Olympus OM-D E-M1X Summary

Olympus E-M1X

Olympus took the mirrorless concept they launched in an unexpected direction with the OM-D E-M1X. Instead of minimizing size, their new flagship is desinged to maximize performance. The result is a very large Micro Four-Thirds digital camera with unprecendented speed and stamina.

With the ultra-fast 20 MP Four-Thirds CMOS sensor launched in the E-M1 Mark II, the E-M1X packs much more processing power and memory to allow longer continuous shooting at up to 60 FPS with focus locked or up to 18 FPS using continuous autofocus. This makes it possible to capture several seconds bursts, depending on the selected continuous shooting speed.

Its 121-Point Hybrid AF system is very fast, sensitive and accurate, except in when the focus point falls near a bright light. The entire camera is extremely responsive and particularly the shutter-release which shows virtually no lag and offers blackout-free shooting when using the electronic-shutter. The ergonomics of the E-M1X are designed for efficiency and speed by offering a high number of controls and huge amount of customization options.

Image quality is impressive and superior to other current Micro Four-Thirds cameras. This means low image-noise until ISO 3200 with little impact on details, nice color and much improved white-balance. Dynamic-range is also good with very fne control over tone curves. What allows the E-M1X to surpass larger-sensor cameras is a superior built-in 5-axis image-stabilization system which can be effective to 7-stops over handholding.

Certainly, the Olympus OM-D E-M1X is a highly specialized digital camera. It truly delivers when it comes to speed and is exceedingly good at action photography in bright light. While this mirrorless offers a truly extensive feature set that makes it capable of any type of photography, its size and price are too high for anything but action photography.