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 out 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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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 but 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 graphics editor during post-processing, the fact that you can do this 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 realize 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; moreover, 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.
To be fair, they weren’t the first to start. Many other manufacturers took advantage of the earthquakes
and other natural disasters on the Japanese islands, the price tags were rewritten upward in unison.
And then they are still surprised that their sales are falling. Speaking of sales – it wasn’t so easy before
persuade the amphibian living in each of us to regularly upgrade its glands, and now that our
salaries suddenly halved in dollar terms, it became even more difficult to find arguments in
this age-old dispute. Accordingly, all manufacturers who want to sell us at least something have to
bend over backwards to interest us in the fruits of his hard labor.
Of course, Olympus technology has also risen in price, but strictly by the difference in the ruble/euro exchange rate. Who should I thank?
for this very difference - you know without me.
Another sign: It got to the point that Olympus Russia sent me a prototype camera for a detailed long-term test.
Before, if someone had told me, I wouldn’t have believed it. Unexpected and very pleasant. Believe me: touched to the core.
I’ll make a reservation right away: since the camera that fell into my hands is an engineering sample (which is clearly stated
and proudly says the inscription SAMPLE under the screen), then I will not, as usual, give you a mountain of full-size photographs
or, moreover, ravs for independent study. Not this time. Let's start with the manufacturers of RAW converters
They will learn to show them normally.
However, they allowed me to show a number of full-size photographs. And here we must express gratitude
to the manufacturer - such confidence in the operation of even a non-serial test device evokes respect.
Regarding the test pictures offered to your attention, I would like to state the following:
— All photographs were developed in RawTherapee v 4.2.1203 and saved as JPEG from Adobe Photoshop
with maximum quality
— There is no post-processing (except for a couple of pimples removed from one of the young ladies) here. There is no noise reduction. EXIF is in place.
— Some photos come with full sizes, which is mentioned under the photo and a link.
— Apart from those photos for which I posted full-sizes, there are no other full-size photos, raw files or
There are no in-camera JPEGs and there is no need to ask about them. The camera was not serial and that is forgivable DPReview
I definitely won't get away with it.
Thanks to 2FStudio for the room with light bulbs
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So, let's begin.
What's the first thing we do when we buy a new camera? That's right - charge the battery. We now have a new battery - more capacious,
which promises longer battery life (otherwise, apparently, it won’t be possible to feed the entire horde of processors hidden inside - just
only there are 2 Corpses and each one, they say, is about 4 cores). Eight-headed Japanese dragon, yes.
Charging is very fast, which is a critical thing for professional use. Hopefully later for extra money
They will also roll out chargers for 2 batteries at once (I remember seeing these from one of the brands).
Finally (and not ten years have passed) we see a normal indication of the remaining battery capacity as a percentage. What it seems
natural users of some other systems finally makes us happy. Moreover, the discharge process is very precise
controlled, cannot be compared with what happened before, when the indicator essentially had three states:
packed to capacity / I'll die soon / flashing red.
Please note how beautifully the new M.Zuiko 25/1.2 Pro lens draws, and the following shots were filmed in
a dimly lit coffee shop where the camera-lens combination focused perfectly.
Now the discharge percentages are constantly ticking, which is somewhat annoying at first, but I got used to it after half a day.
And now I know exactly when to look for an outlet nearby. I’ll say right away that you have to look for an outlet less often than before.
The batteries began to last for a noticeably larger number of frames.
However, in this fragrant barrel of honey there is a small but very unpleasant spoon you know what. A charger that
It charges a new battery well, and from the middle of the charging process the bright orange LED starts blinking cheerfully.
Moreover, the closer the process is to completion, the higher the frequency of this blinking.
Just imagine - this is lying on the table at night, where you put your battery to charge after a hard day,
and BLINKS cheerfully! Then BLINK-BLINK!! Then BLINK-BLINK-BLINK!!! In the meantime, try to sleep. 🙂
Well, by golly - it was necessary to add a function so that the charger, upon completion of work, would not finally start glowing green,
and shouted “Allah Akbar!” Then they won’t be allowed into the airport with this thing either, like with some newfangled phones. 😉
Dear developers! Three-color LEDs in China now cost 5 yuan per bucket with a capacity of 3 qian. It is not expensive.
Can I ask you to remove this epileptic’s delight and install a normal three-color LED as an indicator of the state of charge?
Then we can safely leave a working charger on the windowsill overnight without the risk of going crazy.
Ergonomics.
In fact, I ran out of questions about the ergonomics of Olympus ever since the OM-D EM5-II appeared on the market.
Even then, all the minor problems were corrected, premium materials finally began to be used,
The rubber bands stopped peeling off, the frames cracked, the linings fell off and the screws stopped unscrewing.
Then there was PEN-F, which to the touch most of all reminded me of the creation of the gloomy Soviet genius: “Zorkiy-4”, cogs
there it became even smaller (and on the lower side they disappeared completely - I can’t imagine how they assemble this on an assembly line).
The current EM-1 is most similar to my beloved E-510 (I had such a camera at one time), but made of
materials and with E-3 tolerances (which I also had and from which the new camera inherited an elegant
a self-losing plug for the synchronization port, however, above this cap, which tends to unscrew and get lost
immediately after purchasing the camera, I already made fun of it a lot in my review of the E-M5, I don’t want to repeat myself).
ISO 4000
The grip is exactly 510. For me it is ideal in terms of depth and grip. No matter what competitors say, they don’t care
ergonomics are like walking to the moon. Everything fits here like a glove. There is no need to tinker with any overlays purchased on Aliexpress,
there is no need to “finish” or “improve” anything - everything is thought out by the manufacturer. The grip allows you to freely operate the camera,
holding it in one hand and with fairly large lenses.
The buttons, I note, are exactly the size and degree of pimples that allow you to press them in winter wearing gloves.
This is no less important than the stated frost resistance of the camera down to -10 C. I also checked this - the camera works great in cold weather
and doesn’t even go down to -20C. It usually doesn’t get any lower in our area at this time.
But, as usual, I found something to dig into. The vile nature makes itself felt. On the other hand, the manufacturer can also
understand - if you make an ideal camera once and for all, then how can you sell a new - even more ideal - camera in a couple of years?
B/W cards from Olympus starting with PEN-F make me very happy.
That's it! Each manufacturer leaves all sorts of roughness and clumsiness in the hope that they will give room for their
subsequent gradual correction and improvement. They say that this is what is called “progress”.
Well, really, you don’t think that the cover of the memory card compartment was made so slippery by accident and its fastening
Is it so unreliable precisely because of an oversight by the developers? It can not be. I see here a strict scientific calculation and results
long-term experiments.
But jokes aside, the lid is made so-so. It is made of slippery plastic and is not covered with leatherette (like other
surface of the carcass). There are not even any notches made on it. It slides even in my dry hands - go open it
when needed. And already polished to a shine.
Why didn’t they make it like in the second nickel, where the same node does not raise any questions at all? This great mystery is...
To be fair, there’s really nothing more to dig into. The tight wheels click under your hands, the levers jump, changing
position with a clearly adjusted force, even the hole for the finger used to pry out the rear screen has become a little deeper - ideal.
Congratulations, Sharik! You are a fool. (c)
At one time, I foolishly sold all my glass left over from the older 4/3 system. Having tried to attach them to the first OM-D,
I understand - pampering is all. Whack-Whack-Whack - this is not autofocus, it's a mockery. This is how it was before the advent of OM-D EM-1.
There, phase AF appeared using sensors on the matrix, and the old glasses began to play completely differently.
On the new unit there are much more phase AF points, they are located even wider, and I couldn’t resist and tried to attach them to
camera old glass - the only old one I have left by today's standards is 40-150 / 3.5-4.5 of the very first version. That,
that came as a double kit to my first E-300 (my eyes at this point were covered with a cloudy veil of memories).
Usually later in stories they write like this: what was his surprise when...
That's right: imagine my surprise when it turned out that the old lens focuses on the new body faster than it
I did this on my native E-300 back in 2006.
We have arrived... as our Ukrainian colleagues say. 🙂
Admire how organic they look. And in terms of weight distribution, by the way, it’s a very convenient bunch.
It turns out that I wasted everything I had acquired through back-breaking labor: Zuiko Digital 11-22/2.8-3.5, Zuiko Digital 50/2.0 Macro,
(I'm about to burst into tears), Leica 14-50, etc. Well, this is how it turns out - a Russian man is strong in hindsight, yes.
Moreover, at one time, when a camera with an 8 megapixel matrix was oh so cool (my first DSLR was just
was 8 Mpix E-300) I remember how one of the company officials at the next photo film said: the Zuiko glasses will be pulled and
resolution 20 megapixels.
Then I chuckled in disbelief, but this phrase stuck in my head. 10 years have passed and we can verify this statement. Uncle, it turns out
I didn’t lie - even an inexpensive 40-150 on an open hole perfectly resolves the new matrix (the difference with 25/1.2 is in favor of glass for a thousand
bucks, but it is, I would say, homeopathic). Pictures are attached as evidence of the thesis. Everyone who kept the old ones
glass - I envy you.
Color rendition.
It is difficult to judge such subjective matters. Color rendition is a thing that, of course, can be measured by taking a test
target, but it is not clear what to do with the intended one. After all, in addition to accuracy, the “beauty” of the resulting picture is also important, and
this is a thing so specifically subjective that it regularly causes virtual stabbings on various forums on the Internet.
However, there is something to talk about. Since the very first appearance of Olympus cameras, they have been known for their beautiful color reproduction
(especially in JPEG) and fairly accurate color separation (for those who develop raw).
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I am sure that each company has its own internal ideas about the images that should be obtained from their cameras, there are
some internal procedures for testing and setting up the binding of matrices, filters and software. But we will never know about them
more likely. And you have to judge by the end result. They won’t let me lie here - oddly enough, he’s always different.
More-less.
At one time I really liked the result obtained with the E-510, then with the E3 and OM-D EM5-II. Starting with PEN-F, it seemed to me,
the internal vector of developers has changed a little (or maybe someone just retired), and now we see a more accurate
colors picture than before. Whether it's worse or better, I'm not ready to judge. It’s not difficult for me to bring the photo to the form I need,
which means that the basic color separation parameters remain high and all changes are visible only in the obtained
default JPEG-ah.
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Speaking of matrices. So far, the converter I use in my work only includes basic support for the new camera.
But even now I can see the difference in color reproduction between the PEN-F and the EM1 Mark 2. It's small, but distinct. By the way, this is what I wrote
to me the developer of the RawTherapee converter:
As a substitude I compared the color matrices that Olympus includes in its exif data and found that the closest match
is with E-M5II so I used the E-M5II’s color matrix (copyed from colormatrix2 dng tag (D65). I also suggest to use Adobe’s
E-M5II dcp at the moment… waiting for properly shots of cc24 targets under daylight and tungsten lighting to build better dcp
profiles or just wait for Adobe to support E-M1II with the upcoming DNG converter and use their dcp’s.
That is, the author claims that the color rendition of the new camera is close to that of the OM-D E-M5 II. And this, you see, is good.
I have already debugged my workflow and I am more than happy with the color. And when will high-quality support appear in the main
With raw converters on the market, everything will only get better. Just the other day my favorite Capture One 10 came out,
where this support has already been officially announced.
Dynamic range and noise.
I’ll make a reservation right away - for instrumental measurements, careful comparisons, world photography and color checkers, there are special sites and
specially trained bores. I will only talk about my impressions.
It feels like the matrix in the new camera is superior in noise to that in the PEN-F, but the difference is hard to see
with the naked eye. I took the time and did a small test on my knee. I see a difference only at ISO 6400 and higher.
And the difference is small.
Here's a picture at ISO 6400. The color is good and the detail is spot on. In a word - working ISO.
On the other hand, no one has yet canceled the placebo effect. And pressed chalk tablets bring real relief to 30% of patients. 😉
Here is an example of ISO 1600 for which I have no questions. Enjoy the full size at the link.
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The difference that we see in real working conditions is most likely due to the fact that the exposure metering of the Olympus
(which I personally, by and large, have had no complaints about probably since the days of the E-3) continues to improve.
And the more accurately we measure, the less we have to drag the image into the converter. And even a slight improvement in accuracy
metering will give a better picture in terms of noise.
This is where progress is evident. If previously I shot mainly in matrix ESP metering, now I increasingly use spot metering.
Already in PEN-F he was able to snap to the focus point (which made it possible to shoot concerts without exposure compensation, who is it
did it - he will understand how convenient it is). Nowadays, the algorithms have apparently been polished more thoroughly and spot metering has become even more accurate.
And the more accurately we measured the exposure, the less we then pull the image up during conversion - the less noise in the final
image.
Regarding dynamic range. He grew up. I see this clearly in some scenes.
By the way, in order to make rave support for the new camera in RawTherapee, I was asked to do several test
frames. At different ISOs. The trick is that the frames had to be completely overexposed (I have no idea why this is necessary,
but that's not the point).
So, a lot of work had to be done to create the conditions under which this could be observed. The camera stubbornly left
details in the lights, until finally I found a powerful halogen lamp in the table and shined it directly into her forehead. There is no remedy against scrap,
yeah. Then I remembered a joke about tough Siberian men, a Japanese chainsaw and a rail. This is exactly our case.
Remember before it was considered that the DD of 4/3 was so-so? And everyone tried, when photographing, for example, landscapes, to make a negative
exposure compensation so that, God forbid, the lights don’t blow out? Then the idea of ETTR (the matrix of all
By that time, manufacturers had improved considerably in terms of DD, but expo-automation was still cautious in the old fashioned way),
but we were still afraid that in the bright sun we would overexpose something - and the picture would be ruined.
Gone are those days. A bright future has arrived. Here's an example - I shot this house with exposure bracketing + -2Ev,
and in the end, the exposed version with a correction of +2 Ev was recognized as the highest quality.
This is HDR from scratch.
When developing, we pull the exposure down more than a stop, and voila - the absence of noise and the presence of details in the shadows are combined
with well-designed lights. I’ll say right away that I consider the presence of glare in the picture to be a blessing, giving it a lively and natural look.
There are glares, but there are no overexposures that disfigure the picture. These are the pies.
By the way, the constant exposure metering correction +2/6, which I set back in PEN-F, migrated to the new camera. Seriously
I'm thinking of adding a little more.
Autofocus
This is actually a sore subject. For many years now they have been promising us that “mirrorless cameras are about to catch up and surpass in speed
autofocus classic SLR cameras." Manufacturers have already managed to add phase focusing sensors to the matrix,
and cunning tracking algorithms are being developed and implemented, and the speed of reading data from the matrix is increasingly increasing - and things are still there.
Still, I have to prove to everyone, foaming at the mouth, every time that finally, it almost seems like it’s possible
We have almost already managed to catch up in AF speed with Old Testament DSLRs like the Canon 5D Mark II or something like that.
In fact, everything is simpler - in terms of S-AF speed, the E-M5 II was already at the level of most SLR cameras. And in terms of accuracy
he was so superior to them that if I were the owner of the “mirror” I would not get involved in these comparisons at all, so as not to embarrass myself.
Generally speaking, the accuracy demonstrated by mirrorless cameras is unattainable by DSLRs, which is called “by design”.
Owners of classic cameras just need to accept it, come to terms with it, and learn to live with it somehow. It’s understandable - search
maximum contrast in a real image will always be more accurate than the AF sensor system of a classic camera, which
In addition, front/back focus is almost always present.
The new AF-S camera is simply lightning. Even in twilight conditions and in the dark corners of the studio, he finds something to cling to.
I consider this topic closed for myself from now on.
But as for tracking AF, everything is different. After all, with pure contrast focusing, the camera does not know where it is moving
object, and she has to be sophisticated in order to somehow determine it (how she does this - I believe this is a terrible engineering secret).
Honestly, I tried tracking autofocus, but it works, but it’s no less important to have the skills to “maintain” the target and
in general, improve my skills as a Voroshilov shooter, which I cannot boast of, alas.
The experiments have shown that the camera confidently “keeps” a person in focus when walking towards you directly or diagonally.
Just like a car coming at you at the speed limit in the city. And even the Nikon D5 won’t be able to keep up with the cat jumping around the house.
The vile light of fluorescent lamps still could not spoil the picture.
At least, what we saw from Olympus earlier could be called tracking AF only out of great sympathy for the company.
Now at least there is a topic for substantive discussion.
Video and stabilizer.
I combined these two points in one paragraph for a reason. Remember how in Remarque’s novel “Three Comrades” the guys mocked
those around you with the help of a nondescript car, Karl, under the hood of which stood a hellish engine from a racing car?
I have my own similar, equally base entertainment, similar in nature. You find yourself at an event where
Working with you is a certain “wedding videographer” or someone else, hung with Steadicams, I just can’t help it.
You stand next to him and accidentally start filming too. The main thing is to sight on the screen. Videographers are observant people,
and sooner or later their peripheral vision kicks in. They see the picture and don’t understand why it doesn’t twitch. At all.
- What the hell is this?
— Olympus, I’m filming a video.
- What's out of hand?
- It doesn’t shake at all - the stabilizer, etc.
- Let me have a look?
- Leave me alone
Then you reluctantly give the camera into his hands, and here you carefully look at the operator’s face. Such a storm of emotions is usually
reflected on her face that by God she wants to film her on the sly somehow. All stages are strictly in the order described
in specialized literature:
— Denial
- Anger
— Bargaining
— Depression
- Adoption
Well, then, when the shock wears off, a substantive conversation begins - how much, where to buy, etc. Stub is real
showstopper, as the bourgeoisie say.
Sonya is already 18 years old. Fluorescent lamps did not prevent the camera from setting the correct WB
The most interesting thing is that the stabilizer in each camera continues to be added. If in the second nickel and PEN-F he started
turn on/off smartly, with some delay after releasing the shutter button, for example, now it has become
It's also quieter to work. And its effectiveness, although not much, has increased (there are even rumors that a certain
theoretical limit due to the rotation of Mother Earth).
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Regarding the video itself, I will disappoint you - I wasn’t ready to test it clearly, I’m more about photography.
But to a couple of videographer acquaintances (one of those who became friends with me after the joke with the stabilizer) I gave
look at the resulting files, and they were very positive. Most of their enthusiasm I generally
I didn’t understand to be honest.
As Forrest Gump said: “That’s all I can tell you about the Vietnam War” 😉
All sorts of baubles and enticements.
For me personally, the main attraction in the second nickel was the HiRes shooting mode. Of course, we all pretend in public that we are
It doesn’t bother me at all that there are cameras with three times the resolution. Yes, yes - we were all taught that the main thing
not the size, but the ability to use and that’s all. It's clear. But sometimes a hell of a megapixel is a stupid requirement
customer.
Sometimes the maximum possible resolution is really necessary. And here the ability to shoot in HiRes mode comes to our rescue.
This idea was first implemented in Hasselblads, if I'm not mistaken, but it was Olympus that brought this cool thing
to the masses.
Everyone who has used this mode knows about its advantages and disadvantages. Yes, you can only shoot static, yes, only
from a tripod (for now), but even with all these limitations, the ability to squeeze 80 megapixels of resolution out of a camera is no joke
(80 megapixels are obtained when developing images manually - the camera produces only 50 megapixel JPEGs)
There were persistent rumors that the EM-1 Mark 2 would be able to perform this trick when shooting handheld. I myself hoped (for purely theoretically
I don’t see any obstacles to implementing compensation for hand tremors in the presence of a stub), but it only seems from the outside that everything
very simple. Apparently, there are some problems and only in the future will we live to see such miracles. There is no doubt that we will survive.
I have faith in Olympus engineers. But for now, a tripod is required for this kind of photography.
Something else is important! Everyone who has already tried to shoot these hellishly sized pictures has noticed that any trembling of the leaves,
displacement of branches and other movements in the photographed object sometimes led to the appearance of unpleasant artifacts. In these places
There appeared some obliquely shaded areas; it looked, frankly, disgusting.
So - now I didn’t see all this. I made a special trip to photograph the smoking chimneys of the thermal power plant, which in the previous
the chambers were all jagged (the smoke, it turns out, moves quite quickly) and now I see that there are no artifacts. New camera
successfully combats this phenomenon. As proof, here's the picture:
It is clear that it is not a fact that third-party converters can do this. But no one is stopping their authors from coming up with their own version of the fight.
with this evil. By the way, there is a timid hope that new firmware will improve the situation even more and maybe even allow
take it off my hands, it doesn’t leave me. This is probably because I am generally a romantic and believe in everything good.
The next bauble is the ProCapture mode.
In this mode, half-pressing the shutter causes the frames to begin recording into a ring buffer and then, when the bird finally
will fly out, and you, as usual, will gape and be late to pull the trigger (for a person such a delay is normal),
the frames are simply merged from the buffer onto the flash drive, including those few that you could shoot yourself if
you have a reaction like Chuck Norris.
That is, now happiness has come to all the bunglers and idiots - they can be stupid as before, but with the new camera they will
have time to film the moment when a hummingbird flies out of the nest (or crawls out of a hole - God knows where these damn hummingbirds are found).
We tried to film various fast and sudden processes. Just for fun. Soap bubbles popped
filled with smoke and fire and stuff like that. And they tried to film the moment when the bubble didn’t seem to burst yet, but he was already fucked
(just like now with our Russian economy). It turns out very beautifully (unlike our economy, unfortunately).
General impression of the camera.
Jokes aside, Olympus does everything right the second time. You don’t have to look far for examples: E-510->E-520, OM-D EM5 -> OM-D E-M5II, etc.
First, they give out a revolutionary camera in terms of content (remember the first matrix stub in the 510, for example, or the first “nickel” which
was generally a revelation), but has a certain amount of rough edges (I’m not even talking about outright flaws). They're probably in a hurry.
And then, after a year, all this is carefully corrected in truly successful models (E-520, OM-D E-M5II). In the same second nickel I
I didn’t find anything at all, not just a jamb, nothing at all that could have been done more correctly at that time - a kind of uber-camera.
Using the second unit we remove the skeleton of the first
I never owned the first E-M1 and it’s hard for me to judge here, but it seems history has repeated itself again. Degree of completion and
The polish of the second unit is impressive. What can I say, if comparing it with the serial X-T2, I clearly saw the Fuji lags
(with a sharp change in illumination in the frame, it simply begins to become ungodly stupid for several seconds, drawing the picture at a speed
probably 15 fps). So I compared a production camera with an engineering sample, which, by definition, should be more flawed.
However, no.
full size
Even the Olympus that fell into my hands, with the proud inscription SAMPLE on the back, looked like a complete production model and behaved
respectively. There is a large amount of pre-production processing of the product.
In general, the main epithet that comes to mind when you pick up a camera is one – speed. And I'm not talking now about
autofocus speed, but about the overall speed of the camera’s response to everything: pressing buttons, switching modes, changing lighting
scenes in the viewfinder, etc., etc. It doesn't lag at all, and everything I do with it has an immediate response.
The Olympus army is marching to take over the mirrorless market.
At first it even seemed somewhat unnatural, but you quickly get used to the good stuff. I'll say more - after finishing testing the camera
I picked up my second nickel and took a few shots for the review screensaver (in which the new camera is lying on the table). Experienced
an unpleasant feeling - it seemed that my favorite second patch was a terrible brake. And not so much in terms of AF, but in terms of general reaction
in general for anything and everything in the process of work. It’s as if cotton wool was placed under each button: there’s a millisecond delay, something isn’t instantaneous
responded... brr. How quickly we get used to good things!
Well, I hope I’ll get used to it again in a couple of weeks.
The dimensions and weight of the new E-M1 seemed optimal to me, although of course I am used to smaller and lighter cameras.
Micra has already corrupted me. For professionals, this is just the right weight, grip and (hopefully) strength of the entire structure.
The camera was undoubtedly a success. Olympus engineers have again raised the bar for speed, picture quality and ease of use,
Well, for future generations of this family (Mark 3 will be born sooner or later, I’m sure) I’m already ready for the first improvement
hint: cover the cover of the memory card compartment with something rough.
In 2012, Olympus released the compact, functional (and quite expensive) mirrorless camera OM-D E-M5, which became very popular. And when the time came for an upgrade, it was done in two stages, releasing a year later the E-M1 for more demanding users, and a year later - an updated and at the same time slightly simplified model E-M10 for amateurs, which we will now take a closer look at.
Key Features of the Olympus OM-D E-M10
| System | Micro Four Thirds |
| Image sensor | 4/3" Live MOS, 16.1 MP, 4:3 aspect ratio (17.3 x 13.0 mm) |
| Image Stabilizer | based on matrix shift, up to 3.5 EV |
| CPU | TruePic VII |
| Autofocus | TTL, contrast (81 zones) |
| Focus Modes | manual, single-frame, tracking, single-frame + manual |
| Exposure metering | ESP, spot, center-weighted, highlight, shadow-weighted |
| Exposure compensation | ±5 EV (in steps of 1, 1/2, 1/3) |
| Excerpt | 1/4000–60 sec (in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV increments), manual up to 30 minutes |
| Viewfinder | electronic, 100% frame coverage, resolution 1.44 million dots |
| Display | 7.6 cm (3.0"), 3:2, rotating, touch, 1 million dots |
| Flash | built-in: guide number 8.2 (ISO 200); external: “hot shoe” (without proprietary MultiInterface Shoe interface); Supports Super FP high-speed sync (up to 1/4000 s) |
| Continuous shooting | Max. 8 fps |
| Types of photo files | JPEG, RAW |
| Video file type | MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, max. 1920 x 1080 30p, 24Mbps), AVI (Motion JPEG, max. 1280x720, 30 fps) |
| Recording media | SD/HC/XC Card |
| Nutrition | Lithium-ion battery, energy reserve for approximately 320 shots |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 119.1 x 82.3 x 45.9 mm (excluding protrusions) |
| Weight | 396 g with battery and memory card |
| Other | Built-in Wi-Fi (fast connection via QR code) |
The new product inherited from the E-M5: almost the same body with minimal redesign, the same control surfaces, matrix and viewfinder. The new display, new processor and built-in Wi-Fi adapter are borrowed from the E-M1, and the autofocus module remains the classic contrast one, but the number of focusing zones has increased from 35 to 81. The new product has lost the ability to connect a battery grip (booster), and the standard battery it has a slightly smaller capacity. And, last but not least, the new product has become much cheaper than its predecessor - the E-M5 at the start of sales cost more than one and a half thousand US dollars, the E-M10 can be purchased for less than 900. This concludes the comparative part, let's move on to the actual subject of the review .
So, the E-M10 is one of the smallest system cameras with a viewfinder, if not the smallest overall. In size it is very close to the Sony NEX-7 or α6000; all other alternatives are noticeably larger, including the E-M5, from which the “ten” differs in a slightly smaller width and significantly smaller height.
The included lens also hints at the amateur positioning of the new product - a folding motorized 3x zoom, which when folded makes the E-M10 practically pocket-sized. Nevertheless, the E-M10 has a magnesium alloy body, the assembly is neat, and the device looks great - they didn’t skimp here.
Due to its small size, the E-M10 does not have a full-fledged handle; instead, there is a relatively small thickening of the body. But the protrusion for the thumb is very good. The first time I had to twist the camera a little this way and that until I found a comfortable position for my fingers. And then I got used to it and stopped thinking about it, and not once did the device try to slip out of my hands.
The E-M10 has few controls: on the top edge there is only a mode dial, two exposure control wheels and a pair of programmable buttons - video and Fn2. The viewing mode button and another programmable one (Fn1) are located on the beveled edge between the top and back of the case. They are not very convenient to press with your thumb - the support for it gets in the way. But the functions on these buttons are not ones that need to be changed quickly while shooting, so this is not critical. The arrangement of the control wheels one above the other with overlap is apparently intended to solve the problem of placing them in a small area and at the same time maintaining comfortable dimensions. The solution is interesting, it looks great, and the front wheel is in its place, under the index finger. But reaching with your thumb to the raised rear one is a bit far. Therefore, it is better to assign a more popular function to the front wheel. True, after some time it turned out that it is convenient to rotate the back one with the index finger.
The back side of the small body is almost entirely devoted to a 3-inch folding display, exactly the same as in the E-M1 (the “five” has a lower display and viewfinder resolution). Its average brightness was almost always enough, and only on the sunny days it was necessary to either turn the backlight to maximum or use the viewfinder. The display is a touchscreen with standard Olympus functionality: in shooting mode - touch focus or snapshot, in viewing mode - scrolling and zooming photos, and when viewing only through the viewfinder - a quick menu as one of the options of the INFO button.
The folding mechanism used here is of the simplest design, with its characteristic drawback - on a tripod with a large head or removable platform, it will be impossible to completely tilt the display down. There may also be problems with access to the battery compartment, so it is better to choose a tripod after trying it on.
To the right of the display there is a five-way joypad and three buttons around it - miniature, but quite comfortable. The keys around OK control the position of the focus area by default. You can assign additional functions to them, but then selecting the focus point will require first pressing to the left.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is pleasant to work with, despite the resolution not being the highest by today’s standards. The image in it, as well as on the display, practically does not lag behind reality (this is the real benefit of the new processor). By pressing the shutter, you get exactly the moment you need in the photo. But it is worth remembering that the viewfinder consumes more power than the display.
In the photo viewing mode, the viewfinder can also be used, but there is one unpleasant moment - when the image automatically switches from the display to the viewfinder, the camera switches to shooting mode. To see the picture in the EVI, you need to press the view button again. When switching from EVI to the display, nothing like this happens. It’s not clear whether this is a bug, or whether it’s intended to be this way - but why?
The E-M10 retains the same variety of modes, functions and settings that we saw on the E-M1, but there are far fewer buttons and there is no switch to change their behavior. Three programmable buttons are enabled by default to open the ISO/WB menu (Fn1), highlight/shadow correction (Fn2) and video recording. Using Fn2, you can quickly tone down highlights and bring out detail in the shadows using the wheels or joypad buttons, while the tone curve is displayed on the display, just like in a photo editor. Naturally, this correction, like any filters, effects and styles, applies only to JPG files. For scenes with high dynamic range, you can also use HDR or bracketing. True, these functions do not have their own button, and they are not in the quick menu either, so in case of frequent use you will have to use one of the Fn buttons or the video recording button. Moreover, if, for example, the HDR function is selected for Fn1, then by holding the button pressed and turning any of the wheels, you can open the HDR and bracketing menu, familiar from the E-M1. The item selected in it will be activated in the future by simply pressing this button. The default Fn2 button works in the same way. The function assigned to it for adjusting lights and shadows is only one of 5 items in the same menu.
In addition to the standard corner quick menu, the E-M10 offers another way to access critical settings. We are talking about the information screen, which is turned on by the "INFO" button if you forcibly switch the image output to the viewfinder. The display in this mode does not respond to single touches - apparently to protect against accidental operations. The touch mode is activated either by the "OK" button or by double tapping on any of the menu cells, presented in the form of a grid. You can select the desired element in as many as three ways, as you like - by touching, using the joypad arrows, or using the rear wheel. You can change the value with the front wheel, or you can use OK or double tap to open the corresponding menu.
As you can see, the Olympus E-M10 can be configured in accordance with the habits of any user, and you can save several sets of settings and quickly change them depending on the shooting conditions and genre (reportage, macro, studio portrait, videography, etc.). Of course, it will take a lot of time to understand all this, and even more so to customize everything to your taste, but it will not be spent in vain.
The performance of the E-M10 thanks to the TruePic VII processor is pleasing. True, the maximum continuous shooting speed is for some reason limited to eight frames per second instead of nine for the E-M5. The buffer memory holds 12 frames in RAW + JPG mode of maximum quality or 15 only in RAW. Then shooting can continue indefinitely at intervals of 2-3 seconds. The full series is saved quite quickly - in 20 seconds, and the camera does not freeze - at any moment you can complete as many frames as there is space available in the buffer at that moment.
The matrix of the E-M10, as already mentioned, is the same as in the E-M5 - 16 megapixels, without phase detection autofocus sensors. It is only slightly inferior to the E-M1 sensor in terms of dynamic range. The noise level of all three OM-D cameras is the same and quite high - even at ISO400 you can often notice grain in the pictures. If you plan to use a photo for printing in a large size, or if the zoom is not enough and you will have to use only part of the frame, it is better not to get carried away with high ISO values. If you plan to post the photo in online publications or digital photo albums, then if the exposure and framing are initially correct, there is nothing to worry about. When reducing an image taken with ISO to 1600-3200, to the sizes used on the Internet of 1-2 megapixels, the noise is safely “eaten up” by interpolation.
This is how the camera shoots at different ISO values in JPEG format ():
And here it is - in RAW format when converting from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (gallery with full-size files):
Automatic focusing on the E-M10 works quickly and reliably, and in case of infrequent misses, you can play it safe by turning on the S-AF + MF mode and quickly correct the focus manually using magnification and highlighting contours (focus peaking).
Optics
The device is equipped with a universal folding zoom lens with a focal length range of 14-42 mm (28-84 mm in terms of full frame). It is called M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42 mm 1: 3.5-5.6 EZ ED MSC and has an electric zoom drive. The zoom speed can be selected from 3 options (separately for photos and videos); manual mode is not provided. The lens is equipped with an original cover with curtains that close when the lens is folded. This cap screws into the filter thread, which means it is much less likely to get lost than a regular cap. The lens automatically extends into the working position when you turn on the power, even if you just wanted to view the photos you have taken, and automatically retracts when you enter sleep mode. Unfortunately, switching on in viewing mode with the lens folded is not possible. When zooming and focusing, the front lens does not rotate, which is good for working with polarizing and gradient filters. When zooming, the lens moves in a wave-like manner, and the current focal length is displayed on the display.
The optical qualities of the lens, frankly speaking, are so-so. The sharpness is not amazing. At the minimum focal length and open aperture, the lens is frankly “washy”, sharpness appears only in the f/5.6-f/11 range. At medium and maximum focal lengths the picture is not much better - if the subject does not require a small depth of field, it is better to shoot at f/8 at any AF. By the way, even with this aperture value, chromatic aberrations are not uncommon, and are not always eliminated in one click. Most images taken with this lens require sharpening (and often color saturation), and noticeable noise immediately appears. The advantages of the lens include its almost silent mechanics, compactness, and resistance to side and backlight. In general, this is a typical “kit” that clearly fulfills its purpose - to allow the user to get comfortable with the camera and at the same time motivate him to buy better optics.
Sharpness at 14mm focal length:
Sharpness at 28mm focal length:
Sharpness at 42mm focal length:
As a bonus, the test included a 2x macro converter Olympus MCON-P02 and an entry-level fisheye lens Olympus Lens 9mm 1:8.0 (even two - in black and white).
The macro lens performed well - it does not introduce significant distortions, it allows you to get closer to the object and photograph it larger. True, shortening the distance leads to a decrease in depth of field, so when working with a macro converter, the aperture needs to be closed more. Here is an example of shooting with and without a converter, at a maximum focal length of 42 mm, the same f/8 aperture and the minimum possible distance to the subject:
But I frankly didn’t like the fisheye. Firstly, the plastic lens body does not look at all reliable, and the focus distance switch is easy to hit and accidentally switch (I ruined about a dozen frames this way).
In addition, the tiny lens block has a spring-loaded mount, and when you try to wipe the front lens, it falls inward, preventing you from applying sufficient force, and it’s scary to press all the way. Secondly, the 1:8 aperture actually makes it impossible to use the lens in cloudy weather and indoors without additional light, because For normal shutter speed you have to raise the ISO and noise appears. Thirdly, the lens, even with such a small relative aperture, produces clearly visible chromatic aberrations and unsatisfactory sharpness, especially at the edges. In general, it is almost impossible to take a truly high-quality photo without processing it in an editor.
Fourthly, the lens does not have any electronics. Considering the fixed aperture and the lack of autofocus, it is not needed, but the fact is that the lens is not recognized by the camera in any way and there is no information about it in EXIF. At the same time, the fisheye camera works normally in all shooting modes that involve automatic shutter speed control, including iAuto, SCN and ART. But in modes M (manual) and S (shutter priority), you need to shoot with AutoISO, since otherwise there is nothing to correct the exposure.
For all its shortcomings, this inexpensive lens gives the amateur photographer the opportunity to show the world around him in a different way or simply squeeze an object into the frame that does not fit into the field of view of a standard zoom. And at the same time it takes up minimal space in a photo bag or pocket. It was not possible to find it in Ukrainian stores; the price on Amazon is $99.
These are the pictures you can get with the Olympus Lens 9mm 1:8 FISHEYE:
Video
Video recording is possible in MOV format (in HD and FullHD resolution) and in Motion JPEG format (HD and SD 640*480). The operation of the zoom and autofocus in video is not audible, except when shooting in complete silence. P/A/S/M modes are available, recording with or without stereo sound, as well as a wind noise reduction function with several levels. Manual exposure adjustment during shooting is not available, the display sensor is not activated. A serious videographer will not be interested in the E-M10, because... Does not support external microphone or headphones. However, the recording quality is quite decent, autofocus works well - it refocuses quite quickly, given the lack of phase sensors. While shooting a video, you can take photos in two versions - with the same resolution and quality as the video (without interrupting video recording) or with the current parameters set for the photo mode, but then video recording is interrupted at the moment the photo is taken and resumes automatically after it is saved . Recording starts from any mode by pressing the corresponding button, but if it is reconfigured to another function, then you can turn on video recording by setting the shooting mode selector to the appropriate position.
Example of video recording with maximum resolution and quality:
Impressions of use
During testing, the camera went on walks in Mezhyhirya (unfortunately, most of this photo session inexplicably disappeared from the computer) and in Buchansky city park. In addition, I carried it with me to and from work every day, trying to catch an interesting story along the way. The modest size and light weight of the E-M10 are ideal for tourism - after walking twice for half a day with the camera around my neck, I was not at all tired, did not chafe or crush anything. Even with a couple of additional lenses, it will easily fit into a small camera bag and will not be a burden. Actually, this is one of the main advantages of the camera, along with rich functionality and good creative possibilities.
Examples of photos taken with the OM-D E-M10 (gallery with original files):
The autonomy of the E-M10 is standard for mirrorless cameras and is approximately as stated - I consistently took a little more than 300 photos and a dozen short (up to a minute) videos when using the viewfinder and display in a ratio of approximately 70/30. For half-day excursions, this is enough - if you don’t get carried away by filming everything and turn off the camera when it’s not needed. To ensure it lasts all day, you need a second battery.
Like all the latest models of Olympus system cameras, the E-M10 is equipped with a Wi-Fi adapter with the ability to connect without a password by reading the barcode from the camera screen. Remote viewing and uploading of photos, geotagging of pictures and full-function remote control from a smartphone or tablet work. The Olympus Image Share mobile app is one of the best (if not the best) in terms of functionality and design.
Bottom line
For all its stylish looks, lightness, compactness and rich functionality, the camera failed to make as good an impression as the E-M1 in terms of image quality. Which is not surprising - after all, the older model was tested with a lens of a completely different class (Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm 1: 2.8). Place it on the E-M10 and this baby will show itself in all its glory. True, it will immediately cease to be pocket-sized, and such a lens costs as much as two cameras. With the included zoom, it is quite difficult to take a picture whose quality could justify the investment of 10,500 UAH ($875). Perhaps you should immediately purchase better lenses instead of a kit lens - for example, one of the “primes” that best suits your shooting style.
The E-M10 has two real competitors (if all parameters are taken into account as much as possible): the Sony NEX-6 and the Panasonic Lumix GX7. All three cameras have very similar results in DXOMark tests. At the same time, NEX 6, with a quarter less weight, has an APS-C format sensor, which makes it more suitable for portrait photography. True, optics for APS-C are larger and heavier than analogues for m4/3. The Lumix GX7 has a faster shutter (1/8000 sec) and better video recording performance (60 fps), but its continuous photo shooting speed is half as fast (5 fps). Both alternatives do not have a built-in stabilizer, which will come in handy when working with manual optics, especially long-focus ones.
8 reasons to buy OLYMPUS OM-D E-M10
- lightness, compactness
- good ergonomics
- large selection of preset scenes and filters
- excellent auto mode that allows the user to adjust some parameters
- built-in image stabilizer
- fast and accurate autofocus
- minimal display and shutter lag
- rich interface customization and control options
4 reasons not to buy OLYMPUS OM-D E-M10
- mediocre complete optics
- cumbersome menu
- relatively low working ISO
- no port for MultiInterface Shoe accessories
August 25 was the date of the worldwide announcement of the fifth camera in the series of Olympus OM-D pseudo-mirror system cameras, namely the E-M10 Mark II model (it became the fourth in the current assortment). After the official presentation at the press center of MIA Rossiya Segodnya, which took place in the afternoon, after the official announcement of the new camera, the Russian representative office of Olympus provided invited journalists and bloggers with the opportunity to try out the new product in the Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after. Gorky.
Cameras and optics are waiting for their testers.
Test kit
For field express tests, your humble servant deftly grabbed one copy of the new camera in silver and black (however, of course, the external finish of the body has nothing to do with the quality of shooting) and a couple of lenses: an excellent wide-angle zoom M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18 mm f/4-5.6 with an equivalent focal length of 18-36 mm and the simply excellent M.Zuiko Digital ED 75 mm f/1.8 (150 mm) telephoto. Just in case of emergency, the author also had in stock a universal Olympus superzoom 14-150 (28-300) mm of the first release.
Of the full battery charge, fellow journalists and bloggers used up very little, turning the camera in their hands for no more than ten minutes before it stuck to my hands. I inserted the high-speed memory card I had prudently taken with me into the camera, checked the settings - for the first test, I first of all needed full resolution and high quality JPEG - and we set off across the Crimean Bridge to the Central Park of Culture and Culture.
Appearance
To be honest, I didn’t really understand why the manufacturer made this particular decision - to call the new product “the second “ten”; The differences from the old (well, like old, only about a year old) model E-M10, as they say, are striking. This is not the case when the appearance of the next “brand” differs from the previous version only by a new or additional nameplate.
OM-D E-M10 Mark II with M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 PRO fisheye.
It is immediately noticeable that the shooting mode dial has “moved” to the right (from the photographer’s point of view) side of the viewfinder housing and the built-in flash. The left platform is occupied by a rotary switch, which also serves as an activator for the built-in flash.
At the same time, all control dials have changed design. They don't just look stylish; The new notch on the metal discs is practical and convenient. Manipulations are quite possible when holding the camera, as they say, “with one right hand.” By the way, they reminded the author of the old Leika in a polar design with ribbed heads for rewinding film and setting shutter speeds that were enlarged for ease of working with gloves. I believe that gloves will not be an obstacle when shooting with this camera.
In the absence of an overhead handle, which radically improves the grip of the body, although it increases its small geometry, the relatively small size of the overlap under the fingers of the right hand Very effectively compensated for by the powerful ergonomic thumb rest. Add to this the high-quality coating of the body, and... - the camera simply does not slip out of your hand; This pleasant fact was noted by those gathered of both sexes, who had palms of very different sizes and fingers of different lengths.
I was pleased with the folding screen. When you move it to the “from the belly” position for shooting, which is very useful, for example, for unobtrusive street photography, it can be slightly moved away from the body. Just enough so that the viewfinder does not block the image on it when looking perpendicularly down.
In general, it cannot be said that the camera has noticeably changed its physical characteristics; in comparison with the original model, changes in size and weight are calculated in single millimeters and grams and do not play a significant role. In contrast to the changes in her very rich “inner world”.
Inner world
And inside, the new “ten” is noticeably different from the first version of the camera, although, of course, not in everything.
The main thing in the camera is the matrix and the “brains”. There is nothing to complain about here. The same 16-megapixel Live MOS CMOS sensor as used on other OM-D cameras, and the same TruePic VII graphics processor.
Roughly speaking, this suggests that with the new “ten” you can take photos of the same high quality as with other cameras in the OM-D family. This is an absolute advantage and strength of both the new model and, by the way, the entire family.
The resolution of the electronic viewfinder has noticeably increased; it now exceeds 2.3 million points. I understand perfectly well that there is no limit to perfection, but from a practical point of view, this resolution seems optimal. At the same time, the image in it is devoid of inertia.
A significant advantage of the E-M10 Mark II over the first model was the introduction of the most advanced five-axis image stabilization system to date. The first “ten” had it of the previous generation, three-axis. At the same time, according to representatives of the company, the five-axis stabilization system on the second “ten” has been further improved compared to its earlier versions, first implemented on the already discontinued E-M5 model, which relatively recently gave way to its “second brand” in production.
The first impression of her work is the most positive. The five-axis system works great and saves you in very difficult circumstances. The manufacturer's claims about four stages of shutter speed extension relative to the recommended limit are not without foundation. Of course, miracles don’t happen, and tremor can ruin the job, but the burst mode helps you get several shooting takes to choose the best option from them.
It was not possible to test another very interesting new camera ability while running. We are talking about time-lapse (interval) shooting with 4K resolution (also possible with lower Full HD and HD resolutions). So the capabilities of the new camera for creating time-lapse video will be the subject of a separate article.
In the meantime, you can watch a small video shot hand-held in maximum quality mode (Full HD, 50p) in the form in which YouTube turned it. Original (168 MB).
Other Features
An interesting new feature of the new “ten” is the use of the screen when viewing through the viewfinder to select a focusing point. This is one of those cases where it is easier to show than to explain. Nevertheless, I'll try. You look through the viewfinder in the usual way, holding the camera with both hands, press the shutter button with your index finger to activate autofocus and, if the autofocus is caught on the wrong point in the frame that you need, move your thumb across the screen to move the focusing point to the place you need.
M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8; 1/160 sec, f/2.8, 320 ISO. The clever built-in face recognition, of course, immediately grabbed the nearest face, and the camera instantly focused on it, but my finger told it through the screen that I was more interested in Evgeniy Uvarov :)
Moreover, I wrote the previous paragraph much longer than it took me to shift the focal point when shooting, honestly.
Another “feature” implemented in the camera is a focus bracketing (focus bracketing), which compensates for the lack of depth of field during close-up and close-up photography. The camera takes a series of photographs, shifting focus step by step, and then automatically stitches a composite image with optimal sharpness across the entire depth of the three-dimensional subject.
I will also note the silent shutter mode, which is actually the use of an electronic shutter. In this case, the shortest shutter speed is reduced to 1/16,000 s, while in normal mode with a mechanical shutter it is the usual 1/4000 s.
The new camera doesn't seem to have any problems with the battery. To play it safe, I immediately turned on the low-speed burst mode (about 4 fps) in order to provide myself with filming takes. Having shot about five thousand frames and a small video, constantly using either the screen or the viewfinder, periodically poking around in the playback mode and deleting obviously unsuccessful frames, by the end of our energetic test session I noticed that only one segment in the charge indicator had disappeared on the screen. And this, I must note, is for a completely new camera with an obviously untrained battery, albeit without the use of a built-in flash.
Conclusion
The new camera elegantly fills the gap between the first “ten”, clearly aimed at enthusiastic amateur photographers who decide to discover the rich world of system cameras, and the E-M5 Mark II camera, which the company itself certifies as a model for “creative enthusiasts”, and I would old fashioned called a semi-professional camera.
And it's not just that Olympus is going to offer consumers both models: the original E-M10 as an entry-level camera, and the E-M10 Mark II as a more advanced camera for enthusiasts.
I don’t think my first impression lets me down: the camera turned out to be successful and will undoubtedly be popular among the steadily growing number of consumers of non-DSLR system cameras.
Moreover, I believe, in the very near future: according to insider information, the first batch has already been delivered to Russia and is currently being distributed to authorized dealers in order to simultaneously go on sale at the agreed time in early September. Let me remind you that the price for the new camera body named by the Moscow representative office of the company will be 39,999 rubles.
PS: You can download test photos from the text and an additional gallery for independent review in one ZIP archive using this link (traffic 73 MB). A brief specification of the camera is given in our announcement, a detailed specification is on the manufacturer’s website.
Southern end of the Crimean Bridge. Fok. dist. 9mm, 1/800, f/7.1, 200 ISO.
A model of a previously existing parachute tower in the Central Park Museum. Fok. dist. 9mm, 1/60, f/4, 250 ISO.
View from the observation deck on the entrance arch to the musical fountain of the Central Park of Culture and Culture. 75mm, 1/1250, f/2.8, 200 ISO.
View from the observation deck on the entrance arch of the Central Park of Culture and Culture towards the KhSU and the Ostankino TV tower. 75mm, 1/2000, f/4, 200 ISO.
75mm telephoto in all its glory. 1/3200, f/2.5, 200 ISO.
Experience exchange. 75mm, 1/250, f/2, 200 ISO.
Embankment of the Moscow River in the Central Park of Culture and Culture. Fok. dist. 13mm, 1/400, f/6.3, 200 ISO.
Family photo session. 75mm, 1/1600, f/2.8, 200 ISO.
When illumination decreases, aperture ratio begins to play a crucial role. 75mm, 1/40, f/2.0, ISO 3200.
Panorama of the Garden Ring from the observation deck at the entrance arch of the Central Park; computer stitching of 6 horizontal frames. 18mm, f/5.6, 200 ISO.
Panorama of the Order of Lenin Central Park of Culture and Culture named after. Gorky from the observation deck on the entrance arch; computer stitching of 11 vertical frames. 22mm (14-150mm lens), f/6.3, 200 ISO.
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