Has Olympus made the best 4K Micro Four Thirds camera to date? Judging by these video samples below, they may very well have. The new Olympus flagship camera was unveiled at Photokina 2016 back in September where Olympus showed-off their impressive OM-D E-M1 Mark II and its blazing fast AF speed alongside (more impressively) its in-body image stabilization, which apparently works wonders in both stills and more importantly to us – 4K video. However, at the time Olympus kept quiet about the price of the camera, which since has been the subject of numerous rumors and online debates.
That is until earlier today, when Olympus officially launched the OM-D E-M1 II (body only) at $1,999 (B&H, Adorama) in the US.
And while at Photokina 2016, Panasonic may have announced the development of their flagship Micro Four Thirds camera – the Panasonic GH5, which will be capable of 4K/60p video and most importantly 10bit 4:2:2 internal recording, the new Oly can record 4K DCI (4,096 x 2,160) at 24 but more importantly it features quite possibly, the best-in-the-industry 5-axis In-Body Image Stabilization.
In my opinion the IBIS in the E-M1 II can potentially replace a monopod based on the few 4K video samples released by Olympus below, which were all shot handheld! 
The EM1 II is also equipped with a “flat” video-centric picture profile, however it is not clear if this is a LOG gamma or a more pseudo-flat profile. We are also not a 100% clear if the upcoming GH5 from Panasonic will have some form of in-body image stabilization. All the logic in the world points to it having it, but at this moment we’ll have to wait a bit more for confirmation when Panasonic launch it officially.
These two 4K video samples below were shot by Michael Hurren on the Olympus E-M1 Mark II all handheld!
Videographer – Michael Hurren
www.michaelhurren.com.auEquipment:
Camera: OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Lenses: 25mm f1.2 / 12-40mm f2.8 / 40-150mm f2.8
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Highlights
- New 20.4MP Live MOS Sensor
- TruePic VIII Dual Quad Core Processor
- Micro Four Thirds Mount and System
- 121 Cross-type on-chip phase-detect AF points
- 2.35M dot EVF with 120 fps refresh rate, 5 millisecond response
- New Cluster Display Subject Tracking
- 50 Megapixel High Res Shot Stills Mode
- Cinema 4K (4,096 x 2,160) at 24p IPB at approx. 237 Mbps
- UHD at 30p IPB at 102 Mbps
- “Flat” video specific picture profile
- 4:2:2 HDMI output (presumed 8bit)
- 1080p/60 IPB
- 1080p/24/25/30p ALL-I
- In-Body 5-Axis Image Stabilization
- Dual SD Card Slots
- HDMI Output
- USB Type-C connector
- 3.5mm Microphone and Headphone Jacks
- Fully Articulating 3.0″ Touchscreen
- 15 fps Shooting and Expanded ISO 25,600
- Dual F.A.S.T. 121-Point Autofocus System
- Weather-Sealed Construction/Splash-proof
- Lightweight – only 600 grams
Olympus E-M1 Mark II 4K Video Samples 5 Axis – ICELAND via Steve Huff; You can also check out his review of the camera here.
Olympus Visionary and Volcano photographer, Adrian Rohnfelder also pushed the new E-M1 Mark II to its limits in Iceland testing its weather-sealing and rugged design.
Read more on the stills side of things on the E-M1 Mark II from the Adorama Learning Centre
Sure, the price maybe more than most Micro Four Thirds shooters expected, given that the E-M1 original is sold for $1,299 in a kit with the 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens, however with the faster AF, new image stabilization, 4K video capabilities, weather-proof body and a fully articulating screen – the new E-M1 Mark II may just tick the most important boxes for a lot of people both on the stills and video side. I am very interested in seeing more from the E-M1 II in the upcoming weeks.
You can pre-order the Olympus E-M1 Mark II from the links below. The camera is expected to start shipping in the first week of December.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Body – $1,999 at B&H, Adorama, WexUK
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Too bad its price is also insane! 🙁
I don´t get why people get so hung up on price tags when we get so much for it. Nowadays people expect everything from manufacturers for nothing. We need to be able to fly for less than 100 bucks and still want all the comfort. Wake up, people. Development, research and manufacturing comes at a price. Even if some corporations are greedy, thatˋs just the way our world works. And the more we complain about great products being too expensive the more we will get bitter and receive bad products in the hand of the wrong people. Think in relatives not absolutes. This camera should be 5k…