Olympus OM-D: Comparing the new E-M1 Mk II vs E-M1 & E-M5 II

It’s official. The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II has been formally announced. The press release didn’t specify a date, but DPReview does note that “the camera will come later this year.” Which is a bit of a surprise, as it has been speculated that it will ship in 2017 due to earthquakes at the factory.

Here are the specs and how it compares to the original E-M1:

  • 20 Megapixel Live MOS Sensor, the original E-M1 has 16mp.
  • Advanced 5-Axis Image Stabilization, an improved algorithm that offers 5.5 stops of compensation (the original promised 5). I did previously find a patent from Olympus that showed Dual IS like technology, and we’ll see that implemented for the first time in the E-M1 II where you can combine Olympus equipped in-lens stabilization with IBIS for “the world’s most powerful 6.5 shutter speed stops of compensation for blur-free handheld shooting of stills and video.” Still no word on whether this will work with Panasonic O.I.S. lenses, which could decide whether I buy the E-M1 II or the G80 or GH5.
  • Lightweight, Weatherproof Body, though slightly bigger than the E-M1 (W:134.1mm H:90.9mm D:68.9mm at 498 grams VS W:130.4mm × H:93.5mm × D:63.1mm at 443 grams).
  • 60fps Seq. Shooting (Electronic), versus 11fps on the E-M1. That is a huge improvement! You can also do 18fps with C-AF.
  • 1/8000s High-Speed Mechanical Shutter, same specs on the mechanical shutter, the electronic shutter improved 1-stop to 1/32000 sec.
  • Cinema 4K Video, the first Olympus OM-D camera to feature 4k, and you can use it with IBIS, joining the Panasonic GX85 and the upcoming Panasonic G85 as the other µ43 cameras that can do both.
  • 121-Point Dual FAST AF, versus the Single AF with 81-points on the E-M1.
  • Fully-Articulating 3.0” Touch Monitor, versus a tilting LCD on the E-M1.
  • 50 Megapixel High-Res Shot Mode, first introduced with the EM-5 II, this feature is now on the E-M1 II with an improved image processer that will help “effectively suppress blur due to subject movement, making it possible to utilize High Res Shot Mode in a wide variety of conditions, such as gently-blowing grass, tree leaves, or ocean waves.” A welcome improvement, as that was a noted drawback of the original iteration – we’ll have to see how it executes though.
  • Focus Bracketing and Stacking
  • Built-In Wi-Fi

One thing left out is the hand-held 50mp High-Res mode, 43Rumors speculated that would be included but we’ll have to wait for the next iteration (or possibly a firmware update).

How does it stack with the E-M5 II? 

Before the differences between the OM-D E-M1 and E-M5 weren’t that drastic, but with the announcement of the E-M1 II, we’re seeing a lot more differences that further push the E-M1 II into the professional category.

Other than the bump in megapixels (which I don’t really care about), I’d love to see how the new Dual AF works in practice. As a headshot photographer, the improvement in the ISO LOW feature, now an equivalent to ISO64 is also a welcome addition.

And 4k video with Olympus’ world class IBIS is something I’ve been clamoring for (though no mention of crop factor though).

I’ve waited quite a while to upgrade, and now I’m blown away with the latest offerings from all camera manufacturers. I’m gonna stick with µ43 for now, and I’ll have to decide between the E-M1 I, G80 and GH5. Hmmmm….

2 Comments

  1. Vladimir February 15, 2018 at 8:31 am

    Hi Jay, Great work !
    Do you know the differences between the weather sealed of the em1ii, em5ii and even the G80 ?
    I found some youtube where we can see how great is the WS of the em1ii but cannot find the differences between these products!

    Reply
    1. Jay Soriano February 15, 2018 at 10:29 am

      I am based out of Las Vegas, where it almost never rains so I’ve rarely ever had to test the weather sealing 🙂

      Reply

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