I am so excited to have recently switched from a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera, to a snazzy new mirrorless camera. After a LOT of research and many, many trips to the local camera store, I finally landed on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II (I know, it’s a mouthful). Figuring out which mirrorless camera to purchase was a hard decision because there’s honestly quite a few wonderful options. I’ll break down what I was looking for in a mirrorless camera, and hopefully help you out in narrowing down your own camera options. Let’s go!
Why I Chose the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Know Your Abilities
It’s important to know and understand your own skill level. I know a lot of people who know very little about cameras but will go out and purchase an advanced skill-level camera. Nowadays, even entry-level cameras are quite advanced and take amazing pictures. Unless there’s something really specific you’re wanting to do with your camera, it might not be necessary to purchase an expert-level camera.
I would consider myself an intermediate photographer. I understand camera basics but I don’t practice photography enough to really hone in on my skills. So for me, I was looking for an intermediate-level camera.
Price
While looking for a mirrorless camera, I wanted the biggest bang for my buck. My price range was no more then $1,500 for the camera body alone, which quickly narrowed down my options. After doing extensive research online, I narrowed down my options to these three beauties:
To be completely honest, all of these models are amazing and take exceptional photos. If you purchase any one of them you would most likely be very pleased with your choice. Narrowing my options down from here simply came down to personal style and use.
Fujifilm X-T20
I really, really wanted to love the Fujifilm X-T20 because I adore the vintage style of the camera body. However, I ended up nixing it pretty quickly while test shooting. The main issue for me was the location of the features and buttons/knobs. The set up of my previous camera was completely different, and I felt I would need to spend a lot of time learning things I already knew because buttons were placed in odd or different locations. Additionally, I sometimes carry my camera with one hand, and I found the grip on the camera body hard to hold on to. If you want a more in depth review of this camera’s specs read here.
Now it was down to the Sony and Olympus. Both are amazing cameras, and it was truly very difficult to make my decision at this point. Both cameras take excellent quality photos, and have similar features.
Sony A6300
I especially liked the Sony A6300 because of the 4K video and it swayed my decision heavily. I am wanting to expand into travel video and vlogging, and for that, this would be a major asset. The Sony LCD screen does have a tilt feature, however its abilities are limited. My previous camera had a full swivel affect, which I liked quite a bit. Another negative for me was I wasn’t crazy about the traditional look of the camera body, which is completely a matter of personal taste. Because of these reasons, (and with a heavy heart) I ended up passing on the Sony A6300. If you want a more in depth review of this camera’s specs read here.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
And here we have it, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II ended up being the winner. Something that stood out for me was that the Olympus has amazing image stabilization capabilities. For my purposes (mostly travel photography) I don’t always have the time to properly frame a photo because I am on a bus, a tuk-tuk, or even the back of a moped. A camera with excellent image stabilization is handy when I am needing to take a photo super quick. I also love the swivel effect of the LCD screen. For vlogging this comes in handy and is a great feature! Lastly, I must admit, I adore the vintage style camera body. Judge if you will, but I was totally sold on purely it’s looks. ? The only downside is I really would have loved to have 4K video. Besides that, this camera is everything I want and need. If you want a more in depth review of this camera’s specs read here.
Okay, now let’s talk lens!
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Camera Lens
Next was deciding which lens to choose. FYI, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 does not come with a kit lens that you can purchase in a bundle. For a starter lens, I was in the market for a zoom lens with pretty generic range. My only two options from Olympus was the 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 and the 14-35mm f2.0. Although more expensive, the reviews are pretty clear that the 12-50mm is a superior lens, and this is what I decided to go with.
In the future I would like to expand my collection to a wide angle lens and a telescopic lens, but for now, my bank account is happy with my current purchase. 🙂 I’ll keep you updated though as I expand my camera equipment!
FYI: This is not a sponsored post. I chose the Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark II camera on my own, and am very happy with my purchase 🙂 Do you have a mirrorless camera? Love to know below!
Read More
7 Reasons Why Mirrorless Cameras are Perfect for Travelers
10 Tips for Taking Great Photos of Yourself (this is one of my most popular posts!)
5 Tips for Taking Great Photos When Traveling Solo
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