In summary
Price-wise and for the features and controls it offers, the E-M5 Mark II is best suited to serious imaging enthusiasts, particularly those who could benefit from its compact size and new and more sophisticated stabilisation system.
Landscape and studio photographers will be seriously attracted by the new High Res Shot mode (see full review).
Photographers interested in shooting movies will also find the stabilisation system advantageous, since it is capable of stable dynamic action footage when the photographer is running and recording with the camera in hand. This is only one of the improvements to the new camera’s movie recording capabilities that make it capable of recording ‘pro cinema’ quality footage, a significant advance on previous OM-D cameras.
Full review
We knew an update to the popular Olympus OM-D E-M5 was in the offing when the company quietly announced it had stopped making the camera in November 2014. So when the E-M5 Mark II was unveiled on 5 February, nobody was really surprised. What did surprise many people, however, was the new camera’s feature set containing some new functions that were more advanced than the ‘flagship’ E-M1 camera offered.
Angled view of the OM-D E-M5 Mark II, silver version, fitted with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens, which will be offered with the camera body in the Pro Kit. (Source: Olympus.)
Who’s it for?
Price-wise and for the features and controls it offers, the E-M5 Mark II is best suited to serious imaging enthusiasts, particularly those who could benefit from its compact size and new and more sophisticated stabilisation system. Landscape and studio photographers will be seriously attracted by the new High Res Shot mode (see below).
Photographers interested in shooting movies will also find the stabilisation system advantageous, since it is capable of stable dynamic action footage when the photographer is running and recording with the camera in hand. This is only one of the improvements to the new camera’s movie recording capabilities (outlined below) that make it capable of recording ‘pro cinema’ quality footage, a significant advance on previous OM-D cameras.
The table below compares key features of the three currently available OM-D cameras.
|
|
E-M10 |
E-M5 Mark II |
E-M1 |
|
Body materials / weatherproof |
Metal / No |
Metal / Yes |
|
|
Effective resolution |
16.1MP |
16.3MP |
|
|
Max. image size |
4608 (H) x 3456 (V) |
||
|
Image processor |
TruePic VII |
||
|
Shutter speed range |
60-1/4000 sec |
60-1/8000 sec; (1/16,000 sec. with electronic shutter ) |
60-1/8000 sec |
|
Max. burst speed /buffer capacity |
8 fps/ 16 ORF.RAW |
9 fps/ 18 ORF.RAW |
10 fps/ 36 ORF.RAW |
|
Image stabilisation |
3 axis sensor shift |
5 axis sensor shift |
|
|
Max. stabilisation (CIPA) |
3.5 f-stops |
5 f-stops |
4 f-stops |
|
AF system |
81-area High-speed Imager contrast AF |
81-area contrast AF plus 37-area phase detection AF |
|
|
Monitor |
Tilting 3-inch; 1,037,000-dot |
Vari-angle 3-inch; 1,037,000-dot |
Tilting 3-inch; 1,037,000-dot |
|
Viewfinder |
Integrated 1,440,000-dot EVF |
Integrated 2,360,000-dot EVF |
|
|
Flash |
Built-in GN8.2 /ISO 200 |
Bundled FL-LM3 (GN 12.7/ISO 200) |
Bundled FL-LM2 (GN 10/ISO 200) |
|
Accessory port |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
Wi-Fi |
Yes |
||
|
External microphone option |
Compatible with SEMA-1 AP microphone |
3.5mm Stereo jack; not compatible with SEMA-1 AP microphone |
3.5mm Stereo jack; also compatible with SEMA-1 AP microphone |
|
Battery/capacity (CIPA rating) |
BLS-5 / 320 shots/charge |
BLN-1 / 310 shots/charge |
BLN-1 / 330 shots/charge |
|
Dimensions (wxhxd) |
119.1 x 82.3 x 45.9 mm |
123.7 x 85 x 44.5mm |
130.4 x 93.5 x 63.1 mm |
|
Weight (body with battery & card) |
396 grams |
469 grams |
497 grams |
|
RRP for kit |
$999 with 14-42mm lens |
$1599 with weatherproof 12-50mm lens |
$1899 with weatherproof 12-50mm lens |
New High Res Shot mode
The main feature that places the E-M5 Mark II a step ahead of the ‘flagship’ E-M1 model is its new High Res Shot mode, which has been developed to generate more megapixels in both JPEG and ORF.RAW image files. Although the sensor retains the same 16-megapixel resolution as previous OM-D cameras, Olympus combines the upgraded 5-axis sensor-shifting image stabilisation system with the camera’s electronic shutter to capture eight frames as the sensor is moved in a circle.
As far as we’ve been able to determine, the eight frames are recorded in two cycles. The first cycle records four frames at existing pixel positions then the second cycle records a further four frames, this time shifted up and to the side by half a pixel. This system enables sub-pixel sampling of the data from the sensor in a way that takes in every colour captured.
The camera’s image processor combines these frames into a single high-resolution image, using a technique called deconvolution to extract details from the image data. Deconvolution has been used for many years in optical and electron microscopy, where Olympus has some expertise, to sharpen images affected by motion shake during capture. (It was also used to sharpen early images from the Hubble Space Telescope.)
Logically, combining eight 16-megapixel frames should result in a 128-megapixel file. However, because the frames are off-set by half a pixel, we end up with half this resolution: a 64-megapixel raw file (9216 x 6912 pixels). JPEG frames are only 40 megapixels (7296 x 5472 pixels), due to the compression strategy adopted by Olympus, which found the optimal resolution to be 40 megapixels (the additional 24 megapixels adds no useful detail and smaller file sizes are advantageous).
The system used in the E-M5 Mark II has some limitations.
1. The camera must remain completely still while the eight frames are captured. This means shooting from a tripod and choosing static subjects ““ since any movement at all between shots will result in blurring, even with short exposure times (examples can be found in the Performance section below).
2. Actual exposure times range between about one second with good light and up to eight seconds in dim lighting.
3. You need a high-quality lens to resolve the substantial amount of detail this mode captures. Olympus recommends using an M.Zuiko Digital PRO or M.Zuiko Premium lens.
4. The aperture setting must be f/8 or wider.
5. Sensitivity must be no higher than ISO 1600.
6. The end result is a single image file created by combining eight frames. Individual frames recorded in the process are not accessible.
Interestingly, the user manual supplied with the camera only devotes a page to the High Res Shot mode, which is selected via a setting on page 2 of the shooting menu. The special drive mode for this setting is then selected from the drive mode sub-menu.
Information provided on this page enables users to adjust the post-shutter release delay time: the time between when the shutter button is pressed all the way down and when the shutter is actually released (the default setting is ‘0’). This setting has been designed for flash photography to allow time for the flash to recharge between shots. The maximum flash synch speed with the electronic shutter is 1/20 second in the High Res Shot mode.
JPEG images are recorded at the new Super-Large (SL) size with Fine (F) compression, including when RAW+JPEG capture is selected. Raw files are saved with the extension ‘.ORI’. They can be processed with the updated Olympus Viewer 3 software that Olympus has released with the camera or the special Olympus plug-in for Photoshop, which can be downloaded from http://support.olympus-imaging.com/hp1download/.
Selecting the High Res Shot Raw File Plug-in in Photoshop.
An 8-page leaflet in PDF format is available with the plug-in, explaining how it is used. Once installed, you must start Photoshop and click on File > Import and select the High Res Shot Raw File Plug-in, as shown above. This launches the raw development module, which is shown below.
The user interface for the Olympus High-Res Shot Raw File Plug-in for Photoshop.
Compared with Adobe Camera Raw, the plug-in provides a limited set of adjustments:
Exposure Compensation can be tweaked across a range from -2.0 to +2.0 EV in 0.1 EV increments.
White Balance includes colour temperature adjustments from 2000 to 20000K in 1K increments plus a Fine Adjustment that adjusts the colour temperature between -10 to +10, in one-step increments and a Grey Point Specification that is used to adjust the white balance to the image’s grey point.
Contrast, Sharpness and Saturation are each adjustable between -2 to +2, in one-step increments.
Colour Space control offers the standard sRGB and Adobe RGB choices.
Use Aspect Ratio information enables images to be cropped using Aspect Ratio information in selected files.
The final control is Apply to all files. This setting lets you apply current settings to all images, over-writing all existing image settings.
Clicking on the Process box (or Process All) processes the file and opens it in Photoshop. From here, the standard Photoshop functions take over and the image can be edited and saved in whatever format you choose.
We spent a considerable amount of time checking out the characteristics and performance of this new shooting mode. Results are reported in the Performance section below.
Improved Video Capabilities
While previous OM-D cameras have been designed primarily for shooting stills, the E-M5 Mark II provides some worthwhile options for movie makers, although the top resolution remains at 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD). Users can now select from 24, 25, 30, 50 or 60p frame rates, regardless of region with all being supported by IPB encoding at up to 52 megabits/second (Mbit/s). All-intraframe (ALL-I) encoding (which integrates with professional editing suites) at 77 Mbit/s is available with the 24, 25 and 30 fps frame rates.
Movies are recorded in the widely-used MOV (MPEG-4AVC/H.264) format, with AVI (Motion JPEG) used for low-resolution clips. HDMI output to a connected TV set is available ““ but not to other HDMI output devices. (The camera can be operated by a TV remote control when linked via a HDMI cable.)
Soundtracks are recorded in Wave format audio with16-bit Stereo linear soundtracks and PCM (pulse-code modulation) at a sampling frequency of 48 kHz. Sound monitoring is possible when the optional accessory grip (which has a headphone socket) is attached.
The Time Code Mode provides three options: Drop Frame (DF), Count U)P and Starting Time. DF will record time codes corrected for errors with respect to recording time, while
NDF (no drop frame) records uncorrected time codes. Count Up can be set to RR (Rec run) to use time codes that only run during recording or FR (Free run) to use time codes that also run when recording has stopped, including when the camera is powered off.
To set a starting time for the time code users can choose from Current Time to set the time code for the current frame to 00 or Reset to set it to 00:00:00:00. Manual Input is also available. Time code is not supported for the HD and SD resolution settings.
Nice-to-have functions like focus peaking are available in movie mode and users can choose between black, white, red and yellow for outlining sharp edges. The full 5-axis image stabilisation is also available in movie mode, providing a stable platform for shooting action when the photographer is running and recording with the camera hand-held.
All Art Filters are available in movie mode and the Mark II includes four different Art Effects. A new Clips function makes it easy to create movies with a variety of scene changes by pressing the movie button once as if taking a snapshot. Users can preset the duration of clips for these short movies. Movies shot as Clips are automatically saved to the camera’s My Clips menu. Effects and background music can be added within the camera before exporting the entire sequence as a single movie.
Build and Ergonomics
Physically, the Mark II is more like the E-M1 than the original E-M5. Although all three cameras have metal alloy chassis, the Mark II feels more substantial and looks and feels more like the flagship E-M1 model than its predecessor. It also inherits some of the design improvements introduced on that camera.
Unfortunately, Olympus hasn’t settled on a standard control layout for its OM-D cameras. Consequently, photographers who own (and use) more than one OM-D camera must always check where the different controls are when they pick up a camera or swap between different bodies. This is bound to create frustration.
Depending on which OM-D model you use, you will find the mode dial on either the right (E-M1) or left (E-M5, E-M5 II, E-M10) side of the EVF housing. The power on/off lever is either around the dial on the left side of the top panel (E-M1, E-M5 II) or in the lower right hand corner of the rear panel (E-M5, E-M10).
Comparisons of the top panels in the four OM-D cameras released so far. (Source: Olympus.)
The control dials remain on the top panel and access the same functions but their positions vary with different cameras. On the E-M1 the front dial sits out on the grip moulding, while on the others, it’s back protruding slightly above the (much smaller) grip.
Comparisons of the rear panels in the four OM-D cameras released so far. (Source: Olympus.)
The various button controls on the top and rear panels are redistributed as a result, although they mostly remain on the same panel in all four cameras. But, depending on which body you use, the Menu button may be above or below the arrow pad, the HDR button may be left or right of the EVF and the EVF/monitor switch can be on the top or rear panel. Thankfully, the position of the Delete remains constant.
Front view of the OM-D E-M5 Mark II with no lens fitted. (Source: Olympus.)
The double-button controls on the front panel of the E-M1, which accessed the one-touch white balance and depth-of-field preview settings, have been replaced by a single depth-of-field preview button that is moved down close to the base plate. The grip moulding on the E-M5 Mark II is a lot smaller than on the E-M1, although larger than the original E-M5’s.
The top panel of the OM-D E-M5 Mark II with no lens fitted. (Source: Olympus.)
The top panel of the Mark II has two more buttons than the original E-M5’s, thanks to the addition of EVF/monitor switch and HDR buttons, which double as programmable Fn3 and Fn4 buttons, respectively. The new camera’s mode dial is lockable (a welcome improvement) and the power on/off lever is located below it (in the same position as the E-M1’s).
The rear panel of the OM-D E-M5 Mark II with the vari-angle monitor closed. (Source: Olympus.)
The main change to the rear panel is the LCD monitor, which is now fully adjustable and hinged on the left hand side. It has the same resolution and touch-screen functions as the screen on the E-M1.
The other significant change to the rear panel is the removal of the accessory port, which allowed users of the original E-M5, the E-M10 and the E-M1 cameras to fit accessories like the MAL-1 Macro Arm Light and SEMA-1 Microphone Set. This gives the EVF housing a lower profile but may not please some macro enthusiasts, who will have to use the more expensive ring lights.
Aside from these changes, the base plate and side panels are essentially unchanged. The metal-lined tripod socket on the base plate is aligned with the lens axis and the locking battery compartment and interface for the HLD-8 power battery holder are in the same places as their equivalents on other OM-D cameras.
The single memory card slot is located on the right hand side of the camera body. Interface connectors for a USB multi-connector, HDMI Type D plug and 3.5mm stereo microphone jack lie beneath a lift-up rubber cover on the left hand side.
Other Controls
The E-M5 Mark II boasts a mechanical shutter mechanism with a top speed of 1/8000 second plus an electronic shutter that enables the use of a 1/16000 second shutter speed. Special shooting modes that use the electronic shutter include the electronic first curtain shutter Anti-Shock mode to minimise shutter shock (including with burst shooting) and the Silent mode for shooting in environments where silence is required.
The Live Composite shot mode introduced in the OMD-E-M10 carries over into the new camera. The Super Control Panel has become the default setting for the OK button, instead of being buried deep in the menu.
The new camera’s built-in Wi-Fi system is essentially the same as in the E-M1 and E-M10 cameras. It uses QR code scanning for easy connection to compatible smart devices, which can then be used to control the camera remotely or add location data to images and movie clips. Olympus has released a new Olympus Image Palette editing app that can be used on smart-phones and tablets to apply effects such as Colour Creator and adjust tone curves, gamma, hue and saturation.
Playback and Software
The E-M5 Mark II carries the same playback settings as other Olympus cameras, including single-frame and index (4, 9 or 25 frames) display, Calendar display, 2x to 14x playback zoom, slideshow with background music, transition effects and picture rotation (auto mode available). Movie clips can be included in slideshows and My Clips movie playback is available.
You can view thumbnails with a histogram (brightness or RGB) and shooting data. In-camera editing functions cover Raw to JPEG conversion plus the following adjustments for JPEG files: contrast, sharpness, saturation and gradation. Other JPEG edits include changing aspect ratios, shadow adjustment, red-eye fix, cropping and resizing plus B&W and sepia conversion and e-Portrait processing. Voice annotation (up to 30 seconds) and image overlay (up to 3 images) are also available.
The software disk contains the proprietary Olympus Viewer 3 application for organising and editing images and processing ORF.RAW files. A copy of the full user manual in PDF format is provided on the disk, along with a link to online user registration for the camera.
Accessories
The removal of the accessory port means the E-M5 Mark II can’t use any of the accessories that connect with the camera via this interface, notably the MAL-1 Macro Arm Light and SEMA-1 Microphone Set. However, the hot-shoe accepts external flashguns and Olympus provides five different models, in addition to the bundled FL-LM3, which has GN 9.1 at ISO 100 plus an adjustable head that can be tilted to bounce the light from nearby surfaces.
The FL-LM3 is only compatible with the E-M5 Mark II and is fully weather sealed. It draws power from the camera’s battery. The recharge time for full power is around five seconds, which isn’t great for shooting fast-moving subjects but should be adequate for still life and portrait photography.
Other flash options include the SRF-11 ring flash set and the STF-22 twin flash set, which can be used with the FC-1 macro flash controller for macro photography. Either option could provide a more powerful substitute for the MAL-1 Macro Arm Light.
The HLD-8 power battery holder comes in two parts: a grip extension and a battery holder. Either can be attached separately or both will fit on the camera together. The grip portion includes a headphone jack plus a shutter button and front control dial. The battery portion holds a BLN-1 battery and has a shutter button, front and rear dials plus two function buttons.
Other accessories include the new EE-1 dot sight accessory for super-telephoto shooting, which clips onto the camera’s hot-shoe. It replicates the function provided by the SP100 superzoom digicam’s finder and provides a quick way to focus on subjects at high magnification.
Olympus also offers the ECG-2 metal external grip with a quick-shot compatible rail for use on professional tripods. A special underwater housing, the PT-EP13, will be available for the new camera. It is certified to a depth of 45 metres and compatible with the M.Zuiko 9-18, M.Zuiko 14-42 IIR, M.Zuiko 12-50 EZ, M.Zuiko 60mm Macro and M.Zuiko 75mm lenses.
Two lens adapters are available, the MMF-2 for Olympus OM Zuiko film lenses and the MMF-3 for Four Thirds system lenses. Also on offer are a remote cable (RM-UC1), enlarged eyecup (EP-16) and various converter lenses that can be added to enable fish-eye or macro coverage.
Performance
Our tests of the E-M5 Mark II were carried out with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens, which was reviewed in October 2013. When the standard shooting modes were used, images produced by the camera were virtually indistinguishable from those taken with the E-M1.
As with the E-M1, the E-M5 Mark II produced natural-looking colours with plenty of detail. The new camera appears to have slightly better processing for handling noise, particularly at the top ISO settings, as illustrated by our Imatest tests, the results of which are shown in the graph below.
Imatest showed JPEG files taken at the standard Large/SuperFine resolution could meet expectations for the camera’s 16-megapixel sensor, while ORF.RAW files exceeded expectations by a substantial amount. Meeting expectations for the High Res Shot mode was a much bigger ask, since so much more data is involved.
Nevertheless, the 7296 x 5472-megapixel JPEGs from the camera, taken with the same camera settings as the regular JPEGs were also able to meet resolution expectations. However, OR1.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF files with the Olympus Photoshop plug-in failed to meet expectations, although they provided roughly 10% higher resolution than JPEGs taken with the High Res Shot mode.
We can conclude, therefore, that the High Res Shot can usefully provide more pixels to work with in situations where fine detail is required. However, this can only happen when the subject is completely still, which is why Olympus recommends using it only for still life and architectural photography. In very still conditions it could be used for photographing static landscapes but even a slight movement, caused by wind or rippling water, can reduce image sharpness, as illustrated in the enlarged crops below from a photograph of a rose bush in an outdoor environment with a barely detectable wind.
The original subject; 19mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/200 second at f/8.
A crop from a 4608 x 3456-pixel JPEG photograph taken with standard resolution.
A crop from a 7296 x 5472 pixel JPEG photograph taken with the High Res Shot mode.
A crop from a 9216 x 6912 pixel OR1.RAW file converted into 16-bit TIFF format.
We found no evidence of any loss of dynamic range or any increase in image noise or moirø© in any of the High Res Shot images we recorded, either as Imatest test shots or normal outdoor photographs. All test shots were processed without additional sharpening but, when unsharp masking was applied post-capture, the increased acutance resulted in a perceptible improvement to detail reproduction.
Outside of the High Res Shot mode, overall imaging performance was similar to the E-M1’s. Available light shots taken at night showed little evidence of noise at ISO settings up to 3200, after which noise became gtradually more visible. However, we found little evidence of the blotchiness that occurred in high ISO shots from the original E-M5 and images were sharper and more colour-accurate, although some softening could be seen at the two highest sensitivity settings.
The expected slight improvement in flash performance, due to the more powerful bundled flash was confirmed in our shooting tests. We found very slight under-exposure at ISO 100 with slight over-exposure increasing progressively from ISO 6400 to ISO 25600, where exposures were more than 1EV higher. Flash shots taken at the two highest ISO settings were slightly soft.
Autofocusing for still shots was generally fast and accurate and touch AF in live view mode was quick to respond and spot-on in accuracy, even in low light levels. Continuous autofocusing in the movie mode was quick to lock onto and track moving subjects.
Exposure metering was as good as we found with the E-M1 and accurate under most lighting conditions, even relatively strong backlighting, where the Highlight/Shadow control became a real asset. The in-camera HDR functions delivered similar results to the E-M1.
White balance performance was similar to the E-M1’s, with a slight warm cast remaining in shots taken under incandescent lighting with the auto setting. Colours were close to neutral with both flash and fluorescent lighting. The incandescent and fluorescent pre-sets over-corrected slightly but the flash pre-set produced no colour changes. Plenty of in-camera adjustments are available to overcome biases and the manual measurement tools delivered cast-free shots.
Video performance was noticeably better than previous cameras delivered, thanks in part to the improved image stabilisation and faster, more accurate continuous autofocusing. Users can achieve steadicam-like stabilisation when shooting movies while walking and minimal jerkiness if shooting while running. In both cases, usable footage was possible in a variety of lighting conditions.
We weren’t able to test the camera with an external microphone but soundtracks recorded with the camera’s internal microphones were clear enough for normal usage. The wind filter did a better than average job of suppressing wind noise up to modest wind strengths.
Our timing tests were carried out with a 16GB Panasonic SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 card. The review camera took just under a second to power-up for the first shot. Shot-to-shot times were consistently 0.5 seconds without flash and capture lag was virtually non-existent, provided the Art Filters were not used.
Image processing times were similar to the E-M1’s, with JPEG files taking less than a second, ORF.RAW files just over a second and RAW+JPEG pairs very little more. In the high-speed sequential shooting mode, the review camera was were able to record 28 Large/Superfine JPEGs in 4.9 seconds before capture rates slowed. It took 7.9 seconds to process this burst.
Changing to ORF.RAW format, reduced the number of shots recorded before the capture rate slowed after 18 frames, which were recorded in 3.7 seconds. It took 8.4 seconds to process this burst. With RAW+JPEG pairs, the buffer memory was full after 16 frames, which were recorded in 2.7 seconds. It took approximately 13 seconds to process the RAW+JPEG pairs.
In the low-speed sequential mode, we recorded 10 frames in 2.1 seconds in separate bursts of Large/Super Fine JPEGs, ORF.RAW files and RAW+JPEG pairs. It took 2.8 seconds to process the JPEG burst, 4.2 seconds for the raw files and 5.8 seconds for the RAW+JPEG pairs.
Conclusion
When the E-M5 was launched in February 2012 it rapidly became the most sought-after camera of its type. It’s taken four years and three interim models to come up with the E-M5 Mark II and each model has offered at least one new feature to attract serious enthusiasts.
Interestingly, at a time when other camera manufacturers have been iterating products in ‘baby steps’, Olympus is one of the few to have offered any significant technological developments. The High Res Shot mode, which has evolved from the sensor-shift stabilisation system (which Olympus also developed) provides a welcome boost to the capabilities of the company’s Micro Four Thirds cameras.
Even though its applications are limited, this development is genuinely new and exciting. It gives technical writers a fascinating subject to investigate and photo enthusiasts a reason to invest in new equipment. Olympus merits praise for ‘going boldly where others fear to tread’.
But even photographers for whom the High Res Shot mode is of minimal interest will find the E-M5 Mark II provides some attractive reasons to choose it, rather than other ‘mirrorless’ CSCs. The substantial improvements to its movie functionality and performance and its more adjustable LCD monitor make it more useful to some users than the E-M1, while the latter’s slightly better weatherproofing and phase-contrast AF system provide quantifiable advantages for long-time users of Olympus DSLR cameras.
As well as offering the E-M5 Mark II as a body only, Olympus will package the camera in three kits:
Weatherproof kit with the M.Zuiko 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 lens for AU$1599;
Adventure kit with the new M.Zuiko 14-150mm ED f/4-5.6 Mark II lens for AU$1799;
Pro Kit with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens for AU$2099 (as used for this review).
Potential purchasers who want the best quality should favour the third option if they plan on using the High Res Shot mode, as the camera really needs the best possible lenses to excel.
SPECS
Image sensor: 17.3 x 13.09 mm Live MOS sensor with approx. 17.2 million photosites (16.1 megapixels effective)
Image processor: TruePic VII
A/D conversion: 12-bit lossless compression
Lens mount: Micro Four Thirds
Focal length crop factor: 2x
Image formats: Stills – JPEG, ORF.RAW, RAW+JPEG; Movies – MOV (MPEG-4AVC/H.264), AVI (Motion JPEG), Wave Format audio (Stereo linear PCM/16-bit, Sampling frequency 48kHz)
Image Sizes: Stills ““ 4608 x 3456, 3200 x 2400, 1280 x 960; 9216 x 6912 pixel OR1.RAW or 7296 x 5472 pixel JPEG in sensor shift mode on tripod; Movies: [Full HD] 1920 x 1080: 30p, 25p, 24p with ALL-I (A-I) or IPB SF, F, N codecs, 1920 x 1080 at 60p, 50p with IPB; [HD] 1280 x 720 at 30p, [VGA ] 640 x 480 at 30p; Time-lapse movie at 1280 x 720 10 fps
Image Stabilisation: Built-in 5-axis (yaw/pitch/roll/vertical shift/horizontal shift) sensor-shift stabilisation for movie and stills; 4 modes (S-I.S.AUTO, S-I.S.1, S-I.S.2, S-I.S.3), OFF
Dust removal: Supersonic Wave Filter
Shutter (speed range): Focal-plane shutter ; range: 1/8000 – 60 sec., with selectable EV adjustment steps (1/3, 1/2, 1) Bulb/Time: selectable exposure time (1/2/4/8/15/20/25/30 min.), with 8-min. default setting
Exposure Compensation: +/-5 EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1EV steps
Exposure bracketing: 2, 3 or 5 frames in 0.3/0.7/1.0EV steps or 7 frames in 0.3/0.7EV steps
Other bracketing options: ISO, WB, Flash, Art Filter
Self-timer: 2 or 10 seconds delay
Focus system: High-speed imager AF with 81 focus points, AF illuminator, Manual Focus Assist and Peaking function (white, black, red, yellow)
Focus modes: Single AF (S-AF) / Continuous AF (C-AF) / Manual Focus (MF) / S-AF + MF / AF tracking (C-AF + TR)
Exposure metering: 324-area Digital ESP multi pattern metering, centre-weighted average, spot, spot metering with highlight control, spot metering with shadow control
Shooting modes: i Auto, Program AE (Program shift can be performed), Aperture priority AE, Shutter priority AE, Manual, Bulb, Time, Scene select AE (Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Sport, Hand-held Starlight1, Night scene, Night + Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, DIS mode, Macro, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Fisheye Conv., Wide Conv., Macro Conv., Panning), Art Filter, Underwater wide / macro
Picture Mode settings: i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone, Custom, e Portrait, Colour creator, Art Filters; Auto, Normal, High Key, Low Key adjustments [except Art Filters]
In-camera effects: 14 Art Filters, 9 Effects
Photo Story Modes: 5 Types, 4 Frame Effects, 7 Aspect & Window Patterns
Colour space options: sRGB and Adobe RGB
ISO range: Auto, LOW (approx. 100) to ISO 25600
White balance: Auto WB, 7 Preset WBs, 4 Capture WBs, Custom WB (Kelvin setting); +/- 7 steps of adjustment in each A-B/G-M axis
Flash: Bundled FL-LM3; GN 9.1 @ ISO 100
Flash modes: Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual（1/1（FULL）～1/64)
Flash exposure adjustment: Up to +/-3 EV in 0.3, 0.5, 1 EV steps selectable
Sequence shooting: Max. 11 frames/sec. with electronic shutter; 10 fps with S-AF; 5 fps with C-AF
Buffer capacity: Max. Large/Fine JPEGs, RAW files or RAW+JPEG pairs
Storage Media: Single slot for SD, SDHC, SDXC cards (compatible with UHS-I/II, Eye-Fi cards)
Viewfinder: Eye-level EVF with approx. 2.36 million dots, 100% FOV, 1.48x magnification, -4 ~ +2m-1 dpt adjustment, 2-axis (horizontal/vertical) level gauge
LCD monitor: 3.0-inch vari-angle electrostatic capacitance touch monitor with 1,037,000 dots, +/- 7 levels of brightness control
Playback functions: Single-frame, Information display, Index display (4/9/25/100 frames), Calendar, Enlargement (2x – 14x), Movie (with sound, FF/REW/Pause), Picture rotation (auto), Slideshow (with sound including BGM, Slide show effects, replaceable BGM), Light Box display
Interface terminals: Dedicated multi-connector – USB: USB2.0 Hi-Speed, Video: NTSC/PAL selectable, Optional Remote cable RM-UC1 compatible; Micro HDMI (Type-D); Hot shoe / Sync. terminal; 3.5 mm stereo mini jack
Wi-Fi function: IEEE 802.11b/g/n, 2412 MHz – 2462 MHz (1-11 ch), Wi-Fi / WPA / WPA2, Infrastructure mode, QR code connection
Power supply: BLN-1 rechargeable Li-ion Battery Pack; CIPA rated for approx. 310 shots/charge
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 123.7 x 85 x 44.5 mm (excluding protrusions)
Weight: Approx. 417 grams (body only); 469 grams with battery and card
TESTS
Based on normal JPEG files:
Based on normal ORF.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFFs with RawTherapee:
Based on JPEG files recorded in the High Res Shot mode:
Based on OR1.RAW files recorded in the High Res Shot mode and converted into 16-bit TIFFs with the Olympus Photoshop plug-in:
SAMPLES
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
Auto white balance with flash lighting.
30-second exposure at ISO 100, 15mm focal length, f/2.8.
15-second exposure at ISO 1600, 15mm focal length, f/6.3.
8-second exposure at ISO 6400, 15mm focal length, f/9.
5-second exposure at ISO 12800, 15mm focal length, f/10.
3.2-second exposure at ISO 25600, 15mm focal length, f/11.
Flash exposure at ISO 100, 38mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/2.8.
Flash exposure at ISO 3200, 38mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/2.8.
Flash exposure at ISO 6400, 38mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/2.8.
Flash exposure at ISO 12800, 38mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/4.
Flash exposure at ISO 25600, 38mm focal length, 1/125 second at f/4.5.
12mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/200 second at f/8.
Crop from image taken of the above subject with 4608 x 3456 pixel resolution.
Crop from image taken of the same subject with 7296 x 5472 pixel resolution.
Crop from image taken of the same subject with 9216 x 6912 pixel resolution.
40mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/2.8.
40mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/4.5.
27mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/6.3.
30mm focal length, ISO 2100, 1/320 second at f/5.6.
Still frame captured during the recording of a movie clip; 27mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/6.3.
Still frame from Full HD 1080p video clip recorded with ALL-I compression format at 25 fps.
Still frame from Full HD 1080p video clip recorded in IPB format with SuperFine compression at 50 fps.
Still frame from Full HD 1080p video clip recorded in IPB format with Fine compression at 50 fps.
Still frame from Full HD 1080p video clip recorded in IPB format with Normal compression at 25 fps.
Still frame from HD 720p video clip recorded in M-JPEG format at 25 fps.
Still frame from VGA video clip recorded in M-JPEG format at 25 fps.
Rating
RRP: AU$1299; US$1100 (body only)
- Build: 9.0
- Ease of use: 8.5
- Autofocusing: 9.0
- Still image quality JPEG: 8.8
- Still image quality RAW: 9.0
- Video quality: 9.0
