Olympus OM-D E-M1X review
The Olympus OM-D E-M1X is a dual-grip Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera aimed at pro sports and action photographers. It's designed to be rugged, durable, fast and capable, and has a price tag to match that ambition.
The EM1X uses fast readout and fast processing both to provide high-level AF performance and fast burst shooting as well as a range of novel modes and features. It also promises new levels of performance in terms of weather resistance.
Key Specifications
- 20MP Four Thirds sensor
- 121-point autofocus system with deep learning-based subject recognition
- Hand-held high-res shot mode
- Up to 60 fps Raw + JPEG capture (up to 18 fps with autofocus)
- Pro Capture mode records frames before you hit the shutter
- Up 7.5EV of image stabilization (CIPA-rating) with supported lenses
- 'Live ND' multi-shot mode simulates ND filters
- Large 2.36M-dot LCD viewfinder able to work at up to 120 fps
- Dual BLH-1 batteries giving 870 shots per charge (CIPA)
- Dual UHS-II SD memory card slots
- Extensive direct control, dual AF joysticks, articulating touchscreen
- UHD 4K/30p video and DCI 24p at up to 237Mbps
- Extensive, IPX1-rated weather sealing
- USB charging
To a degree the E-M1X resembles a twin-grip E-M1 II with more powerful processors and two batteries. What makes the camera interesting is what it does with that extra power.
The E-M1X is sold body only at an MSRP of $2999, CAN $3899, €2999 and £2799.
What's new and how it compares
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The E-M1X brings improved AF, a hand-held high res mode and Live ND as the headline updates.
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Body and Handling
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The E-M1X is the first Olympus digital camera to offer the dual-grip design favored by pro sports cameras. It's also one of the few to receive a formal rating of its environmental sealing.
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Controls and Operation
Is the E-M1X right for you?
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The E-M1X's primary use cases are sports, action and wildlife photography. But that doesn't mean the camera isn't fit for other disciplines.
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Shooting Experience 1
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Carey Rose was impressed by the performance of the E-M1X at a pre-launch shooting event, but there are some things he'd like to see improved.
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Shooting experience 2
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When it comes to tennis, the E-M1X is faster than a Nikon D5, but its autofocus is less reliable.
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Image quality
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The E-M1X likely uses the same sensor as the E-M1 II and image quality is top notch for a Four Thirds chip.
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Autofocus
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The E-M1X offers impressively sticky AF tracking. However, AF-C performance falls behind the competition.
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Performance
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Two processors give the E-M1X a decent amount of buffer depth. They also play a part in the camera's stabilization, which is on par with the E-M1 II, but behind the Panasonic G9.
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Video
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Video quality doesn't blow us away, but the E-M1X just might have the smoothest in-camera video image stabilization around, but it comes with a slight crop.
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Conclusion
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After all our testing and real world shooting, here's the final takeaway.
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Sample gallery
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We've spent a ton of time shooting with the E-M1X, here's all our samples, including Raw conversions.
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Jun 14, 2017
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Apr 22, 2020
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May 30, 2017
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Jan 15, 2021
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A new firmware update adds bird detection autofocus to the E-M1X and, oh boy, it finds all the birds. The E-M1X and E-M1 Mark III also get ProRes Raw video recording, but does it meet Jordan's standards?
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