Bang for the Buck: Olympus OM-D E-M10 II Review

Key Features

• 16MP Four Thirds Live MOS sensor
• TruePic VII processor
• 5-axis image stabilization
• 2.36M-dot OLED EVF
• Tilting 3" touchscreen LCD
• 1080/60p video
• 4K time-lapse mode
• Wi-Fi
• Optional grip

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 II is a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera that takes the best features of its more expensive siblings and brings the price down to Earth. They include a time-tested 16MP CMOS sensor, 5-axis image stabilization, a top-notch viewfinder, and Wi-Fi. 

The OM-D E-M10 II is the follow-up to the E-M10, which was introduced in January 2014. To keep the E-M10's price down, Olympus had to cut out several of the most notable OM-D features, including 5-axis image stabilization and weather-sealing. That said, it also had some features not yet found on the more expensive OM-Ds, like a new image processor, higher resolution LCD, and Wi-Fi.

The next entry-level OM-D has arrived - not surprisingly called the E-M10 II - which is a nice evolution of its already impressive predecessor. While the sensor and the image processor remain unchanged, the E-M10 II gains 5-axis image stabilization, a larger, higher resolution EVF, 60p video recording, a 4K time-lapse mode, and quite a bit more.

The E-M10 II finds itself in a market with some very strong competitors, including theFujifilm X-T10, Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7, and Sony a6000 mirrorless cameras, as well as the Canon EOS Rebel T6i and Nikon D5500 DSLRs. Given it's OM-D heritage, we have a good idea as to what to expect from the E-M10 II, which means it should keep up with its peers.

Compared to E-M10 and E-M5 II

The original E-M10 was essentially a stripped-down E-M5, which has since been replaced by a Mark II model. Below we'll take a look at what differentiates the E-M10 II, its predecessor, and the step-up E-M5 II.

	E-M10 II	E-M10	E-M5 II
Sensor	16.1 MP Live MOS (Four Thirds)
Processor	TruePic VII
Image stabilization*	5-axis (4 stops)	3-axis (3 stops)	5-axis (5 stop)
Electronic shutter	Yes	No	Yes
ISO range	100-25600
Max burst rate	8.5 fps	8 fps	10 fps
LCD type	Tilting		Rotating
LCD size/resolution	3" / 1.04M-dot
EVF type/resolution	2.36M-dot OLED	1.44M-dot LCD	2.36M-dot OLED
EVF size (35mm equiv.)	0.62x	0.58x	0.74x
AF targeting pad	Yes	No
Built-in flash	Yes		No
Video resolution	1080/60p/30p/24p	1080/30p	1080/60p/30p/24p
4K time-lapse	Yes	No
Weather-sealing	No		Yes
Mic jack	No		Yes
Battery life*	320 shots		310 shots
Dimensions	120 x 83 x 47mm	119 x 82 x 46mm	124 x 85 x 45mm
Weight (loaded)	390 g	400 g	469 g
* CIPA standard

As you can see the E-M10 II has an impressive set of improvements over the original E-M10. The most notable are the addition of 5-axis image stabilization and a larger, higher resolution electronic viewfinder. There are also the new AF Targeting Pad and 4K time-lapse feature that neither the E-M10 nor E-M5 II have. There are still several areas in which the E-M5 II surpasses the E-M10 II, but then again, it's hundreds of dollars more.

Pricing

The OM-D E-M10 II is available in black and silver and is priced at $649 body only, and $799 with a 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ (electronic zoom) lens.