What I Like Most About My Olympus E-M1

Abandoned farmhouse (click to enlarge)
Olympus E-M1, Panasonic 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 17mm; 1/250th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200
A good all around travel lens but not the best quality.  Regardless, it performed well in this image.

There is a lot to like about the Olympus E-M1.  It is not perfect, nothing is.  However, it is a very fine photographic tool.  I have owned and extensively used the camera with a variety of lenses in a variety of situations for the past 15 months. This post reflects what I found I like the best about the E-M1, in no particular order.  You may like different things about the camera and your photography may be different than mine.  This is just my opinion and we all know opinions are neither right nor wrong, merely opinions.  Read on, if you are interested.

I like how the camera's sensor and associated algorithms render an image. Very pleasing. I like the color palate, sharpness and the detail in my images. The dynamic range is excellent. I almost never have to bracket and merge images. Now, I know that the images from the E-M1 are not the best that is possible from the realm of digital cameras, but considering the 4/3 sensor, they are excellent and quite satisfying—and this is from a guy who is really picky about his images. When rarely I need even better quality, I can always pick up my Nikon D810 and lenses. But the quality of the images I make with the E-M1, for 99% of my uses, are excellent! As I have written the past, I shoot stock and the agency deems the images from the E-M1 of professional quality, so that settles it for me.
I like how the camera feels in my hand when I pick it up. Everything fits me well. I know from lots of experience, if I don't like the way a camera handles, I tend not to pick it up and use it. Most of us will pick up the camera that feels and handles and works the best for us. This camera works really well for me. It just fits.

In 15 months, no dust on the sensor! Now, I find that amazing!

I can invoke both face detection as well as have the ability to pick and move my focus point around. In other cameras that can't be done, they are exclusive of one other.

The E-M1 has a very comprehensive focusing system; 81 focus points; other cameras have fewer. Still others have more. Eighty-one has so far served my needs well.

The ability to choose 1 focus point, 9 focus points or all 81 for different focusing needs versus fewer or no choice in other cameras. Another feature that has served me well.

The E-M1 has focus tracking, which works pretty well, where the focusing point will move around the frame following the subject. Other cameras don't have this feature. I find this feature very useful at times. Sometimes I like to go out and photograph moving trains, such as Amtrak at 79 mph, as well as occasionally being volunteered to photograph grandchildren participating in sports. It doesn't work as well as the focus tracking in my Nikon D810, but it works well and hasn't let me down yet.

Nine frames per second focus tracking with new firmware upgrade; I don't need it often as I normally have my camera set for 5 fps, which normally is plenty for my photography, but it is there and I have tried it when needed.

When invoking face detection, I can select closest eye recognition, left eye and or right eye; other cameras don't offer any more than face detection; And it works!

The ability to use "back button" focusing in single focus or continuous focus mode when I need it; other cameras don't offer this or only offer back button focusing in single focus mode. I normally set my cameras up to be on continuous focusing and disassociate focusing from the shutter button. This camera allows me to be consistent with past practices and with other cameras I have owned. There is something to be said for consistency as it relieves you of having to think about your camera's controls and allows you to fully concentrate on capturing the image exactly how and when you want to. Muscle memory plays a part in this.

Despite what you might hear, if you know the Olympus camera and its menu system as you should, I find the controls very fast, faster even than analog controls on other cameras. You may disagree, but the controls have become second nature to me and I find I can find for what I am looking and change it very quickly.

I think the exposure bracketing is extensive, more extensive than on other cameras and easy to invoke. I don't use it often, but when I need it, just about every conceivable option is there for me, no matter what the scene requires.

The E-M1 Offers a very large, very useful and readable in-EVF histogram.

Egret, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, VA (click to enlarge)

Olympus E-M1; Panasonic 100-300mm f/4-5.6 lens @ 246mm;

1/1600th sec. @6.3; ISO 400

(a good lens but not the best available)

E-M1's touchscreen LCD, which is large and bright, offers the user versatility and speed. I was not much of a touchscreen type of guy before getting the E-M5, then the E-M1, but I have come to find it useful and intuitive.

I like the ability to touch the rear LCD to a) focus exactly where I need to focus by touch and b) focus exactly where I need by touch and automatically make an exposure. This is a wonderful feature that is very useful when the camera is mounted on a tripod. If you think that by touching the rear LCD to focus and expose, no problem. Just set the self-timer for 2 seconds to allow time for any heavy handed touching to be eliminated.

There is no noise reduction applied to raw files. I prefer carefully controlling digital noise. Sometimes I like a bit to remain for film-like effects, and sometimes to remove it all. There is distortion, vignetting corrections and chromatic aberration corrections applied and I appreciate that.

The placement of shutter button is perfect and not located on the top of the camera's body, as in other cameras. This camera better fits my hand due to the size and placement of the grip than other cameras I've used. As I said above, the camera just fits me really well.

IBIS! The in-body-image-stabilization is almost miraculous! Any lens is stabilized, no matter current or legacy lenses. That is very useful and it works really well.

I don't have a problem with the battery life. I don't make thousands of images in any one day, but in some circumstances, I make several hundred I find the battery life normally lasts for a full day of photography. The camera seems to have better battery life than other mirrorless cameras I have used.

The in-camera "tele-converter" option gives me a 2X magnification of the image, then the camera upsizes the file to full size. It doesn't just give you a reduced size file. I've tested it and it is excellent for when you occasionally need more reach. In fact, I tried my best using Photoshop and other plug-ins to produce a better cropped image and could only match what the Olympus engineers programmed into the camera for uprezzing the file and making it look great. Thank you engineers!

Lastly, I like the EVF better in the E-M1 than ones in other mirrorless cameras I've tried, but that is just a personal preference. I can better judge exposure with this EVF than I have been able to do in other mirrorless cameras, but again, that is just me.

The following comments don't pertain directly to the E-M1, but are very pertinent to its use.

There are a seriously large number of lenses available from several manufacturers now. Lenses are available with professional build and image making quality, or if you don't need the highest quality or don't have the budget to buy the best, you can choose well built, less expensive, but nonetheless good lenses.

I like the size of the fast lenses as well as the professional zooms. A larger sensor requires larger lenses. If you notice some of the full frame mirrorless cameras coming available, the lenses aren't very fast. If they were as fast as some of the M4/3 lenses, they would be large compared to the camera body. I believe the manufacturer introduced these small, slower lenses on purpose to keep size and weight down. Physics still rules and you can't very well change the laws of physics. Small, lightweight and high quality are the reasons I use mirrorless—not only a small body but also small lenses.


So that is it. There are a lot of things to like about the Olympus E-M1 and very few things to dislike or can be improved. I find much more that suits me with the E-M1 than not and it will remain my primary picture making machine for the time being.

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.

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