Latest Digital Camera News and Reviews

I got a chance to try one out a few weeks ago, and it felt nice and sturdy in my hands (though a bit slippery). Unfortunately, Olympus didn't include a battery with the review unit, so I can't tell you any more than that. Needless to say, this is a step in the right direction for Micro Four Thirds, which has leaned more toward the consumer end of the spectrum in the last year or two. That's why the E-M5 is a member of the new OM-D family, and not a Pen.

Here are the highlights of the E-M5, with lots of photos after the break.

Olympus E-M5 [specs to come]

• 16.1 Megapixel Live MOS sensor
• TruePic VI image processor
• In-body 5-axis image stabilization corrects for vertical, horizontal, and rotational movement, plus yaw and pitch; system works using magnets
• Weather-sealed magnesium alloy body resembles the original Olympus OM
  • Twin dials on the top of the camera for manual setting adjustment
• Supports all Micro Four Thirds lenses, with a 2X crop factor
  • Supports classic Four Thirds lenses via the new MMF-3 adapter ($179), which is also weather-sealed
• Articulating 3-inch touchscreen OLED display with 610,000 pixels
  • Touch features include focus, shutter release, and image playback
• Large electronic viewfinder has a magnification of 1.15X and 100% coverage; 120 fps refresh rate makes everything nice and smooth
  • Eye sensor automatically switches between the main display and EVF
• Full manual controls, with RAW support
  • ISO range of 200 - 25600
  • Shutter speed range of 60 - 1/4000 sec
• New "FAST" autofocus system is the world's fastest (at least for this week), with a 240 fps drive speed when in continuous AF mode; new 3D tracking function can follow moving subjects, no matter which way they go
• Included external flash (GN 7) is also weather-sealed, and can be used to control wireless external flashes; hot shoe also available
• Continuous shooting as fast as 9 frames/second
• New EVF Creative Control feature overlays the tone curve on the viewfinder, allowing adjustment of shadows and highlights
• More Art Filters, such as Key Line (very cool, actually), Cross Process II, and Dramatic Tone II
• New "Live Bulb" feature updates the view on the display/EVF while a long exposure is underway
• Electronic level
• Records Full HD video at 1080/60i with stereo sound using the H.264 codec
  • Efforts have been made to reduce jaggies and the rolling shutter effect
  • New one-shot and multi echo mode
• Optional battery grip ($299) come in two pieces: just the bottom for extra battery life, and the side for extra "gripability" (pun intended)
• Accessory Port 2 supports EVF, external mic, macro arm light, and PenPal Bluetooth adapter
• SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
• Uses BLN-1 lithium-ion battery; battery life not available
• Available in silver or black
• Ships in April for $999 body only, $1099 with a 14 - 42 mm lens (black only), and $1299 with the new 12-50 mm lens

Along with the camera come two news lenses and a flash. On the lens front, we have an F1.8, 75mm M.Zuiko model (which is all-metal), as well as a weather-sealed F2.8, 60mm macro lens. They'll be officially introduced later this year. Something you can buy sooner is the new FL-600R flash, which has a guide number of 36 (at ISO 100) and a built-in LED lamp which assists in focusing, and brightens up the scene when you're recording movies. The FL-600R is priced at $299, while the lenses will have prices when they are officially released.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS [specs to come]

• 16 Megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor
• Dual TruePic V processors
• F3.0-6.9, 24X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 25 - 600 mm
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• 3-inch touchscreen LCD with 920,000 pixels
  • Live Guide lets you adjust color, brightness, vividness using your finger
• Point-and-shoot, with scene-selecting Intelligent Auto mode
• Full resolution continuous shooting at 10 frames/sec
• Sweep panorama feature
• Super-Resolution Zoom gives you a 2X boost in focal length with a minimal loss in image quality
• Magic Filters (like Art Filters) work for stills and movies
• Records 1080p video with stereo sound using H.264 codec
  • Can record Full HD video and 16MP stills at the same time
• 59MB onboard memory + SD/SDHC/SDXC card
• 200 shots per charge using LI-50B battery
• Available in silver and black
• Ships in late April for $399

Tough TG-820 iHS [specs to come]

• 12 Megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor
• TruePic VI image processor
• F3.9-5.9, 5X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28 - 140 mm
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Waterproof to 33 feet, shockproof from 6.6 feet, freezeproof to +14F, and dustproof
• 3-inch LCD with 1.03 million pixels
• Point-and-shoot operation, with Intelligent Auto mode
• Full resolution continuous shooting at 5 frames/sec
• Super Resolution feature doubles your zoom power, with minimal loss of image quality
• New HDR Backlight Adjustment feature
• Records Full HD video with monaural sound
• 46.8MB onboard memory + SD/SDHC/SDXC card
• Uses LI-50B li-ion battery, 220 shots per charge
• Comes in silver, black, red, and blue
• Ships in March for $299

Pentax WG-2 [specs to come]

• 16 Megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor
• F3.5-5.5, 5X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28 - 140 mm
• Rugged body is waterproof to 40 feet, shockproof from 5 feet, freezeproof to +14F, and dustproof
• 3-inch LCD display with 460,000 pixels
• Point-and-shoot operation with auto scene selection
• Improved GPS receiver reduces startup time, battery consumption (GPS models only, of course)
• Digital Microscope mode now has 6 LED lamps, can focus as close as 1 cm
• Records Full HD video at 1080/30p using H.264 codec
• Optional SportMount chest harness ($50) for hands-free video capture
• Available waterproof remote control ($30)
• 88.2MB onboard memory + SD/SDHC/SDXC card
• Uses D-LI92 li-ion battery, 260 shots per charge
• Standard model comes in black and red; GPS model available in orange and white
• Ships in March for $349 (standard model) and $399 (GPS model)

PowerShot SX260 HS [specs to come]

• 12.1 Megapixel "high sensitivity" CMOS sensor
• DIGIC 5 processor
• F3.5-6.8, 20X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 25 - 500 mm
• Optical image stabilization, with Intelligent IS feature (kind of like scene auto-selection for shake reduction)
• 3-inch LCD display with 461,000 pixels
• Full manual controls (no RAW support)
• Enhanced Smart Auto mode now selects one of 58 scene modes for you
• Built-in GPS, with tracking function
• Tons of scene modes, special effects, and unique features (Movie Digest, Smart Shutter)
• Can take up to 10 shots at 10.3 frames/second
• New Face ID facial recognition feature
• Records Full HD video at 1080/24p with stereo sound
  • Optical zoom can be used while recording
  • Super slow motion option records at 240 frames/sec (at a low resolution)
• SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot
• Uses NB-6L lithium-ion battery, 230 shots per charge
• Available in black, red, and green
• Ships in March for $349

PowerShot ELPH 320 HS [specs to come]

• 16.1 Megapixel "high sensitivity" CMOS sensor
• DIGIC 5 processor
• F2.7-5.9, 5X optical zoom, equivalent to 24 - 120 mm
• Optical image stabilization, with Intelligent IS function described above
• Ultra-compact body, comes in black, silver, red, and blue
• 3.2" touchscreen LCD display with 461,000 pixels
  • Touch features include focus, shutter, menus, in image playback (there are almost no buttons on the camera)
• Point-and-shoot operation, with Smart Auto mode
• Built-in Wi-Fi allows user to transfer photos to your computer, Canon's cloud service, or to a smartphone (with the Camera Window app)
• Large selection of scene modes and special effects, plus Face ID system
• Continuous shooting at 5.2 frames/sec
• SD/SDHC/SDXC card
• Uses NB-11L li-ion battery, 170 shots per charge
• Records Full HD video at 1080/24p with stereo sound; optical zoom can be used while recording
• Ships in late March for $279

PowerShot ELPH 530 HS [specs to come] - changes:

• 10.1 Megapixel "high sensitivity" CMOS sensor (would love to know why this model uses a lower resolution sensor)
• F3.4-5.6, 12X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28 - 336 mm; lens uses folded optics technology, which is how the camera stays so thin
• Uses microSD/microSDHC cards
• 190 shots per charge using NB-9L battery
• Available in white and black
• Priced at $349

PowerShot D20 [specs to come]

• 12.1 Megapixel "high sensitivity" CMOS sensor
• DIGIC 4 processor
• Waterproof to 33 feet, shockproof from 5 feet, freezeproof to +14F, and dustproof
• F3.9-4.8, 5X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28 - 140 mm
• Optical image stabilization, with Intelligent IS
• 3-inch LCD display with 461,000 pixels
• Built-in GPS receiver with tracking functionality; GPS can record altitude but not depth
• Point-and-shoot operation, with Smart Auto mode (which is less sophisticated than on the models above)
• Records Full HD video at 1080/24p with monaural sound; optical zoom can be used while recording
• SD/SDHC/SDXC card
• Uses NB-6L li-ion battery, 280 shots per charge
• Optional underwater housing lets you take the D20 even deeper (131 feet, to be exact)
• Ships in May for $349

PowerShot A810 [specs to come]

• 16 Megapixel CCD
• F2.8-6.9, 5X optical zoom, equivalent to 28 - 140 mm
• 2.7" LCD display with 230,000 pixels
• Point-and-shoot operation, with Smart Auto mode (which selects from 32 scenes)
• Plenty of special effects and scene modes; Live View Control lets you adjust brightness, color, and tone without needing to know the technical terms
• In-camera help system
• Records 720p video at 25 frames/second
• SD/SDHC/SDXC card
• Uses two AA batteries, 500 shots per charge with NiMH batteries
• Available in silver, black, and red
• Ships in April for $109

PowerShot A1300 [specs to come] - changes:

• Optical viewfinder (!)
• Available in black and silver
• Priced at $119

PowerShot A2300 [specs to come] - changes:

• Slimmer, more ELPH-like body; no optical viewfinder
• Uses lithium-ion battery; 210 shots per charge with NB-11L
• Available in black, silver, red, and blue
• Ships in March for $149

PowerShot A2400 IS [specs to come] - changes:

• Optical image stabilization, with Intelligent IS
• 180 shots per charge using NB-11L battery
• Available in black, silver, blue, and pink
• Priced at $159

PowerShot A3400 IS [specs to come] - changes:

• 3-inch touchscreen LCD with 230,000 pixels
  • Touch features include focus, shutter, menus, and image playback
• Available in black, silver, red, and gold
• Ships in March for $179

Powershot A4000 IS [specs to come] - changes:

• F3.0-5.9, 8X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28 - 224 mm
• Standard 3-inch LCD with 230,000 pixels
• 175 shots per charge using NB-11L battery
• Available in black, silver, blue, red, and pink
• Ships this month for $199

• EF 24-70mm F2.8L II USM: reduced chromatic aberrations and improved sharpness across the frame compared to its predecessor; sealed against dust and moisture; ships in April for $2299
• EF 24mm F2.8 IS USM: seven blade aperture for nice bokeh; silent operation for movie recording; ships in June for $849
• EF 28mm F2.8 IS USM: same as above, but a bit more telephoto; ships in June for $799