Olympus OM-D E-M10 review – Build and handling
Many CSCs in this class sport tough polycarbonate plastic bodies, but in keeping with the premium build quality of the OM-D series, Olympus has opted for a mix of polycarbonate elements and magnesium-alloy body for the E-M10. The use of metal does make this one of the heavier enthusiast CSCs available at 350g body only: this is just 80g lighter than the Nikon D3300 DSLR and 52g less than the comparable micro four thirds Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7. However, the E-M10’s dimensions of 119×82.3×45.9mm keep it very portable. I was able to wear the camera comfortably around my neck all day as well as carry it in my coat pocket and access it easily.
The E-M10 features an excellent ergonomic design, particularly on the grip, which sports a textured thumb rest that curves out slightly. This makes it easy to operate the camera with one hand whether shooting in landscape or portrait orientation.
Holding the camera to my face and composing shots through the eye-sensor-activated EVF added some extra balance, although the eyecup caused some pain when pressed against too tightly over prolonged use, despite being slightly rubberised. By setting the two custom buttons on the camera’s right shoulder to the features I use regularly, it was possible to change settings while looking through the EVF the whole time. I set my custom options to ISO on Fn2 and autofocus point selection on Fn1.
A criticism I had of the E-M5 was that the buttons felt sticky and weren’t as responsive as I would have liked. While this issue seems to have been mostly tackled in the E-M10, the OK button still requires more than one push on occasions, which isn’t ideal.
Overall, the E-M10 is a very well-balanced camera that is the perfect size and a decent weight for everyday use and travelling.
