Olympus OM-D E-M5

Last updated: Sunday, May 19th, 2013

Last Updated (19 May’13):
- Review & Sample Photos @ Photographyblog

Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a 16 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3.0-Inch Tilting OLED Touchscreen and 12-50mm Lens. It features 9 FPS High-Speed Sequential Shooting, 5-Axis Image Stabilization, LCD electronic viewfinder, Latest TruePic VI image processor, Improved C-AF autofocus with 3D tracking, and Flash sync speed up to 1/250th sec. The camera measures (W x H x D) 4.8 inch x 3.5 inch x 1.7 inch and weight Approx. 15 ounces (CIPA guideline compliant, with BLN-1 battery and Memory card). According to dpreview the Olympus OM-D E-M5 is the winner of the Best Camera of 2012. It available at Amazon with price of $1,199.00.

Overall Rating: | Latest Price Info

Expert Reviews

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Reviews

Photographyblog reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“The E-M5 is also very responsive in terms of image processing times, never leaving you waiting around, and the continuous burst rates are fast enough for most situations, with or without focusing locked to the first frame.”
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DCresource reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“The OM-D produces photos that are free of noise all the way through ISO 800, with just a tiny increase at ISO 1600. ISO 3200 is still remarkably clean, and should be usable for all print sizes.”
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CNET reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“the relatively new 12-50mm lens is a really nice kit fit with this model. Though it’s not as small as the typical 14-42mm version, it’s got a load of nice features, including a macro setting and quiet electronic zoom for video, it’s weather sealed and feels well built.”
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Macworld reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“Exposure, Color, Sharpness, and Distortion categories were all ranked Superior. JPEGs look terrific with default settings. And we discovered that by changing the High ISO Noise Reduction setting to Low, they can be improved even further.”
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Pocket-lint reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“the innovative image stabilisation system is excellent, autofocus is fast, the body is rugged and splash-proof and image quality is decent considering the sensor size.”
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Digitalcamerareview reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“Shutter response is quick and autofocus acquisition time is as well. One touch HD video capture, a wide variety of camera features and settings to please the most finicky shooter along with full auto settings for everybody else gives this camera the potential to attract a wide user audience.”
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Techradar reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“The excellent viewfinder shows a marked improvements on those we’ve used before, while new art filters and variations on existing ones show how creative you can be with this camera. Image quality, in certain situations, is excellent and comparable to DSLR quality, while being confined within a much more portable device.”
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Engadget reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“we love the E-M5. It’s a solid shooter — literally, thanks to its “splash-proof body” — with excellent image quality throughout the ISO range and a slick, versatile lens. That 5-axis stabilization is innovative as well, as is the incredibly fast focusing system.”
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PCMAG reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“I was quite impressed with the quality of the digitally zoomed JPGs—they were only slightly softer than non-zoomed files, and retained the full 16-megapixel resolution.”
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Hardwarezone reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“The mostly well-placed controls let you give it swift commands which are promptly obeyed. Its quick and accurate auto-focus, together with the excellent image stabilization and image quality at higher ISO speeds, conspire to help you catch the most fleeting of moments.”
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Ephotozine reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“The noise performance and detail in images is very good even at high ISO settings, comparable to cameras with APS-C sized sensors, despite the Micro Four Thirds sensor being smaller. The built in sensor based image stabilisation is excellent and works extremely well on photos and videos.”
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Digitalcamerainfo reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“In our speed tests it averaged a little over 8.5FPS, with its best shot-to-shot time touching 10.5FPS territory at full resolution. Also, the E-M5 is able to focus incredibly fast, even in limited light, so you spend less time frustrated at out of focus shots.”
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Digitalversus reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“The video mode in the E-M5 is fairly standard stuff, with 1080p HD video at 30 fps and stereo sound. And it does the job well enough, even if focusing could be bit smoother (it’s a bit jumpy in video mode).”
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Whatdigitalcamera reviews the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and writes;
“The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a very impressive camera. The retro styling is very much a success, especially if you opt for the two-tone silver/black finish, while the materials and weather sealing deliver an excellent, high-end feel.”
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Video Reviews

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Reviews

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Video Review by DigitalRevCom

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Video Review by dpreviewcom

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Video Review by WhatDigitalCamera

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Video Review by RedDotPhoto

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Video Review by Steve Huff

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Video Review by Blunty3000

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Video Review by MirrorlessReviews

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Video Review by erickimphotography

User Opinions

Olympus OM-D E-M5 User Reviews

From a Fujifilm X100 Owner: 1 Month Use
“I do not regret selling my X100 or my Canon DSLR at all. With the right lenses, the EM-5 does everything I want/need it to. Image quality is superb and almost all the settings can be customized. Everything is packaged in a nice compact and weathersealed body that’s reasonably priced for what it delivers.” – By E. Nguyen
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The hype, the wait, the joy
“I use this with a Pany 20mm f/1.7 pancake style which is very travel friendly without compromising picture quality. The kit lens hasn’t left the box since the day I received the camera but I hear it’s a great lens as well.” – By nathan
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Worth every penny
“Flippity screen – Very very useful. I prefer to take pictures of children at their eye level so this helps A LOT without having to kneel or bend down as much. Also very useful on over-the-head shots. I just wish it was the same articulating screen as Panny’s G-series. Oh, well.” – By Ynotw84me2day
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Gets most everything right
“AF is very fast. Early adopters have discovered a rather interesting “feature” – you can make many AF functions perform even better by selecting higher contrast and saturation settings in the camera.” – By Ken Walsh
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E-M5 review from a previous PEN owner
“A new 16MP sensor inside the camera offers about 1 – 1.5 ‘stops’ of improvement in noise performance. Basically this means that if you thought ISO1600 on the previous PEN cameras was acceptable, you will likely be happy with ISO3200 on the E-M5.” – By Michael Gakuran
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Tiny, yet beats the big Canon T2i, T3i, 60D, Nikon 5100, 7000, etc
“The still photo jpeg quality of the E-M5 outdoors is excellent, just like the already excellent Pen cameras which beat the Canon T2i T3i, 60D, Nikon 5100, 7000, etc for image detail and sharpness combined with vivid, yet realistic colors (I know because I used to own a T3i). In low light the E-M5 does much better than the Pens.” – By Macuser
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Game changer for olympus
“Just got the camera today love everything about this camera build quality, viewfinder is awesome and focus is very fast also low light problem with the older Olympus cameras has been fixed..” – By daniel
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Awesome camera
“I had to learn to be comfortable holding it, but that took a day or two at most. I am happy with the image quality and high ISO images are better than any digital Olympus camera I have seen.” – By Mom to 3
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Small and capable camera
“When it comes to convenience vs. image quality, I highly value convenience. I know a tripod will give me better photos but in practice I don’t end up carrying it around. Thus an image stabilizer is a nice feature for me. The E-M5′s image stabilization works well on the 14-42 kit lens, and video stabilization is amazing.” – By Amit Patel
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More User Opinions | Write your opinion

Samples

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos @ Flickr.com

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos @ Techradar.com

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos @ Engadget.com

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos @ Hardwarezone.com.sg

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos @ CNET

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos @ Ephotozine.com

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos @ Digitalcamerainfo.com

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos @ Whatdigitalcamera.com

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sample Photos @ Photographyblog.com

Manual

Olympus OM-D E-M5 User Manual (PDF)

Click to view or right click and select Save Target As..(Firefox) or Save link as.. (IE) to download

- Download Olympus OM-D E-M5 User Manual (PDF – 3.0 MB)

Features

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Features

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is the new revolution of the mirrorless camera that has an exceptionally light and compact body. It comes with an Electronic View Finder that allows photographers to check exposure levels, white balance and preview Art Filter effects in real-time. The camera also allows photographers to create a truly unique world and preserve it in exceptional quality when they are shooting images. The “world” will be transformed from something you see to something you “take part” in.

ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER

The new high-resolution electronic viewfinder (EVF) of this camera offers a 100% field-of-view coverage and 1.15x maximum magnification which allows users to totally immerse themself in their subject, and actively control image creation. The EVF also lets users to enlarge the focus point for precision focusing in virtually any shooting situation, and can show the effect of Highlight & Shadow Control, White Balance, Exposure Compensation, Aspect Ratio, and a host of other settings and advanced digital image processing functions right in the viewfinder.

HIGH IMAGE QUALITY

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 achieve the unprecedented image quality with powered by a wide lineup of M.ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses for sharp, clear subject capture, a new 16-megapixel Live MOS image sensor for rich tonal expression, and an advanced TruePic VI image processor for superb color fidelity. While, the optimal balance of these factors ensures the high resolution, sensitivity, and color accuracy you need to brilliantly capture the world around you.

FAST AF

The camera also has a fastest AF system that make the FAST AF even faster and more accurate. Improved new 3D Tracking AF assures you won’t lose the great moment even when subjects move toward or away from you, and the new high-sensitivity image sensor ensures superior AF performance even in low light.

TILTING 3-INCH OLED TOUCHSCREEN

In additional, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 comes with a TILTING 3-INCH OLED TOUCHSCREEN to offering dial and button controls. The 3-inch OLED touchscreen provides high-resolution images of your subject with rich color reproduction. It also responds instantly to your touch with fast operation that makes it easy to focus on subjects, play back images, and adjust settings such as exposure and white balance.