If you're unfamiliar with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 from three years back, it was the company's flagship compact system camera (CSC), built to a really high standard. We happened to really like it (ok, we loved it). Now we have the second-generation model, the small and mighty Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II.

Very fast; quick autofocus; articulated touchscreen; image stabilisation is unreal ; mechanical and electronic shutter shooting modes ; can be customised to the nth degree; ever expanding lens choice; sharp images at low to mid ISO settings

Image quality in low contrast light; limited dynamic range in high contrast light; silent shutter is so discreet that it's easy to forget what shooting mode you're in ; it's an expensive purchase

? Updated: Firmware 2.0 page added The Olympus E-M1 is the latest addition to the Olympus compact system camera (CSC) line-up and it's aimed at professional and enthusiast photographers. It doesn't replace the Olympus OM-D E-M5, but sits above it.

The best, most complete all-round compact system camera money can buy

Pro-like manual controls; Rock-steady stabilisation; The fastest autofocus around

Continuous AF can be beaten

I have had the camera for a few weeks and haven't been able to fully explore all the features, however I have been impressed by the performance so far. Well balanced and easy to operate with even bigger hands, incredible in body stabilisation, really pleased with my purchase.

An excellent, looking and quality camera, designed with professional features but easy to use by most existing camera users. Has a wide range constant lenses with a good variety of prime lenses. The constant feature ensures for eg that an f2.8 zoom maintains it's f2.8 at all focal lengths.

I bought the earlier EM1 on eBay as a toe in the water on my return to photography and loved it so the natural progression was the mark II. There is much to like but if you are reading this you have already read the reviews.

An absolutely wonderful camera! They changed me from a Nikon D90 to this so easy to get a little hysterical over how good everything is with this camera when it is so very recent but everything is really on top.

There’s no getting around the fact that the OM-D E-M1 Mark II is expensive. Yes, it’s Olympus’ flagship CSC and built like a tank but the £1,850 you’ll pay for just the body could get you a Fujifilm X-T2 (also weatherproof, also offering 4K recording) and a great lens – and the X-T2 is a better low light performer with a larger sensor. The one thing Olympus offers that no other CSC out there can match is its speed. With Pro Capture and 60fps bursts married to laser-accurate autofocus, this is the perfect mirrorless camera for anybody who wants to shoot sport or wildlife. It’s a pretty decent at everything else too, but you might want to wait until that price drops a little before reaching for your wallet. Buy the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II here from Wex Photographic

High speed capture; Tough and weatherproof; Fast, accurate autofocus; 4K video capture;

Small sensor; Painful price tag; Labyrinthine menu system;

High speed capture; Tough and weatherproof; Fast, accurate autofocus; 4K video capture;

Small sensor; Painful price tag; Labyrinthine menu system;

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 is a fantastic mirrorless camera that is designed for the advanced or professional shooter. Those without sophisticated photography knowledge will get easily lost in the numerous features and functionality.

Great image quality; Weather proofed; Awesome grip; Great autofocus; Great viewfinder and LCD screen; DSLR-like feature set

Noise can be an issue at high ISOs; Cost; No second memory card slot