Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Summary
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Assessment
Olmpus released the third-generation E-M1 with highly similar specifications to its predecessor which makes it seem incremental change and indeed it is. Crucially though, this new revision makes substantial fixes to take the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III to the next level, earning it an Excellent rating once more as the original E-M1 managed.
A new processor extracts a stronger performance from the 20 MP Ultra-High Speed Four-Thirds CMOS sensor in this mirrorless. It keeps the top speed of 60 FPS at full-resolution and 18 FPS with reliable continuous autofocus and tracking, plus Cinema 4K and Ultra-HD that finally operate without any lag. Its hybrid shutter mechanism offers 15 FPS in mechanical mode and spans ultra-fast shutter-speed to unique Live-Bulb and Live-ND modes.
Image quality from this mirrorless is very good. It produces images with low image noise until ISO 3200 and reasonable dynamic-range, contrast and color. Automatic White-Balance is not entirely reliable yet the metering system is. Exposures are bright with very little clipping of major areas. There are tons of options to fine-tune color, contrast, gradation, white-balance and exposure as needed.
What makes the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III hold its own against competing mirrorless that rely on a larger sensor is its class-leading 5-axis image-stabilization system that compensates for up to 7-stops of camera shake. This gives it a 1½-stop advantage over the best stabilization among APS-C cameras which narrows the image-quality gap while using a substantially smaller form-factor when including lenses.
Ergonomics of the Mark III were refined for efficiency. The camera is comfortable to operate and features a huge number of customization points that result in great use of its dual control-dials and numerous buttons. There is still a learning curve and some modality that require attention but, overall, this E-M1 Mark III is very usable. The new EVF is still not Exposure-Priority but is not usable down to very low light, the biggest issue of the previous Mark II.
This mirrorless digital camera offers a truly complete feature-set for professional photographers. It adds a number of bonus features such as multiple types of bracketing, focus-stacking, an interval timer and multiple exposures. Olympus greatly broadened video features on the Mark III, making it their first 4K Ultra-HD capable mirrorless. It includes full manual controls over exposure and many options for sound when shooting video.
PROS | CONS |
---|---|
Class-leading silent 60 FPS drive | Poor Automatic White-Balance |
Amazing 18 FPS drive with Continuous AF | Below average color accuracy |
Best-in-class 5-axis image-stabilization | EVF is not Exposure Priority |
Low image-noise up to ISO 3200 | Highlights clipped on Preview |
Reliable multi-segment metering system | Eye-Start Sensor exits Playback |
Ultra-fast hybrid AF | Highly modal interface |
Virtually no shutter-lag | Non-linear AEB order |
Excellent shot-to-shot speed | Battery-life is below average |
Very well-utilized dual control-dials | Quite expensive |
Unique Live-Bulb and Live-ND modes | |
Super-Resolution highly improved | |
Excellent build quality | Excellent Excellent |
Neocamera detailed review Read the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III review.
Recent Similar Cameras
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Related Information
Previous Models |
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Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II - 5.5-Stop IS |
Reviews | |
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Neocamera | ePhotozine |
Photography Blog | DP Review |
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Olympus E-M1 Mark III Highlights
Sensor-Size: 17 x 13mm
Actual size when viewed at 100 DPI
20 Megapixels Mirrorless | ISO 64-25600 |
Micro Four-Thirds Mount 2X FLM | Shutter 1/32000-60s |
5-Axis Built-in Stabilization, 7-Stop Improvement | Full manual controls, including Manual Focus |
0.50" Built-in EVF 2.4 Megapixels (0.74X) | Custom white-balance with 2 axis fine-tuning |
Automatic Eye-Start sensor | Spot-Metering |
2 Axis Digital Level | Hot-Shoe & Sync-Port |
Weatherproof down to -10C | Stereo audio input |
Built-in Dust Reduction | Lithium-Ion Battery |
60 FPS Drive, 50 Images | Secure Digital Extended Capacity x 2 |
4096x2160 @ 24 FPS Video Recording | |
3" LCD 1 Megapixels |
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