Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

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The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III is an advanced-level Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera for those who are serious about photography. It is beautifully designed and is relatively compact and light. For those who shoot landscape, it has an option to shoot high-res 50MP images (with the camera on a tripod). It offers in-body image stabilization (IBIS) and the body is weather-sealed against dust and moisture (IPX1 rating), and is freeze-proof down to -10°C (14°F). It can be considered to be the ‘lite’ version of the E-M1 Mark II professional model.

The E-M5 III accepts interchangeable lenses using the Micro Four Thitds (MFT) mount. Olympus has some of the best high quality mirrorless lenses. Olympus’ in-body image stabilization (IBIS) also ranks among the best in the industry and the one in the E-M5 III is rated at 5.5 stops (6.5 stops using Synch IS when paired with compatible lenses, e.g., the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 12-100mm F4.0 PRO).

The E-M5 III shoots excellent 20.4MP JPEG images or Ultra High Definition (UHD) 4K/30P videos (no crop).

The E-M5 III allows you to compose your shots using the high resolution 2.36M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) or use the 3.0-inch 1040K-dot Vari-angle Touchscreen LCD on the back of the camera. Vari-angle means that it folds out to the side and can be turned to face forward, up, back or down, allowing high-angle, low-angle, and selfies shots. The LCD is also touch-screen so you can tap a point on the screen to lock focus, and use touch gestures to zoom or swipe right and left when reviewing images.

The Hybrid AF (Auto Focus) system uses a total of 121-point cross-type phase detection AF points to quickly and precisely lock focus on your subject. However, Tracking AF performance needs more improvement, so if you’re into sports photography, you may have to either skip this camera or practice pre-focusing (as we all used to do before the arrival of autofocus). For sharp portraits, Eye Detection AF locks focus on your subject’s eyes. The AF Working Range is EV -2–20. Focus Bracketing and Stacking are two useful modes when shooting macro.

Other features include Continuous Shooting at 30fps, an external compact clip-on flash unit (the FL-LM3, which can be slighted tilted for flash bouncing), a hot shoe to accept an external speedlite, RAW, PASM Shooting Modes, ±5 stops Exposure Compensation, Shutter Speed from 1/32000 sec. to 60 sec. (flash-sync shutter speed of 1/250 sec.; when using Super FP: 1/125-1/8000 sec.), Bulb (8 min), Art Filter, Art Effect, Time Lapse, Multiple Exposure, Live Composite (maximum shooting time 3 hours), and Scene Modes.

There are a number of connectivity features that make the E-M5 III practical for those who post to social media sites. Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth mean that you can store GPS information, do remote Live View shooting and easily transfer images to your smart phone or tablet.

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If you are serious about photography and want a full featured camera that will grow with you as you learn more, then we recommend the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III. It gives excellent images and videos, and is about $600 cheaper than the the E-M1 Mark II professional model on which it is based. It is very compact and light, but solidly built. Some pros use the E-M5 III as a backup camera to their E-M1 II. The only thing to be aware of is that Tracking AF is not implemented as well as on the E-M1 II, though that does not mean you cannot get great sports pictures by carefully pre-focusing where you anticipate to capture the action. The E-M5 III is weathersealed, which, when paired with a weathersealed lens, means you can shoot in almost all conditions without worrying about damaging your camera.

If the Olympus E-M5 III is the camera that is best for you, please support this site by ordering it as well as accessories from our Trusted Sponsor B&H Photo-Video, the Professional’s Source, satisfying millions of customers for over 35 years (prices are in USD):

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Related Links:

• Olympus E-M5 III Press Release
• Olympus E-M5 III Technical Specs
• Olympus E-M5 III Instruction Manual
• Olympus E-M5 III Software & App Download
• Olympus E-M5 III Firmware Update