E-M1 mkII now available to order! And the reviews begin…

Wow, like a dam that broke, the reviews, praises, and heckling begin!  The E-M1 mkII is now available from your favorite retailer.  I have already ordered mine.  Paid in full.

I just want to address something here though.  My site is in no means a way to try and convince anyone of buying this camera, I am also no longer posting affiliate links for the time being.  Please, do your own questioning.  I do want to point out though, remember the internet has a lot of unique characters with often strong opinions, that are not always based in anything concrete.

Remember, most reviewers have NOT had much time with the camera, have been in situations maybe foreign to them, have been in “honeymoon” phase or excited at their opportunity, or often just have not taken time to see how to extract the best from the new equipment.  Learning gear takes time, especially with complicated equipment like Olympus cameras.  Also, there is no proper RAW conversion yet.  Adobe will be releasing that soon.  Do not base your decision of this camera on the images people are posting before the actual release.  Base them on whether this tool fits your needs. (This is not a knock on any reviewer by the way.)

Also, I see a lot of complaints about the price tag.  $2,000 is quite a bit for a lot of people.  $500 is quite a bit for a lot of people.  $200 is quite a bit for a lot of people.  $10,000 is quite a bit for a lot of people.  This will never end.  People are never satisfied.  People saw the new Hasselblad H6D and said $26,000 was too much money!  It should have been $15,000.  Then they released the X1D for $9,000.  Well under the “desired price point” and people said that’s too much!  Fuji’s will be cheaper!  Fuji will announce their price and people will say that’s too much!  Its not the price of an X-T2!  Now the E-M1 is more than an X-T2!  It should be less than a Pen F!  Endless.

The at the same time you see people justifying this saying that no one would spend $2,000 on a “small frame” camera!  And that M43 is not worth this kind of money, and M43 can’t be used for serious photography.  “Serious Photography?”  What is that?  It’s more of these conversations that I question as serious.

All the while there are many more people that don’t voice themselves online that quietly purchase the tool that is proper for them whether its a $2000 Olympus or a $35,000 Phase One and they get to work.  They get to work.  Whether its for paid assignments, or if its for personal artistic expression.  They get to work.  The price was paid because this was the tool they needed to get the work done the way they wanted.  If the price is too much, buy a different tool.  Or wait a year or so.

I have presented clients just this week with work from the same assignment shot with a Phase One Medium format sensor and an Olympus E-M1.  2/3 of the images they selected came from the E-M1.  They did not care that the files were bigger from the medium format.  I have several magazine covers shot with the E-M1.  I have large prints made with the E-M1.  I shoot with the most expensive medium format cameras that make “full frame” sensors look small.  I also shoot with M43.  I shoot them together.  Difference?  One file is half the size.  That’s all.  At the end of the day…that’s all.  I know several other photographers that have published amazing books all shot on M43.  There is a lot of “serious” work being done on M43.  All those photographers are too busy making a living with their equipment.  While all the hecklers are too busy online saying it can’t be done instead of making “serious work.”  Funny.

Rant mode off.

So, if you decide to pre-order post a comment and let us know!  If you are going to wait for prices to drop too, that’s cool.  Why not?  The E-M1 has been my favorite camera ever, and I look forward to any improvement.  I will keep you up to date with my thoughts once it arrives.  I am also heavily considering ordering the 25 F/1.2 and the 12-100.  I will wait for those.  Again, I am a working pro…that means my gear has to pay for itself.  The 25mm for me would be more for me on weekends!  So maybe I will wait for the next round of Olympus price breaks or rebates before ordering the lens.  Holidays maybe?