I went to the EM1x Launch Event held at the CameraMall in Ann Arbor last night. Nice event complete with wine and cheese.
They had 6-8 or so bodies out for handling along with four knowledgable people from Olympus to answer questions. They had the cameras mounted with a selection of different lenses including the 12-100/4, 17/1.2, 25/1.2, 45/1.2, a couple with the 60 mm, and maybe a few more. There a short program and a couple of short videos to watch including one from Joe Edelman. Nice but nothing you haven't seen before.
Overall, the body feels great in my rather large hands. It feels pretty light, too. Frankly, I think the ergonomics are improved by a little more spacing on the buttons. The menu system is still a mess (though the feature forward). The dual joysticks are perfectly placed and intuitive. The custom buttons on the front are nicely placed.
I dragged along a bag of older FT lenses to try. The 150/2 is dynamite on the EM1x. It's more comfortable to use on the bigger body, focuses well, and is going to be a very usable match. They really should come out with that lens again with an updated focus motor ... it would be an amazing combo for youth sports, weddings, etc.
My old 7-14/4 seemed to work fine.
I also tried the old FT 50/2 macro. It would still hunt when trying to shoot at scale, and focus bracketing was greyed out on the menu. But that old lens has never worked so well from about 3 feet and out. One of the Olympus guys went out of his way to say the 50/2 is still a good optical performer.
Another gentleman brought along 14-35/2 and the 35-100/2 which also paired nicely with the EM1x. The old FT lenses are not up to the speed of the newer but otherwise have never worked better.
For me, the 60mm macro was a minor revelation. It looks a little silly on the bigger body, but is straightforward to use and is pretty sweet with focus stacking.
They did have a deal if you ordered at the show. The deal included two extra batteries (total of four), a dual battery charger, and an additional 2 years of Olympus warranty (total of three years). That sealed the deal for me so I order a copy.
I'm still wrestling with what lenses to add to the kit. I have the 300/4, 12-40/2.8 pro, and some of the f/1.8 primes. I tried out the 40-150/2.8 pro and the 12-100/4 pro. Either would be a sweet addition. The 12-100 would likely be on the camera 90% of the time, but gives up a stop and a little on the long end.
Right now I'm thinking of adding the 12-100/4 for most shooting, and the 17/1.2 to cover lower light settings.
