Olympus Unveils E-5 DSLR

September 14, 2010: Olympus has released details of its new flagship DSLR camera, the widely-anticipated E-5, which is scheduled to go on sale next month.
Designed for professional and enthusiast photographers, the E-5 is scheduled for release in late October 2010. Pricing has still to be determined (although a European website has published a local price of 1699 euros for body-only). Featuring a redesigned 12.3-megapixel High-Speed LiveMOS technology sensor and the latest TruePic V+ image processor, the E-5 is expected to provide a significant image quality upgrade for existing Olympus DSLR users. But otherwise the new camera retains the excellent build quality and many features of the popular E0-3 model.

Front view of the Olympus E-5 without a lens. (Source: Olympus.)

Top view of the E-5. (Source: Olympus.)

Back view of the E-5 with the adjustable monitor extended. (Source: Olympus.)

Angled rear view showing the dual memory card slots. (Source: Olympus.)

Side views of the E-5. (Source: Olympus.)
Key features of the new camera include:
– A dual-axis swiveling LCD monitor and a high resolution 920,000 dot HyperCrystal 3-inch LCD screen.
– A large pentaprism-based optical viewfinder with 100% field of view and 1.1x magnification. The focusing screen is has a Neo Lumi-Micro Mat for bright, easy-to-adjust manual focusing.
– A built-in acceleration sensor of the camera displays two level gauges for the roll and pitch of the camera. The level gauge display is available in the viewfinder, on the LCD control panel and on the Live View monitor.
– A rugged magnesium-alloy chassis with dust/splash-proof construction.
– Olympus’s proven SuperSonic Wave (SSWF) Dust Reduction System.
– A sensor-shift image stabilisation system that works with all lenses.
– A fast and accurate autofocusing system with a fully crossed array of 11 points, each of which is composed of two horizontal and vertical lines.
– Responsive Live View shooting with High-Speed Imager AF that adjusts focus according to the AF signals received from the image sensor.
– A high-reliability shutter mechanism that has been tested to 150,000 operational cycles.
– Support for HD video recording with the widescreen 16:9 (1280 x 720, 30 fps) aspect ratio plus the standard VGA at 30 fps. The camera body is equipped with a monaural microphone but has a stereo jack that allows external stereo microphones to be used.
– Dual CompactFlash (CF Type I) and SD card (SDHC or SDXC) slots. Data can be copied between different media and a second card can be used to backup the main card used for recording.
– A maximum shutter speed of 1/8000 second with flash synchronisation at 1/250 second and up to 5 frames/second burst shooting. The large memory buffer can accommodate up to 16 raw shots or an ‘unlimited’ number of JPEGs.
– Multi-exposure support with Live View image overlay. Up to 4 exposures can be made on a single frame, with or without auto gain adjustment. RAW format images already recorded on the camera’s memory card can also be composited together in the same way.
– Ten built-in Art Filters including a new ‘Dramatic Tone’ effect. These effects can be applied to both still images and movies, and can be used in sequential shooting.
– Extended function buttons covering AF Target and Preview functions. The Custom Reset function for registering desired reset targets and My Mode for registering frequently used settings, which were separated in previous models are now integrated into a single ‘My Set’ function for improved ease of use.
– An extended white balance range that includes a new Underwater white balance control that automatically detects depth, weather and seawater conditions to ensure accurate colour reproduction.
– Built-in copyright owner information input that allows the photographer’s copyright data to be automatically written in the Exif tag in all images.
– 2-frame and 7-frame AE bracketing functions.
– A GN13 (ISO 100) built-in flash with TTL flash control and support for wireless multi-flash control.

The body of the E-5 is designed to resist splashed water. (Source: Olympus.)
The new camera is compatible with the same range of accessories as its predecessor. In addition to a wide range of lens option, other accessories include a battery grip, remots controllers and flash units.

The E-5 accepts a battery grip that provides a vertical control set and extended shooting times. (Source: Olympus.)
Sample images from the new camera have been provided by Olympus and are shown below. For more information, visit www.olympus.com.au.
SAMPLE IMAGES:

The new ‘Dramatic Tone’ Art filter. 21mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/125 second at f/16.

The E-5 provides an extended dynamic range: 43mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/500 second at f/3.9.

Long exposure noise reduction is available; 14mm focal length, ISO 400, 240 seconds at f/4.5.

High shutter speeds for action shots; 14mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/1600 second at f/4.

High shutter speeds for wildlife; 200mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/1600 second at f/6.3.

11mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/200 second at f/9.

200mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/100 second at f/7.1.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Image sensor: 17.3 x 13.0 mm High speed Live MOS Sensor with 13.1 million photosites (12.3 megapixels effective)
A/D processing: 12-bit
Lens mount: Four Thirds System
Focal length crop factor: 2x
Image formats: Stills – RAW (12-bit lossless compression), JPEG (Exif 2.21), Fine & Standard compression; Movies – AVI Motion JPEG
Image Sizes: Stills – 4032 x 3024, 2560 x 1920, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480; Movies: 1280 x 720, 640 x 480 @ 30 fps
Image Stabilisation: Imager-shift system
Dust removal: SSWF system
Shutter speed range: 60 to 1/8000 second plus Bulb (up to 30 min.)
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1EV steps
Exposure bracketing: 2, 3, 5 or 7 frames in 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1EV steps selectable
Self-timer: 2 or 12 seconds delay
Focus system: TTL phase-difference detection (Contrast detection system in Live View)
Focus modes: Single AF (S-AF) / Continuous AF (C-AF) / Manual Focus (MF)
Exposure metering: TTL open-aperture metering system with Digital ESP (49-points multi pattern metering), Centre weighted average and Spot metering (approx. 2% for the viewfinder screen. Highlight / shadow bases are available)
Shooting modes: P: Program AE (Program shift available), A: Aperture priority AE, S: Shutter priority AE and M: Manual
Picture Style/Control settings: i-ENHANCE, Vivid, Natural, Portrait, Muted, Monotone, Custom (default setting: Natural), Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Colour, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Gentle Sepia, Cross Process, Dramatic Tone; In custom mode, basic 5 modes and adjustment is available.
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
ISO range: Auto (ISO 200-6400), Manual ISO 100-6400 in 1/3 or 1 EV steps
White balance: Hybrid detection system with High speed Live MOS sensor and dedicated external sensor; Auto plus 7 settings (3000K – 7500K);
Flash: Retractable flash; GN 13 (ISO 100/metres); TTL Auto and manual control; wireless flash support
Flash modes: Auto, Red-eye reduction, Red-eye reduction slow sync., Slow sync at 1st curtain, Slow sync at 2nd curtain, Fill-in, Manual (1/4, 1/16, 1/64), Off
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- 3EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1EV steps plus bracketing of 3 frames
Sequence shooting: Max. 5 frames/second; up to 16 Raw, ‘unlimited’ JPEG
Storage Media: Dual-Slot, CompactFlash Type I (UDMA supported), SD Memory Card (SDHC/SDXC compatible)
Viewfinder: Eye-level pentaprism with 100% FOV coverage, approx. 1.15x magnification, 20mm eye point, dioptre adjustment of -3.0 to +1 dpt, interchangeable focusing screens (at service centre)
LCD monitor: 3-inch HyperCrystal LCD (transmissive TFT colour LCD) with approx. 920,000 dots, 100% FOV coverage and 15 levels of brightness adjustment
Live View displays: Exposure adjustment pre-view, White balance adjustment pre-view, Gradation auto pre-view, Face detection pre-view, Perfect shot pre-view, Grid line displayable, 5x/7x/10x/14x magnification possible, MF/S-AF, AF frame display, AF point display, Shooting information, Histogram, IS activating mode
Video Capture: Yes; 1280 x 720, 640 x 480 @ 30 fps
Data LCD: Yes
Playback functions: Information Display (Histogram – independent luminance / RGB available, Highlight / Shadow point warning, AF frame, Shooting information), Index Display (4/9/25/100 frames, Calendar), Magnify (2-14x); Movie (w/sound, FF, REW, Pause), Slideshow (Still, Movie, Still+Movie, Slide show with BGM, BGM+Sound, Sound); Image editing: Shadow adjustment, Red-eye fix, Trimming, Monotone, Sepia, Saturation (colour depth), Resize (producing another file), Aspect Change, e-Portrait; merge function (2-4 images); Raw development (to JPEG)
Interface terminals: USB 2.0 High Speed, HDMI(HD/Mono or Stereo Sound), A/V out (Audio: Mono, Video: NTSC/PAL selectable); DC-in (AC-1 compatible)
Power supply: BLM-5 Li-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. 870 shots/charge with optical viewfinder
Dimensions (wxhxd): 142.5 x 116.5 x 74.5 mm (body only)
Weight: 800 grams (body only)