OM System Olympus E-M10 Mark IV

A beautiful, compact travel camera with killer stabilization and a reliability problem that's hard to overlook. Buy it for the looks and the IBIS, but maybe get a warranty.

The 5-axis IBIS is the real star here, giving you about 4.5 stops of compensation that makes handheld shooting in dim light a breeze. The 20.3MP sensor delivers crisp, vibrant images in good light, and the autofocus, borrowed from the pricier E-M1 series, is snappy and accurate for a contrast-detect system. What surprised us is how rough the low-light performance gets when you push the ISO, and the fact that the video specs, while offering 4K, feel like an afterthought without a mic jack or modern streaming features.

The Fujifilm X-S20 is the elephant in the room. It costs more but gives you a larger APS-C sensor, vastly superior video features, and modern connectivity that just works. If video or low-light shooting matters at all, save up for the Fuji. On the other hand, the Panasonic G9 II is a Micro Four Thirds powerhouse that demolishes the E-M10 IV in burst speed and autofocus performance, but it's in a completely different price and size class. The Olympus is for the style-conscious traveler, not the spec-obsessed hybrid shooter.

The price spread on this thing is wild, from $504 to over $13,000 for some bizarre bundles. Ignore the noise. If you can snag the body and kit lens for around that $500 mark, it's a solid deal for a travel camera. Just don't pay a premium for it, the value proposition crumbles fast when you get near the cost of more modern, reliable competitors.

The OM System E-M10 Mark IV is the camera you buy when you want something that looks and feels like a classic film SLR but fits in a jacket pocket. It's a travel-friendly Micro Four Thirds body that punches above its weight for stills, especially with that excellent in-body stabilization. The big catch? Real-world reliability seems to be a gamble, and the connectivity is stuck in the last decade.

If you're looking for a reliable hybrid camera for video and streaming, this isn't it. Go get a Fujifilm X-S20 or a used Sony a6400 instead. You'll trade a bit of that retro charm for a camera that won't leave you stranded with a dead body and no customer support.

The E-M10 Mark IV is a charming camera with a fatal flaw: you can't trust it to keep working. When it's firing on all cylinders, the image quality and stabilization are fantastic for the size. But the recurring reports of cameras bricking and Olympus's poor customer service response are a dealbreaker we can't ignore. It's a heartbreaker, not a workhorse.