The new M.Zuiko 17mm and 45mm join the 25mm in the Olympus F1.2 PRO series of fast prime lenses for the Micro Four-Thirds system.  Olympus has recently announced two new Micro Four-Thirds M.Zuiko lenses, which join the 25mm in the F1.2 PRO series of fast primes. The smaller sensor of the Micro-Four Thirds system always benefits from lenses with a wide maximum aperture, both for improving low-light performance and achieving a shallower depth of field, which makes these two new lenses a great addition for any professional M4/3 shooter. M.Zuiko ED 17MM F1.2 PRO The 2x crop factor of the Micro Four-Thirds system can make it a bit of a challenge to find an all-round lens at the wider end. With its full-frame equivalence of 34mm, this prime lens’ focal length makes it an ideal choice for a walk-around lens, and suitable for anything from landscape to street photography. In terms of build, the M.Zuiko ED 17MM F1.2 PRO features an all-metal construction that offers splash, dust and freeze resistance up to -10C, all in a small and compact body under 10cm in length. The lens body also offers a couple of interesting features. A lens function button gives you access to camera controls such as Focus Peaking, AF Stop and Magnify right on the lens. Additionally, you can preset a focus position to which to easily return to from Auto Focus mode. The optical design is based around 15 elements in 11 groups, and makes use of the Z Coating Nano to keep unwanted visual artefacts in check. The lens will be available in January 2018 at an estimated retail price of $1,199.99. M.Zuiko ED 45mm f1.2 PRO The 45mm focal length in this lens corresponds to around 90mm in full-frame world, putting M.Zuiko ED 45mm f1.2 PRO right in the telephoto zone. This makes it an ideal choice for portraits, where you want to blur out and compress the background. The lens features an Auto-focus mechanism with a single moving element, and promises a very fast Auto-Focus performance even when shooting wide open. This prime offers the same all-metal build, features and resistance of the 17mm, but is a hair shorter at 84mm of length. This means that you can keep your crop sensor mirrorless M4/3 system nice and compact across all popular focal ranges. The M.Zuiko ED 45mm f1.2 PRO will also retail for around $1,199.99, but it will available earlier: you can expect it to hit the shelves by the end of November. Will you be expanding your Micro Four-Thirds arsenal with these two primes? Let us know in the comments!

Just a few days ago, Olympus unveiled their new MFT camera, the Olympus E-M1 MK II. It is not only the Japanese company’s first foray into 4K video, it is also a technology milestone in terms of image stabilization and pro video features. The Olympus OM-D E-M1 MK II Please make sure to read Graham’s article for a good overview of this new camera. As a reminder, here are the specifications: New 20 Megapixel Live MOS Sensor 4K UHD Video up to 30fps (3840×2160) and Cinema 4K up to 24fps (4096×2160) 3.0 Articulating Touch Monitor 121 Point Dual Auto Focus Pre-Record Feature 5-Axis Image Stabilization Dual SD Card Slot (UHS II Compatible) Weatherproofing: dust, splash and freeze-proof Weight: 1.3 pounds. One of the real achievements of this newly developed camera is the implemented image stabilization. As Janne Amunet puts it: It really gives new possibilities in terms of moving the camera without having a huge production budget. And that’s really it! The quality of stabilization that the Olympus E-M1 Mark II can achieve seems to be quite impressive, and can be even further improved when used alongside an Olympus lens with image stabilization. In a scenario like this, the result of both camera and lens add up to almost gimbal-like performance. The other buzzword surrounding this camera is, of course, 4K. It’s a first for Olympus, but it’s good to see other manufacturers adopting more and more camera systems to choose from. The Olympus E-M1 MK II caters the micro four thirds system, just like the Panasonic GH4. When shooting in (cinema) 4K, this camera is capable of a datarate of 237 MBits, which is a really impressive amount of data for such a small camera package. Pricing and availability Unfortunately there is no word on pricing yet, but the camera should still hit the market before 2017, probably looking at around December time.  

Camera manufacturer Olympus announced the new OM-D E-M1 MK II camera today complete with a 4K 30p 20 megapixel sensor in a small “weatherproof” form factor. Details below.    The new OM-D E-M1 MK II camera seems to be aimed at the adventure shooter group. With a small 1.3 pound body and weatherproofing that Olympus says will withstand dust, splashing and freezing, this is a camera that is meant to survive more than just those little “oops” moments. With the addition of the MK II, the OM-D E-M1 now includes 4K video recording options up to 30fps in 4K mode (3840 x 2160) and up to 24fps in Cinema 4K (4096×2160). Recording is available in .mov or .avi at a maximum bit rate of 237 Mbps. The 5-axis internal stabilization should also make for very steady handheld shooting. You can also internally shoot timelapses at 4K/5fps without a remote shutter trigger. Main Features of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 MK II at a Glance:  New 20 Megapixel Live MOS Sensor 4K Video up to 30fps (3840×2160) and Cinema 4K upto 24fps (4096×2160) .MOV or .AVI Codec 3.0 Articulating Touch Monitor 121 Point Dual Auto Focus Pre-Record Feature 5-Axis Image Stabilization Dual SD Card Slot (UHS II Compatible) Weatherproofing: dust, splash and freezeproof Weight: 1.3 pounds. For stills shooters, Olympus has clearly prioritized auto focus features during the last two years of design and R&D work. This time around, Olympus promises very speedy 18 frames per second sequential shooting in RAW while in continuous AF mode. The “Pro Capture” feature is similar to other pre-record features we’ve seen on more video focused cameras, and Olympus promises you’ll be able to capture up-to 14 frames prior to fully pressing down the shutter button. The only feature that doesn’t seem quite in line with their adventurer focused design is the 3.0″ touch screen. Having a touch screen out in the wilderness seems problematic and a recipe for a very dirty screen. No new camera announcement is complete without at least a few additional lenses to round out your kit, and Olympus did not disappoint. Three new pro lenses were also announced today: New Lenses:  M.ZUIKO Digital ED 25mm f1.2 PRO lens M.ZUIKO Digital ED 30mm f3.5 Macro lens M.ZUIKO Digital ED 12-100mm f4.0 PRO lens All the lenses are weatherproofed to protect against dust, freezing and water. Pricing has yet to be announced. Price: TBD Availability: TBD What do you think of the new OM-D EM-1 MK II? Comment below.