The Olympus E-M5 II Will Reportedly Keep the Same Sensor as Its Predecessor

olympusem5iisensor

When popular digital cameras are replaced with followup versions, photographers generally expect to see an improved sensor in the list of specifications. That may not be true with Olympus’ followup to its well-regarded E-M5 mirrorless camera: the upcoming camera will reportedly pack the exact same sensor as its predecessor.

The news comes courtesy of Mirrorless Rumors, which writes that:

Olympus is going the Canon route and will keep “re-using” the same sensor on the newer generation cameras. The E-M5II will get the same E-M5 sensor without PDAF [phase detect auto focus].

This isn’t to say that the Olympus E-M II won’t offer better image quality. The original sensor performs admirably, and, as we reported a few days ago, the camera is said to include “sensor shift” technology that allows the camera to capture 40 megapixel photographs by shooting 8 different shots with slight sensor shift and then recombining the images into a super-high-quality shot.

That nifty technique only works on relatively static subjects, so unless Olympus has other tricks up its sleeve, photographers may not see much of an image quality jump for shooting things like sports or daily life.

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