banjoboy Loc: Austin, TX

I moved from a Nikon D7100 to the EM1 in October, picking up on the $1300 combo with the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens with the intention of eventually moving to the EM1 Mk II. I was surprised by the quality of the images, although they are not as good as the Nikon in low light. Focus was never an issue except in low light, but then the Nikon could have trouble there too. The only issue I had with the EVF was the "choppiness" (refresh rate, I guess) when following a moving subject - something I don't do very often. I was very pleased with it since it fulfilled my "lower weight/smaller size" objectives. I ended up jumping to the MK II earlier than expected, but it wasn't because I didn't like the EM1 - in fact, it was that experience that convinced me I could live with M43 and the Olympus.

Comment on an earlier post in this thread - the "preview" lag can be decreased or eliminated by changing a setting in the menus. Those menus are where you will spend your time learning the Olympus. On the plus side, you can reconfigure almost all the buttons and switches so that it becomes your camera, with every function exactly where you want it.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I shoot with two Olympus cameras, the EPL-1 and the EP-5. Both are very good with the technological advances going to the EP-5 which is a more modern camera.
The EM-1 I have read is a very good body. There have been issues with the viewfinder that I am not aware of so I cannot make any comments in that respect. The images I have seen from it and I have seen many are impressive when good glass was used.
If you are going to buy the camera I recommend that you contact Olympus America and ask them about those issues and what type of support could you get from them if you happen to buy a body that have them.

redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

In regards to the Olympus camera here are some reviews. Pay particular attention to auto focus speed etc.http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2424796,00.asp They rate it higher than the Fuji xtI and it cost much less. No I do not have a mirrorless camera and am satisfied with my canon t4i and canon 70d .!!

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Well said and so true!! I have been there/done that.

stevebein

I have had gallery images blown up to 30x45 from my E-M1. I took some low light images at an overnight Religious Ceremony in Lalibela, Ethiopia. With 2 bodies, 5 lenses ( 3 zooms and two low light primes, two flashes, 7 batteries, filters and all in a fanny pack. The weight of the system was only 10 1/2 pounds. When walking around it was very easy. I also used a double rapid strap to hold both bodies with different lenses attached to prevent changing lenses in the dusty situations. I have not tried the Mk II, but considering the success with the E-M1, I would not hesitate recommending it. I am in the process of selling out much of my Canon Equipment which weighed over 45 pounds for the equivalent system. The E-M1 is not as easy to use for low light situations. I have not tried it with star shots at night. If you learn it well, you will be very happy with it. All equipment requires compromises, so chose. Someone will always say this or that is bad, and others will say this or that is good, adn that means with any brand or system. So make a choice and enjoy. With the E-M1 MK II, there have been reports of some issues going into smaller apertures above F6, so if interested with that , then do some more research. Good luck with your choices.

choiahn

They are gorgeous images taken by both Nikon and Olympus. Thanks for sharing.

choiahn

Thanks for sharing your experience.

choiahn

Thanks for your recommendation.

billgrolz

I currently own the MD 1 mark ll. The shutter lag problem is gone. That is the reason I sold the OMD 5 mark ll. The quality of the pictures are excellent. And 18 frames a second in continously mode is great for the birders and sports photographers.

rcdovala

Have you considered the Oly E-M5 MK II? It is a very capable camera with a very high resolution EVF. And it is within your budget.

CaptainBobBrown

My EM-1 acquired "green splotch" disease in the EVF fairly quickly and so did the replacement EVF installed under warranty by Olympus. Now I only use it in Live View mode for macro work. The OLED green splotches make the EVF useless for wildlife and the EVF itself is too slow and grainy for small bird photography which I do a lot of. It is a good camera for portrait and landscape photography and the Zuicko lenses are high quality. Just don't bother trying to use the EM-1 for exacting work with wildlife. There aren't any super telephoto lenses for MFT cameras anyway.

father christmas Loc: Goodlettsville, Tennessee

I am sure that those here that have OM-D cameras and other mirrorless cameras are in another forum and you might get more answers there also. Google Mu-43

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Shamless plug...I'm selling mine. PM if interested

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-434913-1.html

Mine has been trouble free since November 2013.

Jerry Coupe Loc: Kent, WA

I have been using the OMD I Mark II for about four days (rented from Lens Rental) as I am thinking of moving from my Canon 5D MK II gear. After the first couple of shots with the Olympus, I didn't pay much attention to the EVF and didn't notice any lag with the shutter.

I may have suffered through a number of years with 5D II that didn't seem as sharp as it should be, even when I micro adjusted the 24-70 f2.8 L and the 70-200 f2.8 L II USM lenses.

My experience over four days with the Olympus OMD I MK II has been very good. I think images taken both hand held and on a very good tripod and Arca Swill ball head are as good or better than the majority of my 5D MK II images. Along with the body, I rented the 12-100 mm f4 and the 300 mm f4. I like both of these lenses. I found the 300 was great shooting swans and snow geese in Western Washington last Thursday and Friday. The 2x crop factor is a plus there and I think the images are better than my Canon 300 f2.8 with a 2x TC to get to 600mm. All of this is my opinion only.

It is probable that lab test would dispute this and someone with far more experience and critical eye, would beg to differ, but I am about committed to selling my Canon gear and buying OMD I Mark II gear. I have bad shoulder from a cycling accident and the lighter gear is a real plus. After a year recovery from the shoulder surgery I can rarely shoot the full frame unless it is on a tripod.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

I've never heard of the "green splotch" problem before. I certainly don't have that problem with mine. I am quite fond of my E-M1. The only difficulty I had is that the body is just a bit small for my hands so my pinky on my right hand was always sliding under the body which meant I was really only holding the camera with two fingers much of the time. A battery grip fixed that problem. I find the EVF quite easy to work with but I find that reviewing pictures through the EVF you really can't do so at greater than 7X or the image breaks down quite badly.
I'm not sure what "exacting" work with wildlife means but the attached puffin picture was taken with the E-M1 and the 40-150 f2.8 lens. I do know that I would have never been able to get my old D800 and 300mm f2.8 lens into the location from which this picture was taken.
What do you consider "super telephoto" lenses? The second picture was taken with a Panasonic GX8 and the 100-400mm lens (FOV 800mm).

Atlantic Puffin

(Download)

Kittiwake with chicks

(Download)