We read many complains about the pricing of the new Olympus E-M1II. So I thought be fair for once to offer an opposite view from Canadian photographer Sylvain Duford:

But as much as I would have liked this camera to be priced lower, is it really overpriced? Just the fact that almost 4 years of inflation have passed since the original E-M1 plus the fact that the Japanese Yen has appreciated about 20% in the last few months, this alone nearly justifies the entire 33% price hike. Add to this the Japanese earthquake that has caused a rise in sensor prices…

And than there are all the new class leading new features:

I say the technology alone and the amazing capabilities that this camera provides justify the price of entry. These things require a lot of R&D and manufacturing and miniaturising this kind of power isn’t trivial either. Is there any other camera that provides this combination of functionality, speed and ruggedness in such a compact package? I don’t know of any at this time. This is market-leading capability.

I still do believe the price is a big hurdle for many who would have loved to buy the camera. But in Olympus defense I will also say this: Expect ALL camera manufacturers to raise their prices on future new cameras by a 20-30% margin. In a shrinking market and strong YEN perspective things are going to cost more.

Olympus E-M1II preorders:
In USA at BHphoto, Amazon, GetOlympus and Adorama.
In Europe at ParkCameras. WexUK. Digitech.ch.

Olympus E-M1II accessories:
HLD-9 Power Battery Holder at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
BLH-1 Lithium-Ion Battery at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
BCH-1 Battery Charger at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
AC-5 AC Adapter at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
CBG-12 System Backpack at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
CB-USB11 USB Cable at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
CC-1 USB Cable Holder at BHphoto and Adorama.
RM-CB2 Release Cable at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
PT-EP14 Underwater Housing at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.
PPO-EP03 Underwater Macro Lens Port at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.
Underwater Diffuser Plate at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.
O-Ring at BHphoto and Adorama.
LCD Hood at BHphoto and Adorama.
STF-8 Twin Flash at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.

The E-M1II with the new 12-100mm PRO and 25mm PRO lens at CameraSize.

Closer Look by Engadget:

While I’ve only been testing the camera for little more than a day, all of those specs have translated well in real-world use. At least so far. As advertised, the E-M1 Mark II makes capturing moving subjects a breeze, especially compared to its somewhat aging predecessor. That’s namely thanks to the new AF system and improved tracking performance. I also noticed right away how much heavier it feels than the original E-M1, likely due to the bulky 1,720mAh battery, which Olympus claims can handle around 440 shots per charge.

Olympus E-M1 Mark II – Hands-On First Look (Lensvid)
Olympus Malaysia E-M1 MK II Touch and try even (Robert Evangelista)
Olympus E-M1 II First Shots (Imaging Resource).
E-M1 Mark II Image Stabilization in action in 4K video mode (Karl Grabherr)
Olympus OM-D E-M1 II 4K video compilation (Mirrorlessons).
E-M1 Mark II + MZD 25mm F1.2 Pro (Youtube).
Fotos con la E-M1 MKII (Martin Gallego).
Finnish professional nature photographer Jari Peltomäki seems to be getting impressive results with the EM1 Mk II :) check this out on Facebook.
Olympus Em1 mark 2 = 2000 caffè. Bene così!! (Ugofoto).
Olympus OM-D E-M1 II raw support in AccuRaw and PhotoRaw (Chromasoft).
E-M1II – Die Antwort geben wir auf dem Platz… (Pen And Tell)
Olympus E-M1 Mark II: preguntas y respuestas tras unas horas de uso (Photolari).
Olympus E-M1 Mark II (Fotosidan Sweden).
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II – Prueba de campo (DSLRmagazine).
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Sample Images (Photographyblog).

Olympus E-M1II preorders:
In USA at BHphoto, Amazon, GetOlympus and Adorama.
In Europe at ParkCameras. WexUK. Digitech.ch.

Olympus E-M1II accessories:
HLD-9 Power Battery Holder at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
BLH-1 Lithium-Ion Battery at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
BCH-1 Battery Charger at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
AC-5 AC Adapter at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
CBG-12 System Backpack at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and GetOlympus.
CB-USB11 USB Cable at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
CC-1 USB Cable Holder at BHphoto and Adorama.
RM-CB2 Release Cable at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
PT-EP14 Underwater Housing at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.
PPO-EP03 Underwater Macro Lens Port at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.
Underwater Diffuser Plate at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.
O-Ring at BHphoto and Adorama.
LCD Hood at BHphoto and Adorama.
STF-8 Twin Flash at BHphoto, Adorama and GetOlympus.