In summary
As noted in our First Look review, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is the camera fans of Olympus products have been waiting for. Beautifully ““ and thoughtfully ““ constructed, with excellent weather sealing and great ergonomics, the E-M1 Mark II capable of doing pretty much anything the modern photographer requires.
When it comes to overall speed, the E-M1 II is a match for many high-end DSLRs. It focuses quickly and accurately, even in dim lighting, can record fast bursts of continuous shots and has plenty of buffer capacity for storing them. It’s also is highly customisable.
On the video front, it provides a huge step-up in capabilities from previous OM-D models, enabling users to choose between UHD and DCI 4K for ultra-high-definition movies and providing most of the capabilities pro videographers require. And shooting video is so easy, even photographers who mainly shoot stills will want to create movies as well.
Image stabilisation is nothing short of superb ““ especially with stabilised lenses, when in-body and in-lens stabilisation can work together. Multiple-exposure settings like High Res Shot, Live Composite, HDR and bracketing provide scope for creative shooting and obtaining image that would be otherwise unachievable.
Having used the camera with the M.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens for the past couple of weeks, we still think it’s the perfect partnership for travellers. Older photographers who are sick of lugging around a heavy DSLR kit will find welcome relief with this combo ““ without noticeable compromises in picture quality. It’s also much more fun to use.
Full review
This review follows on from our detailed ‘First Look’ article that was published in November 2016. We have now been supplied with a production-quality OM-D E-M1 Mark II plus the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4.0 IS PRO lens, which was reviewed in November 2016. This lens is one of the kit options that will be available with the camera and covers an ideal focal length range for general and travel photography.
The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, shown with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4.0 IS PRO lens, which was used for this review. (Source: Olympus.)
We covered the physical and internal changes that differentiate the Mark II from its predecessor in our ‘First Look’ article so, in this review we’ll concentrate upon handling and performance. We’ll also provide details of the revised sensor and image processing system in the new camera.
Handling
Although it’s a bit larger and heavier than the original E-M1, the E-M1 II feels quite similar in the hands and has an almost identical control layout. Swapping between the two cameras is straightforward. The build quality of the E-M1 II’s magnesium/aluminium body is outstanding and it is fully weather sealed.
We have a slight preference for the grip on the E-M1 II because it’s slightly taller and angled to position your index finger above the shutter button while your thumb has easy access to the rear dial. Some of the buttons are a bit smaller than those on the E-M1 but the difference is very minor.
The articulating monitor is handy, provided you don’t need to plug anything into the sockets on the left hand side of the camera body, which sit below lift-up rubber covers and can restrict the monitor’s adjustability. Its touch-screen controls are quick to operate and easy to use for accessing shooting and playback functions. The E-M1’s USB 2.0 slot has been replaced by a USB 3.0 port and a headphone jack has been added to the original microphone, remote and HDMI connections.
There are 12 programmable buttons and dials, with separate settings for shooting stills and movies and you can swap between different alternatives with the lever switch that surrounds the AEL/AFL button on the rear panel. This goes some of the way towards overcoming the complexity of the camera’s arcane menu system, although you have to spend time configuring the camera to your preferences before you can take advantage of it. The Super Control Panel is easy to navigate and provides most of the functions you require via a tap on the touch screen.
The EVF hasn’t changed since the E-M1 but its eyecup is slightly larger and more suitable for photographers who wear glasses. Providing two memory card slots is a huge bonus. Having the top one compatible with UHS-II SD cards, while the lower one is UHS-I only is not problematic; you can set the camera to store movie clips on the upper card and stills on the lower or ORF.RAW files on one and JPEGs on the other and very handy when shooting high-speed bursts or recording movies at high bit rates.
We didn’t get the chance to test the Pro Capture modes with the pre-production camera so we conducted some tests on them as part of this review. The interesting thing about these modes is that they use the electronic shutter, which can limit the maximum frame rate. They also record up to 14 frames when the shutter button is half-pressed and then continue to record after the shutter button is pressed all the way down.
You can set the capture rate, pre-shutter frames and total frame count in the camera’s menu. Up to 14 pre-shutter frames can be recorded before the shutter release is fully pressed. The maximum number that can be recorded in either mode is 99, which includes the frames that were pre-buffered plus those captured while the shutter button is pressed. A limit of one minute applies, regardless of which mode is selected and apertures smaller than f/8 can’t be used.
The Pro Capture H setting is Single AF only and has a maximum capture rate of 60 fps. The Pro Capture L mode can use Single AF or Continuous AF and has a maximum frame rate of 18 fps. Both settings can slow the refresh rates of the EVF and LCD monitor but you get the advantage of being able to record action sequences of unpredictable subjects.
Sensor and Image Processing
Boosting the resolution of the 17.4 x 13.0 mm 4/3 Live MOS sensor to an effective resolution of 20.3 megapixels (21.77 million photosites) increases the maximum image size to 5184 x 3888 pixels, compared with 4608 x 3456 pixels in the OM-D E-M1. The High Res Shot mode, introduced in the OM-D E-M5 II in February 2015, uses the Voice Coil Motor (VCM) system of the 5-Axis Image Stabilisation System to move the sensor in precise half pixel steps while capturing eight shots. These are combined in the camera to produce a high-resolution image. Naturally, stabilisation can’t be accessed when these modes are used.
In the E-M1 II, the High Res. Shot mode delivers 8160 x 6120 pixel JPEG images and10368 x 7776 pixel raw files, up from 7296 x 5472 pixel JPEGs and 9216 x 6912 pixels raw files with the E-M5 II. There’s a difference of less than 10% in the file sizes, which is largely irrelevant.
As in the E-M5 II, you can’t use shutter speeds longer than eight seconds, apertures smaller than f/8 or ISO settings above 1600. Flash synch is limited to 1/50 second. The first shot in the eight-frame ORF.RAW sequence is captured as an ORI file, which can only be viewed and processed using Olympus Viewer 3. (However, if you change the file name from .ORI to .ORF it can be opened in Photoshop ACR or other raw file converters; just like any other raw file from the camera.)
The TruePic VIII processor, a new upgrade in the E-M1 II, uses an algorithm that can separate motion blurring from the static scene and process it separately before amalgamating these areas with the rest of the image. In this way it claims to be able to suppress much of the blur due to subject movement, enabling photographers to use the High Res Shot Mode in a wider range of shooting conditions, including wind-blown grasses or leaves and rippling water.
The TruePic VIII processor features a dual quad core system with four CPU cores and four image processing cores and claims image processing speeds approximately 3.5 times faster than the TruePic VII Processor in the original E-M1.Interestingly, while the dual core processors have increased continuous shooting speeds (up to 60 fps or 18 fps with continuous autofocusing with the electronic shutter),the camera’s sensitivity range remains between ISO 64 (‘Low’) and a maximum of ISO 25600, although the Auto ISO range has been extended to ISO 200-6400.
Because it can drive the camera functions and process image files simultaneously, the new processor can also provide enough processing power to support 4K video at both the professional Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) resolution standard of 4096 x 2160 pixels per frame and the consumer-level UHD-1 standard, which has a frame resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels.
Like other recent Olympus cameras, the E-M1 II offers four aspect ratio settings for capturing still pictures: the sensor’s native 4:3 plus 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1. The table below shows typical file sizes for the 4:3 aspect ratio.
|
Shooting mode |
|
Pixels |
Typical file size |
|||
|
LSF |
LN |
MN |
SN |
|||
|
High Res. Shot |
50M Fine+RAW |
10368 x 7776 |
181.5MB |
|||
|
25M Fine+RAW |
8160 x 6120 |
169.5MB |
||||
|
50M Fine (JPEG) |
8160 x 6120 |
Approx. 21.7MB |
||||
|
25M Fine (JPEG) |
5760 x 4320 |
Approx. 10.9MB |
||||
|
Normal |
Raw (Lossless compression) |
5184 x 3888 |
21.5MB |
|||
|
Large [L] |
5184 x 3888 |
13.1MB |
8.9MB |
4.6MB |
3.1MB |
|
|
Middle [M] |
3200 x 2400 |
5.1MB |
3.6MB |
1.9MB |
1.4MB |
|
|
2560 x 1920 |
3.4MB |
2.4MB |
1.3MB |
1.0MB |
||
|
1920 x 1440 |
2.0MB |
1.4MB |
0.9MB |
0.7MB |
||
|
1600 x 1200 |
1.5MB |
1.1MB |
0.7MB |
0.5MB |
||
|
Small [S] |
1280 x 960 |
1.0MB |
0.8MB |
0.5MB |
0.4MB |
|
|
1024 x 768 |
0.8MB |
0.6MB |
0.3MB |
0.2MB |
||
Any JPEG file can be combined with an ORF.RAW file and, because the aspect ratio setting is recorded as EXIF metadata, JPEG images can also be produced in-camera from raw files with the selected aspect ratio.
We covered the video capabilities of the E-M1 II in our First Look review so there’s no need to repeat them here. Suffice it to say, the capabilities of the production camera were most impressive, as you can read in the Performance section below.
Performance
Having had the E-M1 II and 12-100mm lens over the Christmas holiday break we’ve had time to carry out our regular tests of imaging performance. We’ve outlined the results in separate sections here.
1. Resolution: Our Imatest assessments showed the review camera to be capable of meeting expectations for the sensor’s 20-megapixel resolution with JPEGs and exceeding expectations by a comfortable margin with ORF.RAW files. We converted the raw files from the camera into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), our preferred raw file converter. ACR provides only ‘preliminary’ support for the E-M1 II but it was sufficient for our purposes.
With the High-Res Shot mode, which produces 50-megapixel files, resolution fell slightly short of expectations. However, achieving such high resolution is a big ask for a M4/3 camera and the resulting files were detailed and sharp.
Resolution remained relatively high for raw files throughout most of the camera’s ISO range. With JPEGs, the highest values were obtained between ISO 64 (‘Low’) and ISO 400, after which there was a very gradual decline as sensitivity was increased. The graph below shows the results of our tests.
2. Colour reproduction. Imatest showed high levels of colour accuracy in both JPEGs and converted raw files, with the latter faring marginally better with skin hues and cyan. Shots taken with the High-Res Shot mode showed similar colour accuracy to the regular files.
Straight-out-of-the-camera JPEGs were colour-accurate, with nicely balanced contrast and saturation, while raw files provided scope for the minor adjustments you might need to achieve the reproduction you’re looking for. Regardless of the subject type, we feel most photographers will be satisfied.
3. Autofocusing: We were able to compare AF performance with the original OM-D E-M1, which we own, and were delighted by the improved performance in the new camera. Not that the E-M1 is a slouch; but it has fewer phase-detection AF points on the sensor and they cover a smaller area.
The Mark II’s array has 121-point cross-type phase detection points that are spread across an area covering 80% of the height of the sensor and 75% of the width. They also work alongside a 121-point contrast-detection AF system. Olympus claims the E-M1 II’s AF system will work with Panasonic’s lenses, a fact we were able to verify.
In single AF mode the review camera and lens were able to lock onto subjects instantaneously, even in relatively low light levels. The only thing that caused hesitation was when the camera and/or subject was moving rapidly. Focus tracking was also very good for both high-speed bursts of still shots and during movie recording.
4. Stabilisation: The E-M1 II features in-body 5-axis image stabilisation, which can work with the in-lens stabilisation in the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4.0 IS PRO lens to provide shake correction equivalent to approximately 6.5 shutter speed stops. The system got a real workout on Boxing Day when we were on the tall ship James Craig, just outside Sydney Harbour at the start of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The ship was pitching in a two-to-three metre swell, which made it difficult to keep the camera steady and focused upon the fast-moving subjects.
While a few of our shots were blurred due to sudden, unanticipated motion, once the focus was locked onto a yacht, the camera was able to keep it sharp, provided it remained within the frame. If the yacht moved out of the frame or the lens was trained on a different boat, focus was quickly re-captured and the camera was able to track subjects as they moved towards and past the ship. This was true when shooting stills as well as video clips, an overall performance we would class as impressive.
5. Video: The video capabilities of the E-M1 II put it on a par (or slightly better than) the competing ‘full frame’ cameras from the current market leaders. For starters, the sensor frame is only cropped top and bottom, leaving the entire frame width available for use.
Clips recorded with the Cinema 4K (4096 x 2160 pixel) resolution at 24 fps using IBP compression were remarkably detailed. Clips captured in the UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) mode were almost as striking. Individual frames taken from any of these clips produced good-looking prints at A3 size.
Even the Full HD (1920 x 1080) clips were a cut above average (although not printable much larger than snapshot size without compression artefacts showing). Clips recorded with ALL-Intra compression produced better looking image frames, while clips recorded with both ALL-I and IPB compression at 50 fps produced smooth hand-held footage with the lens set at 100mm. Clips recorded with HD (1280 x 720) resolution were as good as could be expected from the lower resolution and frame rate.
6. White balance: We’ve added a new type of lighting ““ domestic LED lights ““ to our tests because it is rapidly taking over from both halogen and fluorescent lighting. Incandescent lighting will continue to be tested until our last remaining bulb stops working, when we’ll have to quit since these lights are no longer available.
Like virtually all cameras we have tested, the review camera’s Auto white balance setting was unable to compensate for the warm bias of incandescent lighting. However, it produced close-to-natural colours with fluorescent, LED and flash lights.
When testing with the supplied flash, we noted a shadowing effect from the 12-100mm lens, even after we had removed the lens hood. It’s shown in the sample image to remind users of the supplied on-camera flash’s limitations.
The white balance pre-sets we tested (incandescent, fluorescent and flash) all tended towards over-correction, introducing a noticeable blue bias in the case of incandescent lighting but barely detectable colour shifts with the other lighting types. Manual measurement produced images with neutral colour rendition and the camera provides plenty of adjustments for tweaking colours as you shoot.
7. Flash: With a Guide Number of 9.1 (ISO 100/m), the supplied clip-on flash is not particularly powerful. Consequently, shots taken with the 100mm focal length tended to be under-exposed at ISO settings up to about 1000. Interestingly, the under-exposure at the Low (ISO 64 equivalent) setting still produced an image with some discernible shadow detail and enough contrast to make it usable after editing.
At the other end of the scale, shots taken with the two highest ISO settings were over-exposed, although, again, not grossly so. Some highlight detail was lost at ISO 25600; a bit less at ISO 12800. In P mode, the default shutter speed range for flash is between 1/60 and 1/250 second. While the flash appears able to set faster shutter speeds when required with high ISO settings, it couldn’t set slower shutter speeds at low ISO levels.
8. The Pro Capture modes: On test, both the Pro Capture H and Pro Capture L settings performed much as we expected, although we didn’t anticipate that the view in the EVF would freeze the instant the shutter button was pressed all the way down. This made it difficult to track birds in flight; you had to simply hope you were keeping the bird in the frame while you tracked its motion blindly.
There’s no questioning the setting’s ability to freeze a series of frames showing tiny steps in the motion. However, tracking focus if the bird moved towards or away from the camera was more difficult; we found the best practice is to set the aperture at f/8 (the smallest you can use in these modes) and hope depth of field will be adequate.
We were pleasantly surprised by the shots we obtained in the pre-buffering period, largely because the camera could lock focus the instant the shutter was half-pressed. Frames from these pre-buffered sequences were very sharp.
Both modes were quiet, which would make them ideal for shooting wildlife ““ particularly birds. This would also be advantageous when photographing actions like blowing out birthday cake candles. The ability to capture up to 14 extra frames before the point when you press the shutter can also compensate for slow reaction times and give you shots you might otherwise have missed.
These modes could also be useful for recording action sequences for motion analysis in sports or dance. Examples are included in the Samples section below.
9. The High Res Shot modes: Although Olympus claims the new camera is better at recording scenes in which there is subject motion (blowing leaves, waves, etc.) we didn’t notice a huge improvement over the results we obtained with the OM-D E-M5 Mark II. This isn’t surprising because both cameras use the same functions to record shots.
Although the E-M1 II delivers higher resolution than the E-M5 II, differences between files aren’t really noticeable and any movement in the scene while the eight frames are captured is recorded as a blur. Static subjects are recorded with abundant detail and a usable dynamic range, particularly in raw files. Converted ORI files were similar in quality to regular ORF.RAW files in all respect.
10. Response times: We carried out our timing tests with two Lexar Media Professional SDXC UHS-II U3 Class 10 cards, one with a capacity of 64GB, which was used for recording raw files, and the other (for JPEGs) a 32GB card. Both cards are fast enough to support 4K movie recording at the highest bit rates the camera supports.
However, since only the upper slot (Slot 1) is UHS-II compatible we used it with the Lexar 64GB UHS-II card for testing continuous recording times and capacities. With this card we can be reasonably sure the times measured are close to the fastest the camera can support. Using Slot 2 and/or with slower memory cards would result in lower burst capacities and longer processing times.
The review camera took less than a second to power-up for the first shot. Autofocus lag was too brief to measure with our equipment. Shot-to-shot times were consistently 0.45 seconds without flash and between 5.5 and 7.1 seconds when the flash was used, depending on whether the flash capacitor had fully discharged between shots.
Processing of JPEGs was completed within a second of the shutter being pressed. Having dual card slots enabled JPEGs to be recorded to one card and raw files to the other, so this time also applies to raw files and RAW+JPEG pairs. When we removed one card and measured the processing times for JPEGs and raw files separately, there was little difference between them.
In the high-speed sequential shooting mode, the review camera was able to record 144 Large/Superfine JPEGs in 9.4 seconds before capture rates slowed, which works out at a frame rate of just over 15.3 fps. It took 5.8 seconds to process this burst.
Changing to ORF.RAW format, increased the number of shots recorded before the capture rate slowed to 129 frames, which were recorded in 8.4 seconds, representing a frame rate of 15.3 fps. It took 5.4 seconds to process this burst.
In the Pro Capture H mode, we found a lot of variations in the number of frames the camera would record sequentially and the file format seemed to make no difference in the frame rate. The best result was 87 Large/Superfine JPEGs in 1.44 seconds, the equivalent of just over 60 fps.
In the Pro Capture L mode, the camera was able to record Large/Superfine JPEGs to the 99-frame buffer limit over a period of 7.4 seconds, which averages out at a frame rate of 13.4 fps, slightly slower than the specified 18 fps. Swapping to raw file capture had no impact on either frame rates or buffer capacity with either mode. Processing of JPEG was completed within about six seconds and raw files took roughly a second longer.
Conclusion
As noted in our First Look review, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is the camera fans of Olympus products have been waiting for. Beautifully ““ and thoughtfully ““ constructed, with excellent weather sealing and great ergonomics, the E-M1 Mark II capable of doing pretty much anything the modern photographer requires.
When it comes to overall speed, the E-M1 II is a match for many high-end DSLRs. It focuses quickly and accurately, even in dim lighting, can record fast bursts of continuous shots and has plenty of buffer capacity for storing them. It’s also is highly customisable.
On the video front, it provides a huge step-up in capabilities from previous OM-D models, enabling users to choose between UHD and DCI 4K for ultra-high-definition movies and providing most of the capabilities pro videographers require. And shooting video is so easy, even photographers who mainly shoot stills will want to create movies as well.
Image stabilisation is nothing short of superb ““ especially with stabilised lenses, when in-body and in-lens stabilisation can work together. Multiple-exposure settings like High Res Shot, Live Composite, HDR and bracketing provide scope for creative shooting and obtaining image that would be otherwise unachievable.
Having used the camera with the M.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens for the past couple of weeks, we still think it’s the perfect partnership for travellers. Older photographers who are sick of lugging around a heavy DSLR kit will find welcome relief with this combo ““ without noticeable compromises in picture quality. It’s also much more fun to use.
It’s a pity Olympus didn’t put more effort into the user manual, which has to be downloaded in PDF format from the company’s website. There is insufficient information in key sections dealing with the more complex shooting modes (Pro Capture and High Res Shot in particular), which leaves new users having to rely on intuition to work them out. The manual’s indexing isn’t up to standard since it doesn’t include direct links to pages via page numbers and omits references to ORI files altogether while including ‘useless’ settings (for serious photographers) like ‘Selfie Assist’.
Another reservation lies with the price of the camera, which is up there with the flagship cropped-sensor DSLRs from the market leaders, yet the E-M1 II has a sensor that is between 1.5x and 1.65x smaller. (Nonetheless you’ll still be able to make superb A2 prints from the shots you take with this camera.)
After currency conversion, the local RRP of AU$2799 is roughly US$50 more than the US MSRP so you won’t save money by buying the camera offshore as that difference would be wiped out by the cost of shipping and insurance. In fact, B&H, which advertises quite aggressively in the Australian online market, was quoting a price of roughlyAU$2736 when this review was published, which proves our point.
The E-M1 II has only just gone on sale, both in Australia and overseas, so discounting isn’t widespread. However, several local specialist stores have it listed at around AU$2750 for the body alone or between AU$3488 and AU$3600 for the body plus the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens. The lower price represents a good buy, since the cheapest price we’ve found for the 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens is AU$869.
The E-M1 II body plus the M.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens (as reviewed) is listed at between AU$4348 and AU$4500 on the websites that stock it. The RRP for the 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens is AU$1799 but we’ve found it selling for as low as AU$1519 ““ although more generally between AU$1667 and AU$1688 ““ so the price of the bundle needs to fall a bit to justify it over purchasing the camera and lens separately.
Few of the off-shore resellers’ sites are listing camera+lens bundles yet, although Amazon is offering the 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens for US$999 (AU$1365.40) and the 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens at US$1299 (AU$1775.40). With either lens, the total cost once shipping and insurance are added would exceed the price you’d pay by buying locally. And, with the package valued at over AU$1000, you’d also be stuck with 10% GST.
SPECS
Image sensor: 17.4 x 13.0 mm 4/3 Live MOS sensor with 21.8 million photosites (20.4 megapixels effective)
Image processor: TruePic VIII
A/D processing: 12-bit lossless compression
Lens mount: Micro Four Thirds
Focal length crop factor: 2x
Image formats: Stills: JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.3), ORF.RAW, RAW+JPEG; Movies: MOV (MPEG-4AVC/H.264), AVI (Motion JPEG); Wave Format audio (Stereo linear PCM/16-bit, Sampling frequency 48kHz)
Image Sizes: Stills ““ 5184 x 3888 to 1024 x 768 pixels; High Res Shot: Equivalent to 50 megapixels / 25 megapixels (8 shots combined into a single JPEG using sensor shift); Movies: 4096 x 2160 (C4K) at 24p / IPB (approx. 237 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 30p, 25p, 24p / IPB (approx. 102 Mbps); 1920 x 1080 at 30p, 25p, 24p / ALL-I (A-I), IPB (SF, F, N), 60p, 50p / IPB (SF, F, N); 1280 x 720 at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p / ALL-I (A-I), IPB (SF, F, N); [AVI] 1280 x 720 at 30p
Image Stabilisation: Built-in 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilisation for movie and still photos; 4 modes (S-IS AUTO, S-IS1, S-IS2, S-IS3), OFF; 5.5 EV shake compensation
Dust removal: Supersonic Wave Filter
Shutter (speed range): Focal plane mechanical and electronic shutter (mechanical shutter: 1/8000 – 60 sec.; Electronic first curtain shutter (Anti-shock mode): 1/320 – 60 sec.; Electronic shutter (Silent mode): 1/32000 – 60 sec.; flash synch at 1/250 sec.
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1EV steps (+/-3EV for movies)
Exposure bracketing: 2, 3 or 5 frames in 0.3 / 0.7 / 1.0 EV steps selectable, 7 frames in 0.3 / 0.7EV steps selectable
Other bracketing options: ISO, WB, Flash, Art filter, Focus (3 to 999 shots plus Focus stacking)
Self-timer: 2 or 12 seconds delay plus Custom (Wait time: 1-30sec., Shot interval: 0.5 / 1 / 2 / 3sec., Number of shots: 1-10, Every time AF: ON/OFF)
Focus system: Imager phase detection AF and imager contrast AF (active AF automatically selected by camera; when a Micro Four Thirds lens is attached, imager phase detection AF is always selected)
AF points & selection:121-point cross-type phase detection AF and 121-point contrast AF; All target, group target (9-area or 5-area), single target
Focus modes: Single AF (S-AF) / Continuous AF (C-AF) / Manual Focus (MF) / S-AF + MF / AF tracking (C-AF + TR) / Preset MF; C-AF lock (5 steps), AF scanner (3 types); AF targeting pad; AF limiter; 3x , 5x , 7x , 10x , 14x Magnified frame AF; face/eye detection AF; Manual focus assist (magnification and peaking)
Exposure metering: Digital ESP metering (324-area multi pattern metering), centre-weighted average and spot metering patterns plus spot metering with highlight control, spot metering with shadow control
Shooting modes: iAuto (Live Guide can be used), Program AE (with program shift), Aperture priority AE, Shutter priority AE, Manual (Live Bulb, Live Time and Live Composite are available), Custom 1～3, Art Filter, Underwater wide / Underwater macro (to be assigned to the Fn1 button)
Picture modes: i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone, Custom, e Portrait, Underwater, Colour Creator, Art Filters; Auto, Normal, High Key, Low Key Gradation; +/- 7 steps each for highlight, shadow, midtone control
Art Filters: Pop Art (I, II / a.b.c.d.e.f), Soft Focus ( – / c.e), Pale & Light Colour (I, II / a.b.c.d.f), Light Tone ( – / d.f), Grainy Film (I, II / b.c.d.g.h), Pin Hole (I, II, III / d), Diorama ( I,II / d), Cross Process (I, II / b.c.d.f), Gentle Sepia ( – / a.b.c.d.f), Dramatic Tone (I / b.c.d.e.f) (II / b.c.d.e.f.g.h), Key Line (I, II / a.b.c.d.e), WaterColour (I, II / a.b.c.d), Vintage (I, II, III / a.b.c.d.e.f.i), Partial Colour (I, II, III / a.b.c.d.e.f), plus 9 Art Effect settings and Colour Ring (for partial colour) with 18 selections
Other shooting modes: HDR1, HDR2 (painting-like) plus bracketing of 3 or 5 frames in 2.0 or 3.0 EV steps, or 7 frames in 2.0 EV steps for HDR post process; Keystone Compensation; Live Bulb and Live Time, Live Composite, interval shooting, multi-exposure, multi-aspect (4:3 (Default) / 3:2 / 16:9 / 1:1 / 3:4), One push Tele-converter (x2 magnification)
Colour space options: sRGB and Adobe RGB
ISO range: Auto (default) : LOW (approx. 64) “ 6400 with customisable upper limit (200 – 6400) with extension to ISO 25600 available; adjustable in 1/3 or 1 EV steps
White balance: Auto, 7 Preset WBs, 4 Capture WBs, Custom WB (Kelvin setting); +/- 7 steps of Blue/Amber, Magenta/Green bias adjustments
Flash: Bundled FL-LM3 (dustproof and splashproof flash); GN = 9.1 (ISO100・m)
Flash modes: Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync. (1st curtain), Slow sync. (1st curtain), Slow sync. (2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 (FULL) ~ 1/64)
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- 3 EV in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps
Sequence shooting: Max. 15 shots/sec. with mechanical shutter; up to 60 fps selectable with Silent sequential shooting H and Pro Capture H modes
Buffer capacity: Max. 117 Large/Fine JPEGs, 84 RAW files in Sequential shooting H 15 fps mode
Storage Media: Dual slots for SD, SDHC, SDXC cards (Slot1: UHS-I, II compatible, Slot2: UHS-I compatible)
Viewfinder: Eye-level EVF with approx. 2,360,000 dots; 100% FOV coverage, 1.30x to 1.48x magnification, approx. 21 mm eyepoint; -4 ~ +2m-1 dioptre correction, +/- 7 levels each of brightness and colour temperature control
LCD monitor: 3.0-inch vari-angle monitor with touch controls, 1,037,000-dot resolution, +/- 7 levels each of brightness and colour temperature adjustments, Vivid / Natural colour tone
Playback functions: Single-frame, information display, index display (4/9/25/100 frames), Clips, calendar, enlargement (2x – 14x), movie (with sound, FF/REW/Pause), picture rotation (auto), slideshow (with sound including BGM, Slide show effects, replaceable BGM), Light Box display, basic movie and stills editing: ARW.RAW data edit based on camera settings, Gradation auto, Monochrome, Sepia, Red-eye fix, Saturation, Resize (1280 x 960, 640 x 480, 320 x 240), Trimming, Aspect, e-Portrait, Image Overlay, Post recording
Interface terminals: USB Type-C, Micro HDMI (type D), 2.5mm remote control jack, 3.5 mm stereo mini jack (microphone), 3.5 mm stereo mini jack (headphone), Super Speed (USB3.0) PC interface
Wi-Fi function: Built-in (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) with QR code connection; Connect to up to 4 devices simultaneously; Marking function for image share of JPEG & MOV files; wireless camera control supported plus geotagging via smartphone GPS data
Power supply:BLH-1 rechargeable Li-ion battery pack; CIPA rated for approx. 440 shots/charge
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 134.1 x 90.9 x 68.9 mm (excluding protrusions)
Weight: Approx. 498 grams (body only); 574 grams with battery and card
Distributor: Olympus Imaging Australia; 1300 659 678, www.olympus.com.au
TESTS
Based on JPEG files taken with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4.0 IS PRO lens.
Based on ORF.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF files with Adobe Camera Raw.
SAMPLES
All shots taken with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4.0 IS PRO lens
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
Auto white balance with LED lighting.
Auto white balance with on-camera flash. (Note the shading produced by the lens.)
ISO Lo (64); 60 second exposure at f/4, 24mm focal length, available light exposure at night.
ISO 200; 30 second exposure at f/4.5, 24mm focal length, available light exposure at night.
ISO 1600; 5 second exposure at f/5, 24mm focal length, available light exposure at night.
ISO 3200; 5 second exposure at f/7.1, 24mm focal length, available light exposure at night.
ISO 6400; 3.2 second exposure at f/7.1, 24mm focal length, available light exposure at night.
ISO 12800; 2.5 second exposure at f/9, 24mm focal length, available light exposure at night.
ISO 25600; 2 second exposure at f/11, 24mm focal length, available light exposure at night.
Flash exposure, ISO Lo (64); 100mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/4.
Flash exposure, ISO 200; 100mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/4.
Flash exposure, ISO 1600; 100mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/4.
Flash exposure, ISO 3200; 100mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/4.
Flash exposure, ISO 6400; 100mm focal length, 1/100 second at f/4.
Flash exposure, ISO 12800;100mm focal length, 1/200 second at f/4.
Flash exposure, ISO 25600; 100mm focal length, 1/250 second at f/4.
Close-up taken with the 60mm macro lens: ISO 200, 1/640 second at f/4.
Close-up taken with the 12-100mm zoom lens: 60mm focal length ISO 200, 1/640 second at f/4.
Close-up taken with the 12-100mm zoom lens and focus stacking: 60mm focal length ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/4.
Close-up taken with the 60mm macro lens and focus stacking: ISO 800, 1/125 second at f/4.
High Res Shot mode 50M setting, JPEG original; 24mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/4.
Three crops from the above image showing how details and slight subject motion are recorded.
JPEG image converted from an ORI file captured with the 25M High Res Shot mode; 24mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/4.
Crop from the above image.
41mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/200 second at f/6.3.
47mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/9.
54mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/10.
61mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/320 second at f/6.3.
34mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/10.
29mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/10.
25mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/5.6.
92mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/200 second at f/4.
50mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/4.5.
12mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/125 second at f/6.3.
789:75mm focal length, ISO 1600, 1/8 second at f/4.
Sequence of shots from the pre-buffered section of a sequence recorded with the Pro Capture High mode: 100mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/2000 second at f/4.5.
Still frame from Cinema 4K (4096 x 2160 pixel) movie clip recorded at 24p.*
Still frame from UHD 4K (3840 x 2160 pixel) movie clip recorded at 25p.*
Still frame from Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixel) movie clip recorded in SuperFine resolution at 50p.*
Still frame from Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixel) movie clip recorded in Fine resolution at 50p.*
Still frame from Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixel) movie clip recorded with ALL-Intra compression at 25p.
Still frame from AVI (Motion JPEG) HD (1280 x 720 pixel) movie clip recorded at 30p.*
Rating
RRP: AU$2,799; US$2,000
- Build: 9.2
- Ease of use: 8.4
- Autofocusing: 9.0
- Still image quality JPEG: 9.0
- Still image quality RAW: 9.0
- Video quality: 9.0
