Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark III - Real-World, In-Depth Review (4K) 

1. So, did you find what you were after? If not, what did I miss? 2. Should this video have been shorter? Or do you appreciate the length and details shared?

Even if you has an Olympus bias it is so good to see a real photographer speaking about real photography. No pixel count, no microcontrast, no corner sharpness in comparison to 10 other brands. Big like and subscription ;)

Thank you for this vid. I tried many cameras from Sony Canon Nikon and Panasonic but I always feel just happy to use Olympus. I ended up buying 4 of them!

After watching a million videos on the EM-1 Mark III you sir have convinced me that this is the one. It's incredible what you've created with such a small & light kit.

The best review I've watched for the last days. Congrats and thank you for sharing your vision of this new camera.

Extremely well done evaluation! To me this is one of the best presentations on a new camera I have ever seen. Especially in combination with the break free video ahead of it. I saw the Break Free video when it came out and thought WOW and then when I saw this follow up to how, what, when and where and a simple explanation to the differences between the cameras. Great job! I was going to get the EM1 Mk3 anyway but, now I am more convinced. I have the EM5 Mk2 and the EM1 Mk2 and have been very happy with them, especially after coming from years of shooting with Canon. The Olympus line up has brought the fun and enthusiasm back into my photography. By the way as a testament to the weather sealing capabilities I took the EM1 Mk2 to Africa and Victoria Falls shortly after it came out. Our guide advised me against taking it, as we were going to walk next to the falls and he had seen many cameras ruined. I just smiled.... It was like being in a hurricane and it never flinched, not once and we were in those conditions for several hours! He was blown away as I just kept taking shots and the camera was fully functional. My wife had a rag under her rain gear and we just kept wiping the water off the lens, the 12-40 f2.8 Pro, so I could get the shot until I couldn't see out of it for all the water on it. I also shot on a rainy day all day in the Smoky Mountains in the US and never a problem. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Given the time frame you had to do it, you did an outstanding job.

Chris, what an excellent review. I have enjoyed every minute of this video. As a professional landscape photographer and Aurora chaser (as I live in Norway) I can't wait to add the EM1 Mark III to my Olympus kit. I am an Olympus shooter - and great advocate of the system (converted many photographers to the system) - for many many years and I love the innovation Olympus puts in his cameras. I am very pleased to hear that Olympus removed the ISO limitation on the HiRes shots, as this will help me to to shoot even more Aurora images with decreasing noise. Over the last years I have tested the HiRes mode on the EM1 Mark II to shoot the Aurora, but the limitation of the ISO (1600) caused an issue. Now I crank up the ISO with decreased shutter speed to capture the Aurora. My tests with the EM1 Mark II have shown that the thought process I had was correct. So now I am happy the I can do more tests with the EM1 Mark III. The new EM1 Mark III will help to open a whole new set of opportunities to shoot the Aurora. I recently wrote an article about "how to shoot the Northern Lights with your EM1 Mark II" - which was published by Olympus Passion magazine. With the knowledge I have put in this article I am sure the Olympus EM1 Mark III will greatly improve the Northern Lights shooting experience. Especially with the new Starry Sky AF functionality allowing long exposure shots handheld, will be a quantum leap in shooting the Northern Lights. I am more than sold on the Olympus gear and bring the Break Free messaging forward. I love the system!

One of the best camera reviews I have watched. Real photography, and thats a complement from a Fujifilm user

1. Great coverage. 2. Great and in depth, really enjoyed hearing about the whole process, and that gives valuable insights into how the photo business works. Thanks!!!

this is definitely the best review on e-m1-iii i saw, in last few months, and I have seen all of them! thanks for sharing your experiences mate, best wishes!

Great work Chris! We are always talking what we are capable of with this or that feature of the gear we use, but you actually went out for 3 weeks and did it. Incredible... Love the "Break Free" short film BTW

Great review of the two cameras. Adding a comparison of the mark ii was a really helpful bonus. Thank you!

Just watched this review. Outstanding! Good honest opinions with a mix of source video and pictures. Well done. I'm looking at purchasing this camera and this helped me concrete my decision.

Great review Chris, thanks for taking the time. I'm still learning the Olympus system with my E-M10 MKIII but it's turned into such a great travel camera I'm looking into getting a E-M1 MKIII now for my landscape and wildlife photography. Thanks again!

Love this review and thanks for answering my emails, really appreciate it

This will really help!! Keep up the good work!

Absolutly amazing Video man, the best i´ve seen yet about the Features of the EM1MKIII, thank you for that!

Very detailed presentation. Thank you, Chris.

So informative thank you. Can’t wait to get my hands on one!

Love you talking about your experiences with filming the Break Free video. I also like your telling the differences between the three Olympus cameras.

This is how reviews should be done. Thank you for setting the bar.

Really helpful and practical review. Well thought through and clear - just what I needed to know. Thanks.

I’ve seen some other reviews but it was worth waiting for yours. Thank you!

Thanks for the great content. Very exhaustive information, covering all main features. Imho not long enough :), I've really enjoyed a not boring, high quality review.

Amazingly genuine review. Loved the fact that you used the gear in such extreme conditions and produced some amazing results. Currently researching mirrorless cameras but your review has seen me make my mind up. Going from FF Nikon to the EM1 Mk III and looking forward to being excited again by the camera

Wow-what a great review and the film was excellent. Sealed the deal, putting the order in for the camera today. Thanks

An excellent overview. Many thanks for producing and kindly sharing the wisdom and experiences !

Chris, I was blown away by the Break Free video the other day and you’ve added so much more value with this also well-crafted and delivered chat. It’s always a pleasure when one of your videos shows up, but you’ve exceeded my expectations here. It’s just a pity that I can’t afford any of these cameras, but I’m happy with my E-M5 II for now. Thanks for sharing with us.

Awesome video with tons of interesting information, thanks a lot ! 😁

Great review, love your videos, wish they were more frequent

Subscribed!!! Awesome presentation and review without being bogged down by numbers and specs but real results 👍🏼

Thanks for this fantastic review!!

Great review!

Omg this is one amazing video. I stumbled across your video at 4am in bed and cannot stop watching it. I have been shooting with Sony and Fujifilm and switched to Olympus Mark III last month because the small size that the M4/3 offers. I’m super excited to know that I made the right decision after watching this video of your torture tests and run & gun style of photography. With Olympus I want to bring my camera along again and shoot on the fly without the extra equipment and unnecessary weight. This video is exactly what I wanted and needed to watch. I still have a lot to learn what this camera can offer for me but you definitely showed me the real world possibilities with minimal gears and professional results. You are amazing! No your video was not too long. Of course I subbed and will be following you. Love your style of photography you got a new fan 🤛

Wow. This is incredible. When all the FF fanboys like Tony, Fro & the rest hit us with specs you just do it. This is photography. This is why we have cameras! Crazy you can do all that in such a small system. I’m also really pleased I jumped on an EM1 mkii in November,...just need the 12-100 now🤞☘️

Really helpful review based on a real life demanding situations. Thank you!

Outstanding review!

Great in-depth review...first one I listened to today after I got my Mark III this morning. Looking forward to put it to test and come up with some compelling images to share. Thanks for sharing your time and experiences with us. I'm also a proud owner of the MIX and Mark II...love shooting handheld!

Just found this and subscribed! A proper in depth real world look. I'm an E-M1mk II user myself, eagerly awaiting the rumours that have been hitting about the next model. I actually needed this video - although I get awesome results from my set up and love it, I've seen even more bashing than usual recently and it has started to make me think about things; I'm not usually influenced like this but right now in 2021 it seems everyone is moving over to Sony and bashing Olympus. This video just reminded me of what I already know, so thank you!

Thanks, this was a fantastic review. The one I've watched after seeing all the others. I find it interesting that most of the people using Olympus gear are actual professional photographers with youtube channels on the side or to promote their business and those that downplay the system are full-time RU-vidrs. I'll keep using my Em1 mkii for now, it does everything I need it to do, but some of the new features on the mkiii are really nice. For me it just shows how good of a camera the Em1 mkii is.

Amazing video! Thanks!

Loved it man! Super stoked to upgrade to this one!

Hats off! You Sir are a real Olympus Visionary, very well explained and accurate, right to the point. I've bought the E-M1 MIII already, but I am so happy to found this review. Thank you and Keep Going.

Thanks for everything :) The project is amazing ❤

Excellent review! In depth, but not too long...very useful indeed to see the cameras actually being used in the field for real work, not just a ‘test’ for a review 👍😀

Thank you for all the information.

Chris that was super impressive fella, I've never looked back since taking the EM1-X or the EM1-2 on reading watching & finally also having hands on a sample its an obvious choice without a shadow of a doubt, a terrific presentation on the new model totally enjoyed the way you delivered it, easily understandable thank you so much, top guy, one of the best presentations i have ever watched, thank you

great project Chris! tks for sharing your experience with the EM1 MkIII

I got a Em-1 Mark 3 because of you and your videos. I hope you have lots of projects and work so we can see your vision.

Great work mate! awesome break down of the story and BTS. You accent is definitely changing hah

Probably the best "camera review" video I've ever seen, well done!

An amazing review. Thanks for convincing me that sticking with Olympus cameras is the right choice for me.

Wow what a story. Thank you for your in depth shooting on the Olympus EM1 mark III.

Very useful. Thank you❤️

This is an incredibly brilliant review!

The benefit of leaving a tripod at home is amazing. Saves weight, makes travel easier, and you look for more compositions!

Chris - a masterful job presenting the capabilities of the Mark iii in the context of making the delightful “Breaking Free” video. I also very much appreciated your segment on the camera’s new video capabilities. The 120 FPS in full HD will certainly work for me in story telling in my wildlife videos although I would have very much have used an addition of 4K at 60 FPS. One video capability that I didn’t see you mention was the really excellent focus stability that the Olympus phase - detect system provides plus how you can adjust the sensitivity of and refocusing.

Superb review!! I've made my decision (at last). Thank you 😊

great review!

Shot a 10 second exposure last night with the Mark iii and Panasonic Leica 12mm lens. The ibis on these Olympus cameras are next level. Moved to the mark iii just for the joystick but have been so impressed with the improvements made over the II. Eye detect, caf and ibis were already excellent before and now they've been improved even more.

Very informative Thanks 👌

Wonderful review, I love your channel. I sold all my Nikon gear last year and purchased an EM1X and EM12 and do not regret one bit for my wildlife photography. I will be upgrading the EM12 to the 3 as I love my EM1X. I always prefer shooting handheld and the Higy Res mode has sold me alone.

Long but very informative. You really went into a lot more detail than most other reviewers that tend to skip over a lot of fine detail. Very helpful with real world pointers. Your high rez panorama was amazing. That is something I had wondered about.

Exceptional review - outstanding

Thanks much for the very solid review, always good to have real-world experiences instead of spec-checks. A few months back, I traded in several E-M5-2 bodies for an E-M1-2 and the 12-100 PRO, will be trading in more gear this week for a E-M1-3. After the M5-2 (with an extended Photodiox grip), M1 is comparatively big and heavy (I do mostly landscape, architecture and wildlife field work, lighter is almost always better), but the grip and handling on the M1-2 is superb, and the phase detect with 4/3 glass (there's still nothing that quite compares to the 50-200 SWD) is night and day for AF performance. Looking forward to the HHHR in the M1-3, it looks like a game-changer for certain settings. Thanks again!

Mr Hardcore well done. Informative and detailed review of the new camera and where it fits within the Olympus family. Looks like evolution rather then revolution but still a very capable go anywhere do anything camera.

Thank you Chris for such a wonderful video. I've just received my Mkiii yesterday, so I'm hoping to set it up over the next few days.

i own the Olympus om-d m1 mark III i was down near Newquay taking a sea-scape when i fell in 4 feet of water my camera hit the sand on the bottom it took a while to find it it was covered in sand i took it back to our caravan ran it under cold water to get all the sand off left it over night i have used it since last summer still working great GREAT VIDEO BY THE WAY SPOT ON

Thanks for the great review! I also get the OM-D EM-1 Mark III.

Great review, thanks for the detailled explanations! Videos like this one go a long way in making purchasing decisions for the average consumer (like myself :D) a lot easier. I guess it's time to finally upgrade from my EM5 MkII. After 3 years of intensive usage during travel and at home I now finally feel comfortable purchasing a "pro" camera. Live ND and especially the hand-held high-res mode make me feel excited, as I hate tripods :D

This is just a spectacular review. Far superior to the RU-vid pros who make 3 videos a week, telling you stuff you already know. Many thanks!

Best review EVER!

Chris, this is far and away the best new model intro I've run across on YT. Thorough and complete, not too long, and not overloaded with subjective drivel (e.g.," picture quality was just awesome, dude!" or some such nonsense). Only question remaining? Is the Starry Sky AF feature not available on the MX? Think this could be implemented via firmware? I still like the form factor of the larger camera (I still shoot Hasselblad film, so...); btw am leaning this way on a new system purchase.

So good to see the disclaimer in the beginning. Says alot about Olympus and you. Other companies use youtube in a completely different way.

Great review - thanks!

A very well made review...thank you for that.I chose em 1 mkIII for the extraordinary autofocus and eye detection AF.

Your photography is absolutely wonderful

Excellent review. You drove home a very important point: the camera shines in run and gun situations, which is exactly what I was looking for. Plus the darn thing can focus. Break Free was fun to watch too.

Best video about this gear so far.

Awesome review

Dude this camera is incredible! If I had the money I would switch my whole set up!!! Looking forward to more videos with the new gear!

I have been gradually shifting from Olympus and Panasonic micro four thirds systems to Fuji crop sensor cameras but the O-MD EM-1 mark III is possibly a game changer with it's hand-held features. Being able to leave the tripod at home or in the car means a lot to an old man like me. While image quality is important to me it is less important these days than how out of breath I am when I finally get to a place where I want to take photos. Thanks for the great videos illustrating this cameras features.

This was and incredible piece of content. I'm currently in the market for my first M4/3 system. Olympus has absolutely joined Panasonic my frontrunners. Would you suggest the camera for in studio YT productions as well?

Excellent review, very informative. Definitely not too long, a review needs to give all the information it can and not cut corners. Really enjoyed it.

A splendid review of the new Olympus Em1 Mark 3 camera! I miss some more comments ad the differences between the 2 Em1 Mark2 and 3 about Birds in Flight and using the focus system!

Very helpful, especially the comparisons. I've just ordered an EM1 Mk3 to add to my Panasonic G9.

Great Job Chris. I really enjoyed your format of producing the break free video and then doing this separate overview as to how items were shot and what you liked and disliked on the camera. A great way to both appreciate your work and to gain a better understanding if this camera is for me or not. Probably one of the Best camera overviews I have seen in a long time. A question, is the Mark III still limiting video to 29 min? I need to shoot a lot of conferences that I speak at at the 29 min video limitation is a big problem that forces me to go out an buy other gear, where the Mark III would be all I really need. The conference materials are actually the sideline for the camera however as my favourite is landscape and wildlife. Thanks again and I appreciate any response on the time limit for video.

Great job

Both videos are really great. I take pictures with the EM II and am still very satisfied. I will surely change to the EM III sometime. And thanks for the German subtitles.

First, thanks for the review, and thanks Olympus making this amazing smaller version EM1X

Great making of / review 👍 ... didn’t feel like 50 mins 🏃‍♂️... your review confirmed that pre-ordining the E-M1 iii as an upgrade to my beloved E-M5 ii was the right choice 😁 ... since you offered to answer technical questions 😜: ls there Auto ISO (with or without exposure compensation) in movie mode? Obviously you have proven that one (or at least you) can produce great videos in uncontrollable conditions independent of your answer. I always enjoy your content. Thx, Frank

Don't know what you think about the latest news from Olympus and their exit from the Camera business, but at least with the Mk III they seem to have left on a high. Their decision seems to sadly reflect consumer focus on specs over substance. Your real-world review with clever movie project included, was a joy to watch and brought home a philosophy that might be summarised as "Photography flow". I've been aware of the Olympus brand from childhood ever since my father introduced me to his ever-so-pocketable Olympus XA in the 1980s and I listened to my sister's excitement with the OM-1. These models were "classics" in their time and your review makes me think that the OM-D E-M1 Mark III is a fitting stallion from the same stable. It was a brave move to stick with µ4/3 amidst the growing competition from full frame sensors chasing pixel power and public contentment with the social media friendly quality from do-it-all phones. The Olympus seemed sandwiched between extremes. Sadly, purchasing power seems to have prevailed and one suspects that many might be missing the point made by your video; that the Olympus system works brilliantly with all the right compromises. For example, so what if the viewfinder doesn't quite have the highest resolution, it is certainly fit for purpose and allows efficient use of the processor for making the most of additional features. Photos are about capturing fleeting moments, the narrative is the most important aspect and a higher resolution viewfinder might sound like a persuasive selling point but it really adds nothing to the shot. Cameras are so much more than megapixels. Sticking with the same sensor for long enough to evolve associated aspects of the processor and surrounding body makes sense to me. People should try using their cameras with gloves on! For a special high resolution shot, do we really need more than 50 or 80 MP that the clever Olympus mechanics can provide anyway? Not that I want to gripe, your video deserves positive comments. It is just frustrating that Olympus fell victim to an internal corruption scandal that has forced it into the situation of a needing to have short-term profit drive decisions. As your videos show, Olympus provides a splendid range of excellent lenses for impressive kit that punches well above its weight. The µ4/3 format provides an optical geometry allowing for excellent compact high quality lenses and world-leading image stabilisation. Congratulations on your very enjoyable review. It helped me consolidate thoughts that the Mk III is something that would be worth owning one day to upgrade an EPL-6, that has nonetheless provided excellent shots in "trees become tripods" journeys...portability is key. Thank you for sharing, keep up the great work.

Hi Chris, great work and well explained. Like your way to hold interest high. I think to see that you use often the 12-100 lens. is that right?

Great to have you part of the Photography and Olympus community! You would be a great guest on RU-vidr Rob Trek's live show. He is a small channel but he has brought some from the M43 community together.

Brilliant!

Chris, thank you so much for the wonderful review. I met you a few years ago at CameraPro Brisbane. I've been waiting for this camera to be released. From your review it appears the CAF AF / Tracking is improved as I do shoot birds in flight and animal eventing (lure coursing etc). Looking forward to having the EM1mkIII. Thank You!

I appreciate your openness and candidness about your relationship with Olympus. To me this is a no brainer of an upgrade if you are firmly in camp Olympus. If you're just in camp M43, the G9 is still really compelling.

The film is brilliant and this review doesn’t feel 50min at all, great job! Will u eventually make available any raw files of night shoots (or any other) sooner or later? The hand held stars shoot is really impressive :)

Just bought my dream toy em1 markiii can't wait to get out there and play big boy games. Thanks for your detail review.

Hi Chris. Great video. Very informative and definitely not boring. I've just purchased the EM Mark III and am exploring how to best set up the camera for general shooting and specific shooting scenarios. Do you have any advice on this? I notice that you often have WB set at CWB 5600. What is the reason for this rather than Auto WB? Thanks again.