OM SYSTEM OLYMPUS OM-D E-M10 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 14-42mm 2RK lens (Silver)

This camera takes good pictures. It is well appointed with technical features, as a novice photographer I find it reasonably easy/intuitive to use, it has a solid feel, and a functional and (to my taste) aesthetically pleasing design.TLDR PROs*Captures great pictures*Good size vs. performance ratio, especially when you include lenses*Comprehensive still photography feature set*Very effective balance of features and cost vs. its most direct competitorsTLDR CONs*Not a video camera*Electronic viewfinder is not an optical viewfinder*Image stabilization makes slight ocean noise while activeOverall I'd give this 4.5 out of 5 stars. I will strongly consider the E-M5's successor when it is released, as having a weather-sealed version of this camera, without giving up WiFi or focus peaking, would be nice.[About this reviewer: I'm upgrading from an Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic GF3 (rarely used) to this camera. I've been seriously interested in photography as a hobby for about 18 months, and have closely followed many of the product releases in the last 9 months waiting for a camera that I felt would be a good fit for my budget and perceived needs.]GOOD PICTURESThe 16MP micro four thirds sensor used on this camera combined with the internal software and image processor (the latter designated the TruePic VII and found here for the first time outside of the company's flagship E-M1 model) is capable of capturing images that are suitable for every consumer grade digital application and printing at any size short of poster. With very few caveats, the micro four thirds lenses and sensors are considered to perform at a level equal to or highly competitive with APS-C ("crop sensor") and all other sub-"full frame" mirrorless cameras. There's nothing about the E-M10 that breaks this pattern, and indeed some reports suggest that the already very usable "high" ISOs have been improved upon from it's predecessors, including the E-M5.Auto focus is quick and in my testing so far accurate and reliable. I have run across a couple of shots with the Olympus 45mm f1.8 where I was trying to shoot inside the minimum focusing distance and auto-focus could not be achieved, in which case the camera would scan the full focal range about twice in what felt like about 1.5 sec before taking the picture. UPDATE 2014-07: I would probably downgrade the autofocus to a B/B- based on further use. It will fail to detect and focus obvious subjects under average conditions far too frequently (maybe about 5% of the time) and keep that incorrect target until the shot is re-framed somewhat appreciably.Auto white balance has been effective in indoor and outdoor lighting both, including facing fluorescent, incandescent, mixed, and cloudy conditions; I haven't yet caught one of the few sunny moments of this weekend through my lens. To complete my assessment of the "auto" features, the maximum auto ISO can be specified via the menu system, and you can configure from a set of options as to which shooting modes present auto ISO as an option.In camera JPEGs are pleasingly rendered, and a few helpful in-camera transitions are readily available. Specifically, the Olympus art filters can be batch applied to a RAW image, and a "e-Portrait" option has so far been pretty effective at detecting and smoothing the apparent imperfections in the skin of my subjects.TECHNICAL FEATURESThe grab bag of technical features of this camera can certainly be overwhelming to consider if you are unfamiliar with the OM-D stablemates [at present time the E-M1 and E-M5] as well as the higher-end offerings of Olympus' competitors, notably the Panasonic GX7. Rather than trying to cover them all, I'll focus on what stands out to me about this camera apart from the sensor and processor covered above.*Viewfinder: The built-in viewfinder has diopter adjustment, an eye detect sensor [configurable and disabled when the tilting screen is pulled away from the camera body], and automatically adjusts brightness to match the scene through the lens which should prove beneficial in night shooting. Additionally, it is a true 3-color display unlike the sequential display used in the GX7, though it doesn't tilt. I did encounter some distracting image jumpiness/lag while panning to capture a black puppy running on white snow right around my feet, but in every other application it has been more than adequately fast.*3-Axis Image Stabilization: Unlike the 5-axis IS utilized in the other OM-D models, the E-M10 can compensate "only" for yaw, pitch, and roll. Movement of the camera up-down and side-to-side cannot be compensated for. In any event, I feel like it's a significant improvement over that of my E-PL1 and adequate to my needs. It's also nice to know that it will work in video mode, as recently demonstrated by Blunty on YouTube. Unlike lens based stabilization, it also works with legacy lenses like my Olympus OM-mount Zuiko 50mm f1.4. One complaint is that there's a moderately audible mechanical "ocean" sound that appears when the IS is doing its job, which I have configured to happen during a half shutter press. UPDATE 2014-07: After a week or two of using the camera regularly, the stabilization noise faded in to the background and I no longer notice it at all.*WiFi: Based on the shared features and similar body-only cost of the E-M5 I had long considered jumping at that camera, but the lack of the WiFi options in that model (limited support via EyeFi cards which are costly and not 100% compatible) were a deal-breaker for my interest in rapidly sharing pictures via social media. The expanded Olympus WiFi offerings first found on the Pen E-P5 are more than I had hoped for, and the degree of control I have via the OIS (Olympus Image Share) app and my tablet/smartphone are great. I look forward to future iterations of the app, and also hope to someday have the 14-42 "EZ" lens so that I can play with electronic zoom remotely!*Focus Peaking: Another nice function added to this model and not found in the E-M5 is focus peaking. It works pretty well, though did have some difficulty with my 50mm f1.4 (~30 year old lens) wide open. It's also a bit disappointing that it doesn't have a color option (e.g. red/blue) but is limited to black and white.*Built-in Flash vs. "Missing" features: It's worth pointing out that the E-M10 has a built-in flash (+1) and lacks any degree of claimed weather-sealing (-1). If WiFi functionality isn't central to how you intend to use your camera, you should strongly consider the E-M5 as the small and low guide number flash isn't anything exceptional. But it does have a very satisfying "pop-up" action, a seemingly capable catch in the closed position, and despite what I believe to be a plastic construction a relatively congruous appearance with the metal top plate [in the silver finish model, anyways].*Video: From specifications I know this camera will capture either Full HD 1080 or HD 720 footage at 30 progressive frames per second. Those are the video options. Oh, and it has a built in stereo microphone. If you are a videographer this probably isn't the camera for you, but as I'm a stills photographer who might want to capture 45 seconds of "Happy Birthday" being sung at my nephew's next party in order to share it with relatives who couldn't be there, this camera *will* do that - unlike the 4 times as expensive Nikon Df. [Had to say it.]EASE OF USEIt's almost unfair to compare this camera to the E-PL1 as they sit several years, a product line, and in general worlds apart in the photographic food chain in terms of their handling. That, however, is the camera with which I was previously most familiar and let me tell you the handling of this model is simply streets ahead. The touchscreen, twin control dials, and (once unlocked) Super Control Panel (SCP) user interface are a beautiful combination allowing me to easily control aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. And about 20 other features/functions, including specifying if the auto focus should target eyes, the left eye, the right eye (no joke, those are options)... it's really a powerful and well designed screen.I won't sugarcoat it and say the Olympus detailed system menus aren't daunting, or claim that there's a valid reason not to ship the camera with the SCP enabled by default. But I sat down and played with the menus for between 30 minutes and 2 hours and got the camera set in a way that I'm reasonably happy with. Now I get to enjoy using it and make small tweaks to my preferred use of the configurable function buttons (and d-pad buttons) as I get more familiar. It's not the end of the world, and oh are those twin control dials a pleasure to use. For my money, they're in just the right place and feel like they have just the right amount of clickiness; I'm unfamiliar with other such dials, but was having read at some online review sites that they felt the dials turned too easily I can't help but feel like they're either being extremely picky or had slightly differently weighted dials on their copy of the camera.BUILD & APPEARANCEFirst, the camera is smaller than you're thinking. Unless you've held one in person in the last 2 hours, your probably imagining it's bigger than it really is. I had held the E-M5 and E-M1 at my local camera store, but I still wasn't 100% prepared for what I removed from the box. It's not small in a bad way - I'm 5'11" and have fairly large hands and find it very manageable - but it's a very pleasantly compact package that fits in my coat pocket with the 45mm f1.8 native m43 lens attached.Second, it looks and feels very solid in the hand. Anyone holding this camera will recognize it's a serious photographic tool. Again, not in a bad way - I don't find it's at all overly heavy, and I would say it is very well balanced. But it feels like it's meant to be used in the real world, even as it looks nice enough to be proudly displayed on a shelf.UPDATE 2014-07: I don't actually have that much to add to the initial impressions captured above. Battery life has been adequate, RAW support has been added to Adobe Lightroom, and I'm happily taking pictures with a variety of lenses.I absolutely would continue to strongly recommend this camera to anyone looking to pick up photography as hobby, if camera/lens size/weight is at all a factor in the intended use. The dedicated control dials and comprehensive modern feature set of this camera, combined with the appealing aesthetics--I've gotten a number of compliments and questions about my silver body, primarily with black lenses--continue to make this a winner in my book.

[UPDATE March 18 2014 dpreview just awarded the OMD EM10 its Gold Award]I pixel peep ... a lot ... I figure if it's sharp at 100% crop, it's sharp period. I do pro street photography and primarily use the Sony A7 with a variety of lenses, but my go to lens is the Zeiss 55mm f1.8. This lens has been DXO tested to be second only to the the $4,000 Otus lens. All that to say ... it's SHARP. I recently got my OM-D E-M10 after comparing the images to the O-MD E-M1 and others costing much more. So ... I bought it.[WORKS FOR MY STYLE OF SHOOTING]I have a Sony NEX-6 with the excellent Sony G Lens 18-105mm. I use the NEX-6 as a backup to the A7. However I wanted something smaller to carry with me when I was not specifically on a street shoot. I thought about using the NEX-6 as my casual camera. It's small, but I really wanted something with the full manual control set that was like the A7. The NEX-6, while good, did not replicate the control buttons and dials of the A7. Plus the NEX lenses really added to the size of the NEX-6. But the EM10 used much smaller lenses and was completely customizable, AND had the two control dials just like my A7 ... one in the front on the top right, and one in the rear on the top right. I shoot in Manual mode and use the front dial (which I can easily turn with my index finger) to change shutter speed. I use the rear dial (which is placed perfectly for my thumb) to change Aperture for effect or bokeh, etc. Since the A7 has an Auto ISO that functions during Manual mode, it controls my exposure mostly for me. Not every camera has an Auto ISO capability that functions in Manual mode. The EM10 does. And I can set the upper and lower limits for ISO to use so I never get too much noise by going too high in the Auto ISO selection process. So between the two dial functionality being the same between the A7 and the EM10, and the availability of AUTO ISO in Manual mode and ISO bracketing on both cameras, I can use the same controls and the same setup for either camera.[PRO LEVEL IMAGE QUALITY FOR MOST WORK]Now for the good part ... The image quality on the EM10 is literally 95% of the image quality of my full frame A7 (both using the good glass). I'm talking about at full 100% crop. Now, to be sure, the EM10 is not an exact A7 equivalent. The 95% holds true only in reasonable light. In the lowest light the EM10, though good ... and slightly better than most APS-C cameras like the NEX-6, is simply no match for the full frame A7. But, for the money, and with the Olympus 25mm f1.8 lens, the little EM10 is excellent, and even is 95% of the image quality and capability (fast AF and 8fps vs 10fps, etc) of the EM1 to my eyes (in decent light). And the in-camera image stabilization makes it an even better bargain than many cameras. In fact, though I bought the camera to use as a third level camera in my "fleet", I am absolutely convinced it is slightly better than my NEX-6 with good glass. And I'm a Sony guy that owns an RX100 (by the way, the EM10 is significantly better than the 100 even though I love the little RX100), and an RX1 along with the NEX-6 and A7. I shot with the kit 14-42 Olympus, but it is not in the same league as the 25mm f1.8 Olympus glass. So I simply keep the better lens on the camera. I have found I can crop in on the raw EM10 image shot with the better glass and get the equivalent magnification the 14-42 would have given me by zoom ... and the f1.8 image is still better than or equal to the uncropped, zoomed-in image of the kit lens.[COMPARISONS TO THE O-MD E-M1]So, it's a go everywhere little camera that absolutely can replace my full frame A7 in a lot of my work. I'm simply amazed. I think the little EM10 just kicked my NEX-6 out of second place in my arsenal. The best part IMHO is that the EM10 is 90% of the camera the EM1 is ... to me. I don't need the weather sealing and would never knowingly take a weather sealed camera into a downpour anyway. But that's just the nature of my work I guess. Perhaps some people don't have an option and must be in the weather. I wanted to shoot a few thousand shots before I reviewed the little gem. The focus speed is virtually identical between the EM1 and the EM10. The same image processor gives practically the same noiseless higher ISO image quality. The EM1 has a slightly better image quality due to the lack of an anti aliasing filter, and the EM1 snaps 10fps vs 8fps for the EM10. The 3 axis image stabilization on the EM10 does about 85% of the work the 5 axis stablization of the EM1 does because the EM10 keeps the 3 most important corrections (yaw, roll and pitch).[STREET PHOTOGRAPHY PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS]The only thing I miss from the A7 is the location of the power switch. I carry my A7 on a wrist strap in my right hand and I always have my index finger on the power switch so that, within a second or so, I can turn the camera on and have it up to my eye and catching the moments. Then I simply switch it back off on the way back down to my side. I have found that when I operate like that I routinely can take over a thousand photographs on a single A7 battery charge. With normal CIPA measurements the reviews have the A7 at around 350 shots before the battery expires. All that to say that the position of the power switch on the lower back right of the EM10 means I cannot be ready quite as fast. BUT ... the EM10 has a setting that lets the camera go blank and save power after one to five (I think five?) minutes. Once it goes blank, it is saving power, but a single press of any key brings it back to life instantly ... so my situation is mitigated. Therefore, I just leave it in that 1 minute-to-power save mode and the battery lasts good amount of time. Not everybody uses the CIPA method of using a camera with flash and extensive LCD viewing of images. Once you realize just how much of the battery those two activities use, you can change your habits and realize a lot more battery life per charge.[CONCLUSIONS]All in all, I am very, very happy with this little camera. I feel it is perfectly capable, in the right light, of producing professional results for output even to large format. I hope an upgrade someday includes an Exposure Compensation dial that works in Manual Mode as well as others and an HDR dynamic range mode that does not disable Auto ISO when in Manual mode. But, even as it is, the little O-MD E-M10 is a breeze and a pleasure to use and carry around. I take it practically everywhere I go. It's small enough and high quality build enough ... with professional features and controls ... to be a revolutionary replacement for larger cameras in a lot of DSLR work. But it's not too small making it uncomfortable to use for pro photography. And the price is right. Great job Olympus!