Friday, April 13, 2018

Olympus E-M1 II - Pros and Cons

Olympus E-M1 II - Marin County  2018

Pros:

20 mp sensor - Latest in the m43 line. One does like to think that images are made using top of the line stuff. (Of course, Sony, Nikon etc have sensors that capture way more information.) So now we have better high ISO images and more cropping leeway.

Ergonomics - substantial grip, dials and buttons fairly easy to use. Downside is that it weighs more. In fact, it weighs several ounces more than my first DSLR, an Olympus E-510.

Image stabilization - makes hand-holding doable at extremely slow shutter speeds. However I’ve noticed that the camera’s P mode will want to increase ISO speed as opposed to decreasing shutter speed. Issue resolved using . . .

Custom Modes - There are 3 that can be set. So I’ve set mode #1 to take advantage of the image stabilization feature: aperture priority f5.6, ISO range 200-400. So the shutter speed will vary according to the scene, but in the woods it might be pretty slow. I’ve set mode #3 as a tripod mode, for use in the camera’s high-res / HDR features.

High Res - OK, so I don’t know if this really represents added value. But it might.

Cons:

Flip-out LCD screen - Not nearly as useful as the flip-up screen found on my C-8080 and my E-M10. Have not used it even once for a hand-held shot. Used it for my tripod high-res experiments, however. What’s annoying is that some reviewers consider a flip-out screen as somehow an absolutely necessary thing and their reviews reflect this. Ah well: at least my E-PL7 has a flip-up screen.

Added weight and bulk - So, it doesn’t really weigh that much. However, carried around one’s neck it’s pretty noticible. What’s interesting is that, as smartphones have become cameras of choice for most people, regular cameras, even small ones, are much more likely to stand out and become objects of interest.

Neither here nor there:

Focus speed - Supposed to be really good. Never had that much of an issue with my older cameras, though.

Menu system - Complicated, yes, but others have gone to the trouble of figuring it out and writing it up. Once the initial setup has been completed, that should be it, basically.


Lever - for me, a never-used feature, so it’s nice to see that the lever position has been reversed: much less likely to be accidentally flipped (as in the original E-M1.)

Full reviews can be found at:

Imaging Resource

Thom Hogan

DPReview

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