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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 II
Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Revealed October 2019
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • Successor is OM System OM-5
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III Overview

Below is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus E-M5 III, both Advanced Mirrorless digital cameras and they are both sold by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the E-M5 III (20MP) is fairly well matched and both cameras boast the identical sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 was released 8 years earlier than the E-M5 III and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-M5 grades vs the E-M5 III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 E-M5 E-M5 III 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Olympus E-M5

 E-M5 III E-M5 
RevealedOctober 2019April 2012More recent by 90 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1040k610kSharper display (+430k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus E-M5 III

 E-M5 E-M5 III 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 has external measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-M5 III has specifications of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus E-M5 III in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 versus the E-M5 III.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and E-M5 III is 81 and 80 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements simply by looking at specifications. The graphic below will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and E-M5 III.

Plainly, each of the cameras feature the identical sensor size but different MP. You can anticipate the Olympus E-M5 III to give greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The older E-M5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography advice
Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography advice
71
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
77
manual focus
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography info
Olympus E-M5 III Street photography info
82
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
offers touch focus
environment proofing
great high ISO (25,600)
83
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides touch to focus
environment proof
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography advice
Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography advice
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proofing
has no phase detect autofocus
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
high fps (30.0 frames per second)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
environment proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
bad battery life (310 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography details
Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography details
66
environment proofing
offers touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
lack of Time Lapse mode
does not have a selfie friendly screen
77
environment proof
supports bluetooth
provides touch to focus
decent megapixels (20MP)
selfie friendly display
bad battery life (310 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5
Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
73
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
lack of Time Lapse mode
77
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
bad battery life (310 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging features
Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging features
34
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
lack of external mic support
84
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 pixels)
does have mic support
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Olympus E-M5 III
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
Category Advanced Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2012-04-30 2019-10-17
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI TruePic VIII
Sensor type CMOS MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 121
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 610k dots 1,040k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.68x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter rate 9.0 frames/s 30.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 4096x2160
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 pounds) 414g (0.91 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 images 310 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported)
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $799 $1,199