After leaking on Amazon Canada last week, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV has officially arrived to battle the likes of the Panasonic G100 and Sony A6100 for the title of best beginner mirrorless camera.

The E-M10 Mark IV sits above the even more affordable Olympus PEN E-PL10 and brings different features like an electronic viewfinder (EVF) and superior in-body image stabilization (IBIS).

So what's new? Not a huge amount compared to the OM-D E-M10 Mark III, which arrived in 2017. The main differences are that it has a new 20MP sensor (most likely to same as the one in the higher-end OM-D E-M5 Mark III) and a touchscreen LCD that flips down by 180 degrees for vlogging and selfie duty.

While the autofocus system is unfortunately still only contrast-based, putting it behind rivals like the Sony A6100 and Fujifilm X-T200 which both use hybrid AF systems, Olympus has apparently improved the continuous AF using algorithms from the E-M1X. This should theoretically reduce the number of times it gets distracted by objects other than the one you're trying to track in a scene.

The flip down screen is a 3-inch, 1.04-million dot display and could make the E-M10 Mark IV a decent vlogging camera, particularly when you consider that it has five-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS).

The latter is really this camera's standout feature, particularly as Olympus' stabilization is among the best out there. Unfortunately, the E-M10 Mark IV doesn't match the new Panasonic G100's inclusion of a microphone input, so the latter will likely remain a superior overall vlogging choice.

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Beginner-friendly bargains

Aside from that IBIS system, the E-M10 Mark IV lacks any real killer features compared to rivals like the Sony A6100 and Fujifilm X-T200, with fairly average continuous burst speeds of 5fps and the ability to shoot 4K/30p video.

It is, though, a little more affordable than its APS-C rivals, coming in with a body-only price in black or silver of $699 / £699.99 / AU$1,299. You'll be able to buy it from mid-August (or mid-September in Australia).

Naturally, there is also a kit lens bundle for those who are just starting out, with an M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ bundle costing $799 / £799 / AU$1,499. Australian fans will also be able to buy the E-M10 Mark IV with a longer M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II zoom lens from September for AU$1,799 (around $1,285 / £985). 

We'll be putting the Olympus E-M10 Mark IV through its paces soon, though if you're after a small, smartphone-beating travel camera it may well be worth keeping your eye on prices for its predecessor, the E-M10 Mark III.

While that camera lacks the new sensor or flip down screen, you can currently pick it up for $449 / £449 / AU$799, which is pretty good value. 

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