Olympus OM-D E-M1: Mirrorless Perfection for Serious Photographers

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  Power and Flexibility, But at a Cost

  The OM-D E-M1 is Olympus' new top of the line micro four-thirds mirrorless camera. It has a 16.3-megapixel Live-MOS sensor, 10 frames per second continuous shooting and improved 5-axis image stabilization that helps reduce image blur. In true premium fashion, the E-M1 costs $1,400 just for the body.

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  Easy HDR Photos

  Pic #10: Taking HDR pics with most cameras is a pain in the butt. The feature is either hidden in a clunky menu or you need to take multiple pics and then composite them together in post-edit. The E-M1 makes HDR pics easy with a physical button.

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  On-Screen Editing

  Once the HDR button is pressed, this menu shows up. Here, you can choose from two different HDR modes and whether you want three, five or seven shots to be taken and composited. It all works in-camera.

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  Great Use of Space

  On left side, hidden underneath two rubber flaps is a mic port, HDMI port and a USB A/V out port — pretty standard stuff.

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  A High-End Lens Option

  Olympus was gracious enough to let us test out the E-M1 with a 12-50mm lens. The lens retails for $500.

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  Image Sensor Pushed to the Max

  While not as large as the APS-C sensors found in competing mirrorless cameras such as Sony's NEX-7, Olympus has managed to push the smaller 17.3x13mm image sensor above and beyond to achieve top-notch image quality.

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  Hands-On Controls

  Using the various buttons and wheels becomes second nature, while providing speedy adjustments that touchscreens and digital menus just can't compete with. For what it's worth, I still think that the Fn1 button is placed in an awkward position.

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  DSLR-Style Design

  Unlike the previous OM-D E-M5, the grip on the E-M1 resembles a traditional one from a DSLR. It's small, but provides a sense of security the E-M5 never had.

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  Robust Battery Life

  The E-M1 uses a BLN-1 battery with 1220mAh; the same one the E-M5 uses. Battery life will vary depending on your shooting level, but generally, I found the E-M1 battery to be quite acceptable, lasting up to 350 shots. It was good enough to get me through 3-4 continuous hours of New York Comic Con.

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  Standard Memory, No Surprises

  No weird memory card formats here. The E-M1 uses standard SD cards. As always, to get better performance, it's best to use a high-speed SD card. I usually use a Class 10 SDXC.
  
  http://mashable.com/2013/11/02/olympus-om-d-e-m1-review/