Olympus may have recently exited the camera business, but it appears to have a few new products to jettison before it hands the reins over to its new owners – including a new Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV.
According to 43 Rumors, the successor to the much-loved Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III, a small and affordable Micro Four Thirds camera, will start shipping on September 25, with a possible announcement before then.
We branded the E-M10 Mark III "one of our favorite mirrorless cameras" when it arrived in 2017, thanks to its combination of in-body image stabilization, 4K video and tiny dimensions for a camera with an electronic viewfinder.
There are no rumored specs for the Mark IV version yet, but possible additions could include phase detect autofocus to make it even more a contender for the Panasonic G100 and our best YouTube cameras list.
- Olympus exits the camera business – here's what it means for OM-D and Zuiko fans
- These are the best YouTube cameras you can buy right now
- Or check out our guide to the best mirrorless cameras in the world
Future gazing
Of course, the elephant in the room is the uncertainty over what exactly is going to happen to when Olympus officially hands its camera division over to a Japanese invest fund by the end of 2020.
Right now, all we have to go on is the sale's memorandum, which states that the investment fund will "continue to provide supports to the imaging solution products that have been distributed by Olympus". So current and new products should be covered by firmware updates and technical support, initially at least.
On the plus side, the E-M10 range has always offered good value and the rumored pricing for the E-M10 Mark IV suggests this will continue, with 43 Rumors suggesting the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV camera will cost $699 body only (around £555 / AU$1,000) or $799 (around £635 / AU$1140) with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ lens kit.
The other bonus for Micro Four Thirds cameras like the E-M10 series, of course, is that Panasonic continues to fly the flag for the system and its lenses, and there is already a huge range to choose from. In fact, Olympus is also rumored to be launching a new M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5.0-6.3 IS lens, which will apparently start shipping on September 8 for $1,499 (£1190, AU$2,140).
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