Solidly Sexy Little Camera. Big Power.
So, this is my second Olympus M43 camera, and I must say I am a fan of these cameras. My first Olympus was a E-PL5, and while that was a good camera that upped my street/everyday shooting capabilities substantially, this is a vastly superior camera.
I also shoot a Canon DSLR setup (7D, 5D Mk..., etc.), and while I will continue to use my Canon rig for most pro gigs, the Olympus line immediately found a place in collection. The images off the Oly are not quite as silky as their larger sensored competitors, nor is the interface as intuitive as a Canon, or Panasonic camera, the Olympus definitely holds its own thanks to other categories. Price, size, and weight all come into play when evaluating a camera, and if you are in the market for a camera you can carry all day, just about anywhere, and won't be out a huge financial investment should something happen to it, this (or just about any current Olympus) is an excellent choice. The image quality is excellent, though depending on the age of the software you are using, you might have some issues dealing with the .orf files (I had to update my version of Lightroom, a minor nuisance).
Olympus cameras seem as if they were designed by engineers rather than UX designers, increasing the operational learning curve, particularly for less tech savvy creative types. That said, engineers know people might want to customize their own interface, and accordingly, this camera is very open to custom operational configuration. Almost any button or knob can be assigned to control almost any camera function; this is great. The camera also has a ridiculously long list of interesting, and novel features, and I have not yet had time to experiment with all of them, but I am looking forward to doing so.
This camera is just about the perfect starter camera for someone taking the dive into digital photography. The price is relatively modest, but the quality, feature set, and available line of lenses make it a camera that has plenty of room for a photographer to grow into. This is the no warranty version, which at the time of purchase was ~$80 cheaper than retail. I buy 3rd party aftermarket warranties for all my gear anyways ($50 to cover this model) so the lack of a domestic warranty is almost irrelevant to me. I recommend this camera often when people come to me asking for recommendations, and I will continue to do so until a sufficiently updated model* drops in a similar price range. Great gear.
* - in my opinion, the OMD E-M10 MkII does not have enough new features to warrant spending the extra $.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
