Anyone upgraded from E-M1 to E-M1 Mk II ?

Idlefrog

Idlefrog

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Andrew
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Currently I have an E-M1 with the 7-14, 12-40 & 15-150 pro lenses plus the 60 macro lens. I also have a Canon 6D with 3 L lenses. The Canon hardly gets used as I like the handling of the E-M1 much better even though there is a small dip in image quality.

I am thinking of selling/trading in all my Canon kit and using the proceeds to get an E-M1 Mk II body, but I could get new lenses instead. I won't make much use of the extra speed of the Mk II and I rarely shoot video. Mostly it will be used for stills of inanimate objects e.g. landscapes, buildings, macro but occasionally will photograph the dog running. The Hi Res mode will be great for landscapes on still days and the improved IBIS will be useful too.

If anyone here has made this switch, could you tell me if you have seen any improvement in image quality over the E-M1 at the same settings. Is there still very fine noise at base ISO? Are you pleased with your upgrade?

Has anyone bought the 12-100 F4 and used it on the E-M1? How does it compare to the 12-40 F2.8? I could get that lens and put it on the E-M1 and wait for prices to come down on the Mk II.

Another option I have been mulling over is getting the Fuji X-T2 with the kit 18-55 which is £200 cheaper that the E-M! Mk II body. It seems a great camera from all the reviews and I like the Fuji colours. Has anyone made this switch? I am worried about the lack of IBIS in the X-T2 and that the raw files don't process so well in Lightroom. I know the X-T2 is better at higher ISO, but the IBIS on the E-M1 often means you don't need high ISO for static subjects. Also the grip on the E-M1 suits my hands better.

I am interested in your experiences and opinions.

Thanks

Andrew
 
I will upgrade when I have something to upgrade for (i.e. this year's big trip/holiday - hopefully the price will have dropped a little by then) but I have been keeping up with all the news.

Essentially you will get better noise handling - up to a stop - and it is much better for long exposures if astro is your thing but lets be honest, if low noise is your bag then m43 isn't really the right place to be. That said, apparently using ISO64 results in a very clean image (of course you have to be careful of the highlights) and with the higher resolution the base noise is less apparent.

AF is much improved, handy if moving things are your thing.

From what I've read the 12-100 is optically as good as the 12-40 but of course it is f/4 and much bigger but does have the 6-stop sync-IS (!!!) - up to you really but a very good lens.

I often used to get GAS for Fuji kit but every time I would go and handle one it put me right off, didn't like them at all (they say Oly menus are bad?!) so before switching do try to use one.

As you, I am heavily invested in m43 lenses so sticking with m43 is sensible, whilst expensive the EM1ii is a total upgrade from the mk1 with some truly amazing features (pro-capture looks amazing) so I will upgrade, for me it is the better AF that swings it but all in all it is pimped up in every way. Besides, the pro lenses are just amazing.

edit: by the way, I think only one forum member has bought the mk2, watch this thread for more: https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...-2-owners-thread.395080/page-229#post-7696981
 
There's a few folk with the Mark II on the Olly forum but I think folk are waiting for RAW compatibility in LR before doing comparisons. Initial reaction is that noise handling is slightly better, but long exposure is noticeably better.

I had the hi-res mode on the EM5-II, used it once to try it then never used it again. I don't need 40MP images and the file size that comes with them ;)

If you're not going to take advantage of the autofocus system it's a big outlay to swap. TBH it's a big outlay even if you do. EM1's are getting around £300-350 on trade in, and Mark IIs are £1850, that's a £1500 difference :eek:
 
Good review, although it's a shame ISO handling was using jpegs rather than RAW.
 
Doesn't seem to be as positive about the mk2's AF ability as other reviews ( unless they were paid ) - not that that's a bad thing if its honest of course
 
Yeah, for me a flagship camera needs to be at least as good as the current market IMO, and the suggestion that it falls short of the XT2 and A6300 in terms of AF is disappointing, especially considering the premium they want for it. Yes it might have a few nice features but you want the fundamentals of a camera right first.
 
My Mark ii arrives Tuesday, I know I've taken a big risk in buying it but the offer was too good to ignore.
The images I've obtained using the 300 F4 on the Mark 1 have been more than excellent but limited due to the AF on that body.
If the AF isn't a great improvement I will be very disappointed particularly on fast moving targets like birds in flight but the reviews I've seen thus far seem to indicate that I will be happy .
If all goes well there will be no reason to keep my glorious 1DX and Sigma 150-600C. I accept that there will be a limitation as far as high ISO is concerned but I hope it will be compensated for in other areas.
 
footman said:
My Mark ii arrives Tuesday, I know I've taken a big risk in buying it but the offer was too good to ignore.
The images I've obtained using the 300 F4 on the Mark 1 have been more than excellent but limited due to the AF on that body.
If the AF isn't a great improvement I will be very disappointed particularly on fast moving targets like birds in flight but the reviews I've seen thus far seem to indicate that I will be happy .
If all goes well there will be no reason to keep my glorious 1DX and Sigma 150-600C. I accept that there will be a limitation as far as high ISO is concerned but I hope it will be compensated for in other areas.
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Do you have any examples pics with the 300mm please?
 
snerkler said:
There's a few folk with the Mark II on the Olly forum but I think folk are waiting for RAW compatibility in LR before doing comparisons. Initial reaction is that noise handling is slightly better, but long exposure is noticeably better.

I had the hi-res mode on the EM5-II, used it once to try it then never used it again. I don't need 40MP images and the file size that comes with them ;)

If you're not going to take advantage of the autofocus system it's a big outlay to swap. TBH it's a big outlay even if you do. EM1's are getting around £300-350 on trade in, and Mark IIs are £1850, that's a £1500 difference :eek:
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LR already has RAW compatibility for the Mark II if youy upgrade to 6.8
 
Thanks for your replies. I am sure I would be happy with the New EM1 given I have been happy with the old one. All the improvements will make it an overall better camera even if I don't use all the features. The price is steep though. I did look at the Pen F but I found it uncomfortable to hold because the filters knob on the front was knurled and rubbed my finger. Also the tripod hole is in a daft position. May be a grip would sort both the issues out.

I love the quality of the 300mm shots above. That is some lens. I wouldn't use it enough to be worth me getting one though. My 40-150 is my least used lens.

The Fuji still appeals to me but there always seems to be loads for sale in the classified section of the forum which gives me the impression people buy Fuji the ditch it; or are there lots of Fuji owners and correspondingly more Fuji sales?
 
Idlefrog said:
Thanks for your replies. I am sure I would be happy with the New EM1 given I have been happy with the old one. All the improvements will make it an overall better camera even if I don't use all the features. The price is steep though. I did look at the Pen F but I found it uncomfortable to hold because the filters knob on the front was knurled and rubbed my finger. Also the tripod hole is in a daft position. May be a grip would sort both the issues out.

I love the quality of the 300mm shots above. That is some lens. I wouldn't use it enough to be worth me getting one though. My 40-150 is my least used lens.

The Fuji still appeals to me but there always seems to be loads for sale in the classified section of the forum which gives me the impression people buy Fuji the ditch it; or are there lots of Fuji owners and correspondingly more Fuji sales?
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I looked at the Pen F and IMO it's one of the nicest looking cameras on the market. However, ergonomically and function wise it's not the best, and it's not great having a smaller VF. For me the OMD are better cameras to use. YMMV

I just sold my Fuji gear for one reason, watercolour/painterly effect in some situations with Landscapes. It's a shame as the XT1 is such a nice camera to use, and 95%+ of the time there's no issue, but when there is it's extremely annoying and disappointing. On very rare occasions you can get quite waxy looking skin too. Unfortunately there's no way (yet) to predict it. Apparently it used to be worse until Adobe changed their algorithm, and other softwares can handle x-trans better. But I tried about 7 or 8 different ones and it was present with all, and was present in the jpeg too. People say it only affect pixel peepers but I don't pixel peep unless I see an issue that I want to look at more closely, so can see it in normal viewing. Rocks are the worst IMO which is not good when I live in the Peak District ;) Also, when shooting landscapes things in the far distant don't look great.

I must repeat that it's in frequent and for the rest of the time thevFuji files are superb.

That being said I was always happy with the images I got with my ollies, plus they are consistent and hence my return.
 
Well, I have gone for it and ordered a mark II from WEX; it should arrive tomorrow afternoon. Typically the weather looks crap for the days to come but I guess that will test the weatherproofing.
 
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Idlefrog said:
Well, I have gone for it and ordered a mark II from WEX; it should arrive tomorrow afternoon. Typically the weather looks crap for the days to come but I guess that will test the weatherproofing.
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What, you think you'd have cracked the menus before March? (joke):)
Mine comes today as well, hope you have a great time with yours.
 
sorry about that, i only saw it late last night but your order was already in :(
 
I was lucky enough to get £1450 one from Aperture, looks as new. According to them the 1st owner was well known for buying cameras and selling them on very quickly. They also have a Leica recently bought by him.
I must say that my initial impression on handling is very good but for someone new to Olympus m4/3 the menus must seem daunting.
 
I moved from the E-M1 to Fuji at the end of 2014, and now have the X-T2. Like you, I mainly shoot inanimate objects and never people. I do prefer the Fuji. It's easier to get what I want from the raw files (it's a myth that LR is rubbish on Fuji) and since my zoom lenses have OIS that's not a problem. But one of the main reasons for moving was the physical controls on the Fuji. With Olympus I could never remember what function I'd assigned to which button. I had been with Olympus for over 8 years and was a mod on a UK Oly forum.
 
Stephen L said:
I moved from the E-M1 to Fuji at the end of 2014, and now have the X-T2. Like you, I mainly shoot inanimate objects and never people. I do prefer the Fuji. It's easier to get what I want from the raw files (it's a myth that LR is rubbish on Fuji) and since my zoom lenses have OIS that's not a problem. But one of the main reasons for moving was the physical controls on the Fuji. With Olympus I could never remember what function I'd assigned to which button. I had been with Olympus for over 8 years and was a mod on a UK Oly forum.
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LR used to be bad, but a couple of years ago they changed the algorithms and since then has been a lot better. However, it still struggles now and again and you can get weird effects. I've only noticed it with landscapes, rocks in particularly, and this is the reason that I reason sold my Fuji in favour of Olympus. Irident is slightly better, but as a piece of software is horrible to use imo, and does not completely get rid of the artefacts. I tried about 7 or 8 different pieces of software and none solve it. For the rest of my shots I was more than happy with the Fuji though. However, on another forum a member showed me pics from a recent studio shoot that they were most unhappy with as the skin of the model looked very waxy to say the least. He tried different software and different sharpening techniques but none solved it. I saw them and have to say they were pretty bad.

So it's not a myth, it's just not present on the majority of images. Why it does happen with some god only knows :confused:
 
snerkler said:
LR used to be bad, but a couple of years ago they changed the algorithms and since then has been a lot better. However, it still struggles now and again and you can get weird effects. I've only noticed it with landscapes, rocks in particularly, and this is the reason that I reason sold my Fuji in favour of Olympus. Irident is slightly better, but as a piece of software is horrible to use imo, and does not completely get rid of the artefacts. I tried about 7 or 8 different pieces of software and none solve it. For the rest of my shots I was more than happy with the Fuji though. However, on another forum a member showed me pics from a recent studio shoot that they were most unhappy with as the skin of the model looked very waxy to say the least. He tried different software and different sharpening techniques but none solved it. I saw them and have to say they were pretty bad.

So it's not a myth, it's just not present on the majority of images. Why it does happen with some god only knows :confused:
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I know that plenty people have the issues you describe. However, I have never experienced or seen it (or perhaps don't know what I'm looking for). Yes, Iridient can produce more detailed results sometimes, but I agree the interface is counter-intuitive.
I never shoot people so maybe that's why I don't see waxy skin.
Personally I could never get Olympus files to give me the colours I wanted in landscapes.
 
Stephen L said:
I know that plenty people have the issues you describe. However, I have never experienced or seen it (or perhaps don't know what I'm looking for). Yes, Iridient can produce more detailed results sometimes, but I agree the interface is counter-intuitive.
I never shoot people so maybe that's why I don't see waxy skin.
Personally I could never get Olympus files to give me the colours I wanted in landscapes.
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And that's why there's no one camera for everyone (y) I found Fuji colours were great for people and cities etc, but never thought they gave natural landscape colours, especially the skies. Just shows how we all see things differently (y)
 
[QUOTE="Idlefrog, post: 7698064, member: 58500]

The Fuji still appeals to me but there always seems to be loads for sale in the classified section of the forum which gives me the impression people buy Fuji the ditch it; or are there lots of Fuji owners and correspondingly more Fuji sales?[/QUOTE]

I have noticed that as well. But there are a lot of Fuji followers,
 
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snerkler said:
And that's why there's no one camera for everyone (y) I found Fuji colours were great for people and cities etc, but never thought they gave natural landscape colours, especially the skies. Just shows how we all see things differently (y)
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Depends on your interpretation of "natural". As you say, everyone sees, interprets, and likes colours differently. :D :fuji:
 
I confess to being a recent Olympus buyer. I bought the EM-1 with the 12-40 and 40-150 pro lenses as a kit before Christmas and bought the Mark II a few weeks back. I use LR for processsing but I found the greens in particular too intense for my taste so I calibrated both cameras with a Spyder color checker and set a user preset to be applied on import and that has solved the issue.

As far as Fuji goes, I sold my X10 a while back as I was totally unhappy with the way the RAW files were processed in LR. A shame really as I loved the camera.
 
Yellowbelly said:
I confess to being a recent Olympus buyer. I bought the EM-1 with the 12-40 and 40-150 pro lenses as a kit before Christmas and bought the Mark II a few weeks back. I use LR for processsing but I found the greens in particular too intense for my taste so I calibrated both cameras with a Spyder color checker and set a user preset to be applied on import and that has solved the issue.
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Do you mean you calibrated your monitor with the Spyder and then created Lightroom import presets for your cameras to adjust the greens? I have never heard of calibrating cameras.
 
Yellowbelly said:
I confess to being a recent Olympus buyer. I bought the EM-1 with the 12-40 and 40-150 pro lenses as a kit before Christmas and bought the Mark II a few weeks back. I use LR for processsing but I found the greens in particular too intense for my taste so I calibrated both cameras with a Spyder color checker and set a user preset to be applied on import and that has solved the issue.

As far as Fuji goes, I sold my X10 a while back as I was totally unhappy with the way the RAW files were processed in LR. A shame really as I loved the camera.
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The X10 doesn't have the X-Trans sensor of the XE, XPro or XT cameras, maybe try again
 
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No sorry, what I should have said is that in simple terms I take a shot of the Spyder colour checker. After the shot is processed in their software, it produces a LR preset which then corrects the colours to icm standard and this can be applied automatically on import of images from that camera. My monitor is already calibrated.

The details are here: http://spyder.datacolor.com/portfolio-view/spydercheckr/
 
tijuana taxi said:
The X10 doesn' t have the X-Trans sensor of the XE, XPro or XT cameras, maybe try again
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That may have been a contributing factor but whatever the reason the RAW files were poor at best. TBH the Jpegs were generally better. I know LR has subsequently been updated so maybe the issue is now resolved. I'll stick to my new Olympus for now.
 
Yellowbelly said:
No sorry, what I should have said is that in simple terms I take a shot of the Spyder colour checker. After the shot is processed in their software, it produces a LR preset which then corrects the colours to icm standard and this can be applied automatically on import of images from that camera. My monitor is already calibrated.

The details are here: http://spyder.datacolor.com/portfolio-view/spydercheckr/
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That's cool. I have seen photos of those colour charts before but didn't know you could do that with the Spyder software.

Don't the colours change when you start adjusting the contrast, black & white points whilst editing your photos though? Mine do, so I play with the colour saturation later.
 
I've just watched the Spyder video and see they have the cube thing to help with white balance and contrast too. Pretty clever.
 
Yellowbelly said:
That may have been a contributing factor but whatever the reason the RAW files were poor at best. TBH the Jpegs were generally better. I know LR has subsequently been updated so maybe the issue is now resolved. I'll stick to my new Olympus for now.
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The LR update for Fuji files was about 3 years ago so if you've been using it since then it's not better now. It's the reason I got rid of my XT1 too.
 
Idlefrog said:
That's cool. I have seen photos of those colour charts before but didn't know you could do that with the Spyder software.

Don't the colours change when you start adjusting the contrast, black & white points whilst editing your photos though? Mine do, so I play with the colour saturation later.
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Well unless you alter the colour controls they won't. However that's not the point. The point is that you are commencing work with a colour corrected image. How you deviate from that is up to your artistic whims.
 
snerkler said:
The LR update for Fuji files was about 3 years ago so if you've been using it since then it's not better now. It's the reason I got rid of my XT1 too.
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I sold my X10 about twelve months back so it seems my decision is vindicated.
 
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