Olympus OMD EM1 review - official!

[Gordon Laing]

Hi everyone, I've just completed my Olympus OMD EM1 review, and it's my biggest yet! Running to over 20,000 words it also includes sections on long exposure noise and diffraction compensation in addition to my usual tests.

Hope you enjoy it!

Gordon

[kimchi]

That's great work Gordon - it's longer than my Master's thesis! The constant reference and comparisons to its peers is an especially useful and it helps contextualise the camera's features. Very few other reviewer do this.

[Gonzo]

Wow!! Gordon Thank you for the extra work to the section long exposure noise and the E-M1 compare.
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Interestingly the EM5 also doesn't suffer from the EM1's hot pixels when shooting long exposures without noise reduction which could make it more attractive to photographers who can't hang around for a dark frame to be recorded.
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My new E-M5 just arrived, and the first good Milkyway-shot of mine will be addicted to you
(my be it will last a while, bad weather since many days in Germany)

Thanks a lot Gordon

Jörg

[alanb3200]

Hello, I have just discovered your website, read and enjoyed a few reviews and bought you a coffee (^∆^)
.........as an enthusiast with limited experience, I am hoping for some advice either from yourself or from some of the more knowledgable and helpful members of your audience; firstly, regarding the Olympus EM1.... any news or rumors that Olympus might release a firmware update or even a subsequent model that will allow the menu functions to be viewed in the EVF………..as a wearer of glasses I find using an EVF with diopter adjustment, as I have done with a previous Lumix camera, really easy and satisfying, but with the EM1 I will need to put my glasses on to view the menu on the LCD and then remove them again to use the EVF (which is my preferred way of shooting) …. given the host of technological wonders housed in this camera, I find this quite frustrating, particularly as the EVF of this camera receives such good press……….

Secondly, EVF issue aside, if I do buy this camera I am contemplating buying the Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm 1:2.8 PRO Lens, and because I want to experiment, amongst many other aspects, with shallow DOF (something that I have not done before) I am considering either the Voigtlander 17.5mm f/0.95 or the 25mm, which I believe is a little bit smaller and lighter………...I appreciate that both of these lenses are quite large and heavy and that they are manual focus….I own a Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-150mm f/3.5-5.6, which I can use with an adaptor or because it is in pristine condition, I can sell it to fund another lens; but I have set myself a limit of 3 lenses for this camera and I do not need to go any “longer” than the Leica lens offers me…….any advice will be much appreciated……..
Many thanks……….Alan Bryan ……...London
P.S……..I have just read your review on the new Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42.5 f1.2 lens, and although it is expensive, I wonder that given my limited experience and the fact that I wear glasses, that it might be a better alternative for me than the manual focusing Voigtlander’s

[Maestro]

Which menu functions are you thinking you'll need to adjust between photos? I ask because all the options I've ever needed to access (shutter, aperture, ISO, white balance, etc.) can be done via the viewfinder.

Also, I've never had a problem manually focusing either of my Voigtlanders -- I own both the 17mm and 42.5mm -- even wide open, with the VF-4, which is essentially the same viewfinder that's in the E-M1. (And this is in full view, not magnified focus assist.) And I'm obviously biased, but I've said before that I think the Pany/Leica 42.5mm is way overpriced.

Better to get an Oly 45mm f1.8 for when you need autofocus and a Voigtlander 42.5mm for when you need f0.95 (your three lens limit notwithstanding, the combo will cost you less).

Mark

P.S. Oly has a 40-150mm f2.8 in development.

[alanb3200]

Mark, thank you kindly for responding and offering your advice, much appreciated; I assume you own an EM1 and are therefore speaking from first hand experience……….and as such, you have indeed given me great news, I would only need to have access to shutter speed, aperture and ISO, and for some reason I did not think that these controls were available when viewing through the EVF……..with my limited experience I am happy to leave matters such as white balance set to auto………...I think that my misunderstanding stems from comments on forums by people complaining that the full menu was not available in the EVF (just read you comment again and realize that you have been using the VF-4, which I understand has the same features and info display)

I take on board your suggestions regarding lenses as well; I think it is generally accepted that the Panasonic Leica lens is overpriced and I will reconsider my options………...I will just say that my 3 lens minimum stipulation is dictated more by what I am prepared to carry around rather than being budget driven…………. but the main thing is, that with the information you have given me regarding the EVF on the EM1, I am now very comfortable about buying the camera……..so many thanks once again ………..Alan (^∆^)

[Maestro]

You're welcome. Glad I could help. For the record, I use the VF-4 with an Oly E-PL5. While I'm confident the E-M1 operates similarly -- i.e. shutter, aperture, ISO, etc. can be set via the viewfinder -- hopefully there's a shop near you where you can handle one and confirm first hand (since this is a good idea in any case). (And as an aside, yes, there are other menu options that are not adjustable via the viewfinder, but those are the less frequently used settings.)

As far as your 3 lens kit, I think the 12-40mm f2.8 and the upcoming 40-150mm f2.8 would work well with either a Voigtlander 17mm or 42.5mm or Oly 75mm f1.8 for shallow DoF, depending on what framing/focal length you want.

Mark

[Bob Andersson]

Hi alanb3200,

Maestro is right. I can adjust shutter, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation and white balance quickly and easily using the front and rear dials (wheels) in conjunction with the lever around the AEL/AFL button.

Bob.

[alanb3200]

Hi Bob.............thank you so much for confirming what Maestro Mark had told me, good of you to take the time to write........I'm sure that shutter, aperture, exposure compensation and ISO are all that I shall need immediate access to, and the lever allowing you to keep all 4 at your fingertips (and thumb) appears to be such a simple but outstandingly useful feature...........

...........and thanks once again Mark, I think I will kick off with just the Olympus 12-40 f2.8 Pro for a couple of weeks while I get to know the camera; I might also have a better, or even different idea about additional lenses once I start using the camera and get a feel for what I need most............I know that sounds a bit cautious, but this good glass is expensive and I don't want to find myself with a lens that I hardly use..........thanks once again to you both...........Alan

[Bob Andersson]

Hi folks,

The v2 firmware is now available in the usual way. The upgrade went smoothly enough but remember to make a note of your normal settings beforehand as the upgrade seems to reset many, if not all, to defaults.

Apart from minor improvements and bug fixes the feature that interests me most is tethered shooting from either a PC or a Mac. We still have to wait until September the 24th before the Olympus Capture software release but you can read a little about it here where there's also a link at the bottom of the page to this more informative YouTube video. It's been a few years since I last enjoyed the ability to use my computer in this way (Canon) but this is a much more comprehensive solution than I remember having before. And it's all free!

Bob.