Equipment - Reviewing my Olympus OM-D E-M10ii
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I have some positives and negatives to say about this. But like my other recent articles, I want to keep this at least not-long. I think it has kept things easy to read online.
I was introduced to Micro 4/3 sized sensor with this camera and event. My main camera is a Sony a6000 (Amazon Link) at a sensor size standard of APS-C. So I do not have a full frame camera just yet. However, it means that the effective reach of my 200 mm focal length on APS-C is similar to 300 mm from a full frame and with the M4/3 sensor it gives me equivalent zoom of 400 mm. Sports and wildlife tickle me with being able to reach out further with these cameras so it is why I didn't start with full frame.
What I liked:
What I have to say is that this camera is for is the starting photographer that isn't shooting sports or fast activity of any kind. For an experienced photographer you can take advantage of certain things that can give you a good second camera.
The new photographer will find two things familiar to you on your cell phones: a touch screen. In a user friendly configuration, you will find as soon as you touch the screen, it will take the picture. So just touch what you want to focus on and it will take the shot.
Additionally, you can get a camera that has decent auto modes and scene modes. You can choose coloring and other affects. This is like when you are on instagram for different styles.
One of the things that shine for this camera is IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) on the sensor. Along with your kit lens (that is also stabilized) video feels like you are on a gimbal. This means the movements of the camera will feel very smooth. Along with touch screen focus, you have a versatile starting system.
And what I like as a more professional photographer:
I still love the IBIS.
I like the M4/3 format as it is easy to adapt a non-M4/3 lenses to it. You need an adapter, but since this is an open standard that multiple companies and people have worked on ways to adapt other brands to this camera. Old lenses look great with this... even though you need to manually focus you can still get things fairly sharp since you have eliminated camera shake.
Just because it is a small lens, does not mean it won't give you a great reach. I picked up this old 135mm lens, and it means it will reach out as far as 270 mm equivalent focal length. I can go out and shoot something that isn't moving fast, like a squirrel in a tree or a perched bird or duck in the water. And I can do this because the camera will show me what is in focus with focus peaking.
The camera is also fairly silent. You don't have a loud noise when clicking the shutter. You can hear something (it isn't 100% electronic), but it won't be like a big clunk from my Sony a6000 (Amazon Link). It won't disrupt sensitive events, and animals won't be completely disrupted.
Some of what I didn't like:
Autofocus system is terrible. If you like having the viewfinder by your eye, there isn't a wide area autofocus continuous (af-c). This camera does not have eye auto focus like many other cameras, such as the Sony a6000 (Amazon Link) and the Olympus OM-D E-M1ii (Amazon Link).
The menu system. There are a ton of options in the Olympus menu. However, it gets too big and too confusing. For example, there is a feature called setting effects. When using the camera through the viewfinder or the screen on the back, you can set it up to see the exposure before you shoot or it will just give you a similar view like from an optical camera. But I had the hardest time setting it up this feature. Since I want to see how the exposure will affect my shot before I take it, I had to adjust 4 or 5 different settings in the camera before it would work like I wanted it to. People have said Sony menus are bad, but there is only one menu item I need to adjust in the Sony before I change this type of feature.
But that may be a feature most people that pick up this camera are not worried about.
If I had to rate this in a 1-5 star rating comparing it to all of the other cameras out there, I would give it a 3. It is a solid body. It can do what you want it to do. It does have limits. But it is great for a starting photographer that isn't looking to make it a possible career.
If you are comparing it to all of the starting level cameras out there, I give it a 4 out of 5. But the area wide auto focus can be a limitation. If you like pointing at everything on the back screen to focus on and then photograph then it is kinda fun. Or if you set the focus to be a single point on the camera then it will do well. But many cameras today have a much more intuitive focus system and make the experience much more fun.
And video, while not the main point of this review, is nice with 5 axis image stabilization on the sensor. So that video will look way better than anything from your cell phone.
Ultimately, you will be seeing me use both this Olympus camera and my Sony in the months to come.
