Olympus's high-end OM-D mirrorless cameras are some of the best in category. The E-M5, the first one in the family, just got a successor. Everyone, meet the E-M5 Mark II.
The weatherproof E-M5 Mark II doesn't stray too far from the original's design. Its signature electronic viewfinder "hump" is as tall as before (compared to the squatter hump on the E-M1 and E-M10.) Noticeable changes include the grip's more pronounced shape and the repositioned dials as well as a dedicated HDR button up top.
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Internally, Olympus improved the 16-megapixel Live-MOS Micro Four Thirds image sensor with 10 frames per second (fps) continuous shooting in RAW quality with single autofocus and 5 fps with continuous autofocus. The beloved five-axis in-body image stabilization also means you can shoot at quarter-second shutter speed without getting much motion blur.
The E-M5 Mark II's marquee feature is its "40-megapixel High-Resolution Shot" mode; it shoots eight sequential pics and then stitches them together for a final 40-megapixel shot. It does this by moving the actual image sensor 0.5-pixel steps between each shot. Olympus says it takes one second to shoot the eight shots and two seconds to stitch them together.
The only downside of those high-res shots is they can only be shot at a maximum f/8 aperture with 8-second shutter speed and up to ISO 1600. So we're talking mostly landscape vistas.
I haven't examined actual stitched shots to see how great the details are, but I hope to soon. If the high-res mode is as great as Olympus claims it to be, it could be a game changer without the need to step up to a full-frame camera.
4K video recording is the future. That much we're certain of. In that respect, the E-M5 Mark II still lags behind its competitors. It can record HD video at a maximum resolution of 1080p in 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p.
Also a must for all cameras today: the E-M5 Mark II has built-in Wi-Fi for easy sharing through the Olympus Image Share iOS and Android app.
The E-M5 Mark II lands this month. $1,099.99 gets you the the E-M5 Mark II (body only) in black or silver.