Olympus Teases New OM-D E-M1X Micro Four Thirds Mirrorless to Be Introduced January 24, 2019

Everyone loves a teaser, it seems, and Olympus has jumped onto the bandwagon with a video promoting its new OM-D E-M1 X (X or R???, just guessing here, from the profile placement of the controls and the rumors flying around).

The camera is shown shooting fast sports action using a super tele lens, and the photographer is apparently the least bit concerned about shooting around water, dust or sand. Rumors and leaked images indicate it will also have an integrated vertical battery grip.

The Olympus E-M10 III was introduced in Aug 31, 2017. The E-M5 II came out way back in Feb 5, 2015, so may also soon be getting a refresh. The E-M1 II came out in Sep 19, 2016 and desperately needs a follow-up Mark III to compete with all the new mirrorless entries.

The Olympus E-M1X is probably not the anticipated upgrade to the E-M1 II (otherwise, the E-M1 would have leapfrogged from II to X in one giant leap). Rather, it would be a new model lineup alongside the E-M1, specialized for sports and action shooting. So, we would still see an E-M1 III and, later, an E-M1X II. If you ask me, there are currently way too many different camera brands sporting the “X” in their names.

CES 2019 is from Jan 8-11, so this camera will be revealed after that event.

From Olympus Facebook page:

It won’t be long until the new OM-D camera from Olympus hits the shops – giving you something to look forward to in this new year. Dedicated to meeting the demands of professional photographers, this OM-D fits the bill when it comes to easy handling, advanced technology and high-level features. Watch the video and see for yourself!

Here are a couple of screen grabs from the video teaser:

Some people have bemoaned the fact that the E-M1X looks like a big camera, especially if it uses a Four Thirds sensor. The E-M1X is a specialized camera and, as long as it fits very comfortably in the hands, is light enough to be used all day handheld with a long super tele lens and delivers impressive performance and image quality to its intended target market, there will be buyers.

Of course, the danger (and all camera manufacturers have learned this to their chagrin) is that Sony can well come afterward and fit all these features and capabilities into a very compact and capable full-frame A7-sized body — and then, yea, the E-M1X will then look/be big.