Ergonomics and workmanship

In terms of appearance, the digital OM is indeed reminiscent of the analogue OM models from Olympus. Only the integrated handle breaks through the traditional design. One could say that the new OM-D looks like a kind of hermaphrodite between retrostyle and modernity. Design may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it has undeniable advantages. The handle gives a very comfortable secure hold and on the back the thumb finds space in a small hollow. The rubber coating of the magnesium housing does the rest for the slip resistance. For big hands the OM-D E-M1 may be a bit undersized, because the little finger can’t find a place on the handle anymore. However, a battery compartment can be screwed under the housing as an accessory, making the E-M1 “paw compatible” again. On the other hand, the small size of this camera is the convincing argument for many photo enthusiasts. Away from the heavy blocks and thick humming, towards the inconspicuous lightness. And if required, the battery compartment can be almost upgraded to the old size. But even without accessories the E-M1 sticks almost as well in the hand as the ergonomically perfect E-5 and even after a short familiarization the advantages of this camera concept outweigh.

Also the upper side awakens memories at a fleeting glance: The mode selector is very similar to the good old ISO switch and on the left side of the case you can even see a rewind crank for the film. Of course you don’t have to wind anything, the “crank” consists of two buttons for different series modes and the focus or exposure control. Somewhat unusually placed here is also the main switch, which is also a reminiscence of the OM cameras. Once you get used to it, the switch is perfect: solid and stable. The mode selector can be locked against inadvertent adjustment at the push of a button, whereby the lock can be switched on or off as required. This is a pretty ingenious solution to the annoying conflict between convenience and security. In addition to program, time and aperture automatic as well as manual setting, there are five other positions with different automatic, scene programs and effect filters. If you do not want to use effect filters or scene programs, you can assign different functions to each of these positions. By the way, in addition to the two function keys, almost every other switch can also be assigned individually.

The special highlight is the switch next to the eyepiece, which quickly assigns two new functions to the two setting wheels. In the delivery state, the aperture or exposure time (rear) and exposure compensation (front) are white balance and ISO sensitivity after switching. You rarely have all the relevant recording parameters under control so quickly – and without having to take the camera off your eye.

Although the OM-D E-M1 has neither a mirror nor a reversing prism, the typical viewfinder hump of a reflex camera rises above the lens. Under it hides an electronic viewfinder of the extra class, which alone is a weighty argument for the E-M1. In comparison to the E-5, the viewfinder image looks huge and thanks to the more than two million pixels it is still rich in detail and sharp. One quickly gets used to the clear, bright picture, so that even followers of the optical viewfinder forget all reservations. The flicker or noise that is otherwise often criticized in electronic viewfinders is only known to the Olympus viewfinder when it is very dark. In an optical viewfinder there would be nothing more to see anyway. This is of course a great advantage if, for example, the motif is to be targeted and focused in a dark pub scene. The viewfinder acts like a night vision device and makes the subject appear almost as bright as day. Of course, the viewfinder and display can also simulate the image result including exposure and color corrections or effects. The exit pupil lies quite far outside, so that also spectacle wearers keep the overview. In addition, a dipotria compensation can be set. Those who still doubt the electronic viewfinder should work with it for a day and then return to the optical viewfinder. Only then do you notice how quickly you get used to the comfort. By the way, the automatic switching between display and viewfinder works very quickly and is automatically deactivated when the display is unfolded. So unintentional switching is a thing of the past!

Those switching from the E-5 will miss the second memory card slot and most of all the side-mounted display. The E-M1’s display, which can only be folded up and down, has clear disadvantages, especially with portrait format photography close to the ground. On the other hand, this construction is more robust and less conspicuous in use, especially when portraits are made with the camera held in front of the belly. The possibility to configure the camera with direct pressure on the display or to determine the focus point and trigger it is a pleasure to take with you and in the picture show you can even wipe through the photos. Unfortunately, zooming in with two fingers is not possible, but you quickly get used to the comfort. There’s nothing to complain about in terms of sharpness, brightness and contrast, the display is among the best of its kind.

The OM-D E-M1 is excellent to operate. Not only can all relevant settings be made directly with the dedicated switches, the quick menu also provides an immediate overview and can even be operated at the touch of a finger. You only have to go to the menu at the beginning of your acquaintance, when all the necessary basic settings have to be made. Unfortunately this is exactly a problem, because the Olympus menus have always been a bit confusing, especially with a camera like the E-M1. Basically, almost everything can be configured on this camera and each switch can be individualized in its function. That this doesn’t work with a simple menu must be clear to anyone who wants this versatility. Therefore, before the first serious use, the handbook – by the way strangely translated in places (as evidenced in the comments by our readers of foreign languages) – must be consulted. The new OM-D requires induction! However, this is unnecessarily complicated by the fact that some menu items have been given different names from the manual (for example, flickering in the viewfinder is translated as “noise”) and others are sitting in the wrong place at practical discretion and are therefore not found in the first place. For example, the display and viewfinder can be configured separately, which is very commendable. But why does the viewfinder menu have to be so far away from the display menu? And why are there settings in the display menu that refer to the viewfinder? Such interdependent entries can also be found in other places, making it difficult to keep track of them. There is a wide field for optimization here.

However, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 is a pleasure to touch. All switches and buttons are very solid, the flaps for battery and memory card are sealed with rubber seals against splash water and dust, and the rubber covers of the electrical connections are additionally secured by the folding display. A small criticism of a camera of this class: Unfortunately, the tripod thread sits just under a centimeter beside the optical axis, but at least far enough away from the battery compartment, so that you can also reach it with the quick-release plate attached. This also seems to be necessary, because the power supply of the E-M1 is the same as on the E-M5. Of course it has advantages if accessories are compatible, but a larger battery would improve the professionalism of the E-M1. After all, in our test operation with a lot of trial and error, around two hundred recordings were possible, whereby the WiFi function in particular can be regarded as a power guzzler.

Equipment

In terms of programs, the E-M1 has pretty much everything that is possible. Program, aperture and aperture control are of course just as self-evident as manual exposure control. But even a fully automatic system, which would not actually have to be installed in cameras of this class, gives inexperienced photographers security. Simply set iAuto and leave the rest to the camera.

If more influence is desired, 20 scene programs can be selected. Interesting is the “starlight” mode, in which the E-M1 combines a series of 8 images into one low-noise image. This works fine, but cannot be configured. It would be nice to have a little more influence on the image style or the upper limit of the ISO sensitivity and the noise reduction, for example, but all this is fixed. The results look smoother and more noise-free but somewhat softer than would be possible with noise reduction alone. They are also warmer in artificial light. If you want to tickle out the last bit of detail resolution, let it rustle a bit. The classic modes P, A, S and M can be intervened in the most far-reaching way. Six image styles can be used to create images with richer or paler colors, black and white, or with optimized skin tones. Each style can be individually adjusted in sharpness, contrast, saturation and gradation or you can create your own seventh style.

In addition, the now twelve art filters and further options invite you to extensive experiments. Two new functions stand out from the mass of possibilities: Firstly, the “color designer”, with which you can influence saturation and color character with the two dials and evaluate the result in real time on the monitor. We liked the “Bright Light/Shadow Correction” even better, in which the bright or dark areas of the image can also be emphasized or dampened directly in the gradation curve with the wheels. Such extensive tonal value corrections already during the recording are powerful tools in the hands of the experienced photographer. Also useful is the spirit level, which sensitively indicates both horizontal and vertical inclination. Histogram, over- and underexposure warning, different grids, and the currently set focal length is also displayed.

What is lacking in terms of equipment? A built-in flash. However, Olympus comes with a mini flash, which first has to be scribbled onto the camera. Although it is a little weak in my opinion, it is still completely sufficient for many situations. The illumination is halfway okay and the 12-50 mm kit zoom doesn’t cast a shadow, but the powerful FT lenses should be used without a sun visor. The flash has all the usual functions such as brightening up to 1/320 second, long-term synchronization to the first or second shutter curtain and manual control. It also conducts remote-capable system flashes wirelessly. The accessory shoe also takes any other flash and studio photographers will appreciate the FX contact on the camera body.

Olympus has still not managed to integrate a usable panorama mode into the camera. There is still only one frame as an alignment aid. However, the panorama must be mounted on the computer with suitable software. After all, the camera now understands HDR recordings. Two different modes can be selected, one moderate and one slightly stronger. There is no fine-tuning, but the results are quite impressive. The Olympus is much more flexible when it comes to exposure series. Series with EV 0.3, EV 0.7 and a light value difference can consist of two, three, five or seven shots. In addition to exposure bracketing, white balance, ISO and flash can also be varied and for the undecided, there is art bracketing, in which the same subject is captured one after the other with all twelve effects. In series mode, the E-M1 goes really fast to the point. Not only does it record a good 10 frames per second, the buffer memory packs an enormous 43 JPG files or 35 raws before the speed of the memory card limits the action to around 2 frames per second. At this speed, the focus of the first shot is frozen. With focus tracking, the E-M1 produces around 6 frames per second, although depending on the photographer’s situation and experience, not every image is a hit.

The high speed of the serial shot is complemented by its counterpart, the interval shot. With the E-M1, it is possible to automatically record up to 999 shots, and the pause between shots can be set in very wide ranges. On request, the E-M1 calculates a time-lapse video from the image series.

Of course, the OM-D can also handle normal video recordings with the now common 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and 30 frames per second in MPEG-4 format and the H.264 codec or with 1,280 x 720 pixels as motion JPEG. The quality is excellent and the 12-50 mm kit zoom results in an interesting combination: the motor of the zoom lens moves smoothly and almost inaudibly through the entire range for the microphone. The sharpness is adjusted, but not always fast enough, and the autofocus pumps every now and then. The otherwise somewhat noisy image stabilizer behaves much more quietly but just as effectively in video mode. The sound cannot be levelled manually, only three control stages are available for the automatic mode. To improve the sound quality, a microphone can be connected to the E-M1 via a jack socket.

The WLAN capability of Olympus cameras has not been completely new since the E-P5. However, the E-M1 goes a significant step further than her Pen colleague. If it is connected to a smartphone or tablet PC, the Olympus app can be used to take photos not only in iAuto mode, but also in P, A, S and M modes. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance can be set directly on the mobile device. Focusing and triggering is done with a fingertip on the display. The saved photos can be browsed or transferred directly to the smartphone. Conversely, the phone’s geoinformation can be assigned to the image files using the timestamp. This comfortable way of remote control in combination with the “Live-Bulb” function offers special possibilities: While the camera takes night shots outside, the photographer can comfortably follow the exposure on the display of his smartphone from the armchair of the warm living room and stop it when the correct brightness is reached. If this isn’t progress……!

Even the subject of post-processing in the camera is a big issue with the E-M1. Especially on raw files, image size, image style and type filter, white balance, exposure correction, gradation of quarters and three-quarter tones, aspect ratio, noise reduction (translated as “noise filter” in the menu as informed by some of our readers who speak freign languages) and the color space can be applied later for the “development” of a JPEG.

Lens

The Micro-Four-Thirds system is now well equipped with lenses. Not only Olympus supplies a wide range of high-quality lenses, Panasonic also has some interesting lenses on offer. In addition, the lenses that were actually designed for Olympus SLR cameras can be used with adapters. However, these cameras had the disadvantage of working only very slowly with the contrast autofocus of the mirrorless cameras. This is exactly what the new OM-D E-M1 is intended to change. Phase contrast detectors are integrated on their sensor, which should now also drive the Four-Thirds lenses quickly. We tested this extensively with the three Four-Thirds lenses 7-14 mm, 12-60 mm and 50-200 mm SWD, which are popular because of their excellent image quality. So much in advance: Olympus does not make empty promises regarding the support of these optics. Only a few special features have to be taken into account. It helps the autofocus tremendously if the object to be focused on is completely captured by the sensor field and not focused on edges, as is usual with DSLRs. If you take this tip to heart, you will be able to focus perfectly.

Olympus lenses do not have an image stabilizer because it is integrated in the camera body. This has the enormous advantage that without exception all lenses can be stabilized, even those of other manufacturers or even from analog time. The stabiliser built into the E-M1 swivels the sensor to compensate for camera movements so perfectly that even half a second of camera shake could be kept at a wide angle. Of course these values are very individual, but it can be said that the Stabi of the OM-D-E-M1 is one of the best on the market.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 12-50 mm 1:3,5 -6,3 EZ supplied with our test camera is an old acquaintance. Already on the OM-D E-M5 it was the standard zoom. A little dim, but quite compact and with the motorzoom perfect for the videographer. It also has a macro setting and an additional function key. As a native MFT lens, it supports the contrast AF of the E-M1 and focuses as quickly and silently as ever. Focusing and triggering via the touch screen is also supported and the AF frame can be positioned almost anywhere on the image. A total of 81 focus fields are available. If one of the bulky SLR lenses is connected, the new OM-D detects this and automatically activates the phase detectors, 37 of which are distributed over the sensor. The photographer doesn’t really notice anything about it, only that the viewfinder now displays other focus fields. In our experience, focusing is safest with the small AF fields. At 12-60 mm 2,8-4,0 the following behaviour can be observed: Usually the sharpness sits exactly with the first attempt. Sometimes, especially in poor lighting conditions and unclear structures, the focus jumps back and forth a bit before it has found the right position, and the camera rarely gives up unsuccessfully. That’s half as bad, because further pressure on the trigger starts a new attempt, which then usually leads immediately to the goal. The AF behavior of the telephoto zoom is somewhat slower and somewhat less successful in difficult situations, but in principle the same: The combination of E-M1 and FT lens stutters quickly to the correct sharpness.

The 7-14 mm 1:4.0 looks a bit different. The extreme wide-angle zoom on the E-5 was significantly slower than the other two lenses, and this doesn’t change with the E-M1 either. Only that here more pumps can be observed and due to the slower motor the sharpness is not started but started. The following applies to all lenses: if the focus is seated, the subjective feeling is that it is even more accurate and secure than on the E-5. The probability of a wrong focus is also lower because the sensors are mounted directly in the image plane and no tolerances of auxiliary mirrors play into it. Nevertheless, the menu offers extensive possibilities for adjustment.

With continuous autofocus or even AF with object tracking, the FT lenses struggle with some nagging, but are quite successful. Only the kit zoom solves this task in a really elegant way. At least during moderate movements, the sharpness sticks to the subject quickly and quietly. In video mode, the autofocus only works with MFT lenses, the phase AF is deactivated. With both AF modules, the choice of the measuring point can be left to the camera or you can use the arrow keys to quickly select the measuring point yourself. The face recognition works very reliably with all lenses and will surely also find followers among the professionals. If the face appears large enough, the E-M1 even detects eyes and focuses on the eye closest to the left, right, or camera. A very helpful thing for social photographers. With all focus methods, the photographer can intervene in the focus at any time, and the viewfinder or display can show the focus point at up to 14x magnification if desired. The E-M1 is also capable of focus peaking, highlighting sharp edges either white or black. When it gets very dark, a bright, orange-red auxiliary light can help the autofocus to jump, but this is usually not necessary and at least in the case of photos of people rather disturbs.

Picture quality

Actually, the signal processing in the E-M1 depends on the connected lens, so that depending on the state of the optical correction more or less software is used to help. With the M Zuiko Digital 12-50 mm 1:3.5 -6.3 EZ this seems to have a positive effect at least with regard to chromatic aberration. Compared to the E-M5, the size of the color fringes is almost halved. The kit zoom otherwise shows similar results as on the E-M5. The resolution is a good 40 to 45 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm) over the entire focal length range in the center of the image, but this is only achieved at aperture 8 at the long end. Despite the software correction, the chromatic aberration reduces this good result, especially at the edge. In extreme cases, the color fringes become visible to critical eyes in wide angle to the edge with more than 2.5 pixels. The distortion there is also too strong for architectural shots, with over two percent tonne distortion. Nevertheless, there is a lot to be said for this lens: It is very compact and light, in practical use the image weaknesses are hardly noticeable and for video filmmakers the motor zoom is ingenious. As a bonus there is the really usable macro mode and all this at an unbeatable price.

If you want to get more out of the OM-D, you need premium lenses. The 50s macro is still considered a reference in the FT world, which it impressively confirms in the laboratory. Consistently high resolution of over 50 lp/mm up to the edge, no significant color fringes or edge darkening, no distortion. At aperture 2.8 the maximum resolution of almost 57 lp/mm is reached, at F11 diffraction limits the high level. The old 14-54 mm II also has a surprisingly good resolution, delivering a record-breaking 65 lp/mm at the short end, at least in the middle of the picture, but breaking down significantly towards the edge. At the long end the resolution reaches almost 40 lp/mm. Edge darkening and distortion are no problem, overall the image quality is at a high level.

When it comes to signal processing, the E-M1 behaves similarly to its little sister. The signal-to-noise ratio starts at well over 40 dB, then decreases linearly with increasing sensitivity to fall below the 35 dB mark at ISO 1.600. Nevertheless, in practice one more sensitivity level can be used without worries, without disturbing influences taking over. The reproduction of the finest details is also good up to ISO 3,200, the brightness noise inconspicuous and color noise no problem. Only the grain size achieves a certain visibility with an average size of 2.5 pixels. In the picture the grain appears slightly cloudy, without sharp edges.

The E-M1 impresses with its enormous input dynamics of 11 f-stops. Only above ISO 6.400 does it lose an aperture with each sensitivity level. The tonal value transmission is very high-contrast up to the “Low” level (corresponds to ISO 100) and well suited for immediate use. With its colour fidelity, the E-M1 is very accurate even at the highest ISO levels, only reds are slightly more saturated than in reality. The white balance is very reliable, as is the exposure. The OM-D shines with the kit lens during the release delay. It never takes more than 0.2 seconds to shoot, including focusing. Only the 14-54 mm zoom optimized for the phase contrast didn’t want to make our test chart really sharp and took a long time of 0.5 to 0.6 seconds.

Bottom line

With the OM-D E-M1, Olympus has designed a worthy successor to the legendary E-5. The viewfinder alone, which is in no way inferior in size to so-called “full-frame cameras”, but shows much more detail in dark subjects, is a force. In addition, the E-M1 delivers a performance that is second to none in terms of both autofocus and continuous shooting speed. The image quality is also on top level, especially in bad lighting conditions the E-5 is topping by lengths. Not even cameras with APS-C sensors show better results here. And for those switching from the Olympus SLR system, it is a value-preserving offer, because the outstanding FT lenses work very well together with the E-M1, even though some familiarization with the working method is necessary. The equipment also leaves little to be desired, perhaps the panorama mode or the more flexible display of the E-5. The somewhat undersized battery is certainly also a concession to the camera’s small dimensions and you shouldn’t compare the E-M1 to a Nikon D4 in this respect. For the weight and money saved on the camera system, you can carry a lot of spare batteries with you.