Olympus OMD EM5 III preview: HANDS ON first looks 

Hands-on preview of the Olympus OMD EM5 Mark III! Check price at B&H: bhpho.to/2MoMYeS Buy Gordon a coffee: www.paypal.me/cameralabs Gordon's In Camera book at Amazon: amzn.to/2n61PfI / Amazon uk: amzn.to/2mBqRVZ Like Cameralabs? Get the T-Shirt: redbubble.com/people/cameralabs/shop

Certified Gordan Laing vlog tested :) Looks like they gave us everything!

The ibis footage looks rocksteady. Olympus IBIS is up there as one of the best if not the best.

I own an OMD EM10 (first edition) and have been thinking about switching to Fujifilm (XT30, together with the new 16-80mm). But this camera, together with the excellent 12-100, makes me rethink my decision. It is so much fun to shoot out of your hands, where others have to pull out their tripod. The layout of the controls looks really really great. And flipping through your great book, Gordon, I cannot tell the mft sensor from aps-c or even full frame.

It is late but I have been waiting patiently. I am going to buy one asap. The video capabilities are finally what they needed to be 4 years ago. Thanks for the preview.

Thanks for posting Gordon. I knew the announcement embargo was lifted when my YT and Gmail inboxes were flooded. It does look very suited to vlogging. As always look forward to your full review.

I feel like you're more positive and knowledgeable than the visionaries and ambassadors of Olympus preview videos. Then other reviewers were comparing the camera against other cameras like apples to apples instead of apples to oranges. Every camera, no matter what brand comes with compromises so it's hard to give an apples to apples comparison. You gave the most unbiased view of this camera.

Looks like a great little camera. Nice preview, as always, Gordon. I love the physical controls on that camera, I've never paid much attention to Olympus, historically.

Great video. You do the best, most complete "first impressions" videos on YT.

Great review and great camera! New cameras don't need exciting new tech to be compelling, they just need to have the right combination of features.

I like how it is true to m43, a compact but powerful camera. Brilliant.

Seems to be the most complete feature set in a small package. Only if shooting in low light it may fall noticeable behind the competition but this needs to be verified in tests.

This camera is STILL an excellent option, even in February, 2022! You have some serious coffee shakes in this video- thanks goodness for Olympus IBIS! :)

Very interesting camera. Look forward to future reviews

"Is it late to the party, or does it arrive with a bang?" - It feels like it throws a few features they already had on the shelf, but that the overall objective was to make it cheaper to produce.

In a word or two, quite compelling!! Great overview thank you for uploading

So glad you mentioned the tactile feel of the wheels. I've always found the Nikon and Canon to be good, but the Fuji and Sony to be lacking - esp. the Fuji on the XT line when it's ALSO a button. It can be maddening in use, esp. with gloves. The wheel on the Nikon Z line is similar and very good.

I have bought the E-M1-II a week ago because there is an interesting promotion (free grip and 30mm macro lens) in the Netherlands; but otherwise this would probably been the winner. And yes, maybe Olympus is a little late to the party, but it looks like they have put the key items of the E-M1-II in a smaller package and as you say: the USP for MFT is the amount of lenses available from consumer to pro grade. That is why I jumped on the MFT wagon. Eventually this could be a second body for my MFT line-up.

Good intro to a new vlogging camera. Look forward to the review of the production model.

Another wonderful unbiased review..thank you Gordon. The EM5MKIII w/Pro Lens looks great & quite the upgrade from the MKII!

Hi, Gordon. Nice comments as always. There is a small mistake however when you said, in your written preview and also in this video, that PDAF was available for the first time in the E-M1 II. It first appeared in the E-M1 (Mk I), in 2013 I believe.

Thanks for the preview, I'm glad I jumped ship and went Panasonic Lumix G90/95 🙃

Looks great,wait for your complete test Thanks gordon

I knew you had it Gordon! Will watch this now! Thanks!

Wow! I was eyeing up Fuji for my next camera, but this mkIII looks amazing. I would need to sell my GH3 and 5D Classic to fund it, but it might be worth it. Very much looking forward to your indepth review Gordon. Many thanks.

A great first look. Thanks Gordon!

Very informative, Gordon. Many thanks! I’m debating with myself whether or not to upgrade from the E-M5 Mark II. After watching your review, I’m now leaning toward the upgrade. Once I decide, however, then the question facing me will be, Black or Silver?

I'd love to see a comparison between Olympus' OM-D E-M5 Mark III X Fujifilm X-A7... Thanks!!

Some improvements on one of the best cameras of the last decade

hi just about to order it! few questions as i cant find a manual yet! does it have my modes? also does it allot the back screen to always show the data and when you use the view finder it turns on to live view and when you take the camera away the data stays on the back? cheers!

Your so right about potentially being the "perfect" vlogging camera... My G8 🎥0 has been a trooper. The G9 is the obvious choice for a upgrade but its just too big.. Is this the one!?

Great job Gordon. As always. Since I have invested in the Canon APS-C system lens-wise, I have been looking at the 80D or 90D as an upgrade. This four thirds camera is very tempting because of its features, its size and it looks cool!

Gordon. Auto ISO in Movie is available with a small twist. When you are in M mode for manual photos, have the AutoISO selected , and just push the movie record button. It will start recording movie at your preselected resolution and frame rate, give you full manual control, and the Auto ISO will be active and functional.

Almost enough to make me weep. I switched to Fujifilm almost three years ago now precisely because my E-M5 II lacked everything this Mark III version now has, despite the fact that I like the MFT lens catalog much more than Fuji's (and had a fair number of good-but-pricey MFT optics already in my collection). It's a hauntingly - frustratingly - good option now with the updated sensor, phase detection, IBIS, articulating screen, and 4K output...

Wonderful! I look forward to watch your full review.....

Thanks Gordon as always for a great preview. I think it's pretty close to perfection, my only small gripe is sacrifice of battery life for extreme portability. If battery where a bit bigger I'd see no reason to favour my e-m1 mkii over this baby! Really looking forward to your full review.

Once you buy the the grip extender, you’re paying the same as the Em1ii, but you’re getting worse build quality, only one card slot, and a worse EVF. Makes no sense.

I don’t know if it arrived late to the party, but recently I have seen the price of the e-m1 mark II decrease to the point of being almost the same price of this new camera. Then comes the question of which one to buy, em1 mark 2 or em5 mark 3???

Firstly, nice book Gordon, thanks. The only negative point really (other than price, and we should already be on an E-M10 IV with this sensor now..) is why did it take 3 years (2 years too long at least) to get the E-M5 iii out the door and why did Oly waste time on the E-M1x which will never sell in sufficient numbers..

Thanks Gordan for another great review.

This is definitely a compelling new camera from Olympus. My last one was the em5mk2. I had then since switched to Fuji x series for the past several years. But, I am yet again open to the possibilities of a new camera and Olympus is one of my favorites. Perhaps this new one. What I'd like to know is how is the buffer? While I really enjoyed the em5mk2, i felt the buffer was noticeably less compared to the em1mk1 I owned before it. Waiting for buffer to catch up was a handicap at times. If generational technology does in fact trickle down subsequent model lines, I'm hoping the em5mk3 has improved the buffer to at least as good as the em1mk1, I could live with that. If not, I think I may have to reconsider. I have not see it yet, but, like previous em5's, I would assume there will be an accessory vertical grip that adds an extra battery as well as extra buttons and control wheels that attaches to the bottom of the accessory hand grip you showed and mentioned.

Do you own this Camera, Gordon? News in the mft front are very rare and slow, but I'm still a fan of the system.I just bought one em5iii. A great deal on the 12-45f4 kit here in Germany. I needed something compact for my first vacation trip after more than 1 year without a vacation!

Need a vlog test with the Olympus 9-18mm lens, the Rode Videomic Pro+, and the Joby SLR Zoom Gorillapod. Bam.

It looks an excellent camera especially for video, my only issue being that it is micro 4/3rds. A few years back I bought a Lumix G7 later upgraded to a G80 and whilst playing with 4k was fun I found the x2 multiplier on focal length a real pain in stills additionally, whilst basic lenses from both Olympus and Panasonic were affordable the ones you really wanted were as expensive as any other system but then quality glass costs. On the other hand, if you are into micro 4/3rds and already have the glass collection then this camera body is probably a bit of a "must" to add to your kitbag :)

You have always spoken very highly of Olympus- and the em5 1 was my first foray into the mirrorless world. You know what I have learned over the last so many years of trying stuff? The post processing AND hardware should not be overlooked! Editing photos from “lesser” sensors on higher end monitors leads to better feelings about the equipment. For example, the worms on x trans is far less apparent on 5K than 2K monitors. I dont know all the why, but it is worth mentioning that the constant “system changing” many suffer can be in part mitigated by the equipment we use to process and view our work.

Excited for the release of this camera so that i could pine over buying it for the next couple of years haha. Would be nice to see a comparison once this is released vs the Canon 90D since they the same price. Also, i use a G85 with a Viltrox EF-M2 and Sigma 18-35. I know that this speedbooster kills continuous AF on my camera but i wonder how it would perform on this camera.

Thanks for the vlog AF test

Small correction. It was not the E-M1 markii that "...finally brought phase detect auto focus to the OM-D range more than three years ago..." The Original OM-D E-M1 had phase detect way back in 2013. Fewer points and non cross-type but phase detect it was. Newer firmware in version 4.0 made it a pretty darn good performer too. Thanks for the honest review of M-5/3

I think it's a video killer in this price range. This camera have all what you need with no compromises like a6600/xt3/Z 50 etc

Loved the little Welsh flag on the lens. Iechyd da, Gordon! Interesting camera for those in the M43 universe, like me.

does the camera have the OM-LOG 400 color profile availabe?

4:00 The EVF’s magnification is really just 0.6x?! That’s almost as small as the first generation’s 0.58x! Are you sure that’s right?

Arrived just in the right time

I was hoping they wouldnt change the battery and the grip size. Being uncompatible, will just make it more costly for the EM5 MKII users like me. I'll definitely wait some more to have this because of my budget.

Shame Olympus did not carrie over the tething feature, as in M5 2. Hope they do an update in the next firmwear.

YES! Cant wait for the walk vlogging test.

I'm really really really REALLY hoping that the OLED EVF means that gigantic black templar cross when you're wearing polarized sunglasses is gone, because this ticks so many boxes, and I do like the E-M5 mk II - I just can't use it during the day (joys of eye conditions pretty much meaning I either wear polarized sunglasses while the sun is up, or deal with migraine level headaches)

I was expecting it so long and It looks really great! But, for me, the price is really too high for a m43 camera at the same time you can find the mk 2 for 430€ (new). Also, i'm wondering if the advantages over m6 mk2 are stronger than the m6 advantages over e-m5. Generaly I'm looking for the best vfm all-around vlog camera and i'm feel comfused :-(

Camera can take HDR video?

So many naysayers. I find it a very attractive upgrade of my E-M10 Mk2.

Does it have a built in flash? Does it have built in charging?

Fantastic Review Gordon, thank you very much. Do you think, this camera can reduce my weight in the Bagpack (Nikon D810, 70-200 and 3 other lenses) and keep the image quality ?

Hi Gordon... Any chance you could do a "max 4k recording time" test when you do your full review please? I'm interested in this camera, but I have to be sure it has no issues with overheating first. Thanks!

Gordon, great job on the video. This does seems like a really nice camera overall. I'd like a pair of these for video due to that stabilization over the M50 bodies I'm using. It's too bad they didn't compromise a bit on size to get the EM1 mark II battery in there so multi camera users don't need to deal with multiple types.

So all my batteries from omd 1 & 5mk II are redundant and not for the better longer life battery of omd 1 mkII 😟poor move in my opinion!

October 17th and a dozen videos pop-up onto RU-vid on this camera. Who do you go to first? Who do you think. Gotta be Gordon.

Can't wait camera conspiracys to make new video of this!

time to buy cheap E-M5 II yay!!!!!

Suddenly Olympus has the best camera for vlogging! Only missing headphone jack.

Definitely my next camera, as soon as I can get hold on enough money. Honestly, I’ve always been very happy with micro four thirds, even shooting event photography in dim light as long as you put up with prime lenses (if I were a pro I’d definitely get a FF for that, but since it’s just a side job when I have time it’s ok) and that was with my old EM5 mark I. Bigger sensors do have their perks especially in low lighter harsh lighting, but for an enthusiast having something this small and light (it’s not just about the body, it’s the lenses too!) so that it can be carried around everywhere, with so many advanced features so that you can do literally anything and an extremely wide range of lenses that offers lots of options for all needs and budgets, it’s really the best camera out there. The only issue here is the price, I was hoping for a couple hundred pounds less given that it does not introduce literally anything new, and I wish it had the handheld High Res Mode for landscape photography and the headphone jack and extra ports on the battery grip, but they are indeed minor issues for most people. Tl;dr: Great camera, and GO WALES!

I feel like they should have kept the larger battery pack. Based on expected pricing (it won't release in India for some time I think) this should be the cheapest camera to have both IBIS and OSPDAF in the same body. For especially video, it should be great. Olympus' IBIS is amazing.

Camera Conspiracies sent me! Great review! Thanks!!

When I first started getting into mirrorless cameras in 2013, if you had told me that Olympus would be the one to get vlogging right with good AF in 4K video, I would have laughed at you. I've always loved Olympus for stills, but they were soooo bad at video back in the day, lol.

I’m heartbroken due to no 4K 60fps. I think this would have been perfect! Especially mounted on the new crane m2 gimbal.

Late to the party AND arriving in style. Fuji and Panasonic have great monochrome modes(Acros and L Monochrome D) - does this have anything comparable? Or, does it only have the fairly boring/flat Monotone from years ago? The Pen F monochrome 2 would be great.

You mentioned the absence of the PC sync socket, but isn't it still there on the front right under the screw protector or are my eyes deceiving me?

Does the HLD-8 grip work on the Olympus EM5 Mk III. Every time I ask this question on the Olympus website the question gets deleted. Thanks.

Late arrivals to the party can still be the life of the party . Awesome preview. Do you think this option is going to be a tool for youtubers than the Sony A6600 .

Great video. You answered many questions I hadn't gotten from other reviewers. Can you access the battery when the grip is on it?

This camera body alone is more expensive than Fuji XT30 bundle with the excellent 18-55mm lens, you do get IBIS and flip out screen and I love the handling of Olympus camera, I understand that there'll be discount coming but if Olympus want to lure user from other brand they should bundle it with good lens and lower the price.

Did u ever experience any signs of overheating when shooting 4k? I would imagine the plastic body is less efficient when it comes to heat transferring... I hope you’ll conduct your great overheating test!

Anyone who understands video slow motion: What is the slo mo specifications? Does it have 1080p @120fps? If so, does it actually record at 120fps or does it give you more frames at 24fps? Does it record slo mo with audio and autofocus and variable exposure? Everyone seems to like the 1080p 120fps from the Canon 1D Mark II, why? And does the G5 or G9 or M5 Mark III match the 1D Mark slo mo capabilities? And if not how not? I have tried to research this and just do not get it. I bought an LX10 to play with its 1080 120 but no audio no autofocus no exposure while shooting slo mo. Thank you if you can help me out.

Getting in love with this camera, what lense would you recomend for it as a vlog lense? I am very new on Olympus lenses:)

I think this should be around 800.00 compared to what's out now. I was looking forward to this camera and I will probably still get it but I will wait until next spring since I can get a used em1 mk2 for less. I sold my mark II a few months ago and got a G9 but this camera is supers small and sexy.

Hi Gordon. Still, no pinch to zoom on display like on all other Olympus cameras?

I just wish their variable bit rate for video is not compromised as the others. 427Mbps should be maintained at that rate.

I'm pretty sure they didn't want to give there best fetchers out till it was a little older. I am guessing that is way the wait till this camera came out.

Yay a new olympus

Great review. When I started using interchangeable lens cameras about 5 years ago, i started with the olympus pen epl 2. It took great pictures, but terrible video. Fast forward to now and I've owned panasonic, Sony, canon and jvc cameras for video, but i always think back to that Olympus. Now that this thing has good autofocus it could possibly be a replacement for my sony a6400. The only thing i dislike is the record limits and I'm not sure how good the lowlight performance will be. By the way, the Sony has a large array of picture profiles for video. How are they in the olympus cameras? Do they shoot hlg or log?

Great preview as always, Gordon - can’t wait to see the full review. I’m fully invested in the Fuji X series personally but absolutely appreciate Olympus as a company and the m4/3 system. That said, they lost me at the plastic body (an unacceptable step backwards at this level regardless of whether the compromise is real or perceived) and the price point (the EM-1 MK II becomes more appealing than ever for $300 more). Devoted EM-5 MK II shooters who want PDAF might find this body appealing, but it doesn’t appear at first blush as though someone just coming into m4/3 as a new photographer or perhaps switching systems is going to find this one very interesting compared to the competition, including Olympus’ own offerings.

I think the MkIII is not as great as I'd want it to be (no USB C?? It's 2019!)... It seems like a camera that should have come out a year ago... but I'll end up getting one since I'm invested in the system and have a few lenses I want to be able to keep using... and I LOVE the size. Hopefully firmware improvements will make it better. I'd like to see video samples in all different modes, and demos of the AF tracking. Those are the real areas I wanted to see improvements. For stills, my MkII still more than satisfies me.

Does videos has time limitations? Or is it possible to record the video until the memory card will be full?

A great camera, but the price doesn't make sense... it is too damn expensive... I will wait for the Fuji X-A7... by the way, how is the low light? Comparing to the GH5s?

A good solid release. I do question why they've limited video to 30minutes even though target market likely won't use it be nice for people to be able to record school plays and take advantage of that class leading IBIS! I do think that it might suffer by being bigger than say a6400 / m200 etc but having a smaller sensor so you're not getting the best avantage of the smaller lighter lenses m43 offers. Though i think one of the biggest competitors will come from it's own em1-ii on discount or used they will be potentially a better option esp if they value dual cards (didn't see if this has one or not) - maybe it's not expected at this price point (but fuji and g9 offer this). So maybe it's a little late to the party to tempt non-oly users? Look forward to your review to see how it behaves in practice

Very good camera.. The best small WR IBIS camera on the market, IMHO.. Size/weight, PDAF, IBIS, the look are excellent.. m43 lens catalog is also the best.. Problems, perhaps just for me, are 1) Low res LCD (should have at least 120k in 2019 at this price point) 2) On/off switch on the left (2 hand operations) 3) I prefer tilting LCD, not FAS (I am not Vlog nor selfie) 4) Use of USB2, not USBc 5) Olympus menu navigation (much better than Sony's, but still need to be tested) 6) Price is 20% too high compared with FF/APSC competitions (RP, Z50 etc)

Listen,i like what Olympus has done through the years.At the least they made solid cameras and dont cripple them..And of course,4/3 is nOT dead,just like medium format,DSLRs,and film are not dead...

How is it compared to Panasonics GH5 ?

Thank you Gordon! Very nice preview! This model seems to be crippled at even higher price. This M5 doesn’t seem to me to be a premium product any more.

One simple question: why buy this one, while for the same price you can get a better built em1mkll which does exactly the same things and has amazing battery life? I was hoping for "something", like it's predecessor had at launch (high res and no aa filter); here I was hoping for slow motion at 4K, hand held high res, but this camera does nothing better then it's slightly large sibling, and once you take a zoom lens, its marginally smaller size means nothing... For me it's a pass.

Nice. Small correction: Em1.1 had OSPDAF already.