After teasing it on their lens roadmap, Olympus is now officially introducing the

M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm f4.5 TC1.25X IS PRO Lens!!

You can get into all the specs at GetOlympus.com. But the key takeaways are:

Range: 150-400mm (That's the 35mm equivalent of 300-800, with a built in teleconverter making it effectively a 300-1000mm)

Aperture: f/4.5

Weight: 4lbs

Length: 12.4inches

Price: $7,499.99 USD

Ships: January 2021

Have I tested it out? Nope.

Will I be getting one? Going to try! I hear stock is going to be quite limited!

While the 100-400mm has a bit more range and a lower price point (1/10th the price!) and I've enjoyed using it on loan, but I've been waiting for this lens because f4.5 throughout will make all the difference in low light and making images "pop" with a slightly more shallow depth of field. And by the looks of some of the photographers who were able to test it out, it looks incredible.

I can't wait!

As many of you know, the OM-D E-M1 Mark II and the 300mm F4 PRO is what gave me the confidence to make an Olympus set up be my gear of choice for my sports photography. Prior to that I had been using Olympus as my personal travel camera system and Olympus didn't have cameras or lenses that were optimized for sports. Since making the switch, they've introduced the E-M1X and now this 150-400mm f4.5, and are becoming more and more of a sports camera system, even if it might be more-so marketed as a bird system ;)

Bird AF

Speaking of bird system. Along with the official introduction of the 150-400mm, they are also announcing a firmward update coming December 2, 2020 which will include Intelligent Subject Detection Autofocus for birds. So I guess it's not longer "Planes, Trains and Automobiles". I love that this update comes as a firmware update to current E-M1X bodies and isn't restricted to a new camera.

Even if you don't have an E-M1X, the E-M1 Mark III and E-M5 III are all receiving firmware updates. To keep your camera performing to it's maximum capability, don't forget to regularly update your firmware.

E-M10 Mark IIIs

They figured they'd make three announcements in one, and the third is the launch of the E-M10 Mark IIIs. Some minor changes  including the availability of silent mode, to silence all camera noises, and the availability of 16 unique art filters, including Instant Film, the E-M10 Mark IIIs is a great starter camera for anyone interested in photography, but not ready to commit to only manual modes and wants the camera to do some of the heavy lifting and creativity.