New from Olympus: The PEN E-P5, VF-4 Viewfinder and Three Black Fixed Lenses

Olympus has just announced the new E-P5, the fourth generation of their popular PEN series of interchangeable lens mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera bodies, which features an eye-catching, retro design that’s reminiscent of the original PEN F series from the 1960s and '70s. An optional viewfinder for the E-P5, called the VF-4, was also released as well as black versions of the M.ZUIKO 17mm f/1.8, 45mm f/1.8 and 75mm f/1.8 lenses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The PEN E-P5

The new E-P5 features a Live MOS image sensor with 16.1 million effective pixels and a Micro Four Thirds lens mount. It’s powered by a TruePic VI image processor, and features five-axis image stabilization (yaw, pitch, vertical shift, horizontal shift and roll). Capabilities include built-in Wi-Fi and a built-in flash that can wirelessly control three external flash groups. The E-P5 has the ability to shoot nine frames per second, and the ISO sensitivity ranges from 100 to 25600. Its Autofocus promises to be fast and the tilting rear 3-inch LCD offers touch focus and shutter release.

The mechanical shutter on the PEN E-P5 provides speeds from 60 to 1/8000 seconds, as well as offering Live Bulb mode—which enables you to watch long exposures evolve on the camera’s LCD screen. A built-in interval shooting mode makes it possible to create time-lapse videos without additional equipment. The PEN E-P5 can capture Full 1920 x 1080 HD movies at 29.97p, with 16-bit 48 kHz stereo sound via its built-in microphone. A micro HDMI connector is built in to play back videos and stills on your HDTV. The E-P5 records to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, and it’s also compatible with UHS-1 and Eye-Fi cards. A USB 2.0 port is also provided to connect directly to a computer.

The Wi-Fi functionality on the E-P5 makes it possible to remotely view your shots and fire the shutter with a smartphone, and the touch-focus capability on the PEN works by tapping the touchscreen display of your mobile gadget as well. If you connect the E-P5 to a smartphone with built-in GPS, the camera can utilize those capabilities remotely.

As far as more traditional camera features go, the E-P5 features a hand grip, 2 x 2 control dial with a custom lever for hands-on control, and a self-timer is present, complete with a helpful audio countdown so you’ll know exactly when to kick in your best feigned smile. A histogram is provided, as is focus peaking and creative functions like art filters and Photo Story. An array of bracketing options are built into the E-P5 for exposure, ISO, white balance, flash and even the art filters. You can also bracket up to seven frames to process as an HDR image in post. For file formats, the E-P5 provides RAW (12-bit lossless compression), JPEG, JPEG + RAW and MPO for 3D stills.

There are useful onboard-editing functions such as RAW development, Monochrome, Red Eye Fix and Resizing (1280 x 960, 640 x 480, and 320 x 240). A Supersonic Wave Filter helps to keep dust off the sensor, and a hot shoe enables you to attach external gear, such as the Olympus FL-50R, FL-300R and FL-600R flashes, which are all compatible with the wireless-control functions of the E-P5. The camera body weighs only 0.83 lb, and will be available in Silver, Black or White.

Camera Type	Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens system camera
Memory	SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I compatible & Eye-Fi Card compatible)
Screen Size	17.3 mm (H) x 13.0 mm (V)
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds Mount
Sensor	4/3 Live MOS Sensor
Total Pixels	17.2MP
Effective Pixels	16.1MP
Aspect Ratio	4:3
Recording Format	DCF, DPOF compatible / Exif, PRINT Image Matching III, MPO compatible
File Format	RAW (12-bit lossless compression), JPEG, RAW+JPEG, MPO (3D still)
RAW Recording Image Size	4608 x 3456 pixels
JPEG Recording Image Size	4608 x 3456 pixels - 640 x 480 pixels
File Size	RAW: 4608 x3456 - 1/1.5 lossless compressed (17MB) Set1(LF): 4608 x 3456 - 1/4 compressed (7.5MB) Set2(LN): 4608 x 3456 - 1/8 compressed (3.5MB) Set3(MN): 2560 x 1920 - 1/8 compressed (1.1MB) Set4(SN): 10
Image Stabilization Type	5-axis image stabilization (yaw/pitch/vertical shift/horizontal shift/roll) image sensor shift type for movie & stills
Image Stabilization Mode	4 modes (S-I.S.AUTO, S-I.S.1, S-I.S.2, S-I.S.3, OFF)
IS for Live View Image	Available by half-pressing the shutter button or enlarging operation
Manual Input Focal Length Settings	8, 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 24, 28, 30, 35, 40, 48, 50, 55, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 100, 105, 120, 135, 150, 180, 200, 210, 250, 300, 350, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1000
Shutter Type	Computerized focal-plane shutter
Shutter Speed	60 - 1/8000 sec
Live View	100% field of view, Exposure compensation, WB adjustment Gradation auto and Face detection preview (up to 8 faces), Grid line, Histogram, Magnification display (x5/x7/x10/x14)
Display Modes	Normal, Histogram, Highlight and Shadow, Level Guide, OFF
Monitor Type	3" (7.6cm) 1037K dots (3:2) with electrostatic capacitance touch panel
Tilting Angle	Up to 80° (upward) / Up to 50° (downward)
Brightness / Color Temperature Control	±7 levels / ±7 levels
Color Tone Select	Vivid / Natural
AF System	High-speed imager AF (full-time AF available)
Focus Mode	Single AF (S-AF) / Continuous AF (C-AF) / Manual Focus (MF) / S-AF + MF / AF tracking (C-AF + TR)
Magnified Frame AF	Selectable from over 800 AF points Magnification x5, x7, x10 (default), x14 (selectable) Super Spot AF (0.02 - 0.16% in view image)
Eye Detection AF Mode	OFF / Nearer-eye priority / Right-eye priority / Left-eye priority
Focusing Point	35-area multiple AF
Metering System (TTL Image Sensor Metering)	Digital ESP metering (324-area multi pattern metering), Center weighted average metering, Spot metering, Spot metering with highlight control, Spot metering with shadow control
Metering Range	EV 0 - 20 (at normal temperature, 17mm f/2.8, ISO 100)
Exposure Modes	i Auto, P: Program AE (program shift can be performed), A: Aperture priority AE, S: Shutter priority AE, M: Manual, Bulb, Time, Scene Select  AE, Art Filter, Underwater Wide / Macro, My Set
Scene Select AE	Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Sport, Night, Night + Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, DIS mode, Macro, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Fisheye Conv., Wide Conv., Macro Conv.
ISO Sensitivity	AUTO ISO: 100 - 25600 (customizable, default: 100 - 1600) Manual ISO: 100, 200 - 25600, 1/3 or 1 EV steps selectable
Exposure Compensation	±3 EV in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps selectable
AE Lock	Locks at 1st release of shutter button (can be set to Fn/Rec button)
Flash Method	TTL Auto, Auto, Manual, Super FP1 (FP-TTL AUTO, FP-MANUAL)
Flash Control	Up to ±3 EV in 0.3, 0.5, 1 EV steps selectable
Built-in Flash	TTL Flash, GN=7 (ISO 100) / GN=10 (ISO 200)
Flash Modes	Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 - 1/64)
Sync Speed	1/320 sec (built-in flash) 1/250 sec (external flash) Super FP: 1/125 - 1/4000 sec
Wireless Flash Control	Triggered and controlled by built-in flash (Olympus Wireless RC Flash system compatible)
External Flash Type	TTL Auto, Auto, Manual, FP-TTL-AUTO, FP-MANUAL
Wireless Flash Control Channels	4
Group Number	4 groups (external flash 3 groups + built-in flash)
Sequential Shooting Max Speed	9 fps (H mode), 4.5 - 5 fps (L mode)
Max Recordable Images on Sequential Shooting	RAW: 20 frames (L), 15 frames (H) / JPEG: 70 frames (L), 19 frames (H)
Self-Timer	12 sec, 2 sec., custom 1-30 sec. (shooting interval 0.5/1/2/3 sec., 1-10 shots)
Exposure Bracketing	2, 3, 5 frames in 0.3, 0.7, 1.0 EV steps selectable / 7 frames in 0.3, 0.7 EV steps selectable
ISO Bracketing	3 frames in 0.3, 0.7, 1.0 EV steps selectable
White Balance Bracketing	3 frames in 2, 4, 6 steps selectable in each A-B/G-M axis
Flash Bracketing	3 frames in 0.3, 0.7, 1.0 EV steps selectable
Art Filter Bracketing	i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone, Custom, Art Filters selectable
Bracketing for HDR post process	3, 5 frames in 2.0, 3.0 EV steps selectable / 7 frames in 2.0 EV steps selectable
Movie Recording Format	MOV (MPEG-4AVC/H.264) , AVI (Motion JPEG)
Movie Mode (MOV)	Full HD 1920 x 1080/30p at 20 or 17 Mbps (16:9); HD 1280 x 720/30p at 13 or 10 Mbps (16:9)
Movie Mode (AVI)	HD 1280 x 720 at 30 fps (16:9); SD 640 x 480 at 30 fps (4:3)
Max Recording Time (MOV)	Full HD: 22 - 29 min. / HD: 29 min.
Max Recording Time (AVI)	HD: 7 min. / SD: 14 min.
Image Stabilization (Movie Mode)	M-IS (image sensor shift), OFF
Exposure Control (Movie Mode)	P: Program AE, A: Aperture priority AE, S: Shutter speed priority AE, M: Manual, Art Filter
Compression Ratio	M-JPEG: 1/12 (HD), 1/8 (SD)
File Size	MOV: 4GB max / M-JPEG: 2GB max
Audio Recording Format	WAV (stereo linear PCM/16-bit, 48kHz)
Microphone / Speaker	Stereo / Mono
Max Audio Recording Time	Picture with Sound: 30 sec.
White Balance Modes	Auto, 7 Preset, 2 Capture, Custom (K setting)
White Balance Compensation	±7 steps in each A-B/G-M axis
Preset White Balance	Sunny (5300K), Shadow (7500K), Cloudy (6000K), Incandescent (3000K), Fluorescent (4000K), Underwater, WB Flash (5500K)
Color Matrix	sRGB, Adobe RGB
Time-Lapse	1 sec. - 24 hrs (99 frames max)
Multi-Exposure	2 frames / auto gain, exposing on recorded picture (RAW)
Multi-Aspect Ratio	4:3 (default), 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, 3:4
Level Gauge Detection	2-axis
One Push Tele-Converter Magnification	x2
Wi-Fi	Yes
GPS	Available by using smartphone GPS data
Wireless Shooting	Live View, Rec View, Wireless Touch AF shutter, Power OFF
Image Sharing	JPEG/MOV (connect up to 4 devices simultaneously)
QR Code Setting	Yes
Playback Modes	Single-frame, Information display, Index display (4/9/25/100 frames), Calendar, Enlargement (2x - 14x), Movie (with sound, FF/REW/Pause), Picture rotation (auto), Slideshow (with sound including BGM, 2 selectable slide show effects, replaceable BGM), Light Box display
Information Display	Histogram (independent luminance / RGB available), Highlight/Shadow point warning, AF frame, Photographic information, OFF
Menu Languages	English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Czech, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Croat, Slovenian, Hungarian, Greek, Slovakian, Turkish, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Rumanian, Indonesian, Malay, Thai
Print Function	Print reservation (DPOF), Direct print (PictBridge compatible)
Interfaces	USB 2.0, Micro-HDMI (Type-D), Hot Shoe, Accessory Port (multi-connector), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
Battery Type	BLN Li-Ion (included)
Sleep Mode	1/3/5 min
Battery Life	330 shots (CIPA)
Operating Temperature / Humidity	32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C) / 30 - 90%
Storage Temperature / Humidity	-4 to 140°F (-20 to 60°C) / 10 - 90%
Dimensions (WxHxD)	4.81 x 2.71 x 1.46" (122 x 69 x 37mm)
Weight (Body Only)	13.3 oz (378 g)
Weight with Battery & Memory Card	14.8 oz (420 g)

The VF-4 Viewfinder

Photographers of a certain style rely heavily on viewfinders, so Olympus offers the separately available VF-4 viewfinder for these shooters. It’s designed to mount to the accessory port on top of the E-P5, and provide a 2.36 million pixel LCD for composing shots in any environment. The VF-4 is equipped with an eye-sensor, offers 1.48x magnification, and features a diopter adjustment range of -4 to +2m. The VF-4 only adds 41.8 grams of weight to the camera, and with a firmware update, the VF-4 will also be compatible with the Olympus E-PL5, E-PM2, E-M5, E-PL3, E-PM1, E-P3, E-PL2, E-PL1, E-PL1s, E-P2 and XZ2. However, its eye sensor is only functional with the E-P5, and the E-PL2, E-PL1, E-PL1s, E-P2 and XZ2 will exhibit some image degradation in the viewfinder.

Finder Type	2.36M-dot
Viewfinder magnification	Approx. 1.48x (-1m, 50mm lens, Infinity)
Field of View	Approx. 100%
Eye point	Approx. 21mm (-1m, Distance from rear lens surface)
Diopter adjustment range	-4 to +2m
Eye Sensor	Available (E-P5)
Eye Sensor	Available
Compatible Body	E-P5, E-PL5, E-PM2, E-M5, E-PL3, E-PM1, E-P3, E-PL2, E-PL1, E-PL1s, E-P2, XZ-2 (firmware update required, not compatible with eye sensor, image degradation on viewfinder)
Dimensions (WxHxD)	1.12 x 1.99 x 1.88" (28 x 51 x 48mm)
Weight	1.48 oz (41.8 g)

New M.ZUIKO Prime Lenses

The new M.Zuiko prime lenses are available in a black finish, and they include a 17mm f/1.8, 45mm f/1.8 and 75mm f/1.8. The 17mm has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 34mm, a seven-blade circular aperture and nine lens elements in six groups. The elements feature the Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical coating. The 45mm f/1.8 has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 90mm, a seven-blade circular aperture and nine elements in eight groups. Its autofocusing is nearly silent, which is beneficial when shooting video. The 75mm f/1.8 features a metal build and has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 150mm, a nine-blade circular aperture and ten lens elements in nine groups.

If you have questions about this new Olympus photo equipment, speak with a sales professional in the B&H SuperStore, over the phone at 1-800-606-6969 or online via Live Chat.

	Olympus 75mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Lens	M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.8 Lens	Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 17mm f/1.8 Lens
Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Micro Four Thirds	Micro Four Thirds
Focal Length	75mm (35mm equivalent: 150mm)	45mm (35mm equivalent: 90mm)	17mm (35mm equivalent: 34mm)
Image Stabilization	No	N/A	N/A
Maximum Aperture	f/1.8	f/1.8	f/1.8
Minimum Aperture	f/22.0	f/22	f/22
Number of Diaphragm Blades	9 (Circular diaphragm)	7 (Circular Aperture Diaphragm)	7
Lens Construction	10 Elements in 9 Groups (including 3 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) Elements and 2 HR (High Refractive) Elements	2 E-HR lenses; 9 Elements in 8 Groups	9 elements in 6 groups (including 2 double-sided aspheric lenses, 2 aspherical lenses, and 1 high refractive lens)
Lens Coating	ZERO: Zuiko Extra-low Reflection Optical	N/A	N/A
Minimum Focus Distance	2.75' (0.84m)	19.7" (0.5m)	9.8" (25 cm)
Maximum Magnification	0.10x (35mm equivalent: 0.20x)	0.11x (35mm equivalent: 0.22x)	0.08x
Minimum Field Size	130 x 173mm	118 x 157 mm	N/A
Angle of View	16°	27°	64.9°
Autofocus	Yes, High-speed Imager AF (MSC)	High-speed Imager AF(MSC)	N/A
Manual Focus	Yes	N/A	N/A
Focus Method	Internal	N/A	N/A
Front Glass Element Diameter	50mm	N/A	N/A
Filter Thread Diameter	58mm	37mm	46mm
Dimensions (Diameter x Length)	2.52 x 2.72" (64 x 69mm)	2.2 x 1.8" (56 x 46mm)	2.3 x 1.4" (57.5 x 35.5mm)
Weight	10.8 oz (305 g)	4.1 oz (116g)	4.2 oz (120 g)