Inside the OM System OM-5 is the same 20.4MP Four Thirds Type Live MOS sensor as is in the OM-D E-M5 Mark III. That means it’s neither backside illuminated (BSI), nor stacked – the OM-1’s sensor is a stacked BSI chip. However, OM System has paired the sensor with a new TruePic IX processing engine which facilitates most of the improvements that the camera makes over the E-M5 Mark III.
In a key upgrade on the E-M5 III, the OM System OM-5 has a Hand-held High Res Shot mode alongside the Standard or Tripod mode. In high Res Shot mode, the OM-5 uses the sensor-shifting capability of the stabilisation system to move the sensor between shots as it takes a series of 8 images in quick succession. These files are then composited into a singe larger image.
In Standard or Tripod High Res Shot mode, and when shooting Jpegs, the OM-5 can be set to produce 80MP, 50MP or 25MP images, and when shooting raw files the output is equivalent to an 80MP image. In Hand-held mode the maximum output size drops to 50MP for either file type and 25MP is selectable when shooting Jpegs.
According to OM System, the image stabilisation system in the OM-5 is 15% better than the system in the E-M5 Mark III and this means that it’s capable of delivering up to 6.5EV of shutter speed compensation and when it’s used with a compatible stabilised lens, it can give up to 7.5EV shutter speed compensation. That’s very useful when you’re travelling light because there’s less need to carry a tripod.
The OM-5 also has the Live ND mode that was first introduced with the Olympus OM-D E-M1X. On the OM-5, this enables the exposure to be extended by up to 4EV (ND16) without using traditional filters. It’s a handy mode when you want to blur movement in an image shot during daylight. It’s not available for reducing the shutter speed when shooting video.
OM System has upgraded the Focus Stacking system that’s onboard the OM-5. As well as capturing a sequence of 8 images with different focusing distances, the OM-5 can composite the image into one Jpeg with greater depth of field than any of the constituent shots. With the E-M5 III, the images have to be composited using software post-capture – that is still possible with the OM-5 as the constituent raw and Jpeg images are recorded.
Autofocus
Like its predecessor, the OM System OM-5 has a hybrid focusing system with 121-points that are all cross-type. As usual, the camera can be left to select from any of the points for focusing or the photographer can restrict the focusing area to a single area (standard or small), or the areas can be grouped to 5-area, 9-area or 25-area. It’s also possible to create a custom area for focusing.
As before, face and eye detection AF is available, but according to OM System, this has been made faster and more accurate for the OM-5.
In addition, there’s Starry Sky AF which is designed to make it easier to focus on the stars for astrophotography.
Sequential shooting and Pro Capture Mode
Although the OM-5’s processing power has been increased in comparison with the E-M5 III, there doesn’t seem to be much change to report with regards the continuous shooting rate, or sequential shooting rate as OM System calls it. The maximum shooting rate, in the H setting, is 10fps when the mechanical shutter is in use and 30fps with the electronic shutter. The focus and metering are fixed at the start of the sequence when the highest (H) rates are used. Using the L setting drops the rate to 6fps with the mechanical shutter or 10fps with the electronic shutter and enables the camera to focus continuously throughout the shooting sequence if C-AF is selected.
There’s also Pro Capture mode which sets the camera to start scanning before the shutter button is fully pressed. It can be set to capture up to 14 images from immediately before the shutter button is pressed along with up to 85 captured while the button remains pressed, giving 99 images into total.
There’s a maximum shooting rate of 30fps (H) in Pro Capture mode and again the focus and exposure is set at the start of the sequence. The rate can also be reduced to 20fps (H) or 10fps (L) in Pro Capture mode. When the L setting (10fps) is selected, the OM-5 can focus continuously throughout the shooting sequence if C-AF is selected. The shooting rate doesn’t affect the number of images that are captured in a single burst, the maximum is always 99.
Video
The OM-5 can record C4K (4096 x 2160) video at 24p, 4K (3840 x 2160) video at 30, 25,24p or Full HD video at up to 60p, and the recording time is only limited by the storage or battery life. There’s also a High-Speed Recording mode in which Full HD (1920 x 1080) MOV footage can be recorded at 120fps for slow-motion playback.
OM-Log400 is supported to give more freedom over post-capture grading and vertical shooting is enabled.
It’s also possible to connect the LS-P5 audio recorder to the OM-5 (or an external microphone) for better-quality sound. Headphones can be connected to the LS-P5 for monitoring the audio.
Battery life
Like the E-M5 III, the OM System OM-5 uses the BLS-50 battery and it can be used with the ECG-5 External Grip. CIPA tests give the battery a life of up to 310 images or 60 mins of video in the OM-5. The battery can be charged using a USB connection to the camera (when it’s turned off), but the USB connection is not a USB-C type.