Olympus has just released a major new firmware update for the almost-three-year-old Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. The firmware brings some features straight from the company’s flagship OMD E-M1X camera including improved autofocus, improvements in high ISO performance and L64 and L100 low ISO settings for “Detail Priority” when shooting jpg.
So, the biggest new features…
Advanced AF performanceAutofocus algorithms straight from the E-M1X to improve performance when tracking moving subjects. This also improves S-AF performance.Group 25-point AF mode added. Centre priority mode sticks to the centre AF point and uses the surrounding points if the subject moves “vigorously”.The camera can now focus all the way down to -6EV when using an f/1.2 lens.“Active use” of PDAF to improve C-AF performance when shooting video.High ISO improved 1/3rd of a stop in JPG shooting mode – only in JPG shooting mode.Low ISO L64 and L100 for a new “Detail Priority” mode – again, only for jpg.An anti-flicker mode has been added to prevent unstable exposures when shooting indoors.
This should bring the OMD E-M1 Mark II pretty inline with the much newer E-M1X on AF performance, without you having to spend a penny if you already own an E-M1 Mark II. While it’s not quite the same as Olympus announcing an E-M1 Mark III, it will still possibly feel like a new camera to many who use one, especially with the AF improvements. The new Version 3.0 firmware can be downloaded through the Digital Camera Updater app, and you can see the complete list of changes coming with the new firmware here.
