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.

My OM-D Family increases

As I start to enjoy getting back into the Olympus OM-D micro four thirds system more and more, my desire for putting together a more nimble 'travel' kit has increased.

Now don't get me wrong, the OM-D E-M1 is by no means a bulky or heavy camera. But I prefer to shoot it with the grip attached. Which does add to the bulk and weight. When I'm about to leave the house for a stroll around the neighborhood, reaching for the E-M1 with grip attached and carrying that around just on the 'off chance' that I might get an image, isn't all that appealing. Yes I can (and do) take the grip off and go without - slimming down the camera considerably. But it's a bit of a faff when I just want to grab-and-go. So I end up not taking a camera at all.

Hence my desire for a more nimble travel/walk-about kit.

In the past, this would have meant looking at something like the Olympus Pen E-P3. I think I've owned this camera twice in my photography career, and I have a love-hate relationship with it. I've written about the E-P3 before on this blog - the last time was here and here. 

I love the look of the Pen series, and especially the E-P3. It's just a gorgeous camera. Beautifully designed and crafted. A joy to own - which is probably why I've had two of them. The E-P3 is also the point at which Olympus got the autofocus on the Pen series right. Prior to the E-P3, the contrast detect AF of the Pen series was fairly slow. With the E-P3 they sorted that out well and truly.

But (isn't there always a 'but'), I really dislike shooting without a dedicated viewfinder. And that's putting it mildly. Having to use the LCD screen to compose and shoot on the Pen's is a real killjoy to the way I like to shoot. Sadly. But there it is. So as much as I am attracted to the aesthetic of the Pen series, I don't find them much fun to shoot with. Small, and light, and great for travel. but not much fun.

Having said all that, I still considered getting one. For two reasons. a) the aforementioned size and weight, ideal for compact travel shooting. And b) the price is right. Nice, minty Pen bodies come up fairly often, usually for a very good price (the exception being the digital Pen F).

But just as I was considering my next Pen purchase, I saw an online auction for a mint condition OM-D E-M10, at a fantastic price. Why hadn't I considered the E-M10 before? It is, in fact, the perfect solution to my desire for a smaller OM-D 'travel' camera. So yeah, I got one 😁 

I didn't pull the trigger right away though. I 'ummd and 'arrrd' for a few days while I mulled the decision over in my tiny brain. Why the hesitation? Well, I know I'm about to contradict everything I've just said about wanting to get a smaller travel camera. But I hesitated because I was worried that the E-M10 might be a bit too small? Yeah, I know, I'm a complicated creature...

But one of the things I've learnt about myself over the years, is that I don't like cameras that are 'too' small. On the one hand I want small and light. And on the other I want something chunky enough so as not to be too fiddley! Told you I was complicated.

So what made up my mind about the E-M10? Simple. I brought the extra grip attachment, the ECG-1 for it before I even brought the camera. And I'm hoping that this will be the difference between having a 'useable' small travel camera, and it feeling too small as to be not enjoyable to use (for me).

I know the OM-D E-M10 is a small camera. That's the point. That's what I'm looking for. But I also know that my tolerance for 'too small' on a camera is fairly low. For me, the OM-D E-M5 was too small, until I attached the grip. And then it was just right. And yes, I know, the E-M10 is even smaller. Hence the ECG-1 grip.

I have, however, in the last few years, redefined my definition of "too small" in a camera system somewhat. Before moving back to the Olympus OM-D E-M1, I was rocking a couple of Fujifilm XE rangefinder-style bodies (with the Fuji grips attached), and really enjoying them. I didn't find them too small at all. Although I think they might actually be a bit bigger than the E-M10? (Actually, I've just Googled it, and it's so close as to be negligible). So my definition of 'small' in a camera my be evolving somewhat?

In any case, the addition of the ECG-1 to the Olympus OM-D E-M10 will be crucial in my enjoyment of the camera, and I wouldn't have purchased it without the grip as well. Even Robin Wong, in his review of the E-M10, claimed that the ECG-1 grip was an essential, must-have accessory for better handling. If it's good enough for Robin, it's good enough for me!

As for the rest of the specs associated with the E-M10 - well, they tick all the right boxes for me as far as I'm concerned. Same 16MP sensor and processing engine as in the E-M1 - check. This means there will be consistency of images between both cameras, if I end up shooting them together. The E-M10 also has the same menu system (which is good as far as I'm concerned), has 3-axis IS (good enough for me), the same tilting LCD screen as the E-M1, and more than good enough AF, sequential shooting and video (not that I'll use the video features). In most respects, it is exactly what it's meant to be - a baby E-M1 with the same image quality that will slot in perfectly with my existing kit. What more could I have asked for?

Well, actually, it would have been nice if they had shared the same battery, but I understand why this isn't the case. Smaller body, smaller battery - still same number of images per battery. Fair enough.

I'm very excited about adding the Olympus OM-D E-M10 to my micro four thirds family. I think it will work in perfectly with the E-M1, and I can't wait to shoot with it. Expect an 'initial thoughts' post on this blog when I do.