Olympus E-M1 II

Olympus E-M1 II is Olympus's Pro Mirrorless digital camera initially released on September of 2016. The camera houses a 20MP, CMOS Four Thirds size sensor with a max resolution of 5184 x 3888.

Olympus brought out this model in an effort to update the older Olympus E-M1 (Read Full Comparison) & subsequently launched the updated Olympus E-M1 III (Read Full Comparison) to replace this model.

The E-M1 II comes in at #54 out of 70 in Pro Mirrorless cameras & overall #141 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our database. You should check our Advanced camera filter to see camera results based on your custom criteria.

Here is a graph of different factors used in the rating system.

The Olympus E-M1 II is part of a family of cameras. You can read the detailed list underneath.

You can view the E-M1 II from various angles in the gallery below.

Here is a collection of advantages and drawbacks of the Olympus E-M1 II based on criterias which are typically considered essential in a digital camera.

The Olympus E-M1 II is powered by the TruePic VIII processor chip. The measurement of the sensor in the Olympus E-M1 II is 17.4mm x 13mm (Four Thirds). The 226 mm² sensor has the capability to capture 5184 x 3888 pixels with aspect ratios of 4:3. The camera has Image Stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis). Optical stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter might cause cropping.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The CMOS sensor has 20MP and delivers a standard ISO range of 200 - 25600. The ISO can be expanded electronically to a minimum of 64. RAW photos are saved which means that the user has more room to maneuver in post.

Olympus opted to omit the anti aliasing filter inside the Olympus E-M1 II. This can result in more clear images but may introduce moire in some conditions.

The graphic underneath illustrates the E-M1 II's sensor size in comparison to other popular sizes. The E-M1 II sensor has a crop factor of 2.1 and is shown in green.

Photography Glossary

To get an understanding of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Olympus E-M1 II has a weight of 1.27 lbs (574 gr or 20.25 ounces) & has outside dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6"). The weight of typical Pro Mirrorless camera is 722 gr so the Olympus E-M1 II is less heavy compared to its competitors.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Here is a picture of the Olympus E-M1 II next to a softdrink so you're able to get a sense of its size.

The top view underneath will show you the button design on the E-M1 II.

The E-M1 II works with the Micro Four Thirds mount and has 162 lenses available on the market. Here is a few of the lenses we have in our collection that will fit the E-M1 II.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f1.817mmf/1.8 120g

Rokinon 85mm F1.485mmf/1.4 539g

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm f2.0 SWD14-35mmf/2.0 915g

Sigma 19mm F2.8 EX DN19mmf/2.8 140g

Panasonic Lumix G Leica DG Summilux 12mm F1.4 ASPH12mmf/1.4 335g

Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH20mmf/1.7 100g

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 300mm F4 IS Pro300mmf/4.0 1270g

The E-M1 II has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• HDMI Yes

Digital cameras that feature NFC or Bluetooth connectivity can be controlled wirelessly via smartphones. You are able to send images and in some cases change settings with no need to connect directly with the camera.

A few apps also give a Liveview and hit the shutter in case you are not near the camera. If the camera boasts a HDMI port, it can be connected to an external monitor. A lot of cameras enable you to recharge the battery pack with the USB port.

The max video quality in the Olympus E-M1 II is 4096 x 2160 and you can save in MOV and H.264 file format. 2160p is a great quality for video recording. You are able to downsample to 1080p in order to get improved results. Beware of the massive file sizes and ensure you own decent SD cards with good write speeds. The body does have both headphone and mic jack making it really valuable while capturing audio.

Olympus E-M1 II has got environment proofing which makes it a great selection for use during rough places. This is especially helpful any time you are uncertain about the conditions you might face during outdoor photography.

The Olympus E-M1 II is equipped with a 3" fully articulated display screen with a resolution of 1,037k dots.

It possesses a selfie friendly screen for self portraits as well as group shots when needed. Additionally the display screen is touch friendly which means that you are able to change focus points plus change settings with your fingertips.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The ViewFinder specifications for Olympus E-M1 II are as follows:

• ViewFinder Electronic
• Resolution 2,360k dots
• Coverage 100 percent
• Magnification 0.74x

Viewfinders can be really beneficial during sunny outdoor conditions which can make the camera screen washed out and very difficult to see.

Olympus E-M1 II has the capability to shoot continuously at 60.0 frames per second. The max shutter speed is 1/8000 seconds. The camera also has silent electronic shutter of 1/32000 seconds. Beware that the electronic shutter might result in "rolling shutter" in some circumstances.

Olympus E-M1 II has external flash support but is lacking built in flash. The max flash sync is 1/250 seconds.

Olympus E-M1 II has both Phase Detect Auto Focus plus Contrast Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot faster and precise compared to Contrast Detect focusing. The camera supports Face detection which is helpful for portraits.

The Sensor supports 121 focus points to select from. Olympus E-M1 II has tap to focus. You can use your fingers in order to change focus. It also includes Tracking Auto Focus for things that move. Olympus E-M1 II has manual focus if needed during low light occasions or you want to have more exact control on focus.

The battery pack (BLH-1) for the Olympus E-M1 II is made to last for 350 photos according to the CIPA measurements which is less as compared to it's competition. The usual Pro Mirrorless camera battery life is 460. Olympus E-M1X features the maximum (870) battery life within this range of cameras.

Listed below is a collection of Pro Mirrorless cameras that have the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Olympus E-M1X
E-M1 II vs E-M1X870 yesnoyes

Fujifilm GFX 100
E-M1 II vs Fujifilm GFX 100800 yesnoyes

Photography Glossary

Canon R3
E-M1 II vs R3760 yesnoyes

Nikon Z9
E-M1 II vs Z9740 yesnoyes

Leica M11
E-M1 II vs M11700 yesnono

The following diagram gives a rundown of the Olympus E-M1 II for different styles of photography. To find out more, browse to the specific section underneath.

The Olympus E-M1 II gets a points tally of 75 which is above average, and means the camera is a good choice for portrait photography. Photographing portraits favors greatly towards sensor specs, RAW support plus the potential to work with off-camera lighting.

With a impressive points tally of 78, the Olympus E-M1 II is a great pick to use in street photography. A very good street photography camera gives a fine balance of picture quality plus portability.

A above average sports photography rating of 74 means the Olympus E-M1 II is a good option for taking photos of sports. A camera should have fantastic focusing plus continuous shooting for sports photography.

Portability is super important in getting a camera for travel. Overall, the Olympus E-M1 II gets a very good 72 for a travelling camera which makes it a respectable pick for your travels.

For anybody who is looking to pick a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most significant factor is going to be image quality. The Olympus E-M1 II with it's terrific grade of 76 as a landscape camera is a terrific pick amongst its competition.

A camera for vlogging preferably should have a articulating screen, microphone port and if possible image stabilization. Considering everything, the Olympus E-M1 II is a outstanding fit for vlogging as it receives a excellent score of 79.

If you are interested in alternatives to the E-M1 II, here is a number of the top rated cameras which fall into the family of Pro Mirrorless.

The chart followed below gives you a summary of the E-M1 II vs it's top rated rivals mentioned earlier.

There are more cameras you might take a look at as alternate options. To go through a extensive comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.