Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Detailed Review

In additional OM-D E-M1 Mark II was introduced by Olympus in September 2016. It belongs to the Mirrorless Cameras category.

Olympus is well-known and shouldn’t require further introduction, please see our manufacturer’s page for more digital cameras by Olympus.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II has a Four Thirds CMOS sensor with size of 17 x 13 mm² (0.68″ x 0.51″).

Picture of OM-D E-M1 Mark II’s sensor compared to popular format.

The 1-Euro coin has a diameter of 23.25mm.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II’s sensor has resolution of 20 megapixel.

The Olympus supports taking images in RAW. RAW images are stored as they come from the sensor, without any in-camera processing or sharpening. Converting to JPEG or other formats takes place on the computer, using software like Adobe Lightroom or Olympus’s RAW converter. This involves one extra processing step but almost always results in superior image quality. Some filters, like converting to monochrome (black and white) will only yield decent results when used with RAW images.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II features a mechanism for automatic sensor cleaning.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II uses an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2.36 megapixel, an excellent value for a viewfinder like this which makes the camera a joy to use.

The magnifcation is c. 0.74x, an excellent value for an electronic viewfinder.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II’s shutter speed varies from 1/8000s to 60s.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II’s sensitivity goes from 200 ISO und 25600 ISO, a very useful and practical range.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II supports all general exposure modes.

The Olympus allows spot exposure for the difficult occasion.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II’s auto focus processor uses 121 AF points (or sensors). A basic rule of thumb says that the more AF points you have, the better. More AF points mean a better chance to have a point at the location of interest in a scene, a big plus in challenging situations (e.g. when panning the camera).

Manual focus is also possible with the Olympus, a plus in tricky situations or for some creative freedom.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II doesn’t feature a built-in flash. That is not unsusual in this camera category.

A flash or a trigger for remote flashes can be attached to the Olympus’s hotshoe.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II display has a diagonal of 76.00mm (3.0 inches.) and a resolution 1.04 megapixel.

The camera display is intended for selfies or other occasion.

Display parameters:

OM-D E-M1 Mark II video supported the resolution with 4096 x 2160 pixel.

Also the camera is equipped with an external microphone.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Video parameters:

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II has Wi-fi connection. You can transfer photos to a mobile or laptop using wi-fi.

Eventually, if the wifi connection is disabled the wired connection may be used.

Connect the Olympus to a monitor or TV set over HDMI.

USB 3.0 is already supported by the Olympus. USB 3.0 greatly speeds up transferring images and videos to the computer.

Connection parameters:

The camera supports SD HC and SD XC cards.

Memory cards characteristics:

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II has a BLH-1 LiIon battery. The battery provides a shooting life of 440 shots. It`s enough for one day or more.

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II’s battery battery parameters:

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II’s size is 134.1 x 90.9 x 68.9mm³. (5.3″ x 3.6″ x 2.7″). That dimensions are without lens. The weight of camera is 5.3″ x 3.6″ x 2.7″ grams (574 oz.) without lens weight.

Here is front and top view of the OM-D E-M1 Mark II:

For a better idea of the size of the camera, takes a look off camera and ID card comparison image.