OM 1 Mark II - 6 Month Review (OM System Ambassador)

This video is a 6-month review of the OM-1 Mark II. I have shot two of these camera bodies capturing over 350,000 to 400,000 images since February 2024 while leading workshops in the Peruvian Amazon, Florida, Cuba, Patagonia, Ohio, and the Galapagos Islands.

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[Mthompson]

Thanks! Hi Lee. Thanks for this review and thanks also for all the time you’ve given me at Glazer’s and your live video last week. It’s been so nice to be able to ask you the specific questions that I’ve had. Like you, I push the Mark II to its limits, but I didn’t do that with the Mark I so, unfortunately, I can’t really say if I’ve had the same experience with the autofocus. I can say pretty confidently that when shooting video, the autofocus with AI Bird Detection is noticeably better on the Mark II. Although, to be honest, it was so bad on the Mark I, that’s not really saying much. - Mick

[digibirder]

Thank you for your honest review Lee! Its ambassadors like you who will help OM Systems improve. I'm so glad that you don't throw your hands up and say "I'm Switching!". That doesn't help anyone, it just causes confusion. These are excellent cameras and if anyone can't get good shots with them, they should take some more lessons (with Lee Hoy) and practise! Its actually fun and rewarding!

[georgejensen]

Hi Lee, I changed from Canon to OM after getting back from the Amazon with you earlier this year. Got two OM1 markIi bodies with several lens. Went to Grand Tetons with Warner and got some great pictures I don't think I would have got with with my Canon system. Love the OM system.
George Jensen

[johnpark]

Excellent review Lee, very helpful. Thank you for the time you took to create this 👍

[xiaofengliu]

You are the best OM system Ambassador!

[berniestang]

Thank u … i appreciate your videos … so thorough!

[jpsteiner]

Thanks for the in-depth review.

I've had the OM-1 mkii for a couple of weeks. Love it.

I'm not a bird & wildlife photographer, except for occasional cardinal or finch. Mostly city scapes, street, etc. More urban settings.

Yesterday, for example, I paired the OM-1 mkii with the 20mm f/1.4 and spent a day shooting city life around Baltimore. Live GND paired with image stabilization helped me capture a nice scene on a jostling commuter rail, with the inside of the light rail exposed nicely and the GND allowing me capture the sense of scenery movement through the window.

Looking forward to more photography, pairing the camera with the 25mm and 45mm primes and the 8-25mm zoom.

[miketoll]

Interesting and refreshingly honest review. On the whole the autofocus for birds is pretty good . Sometimes it surprises me with how well it gets focus spot on against a busy background but some times it surprises me with how it fails to achieve focus on an easy target much like you found. Again I have had the same strange issue of the camera taking extra shots at the end of a long burst so I end up with poorly metered out of focus shots of the floor or the inside of the hide (blind ). I thought it might be me or more worryingly something going wrong with the camera so interesting to see you are getting the same thing. I have got this shooting only at 12.5 fps in SH2.

[PGXX]

Very interesting that you see more reasons to upgrade for landscape and macro shooters than for wildlife shooters.
All mark1 vs. mark2 comparison videos I’ve seen so far concentrated primarily on AF and subject detection. Live GND and improvements in dynamic range was mentioned in a side note at best or completely ignored.
Your review makes an upgrade for me much more compelling. Thanks.

[RichardBO]

I appreciate the thoughtful and brutally honest review and your vulnerability as brand ambassador to give a through review. In this day and age, its easy to blow hot air up peoples kilts. I respect that you didn't do that here.

[billhallsongs]

Thank you Lee for such an honest thorough evaluation the camera! I am happy to see based on your comment replies further on, that OM fixed the the high frame rate focusing issues especially on moving subjects (like birds in flight) with firmware updates. Do you find that leaving the "bird" auto-focus option in AF on is now the way to go for birds in flight and are their other settings you now recommend turning on or off during birds in flight tracking? Thanks again Lee! Your photos are wonderful!

[Elderester]

I've got an OM1ii coming in Wednesday, I'll give you my review Tuesday

[sandydt]

thankyou lee i thought i was going crazy, i found in wasnt getting so much in focus as i did with my om1, found myself picking the 1 back up many times .. i will keep using it of course, but really like hearing your opinion

[michaelcrapo]

Lee, I two have had the problem of at 50 fps, after a large burst, that after I lift up my finger from the shutter, that the camera keeps taking some photos. I am glad I am not the only one who has had this issue. I never seen this issue at 25fps, but only on 50fps.

[cryptographerchris]

Telling it like it is. Always appreciate that. Great review. In regard to the camera taking pictures while you are dropping it, is it possible that your pinky finger is hitting the shutter release on the vertical battery grip?

[JezdziecBezNicka]

The biggest AF improvement in my view is that mark ii handles partially obstructed subjects much better. It's the first camera I can trust enough to have with full area AF by default.

[Mike-tqjd]

1st time watching. Wild Alaska on YT described the exact same problem you do regarding AF on OM-1 Mark II. Great information, now subscribed. Own a OM-D E-M1X for a year and debating about getting the OM-1 Mark II. Not a professional but like pushing the limits on equipment. What do you think? Thank you

[berniestang]

Can u provide info on which lens ring u have on ? Thanks . Going to binge watch your videos today . ❤
Love them !

[Cinexinsimio]

Hi Lee. Thank you very much for your excellent videos that help to improve photographic technique and to better understand our equipment. I personally have the OM1, and I observe the same problems as you with the OM1 II. Birds in flight with sufficient proximity, large size and even at low flight speed, suddenly go out of focus without giving any explanation to the camera's response. I think I have tried all the settings, even removing the stabilizer to try to make everything focus on the focus and the shot. I don't know if it is a fault of my unit or it is something usual. I hope this is corrected in firmware updates. In the case of video it is almost impossible to keep the bird in flight or even a static animal for more than a couple of seconds without the focus going out although it later returns, which ruins the shot. I hope that OM System continues to improve. I think that a successor body to the EM1X with a dual processor and many more features for video such as 4K at 120 fps would be necessary, something that almost all brands already do with production bodies, even non-professional ones. In Spain, the human team at OM System is fantastic. Thank you very much again.

[Mohika]

A really interesting review of these cameras. Thank you!
Especially interesting hearing about the in built ND filters. I love landscape photography and reducing the number of bits and carrying around these bits and pieces is irritating.