Olympus Em10 Mk2

[Gisberto Letter]

Influencedby his father, he came into contact with photography at the age of eight. His works are centered around the antipodes of the seemingly timeless and the irreversible fading moment.

Thomas uses a variety of photographic formats and mediums to capture these fading moments.

There are very few comments/reviews on the em10 iiiS which has a true silent mode independent of the AP mode. Can someone comment on this camera which to my mind, would be even more versatile at street shooting. Olympus released this model some time after the iii. They should have made a firmware update for the original to bring it up to specifications.

How did you manage to shoot that lady photo at ISO 1250 with almost no noise ? I had EM1 Mk1 and it was so noisy at ISO 800+

Another question. Also would you know how much ISO invariance does this sensor has ? Can I underexpose by 2 stops and fix the exposure in Post processing without gaining any noise ? Great images btw. Thanks for your article.

I ended up deciding to just shoot this camera over a weekend with the Olympus 12-40 Pro Zoom. WHY? Well, I have not yet reviewed this lens and figured it would be a nice test of the camera and lens. AN ALL IN ONE. No need to worry or stress over lenses to use or take with. Easy Squeezy.

So one morning Debby and I took a 4 hour drive to Las Vegas and decided to just walk around and shoot the scenery. I did end up bringing along my Leica M 240 and 50 1.5 Nokton but only fired off 6 shots. The Olympus was so much fun, so fast and so GOOD that I did not want to stop using it! Seriously. It did have some faults but only in the handling. Basically, when using the 12-40 and the E-M10 I would highly recommend the accessory grip as the body is a little small for the Zoom as is.

Sure, many cameras have these 6 features but Olympus is at the top of the entire mirror less game when it comes to mostly all of them. Micro 4/3 has established itself as a serious format and those who have predicted its demise over the past 3-4 years have been wrong as it is still going and growing in popularity because nothing offers a mixture of getting everything so close to being right that Olympus in the mirror less body world. Others are getting close, but for me, Olympus still rules the mirrorless roost. They do so much right and so little wrong. That is what it is all about because if a camera is frustrating to use, it will fall by the wayside and be forgotten.

For some, the E-M10 will be much too small but as I said, the slick grip for this camera will add the size most need.. IMO, the E-M10 is one hell of a camera and paired with the 12-40 is one of the, if not the, most fun and reliably good camera and lens combos I have shot with. The good thing about the small size is that it makes it LIGHT. The lens is large on the body though so maybe a pancake lens with E-M10 would make a perfect coat pocket companion. Imagine a 17 1.8 or 20 1.7 on the camera. You could slide it in a coat pocket and have it with you at anytime. That kind of quality in your pocket beats any iPhone ?

IQ wise, I like them all but the Olympus colors and IQ always do it for me and I never am left wanting or regretting taking one out. For my tastes, I prefer the Sony RX1 and Leica M 240 IQ the best overall but the Olympus Micro 4/3 next, ahead of ANY APS-C camera. The fact that these Olympus bodies work better (the 6 things listed above) than any APS-C I have shot with also helps seal the deal.

Many are wondering..E-M5 or E-M10? Well, after using the E-M10 more and more I came to realize that for me, it beats the E-M5 in almost every way (except it is just a smaller body which I do not prefer..so the grip would be mandatory). It has better Auto Focus implementation. It has a better LCD. It has E-M1 IQ. All for $699. Amazing. Add a nice prime lens and you have a powerhouse capable of pro quality photos and speed. It also has video on par with the other Olympus bodies (which I enjoy and have used for personal projects on many occasions). Today, if I were buying and had to choose between the E-M5 and E-M10, it would have to be the E-M10 and grip.

BUT! There are areas where the E-M5 excel. One, the E-M10 is not weather sealed so if you shoot in rain, dust or rough environments the E-M5 or E-M1 will be the best bet. Also, the 3 Axis is not as good as the revolutionary 5 Axis IS of the E-M5 and E-M1. It is still superb, just loses out a little to the bigger and more expensive brothers.

It is one hell of a lens and while larger than the primes, it offers much more with a field of view from 24-80mm. This means if you go inside you can shoot at 12mm(24mm)..go outside and zoom out to catch a face at 40mm (80mm)..whatever you need without swapping lenses.

The 12-40 also has a fantastic close focus feature that allows you to focus close when wide. You also have the Olympus Manual Focus clutch for instant switching between AF and MF. The lens is freeze, shock, dust and weather proof. It is silent for movie recording so no rattles, noise or irritating audibles. Olympus designed this one just right and it is an impressive zoom.

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If you have the Fuji, I see no point in the EM10 MKI. Your Fuji will do all the Old can do and the 12-42 and the 49-150 are average at best. Now if you were talking about the PEN-F and a fast prime, would be a different story. I doubt you would enjoy it over your Fuji though, the EM10 MKI

I have the Panasonic 20 1.7 and the Olympus 45 1.8 to use with my OMD-EM10. I am considering adding the Panasonic 14mm 2.5 just to give me something wider, and because it so reasonably priced and I like the pancake lenses for their small size. Do you think that lens would be a good choice and a good compliment to the lenses I own? Thanks.

I just purchased a new Black OMD-EM10 from B&H (I used your link Steve). Thanks for giving your opinion on the EM10 vs the Panny GX7. I was riding the fence on that one until I saw that you recommended the EM10 in the comments above. Many thanks for the great reviews on your website!

Thanks so much. I have noticed in many review articles, the person doing the review does not state what shooting mode they took the shots in, which makes it difficult for beginners to attempt. Thank you again. Regards

Thanks so much for this review, i noticed that the camera photos are showing the 12-42mm power zoom, while your review and photos are made using the 12-40 pro zoom, maybe you should clarify this below the camera photos?

I am thinking to buy either E-M10 or E-P5 and I expected that I will use 14-42EZ most of the time due to its smaller size. And my major usage for the m43 system is to take pictures on my dog who likes to run a lot!

Steve,

I have OMD E-10 and when using video the AF is hunting pretty badly all the time. Is there any special function I need to enable where AF would work better / at least faster what I am seeing.

So, EM-10 vs Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GX7. What do you think? I am thinking the EM-10 or the A6000. I want the Sony but feel with this review and better comments on usability, I should get the EM-10. Thoughts?

Hi Steve,

I am still deciding between GX7 and EM10 and it is not easy. I am going from a point and shoot / bridge camera to the M43 system. Will the more customization options of GX7 and the back button focus (using AE/AF lock button) help me better to improve as I learn and grow? Here in Singapore I get GX7 with 20mm kit for 150 USD more than the EM10 with 14-42 PZ kit. I am concerned about the slow focus of the 20mm lens and non-availability of IS in video mode (just casual family videos) if I go with GX7+20mm combo.

I am Panasonic bridge camera user and am pleased with the results I achieve but from time to time I find myself envying the quality that my OH achieves with his Canon DSLR setup. Sadly that is way too heavy for me to lug around but after reading your reviews and the comments on here I decided that micro four thirds is the way to go.

E-M10 is smaller but feels better built. EVF is about the same, both are small. E-M10 is quicker and more responsive. I would say get the grip if going with an E-M10. The 3 Axis IS beats the IS in the GX7. If you go E-M10 go for the 25 1.8. If you go GX7, go 25 1.4 if you can swing it. Since yo own the 12 and 45 Id go for an E-M10 and grip.

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