Meet the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II: Easier on the Eyes

When we reviewed the E-M5 Mark II, we were definitely struck by its impressive 5-axis stabilization system, which keep stills and video smooth despite slower shutter speeds or walking-induced vibration. Now, Olympus is bringing the five-axis stabilization it incorporated in the E-M5 Mark II to the baby of the E-M family, the new E-M10 Mark II.

The five-axis stabilization system delivers up to four stops of stabilization, per CIPA standards.

Beyond a steadier shot, the E-M10 Mark II will boast a 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds image sensor and a redesigned body. Specifically, Olympus tweaked the dial and button shape and layout to make it easier to use the viewfinder.

Speaking of which, the E-M10 Mark II gets a brand new OLED viewfinder with 2.36 million dots and a 100 percent field of view (.62x magnification). It’s complimented by a new AF Targeting Pad that lets you move your thumb across the touchscreen to adjust your focus point. There’s also a Simulated Optical Viewfinder mode that boosts the dynamic range of the scene to more accurately mimic what the human eye would see, though this effect will not accurately represent what the camera is capturing.

The E-M10 Mark II offers an 81 point AF system with an eye detection mode. It has a native ISO range of 100-25,600. Shutter speeds top off at 1/4000 sec. mechanically but there’s an electronic shutter option to hit 1/16,000 sec. There will also be focus bracketing mode to capture a series of images with slightly different focusing depths. Using editing software with a stacking function, photographers could create images with a large depth of field even if they shoot at low apertures, Olympus said.

Additional features of the E-M10 Mark II include:

* 8.5 fps shooting up to 22 RAW images or 36 JPEGs

* touch autofocus via a 3-inch tilting touch display

*1920x1080p30 video recording in ALL-I compression or 1080p60 in IPB compression

*a  new Clips video feature for recording 1,2,4 or 8-second clips that are merged in the camera

* 14 art filters

* a Live Composite mode for coaxing details out of bright areas in sequentially shot images

* 4K time-lapse that snaps up to 999 images every 5 seconds that are combined in-camera into a single 4K movie file.

* Wi-Fi

* focus peaking

The E-M10 Mark II body will hit stores in September in black and silver for $700 or for $800 with M.ZUIKO Digital ED 14-42 f3.5-5.6 EZ lens. 

It will also have a new grip accessory – the ECG-3, for $60. In addition to a little extra real estate for your hand, it features a release lever for the battery and memory card.