Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review | 108 Data compared

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review Summary The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a highly customizable Micro Four-Thirds camera that features a retro design inspired by classic OM system cameras, complete with a robust dust- and drip-proof body. Its standout features include a blindingly fast 35-point contrast-detect autofocus system when paired with native MSC lenses, an innovative 5-axis image stabilization system, and a built-in electronic viewfinder (EVF) that provides real-time exposure feedback and smooth performance. Additional pros highlight a tiltable 3" OLED touchscreen useful for creative angles, a helpful AF illuminator lamp, and excellent compatibility with legacy OM manual lenses via an adapter. The camera also introduces clever features like "Live Bulb/Live Time" modes for long exposures and a novel two-stage battery grip that significantly improves handling. However, the reviewer noted several cons, particularly regarding ergonomics and image processing. The physical buttons on the back plate are considered too small and fiddly for users with large hands, making use with gloves virtually impossible. While the OLED screen displays beautiful, rich colors, it tends to over-render images, leading to out-of-camera JPEGs that look flat,...

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a retro-styled, mirrorless micro-4/3 camera designed for advanced amateurs, featuring a lightweight, dust- and splash-proof aluminum body weighing 425 grams. It is the first camera in its series to feature a bright, built-in electronic viewfinder with an adjustable refresh rate up to 120 Hz, alongside a tiltable LCD touchscreen that allows users to capture photos with a single tap. Performance-wise, it stands out with highly effective built-in 5-axis image stabilization—providing up to a 5-stop advantage—and a fast, reliable 35-point autofocus system. Image quality is exceptionally high, delivering excellent daylight color accuracy, robust sharpness, and a wide dynamic range comparable to larger APS-C sensor cameras, ensuring minimal highlight and shadow clipping. While the camera excels in photography, it is less optimized as a video camera, and its launch price is relatively high. On the ergonomic side, the dual-dial control system and the highly intuitive "Super Control Panel" menu make settings adjustments quick and efficient. However, user friendliness suffers slightly from two very small, hard-to-reach buttons (Fn1 and Play) positioned awkwardly on the back. Early models also...

The DPReview review of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 highlights the camera as a groundbreaking mirrorless model, featuring a robust 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor, excellent weather-sealed construction, and an industry-first 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system. Key advantages include high-quality RAW output, rapid contrast-detection autofocus, and a versatile, tilting touchscreen. YouTube · However, the camera is criticized for its complex, difficult-to-navigate menu system and small, somewhat unresponsive rear buttons. Additional drawbacks include inconsistent continuous autofocus during video recording, aggressive default JPEG sharpening, and the lack of a built-in microphone or headphone jack.

The Amateur Photographer review highlights the Olympus OM-D E-M5 as a premium, weather-sealed mirrorless camera featuring a 16.1-megapixel sensor and an integrated electronic viewfinder, providing exceptional image quality. It stands out for its robust magnesium alloy build and access to the extensive Micro Four Thirds lens library. However, the review notes a high price point, particularly when adding the HLD-6 grip for improved ergonomics, alongside limitations in low-light performance compared to larger-sensor alternatives.

The Photography Life review highlights the Olympus OM-D E-M5 as a highly responsive, ultra-compact mirrorless camera offering excellent image quality with superior dynamic range and high-ISO performance that rivals larger APS-C sensors. Key advantages include extensive physical customizability, a lack of operational lag, and a very portable form factor, making it ideal for travel and everyday use. However, the evaluation notes significant drawbacks, including a complex, unintuitive menu system and small, challenging button layouts. Limitations for professional use include limited shallow depth of field capabilities due to the smaller sensor, the lack of an built-in intervalometer, and a video mode capped at 1080i rather than 1080p.

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera praised for its exceptional image quality, high ISO performance, and professional-grade speed in a compact, weather-sealed body. The reviewer highlighted the camera's remarkable dynamic range and beautiful in-camera JPEGs, which require minimal post-processing. Its low-light performance is a standout feature, producing manageable grain and highly usable files at ISO 3200 and 6400 for professional museum photography. Additionally, the camera delivers blazing-fast 9 fps continuous shooting in single AF mode, features a highly responsive autofocus system, and utilizes an impressive 5-axis image stabilization system that allows for sharp handheld shots at slow shutter speeds like 1/5 of a second.

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is characterized as a landmark mirrorless camera offering excellent image quality, sharp JPEGs, and effective 5-axis image stabilization. Key advantages include fast single autofocus, robust weather-sealing, and a high-resolution electronic viewfinder, marking a significant step forward for the Micro Four Thirds system. Conversely, the review identifies critical limitations, specifically unreliable continuous autofocus for action and excessive "hunting" during video recording. Additionally, users may find the physical controls cramped and the menu system complex to navigate.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review Summary The Olympus OM-D E-M5 stands out as an exceptionally capable Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera featuring a highly customizable control system with 86 separate configuration options and a robust, weather-sealed body design. Key advantages highlighted in the review include its state-of-the-art 16-megapixel sensor, a fast 9 frames-per-second burst rate, and a bright, sharp tilting OLED touchscreen that facilitates low-angle shooting. Additionally, its innovative 5-axis In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) system delivers impressive stability across both stills and video, allowing any attached legacy or native lens to be effectively stabilized. The optional two-part HLD-6 vertical battery grip is also highly praised for drastically improving the ergonomics and handling of the small camera body. Conversely, the camera suffers from several handling, programmatic, and physical design flaws. Ergonomically, the traditional retro "prism hump" design forces the user's nose directly against the rear LCD screen, the shutter release is awkwardly positioned unless using the grip, and the power switch is poorly placed for thumb access. Functionally, continuous autofocus tracking drops off significantly above 4 frames per second, video capabilities are...

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is an exceptionally capable and responsive Micro 4/3 mirrorless digital camera that serves as a highly functional, weather-sealed, and ruggedly durable powerhouse. Equipped with a 16.1-megapixel High-Speed Live MOS Sensor and a TruePic VI image-processing engine, the camera delivers bitingly sharp file quality, faithful color reproduction, and expanded dynamic range. It is highly lauded for its blazing-fast autofocus speed, which stands out as quicker than almost any other mirrorless camera on the market, alongside a highly intuitive and crisp electronic viewfinder (EVF) and an incredibly useful 3.0" tilting OLED touch-screen. Its revolutionary built-in 5-axis image stabilization (IS) system delivers unprecedented performance, vastly reducing camera shake for both still images and HD video to produce steady, high-quality results. Furthermore, the sensor dramatically improves high ISO performance, making low-light shooting highly usable up to ISO 3200 and even 6400 with noise reduction turned off. Despite its stellar real-world performance and rich feature set, the camera does come with several distinct drawbacks. It suffers from a low battery life of only about 300 shots, and the physical buttons on...

The ePHOTOzine hands-on review highlights the Olympus OM-D E-M5 as a premium, weather-sealed mirrorless camera featuring a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, rapid 9fps autofocus, and an innovative 5-axis image stabilization system. Key advantages include its compact, durable metal design with a tilting touchscreen and high-resolution electronic viewfinder, promising excellent noise performance at higher ISO levels. Conversely, the review identifies challenges with the camera's ergonomics, specifically citing tiny, cramped rear buttons that are difficult to operate, particularly in cold conditions. Additionally, using the optional HLD-6 battery grip complicates access to essential functions like the movie record button. Despite these handling drawbacks, the camera is noted for its high-speed performance and extensive lens options.

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a highly configurable, compact mirrorless camera designed to deliver a DSLR-like experience in a significantly smaller form factor. Its standout features include a high-performing 16-megapixel Sony sensor that produces excellent raw files with strong dynamic range, great low-light performance up to ISO 3200, and punchy, visually compelling JPEGs at base ISO. For static subjects, its single-servo autofocus system is remarkably fast and accurate, even outpacing some budget DSLRs in dim environments. Additionally, the highly effective five-axis sensor-based image stabilization provides impressive camera-shake compensation, while the body's splash-proof construction ensures reliable operation in light rain, fog, and snow. Coupled with the extensive selection of high-quality Micro Four Thirds lenses available, the camera excels as a portable tool for landscape and travel photography. However, the camera suffers from notable handling and technical limitations, particularly regarding continuous autofocus, which struggles significantly to track fast-moving subjects or action shots. Ergonomically, the camera's small body and buttons can feel cramped for users with larger hands, and the dual command dials are awkwardly placed, forcing the user to reposition their hand...

The ⁠EOSHD Review of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 highlights it as a revolutionary, compact mirrorless camera that stands out as an exceptional choice for photography, though it falls short in certain video capabilities. On the positive side, the reviewer praises its groundbreaking 5-axis in-body image stabilisation, which delivers smooth, tripod-like handheld shooting even in challenging environments like moving trams. It features a high-quality, weather-sealed magnesium-alloy body, an excellent articulated OLED touchscreen with superb contrast, and an intuitive menu system with great overall handling. Furthermore, its 16-megapixel Sony CMOS sensor marks a significant leap for the Micro Four Thirds system, offering rich colors, superb dynamic range, and incredibly fine noise grain during raw, low-light photography. In contrast, the camera's video functionality suffers from significant limitations. The biggest drawback is the compression codec, which lacks a cinematic 24p mode and only offers 30p, causing severe flickering under standard 50Hz lighting in PAL countries. The 20Mbit codec also falls victim to "mud" and macro-blocking artifacts during fast action or intense handheld movement. Additionally, autofocus hunts excessively during video recording, and the manual focus...

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a compact, magnesium alloy digital camera featuring a 16.05-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor and a retro design inspired by 1970s film SLRs. A major standout feature is its highly effective 5-axis in-camera image stabilization mechanism that works across all attached lenses for both stills and Full HD video. Additional pros include its robust, weather-sealed body construction, a rapid autofocus system with 3D tracking, and a fast 9 frames-per-second continuous shooting capability. Testers also praised the crisp 120 fps electronic viewfinder and excellent ISO performance, noting that images remain remarkably clean up to ISO 3200. On the downside, the camera suffers from several functional quirks, including discrepancies between the printed instruction manual and the actual on-screen image stabilization menu options. The rear OLED touch screen, while tilting up and down, does not move sideways and underwhelms in outdoor brightness, offering only a 10-20% improvement over older displays. Furthermore, the electronic viewfinder's internal menu system is notably complex to navigate. Finally, because it utilizes a cropped Micro Four Thirds sensor rather than a full-frame sensor, it may...