OD-D E-M10: Olympus giveth, and Olympus taketh away

The E-M10 with the new 14-42mm power zoom lens and the Automatic Opening Lens Cap.

(Credit: Lori Grunin/AFFY)

According to Olympus, its new OM-D E-M10 interchangeable-lens camera enters the product line below the E-M5. That baffles me a bit; the E-M10 is only slightly cheaper and has better specs than the E-M5 with only a few notable exceptions that seem to muddy the waters. Along with the camera, though, Olympus also announced a few notable lenses and a couple of cleverly designed accessories.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 is like the same, but different (pictures)

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They have nearly identical bodies with some slight tweaks that decrease the E-M10's width a bit: the ports are swapped to the right side on the E-M10 and the SD card slot has moved to the battery compartment. While I don't like that location, Olympus's new ingenious two-part ergonomic grip accessory (i.e., it's not a battery grip or vertical grip, just a bigger grip) does let you snap off a section for quick access to the battery/SD card. The E-M10 also drops the E-M5's accessory port beneath the hot shoe (used for the add-on microphone) without adding a standard connector, but replaces it with a built-in flash.

Olympus debuts new lenses (pictures)

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On the upside, the E-M10 has an updated autofocus system that Olympus claims is faster than the E-M5's, built-in flash, 1080/30p video, a higher-resolution LCD and built-in Wi-Fi. The E-M10 also incorporates a newer generation of Olympus' image-processing engine, which probably gains it some improvement in photo quality, though it uses the same sensor as the E-M5. There's a new high-speed mode for the viewfinder that drops the resolution in exchange for a faster refresh rate as well. However, the E-M10 lacks the E-M5's weather sealing, and has a lesser image-stabilization system (3-axis vs. 5-axis, though it supports 5-axis during video recording). To me, the 0.5fps burst performance difference is a wash. As someone who makes product recommendations, it's just a frustrating mix to me.

	Nikon 1 V2	Olympus OM-D E-M10	Olympus OM-D E-M5	Sony Alpha NEX-6
Sensor (effective resolution)	14.2MP CMOS	16.1MP Live MOS 12 bits	16.1MP Live MOS 12 bits	16.1MP Exmor HD CMOS n/a
	13.2mm x 8.8mm	17.3mm x 13mm	17.3mm x 13mm	23.5 x 15.6mm
Focal- length multiplier	2.7x	2.0x	2.0x	1.5x
Sensitivity range	ISO 160 - ISO 6400	ISO 100 (exp)/ 200 - ISO 25600	ISO 200 - ISO 25600	ISO 100 - ISO 25600
Burst shooting	5fps (single AF, mechanical shutter); 60fps (electronic shutter) n/a	3.5fps unlimited JPEG/20 raw (8fps with fixed focus and exposure)	4fps 17 JPEG/11 raw (9fps with fixed focus, exposure and WB)	3fps 11 raw/15 JPEG (10fps with fixed exposure)
Viewfinder	0.47-inch TFT EVF 1.44 million dots 100% coverage n/a	EVF n/a-inch 1.44m dots 100% coverage 1.01x - 1.15x/0.5 - 0.58x	EVF n/a-inch 1.44m dots 100% coverage 1.15x/0.58x	OLED EVF 0.5-inch 2.4 million dots 100% coverage 1.09x/0.73x
Autofocus	73-point phase detection, 135-area contrast AF	81-area contrast AF	35-area contrast AF	99-point phase detection, 25-area contrast AF
AF sensitivity range	n/a	n/a	n/a	0 - 20 EV
Shutter speed	30 - 1/4,000 sec (1/16,000 sec electronic).; 1/250 sec x-sync	60 - 1/4,000 sec.; bulb to 30 minutes; 1/250 sec x-sync (flash-dependent)	60 - 1/4,000 sec.; bulb to 8 minutes; 1/250 sec x-sync (flash-dependent)	30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb; 1/160 sec x-sync
Metering	n/a	324 area	324 area	1,200 zones
Metering range	n/a	-2 - 20 EV	0 - 20 EV	0 - 20 EV
Flash	Yes	Yes	Included add-on	Yes
Wireless flash	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Image stabilization	Optical	Sensor shift	Sensor shift	Optical
Best video	1080/30p; 720/60p H.264 MPEG-4 QuickTime MOV	1080/30p H.264 QuickTime MOV (22 mins)	1080/60i QuickTime MOV @ 20, 17Mbps	AVCHD 1080/60p @ 28Mbps, 1080/24p @ 24Mbps
Audio	Stereo; mic input	Stereo	Stereo; mic input	Stereo; mic input
LCD size	3-inch fixed 920,000 dots	3-inch tilting touch-screen 1.04 million dots	3-inch tilting touch-screen OLED 614,000 dots	3-inch tilting touch screen 921,600 dots
Wireless	Optional (via WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter)	Wi-Fi	None	Wi-Fi
Battery life (CIPA rating)	310 shots	320 shots	330 shots	270 shots (with viewfinder)
Dimensions (inches, WHD)	4.2 x 3.2 x 1.8	4.7 x 3.2 x 1.8	4.8 x 3.5 x 1.7	4.8 x 2.8 x 1.1
Body operating weight (ounces)	11 (est)	14.0 (est)	15.1	12.3
Mfr. price	$799.95 (body only)	$699 (body only)	$799.99 (body only)	$649.99 (body only)
	$899.95 (with 10-30mm lens)	$799 (with 14-42mm lens)	$899.99 (with 14-42mm lens)	$799.99 (with 15-60mm PZ lens)
	$1,049.95 (with 10-30mm and 30-110mm lenses)	n/a	$1,099.99 (with 12-50mm lens)	n/a
Ship date	November 2012	March 2014	April 2012	October 2012

On the other hand, new lenses from Olympus are always unambiguously welcome. Portrait and product photographers will likely be drawn to the new 25mm f1.8; it's got a minimum focus distance of just under 10 inches and is slated to be relatively reasonably priced at $399. Olympus will also ship a much-needed power-zoom alternative to the 14-42mm kit lens (denoted "EZ") that's extremely compact. The company adds another body cap lens to the lineup, this one a 9mm f8 fisheye that should cost less than $100. And the last optic is a macro converter that halves the focus distance, but will only work with six lenses at launch (price still tbd).
In addition to the aforementioned grip, there's also a new automatic lens cap that works in conjunction with the power-zoom lens. We need more of these, manufacturer folks. Everything is slated to ship in early March.