Moved from Canon to Olympus earlier in the year ... brought this as a second camera to an E1M-X. Actually this seems to be getting more use! I am impressed with the battery life. After a shoot today managed just over 2000 shoots and still had just around 50% of the battery life left. Enjoy your channel!
I have to say Gordon that when you get to my age,62, the size and stabilisation of this system is a game changer. I have both EM5 models and while I still use my Nikon D700 the EM5-2 is the camera I take when I leave the house for a walk or when I go overseas on holiday just because it's such a compact system with great lenses which give me great images. I know it's a cliche but this is a system I will always take with me, the D700 weighs a ton by comparison. Thanks for the review.
The size and stabilisation won me over a long time ago! I'm always shocked to remember the size and weight of high-end DSLRs when i test them now, I've become so used to mirrorless.
Honestly guys, you are the best camera reviewers on youtube! I really mean it, I am so tiered of all the guys just giving me the spec run down and the implications thereof. I can read up on all of that and I know the implications already, what I want is a subjective view on product experience, things like LCD vs. OLED EVF or how it sits in the hand, that sort of thing... Keep up the good work!!!
Thanks! I always like to record these longer pieces after I've completed ALL of my tests - so rather than review something the instant it arrives just to be first, I'll have done a lot of testing and research first.
This is by far the best review of the new Oly I have seen. Believe me I have seen and read most of them as I did my homework before upgrading to this camera myself. There are aspects of the new camera that you described that I have not heard mentioned by anyone else. Have a coffee on me. Cheers!
Gordon, you're very passionate about the m4/3 cameras and is one of the best spokesperson for the system. You're always fair about the good and the bad of the cameras as well. Thanks!
As you may know, I've been shooting mirrorless since day-one and love it, and selected MFT as my exclusive format when travelling round the World for 18 months after leaving NZ. So I got to know it very well! I think there's a lot fewer limitations with it than many people think, and a great many benefits. Today i mostly shoot MFT and Fuji X - I love them both! PS - look out for my final EM1 II review over at cameralabs.com tomorrow!
I can only leave a comment saying that I love your videos, get a lot of enjoyment and knowledge from them and hope you continue to make them. Well done guys.
It's been said several times below. Your reviews are extraordinarily thorough. I mean, demonstrating the ability to operate the aperture and shutter dials while maintaining a one handed grip and the location of the lug so it prevents a wrist strap (I use those) from interfering with your hand are just two of many things your reviews bring out that other more well known sites have missed. And yet those everyday ergonomics (not whether it has 51 or 200 focus points) are the things that will eventually cause me to love or hate using the camera. Thanks Gordon.
I sold all my Canon Gear at the beginning of this year, including a 5D3 and 7D2 plus 400mm f2.8 IS as well as other 'L' glass, and in its place I purchased the full Olympus OMD EM1.2 and all the Pro range lens, including the 300mm f4 and 40-150mm f2.8, an awesome set up. I still have a Sony A7Rii for my landscapes and cityscapes due to the dynamic range, but the Oly EM1.2 is at least as good as my old Canon 7D2, the focus is as good, but the image quality is better as well as the dynamic range and the hi-iso is also better. so I am glad to have changed over. The 10 / 18fps with continuous focus is awesome and the pro-capture is very cleaver. The Hi_res mode is also incredible when there is nothing moving in the picture, 80MP RAW is something else !! I am a very happy chappy !!
I think you guys did a great job at contrasting the new features against the backdrop of the previous version, the OMD EM 5 m2 which I have, and competitive models. For me, you go beyond the hype and put it all into perspective. As always, good job.
I shoot with my second 4/3 camera, an OMD EM5 mkII, and have enjoyed using it a great deal, with a few caveats. There's always a few caveats with any photographic instrument I've ever used, so I accept them and work with them as you have obviously per my interpretation of this podcast. It's the first I've seen, and though it's a bunch of time to digest such a narrow subject matter, it's very impressive that there's so MUCH accurately expressed, cogent details pertaining to not only the camera 'on tap' but how it relates to other machines available today out there. I agree with others that your information is greatly appreciated, (I've been a fan for years now & have bought you coffees) and feel that I probably know everything I need to about the OMD EM1 mkII after digesting this video. My personal take from my shooting with the EM5-II is some disappointment with noise at relatively low ISO levels, and most importantly the inability to focus well in tracking mode and continuous focus modes shooting my granddaughter's basketball and soccer games. I have enjoyed the stabilized sensor a good deal, and that is a heap of goodness especially shooting video. I find the screen touch focus locating feature is only fairly implemented, and tracking fails easily with changes in depth or lateral movements. I actually expected better performance from the EM5-II after reading your highly favorable review on it which motivated my selling off my Canon DSLR system entirely and adopting micro 4/3 technology. At this point, I think the enhanced capability of the EM1-II would improve my user experience in the areas I find somewhat lacking on my current shooter, and I would love the bigger grip and bigger battery, but the cost of the new flagship is a mighty barrier to overcome in my mind. Maybe if and when the price reduces in the future will I make the change. I'm now going over to your review site to check that out as well for more details still. Thanks again, Gordon for your intelligent enthusiasm and credible, objective evaluations.
Gordon... Doug.... I Love your chemistry with each other. Gordon is a monster of a reviewer for cameras! He knows his Sh*t! Doug is a great balance that adds to the "data-dump" trove that is happening in this video. Would like to see more interaction/interjection/commentary from Doug... BTW: Doug you demonstrate a TON of patience to let Gordon go on and on and on... you BOTH have your strong points and talent and it is a great balance! I throughly enjoy this Ying/Yang of reviewers... Bravo Gordon and Doug! Keep up the great work guys!
Gordon Laing I've had many cameras dslrs, other mirrorless etc but that's the one I've enjoyed using the most, and that's an important factor, great videos by the way.
Even today it is interesting to see this review. I have an Olympus EM5 II (which still makes great pictures) and now I am considering to upgrade to this one. The prices on the used market are actually very nice. And The firmware upgrades since this review even makes it more interesting.
I am showing up in 2023…and this camera is now selling for $500-$600 in great shape used. Not a pro here, so I am still happy with my E-M5 Mk I. But eventually I might grab the E-M1 Mk Ii.
got mine 3 days ago....taking in all the menu is a job....but it is a very nice menu....and the fact it holds where you were left off...so you dont have to go back thru the menu from the start....
People are still buying this camera, so this video is still relavent. At least, that is why I am here. This is not just entertaining but you are giving us all kinds of details about the features of the em1.ii. Very informative. Thank You
I bough the em10 mark ii and the em1 mark i (one). One for parties or when I go out or primes and one for zooms and for when I am hiking or traveling. $700 for both bodies. Cant go wrong with that 😊
Yeah, I really miss the backlit buttons of the E-620. Still, at least we now have the fully articulated screen that was also a feature of the E-620! The only issues I've found with the EM-1ii thus far (as compared to my EM-1)... it's more difficult to operate the rear lever with my thumb, the shutter button is very sensitive, the front dial is a bit too free, the battery grip is a lot bigger, custom modes have been reduced to just three (I'd prefer more, not fewer, and though you can export to PC I don't think you can export to SD). The placement of the connectors that interfere with the articulated screen is a bit daft!
Thanks, I sometimes worry that they're too long, then I remember some people do enjoy a good in-depth review! Besides there's loads of shorter ones out there, so it's good to do something different!
So glad you and Doug are continuing to do these reviews - by far the most in depth and useful reviews out there (and I watch a lot!). Please continue and don't change a thing on the reviews. I even appreciate the 'traditional' website design! If there was one thing I'd be interested in seeing you and Doug do in future is some more direct comparisons in particular classes - best travel, sports, landscape etc. I find too many of the other comparisons on youtube tend to come with an inherent bias for one system or another, rather than a proper look at which is the best tool for a specific task. I bought my EM-5 Mark 2 based on your review and love it for landscape/travel. However I also photograph a lot of cats for a rescue shelter and the C-AF can be a struggle. It really hits every possibly difficulty level - small fast moving unpredictable subjects in close proximity and low light! Is the focusing upgrade to phase detect in the E-M1 Mark II a dramatic improvement ahead in such situations? Is it leaps ahead now of something like the A6300 or A6500? Or the G85 with DFD? If so then I guess I'd better get saving!
Very thorough review. Thank you for that! I don't quite understand why it goes almost unnoticed that by getting phase detection you get access to a lot of legacy 4/3 lenses that are very good and very cheap. I have both the Olympus 12-60 f/2.8-4 and the Olympus 50-200 f/2.8-3.5 and they are incredibly sharp and costs so little. You can get the 50-200 for less than 400 USD!
Go for it! I still have the E-M5 so autofocus doesn't work that good, but I'd love to see how it fares on an E-M1 II. They won't work that well for video though I think, but if you're shooting stills you could get a very affordable setup with excellent lenses.
@30:00 You didn't mention that both Mk1 & Mk2's do have a discharge function for you batteries -- this helps maintain battery capacity if you have time to use it.
Thanks for the review. I would LOVE to see an EM5 Mark 3 prediction on what features it will probably have and when it might be released. If it does everything the EM10 Mark 3 does, I will be a very happy camper.
Thx for an interesting presentation, Gordon! Regarding HighRes. Quote: "If it moved 1 pixel to the side, then there will be no benefit..." Yes, there is! Because every pixel will have full RGB exposure (as opposed to either R, G or B from the std. fixed Bayer matrix). This increases color fidelity, and also eliminates moiré. The sensor first moves around 4 pictures following a square 1px motion, and the another 4 additional half-pixel movements that captures details to small for the std. pixel to capture, and then (over)samples the added info into the resulting resolution.
Yes you're right - I meant for spatial resolution, but absolutely one of the benefits of the hires mode is demosaicing the image. I probably explain it better in my written review at cameralabs!
Found you at last! You disappeared suddenly from All About The gear and there was no real explanation from TWIP as to why. I'm happy now that I've discovered your new podcast. Great review, I'm enjoying my EM1 Mk2 very much and I agree with pretty much everything you said about it. By the way, 6 seconds hand-held leaning against a wall using the 12-40mm pro lens is my record so far.
For the most part a nice review. Would have like to hear a bit more about the 12-100 f4 lens which to me is a big factor in purchasing a mirrorless which would be in addition to a Sony, an L1 Panasonic, K5 plus some others. Gordon -- what would be nice also is to sit still -- don't wave the camera around so much as it is very distracting. Note how still Doug sits. I like your enthusiasm. Nice to learn about the alternatives and am now thinking that I might look into the OM-D E-M5 II with the 12-100 f4 lens for the type of images I currently do. Then again, if the size and weight etc is not much different, the K5 might still be my camera of choice which it currently is except I do like to carry around the Sony RX 100 IV as it fits nicely in a pocket and is always available and creates nice images.
It's my enthusiasm that makes me wave the camera around. if I wasn't holding the camera, I'd wave my arms around regardless. That's what the podcast / audio only version is for.
Love your reviews. I am willing to bet by the end of this summer this EM1 Mark II will be 20-30% less. I had the EM1 and paid around $1200 new 2.5 years ago. I have since switched to Fuji with better image quality and much less. I am not sure what Olympus was thinking.
I never shoot in 4:3 aspect ratio on my m4/3 cameras. I usually hate that aspect ratio but regarding your viewfinder comment about 4:3....it's nice that the 4:3 is still there in the raw file so I can move my 3:2 crop up and down a little if I need to or want to in Lightroom. ;-) And I will occasionally switch to that aspect ratio in post processing but it's very rare. I do like 4:3 for portrait orientation though.
Great comprehensive review and insight. Thanks for the video! If you're a solid m43 shooter and enjoy the performance and understand some of its limitations, this E-M1 Mk2 is expensive, but perhaps just barely within the realm of affordability if you really like and need everything that this camera delivers... or wait a year or so and I'm sure it'll drop to around a few $100 to something more friendly to one's bank account. The new battery in the E-M1 mk2 is a great change.. love all the little details they upgraded to the ergonomics of the camera, as well. Olympus IBIS is the best. The pro capture mode is quite nice. Really wished hi-res mode could be done hand held.. supposedly, they say it's possible and I think working on it.. even to a limited degree, having hand held hi-res could be very nice feature that could be quite mind blowing, like many of its other cool features. I understand you can't control the scene from moving, but at least from the user end, it could still be useful provided the scene has as minimal movement as possible. IDK, I'd like to see Olympus try to further push this technology. Live composite is super cool for long exposures. Focus Stacking for macro shot is another great feature.. the list goes on and on. I think you can do a lot of what this camera does, but there's no doubt that Olympus makes the process a lot simpler and easier for just about anyone to do... provided you learn the menu well enough so it's not so confusing to get to these various types of modes. On a slightly side subject, regarding articulating screen.. how do you feel about them in terms of size and whether you want them or not on all cameras?.. I'm coming from a Fuji shooter and can say I'm still disappointed that the rangefinder style bodies such as the X_Pro2 & X100's do not have flip and/or articulating screens.. which I find would be so usefull for the very high and low angle shots, especially if it can articulate such a way to also get low & high angles shots in portrait orientation. I feel the X-T2's 3-way tilting screen is one of the best designs. Sure it can't face forward, but all other angles I use more than front facing. Going back to the question, I feel you will no doubt agree you prefer a tilt/articulating screen than not.. now, have you ever felt having one gets in the way of your photography or adds unnecessary bulk? I've had cameras with and without tilt/articulating screen it has never felt different in hands either way.. nothing of significance, anyways.
The short answer is I find tilting / articulated screens extremely useful. I spent the Summer with the X-Pro2 and the lack of screen articulation annoyed me for my style of photography.
Great video guys, and I agree with you, Gordon on how 4:3 is much better for portraits, as I too, find 3:2 a bit too elongated looking in this orientation.
Thanks so much for this review. It's the best I've seen or read and I've seen a few and read a lot. I like the way you guys interact but it is also reassuring to find that you get confused with menus etc. I always think it's just me.
Interesting comments here about the difference in the Olympus LCD EVF and OLED ones. I've been using a Panasonic G7 for a few years, just tried an Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mk II (which I'm presuming has a similar EVF to the E-M1), and I'm finding the Olympus much brighter, vibrant and visible outside in bright light. The G7 looks very muted in comparison, the opposite of what Gordon is saying. Together with its Keystone compensation (and quick delete function which I love!) I'm now preferring the Olympus.
Your review's really great and so ist the E-M1 Mk II. What I'm still searching for, is a video that gives me an impression of the viewfinder picture you see and the noise you hear when shooting in those different modes of mechanical vs. electronic shutter in continuous mode, it must be really amazing. What I'm not really buying is the claim of those speed artifacts when shooting fast moving objects with electronic shutter because I don't see the difference between a rolling electronic shutter and a rolling mechanical shutter, which every focal-plane shutter in fact is just the same and most probably worse becaiuse of slower curtain speed. Instead I could imagine horizontal stripe artifacts when shooting with artificial light (or HSS flash) if the frequency of the rolling electronic shutter interferes with the flicker of the light. Anyway I'd like to know if using the electronic shutter as default instead wouldn't be a favorable option. When it comes to whether the E-M1 is worth the money or not, in my opinion the answer depends on whether you need for your pictures the best image stabilizer ever, especially for making those incredible calm 4k videos right out of your hand, or the fastest serial shooting camera ever. If you need one of these, 2.000 dollars become easily a true bargain, just think of what a EOS 1X Mk II plus EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM would cost you compared to a E-M1 Mk II plus ED 300mm 1:4.0 IS PRO plus HLD‑9, not to mention the double length and the more than threefold weight. So, if I'd could afford that combination I'd not hesitate for a second. For people who can't (yes, me too, sigh) a E-M5 Mk II gives you 95% of features for 45% of price. And I believe even my old E-M5 Mk I lets me shoot pictures, most DSLRs won't. And when shooting continuously even with AF on it's even not so much slower than my beloved T-90 was in those times so long ago with 4.5 fps and needless to say no AF... Once again, thank you for a really great review!
Wow, that's a superbly detailed review. Great coverage of pros and cons and contrasting with competing models. I'm subscribed and looking forward to more. Great work guys!
Doug, I agree with you. I have an EM-5 mk I, I thought I'd like it when I bought it when it first came out. Unfortunately you almost need a diploma in computer science to operate it. I've lost so many photo opportunities because of adjustments I'd made, but because of the complicated menu and various buttons I had forgotten which and where they were and readjust them. I love the new Fuji X-100F dials, just like a proper camera, not a computer imaging machine.
There is no miracle to shoot properly with the EM1, the most important issues are apperture, shutter speed and ISO. The AF is fast - so start! For everything else You need practice - and don’t forget to use the control panel - there You have more than 15 parameters at hand. For special tasks there are 3 custom modes!
marvelous video as ever, love you both. i really needed this video as i want to upgrade form my 3 years old OM D5 mark II, waited for the OM D5 mark III and was very disappointed by the change of battery, now the G9 became an equal choice for me against the 5 mark III, or maybe i just pay a little more and get this one. i think it will be great for me as a bird photographer.
You guys didn't mention how important that dual card slot is when it comes to comparing the EM1 mk2 vs the other M43 competitors. When it comes to event work and weddings, that dual card slot makes the cost of admission worth it on top of all the other improvements. As someone who currently uses two systems, I'm really looking to consolidate down to just MFT with the EM1 mk2
Absolutely great quality review. Lots of information, really helping me on my choice whether to get the Em1 mkII + 12-100 or a D500 for my travels etc. (I already have a Nikon D800 and plenty of Nikon stuff for more serious work). Thank you guys !
A few questions for you: 1) When recording video, can you record simultaneously to both SD Cards? 2) When outputting to an external monitor, does the hdmi signal blackout when you press the [Menu] button?
As an owner of an E-M1, I'd love to have this camera. But I'm waiting for the price to come down significantly. Meanwhile, I've been shooting a D500 since December so I don't really know why I still want this camera. I guess I'm not ready to sell off my m4/3 system.
Amazing review, thank you. Wish these were uploaded in higher/better HD, tho. Especially when you're using sample photos and video, would be very helpful. Cheers!
Your black and white sweater causes flicker in the video. The webcam likely struggling with it. Never seen this flicker before and certainly not in the few videos from you two's videos. Great content as usual.
Thanks a lot for all the stof youtell. This camera is also kind of "weatherprof", but does that also mean tha you can treat it a bit more rough, fx. put a towel around it and then into your bagpack and so on.
To be honest you cant get a mint condition em1 mark ii on eBay for about $1200 or less. Also PRO and Leica lenses on m43 are small and often more affordable than Sony GM lenses which are required to get advantage of Your sensor.
Hello Gordon, great video as always. I would like to know your opinion. Do you consider em1 m2 a good option in 2019, especially compared to the G9? I am looking for a rugged, all weather MFT camera that is efficient in wildlife photography and some macro. I already have a GH5, which I use for video, and I'm looking for an alternative to photography that is nice to use and preferably not as big as GH5. Thank you Gordon.
Excellent discussion and review as always. By the way, you mentioned the incredible 60 frames per second with electronic shutter mode. How long will it keep that up until the buffer cuts its off. Full resolution images, I'm assuming its only for a second or so? As a side note, Pentax has a pixel shift mode in their k1 I believe, I wonder how that compares to Olympus's system.
Hi Gordon, First of all, great videos. Just found them and I'm sipping through them as fast as I can. :) Regarding this camera, I have a couple of questions. 1 - I know you love Fuji with their Acros emulation mode, and there's also Olympus own Pen-F with their Monochrome Profile 2, which supposedly emulate the Tri-X look. The EM1 mk2 has an ART filter called Grainy film, but it's not the same thing. I know that you can go with the Monochrome picture mode and I also think you can do a custom curve that you can set prior to taking your shots. With this in mind, and using these or other in-camera tools, can you do an emulation yourself in the EM1 Mk2? I just want to take high contrast b/w pictures similar to Tri-X or Acros look without the fuss of having to put them through LR to get them right. I want to be able to see them immediately with that look directly on the camera screen. 2 - With the massive fps that is putting out, I can imagine an easy 2000+ photos on any normal sports shooting day (with extra batteries, of course). But, isn't this an issue regarding (mechanical) shutter life? I'm thinking that after a good 6 months it would probably need to replace the shutter. Any idea on the price of that? Cheers Jose
Hi Jose, Olympus offers a lot of adjustments for its picture styles, so you should be able to create a tweaked version of their monochrome with higher contrast that looks pretty good out-of-camera. As for the shutter life, this is a concern for any camera that shoots at high fps and is used for sports. The mechanical shutter is only used up to 10 or 15fps, so at least the higher frame rates won't affect it. But yes, as with all cameras with high fps, you'll burn through the shutte rlife potentially faster. I think the EM1 II is rated to 200k actuations which is pretty good for the price point as most rivals at this price are generally 150k.
Great review! Helped me decide to pass on this camera. Especially, when you had to add "extra" information about image quality to make the camera sound good..
I watched this review 3 times. Sad really but the devil is in the detail and there is a lot of it. Thanks, I'm now the proud owner of an Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II.
@@kennynvake4hve584 Top tip, make sure you have latest firmware. it transforms the camera to a very high spec. My EM1 ii is a keeper. I have the EM1X. Bang for buck is the EM1 ii
I love double SD slots. They make cameras slightly bigger but they are really important and I don't believe they are so expensive to be implemented. I have lost data twice from sd cards. The first time from a Kingston SD card and the second time from a Lexar one. I never buy SD cards from eBay or even from Amazon. Many Knock off very cheap SD cards are rebranded with other names. They just change the sticker. The Kingston was a cheap one, not something special. The Lexar one was expensive and supposedly professional. To be honest I was burst shooting constantly under a scorching sun, a show with airplanes. The temperature inside the camera was really high. But this isn't a reason for a data loss from my expensive Lexar SD card. My Sony α7 camera survived, my SD card not. I lost precious photos and my day was ruined. I currently use the sandisk extreme pro SD cards under very high temperatures with constant burst shooting and I am very satisfied. I don't have a camera with double SD slots but my next camera will certainly have double SD slots. I will use SD cards from different manufacturers in each SD slot just in case. With data there are two people. Those who have lost data and those who will loose data.
There have been a lot of complaints about the strap eyelets falling off due to the screws coming out inside the camera on various Olympus models for quite a long time. With the eyelet on the em1 mark ii on the top, I would be more concerned about it failing and a $2000 camera crashing to the ground. Has this issue been corrected by Olympus?
As always great review. But maybe too much coffee right before this shooting:) I want something for stills of my super active kids. And for travel light and taking beautiful photos for family while traveling. Is this the right camera for me? Or some other recommendations?
Thank you for the detailed recommendation. I do like the G80/85 a lot. Do you know if the Face/Eye Detection on G80/85 works well enough on these hyper active kids? How is it compared to Sony a7R ii?
Why no one states in their review that Olympus CapurePro feature will not work on Panasonic 100-400 lens. It will work only on Olympus lenses. Also ther eis bug with the Panasonic 100-400 lens when the range switch is set to 5m-infinity. In this mode the camera will not shoot when you press the shutter. It may shoot 1-2 Sec later with all the optics in the lens shaking generating a totaly blured image. Setting the swith to infinity will resolve the problem. This problem didnt existed on the old EM1
Hi Ezra, I didn't know about the range bug, but I did know that Pro Capture - and focus stacking - only work with Olympus lenses. i stated that in my written review at cameralabs.com - there's loads more detail there.
Hello Gordon. 1st let me say that I really love your reviews. Having said that ProCapture is oriented towards sports photos. Olympus has only the 300mm F4 prime lens (which I ordered just now due to lack of supporting Panasonic 100-400). On last year when Olympus introduced the 300 and Panasonic the 100-400, my personal choose was to go with the Panasonic since I thought that 300 prime will be very limiting. I am sure I wasn't the only one taking such a decision. I am 99℅ sure that Olympus decision not to support Pro Capture on Panasonic is politic one. If the lens works 100℅ OK in single and continuous focus so damm you Olympus let me just save the Pro Capture photos. If RUclips bloggers and yourself will state it explicitly and put pressure on Olympus I hope that Olympus will finally listen and will remove this limitation. So my request from RUclips bloggers as yourself is to do RUclips video on all the competitors issues of the EM1-II letting people to know in advance into what adventure they enter when they buy the EM1-II and the opposite as in my case. Having stated all that I think I am going to love my Olympus EM1-II as I did with the old EM1 which I sold and the new EM10II which is a great camera
I've got an OMD EM1 (mark 1) but keep gravitating back to my old Nikon D90. Maybe I have the EM1 set up incorrectly because the output seems to look worse than the D90 output - more processed or less dynamic range or something I cannot pin down.
@20:00 What BOTH of you forgot about was that, for the E-M1 Mark 1, Olympus offers am add-on TILTING EFV of the same resolution! Can't use this on the Mark 2 because that power port is no longer there. For the Mark 1 -- both of the issues you mentioned are addressed by the add-on EVF.
Gordon, it seems as though using an L-plate on this camera, or others, with a fully articulating LCD would be difficult. How would one use an L-plate, either horizontally or vertically, and utilize the swing-out feature of the LCD? It appears it would not work well, inconvenient at best? Thank you.
Well it depends how far out the plate is mounted. I agree it can be more awkward, but you should be ok if you don't push the bracket right against the side.
For the price is the em1 mark ii worth getting when compared with Fuji xt2? If image quality is not too far I would go for Fuji unless Olympus is lighter
Great review and very informative ,how does the MK II compare to the Mk1 in terms of focus speed/accuracy with the old 4/3 lenses. e.g can i now shoot continuous action with the 50-200mm
Hi Gordon, could you please compare Olympus OM-D EM-1 mark 2 with Sony A7 mark 3? I really hesitating between these two cameras - Sony is lacking toughness and weather sealing(based on reviews of previous models), lightweight great lenses and touch screen capabilities;and Olympus is lacking dynamic range and low light capabilities. I am interested only in still pictures, not video. I am using the camera while hiking(desert, moisture, snow, landscapes, macro, general) , including photos in low light and astro photography, taking pictures of little kids of my friends, and I am planning to use it during diving too. So I am looking for an "absolute solution":) Strong features of both cameras(for me): silent mode, great battery life, evf, sensor stabilization. Now I am using Canon 650D:)
Hi. I Also have a MFT camera. But I was wondering if I could/should upgrade and if so which camera to get for shooting architecture, urban and travel. I've recently got into a gig that requires kinnda 'unreasonably' high res pics and I actually managed to deliver some, even though I use GX7 with Sigma 19mm and Samyang 12mm. That being said it's only good enough when I shoot in reasonably good lighting and even than I have to stitch a lot of images together. Obviously the best way to go would be to get something like 5DSr, A7RII or at least D810 considering they're all full frame and have huge resolution. And since they are full frame ultra wide angle lenses are truly wide. Unfortunately I'm not there, yet. Finance-wise that is. What would you recommend? Less expensive full frame with good low light performance and ultra wide angle lenses or crop sensor with not-as-good low light performance but better image compression (pixel-wise)? Thanks!
Great review and practical details! @gordon, I wonder if you tried to shoot continuous drive & c-af & raw & eye focus priority... Could one shoot this way like "video" but full raw. Did you notice a limitation how long one could shoot continuous raw, is the card size the limit or some buffer?
I have the new 2016 macbook pro and I LOVE the USBC... i know you think the dongles and all that is crazy and wack... but i'm telling you 5 days in and I have 1 adapter that has SD card, Ethernet, and 3x USB 3.0's. On one adapter. The USBC is absolutely the right move and really every manufacturer will be moving to USBC very soon...
quick ?, I love my Oly em5 mkii, LOVE it, and use a TON of manual adapted lenses from Nikon Ziess etc. I dont shoot video.. and While love the idea of upgrading to the fastest bad-assed new Oly, seems there isn't a great advantage if I am not shooting much auto focus or indoor action.. thoughts? Its a big bump at 2k$
faster bursts but already at 12 per second.. I am more interested in your thoughts on the different HUGELY more powerful processor... duel cards/// do you find any resolution difference at 20 and the new processor sensor?> between the two wit same lens?? thanks
Is the back screen of E-M1 mk2 OLED or LCD? OLED would use less power as far as I know, as the pixels illuminate themselves instead of back lighting that is on all the time like in LCD. Moving to USB-C from the weird proprietary connector was the right move in my opinion.
I agree, I'm pleased they went for a standard connector, even if it's a brand new one! I believe the screen is LCD, but you'd need to confirm with Olympus.
I listened to the audio version first and preferred it to the video maybe because it is more immersive less distracting or can listen to it whilst doing something .
I owned a couple of the Olympus OM-D (E-M5 and E-M5 II). The squinty viewfinder and flimsy eyecup attachment caused me to sell both. They've improved the former; do the eyecups stay on better now?
If you were to only choose one camera system, would it be the Olympus or the Fuji X Series? I currently use Fuji, but love the features on the Olympus. I wonder about the micro 4/rds shelf life now that there are so many bigger sensor mirror less camera systems out there. You view on this?
My view is to ask what size sensor do you need? For me I'm perfectly satisfied by MFT and APSC, and the smaller formats have big advantages on lens design and overall portability. MFT also has the best stabilisation. So there's pros and cons to every system, so the important thing is to choose the one where the pros match your needs.
Moved from Canon to Olympus earlier in the year ... brought this as a second camera to an E1M-X. Actually this seems to be getting more use! I am impressed with the battery life. After a shoot today managed just over 2000 shoots and still had just around 50% of the battery life left.
Enjoy your channel!
7 years later, still very in depth
I have to say Gordon that when you get to my age,62, the size and stabilisation of this system is a game changer. I have both EM5 models and while I still use my Nikon D700 the EM5-2 is the camera I take when I leave the house for a walk or when I go overseas on holiday just because it's such a compact system with great lenses which give me great images. I know it's a cliche but this is a system I will always take with me, the D700 weighs a ton by comparison. Thanks for the review.
The size and stabilisation won me over a long time ago! I'm always shocked to remember the size and weight of high-end DSLRs when i test them now, I've become so used to mirrorless.
Honestly guys, you are the best camera reviewers on youtube!
I really mean it, I am so tiered of all the guys just giving me the spec run down and the implications thereof. I can read up on all of that and I know the implications already, what I want is a subjective view on product experience, things like LCD vs. OLED EVF or how it sits in the hand, that sort of thing...
Keep up the good work!!!
Thanks! I always like to record these longer pieces after I've completed ALL of my tests - so rather than review something the instant it arrives just to be first, I'll have done a lot of testing and research first.
Not disagreeing with you, but I just need to mention The Camera Store. They do excellent reviews also.
This is by far the best review of the new Oly I have seen. Believe me I have seen and read most of them as I did my homework before upgrading to this camera myself. There are aspects of the new camera that you described that I have not heard mentioned by anyone else. Have a coffee on me. Cheers!
Gordon, you're very passionate about the m4/3 cameras and is one of the best spokesperson for the system. You're always fair about the good and the bad of the cameras as well.
Thanks!
As you may know, I've been shooting mirrorless since day-one and love it, and selected MFT as my exclusive format when travelling round the World for 18 months after leaving NZ. So I got to know it very well! I think there's a lot fewer limitations with it than many people think, and a great many benefits. Today i mostly shoot MFT and Fuji X - I love them both! PS - look out for my final EM1 II review over at cameralabs.com tomorrow!
I can only leave a comment saying that I love your videos, get a lot of enjoyment and knowledge from them and hope you continue to make them. Well done guys.
Thanks!
I agree. Very nice and audio quality from Gordon's mic is much better this time.
Thanks, it should hopefully get better still next time...
Just purchased one. Thank you for the excellent tutorial
It's been said several times below. Your reviews are extraordinarily thorough. I mean, demonstrating the ability to operate the aperture and shutter dials while maintaining a one handed grip and the location of the lug so it prevents a wrist strap (I use those) from interfering with your hand are just two of many things your reviews bring out that other more well known sites have missed. And yet those everyday ergonomics (not whether it has 51 or 200 focus points) are the things that will eventually cause me to love or hate using the camera. Thanks Gordon.
Gordon did a ton of work for this review. Thanks to both of you for your efforts.
Thanks! Wait until you see my final review at cameralabs.com !
I sold all my Canon Gear at the beginning of this year, including a 5D3 and 7D2 plus 400mm f2.8 IS as well as other 'L' glass, and in its place I purchased the full Olympus OMD EM1.2 and all the Pro range lens, including the 300mm f4 and 40-150mm f2.8, an awesome set up. I still have a Sony A7Rii for my landscapes and cityscapes due to the dynamic range, but the Oly EM1.2 is at least as good as my old Canon 7D2, the focus is as good, but the image quality is better as well as the dynamic range and the hi-iso is also better. so I am glad to have changed over. The 10 / 18fps with continuous focus is awesome and the pro-capture is very cleaver. The Hi_res mode is also incredible when there is nothing moving in the picture, 80MP RAW is something else !! I am a very happy chappy !!
I think you guys did a great job at contrasting the new features against the backdrop of the previous version, the OMD EM 5 m2 which I have, and competitive models. For me, you go beyond the hype and put it all into perspective. As always, good job.
I shoot with my second 4/3 camera, an OMD EM5 mkII, and have enjoyed using it a great deal, with a few caveats. There's always a few caveats with any photographic instrument I've ever used, so I accept them and work with them as you have obviously per my interpretation of this podcast. It's the first I've seen, and though it's a bunch of time to digest such a narrow subject matter, it's very impressive that there's so MUCH accurately expressed, cogent details pertaining to not only the camera 'on tap' but how it relates to other machines available today out there. I agree with others that your information is greatly appreciated, (I've been a fan for years now & have bought you coffees) and feel that I probably know everything I need to about the OMD EM1 mkII after digesting this video. My personal take from my shooting with the EM5-II is some disappointment with noise at relatively low ISO levels, and most importantly the inability to focus well in tracking mode and continuous focus modes shooting my granddaughter's basketball and soccer games. I have enjoyed the stabilized sensor a good deal, and that is a heap of goodness especially shooting video. I find the screen touch focus locating feature is only fairly implemented, and tracking fails easily with changes in depth or lateral movements. I actually expected better performance from the EM5-II after reading your highly favorable review on it which motivated my selling off my Canon DSLR system entirely and adopting micro 4/3 technology. At this point, I think the enhanced capability of the EM1-II would improve my user experience in the areas I find somewhat lacking on my current shooter, and I would love the bigger grip and bigger battery, but the cost of the new flagship is a mighty barrier to overcome in my mind. Maybe if and when the price reduces in the future will I make the change. I'm now going over to your review site to check that out as well for more details still. Thanks again, Gordon for your intelligent enthusiasm and credible, objective evaluations.
Thanks! If you want an upgrade in CAF over your EM5 II, then the EM1 II will certainly deliver the goods. But yes, I agree it is expensive right now.
Gordon... Doug.... I Love your chemistry with each other.
Gordon is a monster of a reviewer for cameras! He knows his Sh*t!
Doug is a great balance that adds to the "data-dump" trove that is happening in this video.
Would like to see more interaction/interjection/commentary from Doug... BTW: Doug you demonstrate a TON of patience to let Gordon go on and on and on... you BOTH have your strong points and talent and it is a great balance!
I throughly enjoy this Ying/Yang of reviewers... Bravo Gordon and Doug! Keep up the great work guys!
Doug's great - I'd go mad if I had to talk to me!
I love the em1 and have no reason to change, it does everything I need and more
I'm still very fond of it. i'm hoping to get it back again for testing some lenses.
Gordon Laing I've had many cameras dslrs, other mirrorless etc but that's the one I've enjoyed using the most, and that's an important factor, great videos by the way.
Even today it is interesting to see this review. I have an Olympus EM5 II (which still makes great pictures) and now I am considering to upgrade to this one. The prices on the used market are actually very nice. And The firmware upgrades since this review even makes it more interesting.
I am showing up in 2023…and this camera is now selling for $500-$600 in great shape used. Not a pro here, so I am still happy with my E-M5 Mk I. But eventually I might grab the E-M1 Mk Ii.
@@ted356 I bought myself an E-M1 mark II, and I am very pleased with the upgrade.
Just bought one, and I am very impressed, comming from Sony. It has a premium appearance that many Sony items lack.
I am still very fond of it.
got mine 3 days ago....taking in all the menu is a job....but it is a very nice menu....and the fact it holds where you were left off...so you dont have to go back thru the menu from the start....
Thank you for producing informative videos with audio that is clear and easily heard. So many videos are almost impossible to listen to. Thanks guys!
you're welcome!
People are still buying this camera, so this video is still relavent. At least, that is why I am here. This is not just entertaining but you are giving us all kinds of details about the features of the em1.ii. Very informative. Thank You
You're very welcome!
I bough the em10 mark ii and the em1 mark i (one).
One for parties or when I go out or primes and one for zooms and for when I am hiking or traveling. $700 for both bodies. Cant go wrong with that 😊
Yeah, I really miss the backlit buttons of the E-620. Still, at least we now have the fully articulated screen that was also a feature of the E-620! The only issues I've found with the EM-1ii thus far (as compared to my EM-1)... it's more difficult to operate the rear lever with my thumb, the shutter button is very sensitive, the front dial is a bit too free, the battery grip is a lot bigger, custom modes have been reduced to just three (I'd prefer more, not fewer, and though you can export to PC I don't think you can export to SD). The placement of the connectors that interfere with the articulated screen is a bit daft!
Another great video. Love how in depth and detailed these reviews are. Keep up the great work.
Thanks, I sometimes worry that they're too long, then I remember some people do enjoy a good in-depth review! Besides there's loads of shorter ones out there, so it's good to do something different!
Degree in Physics and you review cameras. Amazing man Gordon
It helps figuring out the sensor technology!
Hi Gordon & Doug, great job at the end covering all the different options in comparison to Nikon, Sony, and Panasonic. Very thorough review.
Your show is my absolutely favorite thing on the internet. Keep it up!
Thanks, i'm glad you like the detail and length!
So glad you and Doug are continuing to do these reviews - by far the most in depth and useful reviews out there (and I watch a lot!). Please continue and don't change a thing on the reviews. I even appreciate the 'traditional' website design!
If there was one thing I'd be interested in seeing you and Doug do in future is some more direct comparisons in particular classes - best travel, sports, landscape etc. I find too many of the other comparisons on youtube tend to come with an inherent bias for one system or another, rather than a proper look at which is the best tool for a specific task.
I bought my EM-5 Mark 2 based on your review and love it for landscape/travel. However I also photograph a lot of cats for a rescue shelter and the C-AF can be a struggle. It really hits every possibly difficulty level - small fast moving unpredictable subjects in close proximity and low light! Is the focusing upgrade to phase detect in the E-M1 Mark II a dramatic improvement ahead in such situations? Is it leaps ahead now of something like the A6300 or A6500? Or the G85 with DFD? If so then I guess I'd better get saving!
Thanks! If you want better CAF in MFT, I'd go for the EM1 II, otherwise consider getting, say a Sony A6000 at a low price just for the CAF shots.
Great review as usual. Thanks for the excellent perspective. I've had it for about two weeks and I'm loving it.
3 days for me now....blows me away.....
Very thorough review. Thank you for that!
I don't quite understand why it goes almost unnoticed that by getting phase detection you get access to a lot of legacy 4/3 lenses that are very good and very cheap. I have both the Olympus 12-60 f/2.8-4 and the Olympus 50-200 f/2.8-3.5 and they are incredibly sharp and costs so little. You can get the 50-200 for less than 400 USD!
I would like to try some of the older FT lenses on the Mark II to see if the experience is any better than the EM1 Mark I.
Go for it! I still have the E-M5 so autofocus doesn't work that good, but I'd love to see how it fares on an E-M1 II. They won't work that well for video though I think, but if you're shooting stills you could get a very affordable setup with excellent lenses.
@30:00 You didn't mention that both Mk1 & Mk2's do have a discharge function for you batteries -- this helps maintain battery capacity if you have time to use it.
Thanks for the review. I would LOVE to see an EM5 Mark 3 prediction on what features it will probably have and when it might be released. If it does everything the EM10 Mark 3 does, I will be a very happy camper.
Thx for an interesting presentation, Gordon!
Regarding HighRes.
Quote:
"If it moved 1 pixel to the side, then there will be no benefit..."
Yes, there is!
Because every pixel will have full RGB exposure (as opposed to either R, G or B from the std. fixed Bayer matrix).
This increases color fidelity, and also eliminates moiré.
The sensor first moves around 4 pictures following a square 1px motion, and the another 4 additional half-pixel movements that captures details to small for the std. pixel to capture, and then (over)samples the added info into the resulting resolution.
Yes you're right - I meant for spatial resolution, but absolutely one of the benefits of the hires mode is demosaicing the image. I probably explain it better in my written review at cameralabs!
Indeed.
I've read that too. Good work! 👍
Found you at last! You disappeared suddenly from All About The gear and there was no real explanation from TWIP as to why. I'm happy now that I've discovered your new podcast. Great review, I'm enjoying my EM1 Mk2 very much and I agree with pretty much everything you said about it. By the way, 6 seconds hand-held leaning against a wall using the 12-40mm pro lens is my record so far.
Glad you found us - we decided to do them under my website brand, cameralabs.
For the most part a nice review. Would have like to hear a bit more about the 12-100 f4 lens which to me is a big factor in purchasing a mirrorless which would be in addition to a Sony, an L1 Panasonic, K5 plus some others. Gordon -- what would be nice also is to sit still -- don't wave the camera around so much as it is very distracting. Note how still Doug sits. I like your enthusiasm. Nice to learn about the alternatives and am now thinking that I might look into the OM-D E-M5 II with the 12-100 f4 lens for the type of images I currently do. Then again, if the size and weight etc is not much different, the K5 might still be my camera of choice which it currently is except I do like to carry around the Sony RX 100 IV as it fits nicely in a pocket and is always available and creates nice images.
It's my enthusiasm that makes me wave the camera around. if I wasn't holding the camera, I'd wave my arms around regardless. That's what the podcast / audio only version is for.
Front and rear dials are great because unlike aperture and shutter dials, you don’t have to take your eyes off your subject to adjust.
Love your reviews. I am willing to bet by the end of this summer this EM1 Mark II will be 20-30% less. I had the EM1 and paid around $1200 new 2.5 years ago. I have since switched to Fuji with better image quality and much less. I am not sure what Olympus was thinking.
I never shoot in 4:3 aspect ratio on my m4/3 cameras. I usually hate that aspect ratio but regarding your viewfinder comment about 4:3....it's nice that the 4:3 is still there in the raw file so I can move my 3:2 crop up and down a little if I need to or want to in Lightroom. ;-) And I will occasionally switch to that aspect ratio in post processing but it's very rare. I do like 4:3 for portrait orientation though.
Yes I love 4:3 in the portrait orientation.
Thanks Gordon,always helpfull and interesting
Looked it for the second time
Great comprehensive review and insight. Thanks for the video!
If you're a solid m43 shooter and enjoy the performance and understand some of its limitations, this E-M1 Mk2 is expensive, but perhaps just barely within the realm of affordability if you really like and need everything that this camera delivers... or wait a year or so and I'm sure it'll drop to around a few $100 to something more friendly to one's bank account.
The new battery in the E-M1 mk2 is a great change.. love all the little details they upgraded to the ergonomics of the camera, as well.
Olympus IBIS is the best.
The pro capture mode is quite nice.
Really wished hi-res mode could be done hand held.. supposedly, they say it's possible and I think working on it.. even to a limited degree, having hand held hi-res could be very nice feature that could be quite mind blowing, like many of its other cool features. I understand you can't control the scene from moving, but at least from the user end, it could still be useful provided the scene has as minimal movement as possible. IDK, I'd like to see Olympus try to further push this technology.
Live composite is super cool for long exposures.
Focus Stacking for macro shot is another great feature.. the list goes on and on.
I think you can do a lot of what this camera does, but there's no doubt that Olympus makes the process a lot simpler and easier for just about anyone to do... provided you learn the menu well enough so it's not so confusing to get to these various types of modes.
On a slightly side subject, regarding articulating screen.. how do you feel about them in terms of size and whether you want them or not on all cameras?.. I'm coming from a Fuji shooter and can say I'm still disappointed that the rangefinder style bodies such as the X_Pro2 & X100's do not have flip and/or articulating screens.. which I find would be so usefull for the very high and low angle shots, especially if it can articulate such a way to also get low & high angles shots in portrait orientation. I feel the X-T2's 3-way tilting screen is one of the best designs. Sure it can't face forward, but all other angles I use more than front facing.
Going back to the question, I feel you will no doubt agree you prefer a tilt/articulating screen than not.. now, have you ever felt having one gets in the way of your photography or adds unnecessary bulk? I've had cameras with and without tilt/articulating screen it has never felt different in hands either way.. nothing of significance, anyways.
The short answer is I find tilting / articulated screens extremely useful. I spent the Summer with the X-Pro2 and the lack of screen articulation annoyed me for my style of photography.
Great video guys, and I agree with you, Gordon on how 4:3 is much better for portraits, as I too, find 3:2 a bit too elongated looking in this orientation.
Yep, 4:3 in the portrait orientation looks fab!
Thanks so much for this review. It's the best I've seen or read and I've seen a few and read a lot. I like the way you guys interact but it is also reassuring to find that you get confused with menus etc. I always think it's just me.
Thanks, glad you liked it! My complete final review at cameralabs.com will be ready tomorrow!
Interesting comments here about the difference in the Olympus LCD EVF and OLED ones. I've been using a Panasonic G7 for a few years, just tried an Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mk II (which I'm presuming has a similar EVF to the E-M1), and I'm finding the Olympus much brighter, vibrant and visible outside in bright light. The G7 looks very muted in comparison, the opposite of what Gordon is saying. Together with its Keystone compensation (and quick delete function which I love!) I'm now preferring the Olympus.
No, the EM10 II has an OLED viewfinder. That's different from the LCD in the EM1 II. The EM1 line is unique in that regard.
@@cameralabs Thank you! Well it's certainly a better one than the G7 in my opinion. Perhaps I'll hold off on that E-M1 Mk ii....
"Just like a real camera..." Really, Doug? Lots of info. thanks guys
Great review (as always!!) Gordon!! (Own this one + a EM10 MKIII)Thanks a lot again!
Your review's really great and so ist the E-M1 Mk II. What I'm still searching for, is a video that gives me an impression of the viewfinder picture you see and the noise you hear when shooting in those different modes of mechanical vs. electronic shutter in continuous mode, it must be really amazing.
What I'm not really buying is the claim of those speed artifacts when shooting fast moving objects with electronic shutter because I don't see the difference between a rolling electronic shutter and a rolling mechanical shutter, which every focal-plane shutter in fact is just the same and most probably worse becaiuse of slower curtain speed. Instead I could imagine horizontal stripe artifacts when shooting with artificial light (or HSS flash) if the frequency of the rolling electronic shutter interferes with the flicker of the light. Anyway I'd like to know if using the electronic shutter as default instead wouldn't be a favorable option.
When it comes to whether the E-M1 is worth the money or not, in my opinion the answer depends on whether you need for your pictures the best image stabilizer ever, especially for making those incredible calm 4k videos right out of your hand, or the fastest serial shooting camera ever. If you need one of these, 2.000 dollars become easily a true bargain, just think of what a EOS 1X Mk II plus EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM would cost you compared to a E-M1 Mk II plus ED 300mm 1:4.0 IS PRO plus HLD‑9, not to mention the double length and the more than threefold weight. So, if I'd could afford that combination I'd not hesitate for a second. For people who can't (yes, me too, sigh) a E-M5 Mk II gives you 95% of features for 45% of price. And I believe even my old E-M5 Mk I lets me shoot pictures, most DSLRs won't. And when shooting continuously even with AF on it's even not so much slower than my beloved T-90 was in those times so long ago with 4.5 fps and needless to say no AF...
Once again, thank you for a really great review!
Wow, that's a superbly detailed review. Great coverage of pros and cons and contrasting with competing models. I'm subscribed and looking forward to more. Great work guys!
Doug, I agree with you. I have an EM-5 mk I, I thought I'd like it when I bought it when it first came out. Unfortunately you almost need a diploma in computer science to operate it. I've lost so many photo opportunities because of adjustments I'd made, but because of the complicated menu and various buttons I had forgotten which and where they were and readjust them. I love the new Fuji X-100F dials, just like a proper camera, not a computer imaging machine.
There is no miracle to shoot properly with the EM1, the most important issues are apperture, shutter speed and ISO. The AF is fast - so start!
For everything else You need practice - and don’t forget to use the control panel - there You have more than 15 parameters at hand.
For special tasks there are 3 custom modes!
marvelous video as ever, love you both. i really needed this video as i want to upgrade form my 3 years old OM D5 mark II, waited for the OM D5 mark III and was very disappointed by the change of battery, now the G9 became an equal choice for me against the 5 mark III, or maybe i just pay a little more and get this one. i think it will be great for me as a bird photographer.
You guys didn't mention how important that dual card slot is when it comes to comparing the EM1 mk2 vs the other M43 competitors. When it comes to event work and weddings, that dual card slot makes the cost of admission worth it on top of all the other improvements. As someone who currently uses two systems, I'm really looking to consolidate down to just MFT with the EM1 mk2
The GH5 also has twin card slots.
I just ordered a new EM1.2 to fit in the bag with my Pen F.
Hope you got the free grip offer too.
CheshireRing they didn’t have a grip deal. Honestly I don’t want one anyway but I would have taken a free one. :)
Absolutely great quality review. Lots of information, really helping me on my choice whether to get the Em1 mkII + 12-100 or a D500 for my travels etc. (I already have a Nikon D800 and plenty of Nikon stuff for more serious work). Thank you guys !
Another reasond for Olympus using LCD instead of OLED is the faster refresh rate.
A few questions for you:
1) When recording video, can you record simultaneously to both SD Cards?
2) When outputting to an external monitor, does the hdmi signal blackout when you press the [Menu] button?
as always thanks,bought th 1omde as second camera
As an owner of an E-M1, I'd love to have this camera. But I'm waiting for the price to come down significantly. Meanwhile, I've been shooting a D500 since December so I don't really know why I still want this camera. I guess I'm not ready to sell off my m4/3 system.
Amazing review, thank you. Wish these were uploaded in higher/better HD, tho. Especially when you're using sample photos and video, would be very helpful. Cheers!
Fantastic, thorough review. Great job, guys. Subscribed!
Your black and white sweater causes flicker in the video. The webcam likely struggling with it. Never seen this flicker before and certainly not in the few videos from you two's videos. Great content as usual.
Subscribed!
Great reviews!
At 13:00 you guys were talking about the dials, and it might worth to mention that PEN-F do have the EV dial
Great video; well worth watching all the way through for valuable detail and a balanced view. Thank you!
Thanks a lot for all the stof youtell. This camera is also kind of "weatherprof", but does that also mean tha you can treat it a bit more rough, fx. put a towel around it and then into your bagpack and so on.
I do that with most cameras!
I hope all of the cameras you were comparing with is splash proof!
would have liked to have seen some more sample images during the video, but very detailed and helpful information, thank you.
You're welcome. I have loads of sample images in my review at cameralabs.com if you'd like to see more!
Gordon Laing I'll be checking them out shortly, thank you again.
Fun, thoughtful review - thanks!
To be honest you cant get a mint condition em1 mark ii on eBay for about $1200 or less. Also PRO and Leica lenses on m43 are small and often more affordable than Sony GM lenses which are required to get advantage of Your sensor.
Hello Gordon, great video as always. I would like to know your opinion. Do you consider em1 m2 a good option in 2019, especially compared to the G9? I am looking for a rugged, all weather MFT camera that is efficient in wildlife photography and some macro. I already have a GH5, which I use for video, and I'm looking for an alternative to photography that is nice to use and preferably not as big as GH5. Thank you Gordon.
Thanks for the review Gordon!! Its the ideal camera for me and my Lumix 100-400 :) Regards
I see lots of people pairing the Mark II with the 100-400mm. I tried them too and they work a treat.
Excellent discussion and review as always. By the way, you mentioned the incredible 60 frames per second with electronic shutter mode. How long will it keep that up until the buffer cuts its off. Full resolution images, I'm assuming its only for a second or so? As a side note, Pentax has a pixel shift mode in their k1 I believe, I wonder how that compares to Olympus's system.
I have a full report in my cameralabs review coming soon! But at 60fps, you can capture 48 frames at the top speed before it slows to about 10fps.
really interesting thanks for this.Rob.
I really enjoy your conversations/reviews. Question. What's in YOUR camera bag?
Hi Gordon,
First of all, great videos. Just found them and I'm sipping through them as fast as I can. :)
Regarding this camera, I have a couple of questions.
1 - I know you love Fuji with their Acros emulation mode, and there's also Olympus own Pen-F with their Monochrome Profile 2, which supposedly emulate the Tri-X look.
The EM1 mk2 has an ART filter called Grainy film, but it's not the same thing. I know that you can go with the Monochrome picture mode and I also think you can do a custom curve that you can set prior to taking your shots.
With this in mind, and using these or other in-camera tools, can you do an emulation yourself in the EM1 Mk2?
I just want to take high contrast b/w pictures similar to Tri-X or Acros look without the fuss of having to put them through LR to get them right. I want to be able to see them immediately with that look directly on the camera screen.
2 - With the massive fps that is putting out, I can imagine an easy 2000+ photos on any normal sports shooting day (with extra batteries, of course). But, isn't this an issue regarding (mechanical) shutter life? I'm thinking that after a good 6 months it would probably need to replace the shutter. Any idea on the price of that?
Cheers
Jose
Hi Jose, Olympus offers a lot of adjustments for its picture styles, so you should be able to create a tweaked version of their monochrome with higher contrast that looks pretty good out-of-camera. As for the shutter life, this is a concern for any camera that shoots at high fps and is used for sports. The mechanical shutter is only used up to 10 or 15fps, so at least the higher frame rates won't affect it. But yes, as with all cameras with high fps, you'll burn through the shutte rlife potentially faster. I think the EM1 II is rated to 200k actuations which is pretty good for the price point as most rivals at this price are generally 150k.
Great review! Helped me decide to pass on this camera. Especially, when you had to add "extra" information about image quality to make the camera sound good..
I'd still suggest you look at the sample images I've posted at cameralabs.com - you may still be impressed!
I watched this review 3 times. Sad really but the devil is in the detail and there is a lot of it. Thanks, I'm now the proud owner of an Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II.
Me to as of 5.20.2020
@@kennynvake4hve584 Top tip, make sure you have latest firmware. it transforms the camera to a very high spec. My EM1 ii is a keeper. I have the EM1X. Bang for buck is the EM1 ii
How’s the autofocus?should I get one second hand as of right now?
@@zacqd1553 With Olympus lenses mine is quite impressive compared to my Sony A7ii & Leica Q.
@@alanplatt888 I have the 12-40 pro and the sigma 30 f1.4,hopefully I could get one for cheap
awsome review!
Thanks!
Thank you both
It is always a long sit,but i really enjoy yor program
And it is helpfull
Geus from holland
Thanks!
I love double SD slots. They make cameras slightly bigger but they are really important and I don't believe they are so expensive to be implemented.
I have lost data twice from sd cards. The first time from a Kingston SD card and the second time from a Lexar one.
I never buy SD cards from eBay or even from Amazon. Many Knock off very cheap SD cards are rebranded with other names. They just change the sticker. The Kingston was a cheap one, not something special. The Lexar one was expensive and supposedly professional. To be honest I was burst shooting constantly under a scorching sun, a show with airplanes. The temperature inside the camera was really high. But this isn't a reason for a data loss from my expensive Lexar SD card. My Sony α7 camera survived, my SD card not. I lost precious photos and my day was ruined.
I currently use the sandisk extreme pro SD cards under very high temperatures with constant burst shooting and I am very satisfied. I don't have a camera with double SD slots but my next camera will certainly have double SD slots. I will use SD cards from different manufacturers in each SD slot just in case.
With data there are two people.
Those who have lost data and those who will loose data.
There have been a lot of complaints about the strap eyelets falling off due to the screws coming out inside the camera on various Olympus models for quite a long time. With the eyelet on the em1 mark ii on the top, I would be more concerned about it failing and a $2000 camera crashing to the ground. Has this issue been corrected by Olympus?
As always great review. But maybe too much coffee right before this shooting:) I want something for stills of my super active kids. And for travel light and taking beautiful photos for family while traveling. Is this the right camera for me? Or some other recommendations?
Thank you for the detailed recommendation. I do like the G80/85 a lot. Do you know if the Face/Eye Detection on G80/85 works well enough on these hyper active kids? How is it compared to Sony a7R ii?
Why no one states in their review that Olympus CapurePro feature will not work on Panasonic 100-400 lens. It will work only on Olympus lenses.
Also ther eis bug with the Panasonic 100-400 lens when the range switch is set to 5m-infinity. In this mode the camera will not shoot when you press the shutter. It may shoot 1-2 Sec later with all the optics in the lens shaking generating a totaly blured image. Setting the swith to infinity will resolve the problem. This problem didnt existed on the old EM1
Hi Ezra, I didn't know about the range bug, but I did know that Pro Capture - and focus stacking - only work with Olympus lenses. i stated that in my written review at cameralabs.com - there's loads more detail there.
Hello Gordon.
1st let me say that I really love your reviews. Having said that ProCapture is oriented towards sports photos. Olympus has only the 300mm F4 prime lens (which I ordered just now due to lack of supporting Panasonic 100-400). On last year when Olympus introduced the 300 and Panasonic the 100-400, my personal choose was to go with the Panasonic since I thought that 300 prime will be very limiting. I am sure I wasn't the only one taking such a decision. I am 99℅ sure that Olympus decision not to support Pro Capture on Panasonic is politic one. If the lens works 100℅ OK in single and continuous focus so damm you Olympus let me just save the Pro Capture photos.
If RUclips bloggers and yourself will state it explicitly and put pressure on Olympus I hope that Olympus will finally listen and will remove this limitation.
So my request from RUclips bloggers as yourself is to do RUclips video on all the competitors issues of the EM1-II letting people to know in advance into what adventure they enter when they buy the EM1-II and the opposite as in my case.
Having stated all that I think I am going to love my Olympus EM1-II as I did with the old EM1 which I sold and the new EM10II which is a great camera
I've got an OMD EM1 (mark 1) but keep gravitating back to my old Nikon D90.
Maybe I have the EM1 set up incorrectly because the output seems to look worse than the D90 output - more processed or less dynamic range or something I cannot pin down.
great review - but I'd probably go Pentax K1 instead of this.
@20:00 What BOTH of you forgot about was that, for the E-M1 Mark 1, Olympus offers am add-on TILTING EFV of the same resolution! Can't use this on the Mark 2 because that power port is no longer there. For the Mark 1 -- both of the issues you mentioned are addressed by the add-on EVF.
34:50 Obviously it means we "heart" the electronic shutter. :)
Gordon, it seems as though using an L-plate on this camera, or others, with a fully articulating LCD would be difficult. How would one use an L-plate, either horizontally or vertically, and utilize the swing-out feature of the LCD? It appears it would not work well, inconvenient at best? Thank you.
Well it depends how far out the plate is mounted. I agree it can be more awkward, but you should be ok if you don't push the bracket right against the side.
I fell in a river with my em1 mk1 the other day... Praying it's all good. The body is fine but the lense is foggy! Either way good camera lol
For the price is the em1 mark ii worth getting when compared with Fuji xt2? If image quality is not too far I would go for Fuji unless Olympus is lighter
Great review and very informative ,how does the MK II compare to the Mk1 in terms of focus speed/accuracy with the old 4/3 lenses. e.g can i now shoot continuous action with the 50-200mm
Good question, but sadly I can't answer it. I've not tested older FT lenses on the Mark II, but I'll ask and see what i can find out.
Hi Gordon, could you please compare Olympus OM-D EM-1 mark 2 with Sony A7 mark 3?
I really hesitating between these two cameras - Sony is lacking toughness and weather sealing(based on reviews of previous models), lightweight great lenses and touch screen capabilities;and Olympus is lacking dynamic range and low light capabilities. I am interested only in still pictures, not video. I am using the camera while hiking(desert, moisture, snow, landscapes, macro, general) , including photos in low light and astro photography, taking pictures of little kids of my friends, and I am planning to use it during diving too. So I am looking for an "absolute solution":) Strong features of both cameras(for me): silent mode, great battery life, evf, sensor stabilization. Now I am using Canon 650D:)
Hi. I Also have a MFT camera. But I was wondering if I could/should upgrade and if so which camera to get for shooting architecture, urban and travel. I've recently got into a gig that requires kinnda 'unreasonably' high res pics and I actually managed to deliver some, even though I use GX7 with Sigma 19mm and Samyang 12mm. That being said it's only good enough when I shoot in reasonably good lighting and even than I have to stitch a lot of images together. Obviously the best way to go would be to get something like 5DSr, A7RII or at least D810 considering they're all full frame and have huge resolution. And since they are full frame ultra wide angle lenses are truly wide. Unfortunately I'm not there, yet. Finance-wise that is. What would you recommend? Less expensive full frame with good low light performance and ultra wide angle lenses or crop sensor with not-as-good low light performance but better image compression (pixel-wise)? Thanks!
I dont think it can shoot the full 60 frames a second before the buffer stops it..or slows it down..is this right?
New Zealand prices are almost double that for all those cameras mentioned in US dollars.
One reason i moved back to the UK!
Great review and practical details!
@gordon, I wonder if you tried to shoot continuous drive & c-af & raw & eye focus priority... Could one shoot this way like "video" but full raw.
Did you notice a limitation how long one could shoot continuous raw, is the card size the limit or some buffer?
I've got loads of burst timings in my review at cameralabs.com - check them out!
Hey guys, another great review! Gordon, I see you lost lots of weight, hope everything is OK and that this is intentional.
ha Dalibor! I always see you on youtube, nice. Yea I always love Gordon's review, he leaves no stone unturned when it comes to photography.
Thanks for your concern! Yes I'm fine, I've been trying to get fitter!
I have the new 2016 macbook pro and I LOVE the USBC... i know you think the dongles and all that is crazy and wack... but i'm telling you 5 days in and I have 1 adapter that has SD card, Ethernet, and 3x USB 3.0's. On one adapter. The USBC is absolutely the right move and really every manufacturer will be moving to USBC very soon...
Good job Gordon! Hi Sully, yes I noticed your name around YT ;)
quick ?, I love my Oly em5 mkii, LOVE it, and use a TON of manual adapted lenses from Nikon Ziess etc. I dont shoot video.. and While love the idea of upgrading to the fastest bad-assed new Oly, seems there isn't a great advantage if I am not shooting much auto focus or indoor action.. thoughts? Its a big bump at 2k$
The main benefits over the EM5 II are better CAF, faster bursts and 4k video.
faster bursts but already at 12 per second.. I am more interested in your thoughts on the different HUGELY more powerful processor... duel cards///
do you find any resolution difference at 20 and the new processor sensor?> between the two wit same lens??
thanks
Excellent video Gordon Thanks for your tests on cameras. I'm going to Sony from oly. Cheers matey
Is the back screen of E-M1 mk2 OLED or LCD? OLED would use less power as far as I know, as the pixels illuminate themselves instead of back lighting that is on all the time like in LCD.
Moving to USB-C from the weird proprietary connector was the right move in my opinion.
I agree, I'm pleased they went for a standard connector, even if it's a brand new one! I believe the screen is LCD, but you'd need to confirm with Olympus.
Good video and most relevant as a omd em1 mk2 owner ,although i listened to your pod cast first and enjoyed this also.
Did you listen to the audio version of this as well as watch the video version? Which did you prefer?
I listened to the audio version first and preferred it to the video maybe because it is more immersive less distracting or can listen to it whilst doing something .
Nice review! Thanks a lot now Iam decided to buy it :-D
the two best!
I owned a couple of the Olympus OM-D (E-M5 and E-M5 II). The squinty viewfinder and flimsy eyecup attachment caused me to sell both. They've improved the former; do the eyecups stay on better now?
I've not had any issues, but it'll be interesting to see if they adjust anything on the EM5 III
I am really struggling with purchasing this camera vs the Fuji Xt3.
If you were to only choose one camera system, would it be the Olympus or the Fuji X Series? I currently use Fuji, but love the features on the Olympus. I wonder about the micro 4/rds shelf life now that there are so many bigger sensor mirror less camera systems out there. You view on this?
My view is to ask what size sensor do you need? For me I'm perfectly satisfied by MFT and APSC, and the smaller formats have big advantages on lens design and overall portability. MFT also has the best stabilisation. So there's pros and cons to every system, so the important thing is to choose the one where the pros match your needs.
PS - I end up using both Fuji and MFT as I like them for different things!