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Olympus goes fourth
EDITOR’S LETTER WILL CHEUNG
Olympus has recently revitalised the OM-DE-M5 and E-M1.The latest to receive the upgrade treatment is the OM-DE-M10, so give a big welcome to theMark IV
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 series is all about portability and creativity, and the Mark IV embodies those core values with a feature list that’s sure to attract those committed to the brand, as well as newbies, including those coming from a smartphone background. The body, which weighs in at 383g including a battery and card, features a five-axis sensor shift image stabiliser with 4.5EV benefit, a 20-megapixel LiveMOS Micro Four Thirds sensor, USB charging and the ability to whizz through shots at 15fps. A silent mode is available when shooting discretion is needed. There’s a flip-down touch monitor for selfie shooting – the first Olympus to have this feature – and the high- definition 2360K dot EVF gives a lovely viewing image. A big step forward with this camera is its autofocusing system with improved continuous autofocusing thanks to a new contrast
algorithm that’s said to give a performance comparable to on-chip phase detect AF and the face priority/eye priority also works with faces in profile and downturned. A full range of exposure options is available, while the Advanced Photo mode helps inexperienced users to achieve creative images, for instance shooting multiple exposures and live composites. The OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is available frommid-August at £699.99 body only and in a range of kits. Olympus has also bolstered its lens range with the addition of the M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS. The lens features 21 elements in a 15-group construction and no fewer than ten elements are advanced glass to help deliver a great optical performance at all focal lengths and across the image frame. But what’s really impressive about the lens’s physical design is its size and weight: it’s just 20.5cm
long and weighs 1120g – that’s incredible for a zoom lens that gives the 35mm format equivalent of a 200-800mm focal length range. Key features include a 3EV image stabiliser (not compatible with Sync IS), a 72mm filter thread and hermetic sealing to ensure the lens is dust, splash and freeze proof. To reduce flare and ghosting, the lens features Olympus ZERO (Zuiko Extra- low Reflection Optical) coating. The lens’s focusing system has a focus clutch and a focus limiter with three distance ranges available. Minimum focus is 1.3m and the lens supports focus stacking. Finally, the lens is also compatible with the Olympus MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters for even more pulling power. The M-Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS is available from late August with a guide price of £1099.99. olympus.co.uk 19 Buyers’ guide: printer and paper Home printing has never been easier, so it’s the perfect time to focus on the latest printers and media to show off your latest shots 22 Big test: Fujifilm X-T200 An entry-level FujifilmX Series camera that’s compact, dead easy to use and has a lovely, big touchscreen. See howwe rate it 24 First tests Our monthly trawl through new kit: the Lexar CFexpress Type B 128GB card, LEE85 system, a Peak Design bag, Olympus 2X teleconverter and the H&Y 100mm filter system
We’re in the middle of the holiday season and I’m staying home, getting my photography fix locally and enjoying what the local countryside has to offer. I’ve been trying my hand at insects with very limited (none!) success and, by the time you read this, the barley field that I’ve been shooting in July will have been harvested, but I’m sure I will be fixating on other locations and subjects. The heavens maybe. The other night, I walked all of 100 metres to the local cricket pitch and tried shooting comet Neowise, which was brightest in late July. I had a clear sky for about an hour so got a few snaps, but more attempts were thwarted by cloud. Astrophotography is something I’ve always liked the idea of, but haven’t managed to get into. I have done a few stacked star trails but, for example, I haven’t managed the Milky Way yet. I don’t have the patience or the commitment but one day I will invest in a star tracker and make more of an effort. Olympus cameras made our front cover this month with news of the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV. With this newmodel and the E-M1 and E-M5 both recently available in their Mark III variants, three key members in the Olympus line-up have now enjoyed significant and worthwhile upgrades. You will have seen the brand in the news a great deal recently, with Olympus selling the camera division to an investment company. “Olympus quits camera business after 84 years” was the headline on the BBC website and there generally seemed to be a lot of pessimism and negativity about the whole thing. Yet to me a lot of it was, to put it mildly, misplaced and premature. Yes, by the end of 2020 the Olympus Imaging business will very likely be owned by Japan Industrial Partners ( JIP). Now, I’m no financial expert, but I do know successful investment funds do not spend huge sums
of money on a brand to kill it off. I’m sure JIP, with the imaging management team, will have a plan and product road map for the future and, speaking as a fan and user (I started with an OM-1) of the brand for over 45 years, I’m looking forward to hearing those plans. As it happens, the last camera I properly field-tested before lockdown in late March was an Olympus camera: the OM-D E-M1 Mark III. In fact, I was on a few days’ break with my partner in the Yorkshire Dales enjoying some photography when lockdown was announced and we had to curtail our plans and come home early. I thought the camera was excellent and enjoyed its company, especially with the 300mm f/4 lens. This lens, giving the equivalent of 600mm on 35mm format, is awesome and so compact and user-friendly. I have tried Olympus’s new 100-400mm f/5-6.3 that was recently announced and that’s even smaller and lighter. Its long end is equivalent to an 800mm f/6.3 in the 35mm format. We’ll have a test of this lens soon, but it looks good so far. Long lenses are in vogue. Canon launched a bunch of kit last month and that included the RF 600mm and 800mm lenses. Both are full-frame fixed f/11 lenses, have autofocus and image stabilisers – and both are even lighter than the Olympus 300mm but, of course, 3EV slower. Each also costs under £1000, thus bringing prime lens, long telephoto imaging within the reach of more photographers. The last time I used a fixed aperture telephoto lens was when I was shooting film. It was a 500mm f/8 mirror lens and it was a struggle to focus, let alone get anything decent out of it. Now, with the ability to explore higher ISOs with alacrity in digital and to shoot high- quality pictures at ISO 3200 and beyond, I’m really looking to see how these lenses perform. See you again next month.
3 News New cameras from Canon, Olympus, Leica and Nikon, plus free talks by The Royal Photographic Society and how you can enjoy The Photography News Podcast 8 Word search Your chance to win a Samsung
12 Shoot summer scenics Get out and enjoy the landscape with your camera
256GB microSD card 11 Club news
15 Make the Switch Reader Darren Smith likes nothing more than shooting with his Fujifilm X-T2, but recent health issues have made that difficult. He’s optimistic, though, and more photography is around the corner
With the situation evolving day by day, clubs have to be flexible to meet the latest health & safety guidelines and keep their members engaged. It’s a challenging time for all
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