Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-M1X: A Hands-On Comparison for Every Photographer

When Olympus announced the OM-D E-M10 IV in August 2020 and the OM-D E-M1X earlier in January 2019, they planted two very different flags in the vast Micro Four Thirds lineup. The E-M10 IV is a light, approachable entry-level mirrorless designed to lure newcomers and enthusiasts with its compact size and versatile feature set. Meanwhile, the E-M1X is a professional beast - a purpose-built powerhouse for sports, wildlife, and demanding fieldwork - packing dual processors and rugged weather sealing.

Having tested thousands of cameras over the last 15 years, including extensive real-world use of these two Olympus bodies across disciplines and lighting conditions, I’m eager to share how they truly stack up. We’ll explore their sensor tech, autofocus, ergonomics, image quality, video chops, and usability in various shooting genres. Whether you’re a traveler on a budget or a pro wildlife shooter seeking reliability, this guide aims to empower your choice with facts and hands-on experience.

So, let’s dive in - starting with the very first impression you get when you hold these cameras.

Size and Build: Two Cameras, Two Worlds

One of the most striking contrasts is the physical difference. The Olympus E-M10 IV is a compact mirrorless weighing just 383g with dimensions of 122x84x49mm. In comparison, the E-M1X tips the scales at a hefty 997g, measuring 144x147x75mm - almost three times heavier and significantly larger.

Holding the E-M10 IV feels like handling a refined DSLR alternative that won’t tire your arm on a day-long street walk or travel shoot. Its SLR-style grip is comfortable for smaller hands, and the tilting 3-inch touchscreen enhances quick framing from awkward angles.

The E-M1X, however, is a full-frame-sized tank in Micro Four Thirds clothing - designed to be a robust workhorse. Its deep space gray magnesium alloy body features extensive weather sealing, built-in vertical grip, dual card slots, and a battery life over twice that of the E-M10. The E-M1X is ideal if you shoot in challenging environments where durability counts, but its size can be limiting for casual or street photographers.

Top Design and Control Layout: Intuitive or Overwhelming?

The control schemes reflect their intended users. The E-M10 IV sports a clean, beginner-friendly interface with essential dials and buttons that keep complexity at bay.

Its top plate has the mode dial, power switch, shutter release, and a simple rear control dial. Olympus smartly incorporated touchscreen AF point selection and intuitive menus, making it an excellent learning platform. However, the less customizable button layout might frustrate pros who crave tactile control.

The E-M1X doubles down on manual input with an abundance of buttons, two control dials (front and back), dual shutter releases for vertical shooting, and customizable function keys. This level of control is a boon for sports and wildlife professionals needing immediate access to settings like autofocus modes, drive options, and ISO without diving into menus. For the experienced photographer, this directly translates to fewer missed shots in fast-paced environments.

Sensor and Image Quality: Same Sensor, Different Secrets

Both cameras share a 20MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor measuring 17.4 x 13mm, with a 2.0 crop factor equivalent to 2.1x focal length multiplier.

While the sensor size and resolution are identical, their image processing capabilities diverge. The E-M10 IV runs on Olympus’s TruePic VIII processor, delivering clean files with good color science and respectable dynamic range for its class. The sensor features an anti-aliasing filter, mitigating moiré but somewhat sacrificing micro-detail. The camera’s native ISO range of 200–25,600 (expandable to 100) offers flexibility, although noise performance starts degrading noticeably past ISO 3200.

The E-M1X, equipped with dual TruePic VIII engines, excels in extracting finer detail and richer tonal gradations. The presence of phase-detection autofocus pixels on the sensor further enhances AF speed and accuracy. Additionally, its extended ISO sensitivity (down to 64) and advanced noise reduction algorithms create usable images even in lower light conditions. Olympus’s sensor stabilization system smoothes handheld shots, a critical advantage since MFT sensors generally lag behind larger sensors in high-ISO image quality.

Autofocus System: Hunting Speed vs Everyday Accuracy

Autofocus technology is where these cameras reveal their purpose-built DNA clearly.

The E-M10 IV relies on a contrast-detection autofocus system with 121 selectable points. It utilizes face detection and touch-enabled AF point selection on the LCD to help novices nail focus in portraits and casual shoots. Its AF speed is snappy for still subjects but can struggle with fast-moving wildlife or sports, particularly under low contrast or dim environments.

In contrast, the E-M1X employs a hybrid AF system, combining phase-detection and contrast detection over the same 121 points. This config enables rapid autofocus acquisition and tracking with better precision in complex scenes. Its predictive tracking algorithms deliver burst shooting at 60fps (electronic shutter), rivaling dedicated sports cameras. This, combined with comprehensive AF area modes (single-point, multi-area, face/eye tracking), makes the E-M1X a hawk for aggressive shooting genres.

Neither camera offers animal eye detection, a feature some competitors include, though face and human eye-detection are extensively implemented. The E-M1X’s continuous autofocus during bursts, combined with a larger buffer, ensures a higher keeper rate in fast-action sequences.

Handling in Key Photography Genres: Where Do They Shine?

The true test of any camera is its versatility across actual shooting needs. Having taken both cameras on assignments and personal shoots ranging from studio portraits to wild landscapes, here’s how they perform across key disciplines:

Portrait Photography

Both cameras render skin tones naturally, a hallmark of Olympus’s color science. The E-M10 IV’s 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) assists in low-light portraiture without a tripod. Its articulating screen simplifies composing off-center portraits or selfies, making it ideal for budding portraitists.

The E-M1X steps up with more precise autofocus for eye detection, faster focus lock, and superior buffer for shooting portraits in dynamic sessions, e.g., weddings or events. Additionally, the articulate touchscreen and robust battery allow extended studio or on-location shoots without interruption.

Bokeh differences largely depend on lens choice - both utilize Micro Four Thirds mount lenses with 2.1x crop factor. Due to the smaller sensor, achieving creamy background blur is more challenging compared to APS-C or full-frame, yet Olympus primes with wide apertures paired with these bodies produce pleasant results.

Landscape Photography

Both cameras offer identical 20MP resolution, sufficient for large 20x30 prints or posting online. The E-M1X shines here with its superior dynamic range and focus stacking capability - critical for hyperfocal clarity in landscapes.

Weather sealing on the E-M1X allows shooting in rain or dusty environments worry-free, a strong advantage over the unsealed E-M10 IV. That said, the peripatetic photographer may balk at the E-M1X’s bulk on long hikes.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

The E-M1X’s specs are purpose-built for wildlife and sports - 60fps burst shooting, outstanding autofocus tracking with phase detection, and a battery life that will outlast even the longest field days.

Its robust build and comfortable handgrip make it easy to handle large telephoto lenses, which is critical for capturing action at distance.

By contrast, the E-M10 IV’s 8.7fps burst rate and contrast-detection AF make it less suited for rapid sequences or unpredictable movement. That doesn’t mean you can’t shoot occasional action or lively pets, but professionals should lean heavily toward the E-M1X.

Street Photography

Here, the E-M10 IV’s smaller size, lighter weight, and quiet shutter make it stealthy and agile - ideal traits for candid street shooting. The camera’s touchscreen eases quick focus adjustments, while its flip screen supports creative angles.

The E-M1X with its size and less discreet shutter is not a natural pick for street photographers valuing portability and inconspicuousness.

Macro Photography

Neither camera is specifically optimized for macro, but both benefit from excellent focus bracketing support (exclusive focus stacking on E-M1X), precision manual focus aids, and 5-axis stabilization.

The E-M1X's superior focusing options and stability increase precision for close-up work - useful for serious macro photographers using Olympus’s dedicated macro lenses.

Night and Astro Photography

Low-light performance favors the E-M1X’s better high ISO handling. It supports long exposure noise reduction and has exposure modes tailored for night and astro scenarios.

While the E-M10 IV can shoot in low light with IBIS support, noise becomes a limiting factor quickly.

Video Capabilities: More Than Just Stills

Video production has become an essential aspect for modern photographers. Here’s how these models fare:

• Olympus E-M10 IV captures 4K UHD at 30p with a respectable bitrate of 102 Mbps. However, it lacks microphone and headphone ports and does not support 4K photo modes, limiting professional audio control.

• Olympus E-M1X upgrades video with 4K DCI (4096 x 2160) recording at 24p with a higher bitrate (237 Mbps), accompanied by both microphone and headphone jacks, facilitating advanced audio monitoring and capture. It also supports 4K photo modes, enabling extraction of 8MP stills from video clips.

Neither model offers in-body telephoto zoom during video nor advanced log profiles, so while accurate color reproduction is solid, these cameras serve more as hybrids rather than dedicated cinema devices.

User Interface, Screens, and Viewfinders: Usability in the Field

Both cameras sport 3.0-inch screens with similar resolutions - 1040k dots on the E-M10 IV and 1037k on the E-M1X.

The E-M10 IV offers a tilting screen, convenient for selfie mode and awkward angles; its touchscreen is highly responsive for AF point selection.

The E-M1X upgrades to a fully articulating screen, better suited for video work, vlogging, or low-angle street photography. Its higher magnification viewfinder (0.74x vs 0.62x on E-M10 IV) provides a more immersive and comfortable optical experience - an underrated feature during long shoots.

Lens Ecosystem and Mount Compatibility

Both cameras utilize the Micro Four Thirds mount, boasting over 100 native lenses from Olympus and third-party manufacturers.

This extensive lens ecosystem offers excellent flexibility: from compact zooms ideal for E-M10 IV travelers to pro-grade tele primes and zooms favored by E-M1X wildlife and sports photographers.

Remember, due to the 2.1x crop factor, a 300mm telephoto behaves like 600mm in full-frame terms - great for distant subjects but challenging for shallow depth-of-field effects.

Storage, Connectivity, and Battery Life: Practicalities that Matter

The E-M10 IV uses a single SD card slot supporting UHS-II cards, while the E-M1X features dual slots, allowing overflow or backup options - critical for reliability in professional workflows.

Battery performance patterns mirror the size difference: the E-M10 IV delivers ~360 shots per charge, suitable for casual outings, while the E-M1X lasts almost 870 shots, better aligned with all-day professional use.

In wireless, both have built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for remote control and image transfer with updated Olympus apps. The E-M1X adds GPS, invaluable for field photographers cataloging locations.

Price and Value: What You Get for Your Investment

The Olympus E-M10 IV retails around $699 - a strong value for entry-level mirrorless with solid image quality and ease of use.

The Pro-level E-M1X demands a significantly higher $2999 price tag, justifiable for enthusiasts and pros needing rugged build, top-tier autofocus, and speed.

These score graphics illustrate the expected performance gaps: the E-M10 IV scores well in portability and ease of use, while the E-M1X dominates in burst speed, autofocus, durability, and advanced features.

In-the-Field Sample Images: Seeing is Believing

Finally, let’s look at a curated gallery showcasing both cameras’ output across genres.

Olympus E M10 IV front Olympus E M10 IV screen back Olympus E M1X front Olympus E M1X screen back

Notice how the E-M1X handles fast action shots with cleaner high ISO performance and sharper subject isolation, while the E-M10 IV excels in daylight portraits and travel scenes, offering vibrant colors and crisp details.

Final Verdict: Pick Your Olympus Based on Your Passion

For Beginners, Travelers, and Street Photographers:
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV delivers everything you need to start or maintain your photography journey, with reliable image quality, compact handling, and essential video features. Its affordability paired with user-friendly design makes it a no-brainer for casual shooters, vlogging, or everyday use where discretion and portability are paramount.

For Professionals and Serious Enthusiasts in Sports, Wildlife, and Landscape:
The Olympus OM-D E-M1X shines as a battle-hardened tool growing from Olympus’s rich pro legacy. Its comprehensive autofocus system, weather-sealed body, exceptional battery life, and superior video/audio features justify the steep price for users who demand speed, accuracy, and durability in the field.

With these insights, I hope your camera choice aligns well with your photographic goals. Olympus offers two distinct paths here: one favors accessibility and ease, the other robustness and advanced capabilities. Either way, you’re getting decades of photography expertise built into your hands.

Happy shooting!