New from Olympus: The OM-D E-M5

When Olympus introduced its first Digital Pen a few years back, its designers opened the floodgates of a whole new species of camera: the mirrorless camera. Since then, we’ve seen a slew of similar cameras designed around Four Thirds or APS-C format imaging sensors. From the get-go, many photographers began wondering aloud if Olympus—or anybody for that matter—would ever take the cooler attributes of PEN series cameras and integrate them into a serious, professional quality DSLR system. In response to that wondering, enter the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

Olympus’s new OM-D E-M5 camera represents Olympus’s bid to recapture the buzz it created when film was king and Olympus OM series cameras were the cat’s meow in the world of lightweight, compact SLRs. Based on the photos and spec sheets that accompanied the announcement of the new camera, Olympus just might be onto something.

The new OM-D has the look and features one would expect of a pro DSLR, complete with an optional battery grip with a secondary shutter-release button for comfortable camera handling when the camera is held vertically. The optional battery grip also adds power for extended shooting times. To validate its rugged looks the new camera features equally rugged construction, including multiple seals around all body panels and button openings, making it impervious to dust and moisture. The same dust and moisture barriers can similarly be found on the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ zoom lens, the E-M5’s optional battery grip and FL-600R accessory flash.

Olympus’s first digital OM to come to market is designed around an all-new Micro Four Thirds format 16MP Live MOS imaging sensor, which is driven by an Olympus TruePic VI image processor. Sporting a top ISO sensitivity of 25600 and what Olympus claims to be the fastest 35-area 3D tracking AF system of any interchangeable lens camera system, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 is capable of snapping up to 9.2 frames per second, which for a camera seeking a place in the niche market of pro DSLRs, is right on the money.

As one would also expect from a pro-oriented camera, the OM-D E-M5 can capture stills in JPEG or RAW formats, or a combination of the two, as well as MPO for 3D still capture. The E-M5 can also capture full HD 1920 x 1080, 59.94i video with stereo sound (linear PCM/16-bit, sampling frequency 48 kHz). The camera’s audio recorder also features a Wind Noise Reduction function along with up to 30 seconds of audio dubbing for still shots. When you shoot video with the Olympus OM-D E-M5, the audio portion of the track is recorded in stereo, though playback through the camera is mono only.

The viewing options for the new camera are particularly interesting and include an eye-level electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a tiltable 3.0-inch 610,000-dot touch screen OLED, both of which offer 100% of the total image viewing area. The EVF contains approximately 1.44 million pixels, making it quite usable under any lighting conditions.

Being electronic, the OM-D’s EVF is able to display the scene with all exposure and white balance adjustments viewable on both the EVF and LCD in real time. The electronic aspect of the E-M5’s viewing system also makes it possible to switch back and forth between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, depending on your needs at the time, with the selected ratio automatically displayed on both the EVF and OLED.

To facilitate easier composing and image review, both the EVF and OLED can display grid lines, a histogram and a dual-axis electronic level when needed. An additional plus of electronic viewing systems is that they make it possible to zoom in and scroll around the picture at up to 14x magnification, for critical focus checking, in both the EVF as well as on the OLED screen.

Along with a top ISO sensitivity of 25600, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 has an image sensor 5-axis image stabilization system (yaw, pitch, vertical, horizontal and rotational) designed to enable sharp handheld imagery with a five-stop advantage over similarly equipped, non-image-stabilized camera systems. Additionally, the OM-D E-M5 offers exposure bracketing (2, 3 or 5 frames in 1/3, 2/3 and full-stop increments), white balance bracketing (3 frames in 2, 4 or 6 steps selectable in each A-B/G-M axis) and flash bracketing (3 frames in 1/3, 2/3 and full-stop increments).

In addition to the Olympus FL-LM2 electronic flash (GN 7 at ISO 100) that comes bundled with the new camera, the OM-D E-M5 is also compatible with all other Olympus TTL flashes, with top sync speeds of 1/250, 1/200 or 1/180, depending on which Olympus flash you are using. In Super FP mode, flash sync speeds of 1/125 to 1/4000-second are also possible.

As one would expect, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 contains a selection of Art Filters (Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Cross Process, Gentle Sepia, Dramatic Tone and Key Line) as well as Art Effect filters (Soft Focus Effect, Pin-Hole Effect, Frame Effect and Star Light Effect). Color Modes include i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait and Monotone, along with Gradation filters including Auto, Normal, High-Key and Low-Key.

Olympus’s new OM-D E-M5 is available as a body only in a choice of black or silver. It’s also available with a 14 to 42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom (28 to 84mm equivalent) in black only, as well as with an M.Zuiko Digital ED 12 to 50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ zoom lens (24 to 100mm equivalent) in a choice of black or silver. Recommended accessories include the Olympus MMF-3 Four Thirds lens adapter and the HLD-6 Battery Grip.

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is compatible with the full line of M.Zuiko Micro Four Thirds optics as well as lenses from other manufacturers using third-party lens adapters.