Olympus OM-D E-M10 II review: 4K Time Lapse
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II is one of a slew of recent cameras to offer a 4K-oriented feature, although it falls short of offering a 4K video option at a standard frame rate.
Here, it’s a 4K Time Lapse Movie mode, which essentially extends the capabilities of the E-M10’s timelapse option. Not only can the camera capture up to 999 frames at an interval of your choice and stitch them together into a 4K-resolution video, but you can also delay the capture of the first exposure and choose whether to simply capture the images alone or have the camera compile them into the video.It even provides start and finish times, together with the length of the movie to save any guesswork.
The caveat is that timelapse video can only be output at 5fps in 4K. Knocked down to full HD (1080p) it can be output in a choice of three frame rates up to 15fps, and down further still to standard HD (720p) increases this to a maximum 30fps. While there are some situations in which the 4K/5fps mode is usable, most users, in the majority of situations, will clearly prefer the more fluid results achievable by the latter options. No doubt in future models we’ll see this frame rate increase when capturing and outputting in 4K.
Since announcing the OM-D E-M10 Mark II, Olympus has confirmed that forthcoming firmware updates will allow users of the OM-D E-M1 and OM-D E-M5 Mark II also to have access to the functionality, among a raft of other options. Version 2.0 firmware for the OM-D E-M5 Mark II and v4.0 firmware for the OM-D E-M1 are scheduled for release in late November.
