Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II: first impressions. Bonus - source files from Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

In 2012, the second in 2013. I see that these devices are evolving significantly from year to year, so I gladly accepted the invitation to go to Prague in order to test the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II.

This camera has two main differences from its competitors: a unique five-axis stabilization system, which allows you to shoot sharp images handheld in the dark at long shutter speeds, and the ability to take 40 megapixel frames, despite the fact that the matrix is ​​only 16 megapixels. How? The answer is under the cut...

In general, I’ll admit right away that I’m not good at writing reviews about cameras. In Prague, I was with the famous journalist Dmitry Krupsky, who specializes in them, so if you want to read a detailed and easily written detailed report on the camera, then this is the place for you.

I’ll tell you more about the emotions that this device evoked in me, but I want to make a reservation right away that I compared it with my Nikon D4, so maybe this is not very fair, since they are in completely different weight and price categories.

1. Ergonomics

After the huge Nikon, this one, of course, weighs nothing. If you attach a large lens to it, the balance of the camera is upset, but due to the overall low weight, this does not interfere.

A very convenient little window that can be unfolded and moved away. You can easily take interesting photos from a low vantage point or by raising the camera above your head.

The control buttons are quite clear and conveniently located. The camera is very smart and you can program every button, of which there are enough, for yourself.

Among the inconveniences: it was not very convenient for me to turn on/off the camera (the button is on the left and you need a second hand to turn it on). I also sometimes lost the settings, because while wearing it on my shoulder, I touched the settings wheels, which rotate too easily, and knocked them down.

Otherwise there were no questions. I got used to the controls pretty quickly.

The camera is also stated to be splash-proof. That is, it is still better not to put it under water, but in heavy rain you can remove it without problems.

2. Stabilization

The camera has five-axis stabilization. These axes are: right/left, up/down and 3 axes of camera rotation (see arrows in the picture). The system is very advanced and thanks to it it allows you to take sharp pictures even in poor lighting. Olympus considers this the main breakthrough and the main feature of its new camera. It's hard to disagree with this.

We shot a lot in the dark. Yes, almost everything! Examples of frames are at the end of the post.

3. 40 megapixels

This is an interesting mode, but it only works with a tripod and is suitable for photographing static objects. The camera takes 8 pictures in a row, each shifted by a poppixel. After this, the image is stitched together and the result is 40 megapixels. Therefore, without a tripod it turns out to be a mess.

Interesting idea and implementation. Photos come out very clear and sharp. Suitable for photographing objects and landscapes in calm weather. Examples of photographs are at the end of the post.

The thief is just one example. This is a crop from the large photo shown in the lower right corner. Please note the number of parts:

4. Video

With this stabilization system, steadicams, gyrostabilizers and other stabilization systems are no longer needed. We shot a short video. Everyone in our group played the role of videographer. For example, I ran after the main characters through the tunnel where Tom Cruise ran before us in one of the Mission Impossible episodes. Not all parts in the video were filmed by us. The ones on the bridge in Prague were filmed without us to make an interesting story. The point is that any untrained person can take this camera and shoot cool videos.

Pay special attention to the moment when the camera “comes out” of the car. They filmed it as follows: one person first rode in a car and filmed, and when the car stopped and the driver started to get out, he simply handed it into the hands of a man on the street and he continued filming.

Notice that there is very little camera shake. This is the work of the stabilizer. All shots were shot in one take& Watch in HD:

5. Painting with light

The camera has a lot of functions, presets, processes and everything you want. In my opinion, even too much. The camera should not take over the Lightroom function.

Separately, I want to talk about the trick of shooting painting with light. If previously light paintings had to be shot in completely dark conditions, now this is no longer necessary. The camera takes a series of shots. It remembers the first frame, and from each subsequent one it takes only new light areas and superimposes them on the previous ones.

I remember in the Maldives I forced my family to sit motionless for 30 seconds while I frantically ran behind me with a flashlight and drew the word Maldives. Naturally, within 30 seconds they were smeared. Here we shot the frame for 5 minutes, but the person in the frame was illuminated once, so it turned out to be absolutely sharp.

At the end of the post there are some more amazing paintings painted with light.

6. Battery

This, of course, is a complete failure. I don’t know how it is in other mirrorless cameras, but the batteries only last about 4 hours. That is, you need to take at least one, and preferably 2, spare batteries with you per day.

7. Accessories.

A full line of accessories will be available for the camera, ranging from an underwater housing and flash to a huge number of interchangeable optics.

8. Image quality

At first I shot everything in raw format and, out of habit, I wanted to process all the photos, but I ran into two problems. Firstly, the camera is still too new and Lightroom does not understand its files and cannot import them. Secondly, if I show processed photographs, it will not be very honest.

Therefore, all the photos in this and the next post are jeeps taken directly from the camera, without any processing (I just corrected the horizon here and there).

See and judge for yourself

7. Conclusions

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II is certainly a breakthrough in mirrorless cameras, but in terms of image quality it does not yet reach full-frame DSLRs, so decide for yourself what is more important to you - weight and convenience or picture quality.

Well, now, actually, examples of photographs.

40 megapixel mode. Shot on a tripod. The book was very small in size. If you fully enlarge the frame, you can easily read what is written in it:

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Everyone shot a hundred tripods:

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And this was hanging nearby. In general, Olympus compares itself with Sony and Fuji, and treats Canon and Nikon with disdain, as not coming up with anything new and losing the battle. Here, of course, I disagreed with them:

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The moment of filming. Just when the camera was being handed over:

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And this is a shot taken during the shooting of the video. It has a different format:

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Tom Cruise ran in these tunnels in Mission: Impossible:

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A bright spotlight at the end of the tunnel. The picture was very beautiful:

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I ran through this tunnel with the camera at arm's length following the characters in the video. I must admit that the picture hardly shakes:

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And then the camera didn’t have time to adjust to fast movement and the actor got a little blurry:

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We filmed at an old water station. It has not been working for a long time, but all the mechanisms remain:

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They turned on the lights in one of the rooms, blew in some fog for volume, and put two models at our disposal:

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They filmed in two locations: upstairs, where it was brighter, and downstairs, in the light of dim streetlights. Here the camera did not cope with the task very well. The face is all burned out, the shadows are gone. But the picture is sharp, although the shutter speed is only 1/13 of a second. This is the work of the stabilizer:

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It's better here. Here I used -2.3 stops of exposure compensation to bring out the texture on the face. The shadows are gone forever:

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Returned to top:

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General view of the room with lighting scheme:

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The most spectacular thing was painting with light. Everyone was lined up with tripods and given hats - it was cool in the basements:

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Artists' working tools:

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In the next post I will show photos from a walk around Prague taken with this camera, so you can evaluate the quality of the picture in normal urban conditions. Stay Tuned!

Not long ago it was listed on our website. The review examined the key features of the camera, its capabilities in shooting photos and videos, as well as its main characteristics. Today we offer a detailed review of the camera, which examined aspects of the model’s structure, shooting modes and creative effects. The camera's performance was tested and examples of photos and videos were created in various shooting modes. The Olympus OMD EM1 test model was kindly provided by SPN Ogilvy.

Test shots of the Olympus OMD EM1 can be viewed.

It is worth noting that this was my first acquaintance with a mirrorless camera, so the sensations described will be genuinely fresh and sincere. Well, let's get started...

Flagship mirrorless camera Olympus OMD EM1

First impression of Olympus OMD EM1

The first thing that catches your eye when looking at the Olympus OMD EM1 is the compact size of the camera. As a flagship high-tech and feature-rich mirrorless camera, the Olympus OMD EM-1 is the same size as an entry-level DSLR. Without a lens, the camera seems even more miniature. Once you attach the lens and pick up the camera, it's clear that even though the Olympus OMD EM-1 is much smaller in weight and size than its DSLR counterparts, the camera still feels secure and sturdy in your hands. When shooting, the model feels well stabilized. I would also like to draw attention to the rubberized coating of the camera, which promotes better grip between the hand and the camera.

Appearance and design of Olympus OMD EM1

The camera is made in a classic retro style, and in appearance it resembles the best models of the last century. However, the retro design of the case is all that remains in the Olympus OMD EM1 from the last century.

The camera body is made of magnesium alloy; manufacturers claim that the camera body protects against dust and splashes of water. But don’t flatter yourself with the thought that this will allow you to go out and take photographs in the rain without ruining your equipment. For extreme photo excursions, it is worth using a special protective box. As for temperature restrictions, you can shoot with the Olympus OMD EM1 at -10 degrees Celsius.

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus OMD EM-1 from all sides, paying attention to the camera's buttons and connectors.

Front panel of Olympus OMD EM1

Front panel of Olympus OMD EM1

Speaking about the front panel of the Olympus OMD EM1, it is worth noting the white balance adjustment button. There are two buttons on the side of the lens, one of which (the top one) is a button for setting a custom white balance. After pressing the button, a message appears on the display asking you to aim at a white sheet of paper. After pointing at a blank sheet of paper and pressing the shutter button, the camera automatically creates the optimal white balance preset suitable for that particular shooting situation.

Rear panel of Olympus OMD EM1

On the rear panel of the camera there is a 3-inch tilting touch display, viewfinder and control buttons. We will pay attention to the display and viewfinder a little later in a separate section, but now we will dwell in detail on the rear panel buttons.

Rear panel of Olympus OMD EM1

In the upper left corner there is a button with which focusing through the display is turned on or off. To the right of the viewfinder, at the top, there are two buttons. One of them is AEL/AFL - the focus lock button and one of the customizable Fn1 buttons. There is also a switch indicated by numbers 1 and 2, with which you can adjust certain shooting parameters. So, one of them allows you to adjust the aperture or shutter speed, and the other allows you to change the ISO value.

As for setting the Fn1 and Fn2 buttons, this is done very simply. The Fn1 button must be pressed and held throughout the entire setup. Then turn the menu dial to select the desired function. To fix the selection, simply release the Fn1 button. Pressing Fn1 again allows you to use preset options.

On the right side of the display there are buttons for setting and viewing images. The activated INFO button shows tips on all modes and parameters of the camera. That is, as you move through the menu items and select various options, INFO displays information about the capabilities of each parameter. You can also use it to change the information displayed on the display, but more on that later. Below the INFO button is a 4-way joypad and an Ok button in the center. The four buttons serve as guide buttons when viewing images and when selecting a focus point. The Ok button confirms the selection.

Top panel of Olympus OMD EM1

The top panel of the Olympus OMD EM-1 contains camera control buttons and access buttons to various menu items.

To the right (in the picture) of the viewfinder is the camera's on/off dial. There are two buttons on the top of the disk. One of them (if in the picture, then the one on top) adjusts the focus parameters and exposure metering mode, the other (bottom) adjusts the shooting mode - sets continuous shooting, shooting with a self-timer delay, or HDR shooting. On the viewfinder itself there is a hot shoe that allows you to connect a flash. Let us remember that the OMD EM-1 does not have a built-in flash, but a small external flash is included.

Top panel of Olympus OMD EM1

On the right side of the viewfinder is the menu dial. The dial provides 9 different modes: Manual mode (M), Semi-automatic Aperture priority mode (A), Semi-automatic Shutter priority mode (S), Programmed mode (P), Automatic mode, ART mode - allowing you to select one of the creative effects, Scene Mode SCN, which hides 25 different preset modes, Photo Story Mode, in which the camera takes several pictures, combining them into one frame, and Video Mode. In the center of the dial there is a neat button to lock the selected mode. The presence of the button is very convenient and prevents accidental rotation of the dial when actively working with the camera.

Next is a dial with which you can set the aperture and shutter speed settings when selecting the appropriate modes; you can also use the same button to zoom in on the image when playing back the footage. Right there on the top panel there is a Video recording button. The fact that the video recording button is located separately is very pleasing, because now, having noticed an interesting plot, you can start shooting a video at any time. To do this, you don’t have to waste time searching for the corresponding parameter in menu items. The movie button has a different feel than other buttons, reducing the chance of being pressed accidentally. Next to the video button there is a second multifunction button Fn2. On the top panel, in the upper right corner there is a shutter button. The shutter button works in the same way as in other cameras. Pressing the button halfway allows you to adjust the focus of the camera, pressing the button all the way allows you to create a frame.

Side panels of Olympus OMD EM1

Side panel of Olympus OMD EM1

Traditionally, on the side models of the camera there are connectors for connecting a cable and a memory card. On the side panel of the Olympus OMD EM-1, on one side there are two connectors - one for connecting an external stereo microphone, the other for connecting a USB cable | A/V Out and HDMI. The fact that you can only open the connector cover by moving the screen a little forward is a little confusing and inconvenient at first, but over time, it becomes clear that this move was made by the manufacturers to prevent accidental opening of the cover.

Side panel, on the other hand, the Olympus OMD EM-1 hides a memory card slot.

Bottom panel of Olympus OMD EM1

The bottom panel contains a tripod mount and a battery connector. To open the battery cover, you need to move the switch to the side, and after opening, move the small red button, the battery will pop out.

Display and Viewfinder Olympus OMD EM1

Olympus OMD EM1 Display

Olympus OMD EM-1 is equipped with a tilting and rotating touch screen display with a diagonal of 3 inches, or 7.5 cm. The OMD EM-1 screen resolution is 1,037,000 pixels. The high resolution of the display allows you to clearly convey the details of the color and texture of the subject.

Olympus OMD EM1 allows you to take photos by focusing using the display. In order to focus on the required area, you just need to touch this place on the screen. At this moment, the focus area will be highlighted with a green rectangle. Touch focus can be turned off if desired. It is also worth noting that there are two options for focusing itself - with the first, you simply focus by pressing, and with the second, touching the display means both focusing and creating a frame. If necessary, the touch area can be increased.

The fact that the Olympus OMD EM1's screen swivels and tilts makes it extremely convenient for macro photography, video recording and working in bright weather. You can always rotate the screen up or down, depending on the situation. The Olympus OMD EM-1 display can be rotated 50 degrees down and 80 degrees up.

Olympus OMD EM1 viewfinder

The OMD EM-1 electronic viewfinder has a resolution of 2,360,000 dots. Such a colossal number cannot fail to impress. The main competitors of the OMD EM1 – Fujifilm X-T1 and Sony Alpha A7r – are also equipped with a viewfinder with the same resolution.

Switching between focusing using the display and using the viewfinder occurs automatically. On the right side of the viewfinder, at the bottom, there is a sensor, when a shadow hits it, the camera automatically turns off the display, allowing the master to shoot through the electronic viewfinder.

As for the image quality in the viewfinder, it is excellent. For users like me, who are accustomed to an optical viewfinder, it may be unusual to see a digital image instead of a standard image of reality, but you can quickly get used to it. Looking through the viewfinder, information about the camera settings is visible below - the values ​​of shutter speed and aperture, ISO and exposure are displayed, as well as technical information - battery charge, number of remaining frames and time.

If we talk about the convenience of focusing through the display or viewfinder, then it is worth noting the following - when manually focusing (manual focusing), it is much more convenient to use the viewfinder; when recording video and taking photographs in automatic mode, shooting through the display is much more pleasant. The fact that the camera has 81 focusing areas is certainly admirable, but switching between areas when focusing through the viewfinder is tiring and greatly slows down the operation itself. With the display, you can literally “show” the camera what to focus on by simply touching that spot on the display. Amazing responsiveness and speed of OMD EM1 will not keep you waiting for results.

Optics and Image Stabilization Olympus OMD EM1

The Olympus OMD EM1 camera is a standard model, which means that today it is compatible with more than thirty lenses. It can be assumed that the number of standard lenses will only increase. In this example, while working with the OMD EM1, the M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED lens was used, which will be quite sufficient for shooting most possible scenes. The focal length range covers 12-50mm, which is equivalent to 24-100mm.

These two photos show the reach of the lens:

Focal length 50 mm. f/18 1/50 sec.
Focal length 12 mm. f/18, 1/50 sec.

The Olympus OMD EM1 features five-axis sensor-shift image stabilization. Several image stabilization options are supported. The camera can shoot without stabilization, in automatic stabilization mode, with horizontal and vertical stabilization.

These two shots were taken with and without stabilization.

So the difference between the images is not noticeable, but when you zoom in 100% to the camera’s focal points, it becomes clear that the difference between the stabilized and non-stabilized image is significant.

Image stabilization also performed well during video recording.

The maximum aperture number of the lens is f/22, which allows you to take the clearest images. A narrow aperture is an indispensable assistant in landscape photography. Example below.

An example of an image taken with the narrowest aperture possible. f/22, ISO 320, 36mm, 1/80 sec.

As for shooting with an open aperture, the results were better than expected. Of course, due to the relatively low aperture of the lens, you can’t count on bokeh in the sense in which we are used to seeing it, but the background looks quite attractive. This can be seen especially clearly in the photo below.

An example of a photo taken with the aperture wide open. f/6.3, ISO 200, 50 mm, 1/160 sec.

The M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 12-50mm lens has a MACRO button, which can be pressed to switch the lens into extreme close-up mode. In this mode, the camera is locked at a focal length of 43 mm and allows you to shoot from a distance of approximately 10-15 cm. While in normal focusing mode, the focus distance is several times greater. MACRO mode allows you to view the details of an object in more detail.

The two photos below demonstrate the benefits of MACRO mode:

Photo taken in MACRO lens mode Photo taken in normal focus mode

Autofocus Olympus OMD EM1

Initially, the autofocus system in Micro Four Thirds cameras worked based on contrast information. With the advancement of technology, new innovative cameras from Olympus and Panasonic, which also include the Olympus OMD EM1, rely on a hybrid autofocus system. This allows you to create high-quality and accurate shots even in poorly lit rooms.

During operation, the Olympus OMD EM-1 proved to be a very responsive and fast model. The camera focused instantly and accurately. As you'd expect, autofocus was best during the day when shooting outdoors, but the camera also focused accurately indoors in dim light. It took more time to focus, but the pictures turned out well focused.

The Olympus OMD EM1 autofocus system includes 81 (9 by 9) focus areas. Focus areas evenly cover almost the entire frame area. In addition, it is possible to zone the areas of focus, grouping them into 3 by 3 squares. For more detailed focusing, you can select a breakdown into zones that includes smaller autofocus squares. The camera has 37 phase-detecting autofocus points (phase focusing). Autofocus lock is activated by pressing the shutter button halfway, or using a dedicated button.

An important feature of the new camera is the presence of a high-quality face detection system. The camera is able to automatically detect which eye is closest to the lens and focus on it.

The Olympus OMD EM1 is a camera aimed at photography enthusiasts, which means manual focus. You can work in manual mode while in one of the semi-automatic or manual shooting modes. Practice has shown that it is still more convenient to focus manually through the viewfinder rather than the display. Maybe this is a purely psychological moment, but when you aim at an object through the viewfinder, you feel closer to it, and nothing around distracts you from the focusing process.

To quickly switch between the camera's focusing modes, there is a special button on the top panel, by clicking on which the user can select one of the proposed options: Single, Constant, Manual, Single focus + Manual focus and Tracking focus.

Continuous shooting

Speaking about the autofocus capabilities of the Olympus OMD EM1, we cannot fail to mention high-speed continuous shooting. The continuous shooting speed is about 10 frames per second (FPS). As for the capacity of the buffer, with a formatted card the buffer could hold 49 photos, the processing of which took about 6-7 seconds. It is important that when the buffer is full, the camera still continues to take photographs at a frequency of about one frame per second. To start burst shooting, you must select the appropriate mode by pressing the button on the top panel of the camera.

Below is a series of images taken using burst mode:

Olympus OMD EM1 Menu

Olympus offers users access to complete information about shooting parameters through the camera menu. In addition, pressing the INFO button provides detailed information about each parameter, menu item and shooting mode. The help text is very easy to understand, so you can figure out what's what literally within the first few times of using the camera.

The camera offers several formats for displaying information. Switching between these modes is done by pressing the same INFO. The first press will display an electronic level on the display, indicating whether the horizon is tilted to the left or right. The next format provides information about the current settings, then displays an online histogram, which provides information about highlights and blackouts of the current scene.

Clicking the OK button allows you to change the current settings of each parameter, depending on the mode. That is, in manual mode you can adjust all parameters - aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, etc. In automatic mode, you can only change brightness/contrast, frame temperature, saturation, etc. Pressing the OK button in Scene mode will allow you to select one of the presets, depending on the subject of the photo.

When viewing footage, pressing the INFO button will allow you to find out all the information about the image, and a histogram of the frame will also be displayed. When viewing, you can click on the photo on the display and use the slider to zoom in 14 times to study the details in detail. You need to move the slider up and down and use the arrows to scroll through the frame in different directions. Automatically there is a desire to make a pinch movement like on a smartphone display to zoom in on the frame, but it doesn’t work.

Such a detailed viewing of the frame allows you to check the accuracy of focusing and the correctness of the settings, and check the photo for the presence of overexposed areas.

Olympus OMD EM1 Shooting Modes

The Olympus OMD EM-1's mode dial contains nine presets. Here you will find the following modes: Intelligent Auto, Creative Effects, Scene Modes, Photo Story Mode, Video Recording, Manual Mode, Shutter Priority Mode, Aperture Priority Mode, Programmable Mode.

Creative modes and Photo Story make shooting more fun and interesting. In Art mode, you have the opportunity to create a photo in one of the following effects: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale Colors, Light Tonality, Grain, Pinhole, Diorama, Cross Process, Light Sepia, Enhanced Tonality, Key Line, Watercolor. After selecting the latest ART VKT preset, the camera takes seven pictures in a row with different effects.

Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale Colors, Light Tones:

Grain, Pinhole, Diorama, Cross Process:

Light Sepia, Enhanced Tonality, Key Line, Watercolor:

Photo Story mode

In Photo Story mode, the user has the opportunity to combine several frames, which will be automatically combined into a photo collage. There are three different thematic variations of the mode, in each of which you can change certain parameters.

Above is the first version of Photo Story mode. There are four mode variations, as well as a choice of frame and number of images created in the story.

The next, second version of the photo story mode is conventionally called “Speed”. In this mode, users can show a dynamic event by combining several animated frames into one photo. When working in “Speed” mode, it is possible to change the number of shots. In the preset version, you are asked to take five thematic photos.

The third option of the photo story mode allows you to create photos with creative framing, with which you can convey the mood and atmosphere of a particular moment.

It is worth noting that the presence of a photo story mode makes working with the camera more entertaining and interesting. Despite the fact that all these variations are very simple in appearance, and can be easily implemented using a graphic editor during post-processing, the fact that you can do it right in the camera is undoubtedly pleasant. Having Wi-Fi allows you to share these creative photos with friends in just a few touches.

Story Modes

In Panorama mode, the camera can take up to 10 photos. Lines along the edges of the frame indicate the recommended intersection area between two panorama shots

The Olympus OMD EM1 has 25 scene modes, when working in which the camera takes responsibility for the correct setting of all parameters - aperture, shutter speed, photosensitivity, white balance, etc. The camera's scene modes allow you not to worry about the accuracy of the settings, but a wide variety scenes covers all possible shooting situations. Below shows just some of the scene modes of the Olympus OMD EM1:

Semi-automatic and manual mode

The Olympus OMD EM1 provides users with a standard set of semi-automatic modes: Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program Mode and Manual Shooting Mode. We will not dwell on each of them in detail, since all settings are made according to the standard scheme. In semi-automatic modes, the photographer has the opportunity to set one of the parameters, while others will be set automatically by the camera. When working in manual mode, you first need to set the aperture and then the shutter speed. OMD EM1 provides hints for setting values. It's worth noting that the shutter speed range of the OMD EM-1 is truly impressive. The camera allows you to take photographs with shutter speeds from 1/8000 to 60 seconds.

Video shooting with Olympus OMD EM1

The Olympus OMD EM1 supports video recording in MOV (MPEG‑4AVC/H.264) and AVI (Motion JPEG) formats. As for the quality of video recording, you can choose Full HD (1920 by 1080), HD (1280 by 720) or shooting with a resolution of 640 by 480. Video recording is available at a frequency of 30 frames per second. The lack of a 24 frames per second frequency will upset serious filmmakers, but even with the existing frequency you can create beautiful, and most importantly, high-quality videos.

You can start shooting video instantly at any time while using the camera. To start recording video, simply press the video button. In this case, the settings that were set on the OMD EM1 during photography will be applied. All creative ART effects are available when recording video, although some of them may change the frame rate.

Example video created with Olympus OMD EM1 without using a tripod

The video shown above was taken in windy conditions, without the use of a tripod. During video recording, the focal length of the lens was changed to monitor whether the camera would maintain focus accuracy while focusing. The recording process was complicated by the wind. It can be seen that from time to time, the camera loses sight of the subject, and when two flowers with bees appear in the frame at once, some time is lost between the two flowers. Overall, the picture quality is very impressive. A huge advantage is the quiet focusing and silent and smooth movement of the lens. (I have a standard account in vimeo, and it assumes displaying video in HD format - 720, so the picture is slightly degraded by the site itself).

Wi-Fi Olympus OMD EM1

The Olympus OMD EM1 is the second camera in the Olympus line to support built-in Wi-Fi. To work with the camera remotely, you need to install the special free OLYMPUS Image Share application. The application works on iOS and Android platforms.

In my case, testing was carried out on an iPad 4. After installing the application, it requires a special two-dimensional matrix code. This code will be displayed on the OMD EM1 display after enabling Wi-Fi through the camera menu and selecting Private Connection. The smart device camera must be pointed at the code. After that, a new connection appeared in the tablet’s Wi-Fi settings, and in the camera itself, next to the Wi-Fi icon, a unit indicating a connection with one device. You then have access to all the photos on the camera to view and send to your device, the ability to edit existing photos on your tablet using the OMD EM1 effects, and the ability to geo-tag photos. Once you send an image to your iPad, you can send it to social media and email to friends and family.

Remote control of the camera via the display helps when taking group photos when you do not have a remote control, or in cases where there is a need to control the camera remotely. At the same time, it is important that you can set different shooting modes from the tablet and configure them depending on the situation.

ISO Performance Olympus OMD EM1

The ISO sensitivity range of the Olympus OMD EM1 is 100-25600. A test of the photosensitivity performance of a mirrorless camera was carried out using this picture as an example:

Three areas of the image were selected, as examples of which changes and the appearance of noise are shown.

ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 100
ISO performance of Olympus OMD EM1. ISO 200
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 250
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 320
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 400
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 500
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 640
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 800
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 1000
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 1250
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 1600
ISO Performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 2000
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 2500
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 3200
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 4000
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 5000
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 6000
ISO Performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 8000
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 10000
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 12800
ISO Performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 16000
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 20000
ISO performance Olympus OMD EM1 ISO 25600

The camera's performance is truly impressive. Images taken at ISO 200, ISO 250, ISO 320, ISO 400, ISO 500 and ISO 640 are clean and sharp, with no visible noise or grain, in fact, the first signs of noise are seen at ISO 800, ISO 1000, ISO 1250 also do not lead to a significant deterioration in quality and are quite acceptable in operation. Starting at ISO 1600, grain slowly begins to appear with each increase in ISO, but image quality is tolerable. Significant damage to the quality of the photograph is visible in the picture with ISO 10000, ISO 12800. Photographing at ISO 16000, ISO 20000 and ISO 25600 is worth taking only in the most extreme cases, and even then, such images are suitable for use only in a small format. The deterioration in quality is clearly visible in the third sample, where small flowers have turned into something completely invisible.

conclusions

The Olympus OMD EM1 is an excellent flagship mirrorless camera that has an extremely large number of interesting features and capabilities, allowing you to implement the most unusual and original ideas. On the one hand, the Olympus OMD EM1 provides users with a wide range of functions and effects for entertaining shooting, and on the other hand, it gives users the opportunity to realize themselves as a serious photographer.

The Olympus OMD EM1 allows you to take photographs in semi-automatic and manual modes, allowing you to focus manually, or use precise automatic focus. A wide range of shutter speeds makes it possible to shoot active sporting events and create photos with blurred motion and light trails. With a quality lens, you can also take stunning portraits and macro photos.

Although the Olympus OMD EM1 does not support cinematic 24fps, the camera produces beautiful videos with stunning image quality. The rotating display greatly simplifies the process of shooting video and macro photography. Moreover, such a display will be indispensable in street photography, when it is important for the master to remain unnoticed. By hanging the camera on your neck, you can confidently take photos with one touch on the display, without aiming at the viewfinder in front of the model and without taking a photo without looking through the viewfinder, relying only on luck.

The compact size of the Olympus OMD EM1 makes it a desirable companion during travel and hiking. In order to take your camera with you, you only need a small camera bag.

A few words from the author

Throughout my testing of the Olympus OMD EM1, I wondered “ Who is this camera really suitable for?“. And here's what I think about it

The Olympus OMD EM1 will be a real treat for those who are just getting into photography and for enthusiasts. The Olympus OMD EM1 is a camera you can grow with. Beginning photographers and the younger generation want a camera in their arsenal that is easy and fun to use, that can create beautiful photos and videos without much effort on the part of the photographer. They need a miniature and lightweight camera with a touch screen for greater convenience and comfort, and preferably with Wi-Fi capability. At the same time, experienced photographers are not interested in creative effects and standard modes, they are interested in manual focusing and full control over the camera settings - aperture, shutter speed, white balance. All this is provided for and implemented in the Olympus OMD EM1 at the highest level. This is not one of those models that you might get tired of after just half a year; this is a camera that fully meets current needs, which means it will delight its owner for many years to come. The high cost of the model (the price of the Olympus OMD EM1 is about $1,500) may scare off potential buyers, but if you buy a camera with an eye to further your passion for photography, you will not regret it; besides, the Micro Four Thirds standard provides a wide selection of all kinds of lenses.

Experienced professional photographers may find the Olympus OMD EM1 interesting as an additional model. The OMD EM-1 is in no way behind its DSLR competitors, but the fact that so many features can fit into a small and light body will seem strange to customers. Many ordinary people who do not follow the development of technology in the world of digital photography believe that a good camera must be large and heavy with giant lenses. Today, this cliché has long remained in the last century, and perhaps in a couple of years no one will be surprised by a wedding photographer with a mirrorless camera.

It was conceived as the most affordable camera in the premium Olympus OM-D line: with a relatively small price and dimensions, it had a unique set of characteristics, which was very difficult for competitors to answer. Of course, the camera also had its drawbacks: short series of shots at maximum speed, simple and undeveloped control functions using the touch screen, the lack of an access point mode for the Wi-Fi module, and a decent weight. But in any case, the camera turned out to be extremely interesting.

A year and a half later, Olympus introduced the OM-D E-M10 Mark II, but the new product was not a replacement for the first version, but an addition. On the company's website, the OM-D E-M10 and OM-D E-M10 Mark II are divided into different subgroups: the first is classified as cameras “for beginner photographers”, the second is “for photo enthusiasts”. Even though this is the work of marketers, and the differences between the cameras are not radical, there is a rational grain in this division, because the cost of the OM-D E-M10 is now about 34 thousand rubles, while for the OM-D E-M10 Mark II they ask for much more - about 40 thousand rubles. And for this money you can already buy the Sony Alpha a6000 (41-46 thousand rubles) or the miniature Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 (42 thousand rubles), which set an absolute record in autofocus tenacity in low light. Having added a little, you can already take a closer look at Fujifilm X-T10, prices for which at the moment in retail start from 47 thousand rubles.

The six thousand price difference between the Mark I and Mark II included a five-axis stabilizer instead of a three-axis one, a viewfinder with a resolution of 2360 thousand dots (the same as on the E-M5 Mark II), a 1080/60p video recording mode (versus 1080/30p in its predecessor) , a slightly increased battery capacity and support for SD UHS-II memory cards with write speeds of up to 250 MB/s, which should have a positive effect on the duration of continuous shooting.

Specifications

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II
Image sensor	4/3"" MOS, 17.3 × 13.0 mm
Effective number of points, MP	16,1
Image saving format	Photo frame: JPEG (EXIF 2.2, DCF 2.0), RAW 12 bit, MPO
	Video: MOV(MPEG‑4AVC/H.264), AVI (Motion JPEG)
Bayonet	Micro 4/3
Frame size in pixels	Photo frame:
	4608 × 3456, 3200 × 2400, 1280 × 960
	Video: 1920×1080, 1280×720, 640×480
Sensitivity, units in ISO equivalent	100-25600 in 1/3 increments, 1 EV
Shutter speed range, seconds	1/4000 - 60 in steps of 1/3, 1/2 and 1 EV
	Flash shutter speed synchronization: 1/250
Exposure metering, operating modes	Measurements in 324 zones;
	Multi, Spot, Center-weighted, Shadow, Highlight
Exposure compensation	+ 5 EV in steps of 1, 1/2, 1/3 steps
Built-in flash	TTL, GN 8.2 at ISO 200
Self-timer, s	1-30 seconds (up to 10 exposures)
Storage device	SD, SDHC, SDXC(UHS-I/UHS-II)
LCD display	Tilt-touch display, 7.6 cm (3.0 inches), 1,037k dot resolution
Viewfinder	Color viewfinder with approx. 2,236 thousand points
Interfaces	HDMI, USB, A/V-out
Additionally	Wi-Fi module
Nutrition	Lithium-ion battery BLS-50, 8.5 Wh
Dimensions, mm	119.5 × 83.1 × 46.7 (excluding protrusions)
Weight, gram	390 (incl. battery and memory card)
	342 (body only)
Current price	40,000 rubles for the body version (without lens), from 48,000 rubles for the kit version (with complete optics)

⇡ Contents of delivery

Traditionally, Olympus has quite a few delivery options, which differ in camera colors and lenses. There are options that include 14-42mm lenses (compact version with telescopic zoom), 14-150mm lenses, and also include both lenses. We were provided with a black modification for testing, the delivery package of which includes:

• Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14‑42mm 1:3.5‑5.6 EZ Pancake lens;
• shoulder strap;
• battery BLS‑50;
• charger BCS‑5;
• BC-2 housing cover;
• USB cable CB‑USB6;
• Olympus Viewer software;
• instructions;
• warranty card.

⇡ Appearance and ease of use

Olympus is deservedly proud of the appearance of its cameras - the company's designers very talentedly combine retro style and modernity in them. Made in a “mirror” style, with a decorative “pentaprism” hump with a built-in electronic viewfinder, the camera looks very cool. Only the Fujifilm X-T10 can compete with the OM-D E-M10 Mark II in terms of design. Of course, the build quality of the metal body is excellent, there are no problems due to the fact that the camera was assembled in Vietnam.

This is a compact and lightweight camera, which at the same time lies very comfortably in the hand thanks to the rubberized protrusions on the front and back of the body. It weighs about the same as its direct competitors, Fujifilm X-T10 and Sony Alpha a6000. But the little Panasonic DMC-GM5 is almost twice as light - when compared with it, all cameras in this segment look like giants.

On the front panel there is a bayonet mount and an autofocus illuminator lamp, which also serves as an indicator of the shutter self-timer.

There are changes on the back panel compared to the first E-M10. First of all, the disappearance of the power lever and the pop-up flash lock key is striking: the first was located in the lower right corner, so when working with the camera with one hand, it was not so easy to reach it with your thumb; the second was installed too close to the protruding inclined display and was inconvenient to use. Both of these elements in the camera under test were combined into one and moved to the top panel.

Above the display there is a viewfinder with a proximity sensor and a diopter adjuster. In the upper right corner, only the programmable Fn1 key remains. Just below are the keys for entering the main menu, changing the display display mode, as well as a four-position manipulator with an enter key in the center. Each of the manipulator keys can be programmed in the menu, which is very convenient. At the bottom edge there are keys for playing and deleting pictures or video files.

Top view

On the top edge there is a pop-up flash hump, with a hot shoe at the base and built-in microphones on the sides. To the left is a programmable Fn3 key, as well as a power switch and flash raise lever. On the right side there is a small round shooting mode selector, a video recording key and a programmable Fn3 key, as well as a pair of control dials, in the center of one of which there is a shutter button. The only thing I can complain about here is the placement of the video recording key, which is not so easy to get to because of the second control dial. You can get used to this, although, from a subjective point of view, it would be better to move the video recording key to the empty center of the second control dial.

There's nothing new at the bottom: a tripod mount connector, as well as a door hiding the battery and memory card compartments.

The left side is empty, and on the right, under a rubber plug, the HDMI and USB/AV cable connectors are hidden.

I bought my first digital camera in 2002, a couple of months after moving to Moscow. At that time, decent photographers did not yet take “digital” seriously, but I was really sad with film. After my first acquaintance in 1999 with a simple Epson camera, the sensor resolution of which was as much as one megapixel, I realized that this was for me. Unfortunately, at that time my desires did not yet coincide with my possibilities, but as soon as they came closer, I immediately began to choose a digital camera.

For some time I looked closely at a Fuji “soap dish” with a mind-blowing matrix resolution (as much as 4 megapixels!), but Evgeny Kozlovsky said that soap dishes are for suckers, and only DSLRs are the choice of serious guys. I trusted Kozlovsky, and eventually bought an Olympus Camedia C-2500L. At that time (spring 2002) it had been on sale for three years, and it was not a special miracle of technology. But it cost about $700. At that time it was very humane.

What can you say now, 14 years later, about the quality of shooting on a quasi-DSLR with a 2.5 megapixel matrix? Yes, smartphones take better pictures now. But then for me personally it was like a breakthrough into another dimension. And the card with a capacity of as much as 64 megabytes seemed almost endless.

But after a year, I began to miss the capabilities of the C-2500L. I sold it to my friend Yura, whose camera worked happily for many more years, and I myself bought an Olympus Camedia E-10. And now that was really cool. “Ten” captured reality so deftly and beautifully that even after a decade I am very pleased to look at many of the shots. There were quite a few of them filmed – many thousands. And for work, and on trips, and for the soul. I really liked that the camera and I had the same ideas about beauty. I confess, I have never been a hardcore photographer, and I still prefer to use automatic modes. No, if it presses, then, of course, I’ll set everything up as it should be. But it’s better, of course, to just press a button – and it will be beautiful. So this is exactly what happened on the E-10. In automatic mode, she filmed exactly the way I liked. How I would set it up myself.

But the years passed. After the not very successful E-20 model, some fermentation and tossing began in the Olympus camp, but Canon and Nikon, on the contrary, made significant progress. And when the time came to upgrade the camera, my colleagues at Computerra convinced me to take the Nikon D70. I can't say that I didn't like the camera at all. After all, she shot in RAW, a format that allows many flaws to be corrected after the fact. But in automatic mode the result was not at all what I wanted. And in the first months after parting with E-10, it was terribly uncomfortable. Then I got used to where to go. But the memory of the camera with which we lived in complete harmony remained.

I won’t describe all my cameras, I’ll get to the main thing. In the fall of 2014, Alex Axler asked me to take an Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera to Moscow. And he said that if I want, I can take pictures with it.

I flew home, inserted a card into the camera, took a few pictures... and was stunned. The same feeling returned as ten years ago with the E-10. The camera “saw” the world exactly the same way as I did. But, of course, it has become an order of magnitude better - faster, more convenient, more accurate in details. I had no plans to change the camera. At that time, we were quite happy with the Sony RX100, a completely unique device, after meeting which I sold the Nikon D90 DSLR and thought that I had completely stopped carrying a camera with me, which was very different in size from a pack of cigarettes.

But, after shooting with the OM-D E-M1, I realized that the harmony with the RX100 had come to an end. Over the years, I began to take less and less photographs, as they say, for the soul, and much more for work. A typical scenario is to go somewhere, click 300-400 frames within a couple of days, select 50 of them and use them in a report written on the spot. At exhibitions and conferences, few people think about the correct lighting at stands. More precisely, sometimes it seems to me that people try to make the work of photographers as difficult as possible. Decorate everything with some creepy neon, darken the areas where new products are located, cover them with the most reflective glass in the world. All this is treated in Photoshop. And if you shoot in RAW, it is treated almost without traces. But it takes a lot of time. When you, having traveled a couple of tens of kilometers around the exhibition, write a text in the issue, then select those same 40-50 frames, and then treat almost every one of them... Well, you usually finish at two o’clock in the morning, of course. But then you react with some nervousness to questions - how is Las Vegas? How's London? Hell knows how. I didn't see them.

But the E-M1 shot right away, as it should. And I even recorded lens profiles in the RAW files themselves, which eliminated the need to correct optical distortions (all zooms have them, regardless of price). And the white balance was correct. And she focused instantly. And wonderfully blurred the background.

In general, E-M1 left me, but the longing for it remained. I looked at how much they were selling it for, and it seemed a little expensive. I needed a version with the Olympus ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens, where the 2.8 aperture is maintained throughout the entire focal length range. It was precisely this combination that provided such pleasing results. But investing a hundred thousand rubles at once...

I decided to try the Sony a6000 camera, which in May 2015 was sold in the States at a wonderful discount in honor of Mother’s Day. Mom photographers were probably wildly delighted. With two lenses it cost me about 45 thousand rubles.

It's a good camera, no doubt about it. Probably, if I hadn’t tried the E-M1, I would have rented it and praised it. But still, the difference with Olympus was so noticeable that after a month and a half I sold the a6000 and took the kit version of the OM-D E-M1 with the correct lens. The last straw that forced me to make a decision was the lack of an input for a standard microphone on the a6000. At that time, I was seriously planning to write videos on an industrial scale, and I absolutely did not smile at buying some kind of hellish design instead of an existing normal microphone.

And since June 2015, I’ve been shooting with Olympus again.

Why do I love the Olympus E-M1?

You can, of course, write “for everything” and put an end to it. But this will not be very polite to the reader, although it will be honest. I'll tell you in more detail.

This model belongs to the class of mirrorless cameras. The first representatives of this tribe did not do anything special, but gradually they learned to shoot no worse than SLR cameras of a similar price range with much more compact dimensions. Yes, I’ll say right away that tough guys and girls who think everything with an incomplete frame is garbage should not read further. Full frame, no doubt, a great thing. And if you a) can afford it, b) can fully use its capabilities and c) are ready to carry the body itself and suitable lenses with you, respect and respect to you. No, seriously, I understand perfectly well that you can achieve more with full frame. But for my needs and, I’m afraid, capabilities as a photographer, buying a full-frame camera is a waste of money.

There is one more... piquant moment. I recently talked with a really good photographer who has a full arsenal of professional equipment. And he complained that he often had to carry a large camera with him solely to appease customers. They judge a photographer solely by the size of the camera and lens, and if the dimensions are not impressive, they begin to be indignant. By the way, I encountered this somewhat when I was driving with the RX100. You take pictures of some exhibits at the stand, and the employees politely clarify: they say, shouldn’t they send you normal photographs later, otherwise nothing sensible will come of this fart.

True, there was another case. About a year and a half ago I photographed Noel Lee, the owner of Monster, and asked him not to be surprised by the size of the camera. And he responded - why be surprised, she’s cool, I have one myself. And he took the RX100 out of his pocket.

Noel Lee with an Olympus E-M1 lens. The darkness in the hall is pitch black.

But we digress. The E-M1 uses a 4/3 MOS sensor developed by Panasonic. It is relatively small in area - almost one and a half times smaller than APS-C, not to mention Full Frame. The laws of physics have not been repealed. But in digital photography, it’s not just the size of the sensor that matters, but also how the lens is designed for it. And also the quality of software algorithms. The example has already set my teeth on edge that in smartphones from other manufacturers, Sony photo modules for some reason take much better pictures than in Xperia... The sensor resolution is 16 megapixels, which is not a record in modern times, but this figure is not critical to me at all. Anything over 10 megapixels is already more than is actually needed.

The E-M1 came out in 2013, and Olympus has been continuously improving it ever since. At the end of 2015, the fourth version of the firmware was released, which added a number of really useful things. For example, macro photography with eight focusing points at once, from which you can then choose one to suit your taste. I mention this at the beginning of the story about the camera to emphasize 2 things. The first is that despite its considerable age in modern times, the company does not forget about it and continues to improve it. Well, right now I looked into the firmware section and discovered a completely new firmware, released on February 4th. The second point is that the performance reserve of the E-M1 is so large that even years later it allows you to add resource-intensive functions. In 2013, when the camera first came out, it became a real breakthrough and received a bunch of prestigious awards. But even now it is absolutely modern. And I haven’t yet come up with any features that would be important to me and that wouldn’t be in it.

So - about what is important to me.

An absolutely necessary thing in a modern camera is Wi-Fi support. It allows you not only to download photos to your laptop if you forgot to place a card reader in the latter, but also, more importantly, provides quick synchronization with a smartphone or tablet. The Olympus E-M1 excels here: it has a convenient application for iOS and Android, through which you can send finished images to your phone/tablet and use the latter as a wireless viewfinder. Now, during incendiary presentations, I can take high-quality photos and instantly send them to the editor or post them on Facebook. Taking pictures directly with a smartphone is not an option: even the best models cope only so well in the dark, and optical zoom is still rare in mobile devices.

The second useful thing is HDR support. When you shoot against a light source (alas, sometimes you have to), without HDR too many details are lost. There are two HDR modes on the E-M1, Basic and Advanced. In both cases, the camera takes a series of photographs at different shutter speeds, and then, based on them, prepares something like an arithmetic average. The result differs in quality and time required for shooting.

The third thing I really like is the large touch viewfinder with a rotating mechanism. That is, of course, I mostly look through the peephole, but if I have to hold the camera above my head, the screen is very helpful. There, at the same time, you can select a focus point and even immediately take a picture with it. When viewing, photos on the screen are scrolled through, as on a smartphone screen, using gestures.

Five-axis optical stabilization is built into the body itself, which means that the camera owner has the opportunity to save on lenses. Without much hope, I bought an inexpensive M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40‑150mm 1: 4.0‑5.6 R (from 10 thousand rubles in Moscow), and suddenly discovered that it can be used at maximum zoom to shoot clear frames with a relatively low shutter speed. Yes, in terms of clarity it is still inferior to the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12–40mm 1: 2.8 PRO, but it’s not for nothing that this masterpiece costs about 50 thousand. An aperture of 2.8 across the entire range in combination with lightning-fast autofocus is, I tell you, just some kind of miracle. I’m not a fan of carrying several “glasses” with me and changing them while working, so I was tempted to pick up a universal ultrasonic. But for now, the ED 12–40mm 1:2.8 PRO picture keeps me from experimenting. Masterpiece! It also has an interesting feature - with one movement of your hand you can switch between automatic and manual focusing.

The Olympus E-M1 allows you to photograph important people from a safe distance.

With the first versions of the firmware, the E-M1 was eating up the battery. Alex Axler's review says that there were enough frames for 200. Now this has been fixed: I won't lie, I didn't specifically count it, but one charge is definitely enough for 400-450 frames. An incident happened to me in January: I flew to CES, the first day I furiously took pictures from morning to evening, on the second day I also clicked heartily, but somewhere around lunchtime the icon blinked - they say the battery is running low, I need to charge it. And then I discovered that I had forgotten the charger at home... In the surrounding stores there was nothing suitable for a reasonable price, and I somehow didn’t like paying 70 dollars. And I went to the Olympus stand. He explained the situation and asked to help out. I thought they would just charge my battery. But instead, the bearded guy took his copy of the E-M1 out of his bag, pulled out the battery and gave it to me. I shot with it until the end of the exhibition, taking a total of 932 frames. And the second battery at that time still retained 30 percent charge. So consider it. Yes, I note that I shot in RAW, and in JPEG the energy consumption is less.

The video shoots wonderfully. The new firmware has added a variable frame rate and such a professional thing as synchronization with a linear PCM recorder. The built-in microphone records sound very decently, but connecting a lapel, thanks to the presence of a connector, is not a problem at all. The only point is that when shooting at maximum quality, you need a fast memory card. Having been burned by slow ones, I now use Kingston SDA3 with a maximum write speed of 80 MB/s. She is all right.

Total

You know, I'm probably not the coolest photographer. My daughter shoots much better. What is important to me is not so much the artistic value of the frame, but its information content. And also the ability to instantly capture some situations, scenes that exist in a matter of seconds. I also regularly shoot reports about people and devices.

In this sense, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 is ideal: if I consciously pressed the shutter button, the frame will be of high quality. Of course, if I start shooting without a flash of a hare rushing across a field in pitch darkness, I’m unlikely to get anything good. But even in the twilight I can film my very fast-moving children by hand, and it turns out well.

Such collages can be made directly using E-M1.

The magnesium alloy body with dust and moisture protection will allow you not to worry too much if you misplace your backpack or get caught in the rain with your camera. By the way, I apologize that there is a lot of dust on the portraits of the camera itself: it doesn’t interfere with the work, but when you fly and cover a good 70 thousand miles together, a lot of things don’t settle.

Is the E-M1 the best mirrorless camera in the world? I have no idea. But it's definitely the best camera I've ever owned. Satellite camera. Camera assistant. I understand that miracles do not happen. But it’s a shame that she wasn’t with me ten years ago. Some photographs with technical defects caused by the technical limitations of that time, which I keep as documents of their time, could be shown to others.

Photo at sunset. As they say, “no filters”

Personally, the only thing I miss about the camera is automatic panorama shooting. They can be easily stitched together later from several shots, but once you get used to this function on Sony, it’s difficult to get out of the habit. At the same time, panoramas are now perfectly captured by smartphones, so if you suddenly need one urgently, there are no problems.

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A compact and lightweight restostyle camera with the ability to record 4K video, matrix stabilization, a large viewfinder, a tilting touchscreen display... and all this for a very reasonable price. Too good to be true? We will look for shortcomings, because without them there is no such thing. In any case, if you compare solely by characteristics, many competitors pale in comparison to the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III. In fact, the only direct competitor with similar cost, weight, size and functionality is only the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85. Sony ILCE-6300 is more expensive, does not have matrix stabilization and a touch display, is similar in many respects, but is already significantly more expensive. There is also a Fujifilm X-E3 somewhere nearby, but it does not have built-in stabilization, and the price is much higher. Of course, more expensive competitors are aimed at the experienced photographer, while the target audience of the camera being tested is amateurs and beginners.

Specifications

Camera type	Mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses
Matrix	4/3 inch, MOS
Effective pixels	16.1 MP
Total pixels	17.2 MP
Low pass filter	Eat
Lens mount	micro 4/3
CPU	TruePic VIII
Photo frame dimensions	4608*3456
Photo format	RAW 12 bit, JPEG (EXIF 2.3, DCF)
Video frame size	3840x2160 (4K), 1920x1080, 1280x720
Video file format	MOV(MPEG‑4AVC/H.264), AVI(Motion JPEG)
Sensitivity	ISO 64-25600 in 1/3 or 1 EV increments
Shutter speed range	Mechanical shutter: 1/4000 - 60 sec Electronic shutter: 1/16000 - 60 sec
Metering Modes	ESP metering, spot metering, center-weighted metering, highlight, shadow
Exposure compensation	+/- 5 EV (1/3 steps)
Flash	Yes (GN 8.2 at ISO 200)
Viewfinder	Electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2,360 thousand dots
Display	Rotating touchscreen 3.0-inch display with a resolution of 1040 thousand dots
Storage medium	SD (SDHC/SDXC/UHS-I/UHS-II)
Connectors	HDMI Type-D, USB Type-B (microUSB)
Additionally	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz
Nutrition	Lithium-ion battery BLS‑50 8.7 Wh
Dimensions, mm	121,5*83,6*49,5
Weight, g	410 (with battery and memory card)

Appearance

Olympus has been actively using retro design in the design of its cameras since the PEN E-P1 model. Initially, all models were made in this style, but with the advent of the premium OM-D line, pure classics remained only for it. Of course, there are retro notes in the cameras of modern models of the PEN series, but the inscription “Since 1959” on their body would no longer look good.

The new product is housed in a plastic case with small aluminum inserts. At first glance, the premium series and the absence of magnesium alloys in the design are bad manners. But let's not forget about the cost of the camera, which already in our retail is about $800, i.e. comparable to such amateur devices as, for example, . There are no premium materials, but the camera still looks great, and the build quality is high. In addition, when working with a camera in the cold, a plastic case is much more convenient and pleasant to use than a metal one. Among the features of the new product, it is worth noting the slightly larger handle, which makes it easier to operate the camera with one hand.

At the front there is a lens mount and an LED autofocus illuminator. At the back to the right of the tilting display there are keys for locking exposure/focus, entering the main menu, changing the information display mode, deleting, switching to viewing mode, as well as a round multifunctional 4-position pad with an enter key in the center.

At the top center there is a pop-up flash with a hot shoe at the base, as well as a pair of microphones. To the left of the flash there is a power lever, which is also a pop-up flash lock, and a mode menu key. On the right side there is a round shooting mode selector, digital zoom and video recording keys, as well as a pair of control dials, one of which has an integrated shutter key.

The display is exactly the same as its predecessor - tilting, touchscreen, with a resolution of 1040 thousand dots. Of course, cameras with much higher display resolutions are now available on the market, but they are all significantly more expensive than our test subject. The display has wide viewing angles, so it’s easy to see the image even when viewed from an acute angle. The white brightness with standard settings is 336.5 cd/sq.m, and if you turn the backlight brightness to the maximum value, it is 822.51 cd/sq.m, while the brightness of the black field is 1.07 cd/sq.m. In general, you can work with the camera even when direct sunlight falls on the screen.

But the touch control of Olympus cameras leaves much to be desired. It is there, but it’s as if it’s not there, especially when compared with its main competitor, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85. You cannot control the main menu using the touch display; the quick menu is also accessible only using physical keys; multiple touches are not supported, so you have to scale the footage by calling the touch slider. It’s good that photo swipe gestures are supported. The advantages of the touch screen include the ability to smoothly control shutter speed, zoom, aperture and sound level in video recording mode, as well as the ability to select the focus point when viewing the image through the viewfinder. But Olympus was a pioneer in the introduction of touch control in mirrorless cameras, so from each new product you expect significant progress in this area, but there is still none. And don’t forget that the camera is primarily aimed at beginners, some of whom may have never seen a push-button mobile phone.

The menu of the previous OM-D E-M10 models was extremely similar to the user interface of the older Olympus premium cameras. In the new product, the menu has been significantly simplified. In addition, an “advanced shooting mode” has been added, which will be especially useful for novice photographers. In order not to bore you with a description of the interface, several screenshots are provided below for your reference.

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Features and additional functions

All unusual camera operating modes are placed in a separate “Advanced shooting mode”, the transition to which is carried out when the operating mode dial is moved to the “AP” position. There are modes for shooting with long exposure, multiple exposure, HDR, silent mode (electronic shutter), panoramic shooting, keystone correction mode, as well as exposure bracketing and focus bracketing modes. The latter mode will be especially appreciated by lovers of various small “items”. It is noteworthy that all of the listed modes are not fully automatic, and the user is free to make a lot of corrections in the settings, including shooting in RAW. By the way, in HDR mode, shooting in RAW is also possible, but only when selecting RAW+JPEG, while shooting exclusively in RAW is not possible in this mode.

Keystone correction in the camera menu

Like all competitors, the camera under test is equipped with a WiFi module. There are no Bluetooth or NFC modules. However, even without NFC, setup is quite quick - just install the Olympus Image Share application on your smartphone and take a photo of the QR code on the camera screen. With a wireless connection, you can view the footage and send it to your smartphone. Of course, remote control is also provided, and not only photo but also video shooting is supported. But in the case of video recording, the resolution cannot exceed 1920*1080 pixels, the quality is reduced, the bitrate is reduced (to the “Fine” quality mode), and the flow rate is up to 30 frames per second. During remote control, the delay on the smartphone screen is almost unnoticeable. With remote control, it is possible to adjust the shutter speed, aperture opening, sensitivity, white balance, as well as zoom control (provided that an electrically driven lens is used), both in photo and video modes.

Camera in action

The length of time it takes to prepare the camera for use depends on the type of lens installed. With the included M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens, the first shot can be taken only 1.17 seconds after turning on the power. But here you need to take into account that a lens with a motorized drive takes time to reach its working position. When attaching conventional lenses, the first shot can be taken 0.51 seconds after turning the power lever. Far from a record, but not bad.

The claimed continuous shooting speed is 8.6 frames per second, which was confirmed during measurements, and the camera achieves the stated speed when using both JPEG and RAW formats. It is noteworthy that even when software processing or noise reduction is activated, the continuous shooting speed does not decrease, and this is expensive. This is primarily due to the powerful 4-core TruePic VIII processor (it is worth noting that the flagship camera OM-D E-M1 Mark II uses a pair of the same processors). When shooting in RAW, the camera is capable of shooting a series at maximum speed lasting 22 frames, and when shooting in JPEG - until the memory card is full. But for such results you will have to fork out for an SD UHS-II memory card, because when using even the fastest SD UHS-I cards, the burst duration is 10 frames in RAW and 21 frames in JPEG.

Autofocus in the camera only works in contrast mode, while many mirrorless cameras, thanks to phase sensors built into the matrix, are capable of working in hybrid mode. The camera provides a variety of zone selection modes, including the ability to select by moving your finger across the screen while viewing through the viewfinder, which is very convenient. When using the included M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens, the camera was able to focus on the test pattern in 0.36 seconds. This is a good result, because, for example, the person we tested was able to focus in only 0.46 seconds. But at the same time, it should be noted that the DSLR camera in Live View mode was able to focus in 0.09 seconds. In terms of autofocus sensitivity, there is nothing supernatural - during testing, the camera was able to focus at illumination of 0.52 lux, which approximately corresponds to a level of -2 EV. Here modern Panasonic cameras are ahead, because they often easily cope with the task at illumination of -4 EV, and in such darkness even the eyes are no longer an assistant.

With manual control, the focusing area can be increased by 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 times, which allows you to target the subject even in the most difficult conditions. In addition, there is a “focus peaking” function with the ability to select one of 4 colors for highlighting the sharp edges. This function will be useful not only for fans of manual optics, but also for fans of macro and product photography. It is worth noting that a huge set of cheap Soviet optics can be easily installed on Olympus mirrorless cameras via an adapter, including those for the M39 mount for rangefinder cameras (in the case of using lenses for the M39 on SLR cameras, only macro photography is possible), which generally cost mere pennies at flea markets ($2-5).

Exposure pairing is possible in PASM modes, which is standard for the vast majority of system cameras. But in the settings of the exposure metering mode, in addition to the standard trio (matrix, center-weighted, spot), there are “light zone” and “shadow zone” modes, which are proprietary features of Olympus cameras. In addition, it is possible to separately adjust light, medium and dark tones, which allows you to publish a photo without further processing and even without the need to shoot in RAW (of course, if urgent publication via a smartphone is required). Metering proved to be quite accurate, and in testing the metering error was only -0.1 EV, which is almost impossible to notice without comparison with a reference image.

In terms of the number of white balance settings, the camera under test is not inferior to much more expensive cameras. Of course, there is a set of presets (sunny, cloudy, shade, incandescent, fluorescent, flash), an automatic mode with the ability to activate the function of preserving warm tones, as well as manual input of color temperature. In manual mode there are 4 cells for storing settings, which is rare in relatively inexpensive cameras.

Noises

The maximum ISO level is 25,600. The minimum sensitivity value in the standard range is ISO 200, the extended range also includes ISO 100.

click on thumbnails to view full size

When determining the level of luminance noise in numerical terms, shooting was carried out both in RAW format and in JPEG format with noise reduction disabled. The shooting was carried out in RAW+JPEG mode, that is, frames in both formats were obtained simultaneously. As can be seen in the graph, when shooting in JPEG, starting from ISO800 sensitivity, hidden noise reduction algorithms are activated. This is not to say that the noise reduction is too active, but at the maximum sensitivity value the difference reaches 5.7 dB, and this is almost a twofold difference in the noise level.

Stabilization

The camera has a built-in 5-axis stabilizer with a claimed efficiency of 4 EV when tested using the CIPA method. The efficiency is not the most impressive, since the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II claims a gain of up to 5.5 steps. But unexpectedly, the test subject showed even better results. This may be due to the lighter weight of the camera, which makes your hands less tired. But even without comparison with the flagship, the result seems incredible - 10 frames out of 10 are clear even at a shutter speed of 1/6 second. In general, Olympus has once again proven that its stabilizers in photo mode are the best. In fact, by holding your breath and standing still like a statue, you can get a blur-free shot when shooting handheld at shutter speeds of a few seconds, but this assumes normal use of the camera.

Flash

The camera's flash is not particularly powerful - the guide number is only 8.2 at ISO200. It can only be used to wirelessly “ignite” flashes when synchronized via the light channel. But there are quite a lot of settings for such a budget little thing. In addition to the ability to select modes (synchronization on the first or second curtain, red-eye correction mode), a power divider is provided (1/1.3...1/64). Of course, when using a built-in flash, the presence of a divider is not relevant, but when installing on-camera speedlights, this is already a plus, because you can make settings without using the external flash menu. There is also a function for adjusting the duration of the synchronization speed, with the minimum being 1/250 s, while the main competitor has 1/160 sec.

It is also worth noting here that Chinese manufacturers have already mastered not only manual, but also TTL flashes for Olympus. The same Godox has an excellent solution with a guide number of 60 at ISO100, a swivel head and a built-in radio synchronization module, and for only $110. Of course, this is not a relevant proposal for a flagship, but for a relatively inexpensive camera it is an excellent solution, which just a couple of years ago simply did not exist for the Olympus system, which forced many potential buyers of budget cameras to look towards the Canon system (for some reason, budget Nikons Until now, when working with an external flash, the functionality has been significantly reduced), for which Chinese TTL flashes have appeared quite a long time ago.

Photo examples

Video recording mode

A relatively inexpensive camera with many bonuses, such as matrix stabilization, which also works in video shooting mode, and in addition to everything else, it can record 4K videos. But you shouldn’t expect a miracle - both in FullHD mode and in 4K mode, the color representation is only 8-bit, and the color subsampling is 4:2:0. But it is possible to record in 1080/60p mode. There are no microphone or headphone connectors. To record high-quality sound, you can use an external HDMI recorder or voice recorder. The camera, of course, does not support time codes, but you can synchronize the sound during subsequent video processing with a banal clap of your hands instead of a “cinema” clapper-number. In general, you can get out. It is noteworthy that the “focus peaking” mode works when shooting video. Inexperienced operators can completely trust the automatic focusing, because it works correctly and discreetly, which is pleasantly pleasing. In video mode, the stabilizer accurately determines the panning mode, so no jerks appear during vertical and horizontal panning. And in general the stabilizer works exemplary.

Example of 4K video recording (3840*2160 pixels)

Example of 1080/60p video recording

Example of 1080/30p video recording

Battery and battery life

The camera uses a BLS-50 lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 8.7 Wh, which is the same as the previous model. Battery life when tested according to the CIPA standard increased from 320 to 330 frames. Most likely, the new processor turned out to be a little more economical, because the power of the built-in flash, display and battery, which directly affect battery life, remained unchanged. With normal everyday use, the battery lasts for 350-400 shots. If you don’t forget to turn off the camera, then you can safely count on half a thousand, which is a very good result for a compact mirrorless camera. But still, SLR cameras are far ahead here. Charging the battery from a USB bus/charger is not supported, so you can only replenish the charge from a mobile battery using a variety of Chinese adapters, which is not very convenient.

Conclusion

I liked the camera, very much. Of course, there are some shortcomings, but even flagship cameras have plenty of them. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III is a great mobile and, importantly, multifunctional tool at a reasonable price. It is small and light, making it perfect for street photography. Thanks to the excellent 5-axis stabilizer, it is capable of taking blur-free shots at huge shutter speeds of several seconds, allowing you to use minimum ISO even at night. That is, in low light conditions, you can obtain a noise level and dynamic range comparable to expensive flagship DSLRs, which in such conditions are simply forced to use high sensitivity values. The focus bracketing function allows you to use the camera for subject and macro photography. In addition, the camera is capable of recording 4K video of good quality. In addition to this, there is a viewfinder and a tilting touch display, which adds to the convenience. In general, a complete set for the price of a budget DSLR.

Minuses:
– the materials of the case do not match the premium series (but the plastic case is more comfortable in the cold);
– no connectors for microphone and headphones;
– the touch control system is poorly developed;
– autofocus sensitivity is lower than that of the main competitor from the Panasonic camp;
– there is no possibility of charging the battery from a USB bus/charging;
Pros:
– design and ergonomics;
– light weight;
– support for SD UHS-II format cards;
– Possibility of touch selection of the focus point when viewing through the viewfinder;
– focus bracketing function;
– remote control function with the ability to shoot video;
– excellent 5-axis stabilizer;
– support for 4K video recording;
– battery life (in comparison with the main competitor).