150K Clicks, 1000 Hours of 4K videos later - Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark II Long Term Review! 

So hard to do this review, too much to cover and in the end, I just went with what I used the EM1 II for, destination weddings and portraits, and some travel documentaries. Love this camera! I really do.

Thanks for standing in the rain for this review. You are a real trooper. Great points about the camera and how it has changed your photo life.

You obviously put a lot of effort doing those reviews and I enjoy them, well done!

As an Olympus user, I really do enjoy all your videos. Keep it up man!

Always informative and entertaining. Keep up the great work! I just got mine 2 days ago. So excited!!

I just lost my em-5, but now I have a reason to upgrade! Thanks for the great videos, now I have to decide on which Olympus I want. Your review on the Pen-f has me leaning in that direction, but I often shoot in the rain. Decisions.

OK, so this was a pretty perfect video, thanks! I've been pretty happy with the original E-M1, to be honest very happy, but I've been hearing good things about all the little improvements the MK II brings, so finally decided to switch. I was curious about what to look forward to, so watched this. Pretty cool you did it at Greenwich! I was there almost a year ago. It was a really inspiring place! Thanks for putting this together...

Yes! And the kit fits a Billingham bag perfectly! I finally tired of holding a Pen-f with 12-40mm pro, and purchased a minty Em1Mk2. OMG! A lens/body heavenly combo! Sweet but complex! THanks for the advice & opinions!😊

As an Olympus fan boy, I am still anxiously awaiting the EM5 Mark III. I am hoping it keeps all the features I love with the video options of its brethren. Long term reviews are some of my favorite reviews. We are all in love in the beginning. Its when the honeymoons over that we see what we really should have in the beginning.

great review, best I've seen on this camera. just posted it to numerous places

Highly appreciated! 1 year experience - now THAT's a review.

Very pleasant, complete and relevant review, thanks !

Love how Olympus is constantly updating their camera's capabilities with firmware upgrades. The fact that the EM1 MKII now has the same AF Algorithm as the EM1X is simply awesome.

Loved the review first class as always and as mentioned in other replies Olympus may add your suggested improvements, keep em comming

My new favourite M43 channel, thanks for making it!

excellent informative video thank you . . . I currently have the OMD EM1 [mk 1 ] and am about to buy the mk 2 with the 40 - 150 f2.8 lens

This camera changed my life too. The dual is crazy specially with the 300mm pro lens and with the mc-14. With this setup I can shoot at 840mm equivalent without a tripod and easily at 1/2s if I want to (even at 1sec the success rate is high).This mean no tripod at all and a setup half the weight of my previous sony or canon system. I do most of my shots with olympus pro lenses like the 300mm the 40-150mm f2.8 7-14mm f2.8 and some panaleica primes. Also olympus like pentax knows how to make weather sealing. It is a lot of fun to use and the results are incredible.

Thanx for great video. I have just purchased this camera and the 12-40mm lens and finding it very versatile. What I noticed was your camera strap, which is exactly what I am looking for. The camera strap I am using is too big to comfortably fit in my bag. Can you please tell me the brand you have? Thanks. I was amazed at the way you were using it in heavy rain!! I've just been to Karijini (Pilbara region of Western Australia) a very sandy blowy region and the Olympus didn't have any dust problem, but my Nikon D750 sensor was very badly affected. Looking forward to following your videos.

Great review - and your photos are awesome!

Really enjoyed this video, I love how in-depth you go. I wish I could afford this camera and some of the pro lenses.. oh well, my trusty EM10 mk1 will have to do for now!

I used to shoot with SLRs in my film days. Older photographers may remember the stir that the OM1 created when it was released in the early 70s. It was smaller, lighter and better looking than the lumps put out by Nikon et al at the time. I see the EM1 as the spiritual successor to that camera. I bypassed DSLRs altogether after I made the transition to digital. I remember picking up a hefty Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 and thinking 'my god, that's just the lens only'. Realising there were cheaper ways to buy a boat anchor, I switched to mirrorless. The EM1 Mark 1 that I have today is more camera than I really need. It will be staying in my bag for a while.

I hadnt considered how funny that hat over the raincoat was until now XD

this was so cool ; now waiting for your next video

Great review always watch your video, I agreed with you with the focus peaking.

Love your photo,they are amazing!

It's not only the camera; it's the lenses. Olympus (and Panasonic) delivered awesome lenses which can be used professionally, and then some more. Capable cameras available, like the EM-1 Mk2, Lumix G9, etc. are just icing on cake.

The weather sealing of this Mark 2 seems terrific.

As always very good. As an EM-1 II owner I agree totally!

Definitly your best video and you know why ? Because there is no fillers and you show Tons of samples. Sometimes youtubers only care about rambling and showing their face.

Very useful review. I think Olympus have totally undersold the video capabilities. Yes, it would benefit with a log profile but the stabilisation and 4k works really well. So come on Olympus just take the next step!

Thank you for a great review. I've not long bought one and am loving it so far. I'm still finding my way round all the settings, but I thought I'd heard there were a couple of things you could tweak with the peaking to increase/decrease the tolerance which may help tighten the dof shown?

Nice one. I moved from Nikon about 6 months ago and won't go back. I agree with all your comments, especially re ISO. Cheers.

Top !!! Thanks for this amazing video .

I just subscribed to your channel just by watching this video great work 😊 I also love my olympus cameras em1ii, em5ii and my panasonic gx80 which is also a fantastic camera and for the price it is unbeliavble what you get 4k ibis and no AA filter.

Thank you. Great review dude.

Useful details. Basic EXIF info on sample photos would be sweet.

Thank you for yourawesome video! I wanna buy that camera after watched your video. And, what is the first music?? It was really matched with your video :)

Nice to see a long-term review. Most of the reviews out there are just “right out of the box review.” Question. How would you compare the build quality and weather-resistance to the Fujifilm xt1-3 or xpro1-2? You got style too. The yellow watch is a good pop to your neutral-colored clothes.

What settings do you use for some of the midday bright light photos in this video?

Hi Jimmy, thank you for this great review! Could you please do another video and explain your settings? What do you have on C2, C2... Do you use back button focus? What function button settings do you think are most helpful? This would be great! Kind Regards Alex

I come from a Canon 5Dmk2 and now I have a em-1 mk2. I watched dozens of videos, yours too of course, before buying it and I'd say I'm 90% happy with it. I like its size, weight, build quality, customization capabilities and it fits my hands perfectly. I know it can't have ISO performance of full-frame cameras, but it's ok because exposing to the right helps to mitigate the problem, and purple flares are really bad. What I can't decide whether it's my fault or camera's is auto-focus. I agree with what you say, focus is fast, maybe too fast, and it struggles with faces and eyes. I dare say that 6 pictures out of 10 are quite soft or very soft or definitely out of focus. I'm thinking of switching again, this time to Sony because I tried their latest models and the eye-AF system is phenomenal. What do you think? Really like your channel, keep up the good work! Greetings from Italy.

How has the May 2018 Firmware Update addressed your concerns, especially about AF? Great review! Thanks!

Great review! The Olympus EM1 M2 is almost @ my price point these days lol

Hi, I use the Olympus em10 mark iii mainly for video. Can you tell me what is better about the em1 mark ii? It has been very hard to find any information about the difference between the cameras. Is the video quality better? How about the auto-focus? Thanks.

Great Review. I’ve used and EM5 Mk1 and 2 EM1 cameras for a few years now. I like to use 2 bodies and last year bought an EM1 Mk2 and used it with an EM1. I have just bought another EM1 Mk2 so I have 2 identical bodies which I prefer so I have identical handling. Will I sell the EM1s, well maybe not. They are still great cameras and I’ve spent a lot on lenses so I’ll probably keep them and use them when I go on holiday or where they might be subjected to harsh conditions. I love the Olympus system and although I’ve thought of going to full frame I just can’t see any great advantage when weighed against the Plusses of the Olympus system. Olympus have now sold off their camera division so who knows what will happen in the future. I now have 5 bodies so I’ll be able to continue using the lenses I have and if things go OK with Olympus I’ll probably expand my system further.

I never shoot video. I would love to see a review that goes over the still photography capabilities only.

very helpful, as are all of your vids. thank you for the effort and the sharing. in video mode, what is the highest iso you would push an OMD-EM1mk2? 800iso? 1600iso? thanks in advance. thumbs up.

It's crazy to see that olympus adress ALL your cons with the 3.1 firmware! You should tell them to bring new features in the Pen-f too.

Excellent background music

So perfect camera for UK and Germany.. Not much for Spain :-P. The EM1MII is just a great photographic tool.. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Agree with you review. I went from Nikon D70 ==> Nikon D200 ==> Ricoh GRD, GRD2, GRD4 ==> Leica M8, M9, M240 Safari ==> Olympus EM1 MK2. Was originally skeptical due to the sensor size, but so far I have to say, I'm happy with this camera in it's photo quality, build quality, both camera and lenses, and most importantly portability. The Pro lenses are solidly built with very good glass, and where else can you find a telephoto lens (40-150mm, equivalent to 80-300mm on 35mm, or the 300mm F4, equivalent to 600mm on the 35mm) that is so small that you can carry around without a huge backpack. And the image stabilization is so good that you don't need to carry around a tripod. I can handheld most of the shots even in dimmer lighting conditions.

Loved your review again! I’ve had this camera for 1 1/2 years and am still learning new things about it that are improving my photography. First camera in ages that I don’t think I’ll outgrow for a while. Which Billingham did you use in this video?

So between the 17 Pro, 25mm Pro or 45mm Pro which is your favorite Jimmy?

Man i am seriously amazed by this olympus ... please guide me whether i have to go with em5 mark ii or em1 mark ii for professional weeding photography ?

Great review! I have one more feature i would love. As Olympus is focusing on the portability of the system, why the hell didn't they make USB charging possible, like Panasonic did with the G9? As I do a lot of landscape and hiking/adventure photography, it woud be great to be able to charge the batteries with with a powerbank(like a mobile phone). And why they didn't make both card slots UH2, is just strange. As an Olympus fan, I really enjoy your videos. Keep it up!

Thanks for such an honest balanced review 👍👍👍 do you have an opinion on low light situations with it? thanks

I made the switch from Olympus Em1-M2 to Sony A7r3. The only reason I switched was because of low light capability, nothing to do with normal light shooting or picture quality.

Hey, great videos! Should I wait for the "OMD1 III"?? or just get the Mark II? :D

What camera did you use for the video footage in this review? Of you talking etc. (Not the iPhone parts, but all the rest)

Hi... Just out of curiosity. how much battery can we save by using EVF compare to LCD..? I am using E-M5 Mk II actually. Just for sake of comparison.

Hows the Autofocus/continuous AF for VIDEO ? especially for run and gun shooting and Vlogging?

Nice review. Very comprehensive. Just want to ask with regards to the inconsistent focus peaking that you mentioned. Does the em1 mark ii displays the same focus peaking inconsistency even if you use olympus' pro lenses? The one with clutch manual focus mechanism? Thanks

Cool camera strap where did you get it from?

I missed the bit about IQ, more pixels in the same sized sensor creates more noise? Altho I do love my Olympus EM5mk2 and my EM1 can't really see any improvement in image quality to justify upgrading. As a travel system can't be beat, as a portrait camera not the best option, really need full frame something, although I have still managed some great portrait images, but you do need to edit to the max in LR

Great review! You shot all of the video on iPhone?

and I'm still happy with my em10 ... and I come from Nikon!

Why not use touch focus

Hmmm only Pana and lower Olympus line has Contrast detect focus, others like Fujifilm and Sony do have Phase detection for last few years.This is something what holding me back to upgrade my Olympus camera, price and slow AF, something what is improved on my Fujifilm body's and they cost less than some Olympus offers.

Gosh, I always thought you did these in one take.

Please help.. I’m going buy my first camera..so I love this cam..tell me is it worth in 2018???

Wow. You got balls blogging in a restaurant like that. I couldn't. Well done. LOL

The af is awesome

sir, can i give you some suggestion ? please insert the exif data and lenses you were using of your photo , and camera that you use for shooting each video. And the last are review oldest camera or comparison or review cheap lens , so we can afford to buy, not dreaming of expensive lens anymore. thanks! Regards from Taiwan.

I'm considering moving from my GX80 (called GX85 in the USA) for this one because of live composite mode.

This camera or the xt3?

You can give it to me when you get the new Mark III..ty red ..oh i need one wanna switch from fuji to Oly...

Does it have a clean hdmi output ?

Great video. I think some people do not understand that with the GH5 and G9 and M1 Mark II there is no best camera. The GH5 is a fantastic video camera and good photography camera with ok image stabilization . The G9 is a good mix of video and photography camera that Panasonic themselves have said it was designed more for photographers who film whereas the GH5 is more for videographers who photograph. The M1 Mark II is a fantastic action photography camera with amazing image stabilization that has some good video features but Olympus just does not seem to want to compete with Panasonic for video. Saying that any one of these cameras is in some absolute manner "better" that the others would be wrong. If they were sitting on the counter at the exact same price you would really have to know what you plan to do with them to make a choice. And that choice would be different for different people. One more thing. If the Canon 6D Mark II had all the features the Olympus M1 Mark II has it would be on the cover of Time magazine for machine of the year. But because of the smaller sensor it does not get much love.

What camera strap is that on your EM1?

Love your work

Use DXO-Photolab 2 Elites PRIME noise reduction to upgrade the cameras Noise performance, you will be surprised. Peaking accuracy increases when you magnify the image - it is just how it works.

Cool jacket! Levis type II?

Just the guy who may answer my question, please. Actually I have 2 questions will get the first one out of the way first. I am a committed Olympus owner and my main genre is travel and couldn't be happier with the diminutive size and weight of all! My photos come out awesome and I can print A3 no problem. I have discovered off camera flash and that adds that extra element but not always practicable. I understand the limitations of the M4/3 sensor and I am an expert in post processing. But I am doing more portrait work with the girls I meet and I think my portraits are OK, but you know I do need to process to the max in Lightroom and that does tend to blur the details a little. I have discovered the EM1 mk 2 in the shop and will address that with my second question. (I know FF Sony is crazy great, especially with the new continuous eye detect, but cannot justify the expense in changing over). Olympus has eye detect but only works when the face fills the frame, otherwise when face is further back just reverts to face detect. Ok so I think this is actually quite sensible because the 1.8 Olympus 25 or 45 prime still has a little bit of depth of field so a face focus is still going to be quite sharp. However with the Olympus 45mm 1.2 I did try it out in the shop a second time and loved it, so much better detail and rendering than the 1.8. I did ask Olympus apparently the eye detect is the same in the new EM1 mk2. So based on what I said above will my face image still be in focus (in view of less depth of field) or should I revert to single point and re-compose . That said the face detect is too nice to give up especially when composing off center subject position. Thanks in advance for your comment! Cheers Niel

OMG that's my 10 years usage

Olympus cameras really are tanks. Dropped my em5 concrete and fell in the ocean. Still worked perfectly. My D500 died on 1st fall.

Which 25mm lens do you prefer -- the Leica or the Olympus? How is the Oly at f1.2? I'm awaiting your review as a Wedding camera.

How does it hold up to the new Panasonic Lumix G9. I think the G9 has advantages over the Olympus from everything I have read

Nice video - I just traded in my EM5 mkii for this and so far quite impressed. I have the 12-40mm 2.8 and am shooting a friends wedding in a few weeks and was wondering which other lens you might recommend to compliment this? Cheers...

Panasonic camera have dual card slot both use uhs 2 write speed 😁 Panasonic gh5 and Panasonic g9

Man, I really wish I didn't trade my EM1 MarkII for the Panasonic G9.. the G9 does everything better (for what I need) but the EM1 just felt so much better in the hands.. Anyway, great review!

Small sensor, large sensor, can have same low-light performance. Size is irrelevant. World's best low-lights sensors are small size sensors for industrial and military use, they blow even best FF sensors, which are 10x bigger, to dust. So, for example, if the same tech from the D850's sensor is used in the next m4/3 camera sensor, it can have **exactly the same** low-light performance as the Nikon D850. I think industry is moving toward that.

Nice i am fromm indonesia

Was this video shot on the EM1 ii?

The release of the EM5 mark III will be Xmas time at Red35 Photography. Brand new camera to sink their teeth into... First impressions review. Then main review video. Followed by the Long Term review. And finally the retrospective review around the time the EM1 mark III is released. :p

why not XT-2 ?

At least someone has put some use for their camera targeted for wildlife and sports that needs a high speed sequences with longer bursts. Too often seeing people to talk how they have had E-M1 II since first month of release and they are clicking like less than 8000 frames with it. At 8:55 you say that PDAF is more accurate than CDAF, what is not so really. The PDAF is as well contrast based focusing system (it focuses to contrast phase) and it is faster to acquire the direction of focusing (move focus to closer or to further) but it is not more accurate but it is actually very inaccurate system. The CDAF in other hand is far more accurate as it really focuses to contrast and goes just little over to see when it goes out of focus and then rolls back to nail it. The problem compared to PDAF with CDAF is that with heavily out of focus image the AF system needs to hunt the focus by going one direction and then notice it is wrong and then switch direction. But CDAF allows to far faster focusing (moving the focal plane closer or further) than PDAF systems can. So PDAF is faster to know what direction to focus, but CDAF is faster and more accurate. And Olympus made first hybrid On-Sensor-PDAF AF system in E-M1 in the industry and it used PDAF to give the direction but CDAF to get the focus. The Olympus has small problem in the AF box as it can focus outside of the box, not just inside. And in some mode it actually preferred the contrast just outside the box instead contrast inside, so you can get misfocus by that way. As well you should avoid using shutter release priority over S-AF confirmation as the camera will release shutter as soon you go to full press, regardless has it achieved focus or not. At 10:40 about battery lifetime. That is one of the challenges as the mirrorless battery is time based and not frame based. So one battery gives you X hours to shoot (typical 3-5 hours) but you can take as many frames you can in that time like 10 000 or 15 000 (timelapse, high sequence speeds etc). With DSLR the battery is frame based, so you can take that 750-1200 frames but you are free to keep camera turned On for days. So in pure frame count, mirrorless wins easily DSLR in same shooting but in time based manner (sitting in a hide and observing wildlife through 300/600mm lens) mirrorless loses. So event photography is counted in hours how many batteries one needs, not in frames. So if job takes 2-3 hours, one battery is enough, if it takes 9 hours, then 3 batteries. And that is constant shooting. At 12:15 the UHS II speed is actually that GH5 has fastest 92 MiB/s while E-M1 II push 169 MiB/s www.cameramemoryspeed.com/panasonic-gh5/fastest-sd-cards/ www.cameramemoryspeed.com/olympus-e-m1-ii/sd-card-speed-comparison-test/ But compare that to example Nikon D5 XQD card 293 MiB/s speed, it is little over twice faster than Olympus, but only with two cards. Olympus is faster than like Canon 1D X or Sony A9 and A7r II etc. So it really only loses to NIkon D5/D500 and that with the XQD cards, as even D500 with UHS-II card is only 10 MiB/s faster with one Lexard card. That is impressive thing. At 12:50, it is high climb walking 6 min, but for disabled wheelchair accessible route it is 18 min route. :-D

The more I watch these reviews the more I feel full frame technology isn't really an advantage in photography.

Actually your statement about majority of mirrorless cameras having contrast AF is misleading. Panasonic is the ONLY company who still relies on contrast AF. Sony has Phase detect AF all over the display from long time ago. Fuji has Phase Detect Af points. And obviously Olympus.

Ｏlympus wins for photos, Panasonic for videos. I have one of each.. haha

recording in the rain under the tree has risk of getting strike by lightning....