Olympus' OM-D series of mirrorless cameras has been a hit. These cameras have retro styling and are well-equipped with integrated EVFs. The OM-D E-M10 Mark II ($649.99, body only) keeps that tradition alive in terms of imaging—it's amazing that a body this compact features a 5-axis stabilization system. The EVF is sharp and the Wi-Fi integration excellent.
It doesn't have the same 4K recording capabilities as the rival Panasonic G7 and can't match the Sony Alpha 6000 ($549.99 at Dell Technologies). Although the Alpha 6000 model is older (it also omits 4K), it still remains Editors Choice for mirrorless cameras below $1,000.
Related Reading: Nikon 1 J3 Review
Design
The E-M10 Mark II is shaped similarly to its predecessor, the E-M10 ( at Amazon), but raised knurled control knobs give it a distinctly different look. The E-M10 Mark II measures 3.3x4.7x1.8inches (HWD), and is 13.7 ounces with no lens.
It's slightly smaller than the E-M5 Mark II (Amazon: $8999.99) (3.0 by 4.9 inches by 1.8 inch, 13.7 ounces). However, the E-M10 has a flash built-in, which is not the case with its higher-priced sibling. Olympus has two options for the E-M10: a black-and silver version and an all-black one.
The 16-megapixel OM-D E-M10 Mark 2 is being reviewed as a single body. You can also purchase it as a set with the M.Zuiko ED14-42mm f3.5-55.6 EZ for $2999.99 or power zoom lens at $799.99
The OM-D series has a strong reputation for its controls. The E-M10 II does most of what it is supposed to, except for the power switch, which can be a little tricky. The switch is located on top of the EVF and has a 3-stage design. It includes the usual Off and On positions as well as an additional position to raise the in-body flash. The switch was not perfect for me.
It's easy enough to use it turn the camera on—a counterclockwise twist does the trick. It's not as easy to use the camera to turn off. I found it difficult to do so because I kept pressing the button in the wrong direction. I know that it's something I will get used to over time.
Another issue with raising the flash is the fact that you need to be careful not to get your finger stuck between the toggle switch or the flash. When I hold the camera up to my eyes and use my index finger to open the flash, I find that I always end up scratching the flash. I ran into a similar issue when I used my left thumb and index finger together to raise the flash—which feels more natural when holding the camera at waist level.
You will find the Fn3 programable button to your left, just beyond the top plate. It activates the overlay menu, which allows you to change saturation, color temperature and brightness as well as blurring background or image motion.
Those are plain English ways of adjusting the white balance, aperture, and shutter speed—advanced shooters will likely want to reprogram this button, but novices looking at the E-M10 as a way to capture images that are superior to a smartphone camera are sure to appreciate this layman's control menu. You can also access tips to help you take better pictures.
To the right of EVF are the three control buttons: mode dial, rear control dial and front control dial. The top plate is elevated at different heights, with each one being taller than the dials on rival cameras. Mode, which is tallest of the three dials, has a distinctive knurled texture that wraps around it.
The shutter button is located at the center of the front dial, which is slightly higher than that on the rear. Olympus claims that the dial design is ergonomically better and helps to distinguish Mode from the other control dials by feeling. I was able to confirm this when using it.
You can also access the Fn2 and Record buttons for movie editing. To bridge the rear and top controls, the Fn1 button locks exposure automatically. It is located on an angled thumb rest. It is large and complements well the small front grip. The E-M10's small size means it is not ideal for larger Micro Four Thirds lenses such as the M.Zuiko ED40-150mm f2.8 PRO (1,499.00 on Amazon). However, Olympus provided a pair of smaller primes and zooms, including the M.Zuiko25mm f1.8 (2299.00 on Amazon).
The other rear control buttons—Menu, Info, Delete, and Play—sit below the rear thumb grip, surrounding a four-way directional pad with its own center OK button. If you've got a spot-focus mode, the rear dpad can be used to move your active focus point.
OK opens an app that allows you to quickly access a variety of settings. You can access ISO, white balance and color output as well as the autofocus and mode settings and flash output settings. You can navigate the menu using either the touch screen or rear controls.
Note about ISO control. If ISO is set to Auto, it will not be possible to change the setting. However, you can make this function available by changing one of the extensive menu settings in E-M10 II.
Two modes are available on the E-M10 II that can be used for long exposure photography. The Live Bulb mode shows the exposure of the rear LCD, as it develops. This is a great tool to capture night landscapes. Another variation is Live Composite.
The process works in two steps. The first exposure shows the scene as it is. A second captures changes in lighting. This can also be used to create star trails and fireworks. Live Bulb as well as Live Composite both require that the camera be in manual mode. They can also be accessed via the shutter speed setting.
Mounted on hinges, the rear LCD measures 3 inches and tilts up/down. This makes it easy to take photos at your waist or above your head with either a handheld camera or a tripod. The touch panel has useful functions such as touch to focus, menu navigation and Wi-Fi access. The 1,040kot panel is brilliant, sharp and very responsive to touch.
When the rear LCD is tilted from the body, the eye sensor switches automatically between the EVF or rear LCD. Sony could consider using this feature for all its cameras including the Alpha 7 II (Amazon: $1,398.00). These camera have sensitive eye sensors.
It is a great EVF, which I find very big considering the price and size of the camera. The resolution is sharp, at 2,359k dots. This is a minor, but significant, improvement over the EVF in the Panasonic G7. It is crisper, however, not as big to my eye.
Wi-Fi comes standard. You will need to manually connect your smartphone using NFC. However, you have the option of scanning a QR code on the rear LCD and not entering a password for the first connection. The password can then be stored in your phone to make it easier for you to connect.
Once connected, you can use the free Olympus Image Share app (for iOS and Android) to copy images and videos to your smartphone or tablet, or add GPS location data to photos that you've already shot—you'll need to make sure the location logger is active in the app before you start shooting and that the clock is set correctly for this feature to work.
Your phone can be used as a remote controller. You can also stream live video to your phone's screen and have complete control over the exposure. The screen can be tapped to adjust the autofocus. This remote control interface is one of the most powerful.
Related Reading: Canon EOS Rebel T5i Review
Image Quality and Performance
The E-M10 II takes 2.2 seconds to turn on, focus and take a photograph. Fujifilm X-T10 (at Amazon)(Opens a new window). Takes just 1.6 seconds. The E-M10 II's performance is not great in this area. It locks focus at 0.05 seconds in bright lighting, but can lock focus at 0.35 seconds in dimmed conditions.
Maximum continuous shooting speed is 8.6 frames per seconds. The camera can continue at that speed for up to 15 Raw+JPG or 17 Raw shots, and then slow down to take 34 JPG photos. These speeds can be achieved with locked focus. You can still enable continuous autofocus and subject tracking, which will allow you to shoot at 8.6fps.
However, I discovered that this rate did not work well when shooting at a high speed when trying to deal with moving targets. The camera's low-speed continuous drive mode (which slows it to 4.1fps) did an excellent job of keeping the moving target in focus. Sony Alpha 6000's performance is unaffected; the camera can still shoot at 11.1fps and track moving objects with accuracy.
Imatest was used to test how well the 16-megapixel OM-D E-M10 Mark II performed at higher ISOs for low-light photography. The camera produces JPGs with default settings at a noise level of less than 1.5 percent for ISO 6400 and 1.7 percent for ISO 12800. These are excellent results for cameras of this type.
To assess how the image quality held up, I examined images taken from ISO 3200 on a calibrated monitor. Through ISO 3200, detail is excellent. There is a slight blurring of lines at ISO 6400, which can cause some loss of fine details. ISO 12800 results in a drop in quality, while ISO 25600 photos look blurry.
Raw mode allows you to get better image quality with high ISOs. ISO 3200 produces sharp details and minimal noise. Although images taken at ISO 6400 may appear a little grainy, fine lines can be rendered correctly. At ISO 12800 very small details begin to fade away and the grain becomes more prominent.
However, there is much more detail than with JPG. At ISO 25600, the story continues. The output is grainy but there is still a lot of detail. In the slideshow that accompany this review, you will see cropping at every ISO. These are taken from JPG as well as Raw output.
Olympus kept the 1080p video recorder for the E-M10 II but increased the frame rate to 60 frames per second. You can choose between Fine and SuperFine video quality, and can also record at 24, 25, 30, or 50fps—and if you reduce the resolution to 480p you can record video at 120fps, which can be played back at one-quarter speed slow motion without sacrificing fluidity.
There are a lot of good things about the video—it's crisp, rife with detail, and the autofocus system does a good job reacting to changes in the scene. In-body image stability stabilizes handheld footage regardless of the lens attached.
Although you have the ability to adjust exposure and audio levels manually, there is no way to control everything. A microphone input is also missing. This is a strange oversight. Although the internal microphone does an excellent job picking up voice in close proximity to others, it can also detect background noise.
You cannot use 4K. This feature is being added to increasing numbers of cameras. It's worth noting at this point in the game. Panasonic's G7 uses the same Micro Four Thirds lenses system as the Samsung NX500. This format is no longer limited to expensive cameras. It offers incredible resolution advantages.
E-M10 II has a standard micro HDMI port and a proprietary USB Port. It also includes a hot shoe. External battery charging cannot be used in-camera, therefore an external charger is provided. One memory card slot can support SDHC and SDXC media.
Related Reading: Olympus VR-340 Review
Conclusions
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II, another solid Olympus OM-D entry, is a great choice for Micro Four Thirds lovers and anyone looking for a good mirrorless camera. The camera's strong points include its sharp EVF and excellent Wi-Fi integration. It also has 5-axis image stability. It works well, even though it has a power switch which I found a little frustrating. However, its video capabilities are somewhat out of date. While the 1080p video is great, other models offer 4K recording.
The E-M10 II is not equipped with a microphone input, which limits its usefulness in serious videography. This is less important if you aren't a big fan of video. Every camera has its pros and cons, but the E-M10 II can be a great choice for the right photographer. But it's not our favorite in this category—that's still the Sony Alpha 6000, which is better for shooting very fast action, and captures 24-megapixel images with its larger APS-C image sensor.