Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III gets sensor and autofocus from more expensive E-M1 Mark II
Olympus introduces the OM-D E-M5 Mark III. The system camera with microfourthirdssensor gets many features of the more expensive E-M1 Mark II. The image sensor, the autofocus system and the 4k movie function are the same. The new E-M5 is smaller, lighter and cheaper.
Olympus equips the OM-D E-M5 Mark III with a 20-megapixel sensor with phase detection pixels. This makes it the first camera in the E-M5 series to have phase-detection autofocus. Earlier models worked with contrast autofocus. There is a choice of 121 autofocus points and the shooting speed is up to ten frames per second, while maintaining continuous autofocus.
According to Olympus, the new E-M5 also has improved five-axis image stabilization. The stabilized sensor should provide up to 5.5 stops of gain, or 6.5 stops if an Olympus lens that also has image stabilization is used.
The housing is sealed against dust and moisture, and has a number of ergonomic improvements over its predecessor. The design of the top has been changed and the layout is now almost identical to that of the E-M1 Mark II. The electronic viewfinder will also be upgraded. That is now an OLED screen with 2.36 million pixels, instead of an LCD.
The device has a 4k movie function with the dci-4k resolution of 4096×2160 pixels. The movie options are the same as those of the E-M1 II, with a maximum frame rate of 30 fps and a bit rate of up to 237 Mbit/s. In 1080p resolution, the frame rate goes up to 120fps and the housing has an input for an external microphone. There is no audio output.
Broadly speaking, the E-M5 Mark III is similar to the E-M1 Mark II. That was the top model of Olympus at the end of 2016. The new E-M5 is a lot more compact and lighter and has a smaller buffer and lower maximum shooting speed than the top model. Olympus will release the E-M5 Mark III in mid-November for a suggested retail price of 1,200 euros. A kit with a 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens costs 1900 euros and there is also a combination with a 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 lens for 1800 euros.