At Photokina it took a lot of wheedling and pleading to get a sneak peak at the new flagship camera from Olympus. The DRTV eventually got ushered into a small, white room, where we sworn to secrecy and shown the OM-D E-M1 Mark II.
What we weren’t told however, was that it would cost US$2,000. That information only came in furtive rumours later on, along with the news that the Panasonic GH5, the other Micro Four Thirds flagship camera, will probably also cost as much. It’s a new, expensive age for mirrorless cameras and we aren’t sure how consumers will like that.
Fast-forward a month however, and Olympus Hong Kong invited us to their launch event so that we could spend a little bit longer with the cameras. While undoubtedly the camera is more expensive than any Olympus mirrorless camera has ever been, it’s also (obviously) the best. There’s a lot to like for some Micro Four Thirds shooters, although it’s certainly not for every existing user – and probably not something that we would recommend switching to specifically MFT for.
Design
The AF button is available for easy customisation.
Let’s talk about the ergonomics first. The camera is a huge pleasure to hold, and the grip is beautifully crafted. In fact, I’d say it has one of the nicer grips of any of the mirrorless cameras, Olympus have done a great job contouring the body so that it meshes well with a variety of hand sizes, and we especially have to complement the vertical battery grip, which fits in seamlessly. It’s smoothly integrated into the shape of the camera, and stands in stark contrast with the jagged vertical battery grip of the Fujifilm X-T2, which oddly juts out. Fujifilm gave us a typical PR answer when they explained why it didn’t fit in seamlessly, but Olympus users don’t have to worry about this on the OM-D E-M1 Mark II.
The Mark II is on the left, and the Mark I is on the right.
On initial impressions it looks almost identical to the original E-M1, but there are small differences, such as the previously mentioned grip, which is thicker and taller, and a few buttons which have been moved around. The Mark II is bulkier than its predecessor, and when you add on vertical hand grip, you get a vastly larger camera than most people expect for the MFT system. This isn’t always a disadvantage, because the larger telephoto lenses require this kind of weight to be balanced against.
Rugged build.
As a camera intended for professionals and video shooters, the OM-D E-M1 Mark II more than justifies its extra weight. This is the first Olympus camera with 4K capabilities, so thankfully it allows for a headphone jack, as well as having a massively increased battery life. One downside is that photographers invested in old Olympus batteries have to upgrade, but the new 1720mAH batteries provide 50% more capacity.
It also has a new LCD mechanism, which we’ve shown here in comparison to the Mark 1. It works very handily for video, and is a great improvement over the tilting screen on the original.
The new battery is significantly larger than the old one on the right.
Since this is Olympus’ flagship model, and such a burst monster, it naturally has two SD card slots; the top one supports UHS-II cards, while the bottom one is UHS-I only.
The viewfinder is responsive, and has a refresh rate of 120 fps and a minimum response time of five milliseconds. We had no complaints when testing it with the C-AF.
Image quality
@ 1/1000s, f/2. 8, ISO 4000
This camera is all about the speed and capturing the right moment. To do this, it has a variety of modes including the new Pro Capture Mode, which can help capture the exact moment a photographer would want. It uses the silent electronic shutter to pre-capture a series of JPEG or RAW images, by activating once the photographer presses the shutter release halfway. Once they fully fire the shutter, the camera starts bursting again, but also will record the 14 previous frames.
It’s incredibly fast to use, and the C-AF is in a similar league to that of the D500’s. We tested Olympus’ claims on the burst speed and found them to be accurate, with the 18 second continuous burst quite impressive. The buffer also cleared up quickly, so after each burst it wasn’t long before the camera was ready once more.
In terms of the actual image quality and ISO performance, we have to say that it’s not a huge improvement over any other M4/3 camera. Images are useable up to 1600, and while 3200 is passable when necessary, anything higher lacks detail due to excessive noise reduction. Even when it’s set on low, the noise just becomes too much to handle.
And while the 6. 5 IBIS is mind blowingly good, stablisation isn’t the most useful function for action photography. The IBIS would however, be fantastic for video, which provides an interesting option for M4/3 who will are deciding between this and Panasonic’s upcoming GH5.
Having said all that, it does really depend on what medium photographers find themselves showcasing their work. If the work is to be printed on a large poster, the lack of quality at high ISOs might be noticeable. However, for social media and web use, which is how most photographers now generally share their work, the OM-D E-M1 Mark II can be fantastic. It might not get you the most detailed image, but with its speed, it will certainly ensure that you nail focus and get the photo. And after all, isn't that the point?
@ 1/1000s, f/1. 2, ISO 1600
Conclusion
Many people look at the OM-D E-M1 Mark II and mock its size, but its defenders rightfully say that the a camera should be judged by its system. Long telephoto lenses for M4/3 are indeed smaller and more compact, and when used with this flagship model by Olympus, should be perfectly well balanced. If the Mark II were smaller, it might not feel as good, or have as much space for customisable buttons. While it is similar in size to the Sony a7R series or a small DSLR, the lenses ultimately are do the system justice. This isn’t a camera that every M4/3 shooter needs, but it’s a fantastic option for professionals to upgrade into.
However, it must be noted that since the image quality doesn’t appear to have evolved so much, it’s difficult to shoot at high shutter speeds without pumping up the ISO. And at a time when cameras like the Nikon D500, Sony a7S II, and Fuji X-T2 can cleanly shoot at extremely high ISOs, Olympus have to be a little concerned, especially for the price they are asking for. While US$2,000 makes sense for existing M4/3 shooters that are interested in the sheer speed and power of the camera, this won’t convert any photographers using other mounts to the system.
It will be available in December 2016 for US$2,000.
@ 1/2000s, f/1. 2, ISO 1250
. digitalrev.com2016-11-5 03:00
