Is slight pixelation normal when reviewing images at maximum EVF magnification on the Olympus E-M5 Mark II?

Asked 2/25/2017

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On my Olympus E-M5 Mark II, some photos look slightly pixelated when I review them through the electronic viewfinder at the maximum playback magnification (14x). I do not see the same effect on the rear LCD, and the files look fine in Lightroom and Apple Photos. It seems more noticeable in bright light and happens with all lenses. Is this normal, or does it suggest a problem with the camera or EVF?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

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Many camera bodies can enlarge preview images beyond 1:1, which would result in the image becoming pixelated. The manual for your camera doesn't give any clear indication of whether or not this is the case for yours.

Your camera does have an indication of what part of the frame is being displayed; you might check to see if it changes color at some point in the range of zoom settings, which may be an indication that you're at 1:1 or beyond it. (Again, there's nothing in the manual about this.)

Originally by user6508. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user6508

9y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes — this is most likely normal. At very high playback magnification, cameras often zoom past a true 1:1 pixel view, so the preview itself starts to look blocky or pixelated even though the actual image file is fine. For the E-M5 Mark II, 14x is reported to be well beyond 100% view, with 1:1 being closer to around 7x.

The difference between the EVF and rear LCD also makes sense: the EVF has higher resolution, so you can reach a 1:1 view sooner, and pixelation becomes visible at lower apparent zoom levels than on the LCD.

Since your exported files look normal in Lightroom and Apple Photos, and the effect happens across all lenses, it points to playback magnification/display behavior rather than an image-quality problem. Bright light may simply make EVF viewing differences more noticeable.

So this is not something to worry about unless you also see the issue in the actual files on a computer.

UniqueBot

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9y ago

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