E-M1 Mark II

[RAH]

Right you are.
Of course you all know why American beer is like sex in a canoe...?

I don't. Punch line, please...

[tomsi42]

I don't. Punch line, please...

Just google Mony Python Sex in a Canoe (it's NSFW )

[Guy Roberts]

B&H say that the new 12-100 pro lens's image stabilisation will work in conjunction with the OMD-EM1-Mk2's IS. Any ideas if it will work with the EM1?

[Daniel Bradley]

Good question, Guy. The new 300/4 does, so I would think this one would work too. Maybe a firmware update will be needed, but I am sure they will take care of that. It is truly amazing what Oly has been able to change and improve on with the E-M1 through firmware updates.
Lot of people, including myself, are holding their breath waiting for the E-M1 II. I was looking around the used market here yesterday, and I could get a mint Sigma 150-600 Sports and a mint D-7200 for about what the Mark II body will cost when it hits the stores, somewhere around €/$2000.- But somehow I can't make the leap. A lot will depend on how much the AF is improved. I am not expecting wonders from the new sensor, but who knows? Tarada-san has said publicly that there will be a full one stop gain in ISO performance, "ISO 3200 will look like ISO 1600 in the Mark I". I would be happy if ISO 800 looks like ISO 400 in the Mark I, or if 400 looks like 200. 400 is pretty much the limit of what I can use now. Above that, the DR drops so much that the already noisy shadows become really ugly. I normally shoot at 400, and only go down to 200 when the light is really good. 800 in a pinch. Without the super IBIS I wouldn't stand a chance with my 400/5.6.
As I understand it, the IBIS in the Mark II has also been improved. Have to wait and see, I guess....

[darkesha]

The last body I purchased was GX-7 kit with 20mm. I like that style a lot. EM-1 didn't have better sensor nor it did have much better focusing with m4/3 glass but all other benefits it did have weren't that important to me (IS / EVF / PDAF for 4/3 lenses).
Now with a new generation of sensors there is not much of gain in resolution / DR / ISO but it's a new sensor so I can justify getting it....I would be much more inclined to get hypothetical EM1s with 8MP sensor but whose ISO/DR could parallel D4 or at least D810. Anyways I will wait to see focus capabilities of a new EM1 (especially with 50-200 and 12-60) and will base my purchase strictly off that. If there isn't improvement vs my E-5 I might let it pass since my GX-7 works great. But if this cam really does what we all hoped (with every new generation for - 10 years) for than I will get it.

So far trio of GX-7 (travel) / E-5 / D700 works great for me.

Of course....if I spend my money on used D810 - Olympus will have to wait.

[Don Baldwinson]

Good question, Guy. The new 300/4 does, so I would think this one would work too. Maybe a firmware update will be needed, but I am sure they will take care of that. It is truly amazing what Oly has been able to change and improve on with the E-M1 through firmware updates.
Lot of people, including myself, are holding their breath waiting for the E-M1 II. I was looking around the used market here yesterday, and I could get a mint Sigma 150-600 Sports and a mint D-7200 for about what the Mark II body will cost when it hits the stores, somewhere around €/$2000.- But somehow I can't make the leap. A lot will depend on how much the AF is improved. I am not expecting wonders from the new sensor, but who knows? Tarada-san has said publicly that there will be a full one stop gain in ISO performance, "ISO 3200 will look like ISO 1600 in the Mark I". I would be happy if ISO 800 looks like ISO 400 in the Mark I, or if 400 looks like 200. 400 is pretty much the limit of what I can use now. Above that, the DR drops so much that the already noisy shadows become really ugly. I normally shoot at 400, and only go down to 200 when the light is really good. 800 in a pinch. Without the super IBIS I wouldn't stand a chance with my 400/5.6.
As I understand it, the IBIS in the Mark II has also been improved. Have to wait and see, I guess....

I have been thinking along similar lines Dan. If the MKII is too expensive. Keep the E-M1 and selected lenses for more average subjects, for which it serves extremely well. But I'm holding off until the MKII is well tested, by the pros, then more importantly by users like us, who later find out about green lines on screen, electronic failure and peeling rubber!
While that happens, the D7200's will only get cheaper.....and the MKII may turn out to be a real step forward in the IQ department.
Cool head, feet firmly planted. Yeah right
Don

[Guy Roberts]

Is the physical mechanism of the sensor on the mk 2 different to the om1? The mk 2 can do sensor shift 50mp shots. This is why I was wondering if the lens IS would work with the om1

[Daniel Bradley]

Guy,
I think the 50mp thing is a different kettle of fish; they are only using the sensor shifting (IS) mechanism for the process. I would bet it would be possible to do the same sort of thing in the E-M1 with a firmware update, but they aren't going to do that and shoot themselves in the foot regarding sales of the M5-II and the M1-II.

[Guy Roberts]

Hi Daniel
it is an interesting feature and one I would like to experiment with, but I wonder how often I would use it.
On a different note I have noticed some quite severe purple fringing with the m12-40. Have you or any others found
this with this lens?
Guy

[Daniel Bradley]

Have you noticed it more on the short end? I have found rather extreme purple fringing with some wide angle lenses, especially zooms (14-54 I), at the short end and in the corners. Less so with primes as they are much easier to correct than optically complicated zooms.

[videobruce]

Anything more on price? If it's around $2k US, it puts that out of the equation for me.

[Daniel Bradley]

From 4/3 Rumors, rated high reliability.
" Price still hasn’t been confirmed yet. There is only a general Olympus comment about the price being in the Fuji X-T2 territory."

[videobruce]

Yep, way out of my price range.

I though this was suppose to be the replacement for the current M1 which is considerable less?
Calling it a M2 would be closer to what it is.

[Edmunds]

I think that nowadays the "early adopter's fee" is getting heftier. If you want a brand new camera that just came out, be prepared to pay a LOT more than you would a year or two down the line. I bet the E-M1II is going to be $1600 and we're gonna see it in the $1300-$1400 range by summer next year.

Do keep in mind that a lot of these improvements are hype and would make a difference only in a small number of marginal scenarios. I recommend keeping a clear head and evaluating your needs vs costs. For some people spending $1600 on a new camera is a no brainer even if they owned the previous version one. For others, not so much.

For me, personally, I take about 13k-15k shots per year, so a camera lasts about 3-4 years. If I take that whole timeframe into account, it doesn't really matter much if the camera is $1200 or $1600 as the cost of use is divided by several years and tens of thousands of photos.

If I only took 5k pictures a year, I'd be asking myself some hard questions. If I'm using that camera for beach walks and travel, do I really need a $1600 camera? Could I make do with an older model? However, if I'm taking those 5k shots with a 300mm f/4, waking up at 3AM before sunrise to drive to location, setting up a hide, waiting for hours during a freezing cold autumn morning for a bird to fly out of a swamp, then compared to all that work that goes into getting a shot the cost of a camera like this is minuscule.

[Neil_jo]

Here's a review/podcast from a hands on preview of the MKII and 12-100mm lens.

http://www.thedigitalstory.com/

[RAH]

Yup, it's $2000! Yikes!!

[Edmunds]

Well, I'll be damned. That is a huge increase over the E-M1!

I'm really not sure what to make of all this, but that thing better deliver or its going to be one big flop. Could also be that we'll see pretty big discounts later on.

[Big Greg]

I don't see one in my immediate future. Not at that price.

[Daniel Bradley]

$2K? Hmmm.... not for long I don't think. The Nikon D500 is already under $1800 and it is a killer! But then, maybe the E-M1 II will have enough advantages to really compete. I agree, though that the price jump from the Mark I is a bit steep.

http://thenewcamera.com/olympus-e-m1...-price-leaked/
$2.2K!!

[Daniel Bradley]

Just found this
"High ISO noise and dynamic range are slightly better than the 16MP predecessors, but nothing to get wildly excited about. I’d still draw the limit for clean files at 1600, with 3200 for emergencies (or perhaps one more stop if you don’t mind entirely black shadows). Anything above 1600 starts to display shadow noise in the midtones – and this with JPEG processing and NR set to ‘low’; I suspect the raw file might be much noisier. Dynamic range remains somewhere in the 12 stop region, so careful exposure is a must."
(That translates to me as nowhere near the D500)
from:
https://blog.mingthein.com/2016/11/0...-e-m1-mark-ii/

[tomsi42]

I find it interesting that a tester like Ming Thein can make such bold statements, since they are all showing OOC JPEGs for now. With all the technology in the body, I don't think it could have been made much cheaper. Stuff like dual quad CPU's, superfast memory and stuff is also expensive.

I rather have an E-M1MkII than a Nikon D500 or D750 any day. µ-4/3 has the lenses I need and want; no-one else has something like the new 12-100mm f/4.

[Daniel Bradley]

Yes, I would also rather have an E-M1 II, no question. And you are right about the cost vs. what is inside. What we don't know about Ming is whether he is comparing out of camera jpgs, or jpgs against Mark I raw files. I somehow doubt it. To be able to get even slightly better DR and noise and add 4 MP at the same time is admirable, but again, I would have preferred they stay with the 16 and get even better DR and noise. Keep in mind that the D500 made big gains in DR and noise by REDUCING the MP count from the D7200. A smart move for them.

[Don Baldwinson]

At 3X the value of my E-M1, I'm doubting 3X the gain.
Don

Updated: mint E-M1 body NZ$675. Announced E-M1II body NZ$3,200.
4.7X!

[Edmunds]

I do agree that its a great camera, and there isn't anything quite like it. People say that at this price point there are alternatives, I don't really see that. There may be one or two alternatives, in the form of a D500 or a 7D II, but that's basically it - and they are both pretty large. None of the other mirrorless cameras have the features, operational speed and lens options that this one has. And no, you cannot buy a full frame camera for that price - yes, maybe a crappy, entry level one, but not a feature rich one.

My problem is that packing a camera so full of features, yet at the same time still with the smaller m4/3 sensor, and now at a $2000 price point, it all just pushes the camera into a smaller niche than before. Many people are left scratching their heads. A Fuji XT-2 + 16mm f/1.4 + 56mm f/1.2 = $3650 while an E-M1II + 12mm f/1.4 + 42.5mm f/1.2 = $4900, those are some serious price differences

But maybe a smaller niche is exactly what they want, maybe they see travelers, hikers, climbers, wildlife shooters as their niche. Maybe they see those activities as the ones that will still need an enthusiast camera 5-10 years down the line and want to concentrate on that.

[Daniel Bradley]

"But maybe a smaller niche is exactly what they want, maybe they see travelers, hikers, climbers, wildlife shooters as their niche. Maybe they see those activities as the ones that will still need an enthusiast camera 5-10 years down the line and want to concentrate on that."

Well.... all the PR stuff I have read has stated that they are aiming at the "PRO" market with the Mk II.