PREVIEW OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 MARK II
The much-awaited new OM-D mirrorless flagship is launching now – so let’s take a quick guided tour of what’s on offer from Olympus’s E-M1 Mark II.
To whet your appetite for our full review, here’s a quick guided tour of Olympus’s new OM-D powerhouse, introducing all the new features.
NEW BODYSHELL:
Magnesium alloy covers, sealed against dust and moisture and insulated to allow shooting in temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius. New styling with better-shaped handgrip. Marginally bigger and heavier than the previous model.
EVF:
0.74x magnification (35mm equivalent) and 120 fps refresh rate, with a lag time of just five milliseconds so there’s virtually no delay.
DUAL MEMORY CARD SLOTS:
For SD, SDHC and SDXC cards. Slot 1 supports UHS-II/UHS-I speed and slot 2 supports UHS-I. Four modes for managing files, including simultaneous writing to both cards.
HIGHER CAPACITY BATTERY:
New 1720 mAh BLH-1 battery pack has around 37 percent more capacity than previous BLN-1. New charger is 50 percent faster than previously too.
HIGH RES SHOT:
Eightframe capture with halfpixel shifting gives ultrahigh resolution files – 50 megapixels for JPEGs, 80 megapixels with RAW capture. A 25 MP setting is also available for JPEG capture.
FOCUS STACKING:
Focus Stacking mode captures eight frames at different focusing points and then combines them in-camera to create an image that is entirely in focus. Focus Bracketing mode captures up to 999 frames with different focusing points from which a frame with the optimum focusing point can be selected.
PRO CAPTURE MODE:
Capture commences when the shutter release is still at its half-way position for up to 14 frames, with the set fps operating upon full release… up to 18 fps with the focal plane shutter, up to 60 fps with the sensor shutter.
NEW SENSOR:
21.8 megapixels (total) Live MOS delivers 20.8 MP effective resolution and a sensitivity range equivalent to ISO 200 to 25,600. ISO 64 setting also available. No optical low-pass filter (camera employs moiré correction processing).
NEW SHUTTER:
Durability increased to 200,000 cycles. A floating shutter design minimises vibrations transmitted to the camera body. Speed range is 60-1/8000 second with flash sync up to 1/250 second.
SENSOR SHUTTER:
A.k.a. electronic first curtain shutter. Delivers both extra speed, silent operation and an ‘AntiShock Mode’. Allows for continuous shooting at up to 60 fps at full resolution. Speed range is 60-1/32,000 second. Release delay timer can be set for up to 30 seconds to eliminate any vibrations.
UPGRADED IS:
Sensor-shift stabilisation with correction across five axes and for up to 5.5 stops. Up to 6.5 stops when combined with optical IS in lenses. Combines with electronic stabilisation in ‘OM-D Movie’ mode to provide extra smoothness when shooting video, including 4K.
NEW PROCESSOR:
Dual quad-core design ‘TruePic VII’ processor drives faster continuous shooting and 4K video plus features such as ‘High Res Shot’ pixelshift multi-shot capture. One CPU devoted to AF operations, the other to image processing.
FASTER SHOOTING:
Up to 15 fps with the focal plane shutter, but up to 18 fps with the sensor shutter and with continuous AF/AE adjustment. Up to 60 fps with the AF locked to the first frame.
EXTRAS: Lots of them – multi-shot HDR capture, intervalometer, multiple exposure facility, auto bracketing (for exposure, ISO, white balance, flash, ‘Art Filter’ effects, and focus), ‘Colour Creator’ function, Highlight/Shadow control, ‘Keystone Compensation’, builtin WiFi with QR code set-up, and tethered shooting (via USB cable).