Capture Long-Exposure. No Tripod Required

Imagine being able to take sharp, long-exposure shots without the burden of carrying around a tripod – that dream is now a reality with Olympus’ newest addition to its expanding mirrorless lineup, the OM-D E-M1 Mark II. With its new 6.5-stop stabilization, exposures as long as five or six seconds long can be captured with ease. The camera comes equipped with 4K video capture, built-in Wi-Fi as well as a mechanical shooting speed of 15 fps and 60 fps in electronic mode – making it the fastest burst shutter rate on the market today. However, the real star of the show is the camera’s advanced 5-Axis Image Stabilization system – giving photographers the ability to capture sharp images at slow speeds.

Before getting to the main feature of this camera, first thing I’d like to point out is the design and build-quality of the camera. The E-M1 Mark II’s mirrorless design allows for the photographer to take advantage of its capabilities without the burden of lugging around heavy equipment. At a price point of $2,000, this is camera is also built for professionals and high enthusiasts who demand a durable piece of equipment. The design is similar to that of other Olympus cameras with top of the camera body being littered with buttons and dials for basic functions such as shooting mode, a headphone jack, function dials, ISO ranging from 64 to 25,600 and white balance adjustments. The LCD screen on the back of the camera tilts and swivels and the Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) behind the lens allows for more accurate framing while taking pictures. From personal experiences of owning an Olympus OM-D point-and-shoot, I can say that Olympus has done a fantastic job with its electronic viewfinders as well as the design and build-quality of its OM-D lineup and the E-M1 Mark II is no exception has remained consistently on par with the competition.

However, for those who enjoy night photography, having to carry around a tripod to get crisp-looking night shots can be a real challenge. As an amateur photographer myself, I enjoy taking night cityscape shots but without a tripod, I struggle to keep my hands still enough to get a decent shot – even at high ISOs. With that being said, the stabilization system on this camera is good…really good. The sample shots taken from Petapixel highlight just how unbelievably good this image stabilization really is. At ISO 64 and an aperture at f/9, to get a properly exposed night shot like this would require a shutter speed of at least 8-10 seconds and a tripod to prevent blurriness. This photograph, taken without the use of a tripod, has a recorded shutter speed of 5 seconds and zoomed in at 100x magnification, corners are still very sharp. Simply put, I’m blown away by this system. 

Despite the camera’s phenomenal stabilization system, the E-M1 Mark II does have its downfalls. For starters, the camera’s price is pretty steep when you take into account the camera’s lack of a full-frame sensor (compare the Canon 6D which costs $700 less and has a full-frame sensor of equal resolution) and most devices still aren’t capable of supporting 4K video which means this is (currently) not the best camera for video-capture and playback. All things aside, I think this is a fantastic camera and a great value. Yes it is pretty pricey for a mirrorless camera but it performs well. Its lightning fast shutter speed and versatility as a tool for photographers easily make it a candidate for being one of the year’s best cameras.

Olympus Launches Stylish and Compact E-PL8 Digital Camera

The latest newcomer in Olympus’s “Micro Four Thirds” lineup is the E-PL8 – which priced at $550, sits on the low-end of the price point for the company’s series of advanced compact cameras. It replaces the E-PL7 as the starter camera for consumers interested in using Olympus’s ILC system. It comes packed with a 16MP CMOS sensor, continuous shooting rate of 8 fps, built-in-Wi-Fi and 1.04M-dot touchscreen; The camera’s easy-to-use software and performance make it a great camera for those who are new to photography or are looking to upgrade their smartphone camera.

One of the first aspects about this camera that should be highlighted is the design – this thing is beauty. The E-PL8 looks more like a fashion-accessory than a camera but it still has the high-quality feel and build that one would expect from Olympus. Its aluminum body wrapped in leather gives the camera a very classy appearance. It comes in a variety of colors including White with brown accents, Black, and Silver with tan leather accents. Camera makers have been attempting to target younger clients and this design is proof that Olympus is one of those companies trying to appeal to millennials craving style and functionality.

Since the E-PL8 image sensor is essentially the same as what you would find in its predecessor, I expected the image quality to be similar (which it was). However, this is not the bad thing since the E-PL7 had good image quality for its class. For a camera of this size and class, it comes with higher end features and is an overall versatile photographic tool. The native ISO range of 200-25,600 on the E-PL8 remains the same as its predecessor with an expanded low ISO option of 100. Images don’t produce very much until you push the camera past ISO 6400. Images become almost unusable once the camera is pushed past 12,800 ISO.

While overall performance of the camera was good, I would’ve liked Olympus to be a little more innovative in terms of its features. I was underwhelmed with the lack of a new sensor and mediocre video specs. Olympus is advertising this as an “advanced amateur camera,” but I think the lack of a lens with the camera body could also leave customers feeling a little overwhelmed financially. When all is said in done, the camera can easily run $700-$800 and for a cheaper price, I think the PL7 will serve you just as well. 

Big Sensor in Small Package

For photographers wanting to get an insane amount of quality from their photos or serve clientele that demand the absolute best, most photographers would want to go medium-format. While some 35mm DSLRs have caught up with medium-format in terms of picture resolution, medium-format cameras are still leaps and bounds ahead when it comes to dynamic range and noise performance. Medium-format cameras also tend to be extremely costly and very large – the Hasselblad X1D announced earlier this year goes against the stereotype (for the most part). The camera is still very expensive at a cost of nearly $9,000 just for the body, but the body itself is the size of most DSLRs – which in the world of medium-format, is quite the achievement.

First thing that should be pointed out about the camera is the size. Most Hasselblad users are accustomed to carrying large, bulky cameras and for most photoshoots, Hasselblads will either be mounted on a tripod or will remain in a studio. With the X1D, it’s now possible to get the quality of a larger medium-format camera like the H6D but with the compactness of a 35mm DSLR. You might be wondering, how is this possible? The answer – no mirror. For the first time in the company’s 75 year history, Hasselblad has come out with a mirrorless camera. Sony, Nikon, and Canon have all come out with 35mm mirrorless cameras over the last couple of year that are more compact and much more affordable than Hasselblad’s X1D. What Hasselblad did was a smart move – rather than try to compete directly with 35mm brands, Hasselblad took what they do best (medium-format) and created the world’s first medium-format mirrorless camera.

The other highlight feature of this camera is that enormous 50MP CMOS sensor. With a sensor nearly 1.5x the size of most 35mm sensors, this translates to better noise performance, ability to capture more light, and nearly 14 stops of dynamic range. Being a new system, the X1D isn’t compatible with most of Hasselblad’s lenses but the company will be offering an adapter to current H system users. From sample images I’ve seen, image quality is good but the depth of field isn’t quite as shallow as I expected it to be from a medium-format sensor. Other 35mm camera brands like Canon have very fast lenses that produced shallower depths-of-field than the 45mm and 90mm lenses that are equipped with the X1D.

Aside from the depth-of-field, the Hasselblad X1D lives up to the name as an innovator of photography. It’s an expensive piece of equipment but when all things are taken into consideration (i.e. sensor size, same specs as the more expensive H6D, small package), the X1D is actually a great value. If you’re a photographer that demands this kind of quality from your images and have deep enough pockets, the X1D is a wise investment. 

Canon's Best 5D Yet?

Let's go back to the 2012 launch of Canon’s 5D Mark III which ultimately, turned out to be one of the company’s best-selling cameras…ever. Just this past month, the company announced a successor to the Mark III, the Canon 5D Mark IV. The Mark IV brings a couple of new features to the table; for starters, the camera now has a touch screen on the back, a new 30 full-frame megapixel sensor, built-in GPS, 4K video and NFC – just to name a few. With a burst frame rate of 7 fps, the camera is also ideal for sports photographers. However, at a price of over $3,000, this camera is not for amateur DSLR users. This is a very serious camera, with very serious capabilities. With that being said – if you take full advantage of what the camera has to offer – this 5D Mark IV, in my opinion, is worth the upgrade from the 5D Mark III.

Let’s start with one of the biggest upgrades since the 5D Mark III and that is the new 30 megapixel sensor. The Mark IV is built around a new 30.4 megapixel CMOS sensor and Canon’s latest and greatest Digic 6+ processor. Canon also incorporated the auto-focus system from its bigger, more expensive brother, the 1D X Mark II, containing over 60 AF points. I think this was a very smart move by Canon since the 1D X, which is geared more towards professional sports photographers and costs almost twice as much, because consumers now have a more affordable option if they’re looking for just as stellar image quality without the burst shooting capabilities. What this translates to is a high-resolution sensor that produces stunning images accompanied by one of the quickest auto-focusing systems I've seen on a Canon DSLR.

The other highlight feature of the new Mark IV would have to be 4K video. We’re living in a day and age where 1080p isn’t good enough anymore. Many compact cameras and other competitor DSLRs have 4K recording capabilities – even Apple's latest iPhone can record 4K video. Canon’s decision to implement 4K video in its latest flagship wasn’t merely a coincidence, but a wise business decision. With that being said, the 4K video on this DSLR was mediocre (see sample video below). Colors were saturated and natural looking but low-light performance left me feeling underwhelmed. The AF system does an effective job of keeping everything looking smooth but for a camera that costs over $3,000, I’ve been more impressed with Sony’s R-series.

Despite the lackluster 4K video experience, I still think this is a fantastic tool for photographers. Most consumers in this particular market will be buying the camera for the 30 megapixel sensor and sharp stills rather than the video capabilities; therefore I don’t see the video performance as a reason to not buy the camera. Sure, there are other options from Canon, Nikon, and even Sony that may be excellent cameras but as an all-purpose DSLR and for the price caliber, the 5D Mark IV will not disappoint.