Olympus E-M10 II Comparison Review

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was revealed to the public in August 2015 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 15.9 megapixel.

Is the Olympus E-M10 II a good camera? The E-M10 II has a Camera Elo of 2091. This rating puts the E-M10 II below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the E-M10 II ranks among the top 50 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Olympus E-M10 II vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Olympus E-M10 II alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Olympus E-M10 II	120 mm	83 mm	47 mm	390 g	320	n	Aug 2015	US$ 649	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-M10	119 mm	82 mm	46 mm	396 g	320	n	Jan 2014	US$ 699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-M10 III	122 mm	84 mm	50 mm	410 g	330	n	Aug 2017	US$ 649	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-P5	122 mm	69 mm	37 mm	420 g	330	n	May 2013	US$ 999	ebay.com
5.		Olympus E-PL5	111 mm	64 mm	38 mm	325 g	360	n	Sep 2012	US$ 599	ebay.com
6.		Olympus E-PL6	111 mm	64 mm	38 mm	325 g	360	n	May 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
7.		Olympus E-PL7	115 mm	67 mm	38 mm	357 g	350	n	Aug 2014	US$ 599	ebay.com
8.		Olympus E-PL8	115 mm	67 mm	38 mm	357 g	350	n	Sep 2016	US$ 549	ebay.com
9.		Olympus E-PL9	117 mm	68 mm	39 mm	380 g	350	n	Feb 2018	US$ 599	ebay.com
10.		Olympus PEN-F	125 mm	72 mm	37 mm	427 g	330	n	Jan 2016	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic GX85	122 mm	71 mm	44 mm	426 g	290	n	Apr 2016	US$ 799	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Olympus E-M10 II was launched in the US market at a price of $649. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Olympus E-M10 II features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Olympus E-M10 II among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Olympus E-M10 II	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	23.1	12.5	842	73
2.		Olympus E-M10	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	22.8	12.3	884	72
3.		Olympus E-M10 III	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	23.1	12.8	1120	74
4.		Olympus E-P5	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	22.8	12.4	895	72
5.		Olympus E-PL5	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	22.8	12.3	889	72
6.		Olympus E-PL6	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	22.5	12.0	717	68
7.		Olympus E-PL7	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	22.7	12.4	873	72
8.		Olympus E-PL8	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	23.0	12.6	1030	73
9.		Olympus E-PL9	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	23.1	12.8	1162	74
10.		Olympus PEN-F	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	23.1	12.4	894	74
11.		Panasonic GX85	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	4K/30p	22.9	12.6	662	71
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The E-M10 II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the E-M10 II can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the E-M10 II has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2360k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.62x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Olympus E-M10 II in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Olympus E-M10 II	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Olympus E-M10	1440	n	3.0 / 1037	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	Y
3.		Olympus E-M10 III	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.6/s	Y	Y
4.		Olympus E-P5	optional	n	3.0 / 1037	tilting	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	Y	Y
5.		Olympus E-PL5	optional	n	3.0 / 460	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	n	Y
6.		Olympus E-PL6	optional	n	3.0 / 460	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	n	Y
7.		Olympus E-PL7	optional	n	3.0 / 1037	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	n	Y
8.		Olympus E-PL8	optional	n	3.0 / 1037	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	n	Y
9.		Olympus E-PL9	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.6/s	Y	Y
10.		Olympus PEN-F	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
11.		Panasonic GX85	2765	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

One convenient feature of the E-M10 II is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Olympus E-M10 II	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
2.		Olympus E-M10	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
3.		Olympus E-M10 III	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
4.		Olympus E-P5	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
5.		Olympus E-PL5	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Olympus E-PL6	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Olympus E-PL7	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
8.		Olympus E-PL8	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
9.		Olympus E-PL9	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
10.		Olympus PEN-F	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
11.		Panasonic GX85	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-

It is notable that the E-M10 II offers wifi support. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

Further information on the features and operation of the E-M10 II can be found in the free online Olympus E-M10 II Manual or on the Olympus support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the E-M10 II handle or perform in practice. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Olympus E-M10 II	4.5/5	+ +	..	80/100	5/5	5/5	Aug 2015	US$ 649	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-M10	4/5	..	..	80/100	5/5	5/5	Jan 2014	US$ 699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-M10 III	..	+	5/5	80/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2017	US$ 649	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-P5	5/5	+ +	..	78/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2013	US$ 999	ebay.com
5.		Olympus E-PL5	3/5	+ +	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 599	ebay.com
6.		Olympus E-PL6	..	..	..	..	..	..	May 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
7.		Olympus E-PL7	4/5	+	..	..	5/5	4/5	Aug 2014	US$ 599	ebay.com
8.		Olympus E-PL8	..	..	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	Sep 2016	US$ 549	ebay.com
9.		Olympus E-PL9	..	+	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2018	US$ 599	ebay.com
10.		Olympus PEN-F	..	..	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2016	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic GX85	4.5/5	+ +	..	82/100	5/5	5/5	Apr 2016	US$ 799	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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