Olympus OM-D E-M1 Review

We've been using the Olympus OM-D E-M1 for a number of months now. This compact system camera has seen us through many different shoots - from personal snaps to product images that you might have seen in some other Pocket-lint reviews - made all the easier thanks to its high-end specification.

If you're looking for a small and light interchangeable lens camera then they don't come much more complete than the E-M1. It takes it design cues from the older E-M5 model which was inspired by the decades-old OM DSLR series. However, the E-M1 is the embodiment of the new age: in a sense it's the camera to mark the end of the Olympus DSLR as there will be no "E-7" model. Instead the E-M1 takes compact system camera up a notch by showing it can cater for all demands: it accepts Micro Four Thirds lenses but will also get solid performance out of Four Thirds lenses via an adaptor too.

New design, new sensor minus the optical low-pass filter, an updated electronic viewfinder (EVF), a space-age image stabilisation system unlike the competition and plenty more besides. Is there anything the E-M1 can't do? It's far from a budget camera, but is it worthy of its price tag and can its small scale deliver things just as big as an equivalent DSLR?

Olympus OMD E-M10 Review

Introduction

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 is the third model in Olympus’s OM-D series of compact system cameras. The mid-range, all-metal E-M10 has a 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor with on-sensor phase-detection auto focus (81-point), Supersonic Wave Filter anti-dust technology, a 3-axis sensor-shift image stabiliser and the TruePic VII processing unit. The E-M10 also features a built-in pop-up flash and an external flash hotshoe, a high-resolution electronic viewfinder, a tilting 3-inch LCD screen, focus peaking function, an innovative Colour Creator, new Live Composite Mode for previewing long exposures, a customisable self-timer, 8fps continuous shooting, Wi-Fi connectivity and in-camera HDR exposure blending. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 is currently available for £529 / $699.99 body-only in the UK and US, respectively, or £699.99 / $799/99 with the new, super-slim M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 EZ electronic zoom lens.

Ease of Use

The Olympus O-MD E-M10 tested in this review was kindly provided by CameraWorld, a real camera shop helping you to make the most of your hobby. Our expert team has many years experience within the photographic trade with knowledge gained over 40 years. Many are photographers themselves and enjoy passing their knowledge on. You'll also find our online service fast, efficient and courteous and you can always call us if you want to talk to a human being! We are dedicated to bringing you the very best in service, choice and price. We're very easy to find, our London store is just off Oxford Street between Oxford Circus station and Tottenham Court Road station. The Essex shop is located in High Chelmer Shopping Centre, just off the High Street in Chelmsford. Visit us and you'll always find a friendly welcome. Our policy is to serve our customers as we would like to be served ourselves, a simple ideal that we try hard to live up to.

Olympus SZ-16 Review

The Good Lovely images. High speed photography. Relatively compact. High-res screen.

The Bad Multi-recording is mostly a gimmick. Soft details at 10x-plus.

The Bottom Line With its blend of pleasing photos, quality build, compact body and high-res screen this Olympus is an excellent camera.

Design and features

You could never accuse Olympus' designers of changing for the sake of change. The SZ-31MR features the same compact-ish size and large, almost oversized, hand grip as other SZ-branded models. On the SZ-31MR, the hand grip features a lovely machined-metal finish on the front, while there's a rubber thumb grip at the rear. Southpaws will no doubt look on aghast and wonder when, if ever, a camera company will pander to their dominant hand.

At the front is a large barrel housing the 24x zoom lens that, at its widest, is the equivalent of a 25mm lens in the 35mm world. This feeds into a 16-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor. Along the top, there's a zoom toggle, mode dial, shutter and power buttons, as well as a switch to reveal the pop-up flash. A door on the bottom of the camera hides the SD/SDHC/SDXC card and battery slots, while a tripod mount, which is out of line with the centre of the lens barrel, can also be found on the underside. A flap on the right of the camera hides a USB port and a micro-HDMI port.