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Olympus E-M1 III

 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Launched February 2020
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M1 II
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Lenses
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75

Olympus E-M1 III overview

Olympus E-M1 III is Olympus's Pro Mirrorless digital camera first released on February of 2020. It includes a 20 MegaPixel, CMOS Four Thirds size sensor with a peak resolution of 5184 x 3888.

Olympus launched this model as a way to upgrade the previous Olympus E-M1 II (Read Full Comparison)

The E-M1 III places at #45 out of 70 in Pro Mirrorless cameras and all-around #98 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. You can check out our Smart camera filter to find camera listings based on your customized criteria.

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Here is a diagram of different criteria used in the scoring system.

Olympus E-M1 III history

The Olympus E-M1 III is part of a family of cameras. You can read the complete list below.

ModelVisualizeResolutionSensor SizeMax fpsReleased
Olympus-OM-D-E-M10-IV front thumbnailOlympus E-M10 IV
E-M1 III vs E-M10 IV
20MPFour Thirds8.7 fps2020
Olympus-OM-D-E-M1-Mark-III front thumbnailOlympus E-M1 III20MPFour Thirds60.0 fps2020
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Olympus-OM-D-E-M5-III front thumbnailOlympus E-M5 III
E-M1 III vs E-M5 III
20MPFour Thirds30.0 fps2019
Olympus-OM-D-E-M1X front thumbnailOlympus E-M1X
E-M1 III vs E-M1X
20MPFour Thirds60.0 fps2019
Olympus-OM-D-E-M10-Mark-III front thumbnailOlympus E-M10 III
E-M1 III vs E-M10 III
16MPFour Thirds8.6 fps2017
Olympus-OM-D-E-M1-Mark-II front thumbnailOlympus E-M1 II
E-M1 III vs E-M1 II
20MPFour Thirds60.0 fps2016
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Olympus-OM-D-E-M10-II front thumbnailOlympus E-M10 II
E-M1 III vs E-M10 II
16MPFour Thirds8.0 fps2015

Olympus E-M1 III Pros and Cons

Here is a selection of pros and cons of the Olympus E-M1 III based on factors that are generally seen as crucial in a digital camera.

change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
comes with HDMI port
comes with headphone port
comes with microphone port
display is selfie friendly
exports RAW formats
fast continuous shooting (60.0 fps)
good resolution screen (1,037 k dot)
has double storage slots
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has manual focus
high video quality (4096 x 2160 pixels)
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
no anti aliasing filter
screen articulates fully
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
screen is touchscreen
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
supports bluetooth
supports face detect focusing
supports phase detect AF
supports touch to focus
supports tracking focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
weather proof
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Olympus E-M1 III Sensor information

The Olympus E-M1 III features the TruePic IX chip. The measurement of the sensor on the Olympus E-M1 III is 17.4mm x 13mm (Four Thirds). The 226 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 5184 x 3888 pixels using aspect ratios of 4:3. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis). Optical stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization since the latter can easily lead to cropping.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 20 megapixels and features a standard ISO range of 200 to 25600. The ISO can also be extended digitally to a low of 64. RAW format is saved which means that you have more room to maneuver in post.

Olympus chose to omit the anti aliasing filter in the Olympus E-M1 III. This will result in more sharp pictures but could cause moire under some conditions.

The graphic below illustrates the E-M1 III's sensor size in comparison to other popular sizes. The E-M1 III sensor comes with a crop factor of 2.1 and is shown in green.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III sensor size C500 Mark II gets new Cinema RAW Light modes from Canon

To get an understanding of various aspect ratios, you should refer to the graphic below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Olympus E-M1 III dimensions

Olympus E-M1 III has a weight of 1.28 lb (580 gr or 20.46 ounces) and the dimensions of the camera is 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7"). The weight of general Pro Mirrorless camera is 722 gr and the Olympus E-M1 III is lighter as compared to its rivals.

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Listed below is a pic of the Olympus E-M1 III besides a soda to help you have a feel for its size.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III dimensions scale

The top view here will highlight the button layout on the E-M1 III.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III topview buttons dials

Olympus E-M1 III Lens information

The E-M1 III fits the Micro Four Thirds mount and has 162 lenses available for purchase. Here is some of the lenses we have in our database that will fit the E-M1 III.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight
Panasonic-Lumix-G-Vario-100-300mm-F4-5.6-II-Power-OIS lensPanasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4-5.6 II Power OIS100-300mmf/4-5.6 520g
Sigma-10-20mm-F4-5.6-EX-DC-HSM-Four-Thirds lensSigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM10-20mmf/4.0-5.6 470g
OM System OM-1 Set to Enhance Autofocus
Panasonic-Lumix-G-14mm-F2.5-II-ASPH lensPanasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 II ASPH14mmf/2.5 55g
Voigtlander-Nokton-25mm-F0.95-Micro-Four-Thirds lensVoigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.9525mmf/0.95 410g
Venus-Laowa-17mm-F1.8-Specs lensVenus Laowa 17mm F1.817mmf/1.8172g
Panasonic-Leica-D-Vario-Elmar-14-150mm-F3.5-5.6-Asph-Mega-OIS lensPanasonic Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-150mm F3.5-5.6 Asph Mega OIS14-150mmf/3.5-5.6 520g
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Panasonic-Lumix-G-X-Vario-35-100mm-F2.8-II-Power-OIS lensPanasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS35-100mmf/2.8 357g
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Olympus E-M1 III Connectivity

The E-M1 III has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • Wireless Yes
  • Bluetooth Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Cameras that feature NFC and / or Bluetooth compatibility can be used wirelessly by smartphones. You will be able to send images and usually change settings without connecting physically with the camera.

Some apps also enable a Liveview and press the shutter when you aren't close to the camera. If the camera boasts a HDMI out, it can be hooked up to an external screen. Virtually all cameras will allow you to charge the battery using the USB port.

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Olympus E-M1 III Video information

The highest video resolution on the Olympus E-M1 III is 4096 x 2160 and it can record in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 2160p delivers a outstanding resolution for video. You can easily downsample to Full HD to get improved video. Be mindful of the substantial file sizes and ensure you have good SD cards with good write speeds. The body does have both headphone and microphone port making it really valuable whilst capturing sound.

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Olympus E-M1 III Weather Sealing

Olympus E-M1 III comes with weather sealing making it a good candidate to use in tough conditions. This can be particularly beneficial in case you are uncertain about the elements you may face in outdoor photography.

Olympus E-M1 III Screen and Viewfinder

The Olympus E-M1 III includes a 3" fully articulated display having a resolution of 1,037k dots.

It includes a selfie friendly screen to shoot self portraits as well as group shots if required. Additionally the display is touch friendly which means that you can easily set focus point plus change settings by using your finger.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III screen and viewfinder AI-made Images of Food Appear More Delicious Than Real Photos

The View Finder specs regarding Olympus E-M1 III are below:

  • ViewFinder Electronic
  • ViewFinder Resolution 2,360k dots
  • ViewFinder Coverage 100 percent
  • ViewFinder Magnification 0.74x

In those bright outdoor situations that make the camera screens washed out and difficult to view, viewfinders will be pretty useful.

Olympus E-M1 III Shutter information

Olympus E-M1 III continuous shooting speed is 60.0 fps. The highest shutter speed is 1/8000 seconds. The camera also includes silent electronic shutter of 1/32000 seconds. Beware that the electronic shutter may lead to "rolling shutter" under some situations.

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Olympus E-M1 III Flash and Hot shoe information

Olympus E-M1 III includes external flash ability but comes without in-built flash. The max flash sync speed is 1/250 seconds.

Olympus E-M1 III Autofocus information

Olympus E-M1 III includes both Phase Detect Auto Focus along with Contrast Based Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot snappier and precise as compared to Contrast Based autofocusing. The camera includes Face detection which can be handy for portraits.

The AF system includes 121 focus points to select from. Olympus E-M1 III has touch to focus. You can easily use your fingers to change where you focus. It also features Tracking Auto Focus for subjects on the move. Olympus E-M1 III supports manual focusing if needed in low light conditions or you require more accurate focusing control.

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Olympus E-M1 III Battery life

The battery power (BLH-1) for the Olympus E-M1 III is fashioned to last for 420 photographs with respect to the CIPA specifications which is about the same as its rivals. The typical Pro Mirrorless camera battery life is 460. Olympus E-M1X offers the highest (870) battery life in this kind of cameras.

Below is a list of Pro Mirrorless cameras having the best battery life:

Olympus E-M1 III for different forms of photography

The following diagram indicates a analysis of the Olympus E-M1 III for different forms of photography. To understand more, check out the specific section below.

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1 III

The Olympus E-M1 III has a rating of 77 which is great, meaning that it is a wonderful pick to use for portrait photography. Photographing portraits favors heavily to sensor size, support for RAW files together with the potential to use off-camera lighting.

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you can focus manually
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats

Olympus E-M1 III Street photography highlights

Getting a outstanding rating of 78, the Olympus E-M1 III is a superb fit to use in street photography. A good street photography camera offers a good balance of picture quality plus portability.

OM System OM-1 Set to Enhance Autofocus
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides touch focus
environment proofing
great high ISO (25,600)

Olympus E-M1 III Sports photography advice

A terrific sports photography points total of 81 suggests the Olympus E-M1 III is a terrific option for photographing sports. A camera must have very good autofocus plus fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

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high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (60.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proof
has phase detect auto focus

Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography advice

Weight is super critical in selecting a camera for travel. On the whole, the Olympus E-M1 III gets a superb 79 for a travelling camera which makes it a tremendous fit to buy for your trips.

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weather sealing
has bluetooth
includes focus by touch
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly

Olympus E-M1 III Landscape photography info

If you're planning to buy a digital camera for landscape photography, the most essential factor will be image quality. The Olympus E-M1 III and it's great grade of 81 for a landscape camera is a wonderful pick in the current marketplace.

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has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
does not have anti-alias filter
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
has dual storage slots

Olympus E-M1 III Vlogging factors

A camera for vlogging preferably should offer a moving display screen, microphone input and if possible IBIS. Taking everything in to account, the Olympus E-M1 III is a brilliant pick for vlogging as it gets a exceptional rating of 79.

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selfie friendly screen
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focusing
high res video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
has mic socket

Olympus E-M1 III Alternatives

If you are searching for alternatives to the E-M1 III, below is a collection of the top ranked cameras that fall in to the family of Pro Mirrorless.

The line graph below gives you a summary of the E-M1 III compared to it's top scoring rivals mentioned earlier.

These are some more cameras you may regard as alternative options. To review a comprehensive comparison, visit the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Brand Name
Olympus
Model type
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Category
Pro Mirrorless
Launched
2020-02-11
Body design
SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Processor
TruePic IX
Sensor size
Four Thirds
Sensor measurements
17.4 x 13mm
Sensor surface area
226.2mm²
Sensor resolution
20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
4:3
Full resolution
5184 x 3888
RAW data
Max native ISO
25600
Minimum native ISO
200
Minimum boosted ISO
64
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points
121
Cross type focus points
121
Lens
Lens mount type
Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses
107
Crop factor
2.1
Screen
Range of screen
Fully Articulated
Screen sizing
3 inches
Resolution of screen
1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder
Electronic
Viewfinder resolution
2,360k dot
Viewfinder coverage
100 percent
Viewfinder magnification
0.74x
DXO scores
DXO All around rating
not tested
DXO Color Depth rating
not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating
not tested
DXO Low light rating
not tested
Features
Lowest shutter speed
60s
Highest shutter speed
1/8000s
Highest silent shutter speed
1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed
60.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation
Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance
no built-in flash
Flash modes
Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync
1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions
4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution
4096x2160
Video format
MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless
Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
580 grams (1.28 pounds)
Physical dimensions
134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7")
Other
Battery life
420 photos
Battery form
Battery Pack
Battery ID
BLH-1
Self timer
Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording
Storage media
Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot)
Storage slots
Dual
Cost at launch
$1,800