Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review

May 14, 2012 | Mark Goldstein |

Introduction
Ease of Use
Image Quality
Sample Images
Product Images
Rating & Conclusion
Review Roundup
Specifications
Comment
More…

Introduction

The E-M5 is the new flagship Micro Four Thirds compact system camera from Olympus. The first in a brand new range of cameras dubbed OM-D, the E-M5 is a classically styled 16.1 megapixel model that offers the world's fastest auto-focus system and the world’s first 5-axis image stabilisation system. Other key features of the Olympus OM-D EM-5 include a dust- and splash- proof magnesium-alloy body, 1.44-million-dot electronic viewfinder, 3 inch articulated OLED touchscreen, 9 frames per second burst shooting, full 1080p video, and a sensitivity range of ISO 200-25600. In the UK the Olympus OM-D is available in silver or black as a kit with the M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 lens for £1149.99, and in the US it costs $999 body only or $1099 with the 12-50mm lens.

Ease of Use

The fourth generation of Olympus' mirror-less Micro Four Thirds system has arrived, but this time the digital Pen has been usurped at the top of the Olympus mirrorless line-up by OM-D, a new moniker that harps back to the Olympus OM film cameras of yesteryear. Despite its outwardly classic appearance, the OM-D EM-5 has some distinctly modern tricks up its proverbial sleeve, from the super-quick auto-focusing system to a clever in-body image stabilisation system that works with any lens that you care to fit. This camera is not merely a trip down memory lane. With silver or black body choices offered, we had the latter version of the E-M5 in for review, along with the M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 kit lens.

The E-M5 is the second Olympus compact system camera to feature touch screen operation, although if you're not a fan you can for the most part get away without using it much at all, as there are a plethora of physical buttons which are either dedicated to specific functions or can be customized to suit. Indeed, the touch-sensitive interface hasn't led to a cleaner or more pared-down minimalist look, as say the touch-screen on Panasonic's latest GF5 camera.

So, dare we suggest this is a feature implemented because it could be, rather than should be? That comment would be justified, perhaps, if the 3-inch 4:3 aspect ratio screen wasn't also an OLED panel, as opposed to the common-or-garden LCD variety, with a super bright 610k-dot resolution. Images look particularly vivid with plenty of contrast when viewed on the E-M5's screen and happily this carries over when photos are downloaded to your desktop. The rear OLED screen can be tilted by a maximum of 80° upwards and 50° downwards, which helps when shooting from high and low angles, although we did miss being able to fully articulate the screen from left to right as well which always proves useful when shooting video.

Dragging a finger, and so the AF point, around the screen is a quick and easy way of following the subject, though inadvertently subsequently taping it will cause the shutter to fire. This facility can be deactivated by prodding the relevant shutter button icon on the touch screen, but it's just as easy to accidentally turn it on again; even via an action as incongruous as the button of your shirt connecting with the screen as you're wearing the E-M5 on a neck strap, or the thumb of your left hand straying as you handle the camera.


Front	Rear

The Live Guide first seen on the Pen cameras has been implemented on the E-M5. This lets users try out picture adjustments with the aid of an onscreen slider bar to adjust the likes of depth of field and see the results in real time before pressing the shutter release button with accessibility extended beyond iAuto mode. The Live Guide options are presented as a colourful toolbar on the left hand side of the screen.

From the top we have the ability to change colour saturation, from 'clear & vivid' to 'flat & muted', next down is the ability to alter 'colour image', which translates as shifting the tone between warm and cool via slider bar, with the third option shifting brightness/exposure between a simple bright and dark. The fourth option down is probably the most interesting/effective in that it provides the ability to incrementally blur the background of your shot by again dragging an indicator on a slider - thus providing a similar shallow depth of field effect to that achievable with a DSLR and suitable aperture.

For its latest Live Guide option Olympus has retained the curiously named 'Express Motions', which to us has always sounded more like a bowel movement than the actual emphasizing of subject motion by introducing blur. Well, in fact, there's the option to both blur any movement or stop it in its tracks, again achievable by dragging a slider indicator. The last option on this tool bar is a on-board shooting hints and tips manual, with the usual 'suspects' of photographing children and pets given the most prominence ('take a picture at their height level' being a summation of the level of advice imparted). We even get tips, as a bit of closet advertising, for attaching Olympus accessories, such as lens converters.

Low light sensitivity has been boosted on this latest Olympus compact system camera, jumping from ISO 12800 to a pro-like ISO 25600. This is partly down, say Olympus, to the implementation of the noise reducing TruePic VI processor. Unsurprisingly the E-M5 retains the Olympus unique selling point of on-board Art Filters, which are also worth singling out for praise, with the appearance of the new Key Line mode allowing the picture to look more like an outlined illustration. Interstingly these filters can be applied to Full HD video as well as stills.


Top	Flash

Instead of a built-in pop-up flash, the EM-5 is supplied with the diminutive FL-LM2 unit (guide number of 10/m at ISO 200) which clips into the external flash hotshoe and the accessory port, much like the flash on Sony's NEX cameras. While many will bemoan the lack of a true built-in unit, thankfully Olympus have chosen not to sell it as an optional accessory, and it does have the same dustproof and splashproof construction as the camera body. It may make the OM-D EM-5 look a little top-heavy when fitted, but at least you have the choice of whether to use it or not and it is compatible with wireless flash control.

Feeling very robust and reassuringly solid in the palm thanks to the magnesium-alloy body which boasts the same dust and splash-proof capability as the flagship E-5 Four Thirds camera, the E-M5's dimensions are 121.0 x 89.6 x 41.9 mm, so it's definitely one for a camera bag rather than pocket if the kit lens remains attached, with a body-only weight of 425g. There's a rather modestly sized, textured handgrip which is sufficient to be able to still hold the camera nice and steady when shooting handheld, ably assisted by the more pronounced thumb-grip on the rear.

Most image stabilization systems compensate for camera shake by correcting yaw and pitch. Olympus claim that camera shake is actually caused by five different kinds of motion, and their new image stabilization mechanism additionally corrects for horizontal shift, vertical shift and rotary motion (rolling) for both still images and movies. You can see some examples on the Image Quality page of this new system in action. We also had very few images that suffered from camera shake during the review period.

From the front the E-M5 has a streamlined look, with just a round lens release button to the right of the lens mount and an AF assist lamp above interrupting the otherwise feature-less faceplate. On top is a vacant flash hotshoe that sits directly above the lens, with a partially recessed shooting mode dial on the left hand-side when viewed from the rear. The coin-like dial has been given a surrounding ridged edge for easier purchase, with the options remaining the same as the E-P3's, being program, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, video, scene modes, Art Filters and - the most obviously highlighted of all - iAuto mode.


Tilting LCD Screen	Front

There are 11 Art Filters in total, with Dramatic Tone and the self explanatory Gentle Sepia working the best for us, the former adding an intensely gritty look as if a photograph has been photo copied and vividly hand coloured. The Art Filter digital effects are applied at the time of capture which means write speeds are inevitably a couple of seconds longer than for regular images. When shooting using certain filters, such as Diorama or Dramatic Tone, the screen's refresh rate slows, providing a real time preview of how the eventual image may look.

Over to the right of the external flash hotshoe are the small-ish shutter release button, with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 readying itself for action in a second or so. Squeeze down halfway on the shutter release and the E-M5 very nearly instantaneously responds thanks to the new and awkwardly acromyned FAST (Frequency Acceleration Sensor Technology) system, the screen almost imperceptibly blurring before snapping back into focus, with the AF point flashing up in green with an accompanying bleep of confirmation. The E-M5 certainly delivers in terms of focusing speed and perhaps more importantly accuracy too, with very few false poisitives.

Take the shot and when shooting RAW and Fine (top quality) JPEG in tandem there's a wait of an acceptable three seconds before the shot is fully committed to the memory card. Buffer memory is such however that you don't have to wait that long to squeeze off another shot if the opportunity presents itself. Action photographers will appreciate the headling grabbing burst rate of 9fps, although that's only achieved by locking the focus point at the first frame of the sequence - the EM-5 can perform at a more modest maximum speed of 4.2fps when auto-focusing.

The shutter release is encircled by the first of two command dials. This one by default allows you to change the shutter speed or exposure compensation when using one of the more creative shooting modes, while the second that's positioned under your right thumb principally adjusts the aperture. It's a neat system that make using the manual mode in particular a lot simpler than on most rival cameras.

Alongside is the non-specific, user attributable 'Fn2' function button, on our review sample sensibly given over to adjusting the ISO speed. Completing the EM-5's top-plate is a red video record button. Press this to record, or stop recording, no matter which shooting mode is otherwise selected on the top dial. The EM-5 offers two different movie formats - the MOV format (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) for more convenient post-editing on a PC has a 4Gb limit, and the AVI (Motion JPEG) format has a 2Gb limit - with VGA, 720p and 1080p sizes all available. Audio is recorded in linear PCM. Shooting modes include Aperture priority, Art Filter, Manual, Program and Shutter priority, while one-shot echo and multiecho effects can now be added to movies.


Memory Card Slot	Battery Compartment

Moving to the backplate of the E-M5, again the lineage from the Pen series to this model is clear. The second accessory port has been retained directly below the vacant hotshoe, and underneath again is the built-in electronic viewfinder. This is activated by a small button to the right that's virtually hidden from view, which toggles between the rear OLED screen and the new EVF.

The EVF is an impressively detailed 1.44 million dot high-definition unit with 100% field of view and 1.15x magnification. The EM-5 actually has two independent image-processing cores, one for the recorded images and the other for Live View images, so the live and recorded image appears very quickly on both the EVF and the rear screen. The new Live Bulb feature cleverly updates the image on the rear screen at pre-set intervals during bulb shooting, giving you a live preview of the exposure.

There's a built-in eye sensor which optionally switches between the electronic viewfinder and OLED screen automatically, and the EVF helpfully displays key shooting information along the bottom of the viewfinder. Another boon to productivity is the ability to preview manual and creative adjustments live through the EVF without having to lower the camera to look at the rear screen.

To the right again are two tiny buttons, the first for image playback and the second for the customisable Function 1 button. Just below these two buttons and the thumb-rest are dedicated and self-explanatory Menu and Info buttons, the latter toggling through various LCD views. Underneath again is a option-less 4-way navigation controller with a central OK button - pressing this accesses the E-M5's quick menu system, a handy onscreen vertical list of icons that provide quick access to most of the camera's main settings. In conjunction with the camera's plethora of external controls and its customisable buttons, this makes the E-M5 a pleasure to use. The final controls on the rear are the Delete button and the On/Off switch.

Chunky lugs for attaching the supplied shoulder strap hang at either side of the camera, thankfully out of the way of fingers and controls. On the left hand flank, if viewing the camera from the back, we find a pair of covered ports for joint USB/AV output and mini HDMI output respectively. On the right is a flip open cover protecting the memory card slot. There is the option here to use all varieties of SD media card, up to and including SDXC cards. On the bottom of the EM-5, slightly off-centre, is a screw thread for attaching a tripod, with the lockable battery compartment alongside. The BLN1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery supplied with the E-M5 is good for around 330 shots.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 7Mb.

During the review, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 produced images of excellent quality. In the Natural picture mode, colours are vibrant without being garish or over-saturated, while dynamic range is very good. From ISO 200 through to ISO 1600, noise is virtually undetectable, not becoming an issue until ISO 3200, which is an excellent result for a Micro Four Thirds sensor camera. ISO 3200 and 6400 are still eminently usable, with only the two fastest settings of 12800 and 25600 really suffering.The corresponding raw files are inevitably more noisy at lower ISOs.

The supplied flash unit is more than powerful enough for fill-in use, while long exposures are easily achieved. The new image stabilisation system works very well indeed, even when hand-holding the camera at slow shutter speeds. The presence of Art Filters may be unusual in such a high-end prosumer camera, but they do produce special effects that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom.

Noise

There are 8 ISO settings available on the Olympus OM-D E-M5. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and the RAW equivalent on the right:

JPEG	RAW
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)


ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)


ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)


ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)


ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)


ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)


ISO 12800 (100% Crop)	ISO 12800 (100% Crop)


ISO 25600 (100% Crop)	ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

File Quality

Olympus offers two JPEG quality settings - Fine and Normal. You may also opt to save your photographs in the camera's raw file format (ORF). Raw+JPEG shooting is available.

16M Fine (7.74Mb) (100% Crop)	16M Normal (3.07Mb) (100% Crop)


16M RAW (13.4Mb) (100% Crop)

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are just a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes by changing the Picture Modes.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

Flash

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 features a flash that has multiple modes including Forced On, Forced Off, Auto, Slow Sync, Rear-Curtain Sync and almost any of these combined with red-eye reduction. It can also serve as an AF assist light or as a controller for wirelessly slaved FL-36R or FL-50R units. In addition to the on-board unit, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 also has a hot-shoe for system flashes, and a PC sync terminal for studio strobes. The pictures below were taken of a white wall from a distance of 1.5m, with and without the built-in flash.

Flash Off - Wide Angle	Flash On - Wide Angle


Flash Off - Telephoto	Flash On - Telephoto

And now for some portraits. The pop-up flash of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 did not really cause a red-eye effect, so the only noticeable difference between the Forced On and Forced On with Red-Eye Reduction settings is that the second causes the subject's pupils to contract.

Flash On	Flash On (100% Crop)


Red-eye Reduction	Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 60 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times as long as 30 minutes, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 200. We've included a 100% crop to show what the quality is like.

Night	Night (100% Crop)

Image Stabilisation

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 comes with a n32 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilisation (IS) system, which allows you to take sharp hand-held photos at slower shutter speeds than with cameras that lack this feature.

Focal Length / Shutter Speed	Off (100% Crop)	On (100% Crop)
24mm / 1/6th Second

100mm / 1/6th Second

Art Filters

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 offers 11 different Art Filters, which allow you to quickly apply an artistic effect to a photo before taking it (JPEG images only). The most useful of these is Soft Focus, because the FourThirds system lacks a dedicated soft focus lens, and the effect would require advanced knowledge of layers, blurring methods and blending modes if you were to reproduce it in post-processing. Note that applying the Art Filters slows the camera down somewhat as the camera takes several seconds to process and save the image.

Pop Art	Soft Focus


Pale&Light Color	Light Tone


Grainy Film	Pin Hole


Diorama	Cross Process


Gentle Sepia	Dramatic Tone


Key Line

Picture Modes

Olympus' Picture Modes are essentially pre-set combinations of saturation, contrast and sharpness, except for the i-Enhance mode that aims to optimise each photo individually. You can tailor each Picture Mode to your needs. The following examples demonstrate the differences across the available Picture Modes.

i-Enhance	Vivid


Natural	Muted


Portrait	Monotone

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	5
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	5
Image quality	5
Value for money	4.5

Type
Body material	Magnesium alloy body
Lens mount	Micro Four Thirds
Image Sensor
Type	4/3 '' Live MOS sensor
Effective pixels	16.1 Megapixels
Filter array	Primary colour filter (RGB)
Aspect ratio & area	4:3 / 17.3 x 13.0 mm
Full resolution	17.2 Megapixels
Engine
Type	TruePic VI
Filter
Dust reduction filter	Supersonic Wave Filter
IR cut filter	Hybrid type
LPF filter	Fixed type
Viewfinder
Viewfinder type	Electronical Viewfinder
Pixel number	1.440 K dots
Diopter adjustment	Yes -4.0 - +1.0 diopter / built-in type
Field of view	Approx. 100 %
Magnification	Max. 1.15 x with a 50mm lens set to infinity at -1 dioptre (depending on selected viewfinder style)
Eye point	18 mm at -1 dioptre from eyepiece lens
Style	3 styles selectable
Displayed information	Aperture value, Shutter speed, AF frame (super impose), AF confirmation mark, AF lock, Auto bracket, Battery check, Exposure compensation indicator, Exposure compensation value indicator, Exposure level indicator, Exposure mode, Flash, FP flash, IS activating mode, Metering mode, Number of storable sequential pictures, White balance
Brightness adjustment	+/- 7 levels
Correction of colour temperature	+/- 7 levels
Live View
Displayed information	Aperture, Shutter speed, Auto bracket, AE lock, Focus mode, Shooting mode, Battery check, My Mode, IS activating mode, Internal temperature warning, Face / Eye detection mode, Record mode, ISO, Sequential shooting mode , White Balance, Metering mode, Exposure compensation value, AF frame display, AF confirmation mark, Shooting information, Spot metering area, Super FP, Flash status, Touch Panel Condition, Focal length, Eye-Fi condition, Flash mode, Histogram
AF type	Contrast detection system
100% field of view	Approx. 100 %
Magnification levels	5 / 7 / 10 / 14 x
Image Stabiliser
Type	Sensor shift
Modes	Five-dimensional, vertical or horizontal activation
Effective Compensation Range	Up to 5 EV steps
Focusing System
Method	Contrast Detection AF system (when non high-speed contrast AF compatible lens is used, it works as MF assist)
Focus areas	35 points / Automatic and manual selection / Auto selection with Face Detection ON 800 points / Manual selection in Magnified View Mode
AF lock	Yes , Locked by first position of shutter release button in single AF mode, AE/AF lock button (customised)
Modes	Manual focus, Single AF, Continuous AF, Single AF + MF, AF Tracking
AF illuminator	Yes
Full time AF	Yes
Manual focus	Yes , With enlarged focusing area
Face Detection extension	Eye Detect AF: Off, Left side priority, Near side priority, Right side priority
Predictive AF	Yes
AF tracking	Yes , Available in continuous AF mode
Exposure System
Modes	Programme automatic, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, Bulb, Time, i-Auto, Scene Modes, Art Filter
Exposure compensation	+/- 3 EV ( 1, 1/2, 1/3 steps )
Exposure bracketing	2 / 3 / 5 frames ( +/- 1/3, 2/3, 1 EV steps ) 7 frames ( +/- 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 EV steps )
ISO bracketing	3 frames ( 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps )
AE lock	Yes
My Mode	4 settings storable
Enhancement function	Shadow Adjustment Technology
Scene Modes
Number of scene modes	24
Modes	Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape with Portrait, Macro, Sports, Night Scene, Night Scene with portrait, Children, High key, Low key, Digital Image Stabilisation, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach and Snow, Fisheye converter, Macro converter, 3D, Wide converter, Underwater Macro, Underwater Wide
Multi-Exposure
Max. number of frames	2 frames (shooting) 3 frames (editing)
Auto gain control	Yes
Frame assistance	Live View
Light Metering
Method	TTL open aperture light metering
Zones	324 zones Multi-pattern Sensing System
Detection range	0 - 20 EV (17mm f2.8, ISO 100)
Modes	ESP light metering, Spot metering, Centre weighted metering, Highlight, Shadow
Art Filter
Modes	Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Colour, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Cross Process, Dramatic Tone, Gentle Sepia, Key Line
Variation / Effect	Available
Sensitivity
Auto	ISO 200 - 25600 (customisable, default ISO 200 - 1600)
Manual	ISO 200 - 25600 in 1/3 or 1 EV ISO steps
Shutter
Shutter type	Computerised focal-plane shutter
Self timer	2 s / 12 s
Shutter Speeds
Shutter speed range	1/4000 - 60 s (in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps)
Bulb mode	Up to 30 minutes (selectable longest time in the menu, default: 8 minutes)
White Balance
AUTO WB system	Advanced detection system with Live MOS sensor
Manual White balance (One-Touch)	Yes
White balance bracketing	3 frames / +/- 2, 4, 6 mired steps
One-touch white balance	2 custom settings can be registered
Custom WB	1 setting can be registered at Kelvin temperature (2000K - 14000K)
Preset values	Tungsten, Flourescent 1, Sunlight, Flash, Overcast, Shade, Underwater
Auto Flash adjustment	Off / Auto WB / Flash
Keep warm colour	On / Off
Sequence Shooting
Speed (H)	Approx. 9 fps
Speed (L)	4.2 fps (IS off) , 3.5 fps
Max. number of frames	20 frames (RAW) 70 frames (JPG / Large Normal mode)
Conditions	Memory card: Toshiba SDXC UHS-I card R95 W80 model Premiugate series "Class 10" 8GB Note: Depending on shooting conditions, the sequential shooting speed may reduce speed during shooting.
Image Processing
Colour space	sRGB / AdobeRGB
Sharpness + Contrast	5 levels
Contrast	5 levels
Saturation	5 levels
Black & White filter	Yellow, Orange, Red, Green
Black & White toning	Sepia, Blue, Purple or Green in Black & White mode
Picture mode	i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Portrait, Muted, Monotone, Art Filter
Gradation	4 levels (auto, high key, normal, low key)
Engine	TruePic VI
Art Filter bracketing	Available
Tele converter effect	2 x
Internal Flash
Modes	AUTO, Manual, Manual (Full, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64), Red-eye reduction, Slow synchronisation with red-eye reduction, Slow synchronisation, Slow synchronisation 2nd curtain, Fill-in, Off
Type	Detachable flash (bundled)
Flash compensation	+/- 3 EV ( 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps )
Guide number	10 (ISO 200)
X-sync speed	1/250 s
External Flash Control
X-sync speed	1/180 s / 1/4000 s (Super FP Mode)
Type	TTL AUTO, AUTO, MANUAL, FP TTL AUTO, FP MANUAL
Modes	Auto, Red-eye reduction, Slow synchronisation, 2nd curtain and slow synchronisation, Fill-in for exclusive flash, Manual
Intensity	+/- 3 EV ( 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps ) Note: Some functions are only available if they are supported by the external flash.
Wireless Flash Control
Number of channels	4 channels
Compatible external flash	FL-36R, FL-50R, FL-300R, FL-600R
Control method	Triggered and controlled by built-in flash light
Group setting	4 groups Available when used together with cameras compatible with the Olympus wireless RC flash system.
Monitor
Monitor type	Tiltable OLED - Touch Panel
Monitor size	7.6 cm / 3.0 '' (3:2)
Resolution	610000 dots
Brightness adjustment	+/- 2 levels
Colour balance	+/- 3 levels Vivid (default) / Natural
Level Gauge
Detection	2-axis
Display	Rear display and viewfinder
Super Control Panel
Displayed information	Battery indicator, Record mode, Shutter speed, Aperture value, Exposure compensation indicator, ISO, AE bracketing, AF frame, Focus mode, AEL notification, Face detection, Number of storable frames, Metering mode, Exposure mode, Exposure level view, Flash compensation value, Colour space, Gradation, Colour saturation compensation value, Sharpness compensation value, Contrast compensation value, White balance, White balance compensation value, Noise reduction, Flash mode, Drive mode, Internal temperature warning, Histogram
Recording Formats
RAW	12 bit
RAW & JPEG	Yes parallel recording
JPEG	Yes
Aspect ratio	4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9 / 6:6 / 3:4
MPO (3D)	Yes
Image Size
RAW	4608 x 3456 compressed / 17 MB / frame 4608 x 3456 Fine (compression: 1/4) / 7.5 MB / frame 4608 x 3456 Normal (compression: 1/8) / 3.5 MB / frame 2560 x 1920 Normal (compression: 1/8) 1.1 MB / frame 1024 x 768 Normal (compression: 1/8) / 0.3 MB / frame
Still Image Recording
EXIF	2.2
PIM	III
DPOF	Yes
DCF	Yes
Movie Recording System
Recording format	MOV(MPEG-4AVC/H.264), AVI(Motion JPEG)
Image Stabilisation Mode	Yes Sensor shift
HD Movie quality	Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) 30p, 20Mbps (MOV) Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) 30p, 17Mbps (MOV) HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) 30p, 13Mbps (MOV) HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) 30p, 10Mbps (MOV) HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) / 30fps (AVI Motion JPEG®)
Movie quality	640 x 480 / 30fps (AVI Motion JPEG®) 29 min (17Mbps) 14 min (SD) / 7 min (HD) (AVI Motion JPEG®)*
Max. file size	4 GB (AVCHD) 2 GB (Motion-JPEG)
Exposure Modes	Aperture priority, Art Filter, Manual, Programme automatic, Shutter priority * Some Art Filters are excluded
Movie effects	Multi shot echo, One shot echo
Sound Recording System
Internal microphone	Stereo
Recording format	Stereo PCM/16bit, 48kHz, Wave Format Base
External microphone	Optional
Image footage	30 s
Speaker	Yes
Microphone functions	Wind Noise Reduction, Recording Volume
View Images
Modes	Index, Calendar, Zoom, Slide show, Movie, Single
Light box	Yes
Histogram in playback mode	Yes
Shooting information	Off / On
Erase / Protect / Copy Function
Erase modes	Single, All, Selected
Image protect mode	Single frame, Selected frames, All Frames, Release protect (Single/All selected)
Image Editing
RAW data edit	Yes
Red-eye reduction	Yes
Sepia	Yes
Black & White	Yes
Resize	Yes
Correction of saturation	Yes
Shadow Adjustment	Yes
Trimming	Yes
e-Portrait	Yes
Menu
Menu languages in camera	English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Czech, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Greek, Slovak, Turkish, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Serbian
Customisation Options
Fn Button	Yes
My Mode	4 settings storable
Factory reset	Full / Standard
Programmable button	Yes
Interface
Media	SD Memory Card (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I compatible) Class 6 is recommended for Movie shooting
HDMI™	Yes Micro connector (Type D) *
USB 2.0 High Speed	Yes
Combined V & USB output	Yes NTSC or PAL selectable * "HDMI", the HDMI logo and "High-Definition Multimedia Interface" are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
Eye-Fi Card compatible	Yes
Bluetooth®	Yes (with optional adapter PENPAL)
Connection	Accessory Port 2
Other Features
Weatherproof	Yes
Dustproof	Yes
Power Supply
Battery	Lithium-Ion Battery
Sleep mode	1, 3, 5, 10 min. and off selectable.
Live View shooting	Approx. 330 images (50% with Live View)
Environment
Temperature	0 - 40 °C operating temperature / -20 - 60 °C storage temperature
Humidity	30 - 90 % operation humidity / 10 - 90 % storage humidity
Size
Dimensions (W x H x D)	121.0 x 89.6 x 41.9 mm (without protrusions)
Weight	425 g (including battery and memory card) 373 g (body only)
Available Colours
Black
Silver

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review

Latest Reviews

Introduction

Ease of Use

Image Quality

Noise

File Quality

Sharpening

Flash

Night

Image Stabilisation

Art Filters

Picture Modes

Sample Images

Sample RAW Images

Sample Movie & Video

Product Images

Conclusion

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