Olympus E-M1 firmware update to address video mode - but will we get 24p and higher bitrates?

[Andrew Reid]

Panasonic (Europe) told me the sensor in the GH4 is based on the GH3 sensor (so probably Sony?) and that it's definately not the sensor that is published in the pdf on the Panasonic-site...

 

It definitely isn't a Sony. They told me it was a Panasonic sensor. It's definitely the one on the website or a close variant of that spec, because you wouldn't go to the effort of making a 4K capable sensor yourself (at huge cost) only to buy one from Sony. Panasonic are one of the few companies with their own CMOS manufacturing capabilities. Also physically the chip in the GM1, E-M1 and GH4 looks the same from close visual inspection.

[pablogrollan]

Has a date been announced for this firmware update?

[Lyonswr]

Anyone else out there have a vote for being able to manually adjust exposure (iris) while recording? No one on the entire Internet had mentioned the omission of this key feature for a run and gun camera with a kick add stabilizer. I hope that gets bundled in this upgrade!

[Cinegain]

~ http://www.olympus.co.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/download/software/firm/e1/

 

No higher bitrates, no 24p/25p/60p, no nothing to improve video, except the audio that goes with it.

Plz Olympus, you can do it...

[thementalist]

It's a trap!

 

Olympus will never do it. And you know what? Shoot 30p, fuck 24p, fuck Olympus (how wonderful ibis has).

[fuzzynormal]

Plz Olympus, you can do it...

Seems like an indy programmer with ambition to do a hack might be more likely...?

[Cinegain]

~ http://www.olympus.co.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/download/software/firm/e1/

 

No higher bitrates, no 24p/25p/60p, no nothing to improve video, except the audio that goes with it.

Plz Olympus, you can do it...

Follow the link from the quote, there's new firmware.

Changelist ( http://dl01.olympus-imaging.com/ww/ud2/ENU/0001/1090/index04a.html ) mainly includes AF tweaking.

Unfortunately still no better videomode.

[jgharding]

A pointless waste of an amazing technology.

 

25p and I'd own one, even at AVCHD, just for IBIS.

 

As it is, meh... I'll ignore it.

[hoodlum]

The latest rumor suggests a firmware upgrade is coming at Photokina with a focus on video including 4k.  Only a month and a half to wait.

[Cinegain]

Well, if you pull that kind of data from the sensor it will heat up considerably.

And the 5-axis in-body stabilization will not allow for methods to disperse of this excessive heat.

So, for me 4K on the EM-1 is a nice fairytale, but nothing more.

You can't just provide 4K as a FW-upgrade. It's impossible.

Besides, they've never shown any care about us videopeople before.

 

I don't even really need them to throw out 4K footage out of the E-M1 and onto my storage medium.

I just need a proper videomode, with a broader selection of just about everything (especially 25fps!) and maybe a little tweaked bitrate or something like that.

If they trained their pet into learning new tricks, that's cool. I want to see it. If they drugged it with stereoids and implanted it with a chip I'm afraid something horrible will come of this.

 

But so far, for photography it's really awesome. Although I had a few issues with false exposure readings now and then.

[mat33]

I agree 4k is unlikely although maybe they could do it via hdmi out like the sony a7s? In any case it would be a good move by olympus to put out a major firmware update to keep their flagship model in the limelight when other manufacturers release new models (I am assuming olympus won't release an e-m1 successor quite so soon as to recoup r&d costs)

[hoodlum]

Either someone has a good imagination or we are in for big surprise.

 

http://www.43rumors.com/ft3-this-is-the-amazing-list-of-new-features-coming-with-the-next-e-m1-firmware-upgrade/

 

Firmware update:
4K Recording (IS compatible)
High Speed and Slow motion Mode (240p or 120p)
New Codec with different recording mode (24p,25p,30p,60p)
Motion Film (I don’t know what it is exactly but it has something to do with a freeze picture functionality and choose to move what you want on the picture).
They didn’t confirm all yet but about a similar S-log mode than the Sony one
but they didn’t talk about it and how it would help grading for the cinema industry.
And others stuff that i didn’t have time to check yet.

I saw the 4K 24p and 30p mode, they was also other 4K mode but it was already the end of the Beta test. For sure this new update firmware doesn’t add anything, Olympus confirm 2 times that it was already there but not ready to be release because they needed to fix few issues. They add also new functionality for the pictures mode but i was not interested, only the video part. 
It’s possible that they release the new firmware by the end of this month.

[fuzzynormal]

Either someone has a good imagination or we are in for big surprise.

 

 

I'll guess "Imagination."  Nothing's ever been done with a firmware update like that before.  As much as I'd love to be surprised such intense upgrades are actually possible, I can't imagine that list to be accurate.  Something tells me the source of that rumor might not understand what he thinks he saw...

 

At any rate, if they want to release the firmware update before my shoot next week I'd appreciate it!  Olympus, can you help a brotha' out?

[AaronChicago]

That would be INSANE. I don't understand why they'd add all of those features though and compromise GH4 sales.

[Nikkor]

I would get one if that's true, perfect documentary camera.

 

GH4-> Panasonic

EM1-> Olympus

[xenogears]

First Olympus give us a very basic video option on the OM-D cameras and now from the night to the day they will gives us 4k? come on. For me the option will be allow to see picture through HDMI to a 4K TV. Anyways, i will be very happy if Olympus just improve the 1080p image and give more recording options.

[AaronChicago]

I'm always getting Panasonic and Olympus mixed up with each other.

Anyway I saw this on twitter about a possible GH4 update with some sort of "Raw" implementation:

@Simon_Shasha Yes. It has to do with some sort of „RAW“ recording.

— 43rumors (@43rumors)

[Nikkor]

Wow, RAW would be incredible. But "sort of RAW" is something wierd. Seems like video is becoming very important.

[Cinegain]

Maybe it depends on what implementation of RAW they would use... DNGs? ProRes?

 

About the Olympus FW update... I still can't imagine they'd suddenly start caring about video so much. And it seems too sketchy to be wanting to do that with a stabilized sensor and the excessive heat build-up such recordings would generate. It's just not possible to out of nowhere make it a 4K video camera that would win over people considering let's say the GH4, which from the start was all about the (4K) video as key selling feature. You just can't add such goodness as an afterthought.

 

But I guess we'll see. I would love it if they'd tinkered on the E-M1's videomode. Just good 4K seems a little far-fetched and highly imaginative.

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

Wow that's a big rumor. 4K and 240p. Lol. Who knows!

You know what Olympus, give me normal frame rates, just a couple of normal frame rate options, and I'll use your cameras for all my video work. It will replace all my Canon, Nikon, Sony, GH4 DSLRs and even higher end camcorders, just for the stabilization system. That system is the best technology that ever happened to the video/cinema industry (yes I stand by that statement), and they seem to be refusing to use it. Just for the sake of it.

I don't want higher resolutions or better codecs, the image is fine for most of us, I don't need anything, just the normal freaking frame rates. I mean, come on! You're sitting on a damn treasure that can change the entire way we shoot movies!