The OM-D E-M1 is the best mirrorless camera ever from Olympus, and it's attracting interest from serious photographers who had, up until now, ignored Olympus and Micro Four Thirds technology. But the E-M1 deserves all the attention--it's the new champ in the "lightweight heavyweight" class.

If you really need need the much larger files, slightly better exposure range or low-light performance of a full-frame camera, or if you can't live without 1024p or 1060p video, then the E-M1 may not be for you.

Rugged body with excellent ergonomics; Best-in-class five-axis in-body image stabilization; Highly configurable

Video format options lacking by comparison to competing cameras; Mediocre battery life; Rich configurability of E-M1 makes for steep learning curve

The OM-D E-M1 is the best mirrorless camera ever from Olympus, and it's attracting interest from serious photographers who had, up until now, ignored Olympus and Micro Four Thirds technology. But the E-M1 deserves all the attention--it's the new champ in the "lightweight heavyweight" class.

Taking over from the first OM-D, the E-M1 delivers nearly impeccable performance worthy of its flagship status. This model features a state-of-the-art 16 megapixels CMOS sensor with built-in Phase-Detect autofocus while keeping its predecessor's 5-axis image-stabilization and super-sonic...

Low image-noise up to ISO 1600; Impressive dynamic-range; Reliable Automatic White-Balance; Superb built-in stabilization; Virtually no shutter-lag; Fast contrast-detect AF; Great shot-to-shot speed; Great EVF resolution and refresh rate; Unique Live-Bulb mode; Extremely customizable; Excellent...

Below average color accuracy; More over-exposure than usual; Not always Exposure-Priority and frequently wrong Live-Histogram; Poorly placed tripod mount; Low battery life; Video cuts last second

The most advanced technological improvement on the E-M1 is the on-sensor phase detection element, which gives the camera two distinct focus modes. The OM-D E-M1 can connect wirelessly to Android and iOS devices to transfer images, and with an app, your smartphone can act as a remote control.

Excellent stills quality; Lighter than DSLR cameras; Superb electronic viewfinder

"Kludgy" interface; Disappointing video

Having come from a SLR and Dslr background, this camera I believe will be a first model in the dominance of DSLRs in the enthusiast/pro sector. It is amazingly fast, sharp, bright and versatile. Just allow a lot of time to adjust to the menu system and controls.

Compact; Build quality; Screen size

Battery life

We were pretty much enamoured with the Olympus E-M5 (quick review) when we tested it in 2012. The E-M1 takes the best from that camera and further ups the game. Here are three things to love about this camera (and a few to hate). There is truly a lot to love about the E-M1.

Great build quality; Excellent specs; Customization is incredible; EVF is excellent

Very expensive; Battery life not that great; EVF takes a bit of time to start

Works great, and is very fast. I use this with the Olympus 75 f1.8 to shoot hockey, and the AF with the latest firmware is fantastic. Much better AF than any of Olympus's previous efforts including their SLR's.

Olympus has been pumping out cameras in its OM-D (Olympus Mirrorless Digital) series for a while now. It started back in 2009 with the arrival of the Olympus PEN E-P1, a retro camera that was a digital successor to its well-regarded analogue PEN cameras.

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

Continuous AF can be beaten;