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Up close with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II (pictures)

The second generation OM-D E-M5 shares the same retro aesthetic as earlier cameras in the series. Take a look at what else is on offer.

Lexy Savvides
Lexy is an on-air presenter and award-winning producer who covers consumer tech, including the latest smartphones, wearables and emerging trends like assistive robotics. She's won two Gold Telly Awards for her video series Beta Test. Prior to her career at CNET, she was a magazine editor, radio announcer and DJ. Lexy is based in San Francisco.
Lexy Savvides
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1 of 7 Lexy Savvides/CNET

Full frontal

The second generation OM-D E-M5 shares the same retro aesthetic as earlier cameras in the series.

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2 of 7 Lexy Savvides/CNET

Video didn't kill the camera star

This camera is the first Olympus model to really take video recording seriously. There are selectable frame rates (finally!) as well as a microphone input for better audio quality. Recording can be done in either All-I or IPB, while the Olympus image stabilization system also works in movie mode.

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3 of 7 Lexy Savvides/CNET

Push those buttons

Dials have been refined ever so slightly to give a smooth, tactile response when turning. The overall button design has been simplified from the earlier E-M5 allowing for plenty of custom function options for those who like to tweak.

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4 of 7 Lexy Savvides/CNET

Screen time

The LCD touchscreen now rotates around the side axis, rather than a top hinge as found on earlier cameras.

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5 of 7 Lexy Savvides/CNET

Lens me up

Launched at the same time as the E-M5 Mark II is a new 14-150mm f/4-5.6 lens, equivalent to 10.7x optical zoom. It's also splash and dust-proof to complement the camera body.

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6 of 7 Lexy Savvides/CNET

Lock and load

The OM-D E-M5 Mark II comes with a locking mode dial, to prevent it from accidentally slipping into an undesired mode when out and about.

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7 of 7 Lexy Savvides/CNET

Higher, higher resolution

Although the sensor is only 16 megapixels, the OM-D E-M5 Mark II can output files at 40 megapixels thanks to a new sensor shift feature. By shifting the sensor by half a pixel's width for each photo in the sequence, the camera takes 8 shots and then stitches them together for a high-resolution image. You will need to use a tripod for this mode, as any camera or subject movement will result in an odd-looking image.

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