At Photoplus Expo this week, Olympus has announced its latest, (and LONG awaited), OM-D mirrorless camera, an impressive update to its compact and versatile OM-D E-M5 Mark II, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera. It will be available in silver & black finishes and is currently ready for pre-order, priced at just $1,499!

Virtually the same size and weight as its predecessor, the Mark III, however, offers improvements that bring its major specs in line with those of its higher-end companion cameras in the Olympus OM-D series. In terms of its internal photographic features, the E-M5 Mark III now resembles the OM-D E-M1 Mark II but maintains the easy handling and form factor for which the E-M5 cameras are known.

The new E-M5 Mark III employs the TruePic VIII Quad Core image processor and a 20.4 MP Live MOS sensor, compared to the 16MP sensor in the Mark II. It also upgrades its focusing system from 81-points to a Dual F.A.S.T. AF 121-point on-chip system. This Contrast and Phase detection system features all cross-type focus points for faster and more accurate autofocus. There are six AF Target Options: Single, Group 5-point, Group 9-point, Group 25-point, 121-point, and small.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Mirrorless Camera

The 5-axis in-body image stabilization that Olympus is revered for is maintained in this camera, but with Sync-IS now providing up to 6.5 shutter speed steps of compensation to realize sharp images even in difficult lighting situations. At its highest image quality, the camera enables 10 fps sequential shooting with its mechanical shutter, including AF/AE tracking, and 30 fps with its silent electronic shutter. The OLED viewfinder offers 2.36M dot resolution and a 3″ Vari-Angle touchscreen LCD allows for clear viewing in bright light and flexibility when shooting at odd angles. Rounding out its impressive specs, the OM-D E-M5 Mark III has 4K video capability, which supports C4K and 4K 30 fps video capture.

The camera body will be weather sealed to protect from dust, splash, and freeze/frost damage. Additionally, there’s a bunch of new and unique features built into this rig to make it stand out from it’s previous generations and current competition. One interesting thing that stands out is the addition of a 50MP “triod hi-res” function that is designed for creating incredibly detailed images, a Pro-Capture function, focus bracketing, focus stacking, and a simplified multiple exposure mode. Finally and awesomely, the E-M5 Mark III will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities!

Key Features & Technical Specifications of the E-M5 Mark III

20.4MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Sensor
TruePic VIII Image Processor
2.36m-Dot 0.67x-Magnification OLED EVF
3.0″ 1.04m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen

Imaging

Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds
Camera Format Micro Four Thirds (2x Crop Factor)
Pixels Actual: 21.8 Megapixel
Effective: 20.4 Megapixel
Maximum Resolution 5184 x 3888
Aspect Ratio 4:3
Sensor Type MOS
Sensor Size 17.4 x 13 mm
Image File Format JPEG, RAW
Bit Depth 12-Bit
Image Stabilization Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis

Exposure Control

ISO Sensitivity Auto, 200 to 25600 (Extended: 64 to 25600)
Shutter Speed
- Mechanical Shutter
  - 1/8000 to 60 Second
  - 0 to 3 Hour in Bulb Mode
- Electronic Front Curtain Shutter
  - 1/320 to 60 Second
- Electronic Shutter
  - 1/32000 to 60 Second
Metering Method Center-Weighted Average, Multi-Zone, Spot
Exposure Modes Aperture Priority, Auto, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority
Exposure Compensation -5 to +5 EV (1/3, 1/2, 1 EV Steps)
Metering Range -2 to 20 EV
White Balance Auto, Color Temperature
Continuous Shooting
- Up to 10 fps at 20.4 MP for up to 150 Exposures (Raw)
- Up to 10 fps at 20.4 MP for Unlimited Exposures (JPEG)
- Up to 6 fps at 20.4 MP for Unlimited Exposures (Raw)
- Up to 6 fps at 20.4 MP for Unlimited Exposures (JPEG)
- Up to 30 fps at 20.4 MP for up to 23 Exposures (Raw)
- Up to 30 fps at 20.4 MP for up to 26 Exposures (JPEG)
Interval Recording Yes
Self-Timer 2/12-Second Delay

Video

Recording Modes
- MOV/H.264
- DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) at 24.00p [237 Mb/s]
- UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p [102 Mb/s]
- Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p/119.88p [18 to 202 Mb/s]
- HD (1280 x 720) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [10 to 102 Mb/s]
External Recording Modes
- 4:2:2 8-Bit
- DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) up to 24.00p
Recording Limit Up to 29 Minutes
Video Encoding NTSC/PAL
Audio Recording
- Built-In Microphone (Stereo)
- External Microphone Input (Stereo)
Audio File Format Linear PCM (Stereo)

Focus

Focus Type Auto and Manual Focus
Focus Mode Continuous-Servo AF (C), Manual Focus (M), Single-Servo AF (S)
Autofocus Points Phase Detection: 121 (121 Cross-Type)
Contrast Detection: 121

Viewfinder and Monitor

Viewfinder Type Electronic (OLED)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360,000 Dot
Viewfinder Eye Point 27 mm
Viewfinder Coverage 100%
Viewfinder Magnification Approx. 0.67x
Diopter Adjustment -4 to +2
Monitor Size 3″
Monitor Resolution 1,040,000 Dot
Monitor Type Articulating Touchscreen LCD

Final Thoughts

Initial reports from the show floor are very promising and positive, with the only “negative” feedback being the commonly known “battery life isn’t great” on mirrorless cameras that plagues most every single mirrorless on the market. so there’s nothing surprising there. If you’re on the show floor, be sure to snap some shots, and send us your feedback on this camera and everything else newsworthy that’s going down!

Check Pricing & Availability of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Here

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