Is the Olympus OM-D E-M1X right for you?

There's a lot of talk about sensor size vs. image quality among these comments. It was when I realised that I got paid exactly the same for images taken with my MFT gear as with my D810 and D700 that I sold all my Nikons and went all small three years ago. The E-M1X is the best camera I've tried ever from an ergonomic point of view, and the specs are better than I'll ever need. I'll probably buy it anyway. This is the only system where I can carry a 800mm eqv. in my carry everywhere every day camera bag. That alone has earned me a lot of unique images and extra income.

As the photographer behind the camera, I'm responsible for the quality. My clients couldn't care less what camera I use for that purpose.

After playing with my friend's E-M1X for a few weeks, and shoot side by side with my own 1Dx and D500, I totally agree with the DPReview reviewer's comment:

"But back to sports and action. For way less money, the E-M1X shoots faster than even the most expensive sports cameras, like the Nikon D5 or Canon 1DX II, while offering similar ergonomics and build quality. It doesn't quite offer the same level of autofocus reliability as these cameras, nor can it match the resolution/noise performance of their larger sensors. Still, it's an outstanding choice for Micro Four Thirds shooters who want a no-compromise camera to point at fast-moving subjects. And if you end up also photographing portraits, landscapes, events or video, well, the camera will be able to handle that too."

Well for starters, don't use Circular Polarizers with this camera. It increases noise and with a smaller sensor, noise is more likely. Not a great low light camera. That said, it does a great job of capturing birds in flight, provided there is good light. Fast auto focus and tracking is good, but not yet great as it could be. I own it, and will adjust my shooting to the Camera. I get more keepers!

I own 2 E-M1X's and a lot of glass. It works for me and the image quality is more than good enough for my global clients. Now for all the people who criticise here and use full frame, here is your challenge. It has nothing to do with sensor size it has to do with system size and cost. I have a ThinkTank Airport Hard Drive rucksack. In it I have in FF terms, 2 M1X's, 2 Metz 64 flash guns, a 16mm 1.8, a 14-28mm 2.8, a 24-80mm 2.8, an 80-300mm 2.8, a 600mm f4, a 90mm 1.2, a 150mm 1.8 and a 24-200 f4 plus my 15 inch Dell XPS. Even with my bad back that is a carryable one rucksack system. That is what micro 4/3rds is all about. System size. Perhams one Canon, one nikon and one Sony user would care to each post the cost and weight of exactly this system from their own manufacturer and then we can compare sensibly.

Sorry to say, but this camera is a monumental dud

Funny that sports and action are probably the most challenging for ANY camera on the market. If a camera can do sports and action, weighs less and cost less than these same camera's that are used for lets say....... uh wild life, portrait and landscape. How is it not a well rounded camera then? One of the biggest beefs that remain today is ISO and IQ. I shot my sons graduation tonight. I used my E-M1 mark I with my 50-200 SWD with the adapter. Shot almost at 200mm the entire time wide open at ISO 2000. Had some Nikon and Canon shooters next to me. I noticed them staring and we all started chatting. They asked about the camera and lens blah blah blah. Then they asked if they could see the shots. They all could not believe ( ready for this) how crisp the images were. CRISP!!! Not noisy, CRISP. Even with the 200mm where I was I had to crop, A LOT. I've held and used the E-M1X. Amazing piece of equipment, and here I am still happy with my M1 mark I

What a politically correct article!

Olympus... The brand people love to hate. Get a life. Or, better yet, go watch the Kardashians if you're so incapable of having your own.

Look like a great build quality. Its not for me but for many it will be a great investment.

thats almost ALL types of photography.
maybe its easier to talik in terms of which area its NOT suitable....

That sure is a great looking camera.

A rule of thumb for any headline that ends with a question mark: the answer is no.

I have this camera and used it for 2 months now. Firstly, it is the most comfortable camera you can hold in your hands. It just feels perfect. It is great for wildlife photography. If you use high Def images it is great for landscapes but not otherwise. Any movement in the image would be picked up - beware! It is excellent for macrophotography but not so much for portraits. It is just average in its video capabilities with poor color management. It is below average in low light photography. I am just waiting for the new 150-400 mm lens from Olympus - I currently use a Panasonic 100-400 and Olympus 300 mm F4. They are outstanding choices for wildlife photography.

"Image quality is excellent for its sensor size – with lovely out-of-camera JPEGs – but it can't match the resolution of higher-resolution cameras, limiting your ability to crop in post. Similarly, shadow noise at higher ISOs is more prevalent than on larger-sensor bodies – this also limits your ability to push the exposure in post."

So if you don't crop, and don't have to push exposure in post, there's actually not much of a problem?

I reckon you guys at DPR are even confusing yourselves about what this camera is. Dan and Co couldn't be clearer in the official review: "niche, niche, too niche".

Then Dan turns around and pens this article saying it is pretty darned good at everything. Err, that's the *opposite* of niche, Dan.

And, "there are better cameras available in each category". Well, *those* are the niche cameras, by definition.

Maybe you are just having trouble with English, but I think you are having trouble with comprehending the M1X.

Niche. The D500 is niche, guys. Where is its high-res mode? Its incredible stabilisation? Its huge range of lenses custom-designed for its sensor size? It does one thing really well: that's a niche camera.

The M1X is a high-capability all-purpose camera. Niche my foot. If it sold for $1300 would you call it niche? Not a chance. But it's the same camera! You guys are so confused.

I've had many outfits, the Nikon last of all for over a decade.

On a holistic, in-the-round basis, the OMD MkII outfit is the best I have ever used. At the telephoto 300-800 end for wildlife the lenses are a fifth of the cost and a fifth of the weight of the Canons and Nikons and the results are superb. The new flashgun works well for weddings and the lenses are stunning.

I can carry the rig all day without needing a wheelbarrow. Bliss!

well not like most of the whiners here i tried the camera, it was built like a tank my 5d3 didnt felt as solid anymore. size was not as big as people here tries to make it, it was just like a omd m1 with batterygrip and many users use one. alittle disapointed by the evf when i was shooting outdoors, for that price they should have made a better one. but i loved to use it in my home studio pretty neat to see the photo direclty in the viewfinder to see if the light was right and camera exposed right.

this camera was not for me, would never buy it but for those that are shooting in exreme conditions and want to save weight and stoorage in the backpack then this one might be the right camera for you (think body, wideangle and 300mm f4)

As I said in an earlier post way back, the Olympus EM1 Mark ll can create stunning detailed prints. The lenses are always tack sharp, the pro lenses extraordinary! A friend and I pitted his Nikon D800 80-400 against my Olympus EM 1 mark ll and inexpensive 75-300. Shots were made at a variety of focal lengths, iso 200, mirror up on the Nikon and silent mode on the EM1 ll. And I never use the high res mode myself, nor did I for for this test! Printed on smooth fine art paper at 20x30 from the Nikon and 22x30 from my Olympus, there was almost no difference, they were incredibly close! Certainly at a normal, relatively close viewing distance, no difference. I’ve worked years with the Nikons....D2x, D7000, 7200 and 7500..and now with my Olympus EM 1 Mark ll, so I have experience working with all of theses excellent cameras over the years. I don’t need to print at the sized the 36-100 mp sensors will go. I rarely ever shoot over 400 iso.

I think it would be useful for DPR to do an article or video on four thirds and micro four thirds. A bit of a retrospective and also explaining the benefits as well as the negatives of the format using real use cases.

I think DPR did an article in the past talking about different sensor formats, but an article or video on the micro four thirds format would be good. I believe Chris was using a GM5 for personal use at one point and Jordan regularly uses the GH5. It would be interesting though if they could also talk with pros who use the format but are not Oly or Panasonic ambassadors and therefore not got a vested interest.

Is this something DPR would consider doing?

99% of the numpties here complaining about m4/3 have never used the system. Welcome to DPR the place where ignorance makes you a self proclaimed expert.

This is a SPONSORED piece, right? So why is it not labeled as sponsored?

My first FT DSLR was the E300, yes a DSLR in FT mount and It took beautiful picture, IMO m43 is specially good for sport and wildlife, coz long lenses can be made much smaller and affordable, may be also good for macro too.

That question is like saying “Is this convicted criminal of internet fraud, the best person to do my website security?”

With image quality like a mobile phone.
no, it's not for me.

Sad to see so much but hurt on DPR these day's. Especially when a MFT product is the subject, the drama gets real and nasty. Apparently some noisy people in here are so sensitive that they can't stand if a camera or lens is announced that isn't made for them or doesn't suit there needs. Apparently we became a bunch of dramaqueens who can't handle that there is diversity among the products we can use as a tools for our hobby and feel this or that camera they have no interest in whatsoever penetrated there personal space and need to be exorcised.

Apparently we all became lazy, bad and wretched photographers who can't get a shot right if the sensor isn't 35mm (ff). We forgot about 100 years of basic photographic techniques and only care about the pixel count.

1/2

This reviewer attitude is like 2012 again.
Almost all points are just personal angst without logic.

Sad that DPR has dropped on such level.

@DPR: I am sure high count megapixel is good for selling cameras, but in real life, 20 mpx is already good enough for most.

Many superb and high quality big print has been produce for a relatively low count (10-24mpx) but are still wonderful for the eyes. Moreover, for this particular camera you get extra mpx using high-res shot...
Especially the IBIS on the EM-1MII was already amazing... And their are really build like tank, and specified IPX1 ..which you did not mention in the article..

Moreover, M43 features many great and really sharp lens (like the Zuiko 12-40 f2.8) making the whole system quiet appealing..

So let me get this right. A truly massive body around a truly tiny sensor!
Yes, definitely going in the right direction here Oly! 🤔🤨

Do you ever think Oly will run out of letters and numbers to call their models? It reminds me of the names of Harley motorcycle models!

Oh boy, CaNiSo must be in soooo much trouble for them to sponsor another article on "how bad" the EM1X is!
Meanwhile the heap of m43 users out there will just shake their heads at articles like this and keep taking superb photos while ignoring the film era size sensors (yes, that's what "full frame" means: 35mm film frame size!).
OK "m43 is dead" crowd, yell away.
Like, I care?

You gotta how love how hard Olympus, and its enabler, Dpreview, are doing their darndest to keep promoting the EM1X, and one favorite way is to conflate two separate concepts:

1) The old, and tired "m43 sensor is too small and not right for a professional camera" argument, which had no validity, and there is no comparison between, for example, a D810 and the EM1 Mark II.

2) The EM1X offers very little for being double the price, double the weight, an double the size, of the EM1 Mark II.

By conflating these two, they hope to get m43 fans on board the overlarge EM1x train.

But no. Concept 1 has no validity. But Concept 2 very much does.

M43 owners HAVE NO NEED to buy Olympus' proof of concepy monster. They should wait patiently, with their lenses, for the EM1 Mark iii.

The funniest part was that it's recommended for landscape photography.

I mean, not perfect. I guess perfect would be to get the sensor size even smaller, like cellphone size. Because, who wants a really large sensor when shooting landscape photography?

I love this body!!!

They forgot to attach a brick at the base for stability, grip and built like a tank feel. And of course no one needs to worry about sensor size as cellphones can also take photos!

Many too heavy/too big pansies in here. So be it.

IMO, this body is perfect size/weight with both grips. It was my dream to have body like this during Canon 1D days. 1D is (was) too big/bulky, some might say, but his puppy is just perfect in adult's hand.

3/4 deadd? not for me. Their bodies/glass/size to price beats all NikCanSonFuj crowd.

Have the EM1 MarkI,m4/3 is definitely not dead but why would I want an expensive 1KG brick? Waiting for a Mark III if it happens but it will need to be a decent upgrade or the MK1 dies.There are so many choices at this price point.The silly argument about weight flies out the window with this thing & so many of us aren't lugging a 600mm f4 or equivalent anywhere, the fans need to give it a rest.

It will become a shelf and dust collector. Olympus m43 is a dead end.

I already own this camera, it's called an E-M1 Mark II and it cost half the price, and it's also 1/2 the size and weight.

EM1X will be the ONLY ONE mirrorless flagship camera which is READY to go against the top DSLRs during next year's Olympics. It will be there, delivering pro coverage from the event that accepts only the best and the most proven. But what would moaners know about real life use?

EM1X is a technologically most advanced camera on the market today. Asking the photographically challenged what they think about it is the same futile endeavour as trying to educate a bunch of cavemen who dance around a bonfire about the benefits of high-voltage, low-current, high-frequency alternating-current electricity.

Is this olympus's last attempt at milking the m43 cow? After this round there will be skin and bones only left on the cow.

not at that price it isn't

Answering the question:
No. It's not right for me.
I invested heavily in Oly OMD M5 gear and was disappointed. I sold that gear and got penny's on the dollar.
but what's important is whether it will find new owners to buy. I hope they do.

Nope. M43 is dead.

HELL NO... small noisey sensor in a huge heavy body... simply can't compare to my D500. My D810 is smaller and has a sensor that's 3 times larger