Olympus

Olympus OMD-EM5 Mark II Hands On Review

• Report rights infringement
• published: 04 Aug 2015
• views: 11777

This is my hands on review of the Olympus OMD EM5 II Mirrorless camera. All photos and video samples available here at full resolution: http://bit.ly/1SGelu7 Camera Specs: Sensor: 16mp four thirds sensor with no AA filter Processor: True Pic 7 Screen: 3” 1,037,000 dot articulated LCD touch screen WT: 469g/1.03lbsMemory: Single SD card slot Sealing: Yes WIFI: YVF: 2.36 million dot Electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage and 1.48x magnification IS: In body 5 axis image stabilizationISO: 200-6400 (expandable to a low of 50 and a high of 25,600) Shutter: 60 seconds to 1/8000 fps: Up to 10 frames per second when shooting jpeg, with image stabilization turned off, but the buffer on this camera is awful, which I’ll discuss later. **BODY & DESIGN** It’s a magnesium alloy body that is dust, splash and freeze proof down to 14 degrees fahrenheit that weighs just barely over a pound. This camera is loaded with customizability with 7 customizable buttons, one customizable lever switch, and on top of that you can customize how the control dials work. All in all, this is an amazingly designed camera and I don’t know if there is another camera out there that offers as much customization as this one does. The biggest drawback to the design of this camera is that the control dials are very easy to move accidentally, making it too easy to change your aperture and shutter speed without realizing it. **ISO/IMAGE QUALITY** So shooting with this thing is delightful, and the images it produces are just as delightful. Across the entire native ISO range (see photos here: http://bit.ly/1SGelu7) the camera produces beautiful images. In the extended ISOs, it’s a mixed bag. At 12,800 it’s really not bad at all, but at 25600 there’s some pretty serious image degradation, which is to be expected from an expanded ISO setting. **IMAGE STABILIZATION** The OMD EM5 II claims up to 5 stops of image stabilization, In my testing, I was able to shoot at 1/2 of a second and get great stabilization with the lens zoomed to 40mm, but I wasn’t able to get a sharp photo with a one second shutter speed. **AUTO FOCUS** The EM5 II has on sensor contrast detect auto focus with 81 focus points that cover the majority of the frame, and I found the focus to be fast and accurate, with a tendency to miss the focus target. **BURST MODE** This camera is rated for up to 10 frames per second when shooting without image stabilization, and that’s a pretty good frame rate, beating out a lot of modern cameras. However, that framerate is only so helpful when the buffer can only hold about 15 JPEGs before it slows down the camera. **MOVIE MODE** Resolution: Full 1080p HD and 720p HD video, both capable of recording at 60, 50, 30, 25 and 24 frames per second. IS: Full 5 axis image stabilization available mic: stereo Mic Input: Yes with manual levels controlFull Manual: Yes, with shutter locked to prevent shooting at slower than the frame rate So first, the stabilization. Five axis image stabilization while shooting video is amazing. (see sample videos here: http://bit.ly/1SGelu7) And as to the quality of the video and the sound in general, I think it’s pretty great, but you can judge for yourself, as I recorded the rest of the video with the EMD II. **WRAP UP** I think the OMD EM5 II is a fantastic camera. And I mean really fantastic. So much so that I’m going to buy one, and bottom line, I highly recommend this camera. If you’re considering it, do yourself a favor and buy it. --------------------------- VIDEO COURSES: --------------------------- The Guide to Shooting in Manual Mode: http://bit.ly/shpguide Understanding Flash Photography: http://bit.ly/shpflash -------------------------------------- T-SHIRTS AND STICKERS! -------------------------------------- http://photognation.net ------------------------------------ JOIN THE COMMUNITY: ------------------------------------ http://selfhelpphotographer.com ------------------------------------ ALL THE SOCIALS: ------------------------------------ Google+: https://www.google.com/+SpyrosHeniadis Facebook: http://facebook.com/selfhelpphotographer Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sheniadis Instagram: @heniadis Snapchat: @heniadis Twitter: @heniadis