Olympus High Res Mode

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

Well the day after my camera stopped working I had to go out and see if I could get a replacement. After having a good look around the Photography show at the Nec, I had a couple of ideas what would replace my old camera with. The final decision was to buy the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. I know a few people might think this is a odd choice for me, because of the kind a images I take. Most landscape photographers would normally go for a camera with a large megapixel count full frame sensor.

I was seriously tempted with the Sony Alpha system. But in reality the financial outlay on the system was just too big for me. To get all of the lenses I need it would cost me more than I could afford. I know I could buy them one at a time, but I was not prepared to make that compromise. The Olympus was not exactly cheap, once I had added a grip and a spare battery it was over £2,000. But one huge advantage was I already own the lenses I need as my last camera shared the same lens mount.

When I get the time and I have got used to the camera, I will try and write a bit more about the camera. For now I just want to share two image samples. One of the big selling points that the Olympus has is to quickly shift its sensor taking eight shots. The camera then combines them into one high resolution capture. The combined images produce a file that is effectively 80 megapixels. Below are some links to a standard 20 megapixel image and a 80 megapixel high res mode image.

Image Samples

Standard 20 megapixel unedited RAW file (20.3 MB)

Standard 20 megapixel RAW file edited as saved as a jpeg (22.6 MB)

High Res Mode 80 megapixel unedited RAW file (68.9 MB)

High res Capture 80 megapixel RAW file edited as saved as a jpeg (67.9 MB)

I should state the high res mode does need to be taken on a tripod or when the camera is totally stable. Also if the subject is moving this can apparently produce some strange results. I personally think the results from the 20 megapixel are fine for my needs, but having the option to produce a really large file is nice to have.