{"id":2612,"date":"2013-11-17T18:05:36","date_gmt":"2013-11-17T23:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=2612"},"modified":"2014-08-18T06:00:23","modified_gmt":"2014-08-18T11:00:23","slug":"review-olympus-om-d-e-m1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-olympus-om-d-e-m1\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Olympus OM-D E-M1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"em1_black\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When Olympus released the first member of the new OM-D line, the E-M5, there was considerable buzz over the retro styled powerhouse. \u00a0Ultimately, that camera gave Micro 4\/3 a shot in the arm and showed just how capable a small camera could be. \u00a0Serious amateurs and even many professionals added the E-M5 to their arsenal.<\/p>\n

Now Olympus has released the next camera in the OM-D series. \u00a0Rather than replacing the E-M5, Olympus added to the lineup with a truly professional grade camera: The E-M1.<\/p>\n

They’ve integrated a full grip, improved the weatherproofing to professional standards, improved the autofocus, upgraded the viewfinder to a new huge high-resolution viewfinder, added phase detection autofocus on sensor, flooded it with larger and easier to access controls and priced it a fair bit higher as well. \u00a0Let’s take a look at this new Olympus flagship and see if it’s worth the $1399 price of entry.<\/p>\n

\"OM-D<\/a>
OM-D Generations, the new E-M1 (foreground) and the E-M5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with my reviews, I review from a real world shooting perspective. You won\u2019t find lens charts or resolution numbers here. There are plenty of other sites that cover those. I review products on how they act for me as a photographic tool in actual use. I am not a videographer, so my reviews concentrate on the still imaging capabilities of a camera.<\/em><\/p>\n

Body and Ergonomics<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>
The E-M1 is fully weathersealed and freeze proof for shooting in most any condition<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first thing you notice about the E-M1 is that it is a bit bigger than its predecessor. \u00a0They’ve made the camera slightly wider and slightly taller, and have incorporated a hefty hand grip into the right side of the camera. \u00a0While larger than the E-M5, the E-M1 is still notably smaller than the Panasonic GH3 while maintaining most of that ergonomic advantage. \u00a0The grip is incredibly comfortable and is sculpted to perfectly conform to your hand on both the front and rear as you hold it. \u00a0If you have large hands, your pinky will slide off the bottom of the camera, however.<\/p>\n

The E-M1 features a fully weathersealed magnesium alloy body. \u00a0Olympus designed this camera to meet professional levels of build quality, and they’ve succeeded in my opinion. \u00a0While much lighter than any professional grade DSLR due to the size, the E-M1 is every bit as sturdily built. \u00a0There is absolutely no flex anywhere on the camera. \u00a0It feels sculpted out of a solid block of metal. \u00a0The buttons are larger and have more positive action than the somewhat squishy buttons on the E-M5. \u00a0The overall impression upon picking up the camera is one of rugged utilitarianism. \u00a0Olympus traded some of the great looks on the E-M5 for ergonomics, and while it isn’t as pretty to look at, it’s far more pleasing to hold and use.<\/p>\n

One result of this ergonomic focus is reflected in the outstanding control layout on the E-M1. \u00a0Olympus put every major control at your fingertips. \u00a0The shutter button is surrounded by the front control ring, and the rear control ring has been moved from its somewhat awkward position on the E-M5 to a very accessible position on the top rear of the camera. \u00a0The top also features a programmable function button and the movie record button. \u00a0The Fn1 button has been moved from its odd position above the thumb rest on the E-M5 to a very easy to access, yet hard to accidentally press, location to the right of the thumb rest.<\/p>\n

The only real controversial aspect of the ergonomics is the placement of the on\/off switch, which resides at the left of the viewfinder hump. \u00a0It is often convenient to have the power switch accessible with the right hand so you can turn on the camera while bringing it out of your bag. \u00a0That’s certainly understandable, but in practice, the switch location didn’t bother me.<\/p>\n

While I didn’t fully test the weathersealing since this was not my camera, the camera did get wet on occasion (and was sprayed down a bit for the photo above), and the camera continued to operate beautifully. \u00a0There have been tests shown with the camera operating while standing in half an inch of water under a shower faucet, so I think it’s safe to say the E-M1 will stand up well shooting in the elements.<\/p>\n

Overall, the ergonomics of the E-M1 are outstanding. \u00a0The camera feels fantastic in the hand and the body is as solid as they come.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>
Two OM-Ds…the E-M5 on the left, and the E-M1 on the right<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Viewfinder and Screen<\/h3>\n

The E-M1 features a 3″ tilting rear LCD with 1 million dot resolution and capacitive touch capability. \u00a0The rear screen is rich in color, clear and very detailed. \u00a0I noticed slightly better viewing angles than on the E-M5. \u00a0The screen can be pivoted facing up at close to 90 degrees for low to the ground shooting, and down at roughly a 45 degree angle to aid in taking overhead shots.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The rear of the Olympus E-M1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The touch interface is useful for selecting focus points, activating touch-shutter and selecting items using the Super Control Panel. \u00a0Touch screens have become prevalent on every micro 4\/3 camera over the past 4 years, and the E-M1’s is among the best.<\/p>\n

The biggest viewing upgrade in the E-M1, however, is in the new electronic viewfinder (EVF). \u00a0The EVF in the E-M1 is a similar panel to that found in the Olympus VF-4 add-on viewfinder that debuted with the Olympus Pen E-P5. The EVF in the E-M1 is simply the best in the industry. \u00a0It is a high-resolution panel featuring 2.4 million dots, has excellent refresh with no perceptible lag even in very dim light, is extremely large and has excellent dynamic range that gives an accurate preview of the final image. \u00a0The E-M1’s EVF is roughly the size of the viewfinders in the top-tier professional DSLRs from Canon and Nikon. \u00a0The size and clarity of the view makes manual focus quite easy with the E-M1.<\/p>\n

Continue: Operation and Performance<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Operation and Menus<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>
The top right controls on the E-M1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The E-M1 is graced with a wealth of direct controls placed around the body. \u00a0There are the two main dials, front and rear, which are very well placed for quick and sure operation. \u00a0In the PASM modes, they control aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation, and which dial controls which parameter can be programmed to what you prefer. \u00a0The wheels also control selection of other shooting parameters when activated by a button. \u00a0For instance, pressing the AF and Metering button on the left side of the top plate brings up BOTH parameters at the same time. \u00a0The front wheel will control the metering while the rear wheel controls the AF options. \u00a0The HDR (and bracketing) and drive mode options operate the same way.<\/p>\n

There are two programmable function buttons on the top and rear as well as two more easily accessible by your middle and ring fingers on the front of the camera as well that can be set to any number of possibilities. \u00a0You can also reprogram the record button and AEL buttons to other functions as well. \u00a0Finally, there’s the two-way selector switch on the rear, which allows you to switch the functions of the dials (by default to ISO and White Balance Selection), as well as the functions of the left top buttons if you so choose).<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The top left controls of the E-M1.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If all that sounds confusing and overwhelming, you are right in a way. \u00a0The first day, it took me quite a while to really get my brain wrapped around how all of the controls operated. \u00a0However, due to the extreme customisability and the large number of easily accessible controls, the E-M1 is one of the most powerful cameras to operate that I’ve had the pleasure to use. \u00a0Almost everything is accessible quickly and easily. \u00a0It’s a wonderful camera to use in the field.<\/p>\n

The menu system is the same Olympus menu system they’ve been using the past year or two. \u00a0It’s got a tremendous amount of options, but they are somewhat cryptically organized, which leads to a fair bit of confusion when you first get the camera. \u00a0Unfortunately, Olympus hasn’t really made much of an effort to make the menus easier to use. \u00a0I’d rather have the options than not have them, and I’m quite used to this menu after shooting with the E-M5 for a year and a half, but for anyone coming to the camera from another system, there will be a learning curve.<\/p>\n

Performance and Autofocus<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>
The E-M1’s 81 AF points.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following its predecessor, the E-M1 is a very responsive camera. \u00a0It has extremely short shutter lag, writes quickly to the memory card, has a large buffer and can rattle off 10 frames per second in high mode and 6 frames per second while shooting with tracking autofocus. \u00a0You don’t wait on the E-M1…it waits on you.<\/p>\n

The big upgrade this time around is in the autofocus. \u00a0Olympus has had excellent contrast detect autofocus since the E-P3 was released two years ago. \u00a0The E-M5 is one of the fastest focusing cameras of any type in single shot focusing. \u00a0 However, the E-M5 had rather large points, making precise placement of the focus difficult in some situations, and the CDAF only method of focusing made tracking moving targets all but impossible.<\/p>\n

To address the first point, the E-M1 features 81 focus points that can be made much smaller than the points on the E-M5. \u00a0The wide grid of focus points and their small size makes precision focusing quite easy.<\/p>\n

\"Girl<\/a>
Girl Running – Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To address the second point, the E-M1 features on-sensor phase detection pixels in a diamond shaped grid. \u00a0If using a 4\/3 lens with an adapter, th E-M1 will only allow the phase detection points to be used, while a Micro 4\/3 lens will keep the full grid of 81 points. \u00a0If you are using a 4\/3 lens, you can also individually micro-adjust each AF point or all points together.\u00a0Unfortnuately, I do not have access to any 4\/3 lenses to test their performance on the camera.<\/p>\n

I did get a chance to test the continuous autofocus in the 6 fps burst mode, however, and I am happy to report that the E-M1 is the first mirrorless camera I have used that can actually track a moving subject moving towards or away from you and get shots in focus. While the performance isn’t to the level of a pro-grade DSLR, it’s on par with most consumer grade models and yields a decent amount of frames in perfect focus. \u00a0The shot to the left (click to enlarge) was taken with my daughter running at a full sprint towards me. \u00a0I was using the Panasonic 35-100mm f\/2.8 at 100mm, and the shot shown is the 7th frame in the sequence. \u00a0 \u00a0The camera isn’t able to keep up with that tracking once the subject gets quite close to the camera, but frankly most cameras fail when fast motion gets really close. \u00a0However, before reaching that point, there were 11 frames in the sequence, of which 7 were in perfect focus. \u00a0 That’s not impeccable performance, but it’s not too bad for a mirrorless camera either. \u00a0For the first time, you can actually use the E-M1 to capture action on the fly.<\/p>\n

Flash Performance<\/h3>\n
\"E-M1<\/a>
E-M1 with the clip-on flash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The E-M1 does not come with a built-in pop-up flash, but rather features the same external clip on flash (included), which sits in the hotshoe. \u00a0The clip-on flash is of decent quality, though it doesn’t have a lot of power. \u00a0I find it useful for macro shooting or for occasional fill-in use.<\/p>\n

Of course, the E-M1 can take any of the flashguns made for the Olympus and Panasonic cameras. \u00a0I use a Metz 50 AF-1 for my Micro 4\/3 cameras, and it worked well on the E-M1 \u00a0Like the E-M5 before it, the E-M1 does tend towards underexposure when shooting flash, so you will need more flash exposure compensation than you may be used to. \u00a0Aside from that, however, flash performance is consistent.<\/p>\n

Continue: Key Features<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Key Features: Wi-Fi<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>
The remote capture view in the Olympus Share iOS app<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The E-M1, like almost all 2013 mirroless cameras, features WiFi capabilities. \u00a0Olympus has been working on their WiFi apps and capabilities and the E-M1 comes complete with all the functionality one would expect from a top of the line product.<\/p>\n

The E-M1 can utilize WiFi for transferring photos to your mobile device, applying GPS data from your smartphone to your photos and full remote control. \u00a0The E-M1 utilizes a QR code to establish the relationship between your mobile device and your \u00a0camera on initial setup. \u00a0After that, you simply need to select the camera’s WiFi network when connecting the two devices.<\/p>\n

Photo transfer works quite well and the E-M1’s excellent in-camera RAW conversion is very useful for creating JPEGs to share from the RAW files without a need for a mobile RAW converter on your phone or tablet.<\/p>\n

The largest improvements in the Olympus WiFi implementation come in the remote control capabilities. The E-M1 allows for full remote control of the camera via their mobile app for iOS or Android. \u00a0You can change camera modes, aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation and focus point, utilizing touch foucs or the on-scren shutter button. \u00a0Overall, the remote shooting works very well and opens up new creative possibilities<\/p>\n

In-Body Image Stabilization<\/h3>\n
\"Indian<\/a>
Indian Run Falls – Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic 25mm f\/1.4 at 1\/4 second, handheld (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The E-M1 features the same ‘upgraded’ in-body image stabilization (IBIS) that appeared on the E-P5, which was a refinement of the original 5-axis stabilization found on the first OM-D. \u00a0The 5-axis IBIS corrects for shift in both directions, pitch, roll and yaw, and is excellent at correcting camera shake for all lenses mounted to the camera.<\/p>\n

Overall, the E-M1’s IBIS works very well, allow you to capture scenes a solid 3-4 stops slower than you would otherwise be able to do without the stabilization. \u00a0The shot to the left was taken with the Panasonic 25mm f\/1.4, which usually requires a shutter speed of around 1\/50s to properly hand-hold. \u00a0This shot was taken with a shutter speed of 1\/4 second, handheld, allowing me to capture the motion of the waterfall without a tripod.<\/p>\n

While the IBIS is generally excellent, it also does somewhat suffer from the shutter shock issue that I also had with the E-P5, though it isn’t as pronounced on the E-M1. \u00a0Still, it is worth watching your images in the 1\/60s to 1\/100s range, as the IBIS can slightly soften images taken in this shutter range due to vibration of the shutter mechanism.\u00a0I also tested the E-M1 against my E-M5 and generally found the E-M1 to be slightly less effective overall than the IBIS in the E-M5.<\/p>\n

In Camera RAW Conversion<\/h3>\n

The E-M1 features built-in RAW conversion capability, allowing the shooter to change many parameters prior to creating a JPEG from the RAW file. \u00a0You can pull or push exposure, adjust white balance, tone curve, color options and sharpening, for instance. \u00a0This excellent RAW conversion capability combined with the WiFi options make the camera excellent for shooting and sharing high quality images on the go.<\/p>\n

Other Important Shooting Features<\/h3>\n
\"Columbus<\/a>
Columbus at Night – Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic Leica 25mm f\/1.4, 82 seconds with Live Time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Olympus E-M1 has some excellent other shooting features, some of which are unique to Olympus cameras. \u00a0Only Olympus has the truly excellent and well implemented Live Time and Live Bulb modes. \u00a0These modes are used for long exposures and allow you to actually see a long exposure develop while you are taking the photo. \u00a0The two modes are identical except that bulb mode operates like bulb mode on any other camera, while Live Time allows you to start the exposure with one shutter press and stop it with a second shutter press.<\/p>\n

I’ve used these modes to excellent effect on my E-M5 and they are just as useful on the E-M1. \u00a0There is nothing worse than taking a 4 minute exposure, waiting another 4 minutes for long exposure noise reduction, checking the image and discovering that you’ve just wasted 8 minutes making a severely underexposed shot. \u00a0With the Live Bulb and Live Time modes, you just stop the exposure when it is properly exposed, either to your taste, or by viewing the histogram, whch also shows the current exposure in real time.<\/p>\n

Olympus also has an excellently implemented intervalometer feature. Set the number of exposures, the duration between expsosures and start the sequence. \u00a0Olympus also will automatically assemble the time lapse photos into a video immediately after the sequence is completed and record that to your memory card.<\/p>\n

FInally, Olympus includes focus peaking on the E-M1, though it’s still a\u00a0half-baked implementation. \u00a0The peaking is very visible in the viewfinder, highlighting the in-focus areas. \u00a0The downside is that it significantly increases viewfinder lag and it’s also not very precise – more is showing in focus than is actually in focus. \u00a0I found that I could more precisely manually focus just by using the outstanding EVF without any focusing aids. \u00a0The viewfinder is large enough that peaking isn’t needed very often.<\/p>\n

Continue: Image Quality<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Image Quality: Dynamic Range and Color<\/h3>\n
\"First<\/a>
First Snow, Columbus, OH – Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Olympus 9-18mm f\/4-5.6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 16 Megapixel sensor found in the E-M1 is largely similar to the E-M5, save for the phase detection pixels. \u00a0Like its predecessor, the E-M1 has surprisingly wide dynamic range, with a solid two stops of highlight headroom in the RAW files and impressive shadow detail as well. \u00a0The E-M1 has an accurate color response. Contrast is good for a Micro 4\/3 camera, though the tonal rolloff is a litle harsher than the APS-C competition. \u00a0Overall, an excellent sensor that is still right up there with the best cameras for the Micro 4\/3 system.<\/p>\n

Image Quality: Noise<\/h3>\n

The Olympus E-M1 starts with a native ISO of 200, which results in images with the widest dynamic range and good noise control, though there is stil a fine-grained noise visible when viewing the images full size on screen, though it won’t impact prints or the images when reduced for screen display. \u00a0The E-M1 does have the capability to shoot at ISO 100, and at this ISO, noise is extremely low, though you do take a significant hit in dynamic range, so you have to watch out for clipped highlights.<\/p>\n

At higher ISOs, the E-M1 performs identically to the E-M5, though it controls color shift slightly better at the very highest ISOs. \u00a0Overall, this is still a good performance. \u00a0Images show low noise to ISO 800 and acceptable noise to ISO 3200, though even ISO 6400 shots are quite decent for smaller prints and web size use. \u00a0ISO 12,800 and 25,600 are quite noisy, but even these can be useful in certain situations and the right output considerations.<\/p>\n

JPEG Quality<\/h3>\n

Olympus has always had excellent JPEG quality, and the E-M1 is no different. \u00a0E-M1 JPEGs are low noise up to ISO 1600 and even 3200 (though with a fair loss in detail). \u00a0JPEGs have minimal compression artifacts, outstanding detail and excellent color. \u00a0You can tweak the JPEG curves to maximize dynamic range or customize it to your liking. \u00a0If you are a JPEG shooter, or even a RAW shooter who is taking advantage of the in-camera RAW converter, the JPEGs on the E-M1 won’t disappoint.<\/p>\n

Video<\/h3>\n

As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I am not a videographer. \u00a0I did take some videos and quality was excellent, with very low noise at higher ISO and smooth detailed output. \u00a0The E-M1’s in-body IS works brilliantly in video mode, which makes taking steady video easy. \u00a0There is external mic input and full manual control. \u00a0Most casual videographers will be very pleased with the E-M1.<\/p>\n

One more thing:<\/em><\/p>\n

The E-M1 doesn’t have an anti-aliasing filter, which in theory should allow for sharper shots. \u00a0While there might be a slight advantage in sharpness with the E-M1, I found in practice that it ultimately did not have a major impact on the final image.<\/p>\n

Continue: Conclusion and Image Samples<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

Pros<\/h4>\n