History Repeats with Olympus OM-D E-M5

The mess of its bosses notwithstanding, Olympus surges forward with an attractive remake of an old classic, the OM rangefinder camera. Its reincarnation, the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 builds upon the 40-year legacy of the OM SLR film camera series and offers a Micro Four Thirds digital camera that boasts a built-in electronic viewfinder, superior image technology, blazing fast speed and total creative control in a classic, rugged body ready for sand, sun, sleet or snow.

The headline features of the E-M5, according to Olympus:

• A built-in 120-fps (frames-per-second) refresh rate, high-resolution electronic viewfinder (EVF) with outstanding image quality, eye detect and intuitive functionality that enables real-time viewing of shooting conditions

• A 16.1-megapixel Live MOS Sensor and TruePic VI image-processing engine for superior image quality and high sensitivity

• The world’s first 5-axis image stabilizer to compensate for multi-directional camera shake during both still photography and HD moviemaking

• The world’s fastest autofocusing system (FAST AF) plus new 3D AF tracking for improved performance following moving subjects at up to 9 frames-per-second sequential shooting

• A lightweight magnesium alloy body that is enhanced with the same dustproof and splashproof durability of the Olympus E-5 DSLR

• A tilting 3.0-inch touch screen OLED and new Movie Effects: One Shot Echo, for a semi-transparent frame at your whim and Multi Echo, for a multi-motion trail effect.

The Olympus E-M5 will be in store shelves beginning in April: $1000 body only, $1300 with a 12-50mm lens, or $1100 with a 14-42mm lens.

[Site: Olympus America]