Olympus OM-D E-M1X

Two years after laying down a marker in the professional camera category with the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, new M.Zuiko PRO lenses and the launch of the Olympus PRO service, the new E-M1X will now be added to Olympus’ offering for professional users.

With its integrated vertical grip, the world’s best dust, splash and freezeproof body and numerous new features demanded by professional photographers, the E-M1X offers unprecedented control, ergonomics and stability while delivering professional results under all weather conditions. With a new gyro sensor, Olympus has taken their acclaimed 5-axis sync IS to a new level offering up to 7.5 shutter speed steps of compensation. The OM-D AF system has been completely redeveloped, offering additional focal points and a new intelligent subject detection function to automatically track certain subjects. The high-speed shooting capabilities have been enhanced and anti-flicker shooting has been added. Further improvements i.a. include a handheld High Res Shot, a live ND filter functionality as well as a customizable menu, USB powering & charging capabilities and two UHS II SD card slots. In combination with high-quality M.Zuiko lenses, a new wireless flash and the image management software “Olympus Workspace”, the E-M1X is the perfect tool to capture professional results and work with them.

With an integrated vertical grip, the E-M1X delivers that extra in secure holding and reliability many professionals were looking for. As the design is the same on both the vertical and horizontal grip, users enjoy the same intuitive hand movements in portrait and landscape format shooting.

The layout, shape, and height of all buttons and levers were completely redesigned to deliver controls enabling users to concentrate on shooting with the viewfinder – which features a new optical design with the industry’s top class magnification of 0.83x (35mm equivalent). A multi selector joystick is included in both the horizontal and vertical positions so that users can quickly shift focus areas. In addition to the standard lock lever, a new C-lock lever allows for locking the controls in the vertical position and locking selected controls only.

The sensor dust reduction system now features an improved Super Sonic Wave Filter (SSWF) with special coating which vibrates 30,000 times per second further reducing the possibility of dust or dirt ruining photos and equipment by factor 10. Further features enhancing the camera’s durability and reliability include a construction that dissipates heat when shooting movies and during sequential shooting and a top-class shutter operation life of 400,000 times.

Due to a cartridge insertion system for two BLH-1 batteries (also used for the E-M1 Mark II) in the E-M1X, users can capture up to 2,580 images before having to recharge. Featuring USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) from up to 100 W power sources, both batteries in the camera body can be fully charged in approximately two hours.

The OM-D AF system has been completely re-developed for the E-M1X: building on the 121-point all-cross-type on-chip Phase Detection AF sensor from the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, the AF algorithm has been re-worked and was dramatically improved. The E-M1X furthermore utilizes AF information from recorded images to enable quick tracking of unpredictable subject movements and changes in subject speed.

Speed and image quality of the new E-M1X are fueled by a 20.4 MP Live MOS sensor with a new coating in order to deliver improved sensitivity as well as two TruPicVIII high-speed image processors improving fundamental performance factors such as start-up time and recovery time from sleep mode. The dual processor design not only contributes to a faster camera, but also allows the support of two high-speed UHS-II SD card slots and enables the latest shooting functions such as Handheld High Res Shot, Live ND, and Intelligent Subject Detection AF.

In addition to professional-quality photos, the new E-M1X is a master at movie-making. It features all the extras videographers need to capture moments as they happen. With the ultra-high Cinema 4K (C4K, 4096 x 2160) movie format, videographers not only have the highest recording resolution to date, but also more flexibility when it comes to postproduction. The powerful 5-axis IS and electronic stabilization enable refined handheld 4K and C4K video recording with three selectable levels of movement compensation depending on the photographer’s posture and movement. To counteract changing lighting conditions typical during documentary and nature shooting, the E-M1X supports log shooting. OM-Log400 delivers movies without loss of details in shadows or highlight blowouts, and greater freedom over video creativity through color grading. Moreover, 120 fps high-speed movies are now supported in Full HD resulting in the capability to shoot cinematic movies with slow-motion perception.

The OM-D E-M1X contains a built-in GPS sensor, temperature sensor, manometer and compass, collectively known as ‘field sensors’. In addition to location information such as longitude and latitude, these sensors detect and record the temperature, elevation, and direction of the camera for adding detailed shooting information to images.

With an anti-flicker shooting feature, the camera detects the flicker frequency of artificial light sources and activates the shutter at peak brightness to minimize uneven exposures and coloring between sequential frames. Flicker scan suppresses striped patterns that can occur when using Silent Mode (electronic shutter) and when shooting movies, so that users can fine tune the shutter speed.

A new Wi-Fi capture allows tethered shooting without a cable and makes it possible to transfer images wirelessly to a computer with the “Olympus Capture” camera control software.