Olympus Imaging Singapore has announced the launch of 2 new lenses as well as the development of a v3.0 firmware update for their flagship OM-D E-M1 camera. Prices TBA.
From left: M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm ED f4.0-5.6 II super zoom lens; Olympus OM-D E-M1 MIL camera; fast-aperture 8mm f1.8 fisheye lens.
The two new lenses are the M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm ED f4.0-5.6 II super zoom lens and a fast-aperture 8mm f1.8 fisheye lens.
M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm ED f4.0-5.6 II super zoom lens
The new M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm ED f4.0-5.6 II super zoom lens is suited for ‘one-lens’ travel, sports and family photography given its compact size and versatile wide-angle to long-telephoto 28-300mm zoom range (35mm equivalent focal length).
The new M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f4.0-5.6 II is available in black only and is expected to be available in March 2015.
Compatible with all Micro Four Thirds cameras, the lens boasts excellent macro capability with 0.5m near shooting distance at all zoom settings.
Also splash and dust proof, it allows one to shoot confidently in all weather conditions.
On the video front, the lens aperture system has been reworked for improved video exposure stability while a Movie & Still Compatible AF drive system provides silent and rapid focus for an overall better movie capture convenience, especially for capturing sound sensitive subjects like wildlife and concerts.
Fast-aperture 8mm f1.8 fisheye lens
For the pro user, Olympus is developing a new professional grade high performance fisheye lens which will be part of its Zuiko PRO lens series.
The new M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f1.8 PRO is expected to be available after mid-2015.
The lens is dust and splash-proof allowing it to perform well even under the most difficult of weather conditions.
It has a 16mm full format equivalent focal length and very bright f1.8 aperture, allowing for shooting of super-wide shots and capturing of astronomical and underwater wide-angle photos.
Olympus will be developing a new underwater-housing lens port for their new 8mm fisheye lens.
OM-D E-M1 firmware Version 3.0 update
Olympus has announced its development of the latest Version 3.0 update for their flagship OM-D E-M1 camera – promising improved Continuous Autofocus performance and enhanced Wi-Fi functionality.
The launch date of this soon-to-be-available new firmware is to be announced.
The OM-D E-M1 which is equipped with a 37-point on-chip phase detection imaging sensor will see significantly improved capabilities for shooting moving subjects following the improvement that comes with the new Version 3.0 firmware update – with a sequential shooting speed raised to a maximum rate of 9 fps (from a previous 6.5 fps).
The new firmware supports the use of Olympus Image Share (OI.Share) version 2.5 smartphone app with the E-M1, and App users can now select movies as a shooting mode and record movies with Live View on the smartphone screen!
Tags: firmware, fisheye, lenses, M.Zuiko, Olympus, software, update, zoom, Zuiko