99, with kit lens options including a $1,099.99 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R set, and a $1,299.99 bundle with the higher-end, weather-sealed 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ lens that launched in December.

The steady trickle of news about the Olympus OM-D carries on unabated, as PhotoRumors has uncovered another photo of the camera surrounded by a range of accessories. The team over at 43 Rumors has taken the magnifying glass to it and spotted a couple of lenses that we haven't seen before now — a pair of 75mm f/1.8 and 60mm f/2.8 macro lenses, both bearing the Micro Four Thirds mount, meaning that they'll be just as at home on your PEN or Lumix G when they launch. The photo also confirms the existence of the OM-D's battery grip, as we spotted in the leak of pictures earlier this week.

PhotoRumors also lists some expected specifications for the camera, though we're not quite sure of their provenance. It's suggesting that the finished product will have a 16-megapixel sensor, with 5-axis in-body image stabilization, an ISO range of 200-25,600, burst shooting of four frames per second, shutter speeds between 60 and 1/4000th of a second, and a 1.44-megapixel electronic viewfinder along with a 3-inch OLED touchscreen. All of this looks set to be packed into a body 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8 x 3.5 x 1.7 inches), weighing 369 grams (about 0.8 pounds). 43 Rumors has also suggested a possible price of €1100 (around $1200) — and that the camera could launch this Wednesday, as reported in earlier leaks.

After rumors and numerous teaser images whet our appetite, we're now getting a much clearer look at the Olympus OM-D Micro Four Thirds camera. Product shots detailing the front and rear of the mirrorless shooter briefly appeared on Amazon Japan, though were predictably removed in short order. Thankfully, the keen folks at 43rumors ensured their preservation. As we surmised, aside from a textured band across the face of the camera, its overall design isn't nearly as "retro" as once anticipated. On a different note, the OM-D is paired with an extended battery grip in Amazon Japan's press images, which should come as good news to those who plan to carry the camera on lengthy outings. Pictures don't tell the whole story, as they say, and plenty of unknowns remain when it comes to Olympus's latest. All should be revealed before long — the last rumors we heard pegged February 8th as the date to watch.

New images have surfaced of the rumored Olympus OM-D Micro Four Thirds camera. The three photos below are heavily zoomed and cropped, and match up with the previous leak, even if they don't tell us anything new about the camera. The product image above is slightly more debatable - it's unclear if this is an artist's impression, or genuine promotional material.

Update: A fifth image has been leaked to the same source, giving a good view of the camera's EVF and comically over-sized pentaprism.

We've been hearing rumors of a new Micro Four Thirds camera from Olympus, and we just got some new evidence: 43Rumors posted a teaser shot of a new camera, coyly cropped so only the "OM" is showing. There's not much to see from the picture, which depicts a decidedly non-retro camera despite the apparent harkening to Olympus' previous OM series of shooters. We see two dials, a dedicated video recording button, and an Fn2 button (presumably Fn is somewhere else), all on a glossy black body. 43Rumors is also "pretty confident" in the spec list for the camera, which includes a 16-megapixel sensor, ISO range up to 25,600, a built-in EVF, and a tilting 3-inch OLED display. It will reportedly be the first in a new line of Micro Four Thirds cameras from Olympus, and its rumored $1,100 price tag would make it a high-end one for the company. None of this is confirmed, of course, and teaser photos like these always raise our Photoshop alarms, but the evidence is certainly piling up that we're going to see a old-looking new camera from Olympus — possibly as soon as February 8th.