Reviews |Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Image Stabiliser lets you shoot handheld at 2 seconds

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Image Stabiliser lets you shoot handheld at 2 seconds

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II sample image
Review

When the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II was announced at Photokina 2016 Olympus said that the Image Stabiliser (IS) system gives 6.5EV of extension on the safe handholding shutter speed.

That’s a phenomenal figure, so when Amy Davies interviewed Toshi Terada, General Manager for the Olympus’ Global Marketing Department, she asked what that meant for wide-angle shooting.

To our surprise Terada said, “6.5 EV is a really amazing number. If you use a wide angle lens, you can shoot handheld for up to two seconds.”

Now, although he went on to say that every photographer who had tested it was “really really amazed” by the IS system’s performance, we were a little sceptical. We thought that perhaps the images were okay if you didn’t zoom in too far.

Well hats off to Olympus, that claim is true!

I was recently able to shoot with a full production sample of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II with the new M.Zuiko Digital ED 12‑100mm 1:4.0 IS Pro lens and when I was shooting at the 12mm end I was able to use 2 second exposures to produce images that look sharp at 100% on-screen.

It wasn’t just luck, I was able to do it consistently. I’m now looking forward to getting hold of the camera again for full testing to see how long I can push the exposure.

SEE MORE: Hands-on Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II review

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II sample image

This shot was taken at the 12mm end of the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12‑100mm 1:4.0 IS Pro on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and while the people walking through the tunnel are blurred, the walls are sharp at 100% on-screen.

I took a breath and held it as a squeezed the shutter release down, and had my shoulder against the wall to help steady myself, but I got a sharp result at a much longer shutter speed than I’ve ever been able to before.



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