The Latest OM PEN Rumours

credits: OM System

We are now just one day away from the official OM PEN announcement, and one of the last big pieces of information may have just leaked, the price. According to numerous sources, the new Micro Four Thirds camera will cost around $1,265 for the body, which is a noticeable step up from the Olympus E-P7, which can currently be found for around $900, but the OM PEN is expected to add two pretty important things the E-P7 did not have, a built-in electronic viewfinder and weather sealing against dust and splashes. It will also have a fully articulating screen and Creative Dial, while keeping the compact, rangefinder-style PEN design.

The big question is still the 20MP sensor. Earlier rumours suggested OM System might use the same stacked BSI sensor found in the OM-3 and OM-1 Mark II, which would be pretty surprising in a camera costing around $1,200. Stacked sensors bring much faster readout speeds and can have a big impact on things like burst shooting, autofocus and electronic-shutter performance, but OM System has so far reserved this sensor for considerably more expensive cameras. That is why there is still plenty of skepticism around the rumour.

Another possibility is that the OM PEN will instead use the non-stacked 20MP sensor from the OM-5 Mark II.

A new 14-42mm III kit lens is apparently also arriving alongside the camera, although it is still unclear whether this will be a revised version of the existing compact pancake zoom or a completely new optical design. OM System will officially unveil the OM PEN on September 9, with pre-orders expected to begin immediately afterward.