Olympus omd 1 mark 2 reviews. Long-term test of the camera Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. All sorts of baubles and enticements

Club photographer Russian photo»Alexander Palekhin tested the new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and shared his impressions.

I got my first Olympus camera almost a year ago, when I really wanted to have a compact camera with me every day. Then my choice fell on the younger model in the line, complete with the simplest zooms. However, the quality of the pictures taken by these kids surpassed all possible expectations, and subsequently I bought a couple more fixes and more than once used the Olympus as a second, and sometimes as a main camera.

My interest in the company's products grew, and when the opportunity arose to thoroughly test the top-end Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, I could not help but use it. A few days of negotiations - and I got the kit!

Set

Many thanks to the Russian Photo Club and Olympus: I received not just a camera, but also several lenses, just naming the directions in which I planned to work. As a result, I got M. ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm 1: 1.8, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm 1: 2.8 PRO, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 25mm 1: 1.2 PRO. In fact, together with the carcass, I ended up with a kit with which I usually go to most of the filming.

Dimensions, weight and ergonomics

Of course, the first thing you pay attention to is the weight and dimensions of the camera and its optics. The picture shows the kit received for the test in comparison with my similar technique for shooting. full frame... Its dimensions are smaller, and the total weight of my full-frame kit is almost 600 g more. The difference, as it may seem at first glance, is not so significant, but let's not forget that at the same time the 25 mm lens is faster than my fifty-kopeck piece. and the 40-150mm lens has an extra 100mm equivalent compared to my 80-200mm lens. In addition, all my full-frame optics do not have ultrasonic motors, and with them it would be noticeably larger both in weight and in size.

F 22, 30 s, ISO 200, 17 mm

Despite its small size, the OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a very ergonomic camera with thoughtful controls and a comfortable grip. In my rather big hand, she lay confidently, I did not want to buy additional battery pens and increase the volume of the camera. All buttons and wheels are easily accessible, operated both with bare hands and with gloves, which I could appreciate on the second day. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The screen is quite large, comfortable, touch-sensitive, which allows you to quickly adjust the parameters and navigate through the captured photos. The display is rotatable and allows you to freely shoot from below, from above, from the side, from outstretched hands, from around the corner, as well as from many other angles that can arise in a truly creative head. And, I must say, which are unlikely to arise if you shoot with a DSLR.

F 5, 1/400, ISO 200, 40mm

F 5, 1/640, ISO 200, 40mm

F 5.6, 1/80, ISO 200, 78mm

The viewfinder is not very large, but with high image quality, fast and informative. Its main purpose is to help with shooting on a sunny summer afternoon. The rest of the time, the camera's display does its job perfectly.

Despite its small size, the camera has a dual slot for memory cards, so it can operate in both overflow and duplicate modes. I prefer the second one: two memory cards will not fail at the same time.

F 5.6, 1/800, ISO 200, 49mm

The unit's battery has been heavily redesigned. If the younger models honestly shoot about 300 frames, here on one charge I took at least 700-800 pictures, despite the fact that the shooting was always carried out with the display and on two memory cards at the same time! At first I was scared that I was given only one battery for the whole set, but in two weeks I never got into a situation where shooting would have to be interrupted due to a dead battery.

To some, the menu of the device will seem large and complex, but you need to dive into it only once, at the first meeting. Further, all the necessary settings will be on the buttons of the case and in the on-screen menu - everything is quick, simple and at hand.

First shooting

The first few filming I spent on the streets of the city. The conditions were not at all greenhouse - a small amount of light, the temperature was not higher than 0 degrees, snow or drizzling rain.

The camera bodies and optics inspire trust and respect - they are worthy engineering pieces, securely assembled and protected from small shocks, dust and moisture. However, I didn't want to sacrifice such a kit out of stupidity, and I was saved ... an ordinary plastic bag like a sandwich bag, may Olympus forgive me. A camera even with a 40–150 mm lens fits easily in such a shelter, and it is not afraid of any snow.

F 1.8, 1/160, ISO 640, 25mm

Powerful 5-axis stabilizer allows you to shoot at very slow shutter speeds, even at the slowest focal length... Shooting at shutter speeds of 1/60 - 1/100 on dark city streets, holding a camera in one hand, and a flash in the other, with an EGF of more than 200 mm - perhaps I would not have dared to do that with a DSLR camera.

The ability to control exposure just by looking at the monitor, when you see exactly what you get in the picture, significantly reduces the amount of waste and eliminates unnecessary frames, samples and exposures. You just plan the shot clearly - and you get what you want.

To see the model, not the picture in the viewfinder, to communicate with the subject, and not to hide behind a bulky camera, to discover new possibilities, it is easy to solve sometimes completely unsolvable problems, to facilitate your work without being distracted by trifles and technical imperfections of the equipment, to be creative, and not mathematics, be sure of the result and accurately control the resulting image, carry a camera with you every day, and not drive in a car only for commercial reasons, not torment your back and neck, in the end, all this is not easy to believe, but only enough try once

F 1.2, 1/100, ISO 640, 25mm

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Specifications
Matrix LiveMOS-sensor with a resolution of 20 megapixels
Permission Mode high resolution 50 Megapixels (JPEG) and 80 (RAW)
ISO range 64 - 25 600
Exposure range 1/32000 - 60 s
Burst shooting Burst speed 15 fps with mechanical shutter
Burst speed 18 fps C-AF mode
Continuous shooting speed 60 fps in S-AF mode
Video DCI 4K video recording at up to 236 Mbps
Dimensions (edit) 134.1 x 90.9 x 68.9 mm
Additionally dust and moisture protection, two cards
CPU TruPic VIII

Name, surname, age: Alexander Palekhin, commercial photographer, 30 years old.
Web site: http://www.thismoment.ru, http://www.instagram.com/paleh_alex
Best advice: A good photographer is not only one who can capture the moment, but also one who knows everything it takes to create it.

In our new review, photographer of the “Russian Photo” club Alexei Makushin tries the OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera in interior photography, reporting with insufficient natural light, as well as outdoors. How the camera proved to be in such different conditions - read our review.

Olympus OM-D I got the E-M1 Mark II for two weeks for testing just in time - I just handed over my Nikon for repair. I tried the camera in shooting the interior of an apartment and took it on a short trip to Krasnaya Polyana, as well as to report from a corporate event.

F 5.6, 1/320 s, ISO 200, 80 mm (35 mm equiv.)

First impressions

I have been photographing with DSLRs for nine years. Nikon cameras and Canon, and my first impression of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II was: “Oh, how toy-small! I hope she won't slow down. "

I got the camera with an Olympus ED 7-14 mm f / 2.8 Pro wide-angle and an Olympus ED 12-40 mm f / 2.8 Pro zoom, which corresponds to 12-24 and 24-80 mm in 35mm equivalent.

In my opinion, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is more comfortable in the hand than, for example, the Nikon D750, but it has quite a lot of sharp protruding corners. Overall, I liked the build quality. I was also afraid that the huge switch would turn on the camera in the backpack by itself, but it turned out to be very convenient, there were no false alarms.
The interface is intuitive, immediately struck by the speed and instant response to pressing all buttons; I remembered the almost non-working LiveView mode in my Nikon D810. The viewfinder is very bright and contrasty.

We shoot the interior of the apartment in HDR mode

I immediately took the camera to work - to shoot the interior of the apartment in HDR mode.

F 8, 1/25 s, ISO 200, 14 mm (35 mm equiv.)

OM-D SuperHD

F 16, ISO 200, 14 mm (35 mm equiv.)

OM-D HDR

In the course of the photo shoot, the OM-D was pleased with the function of increasing the sharpness zone with illumination of the sharp edges of the subject. It was even more convenient to work with a small camera, and a flip-up swivel screen helped when shooting small rooms - a closet and a bathroom.

Shooting a reportage in low light conditions

Now it's time to see how the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II performed when shooting reportage. It took some getting used to the camera.
I want to point out the Olympus autofocus: it turned out to be very fast, especially while there was enough light, and there was practically no response lag. But in the evening, when the lights were dimmed, focusing began with a slight delay. The difference compared to a DSLR has already become noticeable!

F 4.5, 1/60 s, ISO 320, 54 mm (35 mm equiv.)

F 3.5, 1/60 s, ISO 1600, 32 mm (35 mm equiv.)

As for the sensor noise, due to the small size of the sensor, ¾ ", it was naturally larger than that of a full-frame camera. Noise is especially noticeable at ISO values ​​from 1000 to 2000, but with a 20-megapixel sensor it is effectively suppressed by noise reduction.

It was a surprise to me that with the OM-D many shots were successful at shutter speeds of 1/20 - 1/60, because I was used to using shutter speeds shorter than 1/80 sec in my Nikon D810 report. And here, due to the powerful optical stabilizer, a large range of camera exposures turned out to be working.

Art Modes OM-D E-M1 Mark II

I went with my family on a short trip to the Krasnodar Territory. Olympus has a very cool art mode with real-time filtering.

F 4.5, 1/1000 s, ISO 200, 24mm (35mm equiv.)

Sochi winter arboretum

F 4.5, 1/40 s, ISO 1600, 24mm (35mm equiv.)

F 3.2, 1/80 s, ISO 200, 32mm (35mm equiv.)

You look through the electronic viewfinder and see without delay any changes and art filters you make. I especially liked the way I get black and white images in the grain mode.

F 3.2, 1/800 s, ISO 200, 48 mm (35 mm equiv.)

Gray black sea

You can endlessly sit on the black pebbles of the Sochi beach and watch the sunset sun. I continue to shoot with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II.

F 2.8, 1/30 s, ISO 1600, 24mm (35mm equiv.)

Olympic Park in Sochi

How not to drop by the Sochi Olympic Park? The scale of construction is staggering. All Olympic facilities have not yet collapsed, but they are half-empty and freely accessible. Few athletes train.

I drove here at dusk for a reason, but to test how the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II handles bright illumination and architecture photography. Here are some photos from the Olympic Square without processing, straight from the camera.

Skiing

What to say? When there is a lot of light and the weather is good, it is great to ride with such a camera. For a week in the mountains, I took only an Olympus with me, and left a DSLR with a pair of lenses at the hotel, because 700 grams is better than 2 kilograms.

F 7.1, 1/1250 s, ISO 200, 24 mm (35 mm equiv.)

I shot a lot in burst mode and video in motion, the quality was excellent. In very bright sun, the picture was visible both on the screen and in the electronic viewfinder.

Conclusions, advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

  • Lightweight camera and lenses.
  • Excellent image stabilization allows you to get interesting shots at long exposures and smooth video when shooting handheld.
  • High speed work. Instant on-the-fly image processing, fast recording to memory card.
  • Ergonomic Convenient settings and intuitive interface. The Olympus is quite comfortable in the hand.
  • I liked shooting video very much - autofocus, smoothness of video in Full HD, speed and quality in 4K mode.
  • Convenient viewfinder. Very bright both on a bright sunny day and in dark rooms. The swivel screen can be used for selfies.
  • Cool and varied creative art modes, especially for Instagram, post-processing can be assigned to the camera.
  • Innovation and functionality.

disadvantages

  • Weak battery. Enough for a couple of hours of active use, be sure to have a spare.
  • Turning on is quick, but until all the functions are launched, stabilization, AF, it takes about 2 seconds. When reporting, I missed a couple of moments, and if the camera is not turned off, the battery runs out.
  • It was not possible to set up a fast time-lapse (time-lapse shooting), for some reason the minimum time between frames is about 2 seconds, even if you set it to 1 second or less.
  • In the photo backpack, the lenses themselves switched to MF-mode and the caps constantly popped off them, I did not lose them only by a miracle (but this is not about the camera).

F 7.1, 1/1000 s, ISO 200, 38 mm (35 mm equiv.)

Well, 2 weeks have passed, I really liked the camera and to part with it, I am frankly sorry, it has a great deal of creativity.
OM-D E-M1 Mk II impressed me and is no longer perceived as a toy. You remember that you didn’t manage to shoot several ideas on it and try interesting modes. I can safely recommend it, especially when traveling.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Specifications
Matrix LiveMOS-sensor with a resolution of 20 megapixels
Permission High Resolution Mode 50 Megapixels (JPEG) and 80 (RAW)
ISO range 64 - 25 600
Exposure range 1/32000 - 60 s
Burst shooting Burst speed 15 fps with mechanical shutter
Continuous shooting speed 18 fps in C-AF mode
Continuous shooting speed 60 fps in S-AF mode
Video DCI 4K video recording at up to 236 Mbps
Dimensions (edit) 134.1 x 90.9 x 68.9 mm
Additionally dust and moisture protection, two cards
CPU TruPic VIII

Thank you for the attention!
Alexey Makushin

Five years ago, Olympus revived its legendary OM series of cameras in digital form, giving it the OM-D name. The first E-M5 camera, released in 2012, was followed by the E-M1 in September 2013. She became the flagship of the line for three years. And now it was replaced by the second version - E-M1 Mark II.

At first, the most cursory glance, both "ones" are very similar, but upon careful comparison, external changes become visible, and upon careful acquaintance, it becomes clear how serious the internal updates are.

Let's try to figure out if all these improvements are enough for the new flagship to qualify for the role universal camera... In this review, we will compare it to other models in the OM-D series.

Design and ergonomics

The novelty, like other representatives of the OM-D series, has a durable magnesium alloy case. The layout is classic for top-level DSLRs and mirrorless cameras: in the center there is a prismatic ledge, inside which there is a viewfinder, and on top there is a "hot shoe" connector.

On the right is a comfortable grip covered with a rubber pad to prevent the camera from slipping out of your fingers. Additional insurance is provided by a rear panel lug with the same non-slip surface. It serves as a thumb rest.

The handle in the second version of the "one" has become slightly larger both in height and in length. This made it ideal for a large male hand: it is comfortable to hold the device, while fingers do not get tired. The author did not have such a feeling of comfort, perhaps, with any other DSLR or mirrorless camera.

On the upper inclined section of the handle, in a small recess, there is a shutter release button surrounded by one of the control dials. The index finger works with them without the slightest tension.

Inside the handle is a new battery BLH-1 with a capacity of 1720 mAh, much larger in size and service life (in the M1, a BLN-1 with a capacity of 1220 mAh was used).

The dedicated BCH-1 charger performs a full charge about 50% faster than the M1. The new battery has never been completely discharged during many hours of photo sessions.

Another nice little thing: in the photo mode, the remaining battery charge is now indicated on the screen as a percentage. When shooting video, the number of minutes remaining is reported.

The camera body, like all lenses in the M.Zuiko PRO series, is sealed against dust and moisture. In addition, the camera is able to withstand relatively low temperatures (down to -10 ° C). But, you see, a Siberian or polar photographer will hardly be impressed by this figure.

Like others cameras OM-D, the entire top panel is occupied by numerous controls.

Among them are auxiliary function buttons, a power-on lever, a shooting mode dial, command dials, a reprogrammable function button and a video recording button.

Control features

The camera has inherited a very convenient 2x2 settings control system. It uses two dials and two additional controls, which together provide quick access to almost all shooting parameters.

By default, the dials control two important parameters (shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation), and when using one or two additional organs, they temporarily change their function.

The first of these organs is a lever that, when switched, changes the set of parameters adjustable by the dials (for example, ISO and white balance), as well as the functions of the buttons of the second additional organ.

By the way, the lever can also be assigned the power-on function, which will be appreciated by those who like to hold the camera with one hand. In its center there is a button for locking the exposure and focusing when shooting or protecting images from erasure in playback mode.

The second organ, which mimics the tape rewind of old OM cameras, is equipped with two buttons.

They are responsible for changing the parameters controlled by each of the control disks. And what this parameter will be is determined by the lever mentioned above.

All these wisdom with flexible settings can easily confuse the owner of a standard DSLR. But if you master the 2x2 control from Olympus, you will hardly want to change it to something else - it is very well thought out.

In addition to the organs that are part of the "2x2" system, in the Olympus OM-D series cameras, almost all buttons can be used to call functions, since they can be reprogrammed.

The possibilities for the owner of the E-M1 Mark II have become even wider, as the buttons of the battery grip, which in previous models simply duplicated those located on the camera, can now live their own lives and perform other functions assigned to them.

It is impossible to ignore the most visual and easy way to get to many important settings - using the quick menu SCP (Super Control Panel). It is navigated through the rear control dial. The active parameter is changed through the front. Since the LCD screen is touch-sensitive, you can select the desired option with just the touch of your finger.

LCD screen

The touchscreen properties of the LCD screen allow you to quickly flip and zoom the footage, just like on a smartphone or tablet. In addition, with a touch of your finger, you can instantly select an area for AF or take a picture.

The screen has a diagonal of 3 inches. For the first time in Olympus mirrorless cameras, it received a design with the ability to tilt to the side (180 °) and rotate around its axis (360 °). On the one hand, this gave the photographer such opportunities as shooting from the side (with a camera looking around the corner), shooting a self-portrait or a video with his participation (this will appeal to vloggers).

On the other hand, such a construction almost made it impossible to unnoticeably shoot genre scenes from the waist down. With another design, where the screen tilts behind the camera body, the photographer could pretend to be looking at something on the display by leaning towards the camera while taking pictures by touching the screen.

From the point of view of displaying the picture, there are no complaints about the LCD screen: it has a contrast, has large viewing angles, reproduces colors well, allows you to assess the focusing accuracy and the elaboration of small details due to the high resolution (1.04 million points).

Electronic viewfinder

The E-M1 Mark II uses a high-end electronic viewfinder (EVF) for sighting. It has a resolution of 2.36 million pixels, 1.48x magnification (0.74x in 35mm equivalent) and 100% frame coverage. The image refresh rate is 120 fps, and the lag is only 6 milliseconds (this is 30% less than in the previous OM-D E-M1). EVI is equipped with an IR sensor to automatically switch the display of the picture in it or on the LCD screen. If desired, the photographer can switch the image output manually using a special button, as well as adjust the diopters according to his vision.

The main advantage of EVF over the optical viewfinder is the display of the photo even before the shooting in the form in which it will be recorded, taking into account all the corrections made for exposure, white balance and applied filters. In addition, in the EVI, you can display more shooting parameters, a histogram, aids for framing (several types of grids, electronic level) and manual focusing (focus-picking, enlarging a fragment with a given scale in the selected area of ​​the frame).

DSLR owners usually have standard complaints about electronic viewfinders: display lag, picture noise when shooting in the dark, blackout that occurs during high-speed continuous shooting (you cannot control the filming process through the viewfinder), inaccurate color rendition.

Yes, unfortunately, all of this (albeit to a lesser extent) can be attributed to the E-M1 Mark II. Usually in amateur cameras, we do not look at these points so closely. But in the case of a top-end camera, including one intended for reporting, as the manufacturer positions it, the requirements for the viewfinder are very strict, since the result depends on the control of the situation.

It is worth mentioning about the illumination of the filmed scene in the dark. On the one hand, this makes it possible to control focus, but on the other hand, it complicates the assessment of the actual illumination of the scene. Whether it is an advantage or a disadvantage, everyone decides for himself.

E-M1MarkII / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f / 4 IS Pro SETTINGS: ISO 200, F4, 1/2500 sec

Especially for those who still prefer an optical viewfinder, the E-M1 Mark II has a simulation mode where changes in shooting parameters do not affect the image in the viewfinder in any way. However, it was not possible to completely save the EVF from automatic brightness correction.

Interfaces

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II is the first Olympus mirrorless camera to feature two SD card slots, one of which supports fast UHS-II cards.

The slots support several modes of operation with two cards: recording only on one specified card, simultaneous recording on both cards in different formats (for example, JPG and RAW), sequential recording in the same formats (the space on one card has run out - the recording is transferred to the second), parallel mirrored recording of the same information (for reliable backup). You can assign the saving of photos and videos to cards in different slots, choosing the most suitable cards.

On the left side of the camera there is a compartment with connectors, which is protected by three tight-fitting elastic caps. Two of them allow you to get separate access to the microphone input and headphone output (the previous cameras of the series did not have it), they have standard 3.5 mm jacks. Under the third plug are micro-HDMI connectors (supports direct video output in 4: 2: 2 format to an external recorder) and a USB Type-C port.

On the right panel, also in a protected compartment, there is a connector for connecting a wired remote control.

Truly I say to you - the end of the world is coming! Everywhere we see signs of an impending doom judgment:
in a Chinese village, fishermen caught a fish with human teeth, in the European office of Apple
pacified the portrait of Jobs, and in faraway America a white heterosexual was elected president (no kidding).

Here's another sign for you - Olympus has released a mirrorless camera with a starting price of $ 2000! If it is not
a sign of the coming apocalypse, then tell me - what more proof do you need?

In all fairness, they weren't the first to start. Many other manufacturers taking advantage of earthquakes
and other natural disasters on the Japanese islands, the price tags were rewritten in chorus upwards.
And then they are still surprised that their sales are falling. Speaking of sales - it wasn't so easy before
persuade the amphibian living in each of us to regularly upgrade their glands, and now, when our
salaries suddenly halved in dollar terms, it became even harder to find arguments in
this eternal dispute. Accordingly, all manufacturers who want to sell us at least something have to
go out of his way to interest us in the fruits of his hard labor.

The Olympus equipment, of course, also went up in price, but strictly for the difference in the ruble / euro exchange rate. And who to thank
for this very difference - you know without me.

Another sign: It got to the point that Olympus Russia sent me a prototype camera for a detailed long-term test.
If someone had told me before, I would not have believed it. It was unexpected and very pleasant. Believe me: touched to the core.

I'll make a reservation right away: since the camera I got in my hands is an engineering sample (which is unambiguously
and proudly says the inscription SAMPLE under the screen), then I will not, as usual, give you a mountain of full-size photographs
or even worse - rabbis for independent study. Not this time. Let's start with the manufacturers of RAW converters
they will learn to show them normally.

However, I was allowed to show a number of full-size photographs. And here we must express gratitude
to the manufacturer - such confidence in the operation of even a non-serial test device commands respect.

Regarding the test pictures offered to your attention, I would like to state the following:

- All photos were developed in RawTherapee v 4.2.1203 and re-saved in JPEG from Adobe photoshop
with maximum quality
- There is no post-processing (except for a couple of pimples removed from one of the young ladies). There is no noisemaker. EXIF in place.
- Some photos are accompanied by full sizes, as there is a corresponding mention under the photo and a link.
- Except for those photos for which I posted full sizes, no other full size photos, raw files and
there are no intra-camera JPEGs and no need to ask about them. The camera was not serial and that is forgivable DPReview
I definitely won't get away with it.

Thanks to 2FStudio for the hall with the lights

full size

So, let's begin.

What do we do first of all when we buy a new camera? That's right - we charge the battery. We now have a new battery - more capacious,
what promises more time autonomous work(otherwise, apparently, not to feed the whole horde of processors hidden inside - some
there are only 2 corpses and each, they say, about 4 cores). Eight-headed Japanese dragon, yes.

Charging is very fast, which is a critical thing for professional use. Hopefully afterwards for extra money
they will also roll out chargers for 2 batteries at once (I remember seeing these from some of the brands).

Finally (and not ten years have passed) we see a normal indication of the remaining battery capacity in percent. What it seems
natural users of some other systems, finally pleases you and me. Moreover, the discharge process is very accurate.
controlled, cannot be compared with what it was before, when the indicator had essentially three states:
stuffed to the eyeballs / I'll die soon / blinking red.

Pay attention - how beautifully it draws new lens M.Zuiko 25 / 1.2 Pro, with the following shots taken in a setting
a semi-dark coffee house, where the camera-lens bundle was perfectly focused.

Now the rank percentiles are constantly ticking, which is a little annoying at first, but I got used to it in half a day.
And now I know for sure - when to look for a nearby outlet. I must say right away that you have to look for an outlet less often than before.
The batteries are now enough for a noticeably larger number of frames.

However, this fragrant barrel of honey contains a small but very unpleasant spoon. you know what... The charger that's so
Greatly charges a new battery, from the middle of the charging process, a bright orange LED starts blinking cheerfully.
Moreover, the closer the process is to completion, the higher the frequency of this blinking.

Just imagine - it lies on the table at night, where you put your battery to recharge after a hard day,
and blinks cheerfully! Then BLINKS-BLINKS !! Then BLINKS-BLINKS-BLINKS !!! In the meantime, try to sleep. 🙂

Well, by God, I had to add a function so that the charger didn’t start glowing green at the end of the work,
and shouted "Allahu Akbar!" Then they won't be allowed into the airport with this thing either, as with some newfangled telephones. 😉

Dear developers! Tricolor LEDs in the Celestial Empire now cost 5 yuan per bucket with a capacity of 3 qian. It is not expensive.
May I ask you to remove this epileptic joy and put a normal three-color LED as an indicator of the state of charge?
Then we can safely leave the working charger overnight on the windowsill without the risk of going crazy.

Ergonomics.

In fact, I ran out of questions about the ergonomics of the Olympus since the introduction of the OM-D EM5-II on the market.
Even then, all the small plops were corrected, at last they began to use materials of the "premium" class,
the gum ceased to peel off, the frames to crack, the pads to fall off and the screws to unscrew.

Then there was PEN-F, which to the touch most of all reminded me of the creation of the gloomy Soviet genius: "Zorky-4", cogs
there it became even less (and from the lower side they disappeared completely - how they collect it on the conveyor - I can't imagine).

The current EM-1 is most similar to my beloved E-510 (I had such a camera at one time), but made of
materials and with E-3 tolerances (which I also had and from which new camera inherited a graceful
self-lost plug of the synchronization port, however, above this cap, which strives to unscrew and get lost
right after buying the camera, I already made fun of it in my review of the E-M5, I don’t want to repeat myself).

ISO 4000

The grip is exactly 510-shny. For me, it is ideal in depth and grip. No matter what competitors say, they do not care
ergonomics like walking to the moon. Right there everything sits like a glove. You do not need to tinker with any linings bought on Aliexpress,
there is no need to "finish" or "improve" anything - everything is thought out by the manufacturer. Grip allows you to freely operate the camera,
holding it in one hand and with large enough lenses.

The buttons, I note, are exactly the size and the degree of bumpiness, which allows you to press them in winter with gloves.
This is no less important than the declared frost resistance of the camera up to -10 C. I also checked this - in frost the camera works great
and does not even blunt degrees to -20C. Lower in our area at this time usually does not happen.

But, as usual, I found a lot to get to the bottom of. The vile nature makes itself felt. On the other hand, the manufacturer can also
to understand - if you make an ideal camera once and for all, then how can you then sell a new, even more ideal camera in a couple of years?

B / W cards from Olympus starting with PEN-F make me very happy.

That's it! Each manufacturer leaves various kinds of roughness and roughness in the hope that they will give room for them.
subsequent gradual fixes and improvements. They say that this is what is called "progress".

Well, in fact, you do not think that the cover of the memory card compartment was made so slippery by accident and its fastening
so unreliable precisely due to an oversight of the developers? It can not be. I see a rigorous scientific calculation and results here.
lengthy experiments.

And if it's no joke - the cover is made so-so. It is made of slippery plastic and is not pasted over with leatherette (like the rest
carcass surface). No notches have been made on it. It slides even in my dry hands - go and open it
when you need it. And already polished to a shine.

Why didn't they make it like in the second dime, where the same node does not raise any questions at all? This secret is great ...

In fairness - there is nothing more to get to the bottom of. Tight wheels click under the hands, levers jump, changing
position with a well-defined effort, even the dimple under the finger, which is used to pick out the rear screen, became a little deeper - perfect.

Congratulations, Sharik! You are a dunce. (c)

At one time, I foolishly sold all my glasses left over from the older 4/3 system. After trying to hook them on the first OM-D,
I realized - pampering is all. Whack-whack-whack - it's not autofocus, it's a mockery. This is what it was before the OM-D EM-1.
There, phase detection AF appeared on the sensors on the matrix, and the old glasses played in a completely different way.

On the new unit, there are much more phase-detection AF points, they are located even wider, and I could not resist and tried to fasten on
camera old glass - the only remaining old one by today's standards 40-150 / 3.5-4.5 of the very first version. That,
that went with a doublekit to my first E-300 (my eyes in this place were covered with a dull veil of memories).

Usually further in the stories they write: what was his surprise when ...
That's it: what was my surprise when it turned out that the old lens focuses on the new body faster than it does
did it on his own E-300 back in 2006.

We arrived ... as our Ukrainian colleagues say. 🙂

Admire how they look organic. And in terms of weight distribution, by the way, a very convenient bundle.

It turns out that I wasted everything that I had acquired by overwork: Zuiko Digital 11-22 / 2.8-3.5, Zuiko Digital 50 / 2.0 Macro,
(I'm going to cry now), Leica 14-50, etc. Well, this is how it turns out - the Russian man is strong in hindsight, yes.

Moreover, at one time, when a camera with an 8 megapixel matrix, it was oh, how cool, (my first DSLR was just
was 8 Mpix E-300) I remember how one of the company's officials said at the next photokine: Zuiko glasses will
resolution of 20 megapixels.

Then I grunted incredulously, but this phrase sunk into my head. 10 years have passed, and we can verify this statement. Uncle, it turns out
I didn't lie - even an inexpensive 40-150 on an open hole perfectly resolves the new matrix (the difference from 25 / 1.2 is in favor of glass for a thousand
bucks, but she is, I would say, homeopathic). Pictures as proof of the thesis are attached. Everyone who kept the old ones
glass - I envy you.

Color rendering.

It is difficult to judge such subjective matters. Color rendition is such a thing that can of course be measured by shooting a test
target, but it is not clear what to do with the intentional. Indeed, in addition to accuracy, the "beauty" of the resulting picture is also important, and
it is a thing so specifically subjective that it regularly provokes virtual stabbing in various forums on the web.

Nevertheless, there is something to talk about. Since the very first appearance of Olympus cameras, they have been known for their beautiful color reproduction.
(especially in JPEG) and reasonably accurate color separation (for those who develop raw).

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I am sure that each company has its own internal ideas about the pictures that should be obtained from their cameras, there is
some internal testing procedures and settings for binding matrices, filters and software. But we will never know about them,
most likely. And you have to judge by the end result. Here I will not be allowed to lie - oddly enough, it is always different.
More-less.

At one time, I really liked the result obtained with the E-510, then with the E3 and OM-D EM5-II. Since PEN-F it seemed to me
the internal vector of developers has changed a little (or maybe someone just retired), and now we see a more accurate
flowers picture than before. Worse or better, I'm not ready to judge. It's not difficult for me to bring the photo to the form I need,
which means that the basic parameters of color separation remain high and all changes are visible only in the
default jpegs.

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Speaking of matrices. So far, the converter that I use in my work includes only basic support for the new camera.
But even now I can see the difference in color reproduction between the PEN-F and the EM1 Mark 2. It is small but distinct. By the way, here's what I wrote
me a converter developer RawTherapee:

As a substitude I compared the color matrices that Olympus includes in its exif data and found that the closest match
is with E-M5II so I used the E-M5II's color matrix (copyed from colormatrix2 dng tag (D65). I also suggest to use Adobe's
E-M5II dcp at the moment ... waiting for properly shots of cc24 targets under daylight and tungsten lighting to build better dcp
profiles or just wait for Adobe to support E-M1II with the upcoming DNG converter and use their dcp’s.

That is, the author claims that the color rendition of the new camera is close to that of the OM-D E-M5 II. And this, you see, is good.
I have already debugged my workflow and the color suits me more than. And when will there be high-quality support in the main
The raw converters on the market will only get better. Just the other day my beloved Capture One 10 came out,
where this support has already been officially announced.

Dynamic range and noise.

I'll make a reservation right away - for instrumental measurements, thorough comparisons, shooting the world and colorcheckers there are special sites and
specially trained bores. I will only talk about my impressions.

It feels like the matrix in the new camera, if, and outperforms the one in the PEN-F in terms of noise, then this difference is hardly visible
with the naked eye. I took the time to do a little test on my knee. I only see a difference at ISO 6400 and above.
And the difference is small.

Here's a picture at ISO 6400 And the color is good, and the detail is in place. In a word, working ISO.

On the other hand, the placebo effect has not yet been canceled. And chalk tablets bring real relief to 30% of patients. 😉

Here's an example of ISO 1600 for which I have no questions. Check out the full size link here.

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The difference that we see in real working conditions is most likely due to the fact that the exposure metering of the Olympus
(to which I personally, by and large, had no complaints, probably since the time of E-3) continues to improve.
And the more accurately we measure, the less we have to pull the image in the converter. And even a slight improvement in accuracy
measurement will give the best picture in terms of noise.

This is where progress is evident. If earlier I shot mainly in matrix ESP metering, now I increasingly use spot metering.

Already in the PEN-F, he knew how to snap to the focus point (which made it possible to shoot concerts without exposure compensation, who
did it - he will understand how convenient it is). Nowadays, the algorithms have apparently been polished more thoroughly and the spot metering has become even more accurate.
And the more accurately we measured the exposure - the less then we pull the picture up during conversion - the less noise in the final
image.

With regards to the dynamic range. He grew up. I can clearly see this on some scenes.

By the way, in order to make support for the rabbits from the new camera in RawTherapee, I was asked to do some test
frames. At different ISOs. The trick is that the frames had to be totally overexposed (I have no idea why this is necessary,
but that's not the point).

So - it took a lot of work to build the conditions under which this can be observed. The camera stubbornly left
details in the highlights, until, finally, I found a powerful halogen in the table and shone it directly on the forehead. There is no reception against scrap,
yeah. Then I remembered a joke about severe Siberian men, a Japanese chainsaw and a rail. This is just our case.

Remember earlier it was believed that DD for 4/3 was so-so? And everyone tried, shooting, for example, landscapes, to do negative
expo-correction so that God forbid the light does not fly out? Then the idea of ​​ETTR (matrix of all
manufacturers by that time on DD had decently tightened up, and expoautomatics were still cautious in the old-fashioned way),
but it was still scary that in the bright sun we would overexpose something - and the khan's picture.

Gone are the days. A bright future has come. Here's an example - I rented this house with exposure bracketing + -2Ev,
and as a result, the most high-quality version was the exposed one with a correction of +2 Ev.

Here is such an HDR from scratch.

When developing, pull the exposure down by more than a stop, and voila - the absence of noise and the presence of details in the shadows are combined
with well-developed highlights. I must say right away - I consider the presence of glare in the picture to be a blessing that gives it liveliness and a natural look.
There are glare - there are no overexposures that disfigure the picture. These are the pies.

By the way, the constant exposure metering correction +2/6, which I set in PEN-F, migrated to the new camera. Seriously
I'm thinking of adding a little more.

Autofocus.

Sick in fact is the topic. For many years now we have been promised that “the mirrorless cameras are about to catch up and overtake in speed
autofocus classic SLR cameras ". Manufacturers have already managed to add phase focusing sensors to the matrix,
and clever tracking algorithms are being developed and implemented, and the speed of reading data from the matrix is ​​increasing - and things are still there.

All the same, everyone has to prove every time with foam at the mouth that at last it almost seems like it’s probably
we have almost managed to catch up with the AF speed of the Old Testament DSLRs such as Canon 5D Mark II or something like that.

In fact, everything is simpler - in terms of S-AF speed, the E-M5 II was already at the level of most SLR cameras. And in terms of accuracy
he surpassed them so much that in the place of the owners of the "mirror" I would not get involved in these comparisons at all, so as not to disgrace myself.

Generally speaking, the accuracy shown by mirrorless cameras is unattainable by what is called “by design” DSLRs.
The owners of classic cameras just need to accept it, put up with it, and learn how to live with it. It is understandable - search
maximum contrast in the real image will always be more accurate than the operation of the AF sensor system of a classic camera, which
in addition, there is almost always a front / back focus.

There's lightning in the new AF-S camera. Even in the twilight conditions and in the dark back streets of the studio, he finds something to catch on.
I consider this topic closed for myself from now on.

But as for the AF tracking, everything is different here. Indeed, with purely contrast focusing, the camera does not know where it is going.
object, and she has to be sophisticated to somehow determine it (how she does it - I suppose this is a terrible engineering secret).

Honestly, I tried to drive the tracking autofocus, but it works, but here it is no less important to have the skills of "tracking" the target and
in general, to pump my skills as a Voroshilov shooter, which I can not boast of, alas.

Experiments have shown that a person walking directly or diagonally towards you is confidently “kept” by the camera in focus.
As well as a car driving at you with the speed allowed in the city. And the Nikon D5 will not be able to keep up with the cat galloping around the house.

The disgusting light of fluorescent lamps still could not spoil the picture.

At least, what we saw at the Olympus before could be called tracking AF only because of great sympathy for the company.
Now at least there was a topic for substantive discussion.

Video and stabilizer.

I have combined these two points in one paragraph for a reason. Remember how, in Remarque's Novel “Three Comrades,” the guys mocked
around with the help of a nondescript car Karl, under the hood of which there was a hellish motor from a racing car?

I have my own similarly vile entertainment, similar in nature. You find yourself at an event where
a certain "wedding videographer" or someone else, hung with steadicams, is working with you for the most part.
You get up next to me and, by chance, also start to shoot. The main thing is to sight on the screen. Videographers are observant people,
and sooner or later their peripheral vision works. They see the picture and do not understand why it does not twitch. At all.

- What the hell you got there?
- Olympus, I'm filming a video.
- And what from the hands?
- So it does not tremble at all - the stabilizer, etc.
- Give me some bubbles?
- Leave me alone

Then you reluctantly give the camera into his hands, and here you carefully look at the operator's face. Such a storm of emotions usually
reflected on the face, that by God I would like to somehow secretly remove it on video. All stages are strictly in the order described
in special literature:
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Adoption

Well, then, when the shock passes, a substantive conversation begins - what is the price, where to buy, etc. Stub is real
showstopper, as the bourgeois say.

Sonya is already 18 years old. Fluorescent lights did not prevent the camera from setting the correct WB

The most interesting thing is that the stabilizer in each camera continues to be finished. If in the second penny and PEN-F he started
turn on / off in a smart way, with some delay after releasing the shutter button, for example, now it has become
also work quieter. And its effectiveness, albeit not very much, has still increased (there are even rumors that a certain
theoretical limit due to the rotation of mother Earth).

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Regarding the video itself, I will disappoint you - I was not ready to test it clearly, I'm more about photography.
But to a couple of videographers I knew (of those who, after a trick with the stabilizer, made friends with me), I gave
look at the received files, and they spoke out very positively. Most of their enthusiasm is me in general
did not understand to be honest.

As Forrest Gump said: “That's all I can tell you about the Vietnam War” 😉

All sorts of baubles and enticements.

For me personally, the main attraction in the second dime was the HiRes shooting mode. Of course, we all pretend in public that we
It is not at all annoying that there are cameras with three times higher resolution. Yes, yes - we were all taught that the main thing
not the size, but the ability to use and that's all. It's clear. But sometimes a hell of a megapixel is a stupid requirement
customer.

Sometimes the utmost resolution is really needed. And here we are helped out by the possibility of shooting in the HiRes mode.
This idea was first implemented, if I'm not mistaken, in Hasselblad, but it was Olympus who brought this cool thing.
to the masses.

Everyone who has used this mode is aware of its advantages and disadvantages. Yes, you can only shoot static, yes, only
from a tripod (for now), but even with all these limitations, the ability to squeeze 80 megapixels of resolution from the camera is not a joke
(80 megapixels are obtained with manual development - the camera exudes only 50 megapixel JPEGs)

There were persistent rumors that the EM-1 Mark 2 would be able to do this trick when shooting handheld. I myself hoped (for purely theoretically
I see no obstacles to compensating for hand tremors in the presence of a stub), but it only seems from the outside that everything
very simple. Apparently, there are some problems and only in the future we will live to see such miracles. That we will live - there is no doubt.
I believe in Olympus engineers. But for now, this kind of tripod is required for shooting.

Another thing is important! Everyone who has already tried to shoot these hellish-sized pictures noticed that any trembling of the leaves,
the displacement of branches and other movements in the object being filmed sometimes led to the appearance of unpleasant artifacts. In these places
there were such areas shaded by oblique shading, it looked, frankly, disgusting.

So - now all this I did not see. I made a special trip to take a picture of the smoking chimneys of the thermal power station, which
The cameras were all jagged (the smoke, it turns out, moves quite briskly) and now I see that there are no artifacts. New camera
successfully combats this phenomenon. As proof, here's that picture:

It's clear that it's not a fact that third-party converters can do this. But no one is stopping their authors from coming up with their own version of the fight.
with this evil. By the way, there is a timid hope that the new firmware will improve the situation even more and may even allow
remove from hands, does not leave me. This is probably because I am generally a romantic and believe in all good things.

The next thing is ProCapture mode.

In this mode, half-pressing the shutter will start recording frames in the circular buffer and then, when the bird finally
will fly out, and you, as usual, gape and be late to press the trigger (for a person, such a delay is normal),
frames are simply merged from the buffer to the flash drive, including the few pieces that you could shoot yourself if
you have a reaction like Chuck Norris.

That is, now all the bunglers and brutes are happy - you can be blunt as before, but with the new camera they will
manage to capture the moment when the hummingbird flies out of the nest (or crawls out of the hole - the devil knows where these damn hummingbirds are found).

We tried to shoot various fast and sudden processes. Just for fun. Bursting soap bubbles
filled with smoke and fire and all that. And they tried to capture the moment when the bubble did not seem to burst, but he was already a kick-ass
(just like now with our Russian economy). It turns out very nicely (unlike our economy, unfortunately).

Overall impression of the camera.

Here's a joke, but Olympus does it well the second time around. You don't have to look far for examples: E-510-> E-520, OM-D EM5 -> OM-D E-M5II, etc.
First, they give out a revolutionary camera on the mountain (remember the first matrix stub in the 510th, for example, or the first "penny" which
was generally a revelation), but having a certain amount of roughness (I'm not talking about outright jambs). Probably in a hurry.

And then, after a year, all this is carefully corrected in truly successful models (E-520, OM-D E-M5II). In the same second penny I
I didn’t find anything at all that could have been done more correctly at that time - a kind of uber-camera.

We remove the skeleton of the first with the second one

I never had the first E-M1 and it's hard for me to judge, but it seems that history has repeated itself again. Completion degree and
The refinement of the second unit is impressive. What can I say, if comparing it with the serial X-T2, I clearly saw fuji lags
(with a sharp change in illumination in the frame, she simply begins to shamelessly dull for a few seconds, drawing a picture at a speed
probably 15 fps). So I was comparing a serial camera with an engineering sample, which, by definition, should be more oblique.
However, no.

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Even the Olympus that fell into my hands, with a proud SAMPLE inscription on the back, looked like a finished serial sample and behaved
respectively. There is a large amount of pre-production processing of the product.

In general, the main epithet that comes to mind when you take the camera in your hands is speed. And I'm not talking about
autofocus speed, but about the overall reaction speed of the camera in general to everything: pressing buttons, switching modes, changing lighting
scenes in the viewfinder, etc., etc. It does not slow down at all, and everything I do with it causes an instant response.

The Olympus army march to capture the mirrorless market.

At first it even seemed somewhat unnatural, but you quickly get used to good things. I will say more - after finishing testing the camera
I took my second penny in my hands and took a few shots for the review screen saver (in which the new camera is on the table). Experienced
an unpleasant feeling - it seemed that my favorite second patch was a terrible brake. And not so much for AF as for the general reaction
in general, on everything and everyone in the process of work. As if cotton wool was placed under each button: there is a millisecond delay, there is something not instantaneous
responded ... brr. How quickly we get used to good things!

Well, I hope I'll get used to it back in a couple of weeks.

The dimensions and weight of the new E-M1 seemed optimal to me, although of course I'm used to smaller and lighter cameras.
Micra has already corrupted me. For professionals, this is just the right weight, grip and (hopefully) the strength of the entire structure.

The camera was undoubtedly a success. Olympus engineers have again raised the bar for performance, picture quality and usability,
well, for future generations of this family (Mark 3 will be born sooner or later, I'm sure), the first improvement I'm already ready
hint: Glue the memory card compartment cover with something rough.

The first generation Olympus OM-D E-M1 was and remains an excellent camera, but its capabilities in video mode are rather limited, while its direct competitor, the Panasonic DMC-GH4, by contrast, is one of the best cameras for video shooting. The new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II has clearly taken this into account.

The second generation of the flagship family is already capable of shooting 4K video, 200 Mbps FullHD video in ALL-Intra mode (all frames are key), as well as 1080 / 60p video. In addition, the number of phase focus sensors built into the matrix has been increased, the operation of the built-in 5-axis optical stabilizer has been improved, the continuous shooting speed with a mechanical shutter is an incredible 15 frames / s, which is commensurate with the flagship reportage DSLRs. The dimensions of the device have been slightly changed, which has a positive effect on the usability, and also made it possible to install a more capacious battery. In general, the update is significant, but the price of the new item is also impressive.

Specifications

Camera typeMirrorless interchangeable lens camera
Matrix4/3 inch MOS
Effective pixels20,4
Total pixels21,8
Low pass filterThere is
Lens mountmicro 4/3
CPUTruePic VIII
Dimensions of the photo frame5184 × 3888
Still picture formatRAW 12 bit, JPEG (EXIF 2.3, DCF)
Video frame size4096 × 2160 (C4K) 24p
3840 × 2160 (4K) 24p
1920 × 1080 50p / 60p / 30p / 25p / 24p
1280 × 720 50p / 60p / 30p / 25p / 24p
640 × 480 30p
Video file formatMOV (MPEG ‑ 4AVC / H.264), AVI (Motion JPEG)
SensitivityISO 64-25 600 in steps of 1/3 or 1 EV
Exposure rangeMechanical Shutter: 1/8000 - 60 sec (in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps)
Electronic shutter: 1/32000 - 60 sec
Exposure metering modesESP metering, spot metering, center-weighted metering, high zone, shadow
Exposure compensation+/- 5 EV (1, 1/2, 1/3 stops)
FlashNo
Viewfinder2,360k-dot electronic viewfinder
Display1037K-dot, 3.0-inch swivel touchscreen display
Data carrierSDHC, SDXC, UHS-I and UHS-II (1 slot)
ConnectorsHDMI, USB Type C, headphone jack, microphone, wired remote control
AdditionallyWi-Fi 802.11b / g / n 2.4GHz
NutritionLi-ion battery BLH ‑ 1 12.8 Wh
Dimensions, mm134.1 x 90.9 x 68.9 mm (excluding projections)
Weight, g574 g (including battery and memory card)
498g (Body only)

Appearance

At first glance, the second generation OM-D E-M1 practically does not differ from the previous model, but in fact there are quite a few differences. To begin with, the display is now not tilted, but rotatable, so during transportation it can be turned over with the LCD matrix to the camera, and indeed, there is more freedom of action now. The dimensions and weight have also changed - the body has slightly decreased in width, but at the same time it is taller and thicker, and also added 77 grams. But all the same, it is not the heaviest among direct competitors, because Panasonic DMC-GH5 weighs 725 grams, which is already commensurate with DSLRs.


There are also differences on the side panels, although they are not visible under the covers and doors. A console connection port appeared on the right side surface remote control, as well as an additional slot for installing a memory card. By the way, one of the slots supports SDXC UHS-II memory cards. On the left side surface, the inscription AV-out has disappeared, which is not surprising, because this archaism is no longer used by anyone. In addition, a headphone jack has appeared on the left side surface. The build quality is excellent, which is not surprising since the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a flagship. However, the build quality of all Olympus mirrorless cameras is pleasing.

On the front, in addition to the bayonet, there is an autofocus illumination LED, an X-sync connector, and a pair of programmable keys.

A viewfinder, a button for displaying information about settings and a key for locking AE / AF, supplemented by a lever for selecting the operating mode of the command dials, are installed at the rear above the tilting display. To the right of the display are the following keys: select the focus point, change the information display mode, navigate the menu, enter, enter the main menu, delete and switch to the view mode.

Top center is a hot shoe with a pair of microphones on the sides. On the left edge there are hot keys for selecting the autofocus / exposure metering mode and selecting the drive mode / setting the HDR mode. There is also a power lever. On the right side of the top panel, there is a shooting mode selector, which is supplemented with a lock key in the center, a rear command dial, a front command dial with a shutter button in the center, as well as keys for video recording and adjusting light and dark areas. It is noteworthy that most of the keys and control dials are programmable, and for the photo and video modes, functions are assigned separately, which is very convenient. There is also nothing new in the lower part of the case - there is only a battery compartment cover, a tripod mount connector, and a contact group for connecting a battery handle.

On the left, under three separate rubber plugs, are hidden connectors for connecting a microphone, headphones, as well as HDMI and USB Type C cables. On the right side surface there is a cover for a pair of memory card slots, as well as a rubber plug for a wired remote control connector.

Display, viewfinder and user interface

The camera's viewfinder, or rather the rubber eyecup, is quite comfortable despite the rubber compound being quite solid. The viewfinder resolution is the same as that of its predecessor - 2,360 thousand points. It seems to be good, but the main competitor in the person of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 has a viewfinder resolution of 3 680 thousand points.

With a 3-inch display, the situation is similar - the resolution is the same, only 1037 thousand points, while the Panasonic DMC-GH5 has a display resolution of 1 620 thousand points, and even the size is 0.2 inches larger. But the rest of the display is not particularly picky - the inclined design has been replaced by the swivel, the viewing angles are large, the display brightness is more than sufficient, the color rendition is good.

Touch Layer Control has never been available with Olympus cameras. strong point, and the tested camera is no exception. Of course, now by moving your finger across the display, you can select the focus point when sighting through the viewfinder (the display turns off), but this function is even in budget DSLRs. Otherwise, everything is the same - the touch input is actually used only to select the focus point, scroll and zoom in the photo, and only one touch is supported at a time, so there can be no question of any scaling with two fingers.

The user interface is generally recognizable, but there are still minor differences. For example, in the root of the main menu, a separate tab has appeared for the video mode, in which the settings, relative to the predecessor, have become much more. In addition, the parameter grouping has been reorganized in the Custom Settings menu. For a more detailed acquaintance with the menu below there are a number of screenshots of the camera screen.

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Features and additional functions

One of the interesting modes is ultra-high-resolution shooting, which combines several images into one with a resolution of 50 or 25 megapixels, and it is possible to shoot not only in JPEG, but also in RAW. If you select RAW + JPEG shooting, the photo is saved in three files at once - in JPEG and RAW with ultra-high resolution, as well as in RAW with normal resolution. Among the disadvantages of the mode, it is worth noting the need to use a tripod, as well as the impossibility of using an optical stabilizer. Of course, this mode is suitable only for shooting static objects.

Sample Ultra High Resolution Snapshot

The camera is capable of shooting at 60 frames per second with the ability to save in RAW, which is expensive. And this is not some kind of reduced image, but a full resolution shooting. But the shutter in this mode is electronic, which can lead to a rolling shutter effect (distortion when shooting fast moving objects). The burst duration is actually limited by the buffer capacity, but its capacity is so large that it can store 48 frames regardless of the format used.

Another one interesting feature- This is a preliminary shot when you press the shutter button halfway. In the settings of this function, you can select the number of pre-shooting frames (up to 14), as well as the speed of continuous shooting (from 15 to 60). The mode has only one drawback - it works only when the electronic shutter is triggered, the shortcomings of which are mentioned above.

There is a WiFi module in the camera, but no NFC. It looks at least strange in a camera for about $ 2000. But do not despair, because the quick and convenient wireless connection setup in Olympus cameras is implemented via a QR code. To get started, it is enough to activate WiFi in the camera (for this there is a virtual button in the main window) and start the automatic setup of the connection with the camera in the Olympus Share application on the smartphone, which reads the QR code and makes automatic connection. It takes about 6 seconds to launch the WiFi module, while connecting to a smartphone takes about 12 seconds. In general, it is fast and convenient, but the lack of NFC, which is available even in some budget DSLRs, is a significant drawback. Also, of the minuses, it is worth noting that with remote control in video recording mode, only MOV format and FullHD resolution are supported. Switching between modes for setting the exposure coupler is carried out using a smartphone. It is also possible to adjust the exposure compensation, aperture opening, set the shutter speed and sensitivity level, select the white balance setting and the drive mode. When remotely viewing the footage from the camera, the photo is not recorded on the smartphone carrier, but if you wish, you can import the photo. In addition, with remote control, it is possible to record geo-tags into the EXIF ​​data of images (if the smartphone / tablet is equipped with a GPS module).

Another cool camera feature is AF bracketing. This function allows you to shoot up to 999 frames with different focus positions (adjustable focusing steps) and the ability to automatically fold pictures after shooting, which allows you to get pictures with a huge depth of field. This is not unique to this particular camera, as it is common to many Olympus mirrorless cameras, but it should still be appreciated by subject photography enthusiasts.

Camera in operation

The camera boasts extremely fast mechanical shutter burst shooting. An impressive 15 frames per second will impress anyone, because this is already a result commensurate with the flagship reportage DSLRs. But unlike full-frame heavy DSLRs, the shutter sound is much quieter, and the mirror does not clang, because it simply does not exist. However, the closest competitors are not far behind. For example, the Panasonic DMC-GH5 is capable of shooting bursts at up to 12 frames per second, while the Fujifilm X-T2 is capable of shooting 14 frames per second.

It is noteworthy that in practice, even with all image processing and stabilization turned off, it was not possible to get a speed of 15 frames per second. When shooting in JPEG and RAW separately, the speed did not exceed 14.3 fps, and when using RAW + JPEG, the speed sagged to 12.9 fps. When using a Kingston SDXC UHS-I Class 3 memory card (write speed up to 80 MB / s), we managed to get a burst of 64 frames when shooting in RAW and JPEG separately and 48 frames when using these formats together. The manufacturer claims that when using a TOSHIBA SDHC UHS-II R95 W90 EXCERIA memory card, 84 frames can be recorded in RAW and 117 in JPEG (with medium compression quality) during continuous shooting without a drop in speed.

The autofocus of the camera has been significantly improved. There were phase sensors in the matrix before, but in the case of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 there were only 81 phase focusing sensors, while in the case of the tested camera there are already 121 of them, and all the sensors are cross-type. The choice of the focusing area can be carried out both using the navigation keys and using the touch screen, and even when sighting through the viewfinder. The available modes are auto-area, single-area, and group focus (5 or 9 areas). Of course, there is also a face priority mode, with the ability to select the priority of the subject's left or right eye. Autofocus modes are also quite standard: manual, single, tracking, as well as single and tracking modes with manual adjustment. Separately, it is worth noting except that the focus presetting mode with an indication of the distance value. In the manual focusing mode, from the assistants, an increase in the focusing area (3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 times) is available, as well as the function of highlighting the edges of sharpness or "picking".

Focus speed testing was done with the excellent Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 12-40 mm 1: 2.8 PRO lens. This lens allows manual focusing as with electronic communication with an optical system, and with a mechanical one (to switch to the "mechanical" mode, you must pull the focusing ring closer to the base of the lens). But we are more interested in how this lens works in conjunction with the camera under test. According to our standard technique, with an EGF of 50 mm, the camera was able to aim at the object along the central zone in 0.1 second, which is an excellent indicator.

However, not only the focusing speed is important, but also the autofocus sensitivity. And here, judging by the declared characteristics, the tested camera is inferior to the Panasonic DMC-GH5, which is able to focus at an illumination of -4 EV, while the experimental one needs -2 EV when testing according to the CIPA standard. When tested according to our method, the camera was able to focus at an illumination of 0.46 lux, which exactly corresponds to the declared value of -2 EV. Unfortunately, in practice this is felt, therefore, when shooting in the evening and at night, you need to be prepared for the fact that in the absence of bright light sources in the frame, the autofocus will not always cope.

Of course, the camera supports all modes of installation of ekpopara (PASM), but there are no extraordinary modes, as in the case of Pentax cameras. But in addition to the three usual exposure metering modes, special modes "light zone" and "shadow zone" are available, which allow you to shoot light objects against a light background and dark objects against a dark background in automatic mode. Exposure compensation is performed in a class-standard range of -5 to +5 stops in steps of 1/3 EV. The exposure bracketing settings provide for shooting 2, 3, 5 (with 0.3… 1 EV steps) and 7 frames (with 0.3… 0.7 EV steps). In addition, you can shoot in HDR mode in 3, 5 and 7 shots in 2 or 3 stops.

There is also a function of separate control of highlights and shadows. There is even a separate key to select this function (if necessary, it can be reprogrammed). This function is extremely handy when shooting in JPEG format, which leaves little room for post-processing. Overall, the automatic exposure was a pleasant experience. Regardless of the type of lighting, the presence of objects with significantly different brightness in the frame, the automation coped with its task perfectly. And even when shooting at dusk, with a still bright sky on the horizon, the camera did not disappoint - if correction was required, then within small limits. Under laboratory conditions, when illuminated with fluorescent lamps with a color temperature of 5,500 K, the metering error turned out to be completely scanty - only -0.05 EV. Of course, this is not a record result, but it is difficult to notice this error in a visual assessment even when comparing it with the reference and the presence of a high-quality monitor.

White balance settings are quite standard for Olympus cameras. It is possible to select a preset (sunny, cloudy, shade, incandescent lamp, fluorescent lamp, underwater photography, flash), the ability to manually select a color temperature in the range of 2,000 ... 14,000 K, as well as automatic and manual modes, and for the latter there are 4 container for storing settings. Automation works very accurately under any type of lighting. By default, the automation does a good job even with incandescent lamps, removing excessive yellowness, but if necessary, in the settings, you can select the shooting mode while maintaining warm shades. However, given the support for fast SDXC UHS-II cards and the relatively small size of RAW files (from 16 to 23 MB), the white balance setting may fade into the background, because when developing RAW, the correctness of automatic white balance determination is not as important as when shooting in JPEG and when shooting video.

Noises

A 2x crop factor for micro 4/3 systems has an effect on image noise when using high sensitivities, so the manufacturer reasonably limited the maximum ISO level to 25 600. The minimum sensitivity value in the standard range is ISO 200, the extended range also includes ISO value 64.

click on thumbnails to view full size

For the numerical representation of the noise level, a Canon EOS M5 mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor, which is slightly larger than micro 4/3, was taken for comparison. On the comparative diagram, we can see that when shooting in RAW, the Canon EOS M5 has a slight advantage over the tested camera only at ISO sensitivity values ​​of 12 800-25 600, which in the case of both cameras can hardly be called working. With JPEG, the situation is somewhat different. Despite the disabled noise cancellation, all manufacturers are a little cunning and produce hidden noise cancellation. Fortunately, in the case of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, the noise canceling activity increases gradually as the sensitivity level increases, and at low ISO values ​​the difference between RAW and JPEG is negligible. Unfortunately, at the maximum sensitivity level, the hidden noise reduction when shooting in JPEG is too active.

* - meaningISO 100 forOlympusOM-DE-M1MarkII corresponds to the valueISO 64

Stabilization

The camera has a built-in 5-axis gimbal with a declared efficiency of 5.5 EV when tested according to the CIPA method. This is the best reported result so far. The opponent was a Pentax KP SLR camera, which is also equipped with a 5-axis stabilizer, but with a declared efficiency of 5 EV. As you can see in the comparison diagram, the stabilizer of the tested camera is only slightly more effective than that of the opponent. However, the difference in efficiency is half a step greater advantage and could not give. But in any case, the efficiency of the stabilizer is very high. If you adapt and hold your breath while shooting, then at a shutter speed of 1/2 second you can get half of the frames without blurring, but our method implies normal use, without the use of special equipment and shooting techniques.

Flash

The camera does not have a built-in flash, because for professional purposes its value is practically zero. In contrast, a hot shoe and an X-sync port are available. The latter is of course outdated, but in professional technique its presence is required. In the quick menu, from the flash settings, you can select a firing mode, compensation in the range from -3 to +3 steps in increments of 1/3 EV, and a power divider function in the range of 1 / 1.3… 1/64 is also provided. In the main menu, you can change the upper and lower limits of the sync speed, as well as adjust the white balance when using a flash.

Sample photos

Video recording mode

In video mode, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera not only lost, but was smashed to smithereens by its main competitor, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4. Its limit of capabilities is recording clips in 1080 / 30p format, while the competitor can record 4K video, as well as video in 1080 / 60p mode, and there are more options for setting and controlling in video mode. The new product took into account the catastrophic lag behind the competitor and added 1080 / 60p, 1080 / 25p ALL-Intra modes with a bitrate of 200 MB / s, as well as a 2160 / 25p mode (video in 4K and C4K mode) with a bitrate of 100 MB / s. In addition, a headphone port has appeared, the number of picture and sound settings in the video recording mode has been significantly increased. Unfortunately, the zebra never appeared. At any resolution set, color representation is 8-bit and color subsampling is 4: 2: 0. When outputting a signal to HDMI, the color subsampling is 4: 2: 2, but the color representation is still 8 bits.

Stabilization in video mode works in two modes - digital + matrix shift, and also matrix shift only. Stabilization in the first mode is the most effective - even with normal walking and handheld shooting, without the use of special means and stabilization techniques, the image does not fly from side to side. But, do not forget that electronic stabilization eats up the viewing angle a little.

stabilization disabled

matrix shift stabilization activated

stabilization activated in electronic + matrix shift mode

In the manual focusing mode, as well as in the photography mode, the focus area enlargement function is supported, as well as the edge-of-field illumination mode. In addition, do not forget that the complete lens provides the ability to switch to the focus control mode with a mechanical rather than electrical connection between the control ring and the optical system, which greatly facilitates manual control. With autofocus and sufficient light, autofocus works almost flawlessly, but in a lack of light, the low autofocus sensitivity starts to affect. For example, on test videos filmed at dusk, it is noticeable that the autofocus sometimes takes too long to find the desired position. In general, the camera in video mode has been significantly improved compared to the previous model, but it still falls short of the main competitor in this mode. But in any case, the video function is now not for show, but quite full-fledged.

example of 4K video

sample video 1080 / 25p ALL-Intra

sample video 1080 / 60p

Autonomous work

The camera uses a BLH-1 lithium-ion battery with a declared capacity of 12.8 Wh, while the first generation Olympus OM-D E-M1 used a BLN-1 9 Wh battery. Of course, not only the capacity differs, but also the declared battery life. When tested by the CIPA method, the tested camera is able to shoot 440 frames, while the previous one - only 350. In the case of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5, only 410 frames are declared. So formally - victory for the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. In practice, the camera was able to capture an impressive 820 frames, of which a third were captured in fast burst mode.

Conclusion

If we talk about the camera without regard to the cost, then it is good, namely as a camera among "cropped" mirrorless cameras it is unsurpassed. The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II has the broadest shooting options, extremely fast continuous shooting with impressive burst lengths, pre-shooting before the shutter is pressed, very fast autofocus, precise metering, richest bracketing shooting settings exposure and shooting in HDR mode, and the AF bracketing mode should not be forgotten. As for the video mode, the camera really became head and shoulders above its predecessor, but it could not reach the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5.

Minuses:
- lack of NFC;
- poor implementation of touch control functions;
- autofocus sensitivity is lower than that of the main competitor;
- overly active hidden noise reduction when using the JPEG format
Pros:
- excellent build quality and body materials;
- many controls;
- ample opportunities for customization of management;
- USB Type C;
- extremely fast continuous shooting;
- very fast autofocus;
- accurate metering operation even in difficult conditions;
- C4K video support;
- the longest battery life in the class.

 

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