Olympus OM-D E-M5 Specs Review (with sample images analysis)

In this review I want you to get to know the Olympus OM-D E-M5 CSC camera in deeper details. ThFor me ie E-M5 was announced on February 8, 2012. It represents a new lineup in Olympus' Micro Four Thirds CSC cameras, a more "Professional" grade cameras, that is aimed for pro-enthusiasts photographers.

It's not that we are surprised to see the OM-D E-M5, because Olympus has already told the press in Photokina 2010 that it intends to develop a new lineup of Micro 4/3 cameras in the near future. Having said that, this doesn't take any less enthusiasm from us, because as you soon see, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about this new camera.

Overview

Mirrorless cameras are very popular and its market share continues to grow. Let's take Japan for example, Mirrorless camera capture 50% of the market share. When you look at those charts, you just can't ignore the fact that Compact System Cameras are the way of the future. Right now, Olympus is the top mirrorless camera maker in Japan and for some good reasons. Olympus was managed to understand the digital photography market needs, made some smart marketing decisions, that gave Olympus its 36.6 percent market share (Jan. 2012). Let's not forget that Olympus, together with Panasonic, both have brought us the Micro Four Thirds standard. Since then, many manufacturers have joins the success of this format, including camera lens manufacturers who have started developing lenses for the M43 mount.

Many of you might say that the size is the most important factor with Compact System Cameras (CSC), and I agree, but it's not the only one. regarding the size, as long as you can't put it in your pocket, it will still be an issue when it comes to portability. After all, you need to attach a lens to those cameras, and that lens might not be a pancake lens, so it won't fit you pocket, even if it's a tiny camera like the Sony NEX-C3. Having said that, CSC are still lighter and more compact (including the lenses of course) then DSLR cameras, at least most of them.

People might buy those cameras due to the size factor, but because those cameras carry a smaller sensor and a cheaper one. CSC manufacturers can invest more money on new technologies, that won't bring up the price to the sky.

OK, enough background talking - now let's meet the Oly E-M5!

Meet the Olympus OM-D E-M5

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 (what's with the name?!) represents a new lineup of professional-grade Micro Four Thirds cameras. The Olympus OM-D carries is called OM-D because it carries the design of Olympus OM cameras that were sold back in the 70s. The retro trend is certainly a very important aspect of Olympus cameras, not that I really understand why, but I'm sure Olympus does. I just think that by using a retro-style camera, it reminds many of us the days of film cameras, at least for those of us who shot with film cameras, even if you didn't have the chance to shoot with Olympus OM film camera.

The OM-D E-M5 is beautifully crafted camera. I personally really like its design, although some of you might think otherwise.It carries (for the first time in Olympus M43 cameras) an electronic viewfinder with 1.44-million dots, it's weather sealed (dust and splash-proof), comes with a 3-inch tilting OLED touch-screen, new 16-MP Live MOS sensor, TruePic VI image processor and Olympus brand new technology - a 5-axis image stabilization built right into the camera. Of course it's not all, but it just gives you a short glimpse about how serious Olympus was when it engineered this camera.

Olympus has produces two versions (although identical in terms of features) of this camera, black and silver (I really like the Silver look!).

Body & Design

In terms of look, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 certainly doesn't look like any other digital camera we've seen before. The EVF bulge certainly takes a lot of its 'compactness' out of the equation, and that's the reason why Olympus didn't opt for EVF in its PEN camera's lineup.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 (Silver & Black models)

Enthusiast photographers (like myself) will certainly appreciate the fact that they don't have to use an EVF as an optional accessory. Many enthusiast photographers jumped to Panasonic's offering because they wanted to compose their shots via the viewfinder. In fact, for many of us, this can be a deal breaker. I just can't see myself shooting via the LCD for many reasons, especially when shooting outdoors in harsh sunlight.

Olympus E-M5 vs Nikon D3100, Panasonic GF3 and Olympus E-PM1
(sorted from the tallest to the shortest in terms of height - via camerasize.com)

In the past (yep, not too long ago..), EVFs only boasted low resolution displays, and composing photos via those EVFs was like shooting with a cheap point-and-shoot camera. As technology became more advanced and cheaper to produce, EVFs are no longer a deal breaker for those who wanted to jump to the M43 wagon.

A few important things to note about the camera body design:

It has a magnesium-alloy chassis
It's weather-sealed (dust & splash proof). The optional HLD-6 vertical battery grip is also weather-sealed. also let's not forget the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 which is the first weather-sealed lens for the Micro Four Thirds
It boasts a high-resolution electronic Viewfinder with 120 fps refresh rate, 1.44-million dot, 1.15x maximum magnification and 100% field-of-view coverage
Features Olympus built-in 5-axis image stabilization (I'll talk about this feature later in the review)
Durable shutter mechanism tested to 100,000 cycles
Features Olympus' Supersonic Wave Filter™ (SWF) self-cleaning ultrasonic sensor unit, eliminates dust particles on the sensor

HLD-6 weather-sealed grip
for the E-M5

These are five things that certainly will attract new comers and even convinced many to switch to a mirrorless camera, either from point-and-shoot or even from their current DSLR great (at least for those who have an entry-level DSLR).

If you look at Canon and Nikon entry-level DSLRs, non of their entry-level bodies is has a magnesium-alloy body nor they are weather-sealed. Certainly a great starting point in favor of the E-M5!

We can't deny the fact that Olympus engineered this camera to answer many of the most demanded features. If in the past I would have asked you the question "What features you want to have in a Olympus M43 camera?", I guess that you at least brought one or two of the above mentioned features.

I personally always admire Olympus when it comes to technology innovation. As other companies were "sleeping", Olympus engineers always tried to be innovative. I can understand that, especially considering the fact that Olympus have decided to focus its marketing effort towards Mirrorless cameras and not continue its financial support towards the Four Thirds (DSLR) division. In fact and if we look at the future of digital cameras, this is the only path Olympus can really succeed in the digital photography business, leaving aside the other sectors that Olympus is manufacturing products for.

Optical viewfinder vs Electronic Viewfinder

Many of you probably want to know what the advantage and disadvantages of having an electronic viewfinder compared to optical viewfinder (EVF vs OVF).

An optical viewfinder allows you to see exactly what the lenses see by looking through the lens (TTL). The light is being transferred to a mirror (in SLR cameras) towards a mirror/prism that reflects the light to the viewfinder, where you put you eye and compose your shot.

Optical Viewfinder

Pros:

No lag time (from the moment the light is transferred through the lens until it reaches the viewfinder)
No resolution limit
Can help preserve battery life
You can compose a shot even without turning on the camera

Cons:

In many cameras, you get to see only a somewhat limited field-of-view (usually shown as percentage in the specs)
Take up space inside the camera, because it utilizes a mirror to reflect the light (the fundamental difference between SLR and Mirrorless cameras), which force camera manufacturers to make larger and heavier camera bodies
Image can be seen darker when you shoot at high f-number (ie. f/22), especially with low-end models

Electronic Viewfinder

Pros:

Provides 100% field-of-view, because it actually acts like a video, which projects the image (at fast rate) towards a small internal display, which is the EVF itself of course
Offer many 'digital' functions and the ability to view more information, including magnification, view the image with various settings (ie. white balance, effects, sharpness, live histogram etc..)
The projected image can be brighten, which is very useful when shooting in dim light and with large f-number settings (smaller apertures)
Doesn't utilize a mirror, so camera manufacturers can make smaller and lighter camera bodies (which on paper, can also reduce the cost of the camera)

Cons:

Although still improved, refresh rates still don't match the ease-of-viewing that optical viewfinders provide. That's why professional photographers prefer the optical solution, which can be crucial for some type of photography subjects
Consumes battery life and certainly reduce the number of shots that you can take on a single charge
Doesn't provide the resolution and optical experience that you get with optical viewfinders

Before we continue on, here's a video that takes introduces the available and exciting features about the E-M5 EVF and shows the differences between OVF and E-M5 EVF:

I didn't intend to write that much about it, but for those who are new to mirrorless cameras, I wanted you to know the key differences between OVF and EVF. OK, let's continue..

5-Axis Image Stabilization System

This brand new feature certainly deserved a section of its own. For those of you who don't know, an image-stabilization is a technology solution that aimed to help photographers take sharp images when shooting hand-held, especially in slow-shutter speeds and when shooting in long zoom range, where every tiny movement in the camera can result in a motion blur in the image.

There are two types of image stabilization: sensor-shift and lens-shift. As their name suggest, the first one (sensor-shift) is an image stabilization technology that is utilized inside the camera and actually removed the sensor to compensate the camera movement.

The second one (lens-shift) is an image stabilization method that is being utilized inside the lens itself. It moves the lens elements in the negative direction which the camera is moving.

Those two methods have already proven to be very effective in minimizing blurring in images. The two main advantages of utilizing a sensor-shift technology are:

Allows lens manufacturers to produce lighter and smaller lenses
Works with every lens that you attach to the camera (every lens is compatible with it, so every lens 'becomes stabilized') - that also can save you a lot of money, because stabilized lenses cost more, sometimes much more

2-Axis vs 5-axis image stabilization
(Image credit: Olympus)

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 features a newly developed 5-Axis image stabilization. Most lens-shift stabilization only compensate 3-axis movements, some 4-axis (ie. Canon Hybrid IS).

5-Axis IS system compensate the following camera movements:

Shift Vertical (up and down)
Shift Horizontal (left and right)
Rotational (Yaw) - along X-axis
Rotation (Pitch) - along Y-axis
Rolling - along Z-axis (good for stabilizing the image when pressing the shutter button)

According to Olympus, the new IS is faster and more precise and provide IS up to five shutter steps. The IS is also functional during movie shooting too!

For those who mostly shoot hand-held, this new technology will certainly help you capture sharper images, and give you the option to shoot in lower shutter speeds and in dim light situations.

Image stabilization is very effective. I've tested Nikon's VRII (lens-shift) image stabilization and as you can see from my Nikon VRII effectiveness test , it is very effective indeed - so Olympus 5-axis should provide very effective results too, the same, if not better. According to Nikon, the VR2 provides up to 4-stop advantage. In practice, and in many tests I've taken, you usually get one stop advantage less then what the manufacturer provides, but again, it's "up to", so you won't always get the same results and it depends on various factors.

Here's a video that shows the effectiveness of the 5-axis IS (on vs off):

Looks very impressive! and certainly does what it was intended for, prevent shakiness in videos and bluriness in stills.

Now for a test taken by OnFoto.Ru:

Newly Developed Sensor & TruePic VI Processor

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 M43 camera features a newly developed 16.1MP (effective) 4/3 Live MOS Sensor (total of 16.9MP). This new highly sensitive sensor alongside with the TruePic VI image processor, should provide some great results and will certainly help you get usable shots in high ISO sensitivity levels than ever before.

The E-M5 allows you to shoot up to ISO 25600, although at this high ISO levels, you get pretty high amount of noise (I will talk about image quality later on).

It's nice to see that Olympus didn't opt to a higher MP sensor, although some of you might even prefer less pixels and better low-light performance, especially when we are looking at a Micro Four Thirds sensor, which is smaller then one found on APS-C DSLRs (ie. Nikon D5100, Canon 7D, etc.).

TruePic VI and Continuous Shooting Speed

The TruePic VI is Olympus latest imaging processor, which uses an independent image processing cores for the recorded images and Live View images. This speeds up the response in continuous shooting, allowing the Olympus OM-D to shoot at up to 9 frames-per-second (H mode) and up to 3.5 / 4.2 in "L mode" in case of "I.S. OFF" (according to Olympus official specs).

Of course we also need to look closer the specs, because it's important to also know how many images can be captures in sequence shooting, not just the frame-rate figure itself. So with the Oly E-M5, you can shoot up to 17 fps in RAW up to the full extend of the data storage capacity in JPEG (in seq. shooting L mode). Again, that's according to the official specs.

Micro Four Thirds vs APS-C
It's worth mentioning that most Micro Four Thirds sensors have proven (by lab-test reviews) to provide very high image quality results, but their are limited by the sensor size. from what I can tell/see and also its a physical limit, Micro Four Thirds cameras (for now) just can't provide the same high image quality that you get with (some) APS-C cameras, and far away from providing the high-quality results of Full-frame cameras.

It's important to know that the Micro Four Thirds format is competing against other mirrorless cameras, but also versus APS-C DSLR cameras. Professional review have shown us that some Micro Four Thirds cameras were able to be comparable and can compete against APS-C DSLR cameras when it comes to image quality. But it also important to know that those type of cameras (CSC) are a compromise between image quality and size. As sensor technology continue to improve, we will see an enhancement in image quality, but there is a limit to where it can climb (ie. phone cameras won't give you the image quality of compact system cameras). It's a physical limit that is related to the amount of light that is gathered by the sensor and the algorithm that works to resolve that information and translate it as the final image.

For many of us, this is all that we need. Professional photographers will continue to prefer APS-C and Full Frame DSLRs for that reason (although it's not the only reason). Don't get me wrong, the image quality that you get from M43 cameras are by far higher than what you get from conventional (small sensor) P&S cameras - that's for sure!

All of that leads me to talk about image quality and the video functionality - so let's jump right on to that section and talk about it more.

Olympus E-M5 Image Quality

Let's admit it, we really DO care about the image quality. After all, we want to enjoy looking and sharing our images and we want them to look good. The photographer will always be responsible for the result the camera delivers, and I've seen many great photos that blew me away, and they were taken with an iPhone mobile phone. knowing how to handle light and compose your images will certainly help you get the best results. However, you don't want the camera to limit you, and with large sensor cameras, you can get some shots that you wouldn't able to get with a small-sensor cameras, especially not in dim light and without optional accessories.

As sensors continue to improve, we do expect the E-M5 to improve in the image quality category too. We also expect that a high-end Micro Four Thirds model will provide better results then other Olympus PEN cameras. I don't say it's a must, but I personally expect this (I always have high expectations :D ).

E-M5 High ISO image quality

When we inspect sample images, we usually want to compare same images of various cameras in high-ISO. High-ISO comparison images can give us a good view about how good the sensor is (although it's also related to the processing itself, done by the image processing engine).

fourthirds-user.com has published a high ISO comparison between the Olympus PEN E-P3 versus the OM-D E-M5 cameras. I can't post those images here, but here is my observation opinion (*just note that those sample images most probably taken with a pre-production model):

ISO 800 - the OM-D E-M5 shows less noise than the PEN E-P3, but the difference is not huge. Overall the image looks pretty clean in terms of noise. We need to climb higher to notice the real differences
ISO 1600 - the OMD image at ISO1600 certainly looks very impressive and I personally REALLY liked what I've seen in those sample images. Image Details, colors and the tone of the image are well preserved. In comparison the E-P3 image looks pretty noisy, especially in the dark areas. Even if the image can be usable after some cleaning in noise-removal software, you can right now see the advantage of the Oly E-M5 over the PEN E-P3. OK, let's go higher!
ISO 3200 - WOW! - I didn't expect the E-M5 to be that good, but I must admit that I can tell the difference between ISO1600 & ISO3200 (and that's a good thing!). Image details are very well preserved with low noise, even in the darker areas of the image. Absolutely amazing results!
The PEN E-P3 image looks pretty bad, noise is visible throughout the image (even patchy color noise). I'm getting excited, let's climb higher..
ISO 6400 -WOW! again. I just couldn't believe that I was looking at a ISO6400 image of a Micro Four Thirds camera. I certainly can credit Olympus for the excellent sensor, because no way that the image processing alone is responsible for that.

Wait.. I need to download the image to check the EXIF just to be sure.. (coming back in a few moments)

Sorry, I just wanted to make sure :) - Indeed ISO6400 image and it looks AMAZINGLY CLEAN!

In comparison, the PEN-P3 image looks..well.. BAD. Wait, wait.. I want to check even higher ISO sample images.
ISO 12800 - blow me out of the water, I just can't comprehend that I'm looking at a ISO12800 image! - There is noise, but damn, the image looks very good and can be very usable for small prints. Use a noise reduction software and can get with a great image. Micro details and original color is very well maintained. EXCELLENT JOB OLYMPUS!!!

If I can summarize my first observation experience in one word I would probably just say:

"WOW!"

Olympus has done a really great job with this new sensor, I just didn't expect it to be that good. I was expecting companies to react to the Sony NEX-5N results and come up with a competitive camera (in terms of image quality), but I wasn't ready for what that, I must admit.

So yes, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 certainly get a VERY HIGH grade for its image quality (who knows, maybe the production model could give even better results !?!). I've checked the EXIF and those sample images were taken with a pre-production model.

So can the Oly E-M5 can compete against APS-C DSLRs in terms of image quality? - Hell yeh!, even surpass many of today's latest models from Canon and Nikon. I was personally disappointed after viewing many high-ISO sample images taken with various Olympus PEN cameras, but Olympus certainly had me convinced that IT CAN, it can deliver excellent cameras and improve what needed to be improved. That's certainly at least two EV-step advantage for the E-M5 compared to any of the PEN cameras.

I will talk about video recording in a few moments, but a few words about the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm EZ power zoom lens.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm EZ

On December 14th 2011, Olympus launched the 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 zoom weather-sealed lens. This is also the KIT lens for the E-M5. It certainly a relatively large lens, but it boasts a 12mm (24mm equivalent on M43 camera) wide angle and many other goodies.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm (equiv. 24-100mm) f/3.5-6.3 EZ lens

First of all, this is the first Micro Four Thirds weather-sealed camera, which of course is perfectly matches for the OM-D E-M5 weather sealed body. The lens is equivalent to 24-100mm, which is a suitable for general use and as a walk-around lens. By the way, for those who use Four-Thirds lenses, you can purchase the Olympus Four Thirds adapter (MMF-3), which is weather sealed too.

Specs:

Quiet Motorized zoom (very important for shooting videos)
4.2x optical zoom
Dust & Splash proof
10 elements in 9 Groups (DSA lens, 2 Aspherical lenses, HR lens and ED lens)
High-speed Imager AF (MSC) - Linear Motor Drive System
Switchable Electric Zoom / Manual Zoom
Closest focusing distance: 0.35m (at Normal mode) / 0.2m (at Macro mode)
Number of blades: 5 (Circular Aperture Diaphragm)
Filter size: Diameter 52mm
Lens dimensions: 57 x 83mm
Weight: 212 g
Optional accessories: Protection Filter (PRF-D52 PRO), Lens Hood (LH-55B), Lens Case (LSC-0814)

Certainly the perfect lens for this new camera, and great for video shooting (although I personally prefer prime lenses; for stills) - Oh, I forgot, video.. OK, let's see what the E-M5 is capable of!

Full HD Video Recording

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 can record Full HD and HD videos at 108060i (59.94i) using the MOV(MPEG-4AVC/H.264) format and 720p30/480p30 using the AVI(Motion JPEG) format. As for the time of writing this article, we don't 'have E-M5 sample videos, however, I can just assume that the video quality will be very good too. However, I will update this section as those video appear on the web.

Are their any other Interesting Features Worth Talking About? - Yes!

World's Fastest Autofocus!

Well, according to Olympus, the E-M5 features the world's fastest contrast type AF system. The Autofocus can also be controlled via the back LCD touch-sensitive display. You can choose from Single, continuous, manual or tracking autofocus modes.

The Olympus E-M5 also features Face detection AF (up to 8 faces at a time) and Eye detection AF. This ultra-fast AF is very useful when shooting fast moving subjects, so the camera can focus fast on the subject without you missing the shot. That goes hand-in-hand when you shoot in continuous shooting and want to get a focused image when the subjects moves quickly across the frame. Sports photographers will certainly appreciate this fast AF speed. The OM-D E-M5 also features a new 3D AF tracking for faster performance when shooting moving subjects at up to 9 fps burst.

A 3D tracking means that the AF system can track a moving subject across the X,Y and Z axis, which leads to a move accurate and fast autofocusing.

Writing more about it won't help you understand (didn't help me either), because if I say fast or super-fast, you can comprehend the difference. Olympus video about the AF doesn't help either, because it's more a marketing video. Luckily I've found a great videos from onfoto.ru on YouTube that demonstrate the AF speed at S-AF mode in video, here, take a look! (don't thank me, thank the guy who shot this video :) )

Now that's what I call FAST!

Other Features worth mentioning..

The Olympus E-M5 also features the following:

Digital ESP 324-area metering
1/4000 - 60 sec shutter speed
No built-in flash (hot-shoe is available for mounting external flashes)
12 / 2 sec self-timer
Exposure / White balance / Flash and Art filter bracketing
4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9 / 1:1 and 3:4 aspect ratio image settings
2-axis level gauge
In-camera image editing
micro HDMI / USB 2.0 / RM-UC1 remote control and video connectors
Works on BLN-1 Li-ion battery (330 shots CIPA rating)
AP2 accessory port
Dedicated video button
Focus assist lamp
Front/Rear dials
RAW support
Weight: 373g
Dimensions: 121 x 89.6 x 41.9 mm

Conclusion

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 certainly has the "Wow!" factor. It features everything an enthusiast photographer can wish in a CSC camera in the micro four thirds format. It is durable, weather-sealed, has an optional official vertical grip, tilting touch display, high-resolution EVF, Ultra-fast AF, 5-AXIS IMAGE STABILIZATION full HD video recording, 9 fps continuous shooting, its high-ISO image quality is IMPRESSIVE, has durable shutter, support wireless flash control and offers plenty of features to play with.

All in all, if you are serious about photography, it's not that the E-M5 can't be ignored, it is the best Micro Four Thirds camera we have right now. The image quality blew me away.The Micro Four Thirds already have a large selection of interchangeable lenses to choose from, and you can use M43 lenses that were made by other manufacturers. The E-M5 is certainly an important milestone in the Micro Four Thirds system evolution. It even managed to surprised me, because I didn't expect this camera to perform that good.

As an amateur photographer, I always dreamed that such camera would exists. It seems that every camera lack something I wanted, but this one, this one has it all. This is my dream interchangeable lens camera that I was waiting for. It is packed with all the goodies that I wished for and want in a mirrorless camera. Finally I don't need to dream about such camera, it's here, it exists and it is the E-M5. I loved Olympus cameras since I bought my C2020 (wow, that was a long time ago).

If I haven't bought my Nikon D3100 DSLR, I would seriously have considered buying this camera - hey, what am I talking about, I would have bought it for sure! :D

What's your opinion, share it by commenting below, thanks for reading.

Camera News, Photography Reviews & Buying guides

February 26, 2012