Olympus

We are happy to see a manufacturer try something different. Unfortunately with this camera, Olympus came close to greatness but didn’t quite make it there. This could have been a great wild-life and photojournalism camera. It’s improved on the video side but again they didn’t go the distance we wanted them to.

We’re a bit disappointed by the E-M1X. It feels like Olympus got half way there with making this camera amazing but on account of some cost cutting measures didn’t make something amazing. This could have been an amazing high-frame rate camera with great video features.

What has been communicated to us so far:

-7 stops of stabilization
-20mp sensor with a fast frame rate
-improved video features compared to any previous Olympus (finally a GH5 competitor?)
-built in electronic variable ND filter
-improved autofocus
-$2800

We have a new source reporting the following details to us about Olympus’s next, premium micro-four-thirds camera:

• 20MP Sensor
• 20FPS
• Improved autofocus
• Advanced handheld high-resolution mode
• Released Q1 2019
• $2499 launch price
• Best video features in an Olympus to date

Again, this is a new source so all of the above are _unconfirmed_ at this time.

The images from the Olympus E-M10 Mark III certainly look nice. It’s priced better than the Panasonic G85 but it’s not clear yet if it’s superior to it.

However, at the price, it’s clear the Olympus is the winner, and the Panasonic G85 and G7 4K also remain contenders for the king of budget cameras. The one thing we’ve noticed about all of these cameras is that in good light they produce a nice image but they tend to fall apart in less than ideal circumstances. The Blackmagic Pocket 4K holds up better in those less than ideal conditions but it costs a bit more.

This camera shoots 4K at 30P, has contrast based auto-focus, and has IBIS.

The first clip in this list is shot with the Laowa 7.5mm which is atypically wide for a video shot but we’re happy to see what it looks like nonetheless.

$650 for a 16mp Olympus camera with 4K30P and IBIS seems good. It remains to be seen if this sensor is any better than the other 100 16mp m43 cameras. But even if it’s on par with G85 then it will be a good value.

Like our last post was about a movie shot on the Panasonic GH4, this post shows what the Olympus EM-1 Mark II can do. They obviously had a higher production budget than most EM-1 Mark II videos. It goes to show you that camera you use is becoming less and less relevant.

Still shooters have many reasons to like this camera, and it does okay for video (but not GH5 level good).