Olympus have made a big move with the release of their brand-new
flagship camera the OM-D E-M1X and to celebrate they invited us to the Hunter Valley to test out how
the camera handled extreme fast-paced action.
Our first stop was a dirt track with a couple of rally cars that flew
around covering us in a fine layer of dust. We weren't afraid to get our
hands or the camera dirty so we grabbed a 12-100mm
lens to test out the new autofocus tracking system.
Using AI, the camera can detect and track 3 different types
of subjects: cars and motorcycles, planes and helicopters, as well as trains. The
algorithm starts tracking subjects before you even press the shutter and when
you half-press, the camera springs to life, locking onto your subject and relentlessly
holding focus throughout the frame.
Once the drivers were satisfied that we were covered in enough
dirt we moved on to our next challenge, shooting a stunt plane pilot
performing a series of elaborate aerial manoeuvres using the 12-100mm
lens and the 300mm telephoto lens.
You can see how accurately the autofocus system performed from
the video below, which is constructed entirely from JPEGS straight out of the
camera, shot in the 18fps burst mode.
Let’s be real for a second though and ask the question that
is on everyone’s lips. Why release a bigger camera while other manufacturers are focusing on making cameras that are smaller and smaller?
Does size matter?
With the E-M1X Olympus are making the statement that in some situations
smaller is not necessarily better. The grip has been precisely designed to
allow for seamless switching between landscape and portrait orientations while
at the same time greatly improving the balance of the system when shooting with long
telephoto lenses.
But it isn’t just that that the camera is more ergonomic and
comfortable to use, it also packed with power, boasting dual image processors and
a heat dissipating venting tube. The grip also includes dual batteries that effectively double the shooting time of the camera.
Olympus have taken the release of the E-M1X is an opportunity
to flex their muscles and show off what they're capable of. They’re
confident that once photographers get their hands on the new camera, they will be
converted.
Who is the OM-D E-M1X made for?
Firstly, The E-M1X is not aimed the same shooters the most
recent batch of mirrorless cameras are designed for. It is instead aimed
squarely at the high end of the professional market and if you think about it
that makes sense.
Olympus already produce some of the most compact and portable
mirrorless systems with models like the E-M5
Mark II and the
E-M10 Mark III, so why not focus on making a camera that instead combines the
weight savings of mirrorless with the performance and ergonomics that are an
industry standard for professionals.
And that is exactly who Olympus have designed the E-M1X for.
The wedding photographers, photo journalists, portrait, nature and sports shooters.
In short, if you pick up a camera to
make a living, they designed this camera for you. So why are they so positive that this new camera will appeal
to professionals?
Reliability
It’s built like a tank, with improved weather sealing that
surpasses the IPX1 standard and a super durable shutter unit rated for 400,000
actuations. We shot in super dusty conditions on a hot Australian summers day and tested the splash proof
construction and the E-M1X didn't miss a beat.
Image Quality
Quality is key. It doesn’t matter how in focus your shot is,
if you don’t have excellent image quality nothing else really matters. As professionals,
clients expect you to be able to deliver the absolute best. The E-M1X delivers
image quality and then some by introducing the new handheld pixel shift mode.
Handheld Pixel Shift
The camera uses the in-body stabilisation system to move the
sensor several times, capturing images at different positions and then merging
the shots together to produce an ultra-high-resolution final image.
Because this method takes several photos it means that even
the slightest movement can ruin the shot, requiring that the camera be set up
on a tripod. That is until now.
The Olympus EM-1X can produce handheld pixel shifted
ultra-high-resolution images with a whopping 50-megapixels and it can do that at
shutter speeds as slow as 1/60 of a second.
5-Axis Sync IS
Olympus were one of the first manufacturers to incorporate
in-body stabilisation or IBIS into their line-up and they’ve been refining the technology
for years. Their latest innovation, the EM-1X offers an impressive 7 and a
half stops of image stabilisation when paired with their 12-100mm f/4 lens, or 7 stops with other Olympus glass.
Just to provide some context of what that means, 7 stops is
equivalent to increasing your ISO from 100 to 12,800 or shooting with a shutter
speed of a 1/4 of a second rather than 1/500th of a second. So, if you can
picture the difference between those settings would have on your image and then add another half a stop
that’s the advantage the system can offer.
While we were at the Hunter Valley, we got the chance to
speak to Olympus Australia visionaries; Nick Ghionis and Michael Hurren to find
out their thoughts about the new camera and the Olympus system in general.
From the time we were given the cameras to the time we
reluctantly handed them back, the performance of the E-M1X was nothing short of
incredible.
Overall the high-speed capture ability of up to 18 fps with
AF/AE tracking was super impressive, but for us the big stand-out features were
the industry leading 7.5-stops of image stabilisation and ‘Intelligent Subject
Detection’ autofocus.
Find out more about the camera by following the link below.
