It’s been three years since the original Olympus OM-D E-M1 was released, and everything about the new Mark II feels like a major upgrade.
It’s been three years since the original Olympus OM-D E-M1 was released, and everything about the new Mark II feels like a major upgrade.
Controls have been carefully refined, new features have been thoughtfully added, and performance has been aggressively augmented.
The outside of the camera has hardly changed from its predecessor, except for a noticeably deeper grip. The camera is still weather-resistant, which helped when the sky started pouring down on me during a shoot. The rear monitor now completely swivels around instead of just tilting up and down, giving you more versatile shooting options.
The big changes are inside; a new double quad core TruePic VIII provides dramatically faster shooting and AF speeds. A chunkier new battery delivers higher battery life than usual for a mirrorless camera. A second SD card slot is a welcome addition, as those cards fill up quickly when capturing at 18 frames per second.
Mirrorless cameras have been leading the Hardware way when it comes to innovative shooting features, and the E-M1 Mark II is no different. A new Pro Capture Mode helps to nail action shots, by starting the capture the moment you half press the shutter and focus the camera. Once you fully press the shutter, the camera saves the preceding 14 images from the buffer into the SD card. It’s a great way to get more coverage for action, especially when you absolutely need to get the keeper.
Because the camera is so small, it’s easy to knock controls around without meaning to, especially when stowing it in the bag or running around. The Mode dial now comes with a convenient lock, but it would have been nice to be able to lock down the entire camera, without worrying that I’d accidentally changed AF points or something.
There are so many new features on the E-M1 Mark II that this is one of those rare cameras where I’ve had to read the user manual to keep up. It’s going to take me a while to go through everything, so watch for a full review in the next issue.
