Photokina 2016: The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is the new speed king

Olympus teased its next generation flagship camera, the OM-D E-M1 Mark II.

The Japanese camera company claims its next flagship camera will outpace the image quality of APS-C crop sensor cameras with a 20.4MP Live MOS sensor as seen in the Olympus Pen-F. Meanwhile, TruePick VIII image processor consists of two quad-core chips.

Put all together, the E-M1 Mark II comes with improved dynamic range and noise performance by a full stop, plus the added ability of 4K video capture at 30p and 50MP high-resolution composite shots.

Additionally, continuous shooting is a big focus and Olympus promises users will be able achieve 18fps continuous shooting with continuous AF and exposure monitoring. This burst rate can be further enhanced to 60fps using a AF and AE lock.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

This is largely thanks so a much an expanded autofocus system that covers a great portion of the frame. In total there are 121 cross-type AF points that combine on-chip phase detection with contrast AF.

To help users keep up with the camera's high-speed operation, the 1.48x magnification EVF has also been improved with a maximum frame rate of 120fps and a minimum six-millisecond display time lag during shooting.

Olympus has designed the OM-D E-M1 Mark II in such a way that it actually can take 14 full resolution RAW frames as soon as you start half pressing the shutter, making sure you capture that decisive moment.

The improved 5-axis in body image stabilization system affords it 1.5 times more EV steps of camera shake correction.

The body of the camera has also been redesigned to accommodate a deeper grip, dual SD card slots (both of which are UHS II compliant) and a 37% greater capacity battery. As ever the OM-D E-M1 Mark II is weathersealed to be dustproof, splashproof, and freezeproof (down to 14°F / -10°C) so it better survive in all types of outdoor conditions.

Olympus has yet to set pricing or availability, but stay tuned for our hands on review of the camera.