Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Announced September 19, 2016
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Strong
The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a powerhouse for action and sports photography, delivering exceptional burst rates and a highly capable image stabilization system in a rugged, weather-sealed body. While it offers professional-grade performance and ergonomics, the camera commands a premium price and features a complex menu system that may frustrate some users.
Weighted from 35 reviewer scores
Pros
- Highly effective 5-axis image stabilization
- Extremely fast burst shooting and autofocus performance
- Durable, weather-sealed, and ergonomic build
- Advanced features including dual SD slots, 4K video, and customizability
- Excellent battery life and handling
Cons
- High price point compared to competitors
- Complex and confusing menu system
- Smaller sensor limits low-light and high ISO performance
- Inconsistent continuous autofocus tracking
- Limited buffer review and port placement issues
- Launch price $1,999.99 (USD)
- Sensor 20.3MP Micro Four Thirds CMOS
- Video 4K 30p
- Stabilization In-body IS, 5.5 stops (CIPA)
What the Reviewers Say
All 35 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- DPReview 85/100
The OM-D E-M1 Mark II is Olympus' most ambitious camera yet and it blows away its peers in terms of raw speed – and it's no slouch when it comes to photo and video quality, AF performance and build quality.
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The Olympus E-M1 Mark II is an absolutely fantastic camera.
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The Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II takes the popular weatherproof Mark I, deepens the grip, adds twin memory card slots and employs the most generous battery of any mirrorless camera.
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The OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a very big step forward for Olympus when it comes to video picture quality!
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It’s unarguable that the E-M1 Mark II is the best camera Olympus has ever made; indeed, it gives the impression of being the best camera the firm could possibly make given current technology.
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[I]t’s an excellent stills shooter, with good colors, fast autofocus, solid image stabilization, and an impressive burst rate.
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[G]uys, overall with the buffer rate on this camera, the ability to shoot multiple speeds, having all these different autofocusing systems and having them be much more effective, this is by far Olympus' best sports, action, and wildlife camera.
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When launched the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II was an excellent camera, capable of producing excellent images, and it still is.
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The new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a veritable speed demon, offering incredibly fast shooting rates coupled with a much improved auto-focusing system that keeps moving subjects sharp.
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The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a fantastic camera. It offers superb performance, a great handling and a very good range of features.
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We’d want to do more extensive tests before reaching any final decision about the E-M1’s continuous focus tracking performance, but it’s an extraordinary camera in every other respect.
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The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II shoots faster and does more than other high-end mirrorless cameras, but it's also more expensive.
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The Olympus OM-D E-M1 MKII is a nice camera. The video it shoots looks good and its build quality is to be commended.
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[T]he M1 M I is an interesting camera because not only is it a good stills camera, it's also pretty good for video. Not perfect, not the best for video, but still it's come a long way.
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There’s more to a camera than sensor size, of course, and the EM-1 Mark II excels at most other parameters, blazing-fast performance and image quality being two of them.
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I think I’ve run out of things to say for now. Not bad for one day of testing!
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[I]n super controlled environments with good exposure, the camera can give amazing results, but when cameras that will work well in all conditions, such as the D500, cost $1800, well, I think Olympus is really at its limits here.
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Of course, I don't recommend it for people who want to do video.
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As noted in our First Look review, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is the camera fans of Olympus products have been waiting for.
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If you do not want all of this, and what it offers, then go for something else that is less expensive.
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Ultimately, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is currently the best Micro Four Thirds camera for advanced photographers. That, in a nutshell, is why it's well worth its asking price.
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There’s no getting around the fact that the OM-D E-M1 Mark II is expensive.
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Action photography is the ultimate stronghold for DSLRs and Olympus is aiming the OM-D E-M1 Mark II straight at it.
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My overall impression is that of one of the most advanced cameras on the market. Features, build quality, ergonomics, responsiveness are all top of the line.
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Even in 2020, it still has a lot of features that will definitely impress you, and I think the inner to me this is a camera that for any professional.
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While the Olympus OMD EM1 II has the smaller m4/3 sensor inside, it is very much a professional camera.
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If you are looking for a high performing mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, I strongly believe Olympus OM-D E-M1 mark III is quite a tough choice to beat at this moment!
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Thus, I can certainly recommend the E-M1m2. It's a tour de force that with a bit of UX cleanup could easily be the lightweight champion of the world.
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The more I shot, the more I was impressed.
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A quick summary of this camera's strengths: this is a fantastic all-around camera packed full of features in this nicely portable, rugged body with fantastic stabilization and good image quality, especially at the lower ISOs, and very nice video stabilization.
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All right, the more I'm using this camera, the more I love it.
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[T]he operational, haptic, shooting envelope and operating experience side of things gets top marks.
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All-in-all, this is a seriously impressive camera that can handle most tough conditions and shooting situations that you can throw at it.
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All in all I think the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a fabulous camera and if I needed a new camera right now I would definitely buy one of these, and the truth is I want to buy one, I just don't really need one.
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So I guess to sum it all up, I would have to say that I really like this Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. It's doing me absolutely proud.
