The OM System OM-5 is the follow-up to certainly one of Olympus’ greatest cameras, the OM-D E-M5 Mark III from 2019. And this makes the brand new mid-ranger a robust contender for the title of greatest journey digital camera and greatest digital camera for freshmen.

A compact, light-weight Micro 4 Thirds digital camera, the OM-5 takes its predecessor’s successful method and improves on it in a number of areas. These embody extra highly effective in-body picture stabilization, IP53-rated climate resistance, and a bunch of computational images options that have been beforehand solely discovered on the higher-end E-M1 collection.

The OM-5 can be the primary digital camera to bear the ‘OM System’ title. This new model was born following the sale of Olympus’ imaging division in 2020 – and whereas we have already seen the flagship OM System OM-1 arrive earlier this 12 months, that digital camera bore the basic Olympus title for one final time.  

So does the brand new OM-5 enhance sufficient on its older predecessor to make it a robust rival to newer cameras just like the Canon EOS R10 and Fujifilm X-S10? Or might the inclusion of an older 20.4MP 4 Thirds sensor maintain it again from greatness? This is all the pieces you must know, together with precisely the way it compares with the E-M5 Mark III that it is primarily based on.

OM System OM-5 launch date and value

• Available for purchase from late November
• The body-only value is $1,199 / £1,199 (round AU$2,115)
• Barely costlier than the Canon EOS R10 and Fujifilm X-S10

The OM System OM-5 shall be that can be purchased in late November in a couple of completely different bundles.

You can purchase the OM-5 body-only for $1,199 / £1,199 (round AU$2,115), or with a 12-45mm f/4.Zero Professional package lens for $1,599 / £1,499. Within the UK and Europe, journey followers will even have the ability to purchase the OM-5 with the 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II lens for a similar value because the 12-45mm package.

This pricing places the OM System OM-5 in an identical ballpark to the Canon EOS R10 ($979 / £899 / AU$1,499, physique solely), which we take into account to be the very best newbie digital camera you should purchase. One other shut rival is the Fujifilm X-S10 ($999 / £949 / AU$1,699), which equally has in-body picture stabilization.

OM System OM-5 design and options

• Similar 20.4MP 4 Thirds sensor because the E-M5 Mark III
• Improved in-body picture stabilization (as much as 7.5 stops)
• IP53-rated weather-proofing and new computational modes

The OM System OM-5 is closely primarily based on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, which has the identical design and 20.4MP 4 Thirds sensor. However there are many small enhancements that collectively make the OM-5 a extra fashionable mid-range digital camera for journey and on a regular basis capturing.

Just like the OM System OM-1, the OM-5 has official IP53-rated weatherproofing. What does that imply? The ‘5’ within the ranking implies that any mud that enters the digital camera will not injury it, whereas the ‘3’ signifies that it is protected towards sprays of water. It is not absolutely waterproof, then, however ought to deal with just about any climate you throw at it, together with excessive chilly due to its freezeproofing.

Two different enhancements on the OM-5’s predecessor are a brand new Truepic IX processor, taken from the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, and improved in-body picture stabilization. The latter will apparently offer you an additional cease of stabilization in comparison with the E-M5, taking it as much as 6.5 stops of compensation (or 7.5 with suitable lenses). The actual-world profit is slower handheld shutter speeds, which reduces the necessity for utilizing a tripod.

Whereas that processor cannot handle the AI autofocus methods seen on the OM System OM-1, which assist it acknowledge and observe animals and autos, it does unlock some helpful computational images modes that have been beforehand been reserved for Olympus’ flagship E-M1 line.

These embody LiveND, which slows down your shutter pace by as much as 4 stops that will help you create lengthy publicity results with out the necessity for fiddly filters, and Starry Sky AF for mechanically locking focus onto stars. You additionally get a Handheld Excessive Res Shot mode for taking 50MP snaps when capturing static scenes and the helpful ProCapture, which supplies you uncooked frames from each earlier than and after you have pressed the shutter throughout vital moments.

That is all nice for stills shooters, however what about video? The enhancements from the E-M5 Mark III are extra minor. The OM-5 nonetheless maxes out at 4K/30p video (or Full HD at 120p), but it surely does add a brand new vertical video choice, limitless file occasions, and a flat OM-Log400 profile for individuals who wish to coloration grade and maximize dynamic vary.

OM System OM-5 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III: what’s new?

In case you personal an OM-D E-M5 Mark III, or are considering that it might properly show to be cut price now that the OM-5’s on the scene, this is how the 2 cameras examine (see the desk under).

Their outright picture high quality shall be similar, as a result of each cameras have the identical 20.4MP 4 Thirds sensor. However the OM-5 does convey fairly a couple of quality-of-life upgrades which were inherited from the E-M1 collection.

The primary ones are these helpful computational images modes, like LiveND (which albeit solely affords as much as ND16, relatively than ND32) and Starry Skye AF. You additionally get some apparently improved autofocus for Face/Eye detection, and that boosted IP53 weatherproofing.

With an additional cease of in-body picture stabilization in comparison with the E-M5, the OM-5 can be an much more highly effective companion for handheld capturing. That mentioned, its video options are very comparable and it could possibly be value searching for value drops on the E-M5 Mark III through the incoming Black Friday digital camera offers.

OM System OM-5 vs Olympus E-M5 Mark III: fundamental variations

	OM System OM-5	Olympus E-M5 Mark III
Processor	Truepic IX	Truepic VIII
Weatherproofing	IP53	IPX1
IBIS	As much as 7.5 stops	As much as 6.5 stops
Autofocus	121-point Section Detection AF (improved Face/Eye detection)	121-point Section Detection AF
Computational modes	Handheld Excessive Res Shot (50MP), LiveND, Starry Sky AF	Excessive Res Shot (50MP)
Video	4K/30p (vertical video mode, OM-Log400)	4K/30p
Video file occasions	Limitless	As much as 29 minutes

OM System OM-5 early verdict

Whereas it is not a radical enchancment on the Olympus E-M5 Mark III, the OM System OM-5 brings sufficient new options to make it among the finest journey cameras round and in addition a doubtlessly nice first digital camera for a newbie.

The OM-5 is basically an E-M5 crossed with an E-M1 collection digital camera, due to that new Truepic IX processor. Contemplating the digital camera’s compact dimension, 366g weight (and not using a lens) and IP53 weatherproofing, this could make it quite a lot of enjoyable to shoot with throughout journey adventures and an improve in your smartphone.

You may naturally should finances for a lens or two, however that is one other power of the Micro 4 Thirds system, which affords loads of well-matched choices just like the f/Four Professional lineup or pancake primes for individuals who need super-compact setup.

We suspect the Canon EOS R10’s highly effective autofocus system will trump the OM-5, which lacks the OM-1’s AI autofocus powers. And the Fujifilm X-S10 additionally affords in-body picture stabilization and a bigger sensor for much less cash than OM System’s new mid-ranger. However on paper, the OM-5 nonetheless affords a singular set of options – and we’ll be  tossing it into our backpack for a full overview very quickly.