August 2012 - The evolution of the mirrorless camera has driven a coach and horses through a market which was getting too comfortable and complacent. Before they arrived compacts were stagnating and SLRs getting ever larger. Now the middle ground is where some of the fastest, fiercest development is taking place and new ideas are coming thick and fast. Read Rob Spray's review on our Blog... »
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Silver Digital Camera with 12-50mm Black Lens
- 16MP MOS Four Thirds format sensor
- Weather-sealed body
- Twin control dials
- New, '5-axis' image stabilisation
- Shoot at up to ISO 25,600
- Up to 9fps shooting (4.2 fps with continuous AF)
- 800x600 pixel (1.44M dot) LCD electronic viewfinder
- VGA-equivalent 3" OLED touchscreen display - tilts 80° upwards and 50° downwards
- Latest TruePic VI processor
- Improved C-AF autofocus with 3D tracking
Image Quality
- Innovative electronic viewfinder
- Next generation 16Mpixel LiveMos sensor
- Powerful TruePic VI image processor
- 5-axis image stabilisation for movies & stills
- ISO sensitivity up to ISO 25,600
Speed
- World's fastest auto focus system*
- 9 fps high-speed sequential shooting
- Quick-response touchscreen panel
- Eye sensor for automatic Live View / EVF switchover.
Reliability
- Dust- & splashproof
- Magnesium alloy body
Creativity
- EVF creative control function
- 3-inch tilting OLED monitor
- Full HD Movie with stereo sound, depth of field and integration of Art Filters
* as of February 2012. Olympus in-house test.
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 in detail
Superior speed
Experienced camera users will appreciate the advances in camera speed on the OM-D, with the FAST (Frequency Acceleration Sensor Technology) AF system, a world-beater also featured on the PEN E-P3, driving the Live MOS Sensor at 120 fps. The speed of communications for controlling the lens action has been improved, while the MSC (Movie & Still Compatible) system has also been adopted for AF speed increase and noise reduction in the lens. In sequential shooting, the camera is capable of operating at an impressive 9 fps, and even with focus employed it can perform at a maximum speed of 4.2 fps *3. Users are also sure to appreciate the noticeable reduction in Live View return time after release. This has been achieved by using independent image-processing cores for the recorded images and Live View images, as found in the new TruePic VI engine, since the output to the rear-panel monitor or electronic viewfinder is no longer dependent on completing recording of the captured image.
Superior image quality and colour reproduction, plus Art Filter enhancements
The new High-Speed Live MOS Sensor on the OM-D comes with 16.1 megapixels, and allied to the TruePic VI image processing engine it offers excellent noise reduction capability and still image shooting sensitivity as high as ISO25600. There’s more faithful reproduction of a wide brightness range, thanks to the expanded dynamic range. Fine Detail Processing technology, first seen on the E-5, eliminates moiré and pseudo-colours, while Real-Colour Technology is used to reproduce previously hard-torender colours such as emerald green. The OM-D offers a new “Key Line” filter to enhance edge lines, allowing the
picture to look more like an illustration; there are two variations, providing different-strength effects. Art Filter Bracketing enables the user to generate multiple pictures with different Art Filters from a single shot – all features designed to inspire the user to experiment and become more creative in their camera use.
Superior viewfinder quality
The 1.44 million dot high-definition integrated electronic viewfinder is a first on an Olympus interchangeable lens camera, and is sure to prove a strong selling point. It features a 100% field of view and max. 1.15x magnification, with an 18mm eye point. The optimised display time lag is a major benefit, particularly when shooting fast sports action, while the unique optical design means the image can be viewed clearly from the centre to the periphery with little or no vignetting. The camera’s eye sensor can switch between the rear-panel monitor and electronic viewfinder automatically – a small but significant enhancement to ease-of-use. Information, including shutter speed, is displayed at the bottom of the viewfinder – allowing the user to concentrate on the framing operation. The electronic viewfinder, unlike an optical viewfinder, also assists in image composition, by allowing the user to check the effects of various manual adjustments and Art Filters. Extended through-the-viewfinder operation is further facilitated via a new interface, EVF Creative Control, which enables separate adjustment of highlight and shadow brightness, monitored using the viewfinder image with a tone curve overlay. White balance, magnification and aspect ratio can similarly be adjusted without the eye moving away from the viewfinder.
Superior, world-first*1 5-axis image stabilisation (IS)
The previous mechanism compensated for camera shake by dealing with two kinds of rotary movement, yaw and pitch. However, camera shake is
actually caused by five different kinds of motion, and the new IS mechanism now also corrects effectively for horizontal shift, vertical shift and rotary motion (rolling). Particularly when shooting at larger magnifications (macro shooting), the user will appreciate the value of being able to correct blur. The OM-D also comes equipped for shooting on the move, as multi-motion IS with wide frequency-band compatibility compensates for shake.
Superior movie functions
The camera’s built-in IS has evolved into the MSC (Movie and Still Compatible) IS system, offering improved stabilisation of movie images. Users who like to perform their movie post-editing on a PC will particularly appreciate the Full-HD movie recording function which adopts the MOV format (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264). It allows a recording time of about 29 minutes. Traditional AVI (Motion JPEG) format is also available. Linear PCM audio is used for both recording modes. One-shot echo and multiecho effects can now be added to movies, adding to the user’s creative options.
Superior ease-of-use and reliability
Alongside the enhancements to facilitate operation while working through the viewfinder, the OM-D also features a 3.0-inch OLED rear-panel monitor that can be tilted by max. 80° upwards or max. 50° downwards, to assist when shooting from high and low angles. It uses a special layout of 610,000 dots and can display video data equivalent to VGA, while its capacitive-type touchscreen has a high response speed that enables intuitive operation with finger-tip focussing and shutter release. In a further development facilitating ease-of-use, the Live Bulb feature updates the Live View image on the rear-panel monitor at preset intervals during bulb shooting. It also allows the user to assess the final image during the exposure and to adjust the exposure time accordingly.
The OM-D is a camera to rely on, even in demanding conditions. It makes extensive use of shields and has a tough dust-/splashproof construction. To facilitate use of interchangeable lenses, Olympus has developed the SSWF (Super-Sonic Wave Filter). Installed in front of the image sensor, it is activated as the camera is switched on to remove any dust attached to the image sensor by generating supersonic vibrations.
Superior lens options
The OM-D is compatible with all MFT Olympus lenses, which will be supplemented by two new lens options later this year: the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75mm 1:1.8 and the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm 1:2.8 macro. The 75mm lens is in a high-quality metal design and affords fast aperture settings for portraits and indoor sports shooting, while the dustand splash proof 60mm lens features 1:1 macro and a closest shooting distance of just 0.19m.
*1 As of February 2012. Among interchangeable lens cameras.
*2 As of November 2011. Among interchangeable lens digital cameras on
the market, and using Olympus’s in-house test conditions.
*3 When fitted with the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm 1:3.5-6.3 EZ lens.