Hands on: The brand new Olympus OM-D E-M1X

The year 2019 will be a very special one for Olympus: Olympus celebrates its 100th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Olympus wants to come up with a very special camera, and today it has officially new Olympus OM-D E-M1X unveiled. It is supposed to be the new flagship and we were allowed to take an exclusive look at the highlight before the sales launch.

Now the external factors are one thing, so let's look "under the hood". Olympus seems to have done a great job there. The Olympus OM-D E-M1X is very fast, has an outstanding image stabilizer and offers clever features. The image stabilization is done via a moving sensor, the 5-axis Sync-IS, which therefore works for all lenses. In combination with a corresponding lens, which is also stabilized, even up to 7.5 f-stops can be compensated. Thus, Olympus makes a tripod superfluous in many situations. High-resolution handheld shots are now also possible, in which several shots are combined into a high-resolution 50 megapixel image. With a tripod, even 80 megapixel images are possible, although the sensor actually only delivers 20.4 MP. The new OM-D is particularly powerful thanks to the dual TruPic VIII high-speed image processor, which ensures extremely fast response times, and supports many functions. The E-M1X delivers fabulous high-speed shooting at up to 60 frames per second. In Pro Capture mode, one tap of the shutter button can easily record 35 images in RAW format, allowing the best shot of the situation to be selected afterwards. The autofocus system has been significantly optimized and is noticeably faster and more accurate. Above all, the co-tracking autofocus works very well and offers intelligent subject detection for motor sports or trains, for example. The Live ND function allows up to 5 stops (ND32) longer exposure times without an external gray filter. For long exposures, you can also watch the image build up on the display. Video enthusiasts can enjoy Cinema 4K (C4K, 4096 x 2160), OM-Log400 and high-speed video at 120 frames per second in Full HD. In combination with the strong image stabilizer, impressive handheld movies are possible.

Various field sensors are installed: A GPS sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure gauge and a compass. The information from these can be stored directly in the metadata and is a nice gadget for outdoor freaks who are mostly on the road. We also liked the large viewfinder and the fact that two batteries are used. Thus, one has longer power for photographing and filming. The new Olympus OM-D E-M1X fits very well in the hand and offers pleasant handling in portrait and landscape mode with identical controls. This means you can quickly find your way around in any situation. The camera can be operated intuitively and customized in many places.

In summary, we like the new camera after the first test. It makes a very good impression in the "dry test" with fast shooting performance, useful features and a size plus quality that is a great companion for professional outdoor photographers. Even though it naturally takes very good pictures indoors as well, it stands out more from other professional cameras because of its mobility. But feel free to check out the new flagship for yourself From February 6 to 10 we show this together with Olympus at Fotohaven Hamburg and on February 21 we will have Olympus experts for a sneak preview visiting us in Dusseldorf.

In addition, Olympus has introduced and announced other products. Those who still have their eye on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, because it is cheaper and smaller, may now, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary, be happy about the Anniversary variant in silver. There will be the electronic flash FL-700WR coming, which is also dust and splash-proof as well as freeze-proof, and allows for wireless operation. With the Radio trigger FC-WR and the Radio receiver FR-WR you can remotely control multiple flash units from the camera. Also announced was the development of a new super telephoto zoom. The Olympus M.Zuiko 150-400mm f/4.5 TC1.25x IS Pro ED is intended to deliver superior image quality and round out nature photography. It is equipped with a 1.25 teleconverter and allows focal lengths of up to 1,000mm (converted to 35mm). In addition, the Tele-converter MC-20 lens is in development, which doubles the focal length. In combination with the 150-400mm lens, up to 2,000mm (converted to 35mm) is then possible.

DK/SvS | 2019/01/24