CAMERA TEST
Handling& build
Stickingwiththeeveryday
compactappealresponsible
fo r the E-M5 MkII’s success,
the body sticks to the same
basics. However, there are
a number of additions that
have been imported from the
company’s premium offerings.
The mode dial has now
shifted sides to sit by the
control wheels, exposure
compensation, video button
and shutter. On the left-hand
side there’s an on/off switch,
as well as a brace of shortcuts
responsible for drive modes,
Pro Capture and High Res
Shot modes, as well as Live
View. Finally, a newly-added
thumb-grip adds to the
handling, and also brings
a dedicated ISO button that’s
easily accessible.
Staples – such as the
weather-sealing that Olympus
is famed for – are to be found
here. Unfortunately, the
sturdy magnesium alloy
has gone, in favour of a
polycarbonate design. It still
seems rugged, albeit witha
more plasticky feel. With so
muchon offer,it’simpressive
thattheweighthasbeenkept
toa minimum,thoughthis
means there may be balance
issues with heavier lenses.
Performance
There’s quite a change from
the older model here. Almost
every aspect has been pepped
up to meet modern demands
- feeling very similar to an
E-M1 Mark II at times. The
121-point phase detection
is perhaps the most useful
addition. It feels snappier and
moreaccuratein everyway.
Sadly,thealgorithmsfoundin
the proE-M1Xmodelhaven’t
made an appearance. That
said, there’s little to gripe at
here. Single-point AF does
a grand job – it’s quick and
accurate. Flipping over to
continuous AF is equally
impressive, especially when
using face and eye recognition.
We found the hit-rate to be
more than enough to ensure
great portraits.
There are tracking modes
here. While they’re more than
good enough for slow-moving
subjects, or those directly
approaching the camera, we
did find it a bit hit-and-miss for
faster action. That said, thanks
to the 10fps continuous burst
speed, it’s still a contender if
AboveOlympus’menusystem
may takea bit of gettingto grips
wi th, but users swear by it once
they become accustomed to it.
ALMOST EVERY ASPECT HAS
BEEN PEPPED UP TO MEET
MODERN DEMANDS, FEELING
SIMILAR TO THE E-M1 MKII
Imagestabilisationis a technologythathasbeen
ar oundfora while,andis mostoftenassociated
wi thmirrorlesscameras.Theconceptis prettysimple.
The sensor sits in a specially crafted ‘cradle’ and can
move independently of the camera body to correct
micro-movements along 5 axis. These axis are pitch,
yaw and roll. Where the Olympus really comes alive,
however, is with the inclusion of Sync IS. This tech
manages to line up the in-body sensor shift image
stabilisation with the optical stabilisation found in
compatible lenses, meaning you can actually increase
the effective amount of shake-compensation on offer.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 123
Tech Focus 5-axis Sync IS
Picture perfect
portraits
Thanks to the inclusion of face
and eye recognition algorithms,
the E-M5 MkIII is a great choice
for portraits. We found that it
performed admirably, with the
eye focus being particularly
when shooting
en with the 25mm
The tones of the
ge files are vibrant
d true to life. The
uto white balance
oes a great job at
auging the scene,
nd there’s enough
xibility in the files
ring out a touch of
etail.
IMAGE
QUALITY
