Review Thoughts on the EM1X..................

[Phocal]

Well it got here today and I spent about 30 minutes visiting my foxes to test out the EM1X. I will be updating this thread over the next month or so as I test the camera out and see what it is really capable of. The camera is a beast, I mean that in a good way, and it's a chunky monkey.

Here are a few of my initial thoughts about the camera.

- Build quality feels top notch. There is nothing cheap feeling about this camera at all.
- Feel perfect in my hand. I was surprised that my pinky sits right at the bottom of the grip, thought there would be a little more room. So it isn't as big as I was expecting and I actually find it perfect.
- Not a fan at all of the twisty pop out LCD. I really do prefer the flippy screen of the original EM1. This is probably the one thing that is going to take me months to get use to, if I ever do. I don't really use the LCD in normal shooting and it is faster to deploy if you keep the LCD facing in. So that is how I will probably keep it.
- It is way more responsive than my EM1. It's enough faster to really be noticeable.
- The joystick is the bomb, and not just for moving the focus point around. Really like that I can push it in and change the focus point setup, super handy and easy to change. By focus point setup I mean switching from small to large focus point or group points. Way easier than my EM1 where I had to get into the SCP, not something easy to do with eye to the camera.
- Really love the built in GPS, didn't realize how much I was going to like all those field sensors. For the data geek in me I am going to love this, especially this winter to know how cold it really was.
- Can't wait to test out the 150/2 on it.
- It's going to take me at least a month to get this think sorted out and setup.
- Really love that favorites section of the menu. This is another thing that I could do with my Canons that I did miss but with the ability to really modify the buttons on Olympus cameras it wasn't as needed. But now with everything combined I am really going to love having it back.
- Did I mention it was a solid chunky monkey? I like carry the camera around by holding the vertical grip. I kind of lightly grip the vertical grip, more like balance it on my fingers and let the lens point forwards at about a 30 degree angle. I just find it really easy to carry the camera with the 300/4 or 150/2 on it. With my EM1 I could always feel that flex between vertical grip and camera body. There is none with this camera and it feels so great to not fell flex.
- The menu button moving is going to take a bit to get use to.
- Transferring photos to the phone is not only faster but I can now do RAW, so super happy with that.
- There is a noticeable bump in image quality.

So I had it shipped to work and took the 300/4 with me. I had it planned to go visit the foxes that I haven't visited in 2 months but really didn't think things through. I wore shorts and running shoes to work and the male daddy fox decided to sit on a tree in the middle of the swampy area. So I had to do some bushwhacking through waist high vegetation and some nasty smelling swamp mud/water in my running shoes and shorts. At first I was worried about being in shorts but then I remembered this isn't Texas and I don't have to worry about chiggers.

Side note............................

My brain still hasn't adjusted with respects to threats in the wilderness. I am still constantly looking for gators and snakes, something I don't have to worry about at all here. Hell, there are not even any nasty spiders or scorpions to worry about up here. I need to get my eyes to look more out because the threat here is not going to be at me feet.

I wanted to move around the other side of him but the swamp was just too deep. When I got into position the sun was behind the trees, so he wasn't as backlit as I thought he was going to be.

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Fox 055 by Phocal Art, on Flickr

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Fox 056 by Phocal Art, on Flickr

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Fox 057 by Phocal Art, on Flickr

The best part is the first thing I have taken a photo of with this camera was the fox.

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P6160001 by Phocal Art, on Flickr

I refused to take the first photo of something stupid like a wall or a sign.

 

[RichardC]

Beautiful pictures as usual.
Quite a leap from the EM1. I don't need one, but I would like one.
Same fold out screen as the EM1 MK2. It took me a while to figure out what it was I dislike about it - I decided it's because I'm convinced I'm going to break it off by accident.

Back home in England, 40 years after serving in Yemen, my dad still religiously tapped the scorpions out of his shoes before putting them on his feet.

 

[Robstar1963]

Love those fox pictures @Phocal ?
I no longer have my 1X as I was rationalising my equipment early this year having had too much equipment from trying two systems in tandem
Since then the Motorsports season has completely halted because of C19 and I have sold my remaining bodies with a view to buying something more basic as a walk around to tide me over until next season
The 1X was sold because I’d bought it at a big discount and wanted try to it out and get as much money back for it as I could before values dropped if it wasn’t going to be a keeper.
I couldn’t at the time justify the difference in value over my G9 and XT3 so the 1X went but I did love the camera
It had the very best front wheel and shutter button positioning I could imagine on a camera body (bar none! ) and little details like the doors with locks gave it an extra air of quality and security
The grip is superb and I cannot imagine anyone making one more comfortable and secure
IMO there was a slight improvement in IQ over the EM1/2 which I can’t quantify but images did seem a little punchier
Focussing for Motorsports was good but the AI was not always the best way to get the results I personally wanted because the focus point wasn’t always where I wanted it when the camera chose it but it picked up targets very quickly and it was useful when bikes appeared suddenly from behind trees and other obstacles
I used to use ordinary CAF about 70% of the time ?
As you say the camera is very responsive and downloading to my iPad was in a different league to the XT3 I had at the time
Although I really liked the ergonomics I did find the camera to be very large (not just in comparison to other M43 bodies) and it didn’t fit very easily into the bags I had used with the longer lenses attached
However saying that the 1X with the 12-100 was a superb combination and this package fitted very well into a medium shoulder bag I have as a do it all package which covered me for all day shooting at events where subject distance was quite close
I’d have to say if you don’t have a 12-100 then do get one if you can to go with the 1X it is a supremely comfortable and versatile combination
I cannot imagine any manufacturer coming up with a better combination for comfort useability stabilisation and image quality with such a versatile focal range in a single lens package - it is an absolute winner !
I’d definately buy another 1X but probably won’t unless I spot a particular bargain - I am currently building an M43 only lens line up from bargains I am spotting during the lock down period for next year
I may end up with am EM1/3 when the price drops or I spot a bargain for next year to give me the versatility of removable grip and a more compact walk around option for non Motorsports
I reluctantly sold the 12-100 during my clear out so am going to give the Panasonic 35-100 a try for Speedway when it re starts as the f2.8 light gathering advantage will hopefully offset not using the Fuji system this time around for these evening events
This set up will also reduce fatigue on my back which isn’t getting any better and an evening at Speedway with the XT3 and 50-140 (and 100-400) was really hard work. It will also give me the upper focal reach of the 12-100
I already have an Olympus 75mm F1.8 for rider shots etc which will cover me for lower light rider and people shots etc
I hope you carry on enjoying the 1X ???

 

[Steph]

Congrats on your new camera, can't wait to see the dirt on it like on your ex Em1. I really like the second picture.
Just a question though did you use Topaz ai sharpen ? at 100 % it looks over-sharpened and quite noisy ( for iso 320) to me...

 

[Lcrunyon]

The E-M1X really grew on me. The body design is very nice, especially the way it transitions from landscape to portrait orientation.

I still haven’t had the opportunity to shoot action with it, which is what I intended, and which means I haven’t really put it to the test. That said, I’m even finding I prefer it over the Mkii for travel, landscape and portrait, — which I didn’t think would be the case. There were a few hardware choices I wished were different at launch (but I’ve gotten over them), and there are some firmware updates I really hope it gets, but overall I’m very impressed with it.

Agree about the 12-100 with it. The combo is amazing.

 

[Phocal]

Beautiful pictures as usual.
Quite a leap from the EM1. I don't need one, but I would like one.
Same fold out screen as the EM1 MK2. It took me a while to figure out what it was I dislike about it - I decided it's because I'm convinced I'm going to break it off by accident.

Back home in England, 40 years after serving in Yemen, my dad still religiously tapped the scorpions out of his shoes before putting them on his feet.

For me its the slowness to use to deploy the screen compared to the flippy screen and that the screen is not in line with the lens. When using the LCD with a telephoto lens with the LCD not in line makes tracking a subject difficult.

Some habits are impossible to break.

 

[drd1135]

Amazing images. Despite the negative reactions from some corners, I can see why Olympus wants this camera in their lineup. It can serve as a test bed for certain features and technology, but mostly it's a perfect camera for nature photographers like yourself. Interestingly, whenever I have had the fully articulating screen on my camera, I always keep the screen pointing inward. As you mention, it's the best position to deploy it quickly.

 

[Phocal]

Love those fox pictures @Phocal ?
I no longer have my 1X as I was rationalising my equipment early this year having had too much equipment from trying two systems in tandem
Since then the Motorsports season has completely halted because of C19 and I have sold my remaining bodies with a view to buying something more basic as a walk around to tide me over until next season
The 1X was sold because I’d bought it at a big discount and wanted try to it out and get as much money back for it as I could before values dropped if it wasn’t going to be a keeper.
I couldn’t at the time justify the difference in value over my G9 and XT3 so the 1X went but I did love the camera
It had the very best front wheel and shutter button positioning I could imagine on a camera body (bar none! ) and little details like the doors with locks gave it an extra air of quality and security
The grip is superb and I cannot imagine anyone making one more comfortable and secure
IMO there was a slight improvement in IQ over the EM1/2 which I can’t quantify but images did seem a little punchier
Focussing for Motorsports was good but the AI was not always the best way to get the results I personally wanted because the focus point wasn’t always where I wanted it when the camera chose it but it picked up targets very quickly and it was useful when bikes appeared suddenly from behind trees and other obstacles
I used to use ordinary CAF about 70% of the time ?
As you say the camera is very responsive and downloading to my iPad was in a different league to the XT3 I had at the time
Although I really liked the ergonomics I did find the camera to be very large (not just in comparison to other M43 bodies) and it didn’t fit very easily into the bags I had used with the longer lenses attached
However saying that the 1X with the 12-100 was a superb combination and this package fitted very well into a medium shoulder bag I have as a do it all package which covered me for all day shooting at events where subject distance was quite close
I’d have to say if you don’t have a 12-100 then do get one if you can to go with the 1X it is a supremely comfortable and versatile combination
I cannot imagine any manufacturer coming up with a better combination for comfort useability stabilisation and image quality with such a versatile focal range in a single lens package - it is an absolute winner !
I’d definately buy another 1X but probably won’t unless I spot a particular bargain - I am currently building an M43 only lens line up from bargains I am spotting during the lock down period for next year
I may end up with am EM1/3 when the price drops or I spot a bargain for next year to give me the versatility of removable grip and a more compact walk around option for non Motorsports
I reluctantly sold the 12-100 during my clear out so am going to give the Panasonic 35-100 a try for Speedway when it re starts as the f2.8 light gathering advantage will hopefully offset not using the Fuji system this time around for these evening events
This set up will also reduce fatigue on my back which isn’t getting any better and an evening at Speedway with the XT3 and 50-140 (and 100-400) was really hard work. It will also give me the upper focal reach of the 12-100
I already have an Olympus 75mm F1.8 for rider shots etc which will cover me for lower light rider and people shots etc
I hope you carry on enjoying the 1X ???

Nice insight into the camera. As for the 12-100, no thanks......not my type of lens.

No problem with any of my bags and fitting the camera. I always used my EM1's gripped and while the X is bigger it's not that much bigger to make a difference in any of my bags. When you call it very large I am guessing you have never used a 1D or D5. It is a little larger than my EM1 but not significantly and the part that is really significantly larger is the grip, which is absolutely perfect in size and design.

I expected a bump in image quality from the EM1, can't compare it to the mk2 but it doesn't surprise me that the it would have some improvement (it is a different sensor).

 

[Phocal]

Congrats on your new camera, can't wait to see the dirt on it like on your ex Em1. I really like the second picture.
Just a question though did you use Topaz ai sharpen ? at 100 % it looks over-sharpened and quite noisy ( for iso 320) to me...

Thanks and it does look way to clean. The cleanness of it really struck me when I took it out of the box, so use to my dirty beat up cameras.

Nope, I don't use Topaz at all. I was pretty tired when editing last night and just used my standard preset, may have to make some changes to it for the EM1X.

 

[Phocal]

The E-M1X really grew on me. The body design is very nice, especially the way it transitions from landscape to portrait orientation.

I still haven’t had the opportunity to shoot action with it, which is what I intended, and which means I haven’t really put it to the test. That said, I’m even finding I prefer it over the Mkii for travel, landscape and portrait, — which I didn’t think would be the case. There were a few hardware choices I wished were different at launch (but I’ve gotten over them), and there are some firmware updates I really hope it gets, but overall I’m very impressed with it.

Agree about the 12-100 with it. The combo is amazing.

I like the way it feels in hand, almost perfect fit my hand. I am going to have to try it on BiF just to test the ability, but I am not much of a BiF shooter. I may become more of a BiF shooter up here in Alaska simply because the birds I like to photograph hunting are not really up here (herons and egrets). Will not be much in sports for the next few months to test it out on, which sucks.

 

[Phocal]

Amazing images. Despite the negative reactions from some corners, I can see why Olympus wants this camera in their lineup. It can serve as a test bed for certain features and technology, but mostly it's a perfect camera for nature photographers like yourself. Interestingly, whenever I have had the fully articulating screen on my camera, I always keep the screen pointing inward. As you mention, it's the best position to deploy it quickly.

I think it was the right move for Olympus. Coming out with a true professional level camera was something m4/3 really needed. It will help leverage the benefits of m4/3 which really hasn't been done yet. The X and 300/4 is small and light enough I can take it on a multiday backpacking trip, something I would never do with Canon (600/4 and 1D would just be to much).

The problem with keeping the screen turned in is that using it for menu changes is now a pain in the ass. Hoping to get all the buttons programmed soon and that should limit what I have to get into the menus for.

 

[ac12]

The tilting screen is one thing that I am going to miss going from the mk1 to the mk2.
So much easier and faster to deploy for high and low angle shots.

 

[Shortsonfire79]

- The joystick is the bomb, and not just for moving the focus point around. Really like that I can push it in and change the focus point setup, super handy and easy to change. By focus point setup I mean switching from small to large focus point or group points. Way easier than my EM1 where I had to get into the SCP, not something easy to do with eye to the camera.
- Really love the built in GPS, didn't realize how much I was going to like all those field sensors. For the data geek in me I am going to love this, especially this winter to know how cold it really was.
- Transferring photos to the phone is not only faster but I can now do RAW, so super happy with that.

-How's the joystick lag? If you push on it does it move once/twice, pause, then start scrolling faster? Or does it just zip around instantly with use?
-Didn't know about GPS, that's awesome. Maybe I should have looked at the EM1X instead.
-EM1ii can also phone transfer RAW. I wonder if this was a firmware thing.

Personally, I'm quite a fan of having the screen turned in. Keeps me from chimping and also reduces the amount of nose-grease I get on the screen. And I don't have to worry about scratching the screen when not in use thanks to having the plastic back facing out.

 

[ac12]

Personally, I'm quite a fan of having the screen turned in. Keeps me from chimping and also reduces the amount of nose-grease I get on the screen. And I don't have to worry about scratching the screen when not in use thanks to having the plastic back facing out.

Ha
I had not thought of this. My other cameras have the back screen so it is ALWAYS visible.
I had not thought of STORING the camera with the screen facing in, to protect the screen during transport and storage.
THANK YOU

 

[Shortsonfire79]

Ha
I had not thought of this. My other cameras have the back screen so it is ALWAYS visible.
I had not thought of STORING the camera with the screen facing in, to protect the screen during transport and storage.
THANK YOU

I tried out the Sony a7ii and since the cameras were super heavy and I didn't want to put strain on the mount, I'd store them lens up. The a7's also have a flippy screen so it's always facing out. Another strike against it as I didn't want to mess up the screen.

 

[ac12]

I tried out the Sony a7ii and since the cameras were super heavy and I didn't want to put strain on the mount, I'd store them lens up. The a7's also have a flippy screen so it's always facing out. Another strike against it as I didn't want to mess up the screen.

Just went into my camera storage box and flipped the screen around

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I find the articulated screen to be much easier to use for ground level shots, and for reducing glare. I also like the built in screen protection. Discreet shots are also much easier with it.

 

[davidzvi]

Wonderful images as usual. Yes no gaters or snakes at your feet, but have you seen any bears yet?

 

[nstelemark]

- Not a fan at all of the twisty pop out LCD. I really do prefer the flippy screen of the original EM1. This is probably the one thing that is going to take me months to get use to, if I ever do. I don't really use the LCD in normal shooting and it is faster to deploy if you keep the LCD facing in. So that is how I will probably keep it.

You won't. I still hate it.

 

[Phocal]

The tilting screen is one thing that I am going to miss going from the mk1 to the mk2.
So much easier and faster to deploy for high and low angle shots.

Yes it is.