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Olympus OM-D E-M1 mk II - Who's Used It?

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patagonialuke
Posts: 1627 - Karma: 8,686
After my best efforts with the search button and google, I haven't been able to find an NS'ers talk about the 2nd gen Olympus M1. Anyone used it to shoot stills for skiing?

I'm looking to upgrade from my M5 (mk 1). I like the durability and ease-of-use of the M5, but am primarily interested in getting better fps for bursts (M5 is 9 fps), and a bit of a larger sensor. Main reason for upgrading is to capture more frames in bursts, a bit more pixels to work with while editing, and better auto-focus would be useful as well as the M5 struggles with that occasionally.

What I'm using it for:
- Mostly skiing and other outdoor sports (running, fishing, hiking, mountaineering), and then a bit of landscape.
- mostly just on-the-go shots (I'm typically shooting all around a resort or in the backcountry, and don't often bring a tripod)
- May shoot some video, but I'll be shooting stills at least 90% of the time
- Photos will mostly be used on the web, but I do need them to be usable printed at 8.5x11" (for magazine-style publications). I rarely print anything bigger than that.
- Always shooting in RAW

Lenses:
- I currently have the kit 14-42mm F3.5 from the M5. It's fine and works for most of what I do. Optical quality isn't amazing and I'd appreciate a wider option, but I've shot some of my favorite photos with it.
- Olympus currently has a nice deal if you buy the M1 you can get their M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 for $299, which is extremely appealing to me as a more high-quality lens than my current kit lens and a slightly wider option.
- Right now I'm most interested in one lens I can use for pretty much everything, but down the line I might want to get something wider for close-up shots and landscape.

Other Notes:
- I edit in Lightroom on a MacBook Pro 15" with 16GB RAM
- Having a camera that is easy to use as a bonus, as I'm sometimes handing off to friends to shoot. I've had good luck with the M5 when it comes to this, and the M1 seems like it has a similar interface.
- Budget: somewhere in the $2000-$3000 range for everything. Might be able to go up a bit from there, but that's my current range. Sony A9 sounds awesome, but I can't shell out $4000 for the body, and I don't love Sony's fairly expensive but somewhat limited lens options.

Interested to hear if anyone's used the current M1, and also if you have any other suggestions or things that I left out, let me know.
Sep 28 2018 1:54PM
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NPF
Posts: 5152 - Karma: 12,119
??
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1433841-REG/fujifilm_16588640_x_t3_mirrorless_digital_camera.html
Sep 28 2018 10:42PM
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NPF
Posts: 5152 - Karma: 12,119
If you're doing 90% photo i feel like apsc would be better suited. Better low light, DOF, and higher resolution. You dont really need the 5 axis IS for the little amount of video you are talking about doing. This setup would be essentially the same 35mm equivalent focal length as the OMD+ 12-40mm.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1433840-REG/fujifilm_16589058_x_t3_mirrorless_digital_camera.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1110879-REG/fujifilm_xf_16_55mm_f_2_8_r.html


here is a review of the OMD vs XT2
https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/fujifilm-vs-olympus/omd-em1-mark-ii-vs-fuji-xt2/
Sep 28 2018 11:14PM
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corona
Posts: 12804 - Karma: 32,822
NPFYou dont really need the 5 axis IS for the little amount of video you are talking about doing.

IBIS is super useful for any handheld shooting in low light though. Also Olympus has the whole pixel shift thing going which is really sweet.
Sep 30 2018 10:12PM
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corona
Posts: 12804 - Karma: 32,822
The M1 mk2 is supposed to be a kick ass camera. You would not go wrong getting it. The only downside it has is the sensor size, which, depending on what you're shooting might not be a big deal. If you're mostly shooting skiing in good light then it really shouldn't be an issue.

Doesn't sound like you're heavily invested in lenses, so switching to another system is an option too.
Sep 30 2018 10:17PM
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corona
Posts: 12804 - Karma: 32,822
Also if you're into Olympus keep in mind they haven't released anything new for a little while and the M1 mk2 isn;t the most recent so there's a good chance ts successor is on the way.
Sep 30 2018 10:23PM
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patagonialuke
Posts: 1627 - Karma: 8,686
Update: went with the M1 mk2 and have been liking it a lot overall.

FPS is insane - have almost too many frames to choose from in each burst. Good problem to have.

Autofocus is quite good, though there have been a few times when certain frames went out of focus, mostly when it was dumping snow.

Overall quality is noticeably better than the mk1 M5, but still not able to crop in a lot while maintaining good resolution vs. non-cropped sensors. Not surprised - if I wanted max resolution, I'd probably have gone with something from Sony.

M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 lens is awesome as a do-everything lens. Great optics, and zoom range works for almost everything. Could use more zoom for some shots, and a wider angle would be nice for others. But for one lens for everything, it's very good.

Overall, very happy with this kit. Very light and compact, love the weather-sealed construction since I'm careless when it comes to getting snow in my pack / on my camera, and have been able to get some solid shots. Would definitely recommend if you prioritize a high frame rate for bursts and portability over max resolution.
Jan 20 2019 10:19PM
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corona
Posts: 12804 - Karma: 32,822
VinnieFchance ts successor is on the way.


Successor is about to be announced.. supposedly targeting pro shooters and is supposed to be a m43 equivalent to a D5 or 1DX mkii. Will probably be a kick-ass camera and be very not cheap.
Jan 21 2019 10:37AM
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