A Tale of Two Cameras

 

2014 Olympus EM10-I, left, and 2019 Olympus EM1-III, right.

In November of 2014, I finally bought a digital, interchangeable lens camera —the Olympus EM10. This camera served me well for a decade and still functions quite well today. My first Olympus (really my second —I had a Stylus XZ-2 compact sold to a young man in 2024) has been a great value and, possibly an even greater value is the 12-40mm F2.8 Pro lens I bought with the body. The Em10 had 3 axis stabilization, which allowed me to shoot as low as 1/15th when braced. I hate carrying a tripod, although my 30 year old Tilt-All has continued to serve me well. 

I wanted 5 axis image stabilization offered with the newer, better equipped Olympus cameras, so had been thinking on it for a couple fo years. Then Olympus, in a tighter and tighter camera market, sold off its photo division. I remained unsure, maybe foolishly so, of the new company and was put off by its branding -something I later learned was in Olympus heritage film cameras when my high school art teacher gave me her deceased husband's Olympus OM10 with OM System Zuiko Auto S f1.8 50mm lens.

I didn't really need a larger pixel count or better buffer rate or continuous shooting speeds, nor AI animal tracking. I did need a lens longer than 12-40, so when I stopped at National Camera Exchange on my way back from a brief, post house sale respite in Grand Marais, I picked up the relatively new f4 40-150 Pro lens. I wouldn't have minded the f2.8 Pro, as I am sure it is better beyond the extra stop of light, I could not justify double the cost or the weight of all that glass. 

This EM1-III has only 249 shutter actuations.

By chance, the day I stopped had also been day one of a two day Olympus event, or I guess I should say OM event. The U.S. rep was there and, well, not so many customers. So, I spent a good amount of time chatting with the fellow, sharing some of my favorite Olympus photographers (Karen at Focus on Nature, for instance). The only new piece of information gardnered from my exchange is that the camera business, as a whole, is now committing to roughly 3 years of firmware updates. For years the industry has been moving faster and faster into computational photography, thanks in large part to the capabilities and tech introduced by mobile phone photography.

I was surprised to see I had pressed the shutter only 54,835 times in 10 years.

So, when I held the OM1-II, I found it satisfying to hold and the viewfinder's OLED screen was a different world, but could not justify the cost of the OM1-II nor did I need much of its capability. At the same time, the not-quite-ready for prime time OM1 was being offered, brand new, by Amazon for $1300. A steal, really, until I discovered on some forum that Olympus had a distribution outlet on Ebay, where I could find the OM1 for $1100. How could I resist?

My EM10 is smaller than the EM1, but not by much.

Now, I had already looked up used EM1-IIIs and they were going for well over $1100 on all the quality used camera sites. This was a good indication of the quality and enjoyment of that camera. So I was surprised to see a few low shutter count EM1-III for about  on the Olympus Ebay store about $800! I had read over and over again the complaints about the stiff front dial on the OM1 and the rubberized dial on the OM1-II that was an apparent admission of the problem, so I was concerned about buying the OM1 at a great price only to have to send it back. I held the OM!-II at National Camera and the rubberized dial was no problem at all.

The EM1 has the vertical only tilt screen and I lost the eye-cup several years ago.

My solution was to buy both —the EM1-III and the OM1. They arrived within about 7 days to my remote location on the western slope of Colorado and I spent a few days with both. Again, that OLED viewfinder is the beginning of confusion between optical reality and digital. Both cameras performed admirably. I admired the smaller focus points on the OM1, but was all too familiar with the "chunkier" grid on the EM1-III as it is nearly identical to my EM10 in that respect. It was a tough choice, but there was 300 dollars between the two, and adding cost was that there isn't an external charger provided with the OM1. Further, although the OM1 was brand new, the EM1_III had only 249 shutter presses, which is virtually new, and the camera looked as if it had been tried and returned. I also preferred the feel of the EM1 in my hands —smaller and edged out the OM1 better ergonomically. I could have gotten used to the OM1, but the EM1 fit immediately. The OM1 was faster to find focus, but not by that much and given that I was upgrading from a 2014 EM10, anything was an upgraded experience. In fact the EM10 revealed its weakness with my new f4 40-150 lens. It hunted much more and sometimes never fully resolved focus (although this never really happened with my 2014 12-40 Pro).

After three days I chose to return the OM1 in favor of the lower cost but highly capable EM1-III. Of course, although I have held onto my EM10 as the "back up," I haven't picked it up much since acquiring the EM1-III. The only purchase made for my new camera is the larger eye-cup and an additional battery. I found the smaller eye-cup harder when pressed against my brow, and although the larger one isn't a game changer, it is softer with the pressure spread across a larger area. Sometimes I see reflections in the viewfinder glass due to gaps created in the cups most comfortable position and need to shift my head to the left, but for the price and capability, I find that a small compromise. 

And my camera says Olympus, meaningless, but desirable. Below are some shots from my new, used EM1-III and new F4 Pro 40-150.

Black Cap Chickadee, shot through window at F4, 1/1000sec, and 150mm (=300 FF)

 

Black Cap Chickadee crop. I find the f4 40-150 sharp, quick, but also busy in the bokeh.

Below a comparison of essentially the same shot, taken by the EM1-III and F4 Pro 40-150 (first image) and my 2014 EM10-1 and F4 Pro 40-150 (second image). Subtle, but noticeable differences in tonal range (aka dynamic range), although the EM10 image is a little overexposed.

Olympus EM1-III at F4, 1/125sec, and 150mm (=300 FF)

Olympus EM10-I at F4, 1/100sec, and 150mm (=300 FF)

And a few shots taken, diagonally through window glass pane, of a surprise fireworks display across the creek.