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Olympus has revealed its new flagship camera, the OM-D E-M1. While the mirrorless camera builds on the success of the E-M5, it's actually been designed as the successor to the last DSLR the firm produced, the E-5. As such, the camera boasts a chunky grip and manual controls galore. There's also a 16 megapixel sensor with no optical low-pass filter, a speedy autofocus system and built-in Wi-Fi.

The OM-D E-M5 was a big hit for Olympus, which is presumably why it will remain on sale alongside the new camera. It charmed people with its retro good looks, and introduced many people to the potential of mirrorless cameras. Now, a year later, Olympus thinks it's created a truly DSLR-beating camera in the OM-D E-M1, which combines the portability of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with the manual controls and image quality normally associated with DSLRs. It's hard to imagine the company releasing another mirrored camera after this.

Everything about the Olympus OM-D E-M1 screams high-end. Its 4/3-inch, 16 megapixel Live MOS sensor is anti-aliasing filter free, meaning it should be capable of shooting more detailed images. This is paired with a new TruePic VII image processor enabling an ISO range of 100 - 25,600. Also present is the impressive 5-axis image stabilization from the PEN E-P5, which helps to bag sharp hand-held shots, even at large zoom ratios.

The new shooter is also capable of continuous shooting at a not-too-shabby 10 fps (though this drops to 6.5 fps with continuous AF), and can record up to 50 RAW files at this pace. A new Dual Fast AF system is also said to be the fastest ever seen on an Olympus camera. However, while it combines both phase detection (as seen on DSLRs) and contrast AF (used in mirrorless and compact cameras) it does so differently to hybrid systems like that on the Sony NEX.

When using Micro Four Thirds lenses to shoot stills, the E-M1 uses 81-point contrast detection in Single AF, and a combination of contrast and phase detection to shoot in Continuous AF. However, when using older Four Thirds lenses – which can be mounted with an adapter – it only makes use of its 37 phase detection points. This is good news for Four Thirds DSLR shooters who should be able to get the same sort of speed performance out of their older lenses on the new mirrorless camera as they do their DSLRs. Only contrast detection is used when shooting video with Micro Four Thirds lens (so no Canon 70D-like magic) and it's manual focus only for Four Thirds lens.

The construction of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 is another area where it can rival all but the toughest of DSLRs. Featuring a rugged magnesium casing and 60 gasket rings, it is dust, splash and freezeproof down to -10 degrees Celsius (14° F). Thanks to use of a 2x2 Dial Control system (as seen in the PEN E-P5) and addition buttons, there's all the access to manual settings that most photographers are going to need or want.

Sitting at the top of the camera is a new electronic viewfinder which covers 100 percent of the frame, has a 2,360K dot resolution and boasts a 1.48x magnification, meaning it's as big as the optical viewfinders on many Full Frame DSLRs. Unlike slow EVFs of old, it has a lag of just 0.029 seconds, which Olympus says is quick enough that you won't even notice it. There's also a 3-inch tiltable LCD touchscreen on the rear with a 1,037K dot resolution which comes into its own for shooting in awkward positions or video. The OM-D E-M1 can shoot Full HD 1080p video at 30 fps and is the first Olympus camera to feature a standard external microphone input.

Other things worth noting about the new flagship camera include that fact that it has a shutter speed that goes to 1/8000 second, this is important if shooting with fast lenses in bright conditions. The TruePic VII image processor can also help to get the best out of older Olympus lenses by automatically recognizing them and adjusting processing to deliver the best quality images.

Wi-Fi capabilities are also built in, allowing not just the wireless sharing of images, but also remote shooting with the ability to mirror the Live View LCD on your phone’s touch screen and switch between shooting modes and make adjustments to things like aperture and shutter speed.

Measuring 130.4 x 93.5 x 63.1 mm (5.1 x 3.7 x 2.5 in), the Olympus OM-D E-M1 is available to pre-order now, ahead of release in October. It will cost US$1,400 body-only.

Here's a fun little toy that might be of interest to playful photography enthusiasts and tinkerers. The Enjofer, described as a "portable smartphone photographic enlarger," is a stand that lets you create good quality black and white photographic prints directly from your smartphone, though you'll need your own darkroom set up to do it.

It's a simple case of finding the image you want to print and displaying it (after making any desired edits in the accompanying app) on your phone's screen. You then insert it into the Enfojer's enclosure screen side down. Adjustable lenses focus the image from the screen onto photographic paper placed underneath, and, at the push of a button, development commences. The Enfojer is compatible with any smartphone under 141 x 71 mm (5.55 x 2.80 in) in size.

The team says that the stand can be used to enlarge smartphone pictures (or traditional photographic negatives for that matter) up to 6 x 6 format. It takes 6 minutes to expose a photograph onto the silver halide photographic paper, and every print will be unique, albeit in the detail, due to imperfections in the paper and the chemistry of the development process. The Enfojer app walks you through the steps involved.

Most of the equipment you'll need to develop photographs is included in the Enfojer kit, including a battery-powered red light returning hotel bathrooms into makeshift dark rooms. Chemicals for developing photographs and not included due to the complexities of shipping chemicals overseas. However, once you've all the gear, the team maintains this is a cheaper way to print photographs than using a standard home printer.

The Enfojer team has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for production. An Enfojer stand can be secured from US$200, and the early bird kit (with useful extras included) for $250. Though the team is hoping to raise $100,000 this is a flexible campaign so production should go ahead if the target isn't reached. The first wave of Enfojers is due to be shipped in February if all goes to plan.

The Lexar Professional Workflow HR1 is a four-bay USB 3.0 card reader hub designed for professional photographers who need to import images and video from multiple cards quickly. The modular device enables users can mix-and-match depending on whether they shoot on SD, CompactFlash or XQD memory cards.

Stacking card readers in the vertical hub, the Workflow HR1 will save desk space for anyone who needs to use multiple card readers. Given that up to four readers can be used and connected to a computer by a single USB, it could also be useful for photographers short on USB 3.0 slots who don't want to be constantly switching between readers.

As the device uses USB 3.0, it's capable of shifting data at speed, which is important if you are shooting large image files, HD or even 4K video. The Workflow HR1 can also transfer data from all four card readers at the same time, meaning users don't have to wait to import one card then another after a large shoot.

The modular design means that after buying the Workflow HR1 reader hub, users can then add their selection of compatible card readers, which are sold separately. If you need to transfer while out and about, the card readers can be used individually by simply by removing them from the hub and connecting a USB cable into the rear.

The Lexar Professional Workflow HR1 and respective card readers are available now. The four-bay hub costs US$80, the SD and CompactFlash card readers will set you back $30 and if you shoot on XQD, that reader comes in at $45.