new Olympus EM1X - Everything and the kitchen sink - updated feature list rumor

AlanF

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Don Haines

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A tiny sensor, a huge and expensive camera, I'd rather buy FF than this steroid- boosted little monster.
If I'm not mistaken, MFT advantages used to be small size, low weight and "affordability". Where have they gone?
It would seem that to get the performance and battery life, you need size.....
 
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Feb 26, 2012
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AB
A tiny sensor, a huge and expensive camera, I'd rather buy FF than this steroid- boosted little monster.
If I'm not mistaken, MFT advantages used to be small size, low weight and "affordability". Where have they gone?

Those size advantages still exist, just somewhat less so with this new body. Don't forget to consider the size and weight of the lenses used.
And, as Don stated above, that extra bulk houses the increased battery capacity that can drive this level of performance and shooting time.

My EM1v2 has become my overall favorite camera to use, even if I have others that can deliver better IQ in most situations. It's a really good system and it's getting even better.
While this new body is not revolutionary compared to the EM1v2 it sure does a good job of bumping the performance and adding even more features into an already good system. If I did a lot of sports shooting I'd be all over this. As it is, my existing kit is more than adequate for everything I throw at it and my FF gear gets used only when it's really required for its particular advantages.

I think this will really hit the mark as a professional ML camera that can do well enough to run with the established players' offerings in that niche.

The only thing it will lose out on is light-gathering ability when there's subject movement.
Everywhere else it will prove itself quite adequate.
 
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Nelu

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The only thing it will lose out on is light-gathering ability when there's subject movement.
Everywhere else it will prove itself quite adequate.

That's kind of what happens with wildlife and sports. Wildlife is more active at dusk and dawn and sports often happen in low light, crappy facilities.
So, what's this camera actually good for? Weight-lifting?
 
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Don Haines

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A tiny sensor, a huge and expensive camera, I'd rather buy FF than this steroid- boosted little monster.
If I'm not mistaken, MFT advantages used to be small size, low weight and "affordability". Where have they gone?
You still have the smaller lenses.

It’s hard to beat a micro 4/3 F6.3 zoom lens for small size.....
 
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AlanF

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That's kind of what happens with wildlife and sports. Wildlife is more active at dusk and dawn and sports often happen in low light, crappy facilities.
So, what's this camera actually good for? Weight-lifting?
Most bird photography is not done at dawn and dusk. In fact, if you run through the Bird Portraits and Birds in Flight threads in CR, you would be pushed to find any shots then, though quite a few are done in poor light and the shade. Dragonflies are most active under bright sun. I know Olympus users who get superb wildlife shots. My favourite gear is Canon FF plus supertelephotos, but there are many occasions when smaller kit would be desirable.
 
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Don Haines

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Most bird photography is not done at dawn and dusk. In fact, if you run through the Bird Portraits and Birds in Flight threads in CR, you would be pushed to find any shots then, though quite a few are done in poor light and the shade. Dragonflies are most active under bright sun. I know Olympus users who get superb wildlife shots. My favourite gear is Canon FF plus supertelephotos, but there are many occasions when smaller kit would be desirable.
I have a 6D2 and a 7D2. I usually use the 7D2 for wildlife/birds because of the superior AF and burst rate. For landscapes, evening, night, and indoors the 6D2 beats it hollow. Every tool has advantages and disadvantages, but when it comes to moving targets, it's all about AF.... after all, who cares about DR on a blurry picture?

Two features on the Oly that bird photographers would love to see on their Canon, Nikon, or Sony are the super high burst rates and the "pro capture" which captures a number of shots before you press the shutter, great for all those times when your reactions are not fast enough....
 
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That's kind of what happens with wildlife and sports. Wildlife is more active at dusk and dawn and sports often happen in low light, crappy facilities.
So, what's this camera actually good for? Weight-lifting?

Certainly not good for weight-lifting. LOL
I don't shoot indoor sports in poorly lit venues so i don't know hot bad it can get.
I've had no issues with images at higher ISO from any of my MFT Oly's. With some quick NR in post you can take it all the way to 25600 for a usable online or small to medium print image so if that's inadequate?..

e.g. Hi ISO supplement at I-R for the EM10v3

https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/olympus-e-m10-iii/olympus-e-m10-iiiTECH2.HTM
 
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Nelu

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Certainly not good for weight-lifting. LOL
I don't shoot indoor sports in poorly lit venues so i don't know hot bad it can get.
I've had no issues with images at higher ISO from any of my MFT Oly's. With some quick NR in post you can take it all the way to 25600 for a usable online or small to medium print image so if that's inadequate?..

e.g. Hi ISO supplement at I-R for the EM10v3

https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/olympus-e-m10-iii/olympus-e-m10-iiiTECH2.HTM
I had a look at the examples and I have to say, the high ISO results are inadequate for my use, at least. Starting from ISO 800 that camera is breaking apart.
I do sell photos online and requirements are high; those example photos wouldn't make the first cut in my workflow.
Yes, for social media and tiny printouts they're fine, but not more than that.
 
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Maximilian

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Great spec list. Thanks for sharing, Aglet.
Somehow I am glad that I ended up with Canon FF before an OM-D E-M1 entered the market.
Maybe I wouldn't be here then.
O course I prefer the form factor of the OM-D E-M1 (Mark II) but I am sure this high FPS beast will be balanced well together with a M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300mm 1:4.0 IS PRO or the f/2.8 M.ZUIKO PRO zooms.

By the way:
In Germany this is no rumor anymore but released on the Oly HP (in German).
 
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It would seem that to get the performance and battery life, you need size.....

The story goes that they 'had' to add the battery grip not only to balance larger lenses but to house a second processor and heat dissipation for the added processing. If anyone uses longer lenses a lot then the chances are they nearly always add the battery grip anyway so there is little weight penalty in that respect..
 
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I had a look at the examples and I have to say, the high ISO results are inadequate for my use, at least. Starting from ISO 800 that camera is breaking apart.
I do sell photos online and requirements are high; those example photos wouldn't make the first cut in my workflow.
Yes, for social media and tiny printouts they're fine, but not more than that.

Out of interest - are those your requirements are those of your clients/buyers?
I ask because I read of many pros selling MFT images are 1600-3200.
 
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AlanF

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Great spec list. Thanks for sharing, Aglet.
Somehow I am glad that I ended up with Canon FF before an OM-D E-M1 entered the market.
Maybe I wouldn't be here then.
O course I prefer the form factor of the OM-D E-M1 (Mark II) but I am sure this high FPS beast will be balanced well together with a M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300mm 1:4.0 IS PRO or the f/2.8 M.ZUIKO PRO zooms.

By the way:
In Germany this is no rumor anymore but released on the Oly HP (in German).
For me, a weakness is the narrow range of telephoto lenses for wild life. The longest Oly is the 300mm f/4, which is a superb lens but relatively heavy at 1.27 kg. For longer, you have to go to the Pana-Leica 100-400mm, which is f/6.3 and not very sharp at 400mm.
Further, the resolution of the 20mpx MFT sensor is relatively not that great (3.3 µ pixels). It is touted as a 2x crop factor but has only 12% more resolution than has a 24mpx Canon APS-C or 24% more than the 50mpx 5DSR (4.1 µ pixels). So, 300mm on the Oly is equivalent in resolution to 372mm on a 5DSR, and I get more reach with a 100-400mm II on my 5DSR, with all the advantages of a zoom and 4x the area of sensor.
 
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Don Haines

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What I take away from this release are some of the things that can be done with a mirrorless camera if it has enough computing power. I would expect to see some of these features (but not all) on a higher end R camera. It will be very interesting to see what the R equivalent of the 1DX2 will be.
 
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