First Look: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

Olympus OM-D

E-M1 Mark III

Andy Westlake takes a close look at Olympus’s updated, super-fast Micro Four Thirds fl agship

At a glance

£1,600 body only

£2,200 with 12-40mm f/2.8

£2,500 with 12-100mm f/4

■ 20.4MP Four Thirds sensor ■ 18fps shooting with C-AF ■ 121-point phase detection AF ■ 5-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) ■ Extensive weathersealing

Joystick The most notable external improvement is the addition of a joystick for selecting the focus area. It can also be used to navigate menus and change settings.

USB power The camera can be powered during shooting using a USB-C Power Delivery compatible powerbank, and the battery can be charged using any 3A USB supply.

Vertical grip The Mark III uses the same HLD-9 grip as the Mark II. This replicates the main shooting controls, but users will have to make do with a d-pad to move the AF point.

Mode dial A new B position gives easy access to Olympus’s uniquely useful long exposure modes, and there’s a fourth user-customisable C position too.

IT’S BEEN a little over three years since Olympus released its high-speed E-M1 Mark II, making the time ripe for a replacement. After last year’s behemoth E-M1X with its integrated vertical grip, Olympus has revisited the smaller body design with the new E-M1 Mark III. The previous version was a fi ne camera, and the fi rm has carefully updated it without making wholesale changes. Indeed I suspect even keen Olympus fans will struggle to quickly identify many differences. Externally, the main update is the welcome addition of a joystick for repositioning the focus area, which has the knock-on effect of moving the menu button across to the left shoulder. Aside from that, buttons, dials and switches are found in all the same places, although a few have changed their default functions. A button behind the shutter release is earmarked for exposure compensation, while that on the right shoulder is given over to ISO, as on the recent E-M5 Mark III. But this is Olympus, so everything can be re-confi gured according to your personal preferences anyway. The biggest upgrade is actually internal, because the E-M1 Mark III debuts a brand new processor, the TruePic IX. This allows the inclusion of some of the most interesting features from the E-M1X, including LiveND that mimics the effect of using neutral density fi lters to achieve long exposures, and a handheld highresolution multi-shot mode that outputs 50MP images. There’s also an 80MP tripod-based multi-shot mode. More generally, Olympus says that the new processor provides up-rated all-round performance, including improvements in such areas as face and eye detection AF. The headline specifi cations are mostly unchanged. Olympus has stuck with the familiar 20.4MP Four Thirds sensor, offering ISO 200-6400 as standard, and extended settings of ISO 64-25600. On-chip phase detection supports 121

The AF joystick is perfectly positioned for operation by your right thumb

autofocus points covering most of the frame, all of which are cross-type. However as on the E-M1X, users can now defi ne custom AF-area groupings, not just in terms of the number of points used, but also how fi nely the groups can be moved around the frame. A new Starry Sky AF mode promises accurate autofocus on even the tiniest stars for astrophotography.

Speed merchant The E-M1 Mark III boasts the same blistering speed as its predecessor, being capable of shooting at 18 frames per second with continuous AF, or 60fps with focus fi xed, using its electronic shutter. In its Pro Capture mode, it can continuously buffer 35 frames from the moment the shutter button is halfpressed, then record them to card when it’s fully depressed, allowing users to record fl eeting, unpredictable moments. Even when using the mechanical shutter, it’ll shoot at about 10fps with C-AF. Olympus has also placed a strong emphasis on durability. The body is comprehensively weather-sealed, with IPX1 certifi cation, and can be paired with a good range of similarly protected lenses. The shutter is rated to 400,000 cycles, while the fi rm’s Super Sonic Wave Filter has proven to be remarkably effective at keeping the sensor clean of dust. Dual SD card slots are included, allowing fi les to be backed up on important shoots; however only one is of the high-speed UHS-II standard. One of Olympus’s most noteworthy features is its 5-axis in-body image stabilisation. Thanks to the use of the same gyrosensor as the E-M1X, this is claimed to be the world’s most effective, being rated to a barely believable 7.5 stops with the fi rm’s optically stabilised lenses, and 7 stops with other lenses. As a result, it should be possible to shoot handheld at shutter speeds that would be impossible with most other systems. Turning our attention to video, 4K recording is available at up to 30fps, with a new OM-Log400 option for easier colour grading in post-production, aided by a View Assist function which displays a standard colour gamut onscreen. Both headphone and microphone sockets are built-in. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity supports both pairing with a smartphone or tablet, and wireless tethered shooting from a computer running Olympus Workspace software. The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III is due to go on sale in late February, with its body-only price of £1,600 at launch being £250 lower than its predecessor’s. Pre-orders placed before 29 February will receive a complimentary copy of Capture One Pro 20, while stocks last.

First impressions

THE E-M1 Mark III may appear to be evolution rather than revolution, but don’t let the similarity of its spec sheet to its predecessor’s fool you. I’ve been shooting with one for a couple of weeks before its offi cial release, and it’s an astonishingly fast and exceptionally refi ned camera. The addition of a joystick for focus-area selection elevates it to one of the very best handling cameras in its class. Full frame may be fl avour of the month at the moment, but the Micro Four Thirds system offers very real advantages of its own, particularly in terms of size and weight, and especially if you regularly shoot with telephoto lenses. The E-M1 Mark III delivers this better then ever before; indeed it’s arguably the camera that the E-M1X should have been all along. Look out for our upcoming full review.

Lightweight, highspec standard zoom

OLYMPUS has also revealed a compact, lightweight premium standard zoom, in the shape of the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm F4 PRO. With a zoom range equivalent to 24-90mm on full-frame, its 12-element, 9-group optical design is said to be derived from the highly regarded 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro, with aspherical elements to minimise aberrations and Zuiko Extra-low Refl ection Optical (ZERO) coating to suppress fl are and ghosting. It’s claimed to be the word’s lightest constant-aperture zoom, at just 254g, and accepts

The 12-45mm F4 PRO weighs a mere 245g 58mm fi lters. Measuring 63.4mm in diameter and 70mm in length, it looks like it could be an ideal companion to last year’s compact E-M5 Mark III. Like the rest of Olympus’s Pro range, the 12-45mm f/4 benefi ts from dust- and splashproof construction, with sealing at nine points of the barrel. However one concession compared to the larger Pro zooms is the lack of a focus clutch for switching to manual focus. The minimum focus distance ranges from 12cm at wideangle to 23cm at telephoto, giving 0.5x equivalent magnifi cation across the entire zoom range, which should make the 12- 45mm an intriguing option for close-up shooting. On this note, it’s also compatible with the in-camera focus-stacking feature found on the E-M1 Mark III, E-M1X, E-M1 Mark II, and E-M5 Mark III, although the latter three cameras will need a fi rmware update. The lens is due in the shops in late March for £599.

Price cuts for E-M1 Mark II

ACCORDING to Olympus, the OM-D E-M1 Mark III doesn’t directly replace its predecessor, and the two will be sold side-by-side for the immediate future. However the Mark II will drop in recommended retail price by £200 to make space, to £1,300 body only compared to the current £1,500. If this is refl ected in the street price, it could see the camera fall beneath the £1,000 mark. Meanwhile the 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens kit drops in price to £2,000, compared to £2,200 previously, while the double zoom kit that adds the 40-150mm F2.8 PRO telezoom will be £3,000.