Phil, I think we'd all like to read of your views once you give the E-M1mkII a good try out.
My head keeps on saying "get the Nikon kit, you know it has better high iso support, superior AF and the 300 f4 PF is a great lens" but my heart says "can you really live without an EVF? Can you really go back to no instant feedback on EV and composition without having to take your eye from the viewfinder?".
Louis
Hi Louis and all, well finally I get some time to report on my experiences with the E-M1 Mark II. After 3 or more weeks to work with the camera, I am afraid to say that it has now been put up for sale. Why? The camera is certainly amazing, it has such power and potential, but it is also a lot of work to set up and use that takes away from the spontaneity that I enjoy with my cameras, in my opinion of course.
As I have the G85 now, and the GX8 which I have had for more than a year... I really cannot justify the investment for many reasons. Firstly, the images that I managed to get from the Mark II are not in my opinion, that much better than the G85 or the GX8, both of which have their strong points, mostly that they are much easier to set up and use to 'quickly get the shot....'
I did not spent hours setting up the Olympus in vain, yes it took hours to set up the way I thought it should be similar to the Mark I I had a year or so ago, and I was keen to see the things that it could do, but really I did not have the chance to do a lot of things that it could do, as I just wanted to use it on a daily basis, for my landscapes, nature and wildlife... and for that, it did not have that much of an advantage.
I shot around 800 images, and several times took the G85 and the GX8 with the same lenses, and apart from major pixel peeping I could not see the difference, and that very small.
For example, the focusing... the Lumix is faster and more accurate, especially with Lumix lenses. Apart from the C AF which I rarely have found to be a problem for me, and potentially the fast frame rate I could not see the advantages.
The 5 axis Dual Stabilization is amazing on the G85 with the PL 100-400 and 100-300 Mk II, and while ok with these lenses on the Olympus it was not the same, with the Lumix and PL 100-400 the stability is rock steady with the Dual active, the viewfinder image does not move, the Olympus does not have this on the Lumix lenses of course, but while good it is not even close.
The images?, honestly, the clarity and sharpness in both JPG and RAW is not noticeable different with the minimal exception of the difference in resolution, but I cannot see it myself as a deal breaker.
Colour? JPG's are slightly warmer with the default settings on the Mark II, but the G85 in Raw and Capture One removes even that slight advantage.
General handling and usability, the G85 is so close to the feel in the hand that it is not worth arguing on it, if only the G85 had the same tactile feel on the 4 way arrows as the Mark 2, it would be a close winner. Ergonomics are relatively the same, but IMHO the G85 setup and access to quick change makes more sense than the buried dual functions with the 1/2 lever on the Mark 2.
The shutter on the Mark 2 is great compared to the GX8, but then the G85 shutter is so slick, quiet and totally amazing that that is a winner and negates the need for silent mode.
I was waiting for the GH5 to make a final decision, but after getting to try one for an hour or so, I decided that it may be a nice videocentric camera, but did not really appeal to me. For the same price I would have stayed with the Olympus Mark 2, but have decided that the kit I have now, with the lenses and results I am getting will do me for the foreseeable future.
I will post some samples of the comparative shots I have done as soon as I have some time do properly sort and put them in order.
Phil