October 17, 2019

The Olympus E-M5 Mark III was officially announced

The long-awaited replacement of the E-M5 Mark II was finally announced by Olympus!

February 2012: E-M5
February 2015: E-M5 Mark II
October 2019: E-M5 Mark III

The specs had already been leaked a few weeks ago and are now confirmed:

4 Megapixel High-Speed Live MOS Sensor
TruePicTM VIII image-processing engine
5-Axis Image Stabilization
121-point all-cross type On-chip Phase Detection AF
4K (3840 x 2160) and C4K (4096 x 2160) formats, at a 30p, 25p or 24p frame rate with 4K, or 24p frame rate with C4K
36 million-dot EVF
50MP Tripod High Res Shot
Plastic (polycarbonate) construction keeping Olympus’ famous weather sealing

The E-M5 III is available in black and silver:

It is basically a camera with the same capabilities as the E-M1 Mark II, but in a much smaller and lighter body. Compared to its predecessor, the E-M5II, this new camera represents a major and long-awaited upgrade. But if we think it uses the same sensor, processor, autofocus system and probably the same IBIS system as the E-M1II launched in 2016, we would have liked to see Olympus taking a bigger step, because of the fierce competition for this price range (Fuji X-T3 / X-T30, Sony A6500, Lumix G9).

Speaking of price, it is available for pre-order for 1199 USD, 1099£ or 1199€. Estimated delivery by end-November.

Currently, it’s possible to buy the E-M1 II for about 250€ more. Depending on the store, there are very interesting promotions and price drops. With the E-M1 II you get:

Magnesium alloy construction
Bigger battery: BLH-1 (1720 mAh) vs BLS-50 (1210 mAh)
Dual card slot

So the decision is up to you. If you want a lightweight and compact camera with (almost) all the functions of Olympus’ top range, the E-M5 III looks like a good option. But if you prefer a bigger grip, a higher capacity battery and full metal construction, for a little more you should go for its big sister, the E-M1 II.