Kai from Digitalrev has been “forced” by the m43 fanboys to review the E-m5II as soon as it gets 😉 And he actually likes the camera a lot (although he is not a big fan of the OMD design).
E-M5II store links:
E-M5II in Black at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto and GetOlympus.
E-M5II in Silver at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto and GetOlympus.
E-M5II In Europe at AmazonUK, Jessops, WexUK, Namencolor.
111 Responses
Sloppy review for a buttoned down camera.
Terrible review even by DigitalRev standards.
Kai should had spend more time going through the improvements and new functionality, instead of “just mentioning them”.
I did laugh at the “16mpxl is the maximum for m4/3” statement; didn’t Kai do the same with the 12mpxl one? Technically there are no limits in the mpxl, but they will come at the expense of ISO (similar to 5DS, which caps at 6400).
Most sensible comment on this thread, would up vote more if I could.
Come on. Kai’s appeal is often that he is so negative. Some of it is funny. The only problem with the review is the part that Olympus seems deaf to. If they want a conquest camera, they gotta make the menu/button system intuitive and easy to use. Nobody seems to be home in the marketing department. Lesson One: a conquest camera is one that steals sales from other brands. Repeat. On the whole, I am very happy with my OM-D, but I had a hard time remembering where things were in the menus and it is annoying that the manual has such a poor index and overly abbreviated descriptions of some functions that it could hardly be worse if it was blank. Hire a UI professional and add a thorough index. There is more in the table of contents by a mile. Yeah, and who wants to carry a manual around, anyway? I just want to use the camera. I do like the super control panel, but it happens often while you are figuring things out that you get stuck in a mode and cannot get the camera back to a state you like without some wasted time.
Stop complaining and just enable the Super Control Panel, there, done, forget the menus. The only reason to go into the menu in an olympus camera is to active the SCP, set the Fn buttons and format the SD card every now and then, period. My old E-PL1 was my first Olympus camera, guess how many minutes it took me to enable the SCP and forget the menu ? 2 minutes from plugin the battery into the camera. How’s this still a problem ?
I agree. I’ve never understood the bitching about the menu system. It’s not like it’s impossible to use, there’s just A LOT of options and they have to be somewhere. And as stated numerously, you almost never use the menu while shooting.
It is a problem because you still have to do stupid things like choose a frame rate in one place, and turn multi-frame shooting on in another. While convenient, the super control panel does not solve all problems well. The menu complaint is fair because it is an issue that turns potential buyers away. Go conquest, down with status quo.
As I said, what is not doable in the SCP can be assigned to a Fn button, which was one of the sole 3 reasons I mentioned to go into the menu, as a matter of fact I personally had one button on my PL1 assigned to mufti-exposure (something I cannot do on my Pany GX7, talk about forcing users into the menu.)
But I can reset my OM-D any moment and re-program it and all of 4 my different MySets in under 5 minutes (actually closer to 2 minutes) because the menu is very intuitive, very well organized and only learning curve is to get to know the small things like if you have Peaking enabled or binded to any button in any MySet etc,, you can’t switch EVF refresh rate from Normal to Fast. There are couple of such things that requires learning or then reading the manual.
Whenever you buy a camera you are “stealing sales” from another brand. The term conquest camera is marketing rubbish akin to the word engaged or going- forward, idea-showers or game changer. Meaningless business jargon.
Does this guy with fake English accent know how to take good pictures?
yeah that’s actually his accent. He’s from Hong Kong.
Actually he is British, he was raised in the UK.
love digitalRev. Great review for the camera, hit the high points (image stabilization) and noted the low points (price). Always entertaining, now time for Blunty to get a review up.
They don’t even brush on some of the distinctive features of the EM5 as a mirroless camera in today’s market, what its intended consumer target is or how it brings a lot of improvements to the mid range OMD segment, it was a REALLY lazy job, even Northrup did more justice to the camera by trying to slander it. Same thing happened to the GX7, EM5, GM1, etc…One thing is to act ridiculous, another quite different is to misinform and be lazy about it, although to be fair most of their latest videos have been widely criticized for being half hearted and lackluster, so at least that part is unbiased.
That part I agree with. The CanoNikophant bias is smug and faulty. None of the fat segment, APS-C cameras take better pictures than the OM-D, but the full frame wannabuys (who shoot with APS-C or one-inch) are out there aggressively pooping the FourThirds conversation. The only thing not micro about the OM-Ds is the FourThirds sensor. It is a tech wonder. The viewfinder from the EM-1 takes the MkII to a point where it is senseless to complain that optical is better. Doesn’t matter. Folks who prefer an optical reflex solution simply because it is what they are used to won’t touch the camera, which in some small way makes it a shame that the E-620 never got updated to the 16-megapixel. An E-620 MkII would have been very cool in the gotta have optical space.
Please use periods and commas. You are very difficult to understand and frustrating to try and read.
Huh?
Although I accept the suggestion to write carefully so that I can be interesting to the wider audience, I don’t think the fault is lack of punctuation. The paragraph has 9 periods, and the long sentences have 3 commas and a set of parens, so I conclude that long phraseology (which depends on althoughs, whens, thats, becauses, and such to propel the logic and further chop things down) is the center of your suggestion. It might not actually be a mistake if my target is a narrow audience. I will think about it more, next time. Thank you.
You are either a non-english speaker or flunked out of basic language. You have periods and commas, but in the wrong places.
I’ve stopped watching his reviews. They used to be a bit humorous and negative, but still informative. It’s like he’s gotten bored and just runs on autopilot now. Too many facts are wrong without out really talking about the actually useful improvements.
I do get a bit sick hearing complaints about the menu. Yes, it’s not the most intuitive thing, but once you get the camera setup you don’t have to dig into it much.
Ditto,
People who complain about this are literally looking for an excuse to smear m4/3 and Olympus in particular. This has been a non-issue since the day Olympus introduced the Super Control Panel, which was back in the day of the E-PL1 (or even before, can’t bother looking). It’s even less of an issue now with touch LCD and front/rear dials.
Even discarding the SCP, just why on earth would you need to go into Olympus menu structure for anything other than the most obscure of features ? These cameras are covered in direct controls, dials and Fn buttons, even the latest PEN models are pretty well equipped control-wise.
Digitalrev (or rather Kai) has a historically bad record with m4/3. olympus in particular (I’m a GX7 user btw, no fanboy here). Sure they make a mockery of every system but only to cover their back and attract traffic, but when it comes to actual reviews of m4/3 cameras they always show a lack of knowledge about the capabilities an features of these cameras and then complain about the shortcoming that come from their own ignorance (i.e. not knowing about the SCP even when it’s set on by default in some of the latest models). They may gave done a ¨pro-mirrorless¨ video a while back (mostly pro A7) due to sheer consumer pressure but they clearly never mention any of the similarly valid complaint about Canikon’s interface/built/menu/technology/etc, they’re still tied by an umbilical cord to DSLRs simply out of comformity and custom (case in point they’re still using DSLRs to shoot their own videos even though they KNOW any of the mirrorless cameras they have personally reviewed kicks they canikon out of the water).
It’s not m4/3 or mirrorless fault that canikon are not innovative anymore, it really is starting to look pathetic how they still cling to what is objectively obsolete technology and act blind towards its faults while selling mirrorless short, for what is on many accounts false accusations or just plain old nitpicking. Right now the only mildly well know review sites/channels out there that still do not acknowledge mirrorless or m4/3 is Digitalrev, Northrup and Rockwell, meanwhile everyone else (TCS, Huff, ML, Phoblographer, DPR, etc) recognises mirrorless as a capable platform valid enough to act as replacement or at least a complement to DSLRs.
The SCP has been on Olympus’s DSLRs for a long time (I’ve had it on the E410, E520 & E30) but now it comes with Touch as well, it is so easy. There are other complex settings that I may need to dive into Menu now & again & most is listed under sections that makes sense.
SCP has been around a long time. My Camedia C70z circa 2004 had it and so did a lot of other models back then. As the models got more complex, the “gear” and other menus got bigger, but you could always do the basics from the SCP, which back then had yet to be named as such …
You should continue with Kai’s review .
Is the EM5 2 product lacked of something , can’t blame Kai .
He still a top reviewer although he is not serious as Chris .
It’s matter of taste , I like Asian foods .
I generally like Kai’s reviews, but this one was kind of lame. Wasn’t funny and I think he missed the point of a really well-put-together little camera. It is true that you have to invest quite a bit of time in the Olympus menu system to know your way around it and be comfortable with it. Although there is a lot of flexibility and control in the menu system…it just is not intuitive at all. Still a great little camera.
I think he’s funny and fairly honest about how he feels about a camera without getting into reading specs. Yes, the menu/oly fanboy comment made me laugh, but it’s because it’s true. It’s also refreshing to hear negative things in a camera review. He made it sound like the camera is for the most part more of the same, and I think that just about sums it up in my mind as well. While sensor shift is interesting, it is far to slow to be useful for me. Maybe the next one will be fast enough for landscape photography. If it is I’ll buy one.
How long have you been watching Digitalrev ? It’s been more than 3 years for me and I can attest to the fact that their videos have taken a dive in quality both in terms of humor and the reviews for at least the past year if not more
There’s not even a shred left of the Top Gear formula, which although a gimmick, it at least brought charm to what is pretty much a spec monologue. On that last note, contrary to your observation I find what Kai did is literally reading a spec sheet, that’s what’s so disappointing with (each one of) their videos, they hardly explore any of the highlighted features of the camera in any sort of depth, quite the contrary, they mock and sell short the capabilities of the camera, particularly mirrorless cameras and m4/3 specially, I personally profoundly dislike SLR-esque mirrorless so the OMD range is not even in my radar but I can at least recognize the ergonomic improvements, the dials, the grip, the screen,etc…none of that was given attention, meanwhile canikon cameras have stayed literally the same black blob for more than a decade and yet DR (or rather, Kai) indulges in the exploration of every single corner of the latest DSLR. Have you compared their reviews to the rest of the review industry ? Even Northrup and Polin are able to recognize the accomplishments of mirrorless.
Now, please, do yourself a favor and watch their DSLR videos, they go into the detail of every rehashed button, every hardly updated feature, every inconsequential and worthless tech update of the latest been-there-done-that canikon. Now compare to any other mirrorless review, pretty much the only one that gets a little respect is the A7 and that’s being generous (ask any sony fanboy, DR loathes sony too).
Those are not objective, scientific reviews but opinions. You are more than welcome to submit your own.
Kai has been playing with photography gear ad nauseam and it shows. His videos stopped being funny, let alone informative (and that includes DSLRs). He has done his bit and should go out shooting more.
https://fstoppers.com/originals/fstoppers-interviews-alamby-leung-digitalrev-tv-51068
She was probably the reason the quality dropped, not she but her leaving.
“Kai is the creative brain behind the videos and he would write up the script, Lok takes care of the shooting as well as editing, and all the other stuff that you see in the video would be organized by me.”
She hired the models, set up the interviews, etc… Fanboys are just upset and looking for excuses..
I didn’t see anyone upset when they review the P/L15mm. But as soon as it’s an Olympus product, look out!
And Kai has his points. The only people whos knowledgeable on oly menus are those that own one. Is the camera expensive? Heck YES, for what it is! Is the 40mp sensor shift thing worth it? No, because it’s so limited in its use. It’s a gimmick. I haven’t seen one video yet that showed it’s worth.
I think the Olmpus fanboys should just wait for Blunty’s review. He’s a Olympus fanboy, so he’ll tell them what they want to hear…
Kai should retire from making those reviews. I don’t mind his cynical attitude, but many might find them offending. Especially beginners who are still enthusiastic about their cameras.
I find him as a comedian for enthusiasts. Like you take a camera that everyone knows already and then just make jokes etc.
At least Kai isn’t quoting DX0 or trying to sound smart with inverse square law applied wrong way.
I quite enjoy them. I don’t watch them expecting to learn anything, but they are humorous, and if brand X fanboys can’t take a joke and get their panties in a bunch, that only makes it more enjoyable
Worthless “review”.
Gief back 8 minutes of my life, Kai!
Nothing to do with Kai .
He just doing his job for Oly fans .
Is the EM5 2 have nothing to impress after all .
Ok we got it. No need to repeat same crap in every post.
Good think is we have camerastore.tv recently is doing some really nice quality reviews for mirrorless stuff.
Yun, I think that you should go work with Kai. You would fit perfectly.
This guy is quite boring and superficial. He does not review cameras, but only fools around with them. And I’m being nice with this comment. 😉
A positive thing about Olympus menu system: once you have learnt how to deal with it, you will be able to face all kinds of menus in all kinds of gear. 🙂
What ?
Dealing & learning with new menu system for that 3 years old sensor ?
Thanks , no for me .
It’s just lacked of motivation to do so .
Actually just get SCP and then forget Shooting Menu 1 and 2 totally for anything else than deleting all photos from the card and the menu is one of the best out there. And now when E-M5 II (hopefully coming to E-M1) the camera remembers what menu you had open, it is just a speeding factor as you get the Custom Menu open all the time with press of a button. And from there there is no problems for anyone else than those who can’t read.
like some people whine that they don’t know how to turn off the pop-up information what every menu entry does, while the bottom of the screen tell that pressing Info button closes the pop-up functionality.
SCP + Custom Menu are great, very clear and well organized and very quickly possible to make adjustments. Only way to really make it better is to allow operate them trough touch screen!
Mine was just sarcasm: it’s a fact that Olympus menu is quite quirky, showing a lot of categories by scrolling it down, and having to dive deep into each one to find what you’re looking for.
Leica M and Sigma dps have a way simple menu, in Sigma dp2Quattro you actually don’t scroll anything, but that’s thank to the “lack” of extra features.
RicohGR has an intuitive menu: 3 main sessions, and you scroll down each one to find what you need, without having to dive deeper and deeper.
Scp is good, but I don’t use it. I know where the functions I need are, add to it that you can customize some buttons (the red movie one for changing ISO, for example) and really I don’t understand all that whining.
After all, who is buying a new camera only because its intuitive menu?
It can be annoying sometimes, but I don’t see it as a problem.
well i only used olympus cameras and i can say first time i picked a canon or nikon i could barely change speed and aperture, let alone the other options, as iam not a button guy, but a menu one, and i thing the scp on the olympus is the best thing out there.
ok the functions menu in itself could be simpler, but i do rarely go there, and when i go i do have time to search
WOW. So the Canon wheel was too hard to find? This is a BS comment unless you are seriously mentally challenged. That the Olympus menu system is bad compared to most others isn’t even a controversial opinion to hold.
The menu system isn’t bad, but complicated for people who can’t read, or are too lazy to read the instruction manual.
I own Canon FF gear, I have a Panasonic GH4, and my wife got an EM1 some time back for her birthday. Since I’m more into video the GH4 was the thing to get but she’s more into photography, and Olympus generally does better there. We use the Canon stuff for when the M4/3 gear doesn’t hold up – such as in low-light situations. Oh, and don’t kid your self, neither the Olympus nor the Panasonic can touch the FF Canon for low-light. Not in the same league. Not even the same game.
I’ve used Canon since my first T90 and later the EOS stuff. I have never read a Canon manual. I have also never read the GH4 manual. I did however have to read the Olympus manual. This is not about being down on Olympus. The EM1 is a great camera and the image quality is noticeably better than my GH4, but the menu system is not as good as the other two.
If every valid critique of the product you love is an affront to you then you suffer from a disease mostly found in the Apple crowd, but apparently also with Olympus fan-bois. I would then recommend a good shrink.
“… neither the Olympus nor the Panasonic can touch the FF Canon for low-light. Not in the same league. Not even the same game.”
Less than two stops difference is not big deal as you claim…
noise is comparable but detail is much better on the EM1, interesting!
It is in fact a *huge* deal. When pushed, you can get passable images at 6400 with most M4/3 cameras. I can get similarly passable pictures at 25600 with a 6D. The difference: Getting the picture or not getting the picture. The difference is infinite.
I’m not saying there is no difference, but less than two stops is not huge… or infinite… I see you treat this as a religion…
Fact: 25600 x 6400 still two stops, still m4/3 seems to resolve more detail, at least the same, with similar noise. But you don’t agree, that’s ok. Imaging resource may not did it right.
You are certainly right that the 6D at 25600 and the 4/3 sensor at 6400 will resolve about the same amount of detail. This is about what you would expect mathematically. So, you’ll get usable images from a 4/3 sensor on 6400 and usable images from the 6D on 25600.
So, why would I favor the 6D in a low-light situation. Because at ISO 25600 I will get an image in many circumstance that I will not get at 6400. In other words, if I need ISO 25600, the 6D will deliver an image, the M4/3 sensor will not. At all.
This is not fanboyism. I shoot mostly with my GH4, but it can’t deliver anything close to passable at ISO 25600, my 6D can. In many circumstances that means the 6D can deliver an image whereas the GH4 can not. Dropping the shutter speed two stops is quite often not an option.
That’s the beauty of IS. The EM-5, 5II, and EM-1 can shoot the exposure your 6D does but at ISO 800/1600!!
Sigh. No, they can not. Did you really think the EM-5, 5II and EM-1 are the only cameras in the world where you can shoot with IS? Seriously man. Sure, for Canon the IS is in the lens, but that is irrelevant for me since I do not buy non-is lenses except in special circumstances, for example with fast and very wide glass where is basically is not needed.
So, no, the my wife’s EM and my own GH4 (some IS lenses here, for example the perfectly fine 100-300) can not match my 6D for low light under any circumstance.
If we’re out shooting together, she with her EM and my (very good) Panny 35-100 f/2.8 and I with the 6D with the 70-200 f/2.8 ii is I am getting images where she she simply can’t get any. I can shoot at ISO 25600 and rely on at least four stops of stabilization. Perhaps she’ll get the 40-150 for her EM once, but with me owning the Panny 35-100 it hasn’t been an “urgent” investment. I doubt it would make that much of a difference, even though I hear good things bout the 40-150. It sill won’t let me/her shoot at ISO 25600 with four stops of IS.
…ok. If you say so. I was taught to never argue with a fool, no matter how tempting.
Please explain how I can get passable pictures with the EM-5 at ISO 25600? If I have missed something, I am eager to be corrected. Please note, if the Canon 6D using a stabilized lens *requires* ISO25600 to produce a picture at all, the same goes for the M/43 cameras.
I am sorry to burst your illusions, but when you feel the need to go personal when your misconceptions are corrected, then you are an ignorant fanboi. Grow up!
YOU are the bigger fool David, as I said elsewhere, STOP PLAYING WITH YOUR WILLY
And please, stop with that Canon fanboism. You are in the wrong place.
Moron
the one i touched had no back wheel, and yeahh even then i dislike that wheel so much, both front and back, just dont get them…the scp for me is the easiest thing around, maybe im mentally superior, as i seem to get well with that horryd menu you talk about.
I don’t know why other Oly owners have trouble admitting that some design aspects were terrible, and still need improvement, but it sounds like EM5-II makes many improvements. Kai’s spot on with his review, and despite his supposed negatively he clearly is impressed. I love my EM5 and am now — from watching his review — and a bit more likely to consider an upgrade to the EM5-II.
Olympus fanboys are known for this trouble. If they could review the earlier reviews Kai did on the E-M5 (which was such a revelation back in 2012 but still got a very luke warm reception), they would then see how favourable Kai was in his comments in this review of the E-M5 II. Sure, he likes Canon and Nikon DSLRs more, and especially he likes Leica, but this review struck me as very positive for a M43 camera!
Sorry buddy, but Yun just proved Oly haters are biggest trouble here. Fanboys actually look intelligent to me now, wow.
So Olympus fanboys demand Kai review the camera, then hate on him, when he does… haha! Fanboys indeed!
don’t know any… ha ha…
Didn’t I know that, but then who would run out of his little room, pulling everyone’s shirt, telling people to “continue with Kai’s review” “As you can heard the same from Kai”, as if his grudge for too long was leaked by his Kai goddess? Yep, Yun won the hater award!
And Oly haters forget to get their kid grammar right. Them Oly haters… ha,ha,ha,ha
No new information in the review, but I found it entertaining.
Your generalization aside, I have to ask, how old do you think the average “fanboy” is?
I think he personally owns a GM camera.
I think use of the word fanboy is a trivializing put-down. A large part of my ongoing complaint with the tone of the m43 conversation is that too much it comes from people who do not own or use these cameras.
As you can heard the same from Kai , nothing to impress about this EM5 2 .
3 years of wait end up with that ageing 16 MP sensor again .
It don’t worth for a review at all !
Why don’t you let actual users of this camera be the judges.
Panasonic Fanbois….
Why so much insecurity? Still can’t forget the hot spicy feeling of b!tchslap you got in last rumor discussion? 🙂
http://www.43rumors.com/ft3-e-m1ii-will-come-with-132-000-electronic-shutter/#comment-1897065286
Here, found it. You were trying to sell stupid ideas in E-M1II discussion only to get firmly refused. You were told to mind your own business. Since then you have disappeared and dared not answer them.
Is that why you act like a pervert so much in all this?
Kai’s reviews are so friggin’ annoying…useless.
Ok we watch them, but indeed they are useless.
to me he is the one that is annoying – he knows is stuff quite well but he is so self conscious and always try’s to be funny – if only he just relaxed and slowed down instead of running up and down some HG areas – Tony Northrop is so much better – so is Blunty from Australia and some others
Tony Northrop has too much of an axe to grind though most of his delivery is good. Blunty is great as is David Thorpe.
I agree also on David Thorpe he is very very good Not a pixel peaker but still makes great sense Tony is a perfectionist :). But still really knows his stuff but goes a lot more into details which some appreciate.
Pretty please point us to your YouTube channel so we can see how many more views you get than this “annoying, useless” guy.
What an obnoxious twat. Kai is a prima donna reviewer who is more concerned about displaying his spoilt brat attitude that delivering any useful information.
“after 10 minutes of googling” => I’m a newbie… nothing to do with the camera or its features. Anyone can be a reviewer these days…
This guy is 99.9% about the gadget, 0.1% about the art of photography.
… actually 0% photography.
That’s fine. He’s a gadget dude. Nothing to do with photography.
I’d rather read a review from someone who can take a photo worth looking at.
Kai is the exact opposite. He doesn´t care about gadgets, he uses an old Leica M3 and is bored to death by the stagnant camera/consumer-electronics industry output.
he is also a bit of a name snob 🙂 – yes the M3 gives good results due to high quality glass – but most users prefer auto focus – how many nice kodak moments would be lost with the kids if one only had manual focus –
I think many would have said the same about the film camera industry output some years back – I just can’t see where the current market is stagnant today –
for example we did not have EVF till few years ago – and now they are getting not be really nice – and they certainly have many advantages over a optical one just as an example – the Sony A7s and its low light ability is also amazing as another example – and yes the D810 and D4 are also good – but for quit a bit more money – also now we have a FF A7 with 5 Axis IBIS – under $2000 – these are things I would like to have rather then a manual focus no IS Leica –
I understand your point perfectly well. It´s just different strokes for different folks, I believe. My neighbour uses a large format camera for his (static) kids photos – that´s something about I scratch my head, but again…
Kind of funny statement in light of the fact that the new em5 is not all that much different than the old one and everyone is clambering on about the latest and greatest thing that will improve their photography immensely if they can only have this and that added to their cameras. Every time the admin. Posts reader photos there is like 20 comments on the art of photography yet a meaningless post from a goofball that is jesting about gear or a post about a sensor upgrade gets a few hundred.
The guy doesn’t even know how to hold a camera. Likes to hold every camera with his finger tips like an Iphone. He also enjoys stereotyping individuals based on camera choices. What an idiot!
Looks like a lot of fanboys who forced him to review the camera, didn’t like the review itself, judging by comments…
If you click on the YouTube link I would have to agree with you. The video has 68,000 views, just under 1,400 likes and 53 dislikes. Judging by the comments about the video here my guess is that all 53 dislikes came from this site. 😉 I enjoyed the review although I wouldn’t purchase this camera for more than $800 since it doesn’t have a new (read better ISO) sensor.
Sincerely what kind of response were you expecting ? Of all the points being made in the video the only valid one is the price tag issue, everything else is lackluster review-wise, and by that I mean both cons and pros of the camera. And it’s not only this video but also the A7, the GH4, the GM1, the XT-1, the 7D,etc..Digital rev was never about the search for a technical kind of review or even a serious take on the matter but even so there was content, now their videos feel like filler, an obligation to stay afloat.
He goes on about the menus even though this issue was solved years ago with the SCP and improved again by the amount of Fn buttons and dials. There’s to be something else to make fun of, this is lame and repeated as a joke and misinformation as part of a review, in either case it’s a drop in quality review-wise. He misuses the hi-res mode and complains about the lack of progress when this is clearly not a E-M6/7 but just a MkII model, what was he expecting ? And even then, the ergonomics have been redesigned profoundly yet there’s no mention of any of the improvements. Long story short, he just walks around a 2 block radius enumerating a spec sheet he read 5 mins before shoot and goes about replicating his Mk 1 remarks. Digitalrev used to be both more humorous and thorough than this. Same goes for many other reviews, even for canikons.
Do I sound like a Oly fanboy ? guess what, I use a GX7 and I loathe the OMD line, this is criticism of Digitalrev as a review channel, not because of this particular video.
I didn’t have any issue with the review, I’ve watched a ton of DigitalRev videos and I don’t see this one varying all that greatly from their past entertaining videos. There was one review where the first 5 minutes is him buying a suit before he gets to the actual camera lol, I think that is just part of the style of their videos and either people get it or they don’t. I think DigitalRev has always been about 85% comedy routine and 15% actual details about a camera. And personally I like it because they tend to highlight good points in the 15% of details they give.
But one point is that on the menus, that does appear to be an issue for more than a few reviewers they just don’t harp on it because (my guess is) Olympus keeps it the same. The CameraStore review also mentioned that he hates the Oly menus and I believe I’ve seen that in other reviews as well (although it could have been from older cameras because I had been reading EM1 reviews also).
Yes he “misused” the hi-res mode but what he showed is a fact of how it works. There are reviews trying to use it in landscape shots and they get the same issue (and not just the Northrup guy). It seems like the complaints are that no one should point out the faults in the camera even when there are some. I found Kai’s shot to be more informative than the studio shots people used in the past, the first thing I wondered when I heard about the hi-res shot was, “well what does it look like if the subject moves”. Other reviews has shown this as well but the first shots were all studio shots.
The excuse of this is a mkII also does not give Oly a pass because the camera is a successor for a 3 year old camera. During that time it should be expected that there are major improvements. Each year Sony comes out with a mkII, mkIII, etc of the RX100 line. That is fine. 3-years between models does not warrant a mkII unless you are just milking your customers (which they likely are). The camera at a price of $1,100 should be a big upgrade or either the price should be lower or the camera should have come out at least a year and a half ago. For me personally, it is fine because if there are no real upgrades then I can just keep my money but for sure I think the points that Kai made were valid.
The majority of Olympus M4/3 camera reviews I’ve read complain about the menu system and with very good reason!
What’s so hard about pressing the info button and using the existing dials and Fn buttons ? I wish my GX7 could have a SCP, the top-to-bottom quick menu is far from comfortable and much less quick (I can’t just change settings at a glance with the dials, I have to go into each sub-structure to change a setting, thank good it’s touch screen, but then so is the oly).
panasonics menus are the worst eg having to change mode dial to a specific mode in order set a universal setting (eg changing 1/3 stop exposure from the stupid whole stop default) Oly’s SCP is much better than the panasonic quick menu also. oly has better interface overall
I’m not defending Olympus or the MkII, read my last line again, I’m not an Oly user and I profoundly dislike the OMD range, my whole point is about the lack of content within Digitalrev videos as of late, both in terms of humor and information. I’m not complaining about their (original) formula, I know it, I (used to) like it. Indeed, they’ve always used a ¨85% comedy routine and 15% actual details about a camera¨ methodology , my complain is that they’ve changed their approach for the past year or more, nowadays it’s more like 25% comedy, 15% camera details and about 60% tedious mindless walking and filler scenes. Kai interacts with himself, there’s no dynamic with his surroundings much less with his team, not even with Lok, it’s just one long spec reading monologue.
In their 85% humor bit I’m expecting them to trash Olympus for REAL drawbacks, the menu issue was addressed YEARS ago, they’re not amateur consumers reviewing cameras as a hobby, they handle dozens of cameras a month, more over, this is not their first Oly camera, and even if it was, the SUPER CONTROL PANEL is active by default, so it shouldn’t be an issue with new consumers either, this is not an excuse. Should they mock Olympus for the Hi-res mode limits, ABSOLUTELY. Lack of 4k ? TOTALLY. Price ? No doubt…but the menus and retro look are not relevant issues anymore, that ship sailed ages ago, repetition does not make a good joke.
In the past DR even at a 85% comedy still made the time to use the remaining time on actually EXPLORING the camera, from the features, to haptic interface, to the ergonomics, sensors, etc…Now, they no longer use the camera (or misuse it in a halfhearted way) they just walk around reading a spec shit and repeating their biased preconsemptions, be it favourable or not, mirrorless or DSLR. If they’ve had a favorable impression of a previous model, they just go with it in the new model’s review regardless of changes, same for unfavorable reviews, they disregard any improvements because they don’t compare or go into detail. They have a clear and unchanged bias, regardless of any progress or step backs: They generally dislike mirrorless (particularly m4/3) and prefer DSLRs; They favour Nikon over Canon; they also favor FF over APS-C and smaller; they lust over Leica even though they fall behind technologically to others; they loathe Sony with the exception of the A7’s (see FF point above), They never review the roughed camera segment or non-mainstream brands (when was their latest sigma or pentax review?).
They’re useless even as a source of opinions because those are never relevant or specific to the product at hand, they’re just reflections of preconceived internet forum talk for no other purpose than to get more views (see the latest pro-mirrorless rant). What was their sole saving grace were the humor bits an those are no longer candid nor fun anymore.
Well I have the EPl5 and have to agree with him on the menusystem. Can’t comment on the EM5 MarkII as I don’t know the cam. but hte menusystem is a complete drag. Probably made by people with flawed logic or may be not by actual humans, but by some other species with other braincircuitry.
Anyone that needs a review of this camera likely has no OMD use experience and those that own the previous model can read any of the many reviews and know what to expect. As a first time buyer of a M43 cam this model would not disappoint. I have owned every high end m43 model made (except GH4) and I still like the EM5 the best. I gave mine away and replaced it with the MK2, the ergonomics and better 5-axis is a big improvement. I find it funny to watch people bitch about cameras they don’t own and have never used. Don’t like it don’t buy it. Kai clearly does what he likes in his reviews and with the detail he decides to provide, don’t like his reviews then don’t watch them. What amuses me is the people that come here to bash cameras they will never own or use and complain about reviews. Don’t like a review, move on and stop bitching about the guy over and over or do you own review. The reality is he nailed it, he called out all the new points and in his own way seemed to give it a positive endorsement. The best part about his reviews is knowing his sarcasm and catching his cues. This is my favorite M43 camera not because I am a fanboy but because it like it over every other model I have owned and it is an amazing piece of tech with great tools to take pictures. Those that bitch over and over and make comparisons to full frame and other cameras certainly spend little time taking pictures and more time comparing specs. This “blog” is like watching the stupid shows on the Bravo network with the exception of a few intelligent contributors. Buy what you want and stop bitching everyone or go out and make your own camera line.
You clearly have not been a fan of DR for a long enough time. I wholeheartedly agree with your point about those complaining about a camera they’ll never buy, but I couldn’t disagree more with your defense of DR. What people have been complaining about for a long time now has nothing to do with the specific camera being reviewed; The complaints come from the fact that their style and standard of quality has objectively dropped dramatically for the last couple of years. I can understand how reviewing camera after camera can get tedious, specially if you walk the same streets and scenarios for every single one of them. I can accept the lack of humor, such a thing is difficult to maintain in those conditions, the sarcasm is no longer spontaneous or even relevant. But what has changed the most is the quality of information given; Sure, they’ve never been the DXO of youtube but even when the information was covered in a veil of humor it was there at the end of the day, now ? Kai is a caricature of himself and can’t be bothered to deliver a detailed or even informed review of a camera’s distinct features. The ¨don’t like it, don’t watch it¨ philosophy is not only childish but also a poor excuse, their channel is one of, if not THE most watched Youtube camera channel, what they say, what they do and how they do it is utterly relevant to all and every consumer out there, even of they don’t like the style or are dissatisfied with the amount of info they deliver.
Most people watching will be newbies, and what Kai delivers is misinformation and a lack of depth that will leave people with more questions than answers or will outright give them a false impression of the camera, not just this camera mind you, every camera they have reviewed for the last year and a half, A7, Go Pros, GH4, 7D, you name it, they’ve all been a tedious misinformed spec monologue.
2 years. Regardless I don’t pay for his reviews so if they are terrible I just stop watching, right? It’s free and any one can choose to tune in or tune out but constant bitching about his reviews seems pointless, if they are that bad why is anyone watching them? No one is forcing anyone to view these reviews.
Yes the OMD EM5 is nice – I do think this update was good – especially as they address ed the Display button – on original model it was to small and to close to the other button – I also really like the Flip LCD – serves well also to protect LCD which is fantastic – hope others like Panasonic and Sony will follow suit – of course the GH3/4 have it –
hard to fault the EM5 / EM5 II – my biggest gripe is not IQ but the EVF hump – it makes it harder to put my EM5 in my camera bag – same with my EM1 – i also have 2 Panasonic GX7s and love them – as EVF is on the side and therefore no hump and they come in and out of my bag very easy – just like my Sony A6000 – I love carrying multiple bodies so I do not have to be constantly changing lenses – so I carry my bag – and always a bit of a struggle as the hump likes to get tangled often –
I like that they have even improved the 5 Axis IBIS – I wish the update did include full menu Touch LCD – also a bit better grip – I have the Gariz half case on my EM5 and it helps – I find the grip on the GX7 a bit better although not fantastic – but then again looks would suffer on both if grip was much larger – of course the EM1 has really nice grip – I also like the one on the A6000 / A7/s/r/ – All in all a nice update from Olympus –
I am going to wait for the EM1 update before I decide to upgrade –
It sounds like EVERYONE wants to be a camera reviewer and EVERYONE can do a better job than EVERYONE else!
They watch them because, sadly, they’re still relevant in the camera review industry, they have a HUGE following and their impressions shape the opinions of consumers. I’m not complaining about their sarcastic nature or tone or style, I actually loved the old DigitalRev videos because of that, that’s my whole point. They’re not dynamic any more much less informative, compare any of Lok’s solo videos, he goes into detail about the features, sure they’re different styles and personalities but that’s the whole point, there was a balance between informative Lok videos and Kai’s own wacky reviews, now he seems to just be imitating his old self out of pure necessity, he’s notoriously tired of this job and people are starting to get tired of watching reduce to that too.
Nice upgrade – will be interesting to see what Sony will do in regards to price of their long awaited A7000 – the A6000 now much cheaper at $554 vs $1099 for the EM5 M2 – yes the EM5 M2 has more features and some very nice once like the bulb mode the flip LCD the 40MP mode – but one cannot forget that the Sony has a better sensor – not just larger – see DXo Mark score – of course the IQ is still fantastic in the EM5 / M2 – and so much nicer lens selection in M43 – but Sony has managed to sell a lot of their NEX6 and A6000 and I think price is a big factor – ( as many users are not power users and did not consider lens selection but rather went with better price ) I think the EM5 M2 is priced a bit high – and I now see the EM1 at $1399 which is ironic as it has been $1299 for a long time and a replacement I think due end of year or early next year – if the A7000 comes in at $1099 with 4K video and 5 Axis IBIS and hybrid Auto Focus etc and 24mp backlit sensor etc then I think the A7000 will sell more – likewise Panasonic will come out with their GX8 with 4k this year – so will me interesting to see if $1099 is not a bit high for the EM5 M2 –
You should compare RWT score where A6000 lose to E-M1 in image quality and now lose in sports photography as well in focus accuracy.
It is just sad that Sony doesn’t beat smaller sensor.
I am a fan of Sony cameras, they are very good. Love my little pocketable RX. But as a burned NEX user, I don’t trust Sony to follow through. Even if A7000 shows up with weather seals per the rumors, it will have very few weather sealed lenses. I think Sony is concentrated on the A7 series, so if I buy a new Sony camera someday, it would be some A7 model. Plus, APSC isn’t that much superior to M43, and some decent rumors say a new, improved M43 sensor is coming soon. You really need to go to 35mm FF to get big IQ advantages over M43, but of course lenses are bigger and heavier. Always trade offs.
His bread and butter is bought by Canon and Nikon, he is not going to promote M4/3 rds no matter how good it is.
And still, I will trust his review on M43 camera more than your potential review, because apparently you even don’t know the difference between “review” and “promotion”.
Lol, obviously
He’s given great reviews to several Panasonic cameras, so… nope.This review however, was the most half-assed, can’t-be-bothered, whatever review I have ever seen. Period. Utterly pointless.
The review is absolutely useless, agree, but I didn’t even notice the review until today. And indeed a lot of criticism here… which seemed to touch big nerve of a few funny DR fanboys.