DPReview TV: Olympus OM-D E-M1X Review 

Four years later and OM has this camera on sale as a refurbished model for a third of what it originally sold for. Now I have to decide if I want this or the new OM-1 for twice the price.

The the flashing low battery indicator on the menu makes me nervous.

I love how Chris had his coat buttoned crooked.

Thank you guys for the actually explaining all the functions and features and not just giving out your opinions like some others did.

This review is beautifully shot.

Really enjoy your reviews. Fair, balanced and always interesting.

Very good review, honest with the positive and negative things about the camera.

Glad you guys are doing dedicated video stuff with Jordan. Looking forward to it!

Is that DigitalRev pink _magenta_ tape?

Those photos just before you moved to the prairie were excellent. Some of your best shots taken. Well done. ..Joe

I know the scenery played a big part, but this review has one of the nicest photo galleries from DPR.

excellent review as always. Thanks guys!

Canadiana imagery 10/10

Thanks for the detailed review. Definitely paints the camera in a much more negative light than I had hoped. I adore my OM-D E-M1 (reminds me of the feel of my old Pentax SV and LX). Guess I'll wait for the next iteration of this camera for the significant shortcomings to be addressed.

Jordan with the pumpkin lmao

Beautiful pictures! You guys should shoot more in such amazing locations!

I really like the video coming out of this camera. The motion, the resolution, colors and dynamic range all look good. I wish it was full frame!

YASSS. An early review from Chris and Jordan!

Saw this video when it first came out. Appreciated Chris’s review. Like most people, I agreed it was over priced. But recently Olympus dropped the price $1000. Even then I thought it was too much. The I saw Olympus’s Trade in and Trade Up promotion, giving an additional $300 plus the value of you trade in. After all was said and done, I paid less for the E-M1X than I would’ve paid for the E-M1 M3. I am pleased with the performance, plus I feel I paid a fair price for a great body.

Nice review. Great sunset shots too. I have to say I'm really impressed by the machine learning / AI autofocus these manufacturers are coming out with. I'm far from an expert on this, but I did an online course a few months back on Coursera that covered some similar topics, and it is interesting to see it turning up in more and more products.

Any update on the Video side of the review? I am really curious if the 2nd CPU solves the issues for CAF the Mk II had in your review

Great review, helped me understand this camera.

Looks like a warp stabilizer post production effect in the walking video shots (trees in the background around 1:00). Is it possible that the stabilizing is done not just by having an ibis, but through real time processing in the camera?

I covet this so much. Great video - I've subscribed.

Chris, your landscapes are breathtaking.

I love my Olympus OM2 film camera and I think if Olympus ever roll the dice and enter the full frame market again I reckon they could sell really well. A quality built weather sealed Olympus body with their IBIS technology paired with a full frame sensor would be a dream to shoot with. But seeing as they are asking $3k for this MFT body and the amount of risk and money they would have to spend on r&d, I doubt that will ever happen. I think the Panasonic/Leica/Sigma partnership was a very bold and exciting move that could really pay off down the road.

Love a good road trip review, and this one was beautifully done as always! Oy... just knowing it has slightly better stabilization than the G9 is going to bug me 😬 Going to rationalize it by telling myself it would be a cumbersome camera to float on a handheld gimbal 😁

Love my Pen-F and use it 80% of the time over my E-M5 mkII... Nice review Chris...

"It's like being on an acid trip or something." hahah glorious description. nice review, keep it up!

Hey Chris , what gloves are u using? Looks like some heat company stuff, right? I am looking for good winter stuff for staying warm while doing photography

I'm still shooting with my trusty E-5 and E-30 and for a while, I have been thinking of moving to M43 but, I do have a lot invested in lenses. How well do the old lenses perform on the M43 systems?

video quality is great, but the background at that wide angle (when the camera is moving/walking) is doing funky things. is that the IBIS?

I was really hoping that this would be a competitor to the Panasonic G9. But after watching this review, I’m partially skeptical about the short comings, particularly the price.

Those handheld hi res photos were pretty stunning.

Great review. You came to the same concerns about the EVF and back panel. I am glad you covered this because you had experience with the EM1 to share your feelings about focus. Frankly, they needed to come out with a EM1 Mark III with their improvements of AF & IBIS, ND filter, composite photos and save some R&D with the same optional grip from the Mark II. Why not work on some F/2 zoom lenses? Then they need to come out with phase detection abilities similar to the EM1 in their EM5. If Fujifilm decided to come out with IBIS in their XT30 or XT4, I would have a hard time keeping with Olympus.

Chris's gloves/glomitts seem very practical in cold weather. Wonder where he got them.

Im i was invested in the m4/3 this and e-m1 look so appealing

I’m curious about the “X” in the name. So will this be a separate model line from the EM1 Mk II and its successors or is this considered the successor ?

I’ve always been drawn to Olympus and have had two wonderful cameras before micro 4/3rds really hit the fan. I had the Olympus e510 with the twin lens kit. I then upgraded to buying the Zuiko 50mm f2 macro lens (which was absolutely stunning lens and weather sealed) it actually served just as good as a portrait lens and could produce amazing Bokehs. And then I bought the Zuiko 11-22mm f2.8 extreme wide angle. Then came the E3 with the Zuiko 12-60 mm. ok so something that you didn’t bring up is the one of the big reason people buy into Olympus and that is there lens line up. Zuiko lenses are quite simply, Stellar lenses. They have some of the most outstanding lens technology there is. And not just there top tier lenses. Even there budget lenses are amazing quality in both build and image. The Zuiko 12-60 and the 50mm macro and the 11-22 produce images with shut clarity and richness and stay sharp even to the edges and chromatic adoration is hardly perceptible and vignetting is neglible even at high f numbers. It’s the consistency throughout there entire range that sets Olympus apart. I love there super control panel and the amount of customisation and reconfiguration is amazing.

Great camera! Thank you!

Nice review. Thanks

Great Shot Chris. The IS looks pretty dang good for both stills and video.

The IBIS + 12-100 F4 is horrible for video on the Olympus EM1 Mark II!!! It wants to hold too still so if you move too quickly it creates crazy skewing effects! Did they fix this problem?

I am really intrigued about the computational aspects of this camera.

What glove setup is Chris rocking? Heading back to the rockies this year and I need some good photography gloves for the cold!

I have a Sony a7 camera and I have invested in nine full frame e-mount lenses but I love this Olympus OM-D E-M1X camera. I really love it.

I would really love to get this camera- it looks really great (from the perspective of someone who switched to Canon from Oly) although its just too expensive to tempt me.

Love the air quotes with big mittens! Haha

Is this the NX1 for Olympus? Make the best and leave?

7:33 - Are the pinkish reds still present? This looks to be the case in the vehicle behind Chris?

Just pausing mid-video to say: wow, those are some GREAT shots.

The reason why Olympus added a specialized train af is because in Japan there are hobbyists who are train fanatics. Like shooting airplanes and motorsports, taking photos of trains is huge thing there. Also there are hobbyists who are into miniature trains and would love to have a camera that can accurately follow focus their mini trains as it goes around their diorama.

Not a word mentioned here but the footage looks mighty good. Great even on my 4K computer display. A credit to both the camera/lenses and of course Jordan.

Wow... the video looks great! Can't wait for Jordon's take on it. Chris.... how do you know what an acid trip is like??? :D

14:32 , so are we getting em5-m3 soon? :D

Don't I want to come to your location to shoot! Gorgeous!!!!!! I am stuck in a dull city! Hi from London.

so glad i have all the available lenses. still get, for landscapes, from the lowly em10 mk1, excellent results. can only get better from there. j.

Hey Jordan, which lav mic were you using this episode?

It seems like this review more or less hinged on AF performance. We’re so pick with AF now, than if a camera doesn’t grab an eyeball at a strange angle in the dark the camera is deemed practically useless. That’s crazy to me. If you try to work *with* the AF instead of pushing it until it breaks and then criticizing it (a common problem with both camera reviewers and camera users these days) I think the AF in this camera would be more than fine, really. Just keep your expectations in check. NOW... Wha about the frickin’ handheld 50MP photos? There’s a feature worth getting a little more excited over! What the heck yoo guys? Jeepers! And 80MP photos on a tripod (a photo tripod, not the dog). That’s bewildering is it not, eh? The 2K shot batter life and 2 hour fast recharge via PD tech? And how are we just ho-humming our way past the 7.5 stops of log jammin’ IS? Are you both sure you’re not them Millennials I hear aboot all the time that don’t drive because the can’t be bothered to learn? I don’t shoot MFT, never have, but gash dern! This camera looks a bit more special than you guys are givin it credit for.

does this thing shoot 60fps stills?

I like the landscape poctures and the video.

Lots of rather negative comments about the camera, but one remark: the camera's only been announced officially since yesterday, the good folks at DPR may have had a pre-prod sample for a couple more days (? or few weeks?) but how can one fully understand the limits of a camera of this kind in just few days (or say, few weeks)? This is a great *overview* of the E-M1X but at such an early stage and with the camera not even released for sell to the public, I wouldn't qualify it as a *review*.

Is that Handheld Hi-Res comparable to Google Pixel's Night Sight?

Damn son, that video looks crispy AF. 👌😩💯

Love this Chris and Jordan!! You guys always do such an amazing job!

How wide was the shot at 1:00? You can see that corner warping that IS produces with wide lenses even on the Panasonics

I'm betting that one still can't save video settings in C1 to C4. Let's hope they at least fixed that as the inability to save video settings to a user mode on EM1-ii makes it impossible to quickly change from video to stills or visa versa.

I'm anxiously awaiting the E-M5 Mark III or lower used prices on the E-M1 Mark II so I can upgrade from my original E-M1.

No Jordan part? Coming soon?

Whoa! Chris read my mind -- I also want all of that E-M1X technology in a smaller body .

How is the Hi Res photo compare with 5Dsr/D850 ?

I have one and the EVF is absolutely fine and its 120fps progressive screen is a pleasure

Definitely a great camera for all its features. It will take much longer than 14 minutes to disclose all of its weapons. Apart from a coupe of specs not in line with its price, my question is: is a pro willing to scarify iso performance and, when needed, dof? There are similarly priced cameras with evident flaws in some areas. There is no perfect camera of course. But spending 3k for m4/3 is hard to understand. Do you think that a ff with same specs would sell at 4-5K? Is it made to meet Japan internal market demand? Is there really a niche for it? After watching lots of video I'm trying to find reasons for this camera but questions keep coming up to my mind and I still don't get it. I'm an happy m4/3 owner, but still don't get it.

@3:20 Chris - what's up with your jacket???? But I love the E-M1X :-) ... and you, too

Forgetting about sony/canon/nikon/fuji et al, what does this camera say about M43 future? Panasonic have gone full frame (or will do soon) from what your saying it sounds like olympus are putting smart phone tech in a camera body? Could be a smart move considering the form factor! Could the Em5 mkiii really put this concept into operation when/if it arrives? Sounds like interesting times ahead for m43

G9 now looks amazing value.

lol. Every time you cut to any camera back screen in any review, your battery is dead. Love it. :)

Did they get rid of the crappy menu system or make it full frame yet?

Image looks SUPER, Video too, But whats up with that IBIS Jerk/Wobble?

Love the images you got. Another example of the thought that "thy are no bad cameras out there." Having said that, this camera is effectively over priced at $2,999.99.

Is OM-D E-M1X replacement for OM-D E-M1 MKii?

And the jordan’s Link vídeo?

Really charming camera. Priced too high though, but if you want a mirrorless that ISN'T a tiny camera then this is pretty much the only one out there. It's too big to vlog moving, but if you're filming yourself sitting with the camera on a tripod then this could make more sense. Bit of a limitation though, but it's great to see the flippy screen!

This needs to be a contender. Is the focus better than Panasonic? Is the video competitive with Panasonic? I never will get an OM-D because it is so expensive, but i have an old E-10 that is still alive, and I love that camera. 19 years and still going strong. It is mental to use, but I love that old camera. This one just isn't the same from what I gather from you Chris. Panasonic can't have it all their way. We need to push Panasonic, and this camera just doesn't look like it does. I love the flip out screen, the ND filter feature. The IBIS and high res mode, but video man, that is where it is at. Looking forward to seeing that. Nice video as always Chris. Nice work!

I have an O-MD E-M5 Mark ii. I have been waiting for the E-M5 Mark iii. Before 2019 Olympus stated it will be coming out with 3 new cameras this year. So I am hoping the E-M5 Mark iii will have a hand held high res mode. I don't shoot people, other then my family, very much. So the hand held high res mode and a few of the other features of the new E-M1X in a smaller E-M5 form factor body would be great for me.

My god.. Canada is so beautiful...

Serious snow you have there!

Olympus, just give us this tech in an E-M5 body, portability is what micro four thirds is all about. And sort out the AF tracking of people. Then I'd upgrade my E-M5 in a flash.

I see a little warping in the video , looks like you had to crop and add stabilization

13:18 I use the OMD EM1 mk2 for all my outdoor photography work and love it. I'm also a person who hates tripods and use any excuse to get away from them (like using an m43 camera). Plus I don't have any need for a high speed sports and action focusing camera. Even though that would seem to put me in the prefect niche for this camera I have no desire to upgrade. I don't know what niche Olympus is going for with this price and size, I don't see it being a big seller as I don't see a market for it. But I totally understand Chris' fun using it, the EM1 is the same. And also the exciting potential this opens up for upgrades of the EM1, EM5, and EM10 lines. Maybe it will just end up being a good test bed for the future Olympus cameras.

Chris, my boii, why did you button up you coat like that? 😂 My OCD is acting up 💀

We will see. There is a huge market for pro cameras with this specs. Olympus is offering a reliable tool for half the price and half the weight compared with canikon. Its not a camera for wedding, indoors, concerts or portrait work! This is not the market Olympus is targeting at. Its a camera for outdoor sports, action, wildlife. It a camera for news and photo journalism, embedded journalists and all sorts of terrain where a rugged and reliable top notch tool is required. The only real downside compared with canikon is battery life. Even with the build in grip this Oly makes only half the shots. There is also a limitation in high ISO performance. The "tiny" sensor can not compete with the FF market leaders there. But the sensor is good enough for most outdoor situations. The EVF is big and bright with a high refresh rate. I have tried it. It is a real pleasure to work with. The reason why the monitors dont have the highest res is about battery life and reliability in very cold weather. So i dont share your opinion there.

I love the technologies and the image stabilization and the ruggedness. I think that ND filter feature should be available on every expensive camera, as well as time lapse mode and things like film simulation and presets. However, when it comes to sensor size, you really can't beat physics, and I think for larger sized cameras, they should be at least APS-C. Otherwise, I'm just going to wonder why I would want to spend so much money on something so big? All cameras should be running Android and allows for uploading to social media and cloud storage directly. I think MFT mskes the most sense in small cameras, and so are all of these fancy features. I really don't mind carrying something bigger than the RX100 that has a MFT sensor. Or, a compact camera that can switch lenses. I think this is where it makes the most sense. Maybe for videos MFT makes sense, too, as the GH-5 is so popular. But I think it's only popular because it offers features that other APS-C cameras don't. If Sony has the same features then would people still buy the GH-5?

4:53 I think we saw Gavin Hardcastle and the gang there not too long ago shooting the same scene.

You nailed my problem with the camera at the very end. I think over 2 pounds for a micro 4/3 misses the mark. How much better if Olympus could have marked the camera as “under 2 pounds”. Great jumps in usable technology.

I was there at emerald lake the other day.

Best video around !

Is he using a hair gel or pomade or is it just frozen in place?

Good review and I felt the same. All in all, I'm disappointed about the sensor size vs price. It got nice features, yes, but it needs a new sensor to justify the price of almost two EM1-MK2s. In it's current iteration, it can still only shoot outdoors fast action stuff, once it goes indoors, fast action is out of the question. For the price vs what you get accounting for what's currently in the market, it's gonna be a tough sell. Olympus will probably have to drop the price on EM1X in probably 6 months into the market to get more user buy-in.

Is it being shot on d em1mx too?