Recent firmware update (4.1) makes this camera a great deal as the prices have fallen. I got mine (brand new) for $500 and it is better for me than my Sony A6500. Better video despite not being 4k due to the superior IBIS of the Olympus. Firmware updates makes auto focus much more precise and other changes makes this camera a fantastic deal. I love my Olympus EM5 MKII.
Yours is one of the most interesting, informative and thorough reviews of this camera I have seen anywhere. Most of the others are turned off after a few seconds because they were so boring and didn't provide me with the information I needed to make a purchasing decision. After a ton of research on many different cameras and after viewing your video, I am buying the EM-5 Mark II. Thank you very much Darren!
Thank you for the excellent review Darren. You really nailed it. I am now several steps closer to actually buying this lovely camera based on your review. Once again thank you. E from UK
AS usual you do a great job highlighting the features of the equipment you test. I was happy to see you tested the C-AF on the camera. Every other review I've watched omits this aspect of the Mark ii.
Nice and quite detailed review, Darren. One question remained unanswered, though: can new OM-D EM-5 II be remotely controlled by a smartphone or a tablet, like E-M 1? Thank you for the answer. And keep on doing valuable videos.
Thank you for the kind words on the review. I probably should have expanded on the "what's new" section when I said "wifi" - as it does indeed have the same kinds of wifi control as the EM-1. Darren
Steve F Me too! I probably should have been more specific when I said "new this time" - I should have said "New for the OMD this time" - is the the flip out and tilt screen. Long overdue for the OMD line....
Very nice review Clear, professional and well done by Darren. Frankly, you are becoming one of my favorite reviewers. Please keep doing cameras. I am a pro living in France, using the EM1 and the really good glass and we ned more people like you singing the praises of the M4/3 cameras and lenses.
Thank you very much for the kind words! I really appreciate it. Olympus is doing some amazing things with the M43 system - their PRO lenses are truly on par with - and in some cases exceed - Canon L lenses... I'll work on some more cameras in the future - hopefully the EM-1 Mark ii that is rumored....
How does olympus OM-D 5D Mark II compare to a Nikon or Canon in the same price category? I'm very new to photography... And all my family and friends use either Nikon or Canon and almost nobody knows what olympus is here so... Help? 😢😢
Good day. Please make a review of how to optimize the video image for RUclips - because You have one of the most beautiful videos in sharpness, detail and purity without spillage because of the low bitrate. Share a secret? In what codec you are encoding, what bitrate, how to optimize? Thanks in advance
I just picked up a used one for $300 as a second body so I can avoid switching lenses with my M1 M3. It still does really well with good lenses in 2022. For static subjects a great option.
This was a great review, lots of important details delivered clearly and efficiently. It was also refreshing to get someone else's perspective after hearing the same guys (digital rev, the camera store, northrup, etc) over and over. thanks
Absolutely excellent review. Very well made, thank you. Subscribed. I own this camera since a couple of months (also use the Fuji X-Pro2 and Nikon D800 + Df) and really love it. I'd like to add my two cents if I may... Iso performance, it's basically ok and mostly clean up to 1600iso, sometimes up to 3200 but mind you , you need to nail the exposure right in camera. If you under expose (maybe intentionally to preserve some highlights) and need to open the shadows up later in Lightroom (or other software) you will get noise. Lenses: put really get good lenses on it and it will deliver the best image quality. Cheaper lenses like the 14-42 will only be ok, but stick the 12-40 pro , or the wonderful 40-150 f/2.8 and image quality will raise a lot. I recently tried the 14-42 after two months with the 12-40 + 40-150 and there is a huge, really huge difference. Handgrip : personally I love it when i use the 40-150. If you get bigger lenses on it make sure to go in a shop and try the battery grip. Maybe you will not like it, but just give it a try, for me it's very well made, especially for longer lenses. And it's very clever as you can leave the battery part of it unmounted and only use the grip if you want a lighter solution.
It's good to know they are now taking video seriously as it is my primary use, and with the vari-angle screen made me consider an Olympus camera for the first time. Would like to know though, can you touch the screen during filming to select a different focus point and does it change focus smoothly?
Finally a review worth watching, honestly I've never seen your videos before as I've only recently got into photography. Couldn't believe it when you mentioned the GH4 as well, as currently I'm considering either em5mk2 or gh4, as good as the gh4 is at video(video is the feature I'm after), I can't help but be drawn to the Olympus(for image quality and overall style), mostly because the gh4 is coming up to its 1st birthday and surely will be old news when/if its replaced by the gh5 and I will be kicking myself if that happens in the near future. Anyway, you have a new subscriber, thank you for being one of the 1st to do a proper review on this camera.
Thank you very much, I really appreciate the kind words! The world hasn't caught up to the GH4 yet as broadcast TV is still 1080, but it'll hit a tipping point when everything will become 4K - but I suspect that won't be for awhile and the human eye really cant discern the difference - at least not enough to justify the current pricing of 4K televisions... Thank you again!
Very nice video, Darren! I see that you put a lot of work into this video, and I think it will help a lot of people out who are considering this camera. Keep up the good work. (I would like to see more camera reviews in the future, if possible.) PS: I wonder what people in Boston are thinking when they see beautiful, sunny, Naples, Florida.
Darren Miles I live in Boston and I can tell you the weather just down right sucks. This will be the last cold day this Sunday and after that it will warm up in the high 30s and 40s and this snow will start to melt.
very informative review, the 4 k looks great. the battery life you talk about a lot, could this be because they want you to add an accessory grip (with a second battery inside)? maybe; using this during times when 5-axis stab. is used as well as for rapid shooting might solve the batt. life (~700 shots with both installed)- you quoted ~ 300- 350 shots per charge.
very nice video as always - great audio - video - thanks - I assume you where using the GH4 for video as it is in 4k - what lens did you use ? my guess the Oly 75mm or the 45mm or the Pany 42.5mm F1.2 - very nice lens which ever you used - love your reviews
Thank you for the kind words - with the exception of the "video quality" section - I used the GH4 with the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 - killer combo for video (in the video quality section I used the EM5 Mark ii and the Olympus 40-150mm PRO.) It was shot in 4K, 24 Frames.
Thank´s Darren for the fantastic video! But did you not notice these terrible stripes in the high resolution photo "Zoomed into the Waterfall" in the water below the stones? That doesn´t look good at all!
+Darren Miles No, sorry, but look at 13:48, the whole turkis water is full of diagonal stripes (small parallel lines), but not only the water. I´m watching with an iMac screen, and have that never seen before, also not in your other pictures. Greetings and have a good and successful New Year Klaus
+Klaus Rudolph Oh wow! It is! I honestly never noticed, granted, it's zoomed about 400%, so it's likely you wouldn't notice unless you blew something like this up to wall sized... Nice catch!
Hello, Darren, thanks for sharing. I have a question I don't know if you could help. As we know most all famous camera brands are produced in Japan, which is very good at it. Well, are there any other great brands made in Western world to against it? it is very boring to buy a one among all JP's brands! I know Leica.
Hasselblad? They just released a medium format mirrorless camera for less than $10,000 - which is an insane amount of money, but it's cheap by Digital medium format standards...
Thank you for such a wonderful review! Can the provided external flash be used to take high sync shutter speeds or do we have to buy a different flash? Not sure if I am asking the question correctly so let me put it this way - I am shooting in day light and my subject has a bright background behind. My shutter speed if 1/2000s. How can I use the flash that allows me to sync at that shutter speed? I don't want to be limited by 1/250s that's offered by the camera (which will give me an over exposed image). Of course I can increase the f-stop to get there probably but let's assume I want to shoot wide open. Thanks!
There is high speed sync with the included flash and an external flash if you wanted, there's also electronic shutter which doesn't move the mirror at all which can theoretically allow you to sync up to 1/16000 of a second...
Darren Miles Wow! That's great to hear! I am happy to hear that we can use the provided off camera flash to take pictures outdoors at 1/16000s. I am really tempted to buy OM-D5 MII now with 17mm f/1.8 and 45mm f/1.8. 12-40 f/2.8 also looks attractive but maybe a little too big to carry around. I am going to check the camera out at a local store, of course when they arrive. Fuji X100x series does this high flash sync well and that's a great feature. BTW, how do I enable this high speed flash sync in the camera? Do you think you can make a short video on this using the provided flash (if you still have the camera with you)? Thanks a lot for your prompt reply - I appreciate it. I have watched your other reviews and subscribed to your channel. Your reviews are very useful!
Hi Darren, I just purchased the E-M5 Mark ll a few weeks ago along with the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro, the 17mm f1.8 and the inexpensive 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 lenses. So far with the exception of the battery life issue which you covered I absolutely love the camera and many thanks for the great review!!! I have 2 questions for you: 1) I am going to Machu Picchu in July. and everyone is telling me it is a photographer's dream. Do you think I have my shooting needs covered with the lenses I already own? Also are there any tips for shooting there that you can suggest? 2) Because of the battery issue I am looking for a dual battery charger to use with the OEM Olympus BLN-1 batteries that I already have. If there a really reliable brand/model dual charger that you can recommend? Thanks, Robert
fantastic review Darren. I'm looking for an an all round CSC to complement my DSLR kit , primarily for portability, and need Decent Video. Was almost going to get the GH4 but am really impressed by the reviews and feedback on this EM-5 mk2. The IS looks impressive, for my B roll footage. Video is a key for me these days, gee its going to be a tough call when I buyt in a few weeks. I think I'm going to go with the olympus plus the optional battery/grip (ergonomically i hate the lack of hand grip). Thanks for the great review.
Great Review! Question, would you pick this or an EM1 over say a Canon 6D, as they are similar money? I love the size and speed of focus on these Olympus cameras but from prior experience their low light performance wasn't great beyond ISO 1600.
Zeus Shama Thank you! Personal choice, depends what you're going to shoot. The AF on the 6D is kinda meh (except for the center point which is amazing) - image quality is going to be subjectively better with the 6D (shallow depth of field, etc) - if you're using it for personal stuff like family and travel the EM5 is a gem of a camera, if you're going to use it professionally, I think you may have issues in low light situations.
Darren Miles Thanks for the quick and thoughtful reply! Been a long time Canon DSLR shooter and like the results but find I don't use the camera and lenses unless being paid to do so. So family, social and travel, the Canon gear just sits on a shelf. Have thought about selling it and getting into one system that works for weddings, events and family & travel. Have tried the Fuji X cameras and low light results are good but AF not so much. As you noted, these Olympus cameras focus great but at ISO 6400, I found results not good enough for sale. So torn as to what to do. I hear good and bad about the Sony A7 cameras as well. Maybe need to keep two systems, but was hoping to downsize and use more.
Awesome review! I do 50/50 photo and video and Im thinking of buying the EM 5 mk ii with the Oly 12-40mm f2.8 or the Panasonic GH4 with the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8. Which one would you recomend? I think I would love the IBIS on the oly but the 4k of the gh4 is also tempting
After reading your video I'm very impressed. Really great and educational! I'm strugging buying this or em1, especially the body of em1 has same price of em5ii in my hometown... I'm also a complete newbie and owns no lens, as a complete newbie in photography (have been playing with my LX5 for a few years as an amateur) So, which one would you recommend me to buy now? em1 or em5ii? Many thanks!
Daniel Chan Daniel, if you plan on doing any video, then I would recommend the Em5 - Mark ii, though for stills I prefer shooting the EM-1 - you won't see any real earth shattering differences in image quality.
Excellent review as always, but I think I'm going to wait for the successor to the E-M1 just because of the grip. That's partially why I sold my E-M5i, because I had so many retro style cameras with smaller grips already. I would like more stability for my 50 Summilux.
how do explain the grainy quality to the pictures you get with these cameras even at low ISO in daylight and small aperture. My EM5 does it, Em5 mark ii does it and even the EM 1 mark ii does it. Just look at a raw image in lightroom at 1:1 and see what I am talking about. At 1:1 looks as if you are looking at the picture through a layer of plexiglass....the best way I can describe it. I use all prime lenses....45mm 1.8 75mm 1.8.....etc
Actually I was impressed with battery life, I spent two days at an air show with one charge, was giving the camera a workout with continuous shooting. I got about 1500 shots before battery warning came out.
Now i have watched the 4k version the 2.5k and the 1080p and i dont's see the differences, does this mean that the 4k and 2.5k is downgraded to 1080p on youtube?
I own 3 EM5 mark 1's and I hear you on the battery life. Solution: Buy more aftermarket batteries. They aren't that expensive and it's a trade off I'm more than willing to accept for the IQ out of these cameras! Will be getting a Mark II specifically for video
Hi Darren, I've been watching many reviews on exactly this camera lately, yours is by far the best I have ever seen. Saying this, I want shout out a big thanks for this very valuable work, such good work of yours. Its quite a long review, but you do cover so much rather then just talk around the pie. Thanks a lot. I do like this camera a lot, it speaks to me. One question is still left. I have been shooting stills couple years ago, when Olympus startet with micro four thirds, I had the small e-420. After it, I had a canon and couldn't get friends, left the shooting to others. Now I would start all over again. And I would like to go for video too, being a total beginner. I got that you recommend the GH4 before the em-5II for video. But, I am a full time traveller and won't carry a steady cam in my 40l backpack, every video shot would have to be a handheld. Would you still recommend the GH4 in my case, or is the em5II with its 5axis stabilization the better bet for me? Thank you in advance, sure a short answer to my long question shall be enough :-)
Andreas, thank you very, very much for the kind words! Much appreciated! Chances are pretty good for your purposes as your describe - I would probably get the EM-5 Mark ii over the GH4 as the video will likely be "Good enough." You might also consider waiting for the the EM-1 Mark ii which is coming out soon and rumor has it that'll have 4K video, could be a viable option as well!
Darren, another quick question. I don't feel attracted in 4K Video, HD shall be enough for my purpose. Still you made me think of the EM-1, but the Mark I. Am I better of considering the EM-1 Mark i over the Em-5 Mark ii,, or did the latest EM-5 outplayed the early EM-1 at all? Would the stills be better on the EM-1? What about Video Quality and especially the 5-Axis image stabilization, is EM-5 ii better for Video then EM-1 i? A quick answer is enough and appreciated so much :-) Thank you Darren
Hi Daren, again I would like some advice from Cold rainy United Kingdom. I am a pro Nikon user of the D800 series and shoot a lot of images similar subjects to you but I also do a lot of Horse photography, movement etc. So now I need to lighten my gear considerably due to arthritis I am considering Olympus vs Fuji xt2. Its important to me to have a vertical screen as well as a horizontal one. I also need video, doesn't have to be 4k but that would be nice. I currently use 150-500 sigma and 300mm Nikon for distance pictures. So with the cost of these two cameras being so much can you advise me to go with the em5 mk2 em1 mk2 or the Fuji xt2. I took a look at the Sony a7 mk2 but by what people were saying I don't think the focus is fast enough for my subjects..Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Of course when your paid for your work you want great image quality but not at the price of being crippled!!! I have carried Nikon and Heavy Canons for 20 years enough is enough... Great reviews and please keep "rubbing in" the Sunny Naples bit, makes me think of my visits to Florida on holidays....regards.
Hey Phil, I haven't used Fuji, so take this response with a grain of salt... Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on the EM-1 Mark ii. Except for low light and depth of field, that COULD be a great all around camera - but I haven't used it yet. I find Olympus optics second to none, all the way around... Some of the best on any system. Sony - IMO - is NOT an action cam, maybe the A6000 or the A6500, etc, but definitely NOT the A7's. I've been told the EM1 Mark ii's AF is amazing - even for action and continuous shooting... So if I were to switch, I might go with the EM-1 Mark ii, but stay tuned, I will get to a review on that camera soon. Cheers from Sunny Naples :-)
Hi, well I borrowed the XT2 yesterday for a few hours and I am amazed that the raw files, regarding noise, they are as good as my Nikon d800. This has always been my worry as in the past I have had experience with both Lumix GH2 and GH4. The files surpass the GH4 by a long way. However my only wish list really is that the the Fuji had the stabilisation which was very apparent I needed on the 4k video I shot. The camera regarding Stills is awesome and the lenses likewise, so solid and quality built mechanisms but expensive. So I await your OMD E1 mk2 report, as I think the Oly5 mk 2 is as close as it gets to the Fuji at the moment. I have been on the small Sony route 6000 etc but I find I can't deal with such a small body with longer lenses that I need to use from time to time. Thankyou for your work from Cold, Foggy England UK. Question? I would like to know from you, which camera you use for the main part of your Real estate work and which Shift lens?
Yes and no... A great and fair question... Just my opinion, but nowadays I think it's pretty subjective as it's possible to capture amazing images with just about any modern camera. This past weekend I shot an event and in full disclosure I was shocked to see how many if the images that were my favorites were shot on an olympus OMD - I used a nikon D750 and a D810 on that shoot and almost half of the keepers came from the oly... For what it's worth, I wouldn't hesitate to use the OMD in a professional situation - the biggest hangup surrounding the omd is one of perception - because it looks like a toy next to a dslr - and not of actual performance.... Which is pretty amazing from something so comparably small....
Darren Miles Your lens reviews and scores makes better sense from a class perspective and you should consider mentioning this in future reviews. Later when you have more and more camera reviews, people will begin comparing the scores side by side and the scores will make little sense when they see the AF or build quality of a 1DX/D4S gets the same score (10/10) as this camera. My point is it's better to compare cameras in its class just like you would not compare a Truck against a Sports car since they are built for different purposes.
Mike Y. Fair enough... I hadn't really given it much thought as I tend to go out and just shoot and speak to my own personal experiences with the gear I review, but you make a good point, because would someone in the market for a D4s really even consider the OMD in the first place? Probably not...
Thank you for an excellent review. I am debating between the Em-1, the Em-5 mark II, but I also heard that the Em-1 Mark II is coming out in September. Should I wait and hope for a price break on the EM-1 mark II at Christmas time or get the EM 5 Mark II? I want to shoot my kids sports, baseball and soccer as well as obviously portraits. Please help my analysis paralysis. :-)
Hi Darren, I'm wondering when you shot those pics of your son, did you just have the camera in c-af mode then hold the shutter button down? Or release and press again for each shot? Also I'm wondering why you didn't test high iso beyond 800, as I would have thought iso >800 would be more like the "business" end of things? Thanks for the great review.
Hey Jinx, thank you for the kind words! It was on low speed continuous (all the EM-5 Mark ii will allow with focus tracking) - in order to have a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action (generally 1/1000th of a second) I amped the ISO to 1,000 - I held the shutter button down and the tracking worked pretty flawlessly.
Darren Miles Oh wow that's quite impressive. I would say better than mark 1. Did you manually set the focus point or did you use face detection or some other method?
I need buying advice. I love shallow depth of field, but my last DSLR collected dust because it was too big and inconvenient. I'm looking at the Fuji and Olympus lineup - love the compact size of Olympus, but can it still capture the shallow depth of field that I love? Fuji looks good but the size and cost of the system is a good chunk of change more than the Olympus. thanks!
+Jimmer John I'm in the same conundrum. I have a load of expensive Canon L glass and it's collecting dust because it's so big and unruly to carry now that I have a small child to chase after. I'm thinking it's time to move to micro 4/3 for my lifestyle.
+Jimmer John No right or wrong answer... It is true, shallow DOF isn't quite as nice as full frame, but it isn't bad either... the f/1.8 lens line from Olympus (17, 25, 45, 75, etc) are amazing, and the 75 in my opinion is every bit as good as Canon's 135L (granted with a slightly wider depth of field) - but that's the kind of stuff WE as photographers notice - in the consumer world of iPhone images, M43 shots look AMAZING!
+Jimmer John I'm considering it. I'm also considering the PEN-F but it's quite different from the em5ii in that it's not weather sealed and probably better with primes. decisions decisions.
+Jimmer John Olympus is rumored to be developing a series of F1.2 lenses. Due to this I am also considering investing in the MFT line. The ability to have long reach in a compact form and the F1.2 lens for some shallow DOF makes it into a value tool kit for a non-professional photographer. Darren...thanks for the great reviews. My hope is the EM1 ii will have 4k and a much higher bitrate.
Hi Darren Regarding the battery life you pointed. Have you looked into the sleep mode which Olympus claims which gives us upto 750 shots? If it works as they say, its really going to be a huge benefit, considering its high price and able to shoot only 310 exposures:). Thanks and keep up your good work and very professional video quality
I´m new to MFT and i can´t decide between the E-M1 and E-M5 II. If i decide to buy the E-M5 II, I will also need the Grip (HLD8 i think) so i could save money buying the E-M1. But the video mode on the E-M5 II is much better compared to the E-M1. My preference is Photo/Video 70/30. Which camera should i buy? Is there really better weather sealing on the M1?
+Darren Miles Really nice. You do a fantastic job! I love the images you can get from the GH4 with good glass and some work, but due to that work, I rarely see vlogs it. What f-stop did you use? Great bokeh, yet your body and face never rock out of the focal plane.
Hi! Would you still recommend this camera in 2018 or would you rather go for the Mark OMD 10 III if you were to choose between those two? I want it for both pictures and video. Thank you! :)
Nice review Darren, thanks! I'm gonna stick with my EM1 for now, since I only got it few months ago. It would be awesome if they could give us choice of focus peaking colour as well via firmware update though, I mean it sounds relatively easy to implement, and will be helpful, since only black & white is not that helpful in some situations. Also, the highres photos look amazing.
Hi Darren, I need your help to buy a camera. Which one you will prefer in $1000 budget, Lumix G7 or Olympus em-5 mark II. My major concerns are Image Stabilization for videos, Tracking Focus, Battery backup, Low light performance and easy to use. Forget about 4K video. My purpose is mostly shooting video for youtube. Thanks
Excellent and thorough review! Does the live view frame rate drop when focus peaking is enabled like in the E-M1? Panasonic cameras do a really good job with focus peaking. I currently own a GX7 but gave the E-m5ii on order. Can't wait!
Great honest review. On the video side I've found the Olympus samples quite choppy, and it's not the first time I see that, especially if you compare it to the GH4's outstanding output. Does this come from the codec or something like that, or is it just due to settings like shutter speed ? I'm mainly a photographer, but if I have to use video, the samples you've shown are frankly unusable from my perspective. I'm also an amateur and do not make a living from my photography, just pure fun, and my goal is to get rid of my bulky Canon 60D rig to replace it with a much more travel friendly mirrorless camera: would you recommend a GH4, an EM5 II, or wait for a potential EM1 II to hopefully get the best of both worlds (I'm not in a hurry).
Yannick KREMPP Yannick tough to say, for the record, maybe it's RUclips, but I'm not seeing the choppiness you're referring to in the video samples. That said, as mentioned in the review, the EM5 II can't hold a candle to the GH4 for video. In my opinion, the GH4 is a video camera (and a GREAT one) that takes photos.... The EM5 ii is a still camera that does video... Two totally different approaches that I think sum up the difference between the philosophies of both companies and the cameras they produce.
Another great video. Hi Darren I have left a few comments before but never heard back. Would you recommend upgrading from the OMD EM1 to the new OMD EM5II ? For me it doesn't seem worth it but I would appreciate your advice. Always look forward to your reviews and you are the reason I switched to the micro four thirds system. Thank you.
Hey Skipper - hmmm... I must not have seen your comments before, sorry about that. My answer would be it really depends on what you want to do with the mark ii that the mark i can't do in its current state. The new viewfinder is a real eye opener and the 5 axis IBIS is really nice, and if you do any kind of video shooting, then I'd be all over the Mark ii. But if your aim is straight photography, I'm not sure there's a lot of value in upgrading... PS Thank you for the kind words about the reviews!
Darren Miles Thanks Darren. I have a EM1 not the old EM5 but thank you for responding. I sure miss florida as I used to live in Orlando but now in Northern Canada where the northern lights flourish. Debating on the 40-150mm f2.8 after watching your last video. I currently have the 12-40mm, 45mm, and the 17mm by olympus. Keep up the great work.
Hi Darren, I too use Olympus EM5mkii and EM1mk1 but find the results very noisy and grainy even at base iso and wondered where am going wrong? Any advice would be appreciated. Regards, Peter
Great review. I'm thinking about upgrading from the E-M10 to the E-M5ii. Also you should do reviews of the Sigma art lenses for Micro 4/3s. That would be awesome.
Darren, How does the weather sealing differ between the E-M1 and the E-M5 MkII ? From what I've read in Olympus' publications, there is no difference. Thanks for a very useful review, Rick
Hi Darren, i do like your reviews, I have a question for you, i assume that you recorded this (4k) video with a GH4... so the question is, why does the switch of video quality between takes =? i'm about to get a GH4 and want to know if the change of quality is because the use of diferent lenses or you just used two diferent cameras, GH4 and something else =?...
What you're seeing is a difference in lighting, not video quality. Sometimes when I change scenes slightly its not possible to light the exact same way with equipment that I have without said equipment showing up in the scene and the end result is a slightly different look/lighting/exposure. The gh4 is an amazing little camera, I wouldn't hesitate to get one.
Never mind i put atention and find out.. the whole section of minutes 5 and 6 you can see individual hairs... but in minute 7 you don't... looking at 7:10 shows that your focus was in front of you 'cuz your watch looks sharper than your hair... Thanks for your answer and your reviews, great job.
A great review thanks! I am very close to buying one of these for an upcoming round the world trip especially as in the UK they have £75 off the body and £100 off a lens at the moment. Question is do I get the Olympus 14-150 lens, or 2 get separate lenses? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
Thanks for the Great review Darren Miles Is there any way to use an external source of power on the EM5 MkII? Or spare batteries are the only option? I'm thinking about converting my entire kit of DSLR to the EM5 MKII due to its compact size and loads of features.
Thank you for the review, I have an EM-10, and actually I've been thru all your Olympus lens videos, great work! I'm looking for a water resistant camera now because it really gets kinda uncomfortable when shooting my EM-10 in the rain (and kinda silly to use the water resist 12-40 pro with my non-water resist EM10), but maybe I'll give a pass for the EM5MKII and wait for the EM1MK2
+darrenmilles in your opinion can the omd em5 mk2 be a good stills camera for travel blog and RUclips channel camera? I was looking to grab the 12-40 pro along with a 25 f1.8 for night or low light photography, eventually maybe grabbing the 40-150 pro. Coming from nikon and hate lugging around a d610 and 24-120, thanks
OK, found how to subscribe, done! BTW, the only thing I would have done with the comparison of 16 MP vs 40 MP, is ZOOM IN a whole lot more, or shoot some far off building and then zoom in.. That would show a big difference in resolution.. Just my opinion...
Darren great review. I hope you do more of them. Video question for the EM-1. I noticed I have a lot of camera noise from my EM-1. I have to keep my microphones at least 4ht from the camera to keep it from picking it up. Any idea how to stop that. Is it the In camera stabelization that is making the noise?
Darren Miles Yeah. In camera stabilization is something that all cameras should have, so you can film with that beautiful primes. Im very tempted to buy a Sony, but I will wait and see whats going on. Thanks.
Aaah but is not very much. I use a Canon 7d and i want something more smoller. But 330 shot... is not very much. Y take more than 1000 photos in a Wedding and i have more battery to download to my computer and take more photos on another event. Thanks Darren
Darren, i am currently in the market for a new camera and have been, up until now looking hard at the Sony A7II, do you think that the E-M5II is capable of compatible results image quality wise with an excellent lens attached?
Depends if you plan on using it for video or stills. There is a full frame advantage in terms of depth of field to the A7 II - as the EM5 ii is a M43 sensor (1/4 the size). I haven't used the Sony, but I hear good things. For stills the Olympus OMD line is my favorite all around, as they do everything well. I can't really speak to Sony cameras other than to say the A7 line - in general - has gotten great reviews and they're all full frame, where they fall down a bit is with the lack of fast (meaning wide aperture) E-Mount glass, if you want fast glass on the Sony A7 line, you'll have to accomplish it via lens adapters and 3rd party lenses - which there are many - as Sony sensors seem to be the overall best in the market place for technical performance - you can check those results over at DXO Mark and Nikon - for example - has migrated to Sony sensors in all of their full frame cameras... So which one? That's a toughy, as you really can't go wrong with either, but I would still ask what you plan on using the camera for...
Darren Miles Thanks for the response Darren, definitely stills only no question, i'm not saying i won't ever use the video features but for certain not professional use whatsoever, i'm purely an enthusiast who loves taking landscapes and seascapes, and starting to delve into the macro world too!
I'm sure there will be divergence of opinion on this, but I'd probably go with the Olympus... Keep in mind though I haven't used the Sony system cameras, so take my opinion with a grain of salt :-)
Hi Darren, I always watch your reviews, very informative and trustworthy, I recently got the Olympus EM5 II, and when I turn it on I hear this static noise coming from the speaker in the back of the camera, do you know if this is normal? Thanks!!
I'm curious; I've seen two other reviews on You Tube that both say the Olympus menu system is the worst of any other system. It's what you get used to I suppose. Your comments?
I think it's more about how extensive it is, at least it has logic, upside you can customize it 6 ways from Sunday, downside - you can customize it 6 ways from Sunday... For whatever reason, I'm able to navigate the Oly system much faster and more efficiently than a Sony, but true, like anything, you do get used to it...
Terrific review. I wish every camera review on YT looked like yours! I'd like to ask you sth about this Olympus camera. Would it be good for high quality youtube videos, like reviews, unboxings, cooking etc? Like yours, standing/sitting and talking. I wanted Lumix G7 but it seems to be hunting for focus too much. Is EM-5 a good choice in terms of constant focusing on the speaking person? Or will it hunt too? I know you recommend GH4 for video, but other reviewers show it can hunt as much as G7 when focusing on your face. In short, I want sth not too big and heavy for quality video and quality pictures. Is this Olympus a good choice or can you recommend sth even better?
how does this video made 8 years ago looks hyper realistic, impressed by the lighting
hands down the best review on this camera on youtube
Thank you very much!
33 downvotes? I am baffled. You generate the most thorough and least biased reviews on RUclips.
Thank you for the kind words.
Downvotes from ugly, cloudy states. Hating on beautiful, sunny Florida.
Recent firmware update (4.1) makes this camera a great deal as the prices have fallen. I got mine (brand new) for $500 and it is better for me than my Sony A6500. Better video despite not being 4k due to the superior IBIS of the Olympus. Firmware updates makes auto focus much more precise and other changes makes this camera a fantastic deal.
I love my Olympus EM5 MKII.
Yours is one of the most interesting, informative and thorough reviews of this camera I have seen anywhere. Most of the others are turned off after a few seconds because they were so boring and didn't provide me with the information I needed to make a purchasing decision. After a ton of research on many different cameras and after viewing your video, I am buying the EM-5 Mark II. Thank you very much Darren!
+miguel milanes What a kind thing to write, thank you very much Miguel!
Thank you for the excellent review Darren. You really nailed it. I am now several steps closer to actually buying this lovely camera based on your review. Once again thank you. E from UK
AS usual you do a great job highlighting the features of the equipment you test. I was happy to see you tested the C-AF on the camera. Every other review I've watched omits this aspect of the Mark ii.
Thank you Anthony! Appreciate the kind words!
Nice and quite detailed review, Darren. One question remained unanswered, though: can new OM-D EM-5 II be remotely controlled by a smartphone or a tablet, like E-M 1?
Thank you for the answer.
And keep on doing valuable videos.
Thank you for the kind words on the review. I probably should have expanded on the "what's new" section when I said "wifi" - as it does indeed have the same kinds of wifi control as the EM-1. Darren
Darren Miles Great news, Darren. Thank you.
Flip screen isn't new to Olympus, but is new to Micro Fourthirds and OMD line...E3, E30, E620 etc had it...Glad they finally switched back.
Steve F Me too! I probably should have been more specific when I said "new this time" - I should have said "New for the OMD this time" - is the the flip out and tilt screen. Long overdue for the OMD line....
Very nice review Clear, professional and well done by Darren. Frankly, you are becoming one of my favorite reviewers. Please keep doing cameras. I am a pro living in France, using the EM1 and the really good glass and we ned more people like you singing the praises of the M4/3 cameras and lenses.
Thank you very much for the kind words! I really appreciate it. Olympus is doing some amazing things with the M43 system - their PRO lenses are truly on par with - and in some cases exceed - Canon L lenses...
I'll work on some more cameras in the future - hopefully the EM-1 Mark ii that is rumored....
Sorry for my ignorance. But I was under the impression it had the same sensor as its predecessor.
New sensor stated at 12:14
According to my contact at olympus the sensor in the mark ii is a 'new generation' of the 16mp sensor. I took that to mean 'new.'
Fantastic review, very well structured and explained and really liked the video/ picture samples!
Thank you!
Love your work, Darren.
Subscribed! Keep up the awesome videos :D
Thank you very much!!
Thanks for this great review! I had trouble finding very thorough reviews of its video capabilities.
How does olympus OM-D 5D Mark II compare to a Nikon or Canon in the same price category? I'm very new to photography... And all my family and friends use either Nikon or Canon and almost nobody knows what olympus is here so...
Help? 😢😢
I really enjoy your reviews Darren, keep em coming!
Thanks Alfredo!
Good day. Please make a review of how to optimize the video image for RUclips - because You have one of the most beautiful videos in sharpness, detail and purity without spillage because of the low bitrate. Share a secret? In what codec you are encoding, what bitrate, how to optimize? Thanks in advance
Terrific review Darren. Thanks for taking the time.
Thank you very much!!
I just picked up a used one for $300 as a second body so I can avoid switching lenses with my M1 M3. It still does really well with good lenses in 2022. For static subjects a great option.
This was a great review, lots of important details delivered clearly and efficiently.
It was also refreshing to get someone else's perspective after hearing the same guys (digital rev, the camera store, northrup, etc) over and over.
thanks
Thank you very much! I appreciate the kind words :-)
Darren, thank you, I have made many purchases based on your reviews. Thank You again. Tom
Absolutely excellent review. Very well made, thank you. Subscribed.
I own this camera since a couple of months (also use the Fuji X-Pro2 and Nikon D800 + Df) and really love it.
I'd like to add my two cents if I may...
Iso performance, it's basically ok and mostly clean up to 1600iso, sometimes up to 3200 but mind you , you need to nail the exposure right in camera. If you under expose (maybe intentionally to preserve some highlights) and need to open the shadows up later in Lightroom (or other software) you will get noise.
Lenses: put really get good lenses on it and it will deliver the best image quality. Cheaper lenses like the 14-42 will only be ok, but stick the 12-40 pro , or the wonderful 40-150 f/2.8 and image quality will raise a lot. I recently tried the 14-42 after two months with the 12-40 + 40-150 and there is a huge, really huge difference.
Handgrip : personally I love it when i use the 40-150. If you get bigger lenses on it make sure to go in a shop and try the battery grip. Maybe you will not like it, but just give it a try, for me it's very well made, especially for longer lenses. And it's very clever as you can leave the battery part of it unmounted and only use the grip if you want a lighter solution.
Hi. @ 04:39 Which camera and objetive did you use to record yourself? Was it the EM-5 II?
No, pretty sure it was the Panasonic GH4 with the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 (at f/1.8)
Great review! I already own EM1. Seems Olympus transplants many features / techs from EM1 to EM5 MII and made it better. A bit jealous.
Thanks Miles , very useful information. It enhanced the the confidence that I would to purchase one of this .
金政霖 Thank you!!
It's good to know they are now taking video seriously as it is my primary use, and with the vari-angle screen made me consider an Olympus camera for the first time. Would like to know though, can you touch the screen during filming to select a different focus point and does it change focus smoothly?
Nice thorough review, thanks! (Your assistant looks like a great kid!)
Finally a review worth watching, honestly I've never seen your videos before as I've only recently got into photography. Couldn't believe it when you mentioned the GH4 as well, as currently I'm considering either em5mk2 or gh4, as good as the gh4 is at video(video is the feature I'm after), I can't help but be drawn to the Olympus(for image quality and overall style), mostly because the gh4 is coming up to its 1st birthday and surely will be old news when/if its replaced by the gh5 and I will be kicking myself if that happens in the near future.
Anyway, you have a new subscriber, thank you for being one of the 1st to do a proper review on this camera.
Thank you very much, I really appreciate the kind words! The world hasn't caught up to the GH4 yet as broadcast TV is still 1080, but it'll hit a tipping point when everything will become 4K - but I suspect that won't be for awhile and the human eye really cant discern the difference - at least not enough to justify the current pricing of 4K televisions...
Thank you again!
Very nice video, Darren! I see that you put a lot of work into this video, and I think it will help a lot of people out who are considering this camera. Keep up the good work. (I would like to see more camera reviews in the future, if possible.)
PS: I wonder what people in Boston are thinking when they see beautiful, sunny, Naples, Florida.
Let me tell you what they think, I used to live in the Boston area... You can taste the jealousy :-) Especially THIS winter - woah!
Darren Miles
I live in Boston and I can tell you the weather just down right sucks. This will be the last cold day this Sunday and after that it will warm up in the high 30s and 40s and this snow will start to melt.
На что снимали этот обзор? на какую камеру снимали этот обзор?
very informative review, the 4 k looks great.
the battery life you talk about a lot, could this be because they want you to add an accessory grip (with a second battery inside)? maybe; using this during times when 5-axis stab. is used as well as for rapid shooting might solve the batt. life (~700 shots with both installed)- you quoted ~ 300- 350 shots per charge.
Thanks for making this video. How about performance of continues autofocus for video? Is it realible?
very nice video as always - great audio - video - thanks - I assume you where using the GH4 for video as it is in 4k - what lens did you use ? my guess the Oly 75mm or the 45mm or the Pany 42.5mm F1.2 - very nice lens which ever you used - love your reviews
Thank you for the kind words - with the exception of the "video quality" section - I used the GH4 with the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 - killer combo for video (in the video quality section I used the EM5 Mark ii and the Olympus 40-150mm PRO.)
It was shot in 4K, 24 Frames.
Thank´s Darren for the fantastic video!
But did you not notice these terrible stripes in the high resolution photo "Zoomed into the Waterfall" in the water below the stones? That doesn´t look good at all!
+Klaus Rudolph I'll have to take another look - are you sue that wasn't in the water itself? That would make sense as the water tends to move a bit...
+Darren Miles No, sorry, but look at 13:48, the whole turkis water is full of diagonal stripes (small parallel lines), but not only the water. I´m watching with an iMac screen, and have that never seen before, also not in your other pictures.
Greetings and have a good and successful New Year
Klaus
+Klaus Rudolph Oh wow! It is! I honestly never noticed, granted, it's zoomed about 400%, so it's likely you wouldn't notice unless you blew something like this up to wall sized... Nice catch!
I have the em5, would I be able to trade it in for the mark 2? Bought this last year.
Hello, Darren, thanks for sharing. I have a question I don't know if you could help. As we know most all famous camera brands are produced in Japan, which is very good at it. Well, are there any other great brands made in Western world to against it? it is very boring to buy a one among all JP's brands! I know Leica.
Hasselblad? They just released a medium format mirrorless camera for less than $10,000 - which is an insane amount of money, but it's cheap by Digital medium format standards...
Wow, great review! Best one I've seen so far. You covered everything I wanted to know. Can't wait for my pre-order to arrive now 😀
karen crawford Thanks Karen!
Thank you for such a wonderful review! Can the provided external flash be used to take high sync shutter speeds or do we have to buy a different flash? Not sure if I am asking the question correctly so let me put it this way - I am shooting in day light and my subject has a bright background behind. My shutter speed if 1/2000s. How can I use the flash that allows me to sync at that shutter speed? I don't want to be limited by 1/250s that's offered by the camera (which will give me an over exposed image). Of course I can increase the f-stop to get there probably but let's assume I want to shoot wide open. Thanks!
There is high speed sync with the included flash and an external flash if you wanted, there's also electronic shutter which doesn't move the mirror at all which can theoretically allow you to sync up to 1/16000 of a second...
Darren Miles Wow! That's great to hear! I am happy to hear that we can use the provided off camera flash to take pictures outdoors at 1/16000s. I am really tempted to buy OM-D5 MII now with 17mm f/1.8 and 45mm f/1.8. 12-40 f/2.8 also looks attractive but maybe a little too big to carry around. I am going to check the camera out at a local store, of course when they arrive. Fuji X100x series does this high flash sync well and that's a great feature. BTW, how do I enable this high speed flash sync in the camera? Do you think you can make a short video on this using the provided flash (if you still have the camera with you)?
Thanks a lot for your prompt reply - I appreciate it. I have watched your other reviews and subscribed to your channel. Your reviews are very useful!
Hi Darren,
I just purchased the E-M5 Mark ll a few weeks ago along with the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro, the 17mm f1.8 and the inexpensive 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 lenses. So far with the exception of the battery life issue which you covered I absolutely love the camera and many thanks for the great review!!!
I have 2 questions for you:
1) I am going to Machu Picchu in July. and everyone is telling me it is a photographer's dream. Do you think I have my shooting needs covered with the lenses I already own? Also are there any tips for shooting there that you can suggest?
2) Because of the battery issue I am looking for a dual battery charger to use with the OEM Olympus BLN-1 batteries that I already have. If there a really reliable brand/model dual charger that you can recommend?
Thanks, Robert
fantastic review Darren. I'm looking for an an all round CSC to complement my DSLR kit , primarily for portability, and need Decent Video. Was almost going to get the GH4 but am really impressed by the reviews and feedback on this EM-5 mk2. The IS looks impressive, for my B roll footage. Video is a key for me these days, gee its going to be a tough call when I buyt in a few weeks. I think I'm going to go with the olympus plus the optional battery/grip (ergonomically i hate the lack of hand grip). Thanks for the great review.
Great Review! Question, would you pick this or an EM1 over say a Canon 6D, as they are similar money? I love the size and speed of focus on these Olympus cameras but from prior experience their low light performance wasn't great beyond ISO 1600.
Zeus Shama Thank you! Personal choice, depends what you're going to shoot. The AF on the 6D is kinda meh (except for the center point which is amazing) - image quality is going to be subjectively better with the 6D (shallow depth of field, etc) - if you're using it for personal stuff like family and travel the EM5 is a gem of a camera, if you're going to use it professionally, I think you may have issues in low light situations.
Darren Miles
Thanks for the quick and thoughtful reply! Been a long time Canon DSLR shooter and like the results but find I don't use the camera and lenses unless being paid to do so. So family, social and travel, the Canon gear just sits on a shelf. Have thought about selling it and getting into one system that works for weddings, events and family & travel. Have tried the Fuji X cameras and low light results are good but AF not so much. As you noted, these Olympus cameras focus great but at ISO 6400, I found results not good enough for sale. So torn as to what to do. I hear good and bad about the Sony A7 cameras as well. Maybe need to keep two systems, but was hoping to downsize and use more.
Well personally I use the extra battery grip which gives you two batteries so not a problem. But thanks for your interesting review.
Awesome review! I do 50/50 photo and video and Im thinking of buying the EM 5 mk ii with the Oly 12-40mm f2.8 or the Panasonic GH4 with the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8. Which one would you recomend? I think I would love the IBIS on the oly but the 4k of the gh4 is also tempting
After reading your video I'm very impressed. Really great and educational!
I'm strugging buying this or em1, especially the body of em1 has same price of em5ii in my hometown...
I'm also a complete newbie and owns no lens, as a complete newbie in photography (have been playing with my LX5 for a few years as an amateur)
So, which one would you recommend me to buy now? em1 or em5ii?
Many thanks!
Daniel Chan Daniel, if you plan on doing any video, then I would recommend the Em5 - Mark ii, though for stills I prefer shooting the EM-1 - you won't see any real earth shattering differences in image quality.
I like Olympus ibis
I will next post a scope version of flowers beauty with the em5 mk2 and prime lenses
Excellent review as always, but I think I'm going to wait for the successor to the E-M1 just because of the grip. That's partially why I sold my E-M5i, because I had so many retro style cameras with smaller grips already. I would like more stability for my 50 Summilux.
how do explain the grainy quality to the pictures you get with these cameras even at low ISO in daylight and small aperture. My EM5 does it, Em5 mark ii does it and even the EM 1 mark ii does it. Just look at a raw image in lightroom at 1:1 and see what I am talking about. At 1:1 looks as if you are looking at the picture through a layer of plexiglass....the best way I can describe it. I use all prime lenses....45mm 1.8 75mm 1.8.....etc
mabulkhoudoud learn to expose properly maybe
Actually I was impressed with battery life, I spent two days at an air show with one charge, was giving the camera a workout with continuous shooting. I got about 1500 shots before battery warning came out.
Hi
EM5 the original does not allow you to have Multiple exposures ( for HDR ) and timer so in mark 2 did they solve this problem
+Sajjad Al-Lawati Thanks Sajjad! I forgot to mention....
Now i have watched the 4k version the 2.5k and the 1080p and i dont's see the differences, does this mean that the 4k and 2.5k is downgraded to 1080p on youtube?
Claudia ft Privacy What's the resolution of the monitor you're watching on?
What filmed this review? on what the camera filmed this review?
I own 3 EM5 mark 1's and I hear you on the battery life. Solution: Buy more aftermarket batteries. They aren't that expensive and it's a trade off I'm more than willing to accept for the IQ out of these cameras! Will be getting a Mark II specifically for video
Hi Darren,
I've been watching many reviews on exactly this camera lately, yours is by far the best I have ever seen. Saying this, I want shout out a big thanks for this very valuable work, such good work of yours. Its quite a long review, but you do cover so much rather then just talk around the pie. Thanks a lot.
I do like this camera a lot, it speaks to me.
One question is still left. I have been shooting stills couple years ago, when Olympus startet with micro four thirds, I had the small e-420. After it, I had a canon and couldn't get friends, left the shooting to others.
Now I would start all over again. And I would like to go for video too, being a total beginner. I got that you recommend the GH4 before the em-5II for video. But, I am a full time traveller and won't carry a steady cam in my 40l backpack, every video shot would have to be a handheld. Would you still recommend the GH4 in my case, or is the em5II with its 5axis stabilization the better bet for me?
Thank you in advance, sure a short answer to my long question shall be enough :-)
Andreas, thank you very, very much for the kind words! Much appreciated!
Chances are pretty good for your purposes as your describe - I would probably get the EM-5 Mark ii over the GH4 as the video will likely be "Good enough."
You might also consider waiting for the the EM-1 Mark ii which is coming out soon and rumor has it that'll have 4K video, could be a viable option as well!
Ok great! Thanks a lot Darren. Keep up the good work, had a look on some more reviews, really really good and detailed work!
Darren, another quick question. I don't feel attracted in 4K Video, HD shall be enough for my purpose. Still you made me think of the EM-1, but the Mark I.
Am I better of considering the EM-1 Mark i over the Em-5 Mark ii,, or did the latest EM-5 outplayed the early EM-1 at all?
Would the stills be better on the EM-1? What about Video Quality and especially the 5-Axis image stabilization, is EM-5 ii better for Video then EM-1 i?
A quick answer is enough and appreciated so much :-) Thank you Darren
Em-1 is built better, em-5 mark II has better video...
Thanks :-)
Hi Daren, again I would like some advice from Cold rainy United Kingdom.
I am a pro Nikon user of the D800 series and shoot a lot of images similar subjects to you but I also do a lot of Horse photography, movement etc.
So now I need to lighten my gear considerably due to arthritis
I am considering Olympus vs Fuji xt2. Its important to me to have a vertical screen as well as a horizontal one. I also need video, doesn't have to be 4k but that would be nice. I currently use 150-500 sigma and 300mm Nikon for distance pictures. So with the cost of these two cameras being so much can you advise me to go with the em5 mk2 em1 mk2 or the Fuji xt2. I took a look at the Sony a7 mk2 but by what people were saying I don't think the focus is fast enough for my subjects..Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Of course when your paid for your work you want great image quality but not at the price of being crippled!!!
I have carried Nikon and Heavy Canons for 20 years enough is enough... Great reviews and please keep "rubbing in" the Sunny Naples bit, makes me think of my visits to Florida on holidays....regards.
Hey Phil, I haven't used Fuji, so take this response with a grain of salt... Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on the EM-1 Mark ii. Except for low light and depth of field, that COULD be a great all around camera - but I haven't used it yet. I find Olympus optics second to none, all the way around... Some of the best on any system. Sony - IMO - is NOT an action cam, maybe the A6000 or the A6500, etc, but definitely NOT the A7's. I've been told the EM1 Mark ii's AF is amazing - even for action and continuous shooting...
So if I were to switch, I might go with the EM-1 Mark ii, but stay tuned, I will get to a review on that camera soon.
Cheers from Sunny Naples :-)
Hi, well I borrowed the XT2 yesterday for a few hours and I am amazed that the raw files, regarding noise, they are as good as my Nikon d800. This has always been my worry as in the past I have had experience with both Lumix GH2 and GH4. The files surpass the GH4 by a long way. However my only wish list really is that the the Fuji had the stabilisation which was very apparent I needed on the 4k video I shot. The camera regarding Stills is awesome and the lenses likewise, so solid and quality built mechanisms but expensive.
So I await your OMD E1 mk2 report, as I think the Oly5 mk 2 is as close as it gets to the Fuji at the moment. I have been on the small Sony route 6000 etc but I find I can't deal with such a small body with longer lenses that I need to use from time to time.
Thankyou for your work from Cold, Foggy England UK.
Question? I would like to know from you, which camera you use for the main part of your Real estate work and which Shift lens?
Your lens and camera scoring is based on its class right? I think it would be good to reference this
Yes and no... A great and fair question...
Just my opinion, but nowadays I think it's pretty subjective as it's possible to capture amazing images with just about any modern camera. This past weekend I shot an event and in full disclosure I was shocked to see how many if the images that were my favorites were shot on an olympus OMD - I used a nikon D750 and a D810 on that shoot and almost half of the keepers came from the oly... For what it's worth, I wouldn't hesitate to use the OMD in a professional situation - the biggest hangup surrounding the omd is one of perception - because it looks like a toy next to a dslr - and not of actual performance.... Which is pretty amazing from something so comparably small....
Darren Miles Your lens reviews and scores makes better sense from a class perspective and you should consider mentioning this in future reviews.
Later when you have more and more camera reviews, people will begin comparing the scores side by side and the scores will make little sense when they see the AF or build quality of a 1DX/D4S gets the same score (10/10) as this camera.
My point is it's better to compare cameras in its class just like you would not compare a Truck against a Sports car since they are built for different purposes.
Mike Y. Fair enough... I hadn't really given it much thought as I tend to go out and just shoot and speak to my own personal experiences with the gear I review, but you make a good point, because would someone in the market for a D4s really even consider the OMD in the first place? Probably not...
Thanks Darren Miles! Liked your Rich Review!
I'm stuck in choicing between E-M1 and E-M5 Mark II..
Could you help me with your opinion please?
+Was99m Tough one - if you prefer stills the EM-1, if you want to mix in video, the EM5-II.
Great review! What about the Olympus OMD EM-10 Mark III Do you have a review on that one?
Thank you for an excellent review. I am debating between the Em-1, the Em-5 mark II, but I also heard that the Em-1 Mark II is coming out in September. Should I wait and hope for a price break on the EM-1 mark II at Christmas time or get the EM 5 Mark II? I want to shoot my kids sports, baseball and soccer as well as obviously portraits. Please help my analysis paralysis. :-)
Hi Darren, I'm wondering when you shot those pics of your son, did you just have the camera in c-af mode then hold the shutter button down? Or release and press again for each shot? Also I'm wondering why you didn't test high iso beyond 800, as I would have thought iso >800 would be more like the "business" end of things? Thanks for the great review.
Hey Jinx, thank you for the kind words! It was on low speed continuous (all the EM-5 Mark ii will allow with focus tracking) - in order to have a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action (generally 1/1000th of a second) I amped the ISO to 1,000 - I held the shutter button down and the tracking worked pretty flawlessly.
Darren Miles Oh wow that's quite impressive. I would say better than mark 1. Did you manually set the focus point or did you use face detection or some other method?
Jinx No the camera has this green square in continuous focus mode that tracks the subject as they move, it worked incredibly well!
I need buying advice. I love shallow depth of field, but my last DSLR collected dust because it was too big and inconvenient. I'm looking at the Fuji and Olympus lineup - love the compact size of Olympus, but can it still capture the shallow depth of field that I love? Fuji looks good but the size and cost of the system is a good chunk of change more than the Olympus. thanks!
+Jimmer John I'm in the same conundrum. I have a load of expensive Canon L glass and it's collecting dust because it's so big and unruly to carry now that I have a small child to chase after. I'm thinking it's time to move to micro 4/3 for my lifestyle.
+Jimmer John No right or wrong answer... It is true, shallow DOF isn't quite as nice as full frame, but it isn't bad either... the f/1.8 lens line from Olympus (17, 25, 45, 75, etc) are amazing, and the 75 in my opinion is every bit as good as Canon's 135L (granted with a slightly wider depth of field) - but that's the kind of stuff WE as photographers notice - in the consumer world of iPhone images, M43 shots look AMAZING!
Chris Hanson sounds like a good choice for ya. are you planning on picking up the em5ii?
+Jimmer John I'm considering it. I'm also considering the PEN-F but it's quite different from the em5ii in that it's not weather sealed and probably better with primes. decisions decisions.
+Jimmer John Olympus is rumored to be developing a series of F1.2 lenses. Due to this I am also considering investing in the MFT line. The ability to have long reach in a compact form and the F1.2 lens for some shallow DOF makes it into a value tool kit for a non-professional photographer.
Darren...thanks for the great reviews. My hope is the EM1 ii will have 4k and a much higher bitrate.
Hi Darren
Regarding the battery life you pointed. Have you looked into the sleep mode which Olympus claims which gives us upto 750 shots? If it works as they say, its really going to be a huge benefit, considering its high price and able to shoot only 310 exposures:).
Thanks and keep up your good work and very professional video quality
I´m new to MFT and i can´t decide between the E-M1 and E-M5 II.
If i decide to buy the E-M5 II, I will also need the Grip (HLD8 i think) so i could save money buying the E-M1.
But the video mode on the E-M5 II is much better compared to the E-M1.
My preference is Photo/Video 70/30.
Which camera should i buy?
Is there really better weather sealing on the M1?
Panasonic GX8
What filmed this review? on what the camera filmed this review?
На что снимали этот обзор? на какую камеру снимали этот обзор?
+MrSungorod Panasonic GH4 with the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 Lens - amazing combo!
+Darren Miles, thank you !!!
+Darren Miles Really nice. You do a fantastic job! I love the images you can get from the GH4 with good glass and some work, but due to that work, I rarely see vlogs it. What f-stop did you use? Great bokeh, yet your body and face never rock out of the focal plane.
Hi! Would you still recommend this camera in 2018 or would you rather go for the Mark OMD 10 III if you were to choose between those two? I want it for both pictures and video. Thank you! :)
Hey, Darren, what is the soundtrack you've used in your son's running clip?
It's called "colors of the world" and you can get it from Premiumbeat.com
Nice review Darren, thanks!
I'm gonna stick with my EM1 for now, since I only got it few months ago. It would be awesome if they could give us choice of focus peaking colour as well via firmware update though, I mean it sounds relatively easy to implement, and will be helpful, since only black & white is not that helpful in some situations. Also, the highres photos look amazing.
Hi Darren, I need your help to buy a camera. Which one you will prefer in $1000 budget, Lumix G7 or Olympus em-5 mark II. My major concerns are Image Stabilization for videos, Tracking Focus, Battery backup, Low light performance and easy to use. Forget about 4K video. My purpose is mostly shooting video for youtube. Thanks
Vasanth V flip a coin, both would get the job done more than adequately :-)
Excellent and thorough review! Does the live view frame rate drop when focus peaking is enabled like in the E-M1? Panasonic cameras do a really good job with focus peaking. I currently own a GX7 but gave the E-m5ii on order. Can't wait!
I have indeed noticed this, it drops and feels a bit like slow motion... Still effective though....
Great honest review. On the video side I've found the Olympus samples quite choppy, and it's not the first time I see that, especially if you compare it to the GH4's outstanding output. Does this come from the codec or something like that, or is it just due to settings like shutter speed ? I'm mainly a photographer, but if I have to use video, the samples you've shown are frankly unusable from my perspective.
I'm also an amateur and do not make a living from my photography, just pure fun, and my goal is to get rid of my bulky Canon 60D rig to replace it with a much more travel friendly mirrorless camera: would you recommend a GH4, an EM5 II, or wait for a potential EM1 II to hopefully get the best of both worlds (I'm not in a hurry).
Yannick KREMPP Yannick tough to say, for the record, maybe it's RUclips, but I'm not seeing the choppiness you're referring to in the video samples. That said, as mentioned in the review, the EM5 II can't hold a candle to the GH4 for video. In my opinion, the GH4 is a video camera (and a GREAT one) that takes photos.... The EM5 ii is a still camera that does video... Two totally different approaches that I think sum up the difference between the philosophies of both companies and the cameras they produce.
Darren Miles Thanks for your feedback ! I've tried it from a different computer, and with several browsers.It must be a RUclips thing.
Another great video. Hi Darren I have left a few comments before but never heard back. Would you recommend upgrading from the OMD EM1 to the new OMD EM5II ? For me it doesn't seem worth it but I would appreciate your advice. Always look forward to your reviews and you are the reason I switched to the micro four thirds system. Thank you.
Hey Skipper - hmmm... I must not have seen your comments before, sorry about that. My answer would be it really depends on what you want to do with the mark ii that the mark i can't do in its current state. The new viewfinder is a real eye opener and the 5 axis IBIS is really nice, and if you do any kind of video shooting, then I'd be all over the Mark ii. But if your aim is straight photography, I'm not sure there's a lot of value in upgrading...
PS Thank you for the kind words about the reviews!
Darren Miles Thanks Darren. I have a EM1 not the old EM5 but thank you for responding. I sure miss florida as I used to live in Orlando but now in Northern Canada where the northern lights flourish. Debating on the 40-150mm f2.8 after watching your last video. I currently have the 12-40mm, 45mm, and the 17mm by olympus. Keep up the great work.
Hi Darren, I too use Olympus EM5mkii and EM1mk1 but find the results very noisy and grainy even at base iso and wondered where am going wrong? Any advice would be appreciated.
Regards,
Peter
Great review. I'm thinking about upgrading from the E-M10 to the E-M5ii. Also you should do reviews of the Sigma art lenses for Micro 4/3s. That would be awesome.
They're on my list, I will get to them eventually :-)
Darren,
How does the weather sealing differ between the E-M1 and the E-M5 MkII ? From what I've read in Olympus' publications, there is no difference.
Thanks for a very useful review,
Rick
Hi Darren, i do like your reviews, I have a question for you, i assume that you recorded this (4k) video with a GH4... so the question is, why does the switch of video quality between takes =? i'm about to get a GH4 and want to know if the change of quality is because the use of diferent lenses or you just used two diferent cameras, GH4 and something else =?...
What you're seeing is a difference in lighting, not video quality. Sometimes when I change scenes slightly its not possible to light the exact same way with equipment that I have without said equipment showing up in the scene and the end result is a slightly different look/lighting/exposure. The gh4 is an amazing little camera, I wouldn't hesitate to get one.
Never mind i put atention and find out.. the whole section of minutes 5 and 6 you can see individual hairs... but in minute 7 you don't... looking at 7:10 shows that your focus was in front of you 'cuz your watch looks sharper than your hair... Thanks for your answer and your reviews, great job.
A great review thanks! I am very close to buying one of these for an upcoming round the world trip especially as in the UK they have £75 off the body and £100 off a lens at the moment.
Question is do I get the Olympus 14-150 lens, or 2 get separate lenses? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
+Christopher Jackett Personally, I'd rather have either the 17 and the 45 or the 25 and the 45 over the 40-150... Personal preference...
I am considering getting a new Olympus M4/3 camera. Would you recommend EM-5 mark II, or the new EM-10 mark II?
+Kim Joo I would flip a coin, the EM-10ii looks to have a very similar feature set.... The Olympus M43 cameras in general are awesome.
Thanks for the Great review Darren Miles
Is there any way to use an external source of power on the EM5 MkII? Or spare batteries are the only option?
I'm thinking about converting my entire kit of DSLR to the EM5 MKII due to its compact size and loads of features.
***** The grip gives you another battery, so it doubles the number of shots, I'm not aware of any external power options...
Hi Darren
Am I right to say that there's now a Mark III version of the EM-5?
Thank you for the review, I have an EM-10, and actually I've been thru all your Olympus lens videos, great work!
I'm looking for a water resistant camera now because it really gets kinda uncomfortable when shooting my EM-10 in the rain (and kinda silly to use the water resist 12-40 pro with my non-water resist EM10), but maybe I'll give a pass for the EM5MKII and wait for the EM1MK2
Alwin100 Either a used EM-1 or like you said, wait for the Mark ii...
+darrenmilles in your opinion can the omd em5 mk2 be a good stills camera for travel blog and RUclips channel camera? I was looking to grab the 12-40 pro along with a 25 f1.8 for night or low light photography, eventually maybe grabbing the 40-150 pro. Coming from nikon and hate lugging around a d610 and 24-120, thanks
Neverland Traders to me the OMD em-5 mark ii and the lenses you mentioned are an ideal combination for running and gunning and a youtube channel :-)
OK, found how to subscribe, done! BTW, the only thing I would have done with the comparison of 16 MP vs 40 MP, is ZOOM IN a whole lot more, or shoot some far off building and then zoom in.. That would show a big difference in resolution.. Just my opinion...
good review but I felt it was a comparisons between the last generation and not other brands on the market.
Great review ! Awesome camera ! What's your tripod ?
Manfrotto 055 - Carbon fiber, light and very stable!
rear dial is a fail here. em-1, that is. battery grip? works. on camera doesn't. it's a rotary encoder, yes? three months. to get fixed j.
What camera of this size would you suggest for video specifically?
Darren great review. I hope you do more of them.
Video question for the EM-1. I noticed I have a lot of camera noise from my EM-1. I have to keep my microphones at least 4ht from the camera to keep it from picking it up. Any idea how to stop that. Is it the In camera stabelization that is making the noise?
I haven't really noticed this, but in fairness, I'm usually using a lav mic and probably wouldn't notice even if it was....
Thank you Darren
Thanks from Sweden...for a really good and useful review. Well done!
ohlalaale Thank you!
Great review. Also review Sony A6300 please.
+Naif Dastagir It's on my list...
The image quality of your videos are great. Damn! haha And I wish the canon cameras had built in stabilization. Its about time.
Well Canon does have stabilization, but they're lens based, and by in large they work pretty well, but not like the OMD EM-5 Mark ii...
Darren Miles Yeah. In camera stabilization is something that all cameras should have, so you can film with that beautiful primes. Im very tempted to buy a Sony, but I will wait and see whats going on. Thanks.
Loved your review. Very informative! I've made up my mind to get one!
Great! So glad I could help!
Hi Darren sorry my english is not very good, How is the battery life? How much photos you can take with full charge of battery?
+Juan Martin Insua Battert life is just OK, 310-330 shots per battery. Which is very few when compared to say a GH4...
Aaah but is not very much. I use a Canon 7d and i want something more smoller. But 330 shot... is not very much. Y take more than 1000 photos in a Wedding and i have more battery to download to my computer and take more photos on another event. Thanks Darren
Darren, i am currently in the market for a new camera and have been, up until now looking hard at the Sony A7II, do you think that the E-M5II is capable of compatible results image quality wise with an excellent lens attached?
Depends if you plan on using it for video or stills.
There is a full frame advantage in terms of depth of field to the A7 II - as the EM5 ii is a M43 sensor (1/4 the size). I haven't used the Sony, but I hear good things.
For stills the Olympus OMD line is my favorite all around, as they do everything well. I can't really speak to Sony cameras other than to say the A7 line - in general - has gotten great reviews and they're all full frame, where they fall down a bit is with the lack of fast (meaning wide aperture) E-Mount glass, if you want fast glass on the Sony A7 line, you'll have to accomplish it via lens adapters and 3rd party lenses - which there are many - as Sony sensors seem to be the overall best in the market place for technical performance - you can check those results over at DXO Mark and Nikon - for example - has migrated to Sony sensors in all of their full frame cameras...
So which one? That's a toughy, as you really can't go wrong with either, but I would still ask what you plan on using the camera for...
Darren Miles Thanks for the response Darren, definitely stills only no question, i'm not saying i won't ever use the video features but for certain not professional use whatsoever, i'm purely an enthusiast who loves taking landscapes and seascapes, and starting to delve into the macro world too!
I'm sure there will be divergence of opinion on this, but I'd probably go with the Olympus... Keep in mind though I haven't used the Sony system cameras, so take my opinion with a grain of salt :-)
Hi Darren, I always watch your reviews, very informative and trustworthy, I recently got the Olympus EM5 II, and when I turn it on I hear this static noise coming from the speaker in the back of the camera, do you know if this is normal? Thanks!!
I'm curious; I've seen two other reviews on You Tube that both say the Olympus menu system is the worst of any other system. It's what you get used to I suppose. Your comments?
I think it's more about how extensive it is, at least it has logic, upside you can customize it 6 ways from Sunday, downside - you can customize it 6 ways from Sunday... For whatever reason, I'm able to navigate the Oly system much faster and more efficiently than a Sony, but true, like anything, you do get used to it...
Fabulous review. I bought one today. Thanks!
Dale Hubbard Thanks Dale! It's a great little piece of kit!! Enjoy!
Terrific review. I wish every camera review on YT looked like yours! I'd like to ask you sth about this Olympus camera. Would it be good for high quality youtube videos, like reviews, unboxings, cooking etc? Like yours, standing/sitting and talking. I wanted Lumix G7 but it seems to be hunting for focus too much. Is EM-5 a good choice in terms of constant focusing on the speaking person? Or will it hunt too? I know you recommend GH4 for video, but other reviewers show it can hunt as much as G7 when focusing on your face. In short, I want sth not too big and heavy for quality video and quality pictures. Is this Olympus a good choice or can you recommend sth even better?
This one has a phase detection mode of focusing ? Or a contrast based one?
It is contrast detect af on the em-5 mark ii
+Darren Miles! Great review.
May I ask what camera and lens did you use to make this very video though?
+Dr. Ahmed Aljonaid Thank you very much! Mostly made with the Panasonic GH4 and the Olympus 75mm f/1.8
what camera did you use to shoot this video though?
Youve just got me buying EM 5 ii.