Today is the 50th anniversary of the original Pen F, and Olympus has used that occasion to launch several new products and variations: the E-P5 and E-PL6 (Japan only) cameras, the VF-4 electronic viewfinder, and black versions of their prime m4/3 lens set that hasn't had that option before (17mm, 45mm, 75mm).
The big news, of course, is the E-P5 and VF-4 EVF. Essentially, the E-P5 is an OM-D E-M5 without the built in EVF, styled slightly more like the original Pen F. There are a few changes from the E-M5, with a number of the subsystems getting small tweaks (focus, stabilization, LCD upgrade, etc.). One such change is the addition of WiFi. The imaging sensor and basic UI is basically the same as the E-M5, though, including front and rear command dials. The E-P5 is available in black, silver on black, or silver on white body styles. The E-P5 body only will sell for US$1000, the kit with the 17mm f/1.8 lens and VF-4 EVF is US$1450. The products should ship in mid-June.
The VF-4 is a 2.36m dot 1/2" LCD with eye detect capability that sits in the hot shoe and gets power from the accessory slot just underneath that. Like previous optional EVFs, it also tilt up to vertical. By itself, the VF-4 is US$280. As you can see from the above photo, the VF-4 makes for a substantial bulk above the E-P5 body, an even more pronounced hump than is on the OM-D E-M5.
The E-PL6 is a slightly tweaked E-PL5 that is only available in Japan. Only minor changes were made, including a shorter shutter release lag (on touch AF), a new ISO Low (100) setting, interval shooting from 1 second to 24 hours, time-lapse movie capture, and a built-in level function.
These products can be ordered from the following advertiser [note about pre-orders]:
