Covering Micro Four Thirds Cameras & Lenses

Jamie MacDonald was one of the first photographers from the Olympus Visionary Program to talk about the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II openly. His latest videos elaborate on the new OM-D and it’s not all good. The new OM-D definitely seems to come with a learning curve, but once you master it you should be able to capture photos that no other camera can reliably capture under well lit shooting conditions.

He addresses price quite a bit in the video, but I simply can’t agree with him. One of the stated goals of m43 when it was launched was to reduce the cost of professional quality cameras, not to match the price of larger sensor professional cameras. The the GH/OM-D line were the first m43 line of cameras to show off the superior read speed of a smaller sensor over larger sensors and they were always priced below comparable professional cameras. The new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is the first camera to break that tradition and it is largely believed that the GH5 will come in around the same high price point of the of the OM-D. I do not think this is a wise strategy for m43 going forward, but I wish Olympus luck.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Amazon/B&H Photo/Adorama

DPReview finished their review of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and it’s a speedster as expected, but it’s claims of being competitive with APS-C seem to have fallen a bit short. It recieved a gold award and DPReview seems impressed with a lot of aspects of the camera, but it’s still a step behind less expensive APS-C cameras like the Fujifilm X-T2. I am sure the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II will do well among people with big m43 glass collections, but it is unlikely to expand the m43 fan base at its current price point. I know there are already a few specials internationally. Maybe we will see some price reductions or lens bundles soon for people that aren’t convinced the camera is worth $2000.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Amazon/B&H Photo/Adorama

via DPReview