Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58
80 Imaging
61 Features
88 Overall
71
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III Key Specs
(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
(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
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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).
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe 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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Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Olympus OM-D E-M5 III. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Olympus E-M5 III Gallery.
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | October 2019 | April 2012 | More recent by 90 months | |
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Tilting | Fully Articulating display | |
| Display resolution | 1040k | 610k | Sharper 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 size | 3" | 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M5 III Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Olympus 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 |