Photography

Olympus trickles down high-end tech for OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus trickles down high-end tech for OM-D E-M5 Mark III
There's 121-point phase detection and 121-point contrast autofocus, and Eye Detection AF is included
There's 121-point phase detection and 121-point contrast autofocus, and Eye Detection AF is included
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The compact OM-D E-M5 Mark III shares much of its technology with the Olympus E-M1 Mark II flagship
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The compact OM-D E-M5 Mark III shares much of its technology with the Olympus E-M1 Mark II flagship
The OM-D E-M5 Mark III features a 20.4 MP four thirds Live MOS sensor and TruePic VIII quad-core image processor
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The OM-D E-M5 Mark III features a 20.4 MP four thirds Live MOS sensor and TruePic VIII quad-core image processor
There's an OLED viewfinder around back, and a vari-angle LCD touch panel
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There's an OLED viewfinder around back, and a vari-angle LCD touch panel
The O E-M5 Mark III benefits from weather-sealed construction that makes it dust-, splash- and freeze-proof
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The O-MD E-M5 Mark III benefits from weather-sealed construction that makes it dust-, splash- and freeze-proof
The OM-D E-M5 Mark III is available as body-only or with an M.Zuiko kit lens
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The OM-D E-M5 Mark III is available as body-only or with an M.Zuiko kit lens
The compact mirrorless is capable of recording Cinema 4K at 24 fps, 4K UHD at up to 30 fps and Full HD at up to 60 fps
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The compact mirrorless is capable of recording Cinema 4K at 24 fps, 4K UHD at up to 30 fps and Full HD at up to 60 fps
Olympus has miniaturized a number of components to fit inside the E-M5 Mark III's compact body, including the 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization unit
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Olympus has miniaturized a number of components to fit inside the E-M5 Mark III's compact body, including the 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization unit
There's 121-point phase detection and 121-point contrast autofocus, and Eye Detection AF is included
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There's 121-point phase detection and 121-point contrast autofocus, and Eye Detection AF is included
View gallery - 8 images

It's safe to say that we were impressed with the OM-D E-M1 micro four thirds mirrorless camera when it launched in 2013. In fact, we pondered whether it was a true DSLR killer. DSLRs continue to be released of course, but Olympus stepped up its assault in 2016 with the second generation E-M1. Now the company has loaded a cheaper, smaller camera with much of what made the M1 shine.

Olympus says that many of the components of the OM-D E-M5 Mark III have undergone miniaturization in order to cram them into the 125.3 x 85.2 x 49.7-mm (4.9 x 3.35 x 1.95-in), 366-g (12.9-oz) body – the camera even makes use of a smaller Li-ion battery for the same 310 stills per charge as its predecessor.

The new compact mirrorless features the same 20.4 megapixel four thirds Live MOS sensor and TruePic VIII quad-core image processor. There's 121-point phase detection and 121-point contrast autofocus, Eye Detection AF is included, it can manage up to 30 frames per second sequential shooting, or 10 fps when employing tracking AF, and has ISO64-25,600 light sensitivity.

Movie-making shapes up as Cinema 4K (4,096 x 2,160) video recording at 24 fps, 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) at up to 30 fps, and 1080p at up to 60 fps. The 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization for video and stills was specifically redesigned to fit into the E-M5 Mark III, with up to 5.5 stops of compensation on offer. A silent electronic shutter could be useful for events like weddings too.

The compact OM-D E-M5 Mark III shares much of its technology with the Olympus E-M1 Mark II flagship
The compact OM-D E-M5 Mark III shares much of its technology with the Olympus E-M1 Mark II flagship

The E-M5 Mark III benefits from weather-sealed construction that makes it dust-, splash- and freeze-proof, Olympus points to a molded exterior with refined grip, and an updated Custom Mode setting makes for easy access to frequently-used settings.

The electronic viewfinder has the same 2.36-million-dot resolution as the E-M5 Mark II, but LCD has been switched to OLED. Also around back you'll find a 3-inch, 1.04-million-dot tilting touch-enabled LCD panel. And there's Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11n Wi-Fi for remote operation and wireless data transfer.

A number of long exposure shooting modes have been included that snap multiple images and combine them into a single stacked photo. Up to 999 shots can be fired with a single shutter press while shifting the focal position slightly for each, enabling users to create a single image with a depth of field beyond what's capable in normal operation.

The E-M5 Mark III goes on sale in November for a body-only price of US$1,199.99, or with an M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm F4.0-5.6 II lens for $1,799.99. The video below has more.

OM-D E-M5 Mark III Product Overview Video

Product page: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

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