Olympus has announced the OM-D E-M5 Mark III, price tag from £1,099.99, which inherits a number of advanced features from Olympus’s flagship cameras.
Inside the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III is the 20.4-megapixel Live MOS sensor found in the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, as well as the TruePic VIII processing engine. However, as we report in our Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III review, Olympus says this chip has been updated to give it more power and responsiveness.
The E-M5 Mark III also inherits the same electronic membrane that covers the imaging chip in the OM-D E-M1X. Olympus says this protects it from dust.
There’s also a new, revamped 5-axis image stabilisation system, providing up to 6.5 EV steps of compensation.
Body design
Size and weight is one of the hallmarks of the new E-M5 Mark III. Weighing in at 366g for the body only, Olympus says the new camera is up to half the size and weight of other interchangeable lens systems.
The E-M5 Mark III is also compact, measuring in at 125.3mm x 85.2mm x 49.7mm.
The OM-D E-M5 Mark III is also fully weather-sealed. The camera body is splash-, dust- and freeze-proof, meaning you can use it a wide range of conditions.
Inside the camera is Olympus’s Super Sonic Wave Filter sensor-cleaning technology to remove dust and dirt.
AF system
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III employs a 121-point phase detection autofocus system in which all points are cross-type.
The E-M5 III inherits this from the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, but Olympus says it has improved the algorithm to prevent the focus from jumping to the background in mixed perspective scenes with near and far subjects.
The E-M5 Mark III can also achieve up to 10fps high-speed shooting with AF/AE tracking.
Olympus says the new camera also uses a new algorithm to track moving subjects. This update uses AF information from both Live View and recorded images to help track unpredictable subject movements and changes in speed.
Shooting Modes
Another feature from the E-M1 II on board the OM-D E-M5 Mark III is Olympus’s Pro Capture mode. Designed to capture difficult scenes, Pro Capture starts recording images when you press the shutter down halfway to capture the perfect moment.
Olympus has also included its Live Composite mode for capturing long exposure scenes, such as light trails. Using this mode, users can watch the image build in real-time using Live View to ensure that difficult scenes at night are properly exposed. Live Bulb mode is also included here.
Tripod High Res Shot mode allows users to capture 50-megapixel images. The E-M5 III achieves this by shifting the image sensor in 0.5-pixel increments and capturing 8 sequential frame. The camera then merges these into a single, high-resolution image.
Also on board are Olympus’s Focus Bracketing and Focus Stacking modes. The former can capture up to 999 frames.
Video
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III can record C4K 24p video at up to 237Mbps or 4K 30p, 25p, 24p video at 30p 102Mbps.
In addition, Full-HD video can be shpt at up to 120p for slow-motion playback.
There’s also a new Flat mode, as found in the E-M1X, allowing users to grade footage post-capture.
Other features that will appeal to videographers include a built-in microphone jack. Plus, the camera’s 5-axis image stabilisation promises stable footage.
Other Specs
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III also features a 2.36-million-dot OLED EVF, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
Its mechanical shutter operates up to 1/8000sec, and a Custom mode (C on the mode dial) lets users save frequently used settings.
All the usual Art Filters are also on hand, and Olympus says it has upgraded the E-M5 Mark III battery to the BLS-50, which provides more power.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Price & Release Date
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III price tag is £1,099.99 for the body only. The E-M5 III price rises to £1699.99 fro the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40 F2.8 PRO lens kit. Or you can get the E-M5 Mark III with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200 F3.5-6.3 lens at a price of £1599.99.
Olympus is also offering customers a £100 trade-in plus a free BLS-50 battery on all pre-orders. You can pre-order the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III at retailers such as Adorama or Wex Photo Video.
Available in black and silver, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III release date is set for 15 November 2019.