Olympus omd 10 mark 2 reviews. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II Mirrorless Camera Review: Junior Premium. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: many features, a large set of scene programs

  • Attractive retro design
  • Compact dimensions
  • Excellent quality JPEG images with excellent color reproduction
  • Excellent stabilization built into the camera itself
  • Fast, accurate autofocus when shooting static subjects

Flaws

  • Simplified Raw Processing
  • Autofocus is not very good when shooting moving subjects
  • Obsolete compared to APS-C competitors

Key features of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III

  • Cost: 50,000 rubles with a 14-42mm EZ lens
  • 16-megapixel matrix, with a size of 4/3 (17.3 x 13.00 mm)
  • 2.36 megapixels in electronic viewfinder
  • 8.6 fps
  • 5-axis stabilization built into the camera
  • 4K video recording

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III - compare prices

What is the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III?

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III is a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses, based on the Micro Four Thirds mount standard. It is aimed at beginner photographers who want to take the first more or less serious steps from their smartphone camera towards decent devices. It is available in black and silver, priced at Rs 50,000, and comes with a 14-42mm EZ lens.
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III is a cute mirrorless camera reminiscent of old film DSLRs
The camera industry has changed dramatically over the past decade. Today, most people for "everyday shooting" use mainly smartphones, and not compact cameras. Including for instantly sharing your photos on social networks. However, some of them notice that their requirements for the quality and artistic component of photography are much higher than the limited capabilities of phone cameras and therefore end up switching to a "normal" camera. The challenge facing traditional camera manufacturers is how best to meet the needs of those who are accustomed to touch screen operation and constant online. It is for this market that Olympus has introduced its new mirrorless model, the OM-D E-M10 Mark III. At first glance, this is a small update to the two-year-old OM-D E-M10 Mark II, with the same design and feature set. The camera received an updated 121-point autofocus system and 4K video recording. All this thanks to the new TruePic VIII processor from Olympus. However, this is practically all the hardware differences from the old model. Incidentally, Olympus says the Mark II will remain on sale.
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Available in Black and Silver
More interesting updates Olympus carried out on the software, radically redesigning the camera interface and firmware, just the same to please those who switched to this camera from a smartphone. The main idea of ​​the new software is to make both simple and advanced features more understandable and accessible to beginners without confusing experienced users. Overall, I think the firm has done a very good job. Good work in this direction.

Prices

Kit version of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III can be purchased for 50,000 rubles. For that price, the kit will include a 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ electronic zoom lens. The larger 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 R II mechanical zoom could theoretically save you $60. But this is theoretically Western market. In Russia, to my surprise, the prices are the same. Well, if you have a collection of MFT lenses, then you can buy one carcass for 45,000 rubles.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III features

Olympus has designed the camera around a 16-megapixel 4/3 sensor, the same one used in the previous two generations of the E-M10. Its sensitivity ranges from ISO 200 to 25600, with an additional setting on the bottom equivalent to ISO 100. The camera delivers a continuous shooting speed of 8.6 fps, dropping to 4.8 fps when focus and exposure need to be adjusted between shots. Using a high-speed UHS-II card, the camera will continue shooting JPEGs until you run out of battery or run out of card space. As for RAW, you can take 22 such pictures at once, and only then the shooting speed will start to slow down. Even with a standard UHS-1 Class 10 SD card, I found that the camera could capture a burst of 10 raw frames and over 30 JPEGs at full speed.
Retro camera design inspired by old Olympus 35mm DSLRs
One of the highlights is the 5-axis image stabilization system, which works with any lens you can mount on the camera - though with non-electronic lenses you'll have to program the focal length manually. The system is extremely effective in reducing hand-shake blur when shooting still subjects at slow shutter speeds. The stabilization also works well with Steadicam style videos. As expected, the camera has built-in Wi-Fi for connecting to a smartphone. Connection is made using the Olympus Image Share app for Android and iOS. This well-designed app makes it easy to copy your favorite pictures to your phone in order to share them online. in social networks: Just turn on Wi-Fi by pressing the small touch button on the top left of the screen and launch the app. It can also fully remote control the camera from your phone. The app can even use your phone's GPS to determine your location, and then use that data to geotag your photos based on the date and time they were taken.
Olympus proprietary USB replaced with standard micro USB
The other big upgrade for the E-M10 Mark III is the ability to record video at 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) at 25 fps. During playback of a 4K file, you can extract 8-megapixel still images. In addition, Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution shooting at up to 50 frames per second is possible, with various in-camera effects. There's also a high-speed (slow-motion) mode at 120 fps and HD (1280 x 720) resolution. However, there is no way to connect an external microphone. In addition to the basic set of features listed above, the E-M10 Mark III has an extensive set of additional features that should please the more demanding user. The key change is that the camera is noticeably easier to use.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III construction and design

In fact, the new camera has the same body as the E-M10 Mark II, with identical buttons and dials located in the same places. However, many of them have been reassigned to make the camera more user-friendly for beginners. As a result, the beginner works with the camera in a slightly different way compared to the Mark II.
BLS-50 battery and SD card slot in base compartment
Thank God, many things have not changed. Chic retro design reminiscent of film SLR Cameras Olympus from the 70s, and the careful selection of materials makes the E-M10 Mark III visually more expensive than it really is. Perhaps it lacks the use of magnesium to complete the picture, like the more expensive OM-D E-M5 Mark II, but the novelty still feels very cool and lies in the hand. The larger, redesigned handle provides a secure grip and the control dials move with precision. Compared to similarly priced DSLRs, the E-M10 Mark III is more pleasant to the touch and looks expensive. And if you buy the 14-42mm EZ Folding Kit, the camera will be much smaller and more comfortable to carry. The two dials on the top panel are used to change exposure settings and are ideal for index and thumb operation. The exposure mode control is located near and raised to make it easier to work with, and provides a full range of modes - from full auto for beginners to PASM modes for enthusiasts. Setting it to SCN gives you access to a wide range of scene modes, but they are now organized into six categories using a new touchscreen interface. Olympus signature art filters are also included. They provide highly stylized image processing. There's a new Bleach Bypass filter that gives interesting washed out colors. The new AP mode gives you access to some of the camera's most interesting features - more on that below.
The E-M10 Mark III's new AP mode offers a range of useful features
Many camera buttons have changed the functions they are responsible for. There are only two customizable buttons. So, the D-pad could previously immediately move the focus point, but now you must first press the left button. Unlike the higher-end PEN-F camera, the E-M10 Mark III cannot be reverted to direct focus area selection. Other buttons now give direct access to ISO, flash and shooting modes. You can use the touch screen to move the focus point, which works even when you look through the viewfinder. This is a modern trend that some cameras have already adopted, but in most cases it is too easy to reset the focus point by accidentally touching the screen with your nose. However, Olympus came up with a solution: double-tapping the screen toggles the autofocus feature using the touch screen - and in practice it works very well. This, combined with the relatively high screen resolution, makes the E-M10 Mark III the first camera on which I was really comfortable using the touch screen to select the focus area.
The button next to the power switch brings up the context menu
One of key functions The new interface is that the button next to the power switch - formerly Fn3 - is now used to bring up the OSD menu with options adapted to each mode. For example, in the Art mode, it allows you to scroll through the available filters with a preview of the possible result; in video mode, it allows you to select recording resolutions; and in PASM modes, it brings up the Super Control on-screen control panel, which provides quick access to shooting options. This provides a noticeable convenience in working with the camera. The only buttons that are still customizable are on the left side (when looking at the camera from the front). The Fn1 button under the thumb engages autoexposure or autofocus lock, and I suspect most users will leave it that way. Meanwhile, the Fn2 button next to shutter speed enables a 2x digital teleconverter. It may seem strange to experienced photographers, but smartphone users are quite familiar with this approach, and the 4 megapixel resolution is more than suitable for social media use. Personally, I would set it up for more useful functions in my opinion, for example, to increase. Another useful option is to use it to enable and disable the touch screen.
A small flash is built into the case.
It turned out to be a very successful decision that Olympus finally simplified its traditionally complex menus. Instead of having all the same complex settings as the top models, the E-M10 Mark III has a much simplified set of options. The firm did a great job of stripping away the redundancy while retaining all the key points: I was able to set the camera to my liking without discovering that any key settings were missing. Some more advanced features have been removed as part of the simplification process: for example, the built-in flash can no longer be controlled by wireless devices, and custom "MySet" settings cannot be saved. However, you still get the same set of features and settings as in reflex cameras middle price range. However, one area where I think Olympus oversimplifies is in-camera RAW conversion. On other models, you can adjust settings such as color mode and white balance on a per-image basis and preview the results before conversion, which is great for tweaking your shots before sharing them over Wi-Fi. But in the E-M10 III, you must make changes to the current shooting settings in order to apply them to RAW. This is inconvenient and may result in incorrect camera settings the next time you start it.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III - Advanced Photography Mode

Perhaps the best innovation of the E-M10 III is the AP (Advanced Photography) mode. It takes a bunch of existing, hidden features and groups them together based on the selected AP mode. Pressing the shortcut button brings up a beautifully crafted menu on the touch screen to choose between them, with a brief description and illustration of what each function does.
New AP mode makes it easier to access cool features
You'll find a number of the usual features here, such as double exposure, HDR shooting, silent mode, and AE bracketing. But some of them are unique to Olympus, including keystone correction to capture converging verticals, and Live Time and Live Composite modes for perfect long exposure shots at night.
AP mode provides easy access to features such as perspective compensation. 9-18mm lens at 9mm, 1/400 sec at f/10, ISO100
None of these features are new, but they can be really useful: in the image above, I've applied a combination of vertical and horizontal perspective correction to reduce distortion caused by shooting with a wide-angle lens.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III - viewfinder and screen

Both the viewfinder and screen are similar to those previously used on the E-M10 Mark II. The viewfinder, based on a 2.36 million dot panel, gives a good magnification of 0.62x with 100% coverage of the lens' field of view. This means that it is larger and more accurate than the optical viewfinders found in DSLRs in this price range such as the . It also renders the image fairly accurately in terms of color and brightness, making it easy to adjust shooting settings to make your images look the way you want them to. Also, it can display useful Additional information, including selection of grid lines, electronic levels, exposure, etc.
LCD touch screen on the back tilts up and down
On the back is a touch screen that tilts 90 degrees up and 45 degrees down and has many of the same benefits as a viewfinder. A sensor next to the viewfinder allows the camera to automatically switch between the screen and the viewfinder, but turns off when the screen is tilted, so it won't interfere with waist-level shooting. The camera works equally well no matter which viewing method you use; again, this is a major advantage over most DSLRs, which tend to be noticeably slower when using the screen. However, due to the fact that it's all electronic, the battery life is reduced.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III - autofocus

While it uses the same 121-point AF system as found on the pro-level OM-D E-M1 Mark II, it's only based on contrast detection, which means it doesn't have the same great high-speed focus tracking. . The focus area covers almost the entire frame. You can select a single point or use a group of nine. There is also face detection, with the ability to focus on the eyes of the subject.
The E-M10 III makes it easy to focus on off-center subjects using the touch screen. 14-42mm EZ lens at 28mm, 1/100 sec at f/4.9, ISO200
When working with subjects that don't move much, the E-M10 III's autofocus is excellent. It's fast and accurate, no matter where your subject is placed in the frame, and delivers near-instantaneous speed and 100% accuracy. It is enough just to mark the focus point on an area with sufficient detail. When photographing people, the camera's ability to identify and focus specifically on their nearest eye is a huge advantage for capturing attractive portraits. However, as soon as you try to shoot objects moving towards you or away from you, the camera starts to fail. Olympus uses contrast detection, and this puts the E-M10 Mark III at a disadvantage, as the autofocus system and lens drive have to work harder to maintain and maintain focus. You can see this in the viewfinder during continuous shooting: the lens is constantly focusing, trying to keep the subject sharp. And no matter how hard he tries, he can't do much. This system is very much inferior in this regard to phase detection autofocus, which is used by most competitors.
Autofocus was nimble enough to capture this goose perfectly. Olympus 40-150mm f/4-5.6 at 150mm, 1/4000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 200, crop
By allowing users to combine continuous autofocus with high-speed shooting that looks reasonable for this sort of scenario but just doesn't work, Olympus is showing its shortcomings. However, if you set the camera to low-speed continuous shooting using a nine-point autofocus group or C-AF tracking, the camera focuses quite well, especially when used with top Olympus Pro lenses. With the less expensive lenses that this camera is more likely to be used with, I've noticed that it doesn't focus well in situations that a DSLR can do well. If you plan on shooting sports or wildlife frequently, the E-M10 III is not the best way in this plan.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III - everyday shooting experience

Thanks to the latest Olympus TruePic VIII processor, the E-M10 Mark III is a very fast camera. It starts quickly, although the 14-42mm EZ lens takes a little time to roll out. The camera also instantly responds to pressing buttons and other controls. The touch screen is as fast as the buttons and dials. And the file writing speed is very fast, especially with UHS-II cards. Overall, the auto-metering is pretty good, and thanks to the electronic viewfinder or the screen, it's very easy and quick to re-adjust the camera if you want to get a darker or brighter image.
The E-M10 II produces beautiful colors, especially in its default natural color mode. 14-42mm EZ lens at 27mm, 1/1000 sec at f/6.3, ISO200
In terms of image performance, the E-M10 III is a typical Olympus camera. It delivers consistently excellent JPEG results, with well-received auto white balance that's on the warm side, and rich, attractive colors without oversaturation. The high ISO noise reduction appears to be slightly improved over its predecessor, most likely thanks to the TruePic VIII processor.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III – video

With the combination of highly detailed 4K recording, built-in stabilization and Olympus' excellent color reproduction, there's every reason to believe that the E-M10 III is capable of capturing the most beautiful footage in its price range. Its closest competitor is probably Panasonic Lumix The GX80, which also has seen 4K and excellent built-in stabilization, but doesn't produce such consistently pleasing color. The E-M10 III gives you full manual exposure control via a touch screen that allows you to adjust focus and exposure without clicking mechanical buttons and ruining your soundtrack. Everyone agrees that it's terrible when you hear clicks in the background of the video. You can also use the touch screen to move the focus from one subject to another during recording: focusing is slow, but impressive results are guaranteed. However, other cameras are able to readjust faster during recording. The lack of a mic jack means you'll have to make do with the built-in stereo mics for sound recording. Olympus has made it possible to trim video right in the camera, which is surprisingly very useful for making your clips more "watchable". It's also possible to extract individual video frames as 8-megapixel stills, but the E-M10 III doesn't have the same rich capabilities as Panasonic's 4K Photo mode in this regard.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III - photo quality

The E-M10 III's 16-megapixel 4/3 (Four Thirds) sensor has changed little in the five years since its introduction in the original OM-D E-M5. On the technical side, the 24-megapixel APS-C sensors in most of today's competitors certainly outperform it. However, it still has enough resolution to produce quality A3 prints and delivers excellent results down to ISO 3200. The sensor also excels in getting extra shadow detail at low ISOs. Many APS-C competitors cannot boast of such details. So while the sensor may not provide the best photo quality you can get at this price point, it still creates great shots in most cases where the camera is used.
Still produces good photos with rich colors at ISO 6400. Tamron 14-150mm at 35mm, 1/40s at f/4.7, ISO6400

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III - real resolution

Due to the absence of a resolution-reducing optical low-pass filter, the E-M10 Mark III's 16 megapixel sensor provides almost the same resolution as theoretically stated by the manufacturer. Its internal JPEG processing also does an excellent job of suppressing any potential artefacts, so in our test shots, there is not one with distortion or aliasing. At ISO 100 we got around 3200 l/ph before the lines began to merge, and this value drops off gradually as sensitivity increases. But even at ISO 6400 the camera still resolves 2700 l/ph before dropping heavily to about 2200 l/ph at ISO 25600.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: resolution, JPEG ISO 100

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: resolution, JPEG ISO 200

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: resolution, JPEG ISO 400

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: resolution, JPEG ISO 800

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: resolution, JPEG ISO 1600

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: resolution, JPEG ISO 3200

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: resolution, JPEG ISO 6400

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: resolution, JPEG ISO 12,800

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: resolution, JPEG ISO 25,600

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III - ISO and noise

At low ISO settings, the E-M10 Mark III delivers good quality photos with pleasing colors, minimal noise, and plenty of detail. Its JPEG processing tends to blur out the most contrasting detail, but this can only be noticed if you look closely at the photos on a computer screen. The image quality is good up to ISO 1600. In JPEG, of course, you can notice noise, but its main localization is in the dark areas of the image. Noise begins to noticeably affect the image only at ISO 3200, but at the same time, although the detail is noticeably reduced, the colors remain saturated. Starting at ISO 3200, image quality deteriorates even more noticeably. However, for use in social networks, photos remain tolerable at ISO 6400 and even at ISO 12800. I would not recommend using ISO 25600 at all, only as a last resort.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: Noise, JPEG ISO 100

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: Noise, JPEG ISO 200

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: Noise, JPEG ISO 400

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: Noise, JPEG ISO 800

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: Noise, JPEG ISO 1600

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: Noise, JPEG ISO 3200

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: Noise, JPEG ISO 6400

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: Noise, JPEG ISO 12,800

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: Noise, JPEG ISO 25,600

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III - comparison with competitors

Olympus has made a great camera that is more interesting than it might seem at first glance. It may not have changed much from its predecessor. But the 121-point AF system delivers more accurate autofocus, and 4K movie recording delivers more detailed footage than Full HD - even when watching movies on an HD screen. And most importantly, this is a global change in the interface, which makes the camera much more understandable and easy to use, not only for beginners, but also for experienced photographers. At this price point, the E-M10 III's main competitors are entry-level and mid-entry DSLRs like , mirrorless models like the Panasonic Lumix GX80 or the outdated but still very interesting Sony Alpha 6000. If cameras are more important to you, shoot better in RAW, higher-resolution competitors certainly have an advantage due to the higher resolution of the sensor. And the Nikon D5600 and Sony Alpha 6000, in particular, are better at focusing on moving subjects. Therefore, if these factors are important to you, I would not recommend buying the E-M10 III.
This was shot with a small and inexpensive Olympus 40-150mm f/4-5.6 lens. 1/500s at f/8, ISO 200
However, choosing a camera only by this criterion is a big mistake. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III has significant advantages: compact and easy to use, excellent viewfinder and excellent image stabilization, providing excellent image quality, which greatly reduces the technical flaws of the sensor in actual use of the camera. In fact, it creates beautiful auto-mode JPEGs that are more compelling in terms of quality than its main competitors. If you plan on using other lenses, Olympus has a wide range of relatively affordable and lightweight lenses that fit the E-M10 Mark III well, plus you can also use Panasonic lenses.
Olympus offers a wide range of lenses for the E-M10 Mark III
As a result, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III is a great choice for smartphone enthusiasts looking to upgrade to a "normal" camera. But it can also be a spare carcass for owners of higher-end OM-D models. Well, for the current owners of the Mark II, the new camera most likely will not provide any serious advantages, although it hardly makes sense to change the Mark II to the Mark III. It may not technically be the best camera in its price range, but it looks great, takes great photos, and is very enjoyable to use - and it's far from a bad combination.

Comparison with Fujifilm X-E3

Colleagues also prepared a mini-presentation on the topic of comparing Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III with Fujifilm X-E3 (presentation in English):

Conclusion

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III will be easy to use for anyone buying their first decent camera. It's still functional enough for enthusiasts, with a lot of smart features you won't find anywhere else. This makes it one of the best cameras on the market in its price range.

Video review and experience of use

And finally, a small video review and an independent opinion from great guys:

INTRODUCTION:

Olympus Recently, we have not been pleased with new products too often. The grandiose scandal that the company experienced at the end of 2011 pretty much "crippled" the financial capabilities of the "Olympians", which immediately affected the development and launch of new products on the market. And by 2014, the line of cameras was reduced by almost half, limiting itself to the "necessary minimum."

In fairness, it should be noted that such difficulties are sometimes beneficial (primarily for us - consumers). The development company begins to take a more thorough and scrupulous approach to launching new models on the market, since the launch of a not very successful one can have critical consequences. In addition, you need to try to "overlap" the broader lines of competitors with a narrow product line, and to maximize the life of each model, making it technologically advanced.

Budget models were practically removed, leaving only a couple of amphibious digital compacts and a couple of superzooms. Yes, and you can’t call them especially budgetary. The main emphasis is on cameras with interchangeable lenses of the standard Micro 4/3.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II SPECIFICATIONS, COMPARISON WITH OTHER OM-D LINE CAMERA:

OM-D E-M10 mark II
OM-D E-M5 mark II
OM-D E-M1
Sensor Micro 4/3 Live MOS, 17.3 x 13 mm
Number of megapixels Total - 17.2; effective - 16.1 Total - 16.8; effective - 16,1
CPU TruePic VII
Photo JPEG (Exif 2.2), RAW (12 bit); maximum frame resolution - 4608x3456, MPO (3D)
Video FullHD (MOV: MPEG-4AVC, H.264; AVI: Motion Jpeg), 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p Full HD (MOV: MPEG-4AVC, H.264; AVI: Motion Jpeg), 30p, 25p, 24p
ISO sensitivity ISO 200 to ISO 25600 (expandable to ISO 100) ISO 200 to ISO 25600 (expandable to ISO 100)
Image stabilization Sensor shift, 5-axis, up to 5 steps EV Sensor shift, 5-axis, up to 4 steps EV
Autofocus system Contrast, 81 zones Contrast, 81 zones Hybrid (81 contrast zones + 37 phase sensors)
metering 324 zones
Shutter speed 1/16000 to 60 seconds (with mechanical shutter - 1/4000 second minimum), Bulb 1/16000 to 60 seconds (with mechanical shutter - 1/8000 second minimum), Bulb
Continuous shooting speed 8.5 fps 10 fps 10 fps
Display Rotatable, touch, 3 "with a resolution of 1.037 MP Tilt, touch, 3 "with a resolution of 1.037 MP
Viewfinder Electronic, 2.36 MP; magnification 1.23x (100% coverage) 1.48x (100% coverage) Electronic, 2.36 MP; increase 1.48x (100% coverage)
Flash Built-in guide number 8.2 (at ISO200) External (included), guide number 12.9 (at ISO200)

External (included), guide number 10 (at ISO200)

WiFi / GPS Not really Not really Not really
Interfaces AV/USB, micro-HDMI AV/USB, micro-HDMI, 3.5mm mic-in, 3.5mm headphone-out AV/USB, micro-HDMI, 3.5mm mic input, external flash port
Battery BLS-50 (8.5 Wh), 320 frames (CIPA) BLN-1 (9.3 Wh), 310 frames (CIPA) BLN-1 (9.3 Wh), 350 frames (CIPA)
Frame Metal, no moisture protection Magnesium alloy with moisture protection Magnesium alloy with moisture protection
Dimensions, weight 120 x 83 x 47 mm, 390 grams 124 x 85 x 45 mm, 469 grams 130 x 93 x 63 mm, 497 grams

In fact, Olympus largely repeat the line Fujifilm cameras(well, or Fujifilm repeats the Olympus line - this is how anyone likes it). Like Fujifilm at one time introduced a "simplified" one, which differed little from the flagship in functionality, but cost significantly less, so Olympus decided to fill the niche with a simplified "almost flagship".

As in the case of Fujifilm, OM-D system cameras have had a fairly distinctive and recognizable appearance, stylized as retro DSLRs, since their launch. As in the 70s of the 20th century, the main emphasis is on compactness, but at the same time functionality and ease of use commensurate with "large" cameras.

The body of the E-M10 mark II is made of metal with a rubberized front. The camera looks very nice, gives the impression of an expensive quality product. It is perfectly assembled, everything is clearly adjusted, nothing creaks, does not play and feels monolithic. In the hands of the E-M10 mark II, it is really comfortable to hold, despite the rather small protrusion of the battery handle. Convenience is ensured by a small ledge under the thumb on the back of the camera. In fact, all mirrorless manufacturers have already realized that in such a simple and obvious way it is possible to significantly improve the grip of the camera, and they are implementing it almost everywhere, which is good.

There are two main downsides. Firstly, the case, unlike the older OMs, is not protected from moisture. There are already plenty of waterproof lenses in the Olympus lineup, so extra protection would be a welcome addition. But on the other hand, due to this (including) the cost of the camera was significantly reduced. And secondly, as in the older model, all the buttons on the camera body are small and not prominent enough. So, owners of large hands (as well as people with not very good eyesight) will have to get used to ergonomics.

There are fewer buttons on the "ten" than on the "five", and there are only three programmable ones. In addition, there is no interesting 2-position switch, which is present on older models and allows you to change the logic of the control wheels. (more on this in the E-M5 mark II review). All three control wheels are concentrated on the right side. The camera allows for very flexible control settings. In addition to the three function keys, you can reprogram the video activation button, as well as program both control wheels. There are over twenty functions to choose from.

Given that the camera is small enough, for ease of use, the wheels had to be spaced apart in height and made corrugated. The mode dial, in general, is significantly raised above the body. And I must say that it all looks great, implemented with high quality, and it’s really convenient to use.

The camera uses a 3-inch display with a resolution of 1037 megapixels - the same characteristics as in the entire OM-D line. The fact that it was made to rotate in one plane, apparently, is the merit of marketers. Nothing prevented making the display swivel in all planes, as in the E-M5 mark II, but there was a need to "spread" the products, increasing the number of advantages between the older and younger models.

The display is touch-sensitive, with its help you can change the focus area, scroll the menuand scroll through the photo while viewing. But multi-touch is not supported, so the usual "smartphone" gesture will not work to increase or decrease the photo while viewing.

The electronic viewfinder has the same resolution as other cameras in the line - 2.36 megapixels, but a lower magnification (1.23x versus 1.48x, which is noticeable when using). But finally it was implemented on the basis of an OLED matrix. In the "five" the picture seemed very cold, which caused discomfort. Here, there is no such effect - the image is contrasting, warm and pleasing to the eye.

In addition, the novelty has an interesting mode of operation of the EVI - Simulated optical viewfinder. In it, the image in the viewfinder does not reflect the actual exposure, but tries to simulate what we should theoretically see through the optical viewfinder (if there was one). In practice, this is nothing more than an interesting feature, the practical benefit of which tends to zero.

FLASH:

The camera has a built-in flash and a hot shoe. The flash is not powerful - the guide number is only 8.2 at ISO200 (in terms of ISO100, the guide number will be only 5.6). But more powerful lighting could hardly be accommodated in a chamber of this size. The flash can operate in the following flash modes: auto, manual (with power divider setting from 1/1.3 to 1/64), red-eye reduction, slow sync and slow sync with red-eye reduction, second sync. blind. You can set compensation in the range of -3…+3 EV in 1/3-stop increments. Sync speeds can be adjusted from 1/250 to 1/60 second, and set to high-speed sync (Super FP) with a shutter speed of 1/4000 second.

Unfortunately, the design of the flash does not allow you to change the angle of its inclination, so pointing it at the ceiling to get a softer light-shadow pattern will not work.

As can be seen from the table above, the differences between the cameras are minimal. The E-M10 mark II, in addition to a simplified body and viewfinder, has a lower continuous shooting speed, and the mechanical shutter is limited to a minimum response speed of 1/4000 sec (for older models - 1/8000). In addition, there are minor differences in the implementation of software "improvers". But, on the other hand, the camera has features that even older models cannot boast of. But, however, all these functions are completely software and it is possible that they may appear in other OM-D cameras with the release of new firmware.

First, the mode AF Targeting Pad (Touchpad auto focus). If you activate this function, you can focus while looking through the electronic viewfinder by swiping your finger across the display. The display itself, if you bring the camera to your face, is "extinguished" by the proximity sensor, only the touch panel works. This is very convenient as it allows you to change the focus point without using the navigation buttons.

Another interesting feature is Focus BKT (focus bracketing). The bottom line is that the camera can take a certain number of shots, automatically shifting the plane of focus from frame to frame. Anyone who has been involved in subject and macro photography knows that obtaining a large depth of field is not an easy task, since even a strong aperture stop may not give enough depth of field to get the entire object in focus. To date, the most commonly used for solving such problems is stacked focus method - Focus Stacking. It allows you to increase the depth of field by combining several frames with different focus. This is the highest quality, but at the same time very laborious and time-consuming method. Firstly, it is necessary to focus manually, successively changing the focusing plane and at the same time observe a certain step. At the same time, it must be taken into account that with the removal of the subject from the camera, and increases, so that the focusing planes will expand. Secondly, consider that when refocusing, many lenses change slightly, so the images will not be completely identical. This can create additional "fuss" when combining images in a graphics editor. And thirdly, all shots must be taken in such a way that when refocusing, they do not capture the "extra" zone of sharpness, since this also creates certain additional difficulties when combining frames.

After that, the resulting images can be combined in a photographic editor (Photoshop and any other to choose from).

Part of the time-consuming Olympus process described above has been automated. But, of course, it was not without nuances). Firstly, the images obtained with the Focus BKT will still have to be combined in a graphics editor, since in-camera processing cannot do this. Secondly, the features of bracketing will have to be dealt with empirically. The camera has 2 settings that are responsible for its operation: the number of shots (from 1 to 999) and the focus shift, measured in certain conventional units (from 1 to 10). So, these parameters will have to be selected, in the process of shooting, by trial and error, since the camera itself cannot determine how many shots are needed to obtain a sharp image, and it will not be possible to understand the logic of the focus shift right away, since it is not clear what the attached values ​​are .

But, nevertheless, spending a certain amount of time on the selection of the necessary parameters, in the future you can significantly save shooting time. Moreover, the automatic process of photographing itself is very fast.

In all three cameras of the Olympus line, most likely, the same 16 megapixel sensor is used (the manufacturer diligently hides information about the origin of the sensors and their modifications "behind seven locks"). In the flagship E-M1, phase sensors are additionally integrated into the sensor, which allow for more accurate tracking autofocus when shooting moving objects.

Today, the 16-megapixel sensor can, de facto, be considered the standard of the Micro 4/3 system. So far, there are only two cameras with a 20 MP sensor - this is Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic DMC-GX8. The sensor size for the Micro 4/3 systems is 17.3 x 13.0 mm, while the full frame dimensions are 36 x 24 mm. If you do the math, it turns out that the area of ​​the Micro 4/3 sensor is 3.8 times smaller than the sensor area of ​​a full-frame camera. So a full 35mm sensor with the same pixel density as the E-M10 mark 2 would have a resolution of 62MP. And it's not a secret for anyone that an increase in the number of pixels (and as a result, a decrease in their size and the distance between them) significantly affects the "noisiness" of the resulting image. To date, only Canon has a 35mm camera with a record-breaking 50-megapixel sensor, in which the maximum ISO value has been pretty "twisted" so as not to "scare" users with strong digital noise. Therefore, it seems to me that even 16 megapixels is the maximum reasonable limit for such a matrix size, and 20 megapixels is already "a bit too much".

The camera has a very good dynamic range. It copes well with scenes in which there are strong differences in brightness. From a heavily underexposed RAW file, by simple manipulations in a graphics editor, you can get a pretty decent picture. Naturally, noise will appear, but only in the form of a "grain", and not dirty colored spots. Below is an example photo: on the right - the original JPEG, on the left - an image from a RAW file with "stretched" shadows +80 in Adobe Camera RAW.

As for "noisiness", Olympus engineers seem to have squeezed out everything that could be "squeezed" out of this sensor. The camera starts to make noise already at ISO1600, but allows you to get a pretty decent picture up to ISO3200. At ISO6400, a significant loss of detail is already visible and it is not worth raising the sensitivity higher in any case.

You can download the original images taken using different ISO values ​​​​(RAW + JPEG) for self-detailed study at this link.

Traditionally, the camera uses a contrast autofocus system. In the E-M10 mark II, it is the same as in the E-M5 mark II - 81 focus sensors, almost completely covering the frame. Single focusing is very fast and tenacious. Its accuracy almost always exceeds the accuracy of the phase detection autofocus of SLR cameras, since focusing is carried out by sensors located on the matrix, and not separate sensors located on the mirror, which require very precise alignment.

In comparison with I did not feel the difference, autofocus is very fast. But here, when compared with, the difference in autofocus is felt very strongly. With single focus (especially in low light conditions), the Panasonic focuses faster and more accurately. And this despite the fact that formally the GM5 autofocus system is much simpler - 23 sensors versus 81. But when using tracking autofocus, the E-M10 mark II still behaves more correctly, less likely to stray and lose the subject. And yet, with a full-fledged shooting of fast moving objects, modern mirrorless cameras with contrast autofocus are not yet able to cope. Here, cameras with phase (or hybrid) autofocus have a clear advantage.

The camera got a new 5-axis matrix image stabilization system, but a more simplified modification compared to the E-M5 mark II. Unfortunately, and most likely for this reason, the E-M10 mark II does not have the High Res Mode that the E-M5 mark II had. According to the specifications, the stabilizer can compensate up to 4 EV (up to 5 EV in the E-M5 mark II). In practice, I managed to get more or less acceptable pictures even at a shutter speed of 1/2 second. And this is a very good result.

But as for the video - here the stabilizer of the older camera copes with fluctuations much more accurately. So if you're planning on handheld video shooting, the E-M5 mark II is unbeatable.

CAMERA PROS:

  • effective 5-axis image stabilizer;
  • excellent image quality (RAW and JPEG), wide dynamic range;
  • fast and accurate autofocus (for single shooting);
  • good image quality, up to ISO3200 inclusive;
  • excellent contrast OLED viewfinder;
  • high speed continuous shooting;
  • interesting functional solutions, such as AF Targeting Pad and Focus BKT, which (yet) are not even in more expensive cameras;
  • very flexible customization mechanical elements camera control;
  • built-in Wi-Fi and functional mobile app to communicate with the camera;
  • an optional battery pack is provided;
  • price.

CONS OF THE CAMERA:

  • no in-camera gluing of panoramas;
  • lack of headphone output and microphone input;
  • no 4K video shooting;
  • low autonomy;

CONCLUSIONS:

In the process of preparing conclusions about the Olympus E-M10 mark II, the feeling of Deja Vu did not leave, the conclusions echoed so much with Fujifilm review X-T10. Even the phrase "actually for $500 less than the flagship, you get a camera with functionality cut in such and such points" is more than applicable to this review, but with one significant "BUT". There is a moment that should be pretty puzzling with the choice of potential buyers.

The key difference between the E-M10 mark II and E-M5 mark II (I deliberately do not mention the E-M1, since it can hardly be called a flagship technologically, I think the manufacturer will update it to the E-M1 mark II in the very near future) - this is the presence of a more effective image stabilizer in the latter. This factor "pulls" significant bonuses when shooting video with hands and the presence of an interesting High Res Mode.

The second key point is the housing not protected from moisture.

All other differences are software (or rather, marketing), which can be eliminated with the release of the next firmware.

The E-M10 mark II is an excellent high-tech camera in a stylish, beautiful, high-quality, ergonomic (we can add epithets here) body, which also produces an excellent picture. The camera is not afraid of scenes with a large difference in brightness, its RAW files "stretch" perfectly.

For the same money, you can look at the same Fujifilm X-T10 or Panasonic Lumix G7 or Sony a6000. On the side of Fujifilm and Sony - the larger sensor size (and, as a result, less noise), but the functional content is simpler. On the Panasonic side, there are better video capabilities.


In the second part of the review, we will talk about the inside of the camera - the photosensor, shutter, focus and stabilizer, evaluate the noise and look at the quality of the picture and video.

Photosensor

All cameras in the OM-D line use essentially the same 16 Mpx micro 4/3 photosensor (with minor variations in the type of phase sensors in the E-M1).
This often serves as an occasion for reproaches against Olympus. Like, how many cameras can be made on the same matrix. On the other hand, 3.5 years is not such a long period of time, if you remember Canon, they often use the same sensor technology (and equally on crop and FF) for 4-5 years. We should also not forget that the electronic binding of the matrix is ​​being improved, which in some cases makes it possible to achieve an improvement in noise.

Today we will try to figure out if there is a visible difference in noise between the last three Olympus cameras - E-M10, E-M5 Mark II and E-M10 Mark II.
Our test scene is rather colorless (the main task now is to look at noise and DD, and it’s already known that Olympus has excellent color reproduction, and the new camera has no differences in this regard).


Lighting - fluorescent lamp with CRI>90, warmed up for an hour after switching on.
Lens - OM Zuiko 50 1.2, f/4.0. Manual focus.
The Colorchecker target is out of focus intentionally to make it easier to evaluate the noise.
Shooting mode - "M", ISO and shutter speed were set manually - 200 (1/13), 400 (1/25), 800 (1/50), 1600 (1/100), 3200 (1/200), 6400 ( 1/400), 12800 (1/800), 25600 (1/1600).
Shutter mode - mechanical, anti-shock enabled, release delay 12 sec.
Before shooting each frame, the camera was turned off and on again to completely eliminate the "accumulation" of thermal noise.

Conversion - RPP, profiles are completely disabled, the white balance is set manually 1 time for 2 gray color checkers. Contrasting curve - L*.
Exposure compensation, sharp and noise reduction were not applied.

Let's look at the crops from all three cameras at the main ISO values.



What interesting points are found here?

Firstly, the exposure of shots with the E-M10 is slightly (about 1/5 stop) higher than with the E-M10-II and E-M5-II.
Shooting error? Warming up the lamp? No. The correct answer is that the sensitivity of the sensor in the E-M10 is actually about a quarter of a step higher.
If you ask the main techno-drawer for matrices - DxO - then their charts will tell you this difference show unequivocally:


Ulcer minute:
For me, only one thing remains a mystery - why call “ISO 200” the real sensitivity of ISO 100. It seems to me that there is no particular benefit to marketing from this, only confusion. After all, shutter speeds will still correspond to real sensitivity. Again, zhpegs are very different from raves if raves are opened with the right converter. In general, it seems to me that absolutely all camera manufacturers should just switch to real and not rated ISO. There, the difference is somewhere within 1 stop, but the noise assessment is inadequate when compared. Yes, and many other difficulties. Yet again, why confuse studio workers if it turns out that ISO 200 is not really 200, but 100, and the sync speed allows you to shoot at wider apertures ...

What is the result?
Everything is about the same for the three cameras. In this test, I would call the old top ten the noisiest, although the differences are insignificant. Yes, and according to DD, she loses a little too.
The color noise of the E-M10 Mark II is slightly lower at high ISOs. Barely noticeable. However, such differences occur even in different batches of the same camera model, so we can conditionally assume that the photosensor in the new ten is actually identical to the sensor in the E-M5 Mark II.

The “point of no return”, at which important image details begin to be lost, I will conditionally mark as ISO 6400, above which I would not advise you to rise. In this regard, sample number 4 is very indicative, where you can see how the corrugation on the lens ring disappears with increasing ISO. At 3200 the invoice is still there, at 6400 it is no longer readable. But it's in fairly deep shadows. In the middle and in the highlights, the picture is more or less suitable at ISO 6400, although at 12800 solid sand appears in the highlights.

Let's digress from synthetic tests and 100% crops and still look at real shots taken at different ISOs. Frames are minimally processed (conversion to RPP to taste, resize), noise reduction was not applied.

ISO 200:

115 mm, f/2.8, ISO 200, click to enlarge

ISO 500:


90 mm, f/2.8, ISO 500, click to enlarge


ISO 640:



150 mm, f/2.8, ISO 640, click to enlarge


ISO 800:


25 mm, f/1.8, ISO 800, click to enlarge

ISO 2500:



40 mm, f/2.8, ISO 2500, click to enlarge

ISO 3200:



25 mm, f/1.8, ISO 3200, click to enlarge


Even in very difficult lighting conditions (dark + colored lamps), Olympus pulls out perfectly. Here, for example, is a photo from the Moskvarium. Who was - he knows that it is quite dark there, the lighting for the camera is difficult. Moreover, interestingly, in such a situation, even a chamber jpeg behaves adequately. White balance - automatic. The color is absolutely adequate to the real lighting in this aquarium exposition (visitors will confirm).



8 mm, f/1.8, ISO 3200, click to enlarge


And in a ravine, if you wish, you can generally compensate for the color light with a movement of your hand, allowing RPP to guess the white balance on its own, and see the real color of this comrade:



8 mm, f/1.8, ISO 3200, RPP conversion, click to enlarge


In this case, of course, the noise will grow (too much channel imbalance), but try to shoot with any other camera under such conditions - you will see about the same. However, the noises are uniform, do not irritate and look more like film grain, and what has been pleasing me with Olympus for many years is that the files (with their light weight and 12-bit size) remain very flexible in processing. Acid does not climb, colored splashes do not climb, and the coefficients of individual channels can be twisted in different directions by more than a step.

As for detail in normal shooting conditions, 16 megapixels is, in my personal opinion, a very good figure. Firstly, this resolution is sufficient up to meter prints, not to mention viewing on any retina-5K. Secondly, small file size, processing speed. A reasonable diffraction value, which allows you to stop the aperture to f7.1 without any problems, which is equivalent in depth of field to full-frame f14 (at the same shutter speed - this is a definite plus for double crop!)
That is, absolutely sufficient resolution for amateur cameras. You can also recall mine two years ago, the results of which (and still more than 300 participants) seem to hint either that 16 mgpx is really optimal for people, or that I have only double-croppers here :)

Look at these landscapes, look at the detail, look at the color. See how the camera handles high contrast scenes. And yes, all this was shot by hand, some shots - on a telephoto, on an open aperture. Sharp or noise reduction was not used during processing. Convert to RPP, resize to FS, overlay copyright, save as jpeg.


12 mm, f/2.8, ISO 200, click to enlarge


75 mm, f/2.8, ISO 250, click to enlarge


73 mm, f/2.8, ISO 200, click to enlarge


40 mm, f/2.8, ISO 200, click to enlarge


79 mm, f/2.8, ISO 200, click to enlarge


85 mm, f/2.8, ISO 250, click to enlarge


25 mm, f/1.8, ISO 200, click to enlarge


27 mm, f/5.6, ISO 200, click to enlarge

Recently, rhetorical discussions about the “progress” of sensors from other manufacturers and its “lack” from Olympus have become popular. Unfortunately, I don't have Panasonic's new 20Mgpc on hand right now to compare it to the Olympus. Because the samples I've seen are noisy. It is understandable - as long as there is no fundamentally new technical process, it makes no sense to increase megapixels, and there is no way to reduce noise (with such a cell size).

I also have one most interesting test in reserve, in which I decided shoot the same scene on OM-D E-M10 Mark II and Canon 5D Mark III:) But I will throw this testik in a separate post, later.

Gate

The main difference of the new camera is that it supports an electronic (and completely silent) shutter mode and provides shutter speeds up to 1/16000 sec. Mechanically, both cameras give a minimum shutter speed of 1/4000.

Slightly improved continuous shooting (8.5 fps instead of 8 fps) and sync speed with external studio flashes (1/250 instead of 1/200).

I'm often asked questions about the phenomenon where the camera shakes when the shutter opens, and this shake reduces the sharpness of the frame, especially with telephoto lenses.
I checked this question thoroughly on the new ten, and I can say that the OM-D E-M10 Mark II does not suffer from shutter shock if the "Antishock 0" option is enabled. That is, at focal lengths of 50 mm and above and at shutter speeds even up to 1/15 sec, it is precisely the shock shutter that is not observed. Yes, of course, no one can insure you from lubrication due to shaking hands. But it was the TECHNICAL phenomenon of shutter shock that I have not encountered for a very long time (the last time I saw this was on an E-M1 with an early firmware). Of course, the anti-shock option and the corresponding shutter mode must be enabled.
Also, do not forget to enable continuous shooting stabilization in the settings.

autofocus

Olympus, with the release of each new camera and firmware, claims improvements in tracking autofocus, but today I see the fundamental difference in this regard mainly only on the E-M1 - due to phase sensors. In other cameras with contrast autofocus in C-AF and C-AF tracking modes, it is still difficult to compete with DSLRs.
At the same time, single focusing remains very fast and tenacious, and its accuracy significantly exceeds the accuracy of AF in SLR cameras - since in the first case, focusing occurs on the actual image on the matrix, and not on separate sensors, which requires adjustment (moreover, as cameras , and lenses). About how they work different systems autofocus, I wrote in .
In general, in real conditions I did not notice any problems with single focusing. As well as noticeable differences from other cameras in the line.

Stabilization and video capabilities

On the one hand, one and a half steps of difference is not too much. And many tests showed that the difference in video smoothness between 3- and 5-axis stabilization is not too big.
On the other hand, if there is a difference, it should be mentioned.

I did a test by connecting the cameras with one mount.
The stabilization mode on the E-M10 was M-IS ON and on the E-M10 Mark II it was M-IS1. An explanation should be made here - on the old ten in the M-IS ON mode, software stabilization is forcibly turned on, so I set the same M-IS1 mode on the new camera.

As you can see, there is almost no difference in terms of stabilization, although it is noticeable that when shaking the camera back and forth and when walking (the scene with a lamp), Mark 2 holds the picture a little better.
Perhaps there will be some improvements in the upcoming firmware.

In addition, the video detail on the new camera is an order of magnitude better, and rolling shutter is less noticeable (although it is negligible here and there). The dynamic range is also more adequate (picture style settings used the same).

Speaking of video quality.
In the new camera, the bitrate of the video stream has been increased (with Super Fine quality it is more than 50 megabits), codecs have been improved (H.264, AVC).
There is a full range of frame rates, including classic cinematic 24 fps and a very useful 60 fps (which can then be slowed down by 2.5 times, getting 24 fps). By the way, the slow-motion or accelerated video mode can also be turned on directly in the camera menu in the form of a speed multiplier, and not in the form of fps.
An ALL-I compression option has appeared, in which all frames of the video stream are key. The bitrate in this case reaches 77 megabits (this mode only works for frame rates of 24-25-30). This codec setting is more "friendly" for video editors and gives a significantly better picture on static scenes.
I checked the video recording, and it works fine on all my class 10 flash drives, so there is no need to change the existing cards.

For the review, I mounted a small video that shows the capabilities of the camera (although without much semantic load):

And yes, I tried the 120 fps mode. As I said, it is rather nominal (low resolution, no sound), but for an amateur (who does not yet have an iPhone with 120 fps 720p) it will be interesting to experiment. I think that on the TV at home viewing these videos will look quite acceptable. But no more. After all, the resolution of the videos is only 640x480 (VGA). The frame rate in the file is 30 fps (the video is saved already slowed down by 4 times when actual speed 120 fps recordings).

Don't laugh :) Some time will pass and Olyspus will release a camera with very advanced video. There will be 4K, and 120 fps in FullHD, and whatever you want. But this takes time, but for now let's look at these 120 fps as a kind of "training" :) Do not forget that in FullHD mode the camera produces quite a decent picture.

Conclusions:

Image quality, stabilization and video on the E-M10 Mark II does not differ fundamentally from the E-M5 Mark II (with the exception of 40 megapixels).
Compared with the previous model (E-M10), there is a little less noise, and the video has noticeably improved (a full set of frame rates and a good bitrate have appeared).

Now it remains for us to figure out how focus bracketing works. And there will also be a pair test holivar "E-M10 Mark II vs. Canon 5D Mark III".

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II is a Micro 4/3 interchangeable lens mirrorless camera. The model is the youngest in the Olympus OM-D line and replaces the OM-D E-M10. Five-axis image stabilization (up to four exposures), TruePic VII processor, built-in flash and 2.36 megapixel EVF, swivel touchscreen monitor, Full HD movie shooting [email protected]/50/30/25/24p, 4K time-lapse shooting mode, as well as a completely new mode - focus bracketing.

The full official model name is Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II, but for brevity I will also call the camera OM-D E-M10 Mark II, or OM-D E-M10 II, or even just E-M10 II.

  • All-metal body; compact, durable and lightweight design.
  • Matrix LIVE MOS resolution 16 MP 4/3 format (17.3x13.0 mm).
  • Improved five-axis optical sensor-shift stabilization system (working both for stills and video), with automatic recognition of the optimal mode, taking into account panning (S-IS Auto).
  • Dual core TruePic VII processor.
  • Touch monitor with a diagonal of 3″, resolution 1.04 Mdots, 3:2 format, swivel in one axis.
  • The ability to operate the display in the "Touchscreen AF" mode - you look into the viewfinder, and indicate the focus point on the display.
  • Built-in electronic OLED viewfinder (EVF) high definition 2,360,000 dots with eye sensor and 100% field of view.
  • Possibility of transferring the EVI to the “Optical viewfinder simulation” mode (at the same time, the input exposure compensation and other settings are displayed immediately on the main monitor, but not in the EVI).
  • Sensitivity range from ISO200 (with ISO100 extension) to ISO25600.
  • Fast shutter speeds from 1/4000 second (and from 1/16000 with electronic shutter).
  • Continuous shooting up to 8.5 fps.
  • Autofocus with 81 zones (9x9), with group selection, face and near eye detection.
  • Improved continuous C-AF over E-M10.
  • Peaking function during manual focusing (outlining objects that are in focus).
  • New focus bracketing function (Focus BKT), with setting the number of frames and the amount of focus plane shift.
  • Story programs and effects artistic processing"Art Filters" (two new compared to the E-M10 - Vintage and Partial Color).
  • On-the-fly perspective distortion correction.
  • Video recording in Full HD resolution [email protected]/50/30/25/24p, ALL-I format at 77 Mbps (at 30/25p), IPB at 52 Mbps. Fast and slow motion video options.
  • Recording stereo sound when shooting video.
  • Interval shooting with the possibility of gluing time-lapse videos.
  • Connector for external flash and other accessories.
  • Built-in Wi-Fi for remote control and file transfer to external devices.
  • Overall dimensions (according to the manufacturer, the case without protruding parts): 119.5 × 83.1 × 46.7 mm.
  • Weight: 390 g (with battery and memory card).

One of the biggest strengths of mirrorless system cameras Olympus I think is a great image stabilization system. The stabilizer in the OM-D E-M10 Mark II has been improved compared to the previous E-M10 model, instead of a “three-axis” stabilization system, the stabilization system has become “five-axis” and provides compensation up to four exposure steps . Moreover, the stabilizer works both when taking pictures and when recording video (in the second case, in combination with electronic image stabilization).

For ease of comparison, we combine in one table the most important characteristics of three Olympus OM-D cameras - the previous E-M10, the new E-M10 Mark II, and the older model E-M5 Mark II. in green winning moments highlighting one of the models are marked, relative disadvantages are marked in red.

Olympus OM-D camera
Matrix

16 MP
live MOS

16 MP
live MOS

16 MP
live MOS

CPU
Image stabilization 3-axis
(3EV)
5-axis
(4EV)

5-axis
(5EV)

electronic shutter Not Yes
Minimum exposure 1/4000s

1/4000 s
(1/16000 with electronic shutter)

1/8000 s
(1/16000 with electronic shutter)

ISO range 200-25600 200-25600
(with extension 100-25600)

200-25600
(with extension 100-25600)

Monitor

1.04 Mpoints
3″
LCD
Inclined
Sensory

1.04 Mpoints
3″
LCD
Inclined
Sensory

1.04 Mpoints
3″
LCD
Rotating
Sensory

built-in
electronic
viewfinder
1.44 Mpoints
LCD
0.58x
2.36 Mpoints
OLED
0.62x

2.36 Mpoints
OLED
0.74x

Touchpad AF mode Not There is
Burst shooting 8 fps 8.5 fps

10 fps

Built-in flash There is There is
Video filming Full HD
[email protected]
Full HD
[email protected]/50/30/25/24p

Full HD
[email protected]/50/30/25/24p

Time-lapse 4K Not Yes (5 fps)
microphone jack Not Not

Yes

Focus bracketing
Not Yes Not
Protected execution Not Not

Yes

dimensions

119 x 82 x 46 mm

120 x 83 x 47mm

124 x 85 x 45 mm

Weight 400 g 390 g

I find the new focus bracketing feature (Focus BKT) introduced in the E-M10 Mark II very interesting. Its essence is that the camera, by pressing the shutter button, takes not one picture, but several, successively shifting the focusing plane from frame to frame, as if “running” over the object being shot in volume. In this case, you can adjust both the number of frames in the bracketing series and the amount of focus shift from frame to frame.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II will go on sale mid-September 2015 in silver and black. The main configuration option will be a camera with an M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42 / 3.5-5.6 EZ lens (cost 47,999 rubles), a camera option without a lens (cost 39,990 rubles) will also be available.

The camera in this article is the latest in the OM-D line of mirrorless cameras, although it is no longer a novelty. We decided to test it so as not to lose sight of this important model. It belongs to the third generation of the younger model E-M10. Its undeniable advantage is its lightness and compactness, especially when combined with a pancake-type whale zoom lens. This form factor is great for shooting on a trip, on a city walk or a country picnic. If necessary, you can put almost any optics on the camera, and not only branded ones.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12‑40mm f/2.8 PRO Settings: ISO 6400, F5.6, 1/50s, 24.0mm equiv.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III is equipped with the same 16MP sensor as many of the more expensive models in the line, it has the latest generation processor, it can shoot 4K video. However, the cost of the entry-level is usually not just less, it assumes a reduced set of functions and technical equipment. It will be interesting to know what these limitations are in this model, whether they affected the quality of shooting and how much.

Design, ergonomics, control

The construction of the E-M10 MARK III combines metal and composite materials, but the body feels solid and well built. Despite a very small protrusion in front, the camera lies securely and comfortably in the hand, you are not afraid to drop it. In the off state, when it is equipped with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm 1:3.5‑5.6 EZ Pancake whale zoom lens, the device is almost pocket-sized (of course, if it is a jacket pocket). When turned on, the lens moves forward by about 25 mm.

The E-M10 Mark III comes in two traditional Olympus mirrorless body styles: an all-black body that is sober and unobtrusive, and a smart, classic silver-black body that comes with a silver-colored lens.

The 3-inch LCD screen has a resolution of 1.04 million dots, which makes it possible to comfortably frame the scene and fairly accurately assess the quality of the picture. He is able to tilt down 45 degrees, and up - 100, which allows you to slightly move it away from the body and get a horizontal position. Such mobility of the screen provides comfortable shooting at different heights - both from ground level, and from the waist, and while holding the camera above your head.

The screen of the E-M10 Mark III is touch-sensitive, which makes many functions convenient. So, when viewing the footage, you can scroll through and scale the pictures, when setting up the camera, you can select options in the quick menu, filters and special functions by tapping, and when shooting, you can select the autofocus area, focus and shoot by tapping the screen in the right place.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 6400, F3.5, 1/60s, 28.0mm equiv.

The latter can be done, including imperceptibly, “from the belly”, by turning the screen to a horizontal position.


The second framing method is through an electronic viewfinder with not the highest resolution for today, 2.36 million dots and diopter correction. It displays all the same information as on the LCD screen: you can immediately see the effect of the settings, the main shooting parameters are shown, you can display auxiliary tools (grid, electronic level, histogram, focus peaking).


The OM-D E-M10 Mark III is equipped with a built-in flash. It is located above the lens, lifts and retracts manually. To raise it, use the power switch lever, and to lower it, press your finger from above.



E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 800, F4, 1/60s, 15.0mm equiv.

Like many compact cameras, it uses a combined battery and memory card compartment. The tripod threaded socket is not located far enough from its cover - the dimensions of the camera do not allow it to be otherwise. Therefore, when shooting with a tripod, the compartment will be blocked by the tripod plate.


On the top panel of the body, most of the controls are located on the right, within the reach of the right hand: the shooting mode dial, the shutter button, two control wheels, the movie recording button and the reprogrammable Fn2 function button. The power switch is located on the left, so turning on the camera with one hand will not work. There is also a shortcut button - depending on the shooting mode, it opens a context menu with settings, a list of filters, scene programs, and more.


In auto mode, this button calls up the shooting tips function. It is very useful for novice photographers who do not yet know how to adjust the brightness and color reproduction, blur the background, freeze motion.

Another reprogrammable button - Fn1 - is located above the thumb rest. All other camera controls are located on the rear panel. Their functions are hard-coded.


As in the older models of the OM-D E-M family, the most important settings are controlled by two control dials. One of them is combined with the shutter button.

Functions, settings, interfaces

Story programs

The camera offers six basic scene programs, each with several more precise options best suited to typical shooting situations.

Effect filters

To give pictures an unusual look right in the process of shooting, the effect filters available in the ART position of the selector dial will help.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 2500, F4, 1/60s, 18.0mm equiv.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 2500, F4, 1/60s, 18.0mm equiv.

Advanced photography mode

The camera offers an advanced photo mode that brings together several creative functions. To access it, a separate AP position is allocated on the mode dial. The list includes the following functions: Live Comp (collage in real time), Live Time for shooting fireworks and night landscapes with very slow shutter speeds, multiple exposure (two frames), HDR, mute shooting, panorama, perspective distortion correction, bracketing for exposure and focus.

Interfaces

Our camera has only two interfaces - micro-HDMI and micro-USB. They are located under a flexible plug on the right side of the case. The micro-HDMI interface will allow you to display photos and videos on a large TV screen. The USB port can be used to connect to a computer or printer, and to update camera and lens firmware. Unfortunately, it will not work to recharge the battery through it.


The E-M10 Mark III is aimed at amateur photography. This is evidenced by the absence of a microphone input and a headphone output, which will not allow you to record sound when shooting video with studio quality and control the recording process by ear. For audio recording, only stereo microphones built into the top panel are provided.

Camera in action

First, let's talk about the readiness of the camera for shooting and other speed indicators. The turn-on time for the camera is within one second, during which the whale zoom lens also manages to extend. There is no shutter lag at all.

Focusing


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12‑40mm f/2.8 PRO Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/200s, 68.0mm equiv.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III uses contrast-type autofocus. The focus area covers almost the entire area of ​​the frame and is divided into 121 (11 x 11) zones. In addition to the all-zone option, focusing is also provided on a group of nine zones (3 x 3) and one AF zone. In these two options, the area can be moved to the desired location using the navigation pad or by touching the screen.

Autofocus is fast and accurate in most cases. This is true for daytime shooting on the street, and for well-lit rooms, and for concert shooting.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 1250, F4.9, 1/160s, 178.0mm equiv.

The exceptions are either situations with very low light, when the subject does not have contrasting details, or when both the subject and the background have equally contrasting details. For example, when shooting umbrellas of dried plants against the background of trees, the autofocus system experienced difficulties, but as soon as the AF frame was moved to the stem against the background of snow, the plant in the frame instantly became sharp.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/500s, 184.0mm equiv.

The camera focuses well and accurately when shooting close-ups.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 1600, F5.6, 1/30s, 28.0mm equiv.

The image sensor is large enough to effectively blur the background (when using a whale pancake, it remains readable and recognizable) and achieve a shallow depth of field.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 400, F5.6, 1/40s, 42.0mm equiv.

Burst shooting

Continuous shooting is performed in two modes: fast and slow. In the first case, the speed is approximately 8.6 frames / s, in the second - 4.8 frames / s. Here you need to remember about one important limitation: when using the high-speed mode, focus, white balance and exposure are set according to the first picture of the series. That is, such continuous shooting will allow you to capture the phases of the movement of an object that is located at about the same distance from the photographer. But if the distance to it is constantly changing, then not all frames will turn out sharp, but only those that fit into the depth of field. Therefore, it makes sense to shoot on a covered aperture.

In our example of a fast skier shot at high speed at f/5.6, only the first three frames came out relatively sharp.

memory buffer

A sufficiently large memory buffer is required for successful continuous shooting. V technical specifications E-M10 Mark III shows measured data using an SDHC UHS-II memory card. In this case, you can record pictures in JPG until the memory card is full, and in RAW up to 22 pictures without slowing down. Note that support for such cards is a professional feature.

We took our measurements with the more common SDHC UHS-I Class 3 card, which supports write speeds up to 40 MB/s, by removing the watch face.

E-M10 Mark III / OLYMPUS M.14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 800, F3.5, 1/60s, 28.0mm equiv.

In our case, without reducing the continuous shooting speed (8.6 frames / s), it was possible to take 37 pictures in JPG, then the speed decreased to 5-6 frames / s. 10 RAW versions of pictures were recorded while maintaining the speed, then it dropped to 2 frames / s. When recording images immediately in JPG and RAW, it was possible to take a quick series of 9 shots, after which the speed also became equal to 2 frames / s. That is, when using a modern fast map and shooting in JPG, it will be possible to capture the phases of a fairly long dynamic event.

autonomy

The manufacturer claims that it is possible to shoot up to 330 frames on a single charge of a standard BLS‑50 battery, if you shoot at 50% when cropping on the LCD screen (Live View) and use an image stabilizer. In practice, these data were confirmed at an evening photo session, where I shot using the screen almost all the time. However, we must remember that if you keep the camera in the cold, then the battery capacity quickly decreases. It is better to have a spare battery in a warm pocket, and if you are going on a long trip, then a couple of batteries will not be superfluous.

Practical shooting

Evening shooting in the city

Festive illumination of the New Year's city is a great occasion to do a lot good shots and at the same time check a number of camera functions.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 800, F4, 1/60s, 28.0mm equiv.

Auto mode and special functions

At first, like most amateur photographers, I set the mode dial to "Auto" and started shooting without thinking about the settings.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 2000, F5, 1/60s, 25.0mm equiv.

Automation chooses the exposure correctly and not bad - the white balance in difficult lighting conditions, but it is reinsured, setting sufficiently short shutter speeds to ensure that blurring is eliminated. Because of this, of course, it increases the ISO, which inevitably increases the noise of the picture. So, to ensure a shutter speed of 1/60 second, the camera set ISO 2000, and quite noticeable digital noise appeared in the night sky. Often, automation raises the sensitivity to 4000-5000, if the Auto-ISO setting does not limit it in this.

Does the device have some simple function that allows you to take better quality night shots? Yes! This is one of the variants of the “Night shooting” story program - “Hand-held shooting”.

Unlike other versions of the program, this one allows you to not use a tripod. The camera takes a series of pictures and combines them into one resulting picture with higher quality than any of the single ones. Even when using the same ISO as in auto, this program produces a much neater picture, with virtually no digital noise and good detail.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 2000, F4.6, 1/60s, 50.0mm equiv.

We must pay tribute to the automation: when there is quite a lot of light, the auto mode produces a picture that is almost as good as that obtained in the Handheld Shooting program.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 500, F3.5, 1/60s, 14.0mm equiv.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 400, F3.5, 1/60s, 14.0mm equiv.

Another problem with night photography is the prohibitively high contrast caused by very bright lighting. Another special feature that can come in handy here is HDR. When using it, the camera also shoots a series and collects information in the final shot. HDR is capable of restoring information in the lightest areas, but sometimes you want to work with color reproduction later - it turns out to be more restrained than in auto mode.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 1250, F5, 1/60s, 25.0mm equiv.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 200, F4.7, 1/13s, 50.0mm equiv.

Image stabilization

Olympus mirrorless cameras are famous for their built-in sensor-shift stabilization. In the OM-D E-M10 Mark III model, it is five-axis, that is, it compensates for the vertical and horizontal vibrations of the camera, as well as its tilts and rotations around the axes.

The real advantage of such a system is best felt just during the evening and night shooting. In order to reduce digital noise, experienced photographers shoot in manual mode at slow shutter speeds in order to reduce the ISO value to almost a minimum. A good stabilizer allows you to do this without a tripod, shooting handheld. Let's check ours.

I started shooting with a kit zoom camera for the first time at safe shutter speeds, and then gradually made them longer and longer.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 1600, F5, 1/25s, 132.0mm equiv.

It quickly became clear that a shutter speed of ⅛ seconds can be easily used at any focal lengths of a whale pancake.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 1000, F5.6, 1/8s, 28.0mm equiv.

Emboldened, I began to further lengthen the shutter speed, trying to reach a value at which ISO 100 would be enough for shooting. And such a shutter speed turned out to be a whole second! Of course, in order to get clear pictures at such a shutter speed, you had to focus properly.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1s, 74.0mm equiv.

However, if you shoot from a non-standard angle, for example, from the bottom up, holding the camera at waist level, then it’s better to play it safe and take a shorter shutter speed, say, ¼ second.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 200, F6.3, 1/4s, 28.0mm equiv.

If we return to the record shutter speed of one second, it turns out that when shooting at not too large focal lengths, the effectiveness of the stabilization system reaches 5 exposure steps!

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 1600, F5.6, 1/5s, 20.0mm equiv.

Photo quality

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III uses a 4/3” (Four Thirds) Live MOS image sensor with 16.1 effective megapixels and a standard Bayer color filter. Paired with the sensor is the latest generation processor - TruePic VIII.

The camera, as a rule, sets the white balance and exposure correctly - there is no need to select a preset for the first parameter and enter a correction for the second. It is enough to select auto white balance and multi-zone (ESP) metering method in the settings.

To complete the picture with the quality of the photo image, let's consider the results of our traditional shooting at different ISOs, and then evaluate the dynamic range of the camera.

Digital noise and ISO

With the lower value of ISO, which is available to the camera's automatics - ISO 200 - it is quite expected that we get a picture without any hint of digital noise.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 200, F8, 1/25s, 74.0mm equiv. Download RAW

At ISO 400, the picture is almost the same, but at ISO 800, signs of luminance noise begin to appear in the midtones. But the rest of the image does not cause any complaints.

At ISO 1600 in the same midtones, usually the most problematic in terms of digital noise, the first signs of its color component appear. But in other areas, smooth tones, high detail and correct color reproduction are preserved. Such pictures can be printed on formats up to A3 +. At a value of 3200 in monotonous areas, the noise increases slightly, but slowly begins to “eat up” small, not very contrasting details. The ISO 3200 value should be considered the maximum for printing on A3 format.

At ISO 6400, noise increases slightly in monotonous areas, the saturation of bright colors begins to decrease, and contrast details are washed out. This value is still suitable for printing on A4. At ISO 12800, all of the above degradation processes are aggravated, but the picture can still be used for online publications if the resolution is reduced. At ISO 25600, the picture looks very dirty and loose due to strong digital noise, you can use this value only in a hopeless situation when you cannot get the desired exposure with other settings.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 6400, F8, 1/1000s, 74.0mm equiv. Download RAW

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 12800, F8, 1/1600s, 74.0mm equiv. Download RAW

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 25600, F8, 1/3200s, 74.0mm equiv. Download RAW

Dynamic Range

Thanks to the availability of RAW versions of some of the problematic shots, the possibilities of expanding the dynamic range were evaluated during the conversion process.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/125s, 40.0mm equiv.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/125s, 80.0mm equiv.

As a result of processing, it became clear that it was possible to pull out details from the shadows, increasing the exposure by about 2.7 EV.

Working with another underexposed image, already taken at ISO 1600, showed that in this case, too, you can get a decent result with RAW conversion.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 1600, F8, 1/8s, 24.0mm equiv.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 1600, F8, 1/8s, 48.0mm equiv.

When shooting with back-to-back sunlight, a strong backlight was obtained, due to which the contrast decreased on the right side of the image, details in the clouds were lost.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12‑40mm f/2.8 PRO Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/640s, 12.0mm equiv.

The result of processing the RAW version with the settings Exposure -0.5, Contrast +25, Highlights -100, Shadows +100.

E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 800, F8, 1/8s, 28.0mm equiv.

When working with overexposed shots, the camera has a decent headroom in the highlights, and it is even a little more than in the shadows - up to 3 EV.

white balance

When shooting in daylight, there are no problems getting the correct white balance.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/800s, 108.0mm equiv.

Both cold and warm tones of the scenes being shot are correctly transmitted.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus Body Cap Lens 9mm f/8 Fisheye Settings: ISO 200, F8, 1/100s, 18.0mm equiv.

The i-Enchanced image style helps to enhance them a little - you can often do without additional processing in a photo editor.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus Body Cap Lens 9mm f/8 Fisheye Settings: ISO 200, F8, 1/250s, 18.0mm equiv.

In artificial light, automatics often leave JPGs with too warm colors.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ Settings: ISO 1000, F4, 1/60s, 28.0mm equiv.

For example, on Okhotny Ryad Square, I found several travel agency houses, in one of which I managed to make an interesting portrait in the dim light of incandescent lamps. Automatic left too much yellow, but after opening the RAW version of the image in the converter, it was enough to select the "Auto" option for white balance - and the result was very good. It remains to slightly adjust the saturation and contrast. Settings: ISO 1600, F2.8, 1/25s, 90.0mm equiv.

Video and wireless capabilities

Video filming

The maximum video quality that the E-M10 Mark III offers is 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) and 30 fps. This video looks decent, the picture is clear, smooth and without jerks.

Download in original quality

When setting the resolution to Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), the frame rate can be raised to 60. But even on a Full HD monitor, a loss in resolution is visible compared to 4K video.

Download in original quality

When shooting video, stabilization works, and there is an option both with a matrix shift and with additional digital stabilization. Even with fairly fast camera movements, the picture changes smoothly, without jerks. You don't have to worry about ruining your video due to hand shake or sudden camera movement.

Download in original quality

Wireless connections

The camera is equipped with a Wi-Fi module, which provides an easy and convenient direct connection to mobile devices. To get started with the camera, you need to install the free Olympus Image Share mobile app on them. On the camera, after the “Connect to smartphone” command, the Wi-Fi module is turned on and it switches to the access point mode.


Once a smartphone is connected, the Olympus Image Share app provides functions such as remote shooting control, camera image import and editing, instruction manual upload and geotagging.

It is worth noting that when managing shooting from a smartphone, the application provides the photographer with maximum opportunities. It allows you to focus on the screen and not only change basic shooting parameters such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO and exposure compensation, but even select a shooting mode and apply effect filters.

conclusions


So, working with the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III camera for a month and analyzing the results obtained allow us to draw certain conclusions. This is very good camera for daily shooting and capturing all the interesting moments of the journey. We note in particular that this is true for those photographers who attach great importance to comfort, and therefore to the weight and size of the camera and interchangeable lenses.


E-M10 Mark III / Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R Settings: ISO 1250, F4.9, 1/160s, 184.0mm equiv.

The E-M10 Mark III produces very decent image quality, especially if you tinker with the settings a bit and start using smart features like handheld night shot or HDR. If you master the capabilities of the camera properly and use manual settings in combination with a highly effective stabilization system, you can get high-quality images even in difficult lighting conditions.

Of course, this baby cannot compete with full-frame multi-megapixel cameras in terms of quality. But it will give them a head start in the comfort of shooting while traveling light. The camera is small and light, especially with the stock M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm 1:3.5‑5.6 EZ Pancake zoom lens. Olympus has many other compact and lightweight lenses in its arsenal that will fit perfectly with our model. Let me remind you that the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III is an entry-level camera in terms of positioning in the line. Therefore, she is deprived of some professional opportunities. There are no interfaces for high-quality audio recording, contrast (not hybrid) autofocus is used. During continuous shooting at high speed, focusing is performed only on the first frame. But it would be wrong to make higher demands on a camera with a cost of about 40 thousand rubles (let's not forget about the ruble exchange rate).

Pros:

  • beautiful design, two colors;
  • ergonomic, lightweight and compact body;
  • high quality photos up to ISO 3200;
  • convenient touch control;
  • highly effective stabilization system;
  • support for SDHC UHS-II memory cards;
  • work with almost any interchangeable optics.

Minuses:

  • contrast autofocus system, rather than a more efficient hybrid;
  • tracking focus is not supported during continuous shooting at high speed;
  • there are no interfaces for high-quality audio recording;
  • Charging via USB is not implemented.