Olympus OM-D E-M10 initial thoughts

It's mid-winter here in New Zealand as I write this, and on the West Coast of the South Island where I live that usually means cold and wet - very wet. Not ideal conditions for taking your newly acquired (non weather-sealed) camera out for a test run.

Fortunately, some decent weather was forecast for the weekend just gone. On Sunday afternoon I managed to get out for an hour and go for a walk with my wife, and friends of ours, on a local beach. Not ideal weather conditions (middle of the day under bright sunlight), but good enough to make a few 'test' images on the OM-D E-M10.

What Wind? Olympus OM-D E-M10 with Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. f/5.6 @ 1/800th, ISO 200

First of all, let me just remark on how small this camera is. Because it is. Tiny. Weeny. Itsy, bitsy. Petite (you get the idea).  Is it too small perhaps? (Oh no, here we go...). 

Well, umm, yeah. Actually I think it is a wee bit too small. For me. The controls - especially the two top control dials that incorporate the shutter button, feel just a little too cramped for my liking. And I only have medium-sized hands for a bloke. So rather than the camera molding comfortably in my hand (like the E-M1 does), I find myself clutching at the camera with almost a claw-grip. Not something that I think would be overly comfortable - or even sustainable - for a long period of shooting.

Handling is improved with the ECG-1

But hang on. Before I give the impression that I've dismissed the E-M10 already, all is not lost.

Because, together with the E-M10, I also managed to pick up the Olympus ECG-1 grip, made specifically for the E-M10. And as you can see in the photo at left, the size of the grip, and the camera itself, is significantly increased with the grip attached.

Does it solve the cramped handling issues entirely? No, it doesn't. It's still certainly nowhere close to E-M1 comfort. But it does help. And for me, at least, the addition of the ECG-1 turns the E-M10 from a no-go, into a small, light and useable camera.

I do realise that the small size is actually a bonus for many people, and for a lot of users the addition of the ECG-1 would be a rather pointless exercise. And that's what makes these type of grips such a good idea. Get it, and use it, if you want to 'bulk' the camera out a little - or don't.... The choice is yours.

I'm actually very impressed with the way Olympus has engineered the ECG-1. Many other hand grips that screw into the tripod mount at the bottom of the camera need to be removed constantly if you want to replace the battery and or memory card. Either that, or they simply machine a very large hole in the base of the plate so the grip doesn't cover the battery door (my Fuji XE-1 grip was like this). Olympus have cleverly gotten around this by creating a latch that lets you unclip the main part of the grip to expose the battery/SD compartment, and then simply snap it back into place once you've finished. It's such a simple, yet ingenious solution. To me, it's yet another example of a camera being designed by photographers rather than engineers.

Rapahoe Beach. E-M10 with Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. f/7.1 @ 1/400th, ISO 200 

So with the grip attached, I can live with the ergonomics. And the rest of the camera is fine button-wise. I probably wouldn't want to wander around with it in my hand for hours. But then again, I'm unlikely to. When I use it as my 'travel' camera, it will more than likely sit in a camera bag for 90% of the time, and I'll just take it out to shoot a few images and then pop it away again. It's how I tend to 'roll'.

In terms of using it as a 'back-up', or in conjunction with my E-M1, it's absolutely perfect. The menu system is practically identical - a very seamless control and set-up between the two. And the IQ (image quality) is darn near identical (in fact it probably is). Which means I'm more than happy with the dynamic range, colour, sharpness and clarity coming out of the E-M10's files. And when you get right down to it, isn't that the ultimate point?

Wave forms, Rapahoe. E-M10 with 12-50mm EZ. f/6.3 @ 1/2000th, ISO 200

So I've got no complaints with the actual images this camera produces. And I can live with the ergonomics with the ECG-1 grip attached. All pretty positive stuff. 

And that's where I'll leave my initial review - on a positive note. Because it is - on the whole - a positive experience shooting with the diminutive E-M10. Even having said all that I have about it's small size and cramped feel, once I started shooting with it, all that nonsense went away, and I just immersed myself in the process of taking pictures.

Sure, the 1.4MP EVF is a noticeable step down from the 2.3MP EVF on the E-M1 - but is it unusable? No, of course not. And the E-M10 may have 'only' 3 axis image stabilization - but so what? I never rely on IS for sharp images anyway - even the 5 axis magic in the E-M1. It may 'only' shoot at 1/4000th top speed (compared to the 1/8000th of the E-M1), and top out at 8fps. But so what? I ain't using it for sports anyway.

Out for a walk. Olympus OM-D E-M10 with Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. f/7.1 @ 1/400th, ISO 200

At the end of the day, what the Olympus OM-D E-M10 is, is a superbly crafted camera that can capture beautiful images in a small, compact form factor. Ideal for travel and on-the-go photography. And it's also the personification of the micro four thirds concept. A 'big enough' sensor, in a 'big enough' body, that takes more than 'good enough' images.

That's 'good enough' for me.