So I'm currently a satisfied EM1 Mark 1 user and also have an older EM10, which I use for snapshots. But I am thinking my EM1 is getting long in the tooth and maybe I should upgrade now that the Mark IIs are getting older and cheaper.
I'm in interested in hearing from those that have gone to the Mark II, what were the things that you noticed or appreciated most about the upgrade?
And yes before anyone flames me I know only I can decide if the upgrade is worth it to me, and that it is the photographer that makes the photo not the camera and all the other platitudes that the forums generate when people ask about equipment upgrades.
I tend to shoot wildlife, macro and family shots with my Olympus system. Landscapes are probably my primary interest but I mostly use my Sony system for that.
The E-M1-->E-M1ii is going to be a pretty significant upgrade. The E-M1 is a solid camera, but the E-M1ii just does everything better. What lenses are you shooting for wildlife? If you're not shooting large lenses you may want to consider the E-M5iii as well. It's basically an E-M1ii in a smaller form.
I tend to use the 45-150 f2.8 pro and the old 4/3 50-200 f2.8-3.5, with or without TCs as well as the consumer grade 75-300 f5.6-6.3 and 45-150 f4-5.6. I don’t want to go smaller than the EM1. As it is I normally put the grip on the EM1 for better balance when using larger lenses.
The E-M II is superior in all ways to the I, but for fast-moving wildlife it’s not great. I had two I’s and upgraded both to II’s. Better in every way. Can’t speak to the new E-M5, though, which is just too small for my liking, but seems very capable.
Geoff D F wrote:
I tend to use the 45-150 f2.8 pro and the old 4/3 50-200 f2.8-3.5, with or without TCs as well as the consumer grade 75-300 f5.6-6.3 and 45-150 f4-5.6. I don’t want to go smaller than the EM1. As it is I normally put the grip on the EM1 for better balance when using larger lenses.
Yeah, if you're using the 40-150 PRO and 50-200 then you definitely want the E-M1ii. It's going to have even better ergonomics than the E-M1 when using the larger lenses. As far as improvements over the original E-M1
Much faster focus acquisition in C-AF, night and day difference
Hugely improved general C-AF performance which covers a larger portion of the frame
EVF responsiveness during burst shooting is also massively improved over the E-M1
High speed UHS-II card slot allows a deeper buffer and faster clearing of the card. Since FW3.0 the camera no longer locks up while writing to the card either.
Significantly improved battery life
Very sharp C4K video with very good C-AF, if that's of any interest
In camera focus stacking for macro shooting
Better low light AF
Higher burst speeds and ProCapture mode
Improved IBIS, especially when shoot long exposures with wider lenses
There are other improvements as well but those are some of the major highlights. It was a very substantial upgrade from the original E-M1.
Yes, with the price of the Mark II now (wait for black friday, I am willing to make a small bet you can make a good deal on that day) the upgrade, if you feel you have the money, is well worth it. It's a pretty huge difference in fact and apart from the differences already stated in this thread the overall feeling of using it is just more refined and quick. It just feels quicker and more ergonomic.
The reviews don't seem to mention this but EM1.2's sensor has much better noise control compared to EM1.1 and the raw files are just much cleaner. In fact, EM5.2 also has lesser noise at almost every iso than EM1.1.
It's an upgrade worth every penny.
whumber wrote:
Maybe although the past few years Olympus has actually raised prices during black friday compared to their normal "sale" price.
Oh!
I wasn't aware of that. It has been the opposite in Sweden. When I bought my E-M1.2 in 2017 on black Friday it was $500 off from the retailer and another $200 winter cash back from Olympus. I ended up getting it for $1200 which was quite insane.
I wasn't aware of that. It has been the opposite in Sweden. When I bought my E-M1.2 in 2017 on black Friday it was $500 off from the retailer and another $200 winter cash back from Olympus. I ended up getting it for $1200 which was quite insane.
bobbytan wrote:
I thought Black Friday is a US thing!
It was but as most other commercial things (such as Halloween) it easily spreads throughout the world now. Europe has very much commercialized Black Friday and Cyber Monday as well and it has exploded the last few years. I don't complain if I can make a good deal out of it though
Actually Halloween spread from Europe to the US and then back to Europe...Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Famine of 1840's brought it to the US where is was commercialized and returned
bobbytan wrote:
So, Geoff ... what’s the upshot? Are you going for the upgrade?
Well I wanted to thank everyone, but also say damn you all!
I was hoping you'd tell me there was not much difference, so I could just keep my Mark1 until it died hopefully in a peaceful way, but now I have some serious thinking to do.
I also want to upgrade my Sony A7 mark II to the Mark III.
I find Sony so far behind Olympus in terms of handling and AF, but it's image quality is great. I hear the Sony A7 III is also quite an upgrade in terms of its handling.
Geoff D F wrote:
Well I wanted to thank everyone, but also say damn you all!
I was hoping you'd tell me there was not much difference, so I could just keep my Mark1 until it died hopefully in a peaceful way, but now I have some serious thinking to do.
I also want to upgrade my Sony A7 mark II to the Mark III.
I find Sony so far behind Olympus in terms of handling and AF, but it's image quality is great. I hear the Sony A7 III is also quite an upgrade in terms of its handling.
Decisions, decisions......
In a perfect world we get Olympus IBIS, Olympus or Nikon ergonomics with the latest Sony sensor and eye-AF and a Panasonic menu system while looking like a Fuji for the price of a Canon Rebel...
johnvanr wrote:
In a perfect world we get Olympus IBIS, Olympus or Nikon ergonomics with the latest Sony sensor and eye-AF and a Panasonic menu system while looking like a Fuji for the price of a Canon Rebel...
Oh, wait, I know this one.
Instead we get Fuji IBIS, Sigma ergonomics, the latest Canon sensor, Pentax eye-AF, the Olympus menu system while looking like a Sony for the price of a Leica S.
