My first experience with a mirrorless camera of any sort was with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and I was instantly sold on the idea of a small and light system. That was more than four years ago and I’ve been shooting with Olympus ever since. In the timescale of modern cameras, four years feels like a very long time, but finally, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III is here.
I recently put the new camera from Olympus to the test on a location fashion shoot to see how it performs.
Key Features:
- 20MP Live MOS Sensor
- Portable, weather-sealed design
- TruePic VIII Image Processor
- Compact, In-Body 5-Axis Image Stabilization (up to approx. 5.5 EV steps of compensation)
- 121-Point All-Cross-Type On-Chip Phase Detection AF
- 10fps high-speed sequential shooting with AF/AE Tracking
- 30fps maximum sequential shooting speed with focus and exposure locked
- Six AF Target Options: Single, Group 5-point, Group 9-point, Group 25-point, 121-point & Small
- 4K Video supports C4K and 4K 30p video recording
- 2.36 Million dot OLED Viewfinder (image magnification of 0.67X with long eye point for easy viewing even with glasses)
- Custom Mode for easy access to preferred settings
- 50MP Tripod High-Res Shot
- Pro Capture
- Focus Bracketing & Focus Stacking
- Wi-Fi Compatible with Bluetooth® Version 4.2 BLE
- Dust Reduction System with Super Sonic Wave Filter
- USB Charging
- Anti-Flicker Shooting
At first glance, the new E-M5 Mark III looks very similar to its predecessor, but look closer and the differences start to emerge. The mode dial has moved, there’s a dedicated button for ISO, and another for exposure compensation. Small things, perhaps, but all hugely welcomed by me. In the field, I felt at home with the layout very quickly. The buttons and dials all had a solid feel and the OLED viewfinder did the job just fine and is a big improvement from before.
Picking up the camera, my first thought was how light the body was. That’s due in part to its use of lighter body materials and although it might not be clad in a metal shell, it’s still weather-sealed (though I didn’t put that feature to the test on my shoot). More weight is saved by using a smaller battery — the same one found in the E-M10 Mark II. Now while this camera upgrade doesn’t use your existing batteries, I have to give credit to Olympus. The E-M5 Mark III can be charged via USB, so during a break, I topped up the battery via a USB power bank.
For me the biggest and most important improvement over the previous model is the Mark III’s sensor. It’s the same 20.4 million pixel sensor that’s seen on the current E-M1 series cameras with the same 121 auto focus points, all of which are cross type and have phase detection. As I was shooting fashion, I made heavy use of face detect focusing, which worked perfectly even when the model turned to profile. Eye detect kicked in as I zoomed in closer for portraits.
The auto focus was seriously fast and highly accurate. Even shooting with a slow lens in the low light conditions of a vintage aircraft, I was able to focus with ease and with very little lag. Its ISO performance is significantly superior to the 16 million pixel sensor found in the E-M5 Mark II — which means it’s an ideal camera for those who tend to shoot at a lower ISO, like myself — but its improved 5.5 stops of in-body image stabilization still gave me sharp shots handheld at 1/3rd second (see below).
On this shoot I needed to capture both still images and video content. If that sounds familiar to you then the Olympus E-M5 Mark III makes a compelling case for itself.
Firstly, all the improvements I found in focusing for still images are carried across to video, so if like me you prefer to let the camera handle focusing, it’s going to be fast and reliable. Not surprisingly, the E-M5 Mark III can now capture in 4K video footage at up to 30p but if you need something faster, it can record 120p footage in full HD. Dive a little deeper in to the video settings and C4K is available at 24p and there’s a flat profile. The external mic in jack is hidden under a side flap (but sadly there’s no headphone jack).
Olympus has really filled the E-M5 Mark III with features, far more then I could test in a single shoot. For example, if you shoot fast-moving subjects, then you’ll love pro capture, which records images before and after you press the shutter. The camera can connect to your smart device via Bluetooth for on-the-go image transfer. Dive deeper into the menus and you’ll find options for adjusting the AF sensitivity, extra custom modes, and even in-camera fisheye correction (see below).
My time with the Olympus OM-D E-5 Mark III was over far too quickly but it was enough to be impressed by its performance. It seems to me that Olympus has taken the best bits of the E-M1 series cameras and somehow squeezed them into a smaller, lighter package. If you’re in the market for a new Olympus camera, the OM-D E-M5 Mark III packs an awful lot into its small and light body.
The Olympus OM-D E-5 Mark III is available for preorder now for at Adorama.
Feature image courtesy of Gavin Hoey
