@Knikki
I had a couple of EM1Xs (not at the same time)
Ive just sold my last one after buying an OM-1
I really liked them - build quality was second to none (from any manufacturer) with clasps on the battery and card doors etc promoting a feeling of superb build and dust and weather sealing
Even though the OM-1 has a higher dust and weather sealing rating the EM1X is not far behind
I do recall a little viewfinder blackout but it wasn’t a problem to shoot motorsports with it
From memory some lenses were worse than others with blackout - I think that there was more blackout with my 12-100 f4 but that may have been my imagination ?
Regardless of the above the EM1X made a superb package when paired with the 12-100
You are no doubt aware that the 1X is currently £1499 with £300 cashback so £1199 which is astounding value for money and cheaper than the EM1/3 - you get a lot more hardware for your money
1X Ergonomics are very good and the shutter button and grip arrangement are a bit better on the 1X compared to the OM-1 as the grip is slightly chunkier which meant that my index finger tip fell more naturally onto the shutter button whereas on the OM-1 I have to bend my index finger slightly to place my finger tip on the shutter button
The only downside is that it is a large camera to use as an all round walk around / general purpose body - I found it fine for Motorsports use with PL200, Oly 40-150 f2.8 but it is imo too big and heavy to use with smaller prime lenses - where an EM/1 / OM-1 is a better form factor
You will notice the higher weight especially when combined with the larger M43 telephotos and you may tire more if shooting all day as I did compared to using an EM1 (or OM-1)
Despite the EVF being an older lower resolution it is a good size and perfectly useable - the issue I found was that when reviewing shots in the EVF the sharpness was often insufficient to effectively judge critical sharpness of shots taken which is a little frustrating when you are trying to gauge the hit rate when experimenting with lower shutter speeds for panning for example
The motorsports AI tracking is very good and especially noticeable with subjects coming towards you where I previously had far less success. I recall shooting a motocross event and shot a very high number of oncoming bikes and Auto Focus yielded a very high hit rate
If you are sitting on the fence I would recommend you dive in at the current price. There are rumours of a 1X Mk2 being announced in September and if this is the case it may be that Olympus / OMDS are clearing the shelves of the 1X in time for the replacement to go on sale. That model is bound to come in at at least £2500 if it does transpire
Bearing in mind that the 1X was released at £2799 in the U.K. this is a seriously good bargain as long as you are prepared for the shortcomings and size and weight disadvantages
I don’t think the OM-1 significantly improves the Motorsports AI autofocus so for your use the 1X would be a good choice imo
The battery life is superb by the way - I can’t recall the number I got on both batteries but I never ran out of battery life during a days shooting Motorsports (I tend to shoot all day at big events)
I do recall being very pleased with battery life
Hope this helps
Rob
EDIT
PS I’ve never used electronic shutter on any of my cameras - I probably should try it out and probably will but I’m a bit of a purist with regard to sticking with mechanical shutter
)
