Thank the stars that Olympus has settled on a name and number, with the second-generation OM-D E-M5 deploying the "Mark II" badge of honour. That's earned confidence: rather than reaching into the numbers pool and being named an E-M27 or something, the E-M5 II builds on the strengths of the original...

Decent build quality and great retro style; 2x2 switch control; all-round improvements from first-generation E-M5; that 5-axis stabilisation system; High Res Shot for 40/64MP tripod-based shots

Too easy to knock front dial and press HDR button by accident; limited battery life as ever; low-light image quality limitations; no 4K video

? NEW: Olympus has issued an OM-D E-M5 II firmware update, and you can find out how to download and install it at this Olympus firmware web page . At first glance the OM-D E-M5 II firmware update 1.1 looks relatively minor, with just three changes, but two of them are actually quite important.

The Olympus E-M5 Mark II is a compact system camera with a Micro Four-Thirds sensor, and the sequel to 2012's OM-D E-M5 . We flat-out loved that camera. This update successfully adds to the winning design without spoiling what was so great about the original.

Great 5-axis OIS; Excellent handling and controls; Much-improved EVF

No 4K video; Lesser detail and high ISO performance than some

Excellent build; typical Olympus understatement; good ergonomics and easy to live with

Nothing to mention

We knew an update to the popular Olympus OM-D E-M5 was in the offing when the company quietly announced it had stopped making the camera in November 2014. So when the E-M5 Mark II was unveiled on 5 February, nobody was really surprised.

Looking for a camera that can handle the real world and not take too much of your luggage up Olympus lets us play with its second-gen E-M5. Is this the best digital mirrorless yet

Very comfortable to hold; Excellent image quality; OLED touchscreen included; with a vari-angle hinge; Includes WiFi; and can be controlled via smartphone or tablet; Extra high-resolution mode is a really cool inclusion; even if it does need a tripod or a stable surface to work at this time; Comes...

A little slow to start up; Still no flash built in; External battery charger still required to charge the camera up

It should be clear by now I'm very fond of the OMD EM5 Mark II. It improves on two bodies I already liked a lot, taking the best of both, improving some aspects and adding more besides.

Small weatherproof body with great controls; Fantastic built-in stabilization works with any lens; Big; detailed viewfinder and fully-articulated touch screen; Fast accurate focusing with great face and eye detection; Built-in Wifi with powerful mobile app.

Native image quality similar to previous models; 40MP mode requires specific conditions and lenses to shine; Continuous AF becomes less confident with fast subjects; Timelapse and miniature movies encoded at low frame rate; Slow wakeup when Quick Sleep is enabled

Existing Olympus Micro Four Thirds owners should upgrade to the E-M5 Mark II, while new buyers should put it on the shortlist. It's that excellent.

High-quality stills and videos; Five-axis image stabilization; Superb high ISO handling; 40-megapixel photo mode; Highly customizable

Menu system and controls slightly clunky to use; Flash not built in; No 4K support

It may not be a large and bulky digital SLR, but the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II is a heavy hitting camera that's designed especially for those of you who desire advanced controls -- controls of the sort that can tailor almost every single aspect of your photographs before you even transfer them to a...

Crisp image quality; Advanced controls and highly customisable; High quality EVF

Left-hinged screen feels unintuitive on this camera

Basically, it plays piggy in the middle to the more expensive OM-D E-M1 and the cheaper E-M10 II, so you can pick one up for just over $1000.