Olympus' OM-D E-M5 Mark II is a solid mid-range mirrorless camera

Camera manufacturers do a great job of not making your purchases feel obsolete after a year. Case in point: Olympus' OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds camera, which the company updated last month, more than three years after the original was introduced. I'm not saying the original is obsolete per se, but there's no doubt the new E-M5 Mark II is a godsend for people invested in the Olympus ecosystem. So what's actually new in this model, you ask? A lot, both inside and out, although it does maintain a similar look and feel to its predecessor.

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Olympus' OM-D EM-5 Mark II

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Unsurprisingly, it was clear from the get-go Olympus wanted to focus on improving the camera's video attributes. As such, the second-gen E-M5 can shoot 1080p at 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps, and can handle a 77 Mbps bit rate at 30 fps -- a notable upgrade from the recording specs found on the previous version. A 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor with a TruePic VII image chip powers this updated model, which also boasts an 81-point autofocus system and a redesigned 3-inch LCD that now tilts and swivels.
In addition, there's a 40-megapixel (64 in RAW), high-resolution shooting mode and WiFi, which lets you easily send your photos to an iOS or Android device via the companion Olympus Image Share app -- you know, in case you're into "cheating" at Instagram.

Other highlights include a silent electronic shutter, a headphone jack for monitoring audio levels (with an external grip) and an overhauled in-camera five-axis image-stabilization feature that provides up to five stops of compensation. That's a full stop more than what you would get with Sony's equivalent, which can be found on cameras like the full-frame and mirrorless A7 II. The upgraded E-M5 naturally also borrows a few things from its predecessor, such as a tethered mode, a 3.5mm microphone input, a 2.36-million-dot electronic viewfinder and 25,600 max ISO.
On paper, this Micro Four Thirds camera is stacked. And the good news is that its field performance doesn't leave much to be desired. It's light, compact, fast and, while not as important, looks damn nice. I used the black E-M5 Mark II during my month-long test, but I often found myself wishing I had the chrome model -- seriously, there's something about this colorway that screams "premium."
To help get the most out of the camera, I paired it with Olympus' M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro and the new M.Zuiko 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II, two of my favorite lenses. The former, however, tended to be my preferred choice for most shots, except for when I needed a bit of zooming action.