Olympus E-P5 Review

July 8, 2013 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The brand new E-P5 is the latest Micro Four Thirds camera for keen enthusiasts from Olympus. The Olympus EP5 offers a 16-megapixel "Live MOS" sensor, tiltable 1.04-million-dot touchscreen, a pop-up flash and external flash hot-shoe, built-in Wi-Fi, sensitivity settings of ISO 100-25600, Full HD 1080 30p video recording with stereo sound, built-in 5-axis image stabilisation, top shutter speed of 1/8000th second, fast contrast detect auto focus with Super Spot and Touch AF functionality, focus peaking in manual AF mode, and 9fps continuous shooting. The Olympus E-P5 is available now in black, silver or white for £899.99/$999.99 body-only, £999.99 with the 14-42mm lens, or £1349.99/$1449.99 for a bundle including the 17mm f/1.8 prime lens and new VF-4 electronic viewfinder.

Ease of Use

The latest generation of Olympus' mirror-less Micro Four Thirds system has an even more retro feel to it than its predecessors, with an all-metal body that's very reminiscent of the 50-year-old PEN F half-frame film camera and similar sloping lines, elegant Olympus lettering and ‘step-down’ front profile. You can even fit an optional real-wood ergonomic grip in one of three styles if you really want your camera to stand out from the crowd. With white or black body choices also offered, we had the silver version of the E-P5 in for review, arguably the most retro-looking of the three colourways.

Despite the obvious historical references, the E-P5 is very much a 21st century camera. It's the latest digital Pen to feature touch screen operation, although you can for the most part get away without using it much at all, as there are a plethora of physical buttons ranged alongside it, which are either dedicated to specific functions or can be customized to suit. Indeed, the screen's implementation hasn't led to a cleaner or more pared-down minimalist look for the Pen.

The 3-inch 4:3 aspect ratio screen has a super bright 1.04-million-dot resolution, a big increase from the 640k dots LCD of its E-P3 forebear. Images look particularly vivid with plenty of contrast when viewed on the E-P5's screen and happily this carries over when results are downloaded to your desktop. The screen on the E-P5 now tilts, rather than being fixed in place, with a hinged design that rotates 90 degrees up and 45 degrees down, useful for both waist-level and overhead shots. You can't twist the screen out to the side though.

If you'd rather use a viewfinder to frame your shots, the tiltable VF-4 electronic viewfinder is an attractive, if rather costly, option. With its 2.36-million-dot display, the VF-4 has a magnification factor of 1.48x (35mm conversion: 0.74x), built-in dioptre control, and can be tilted through 90 degrees to act as a waist-level viewfinder. It displays a lot of shooting information and even automatically switches mode when it detects your eye. The VF-4 is quite large though, so much so that the E-P5 is physically bigger then the flagship OM-D EM-5 when it's fitted, and also you can't use both an external flash and the EVF at the same time. Still, the VF-4 is undoubtedly one of the best EVFs that we've ever had the pleasure of using.

The E-P5 is the first PEN to feature built-in wi-fi connectivity (previous PENs have relied on wireless memory cards), although it's rather restricted in use as it has to be paired with a smartphone. Install the Olymopus Image Share app and you can control the E-P5 remotely using an Apple or Android smartphone, including the autofocus and shutter release, embed GPS information in your shots, and upload pictures to the Web.

Olympus E-P5 Olympus E-P5
Front Rear

Low light sensitivity has been boosted on this latest Pen, jumping from ISO 12800 to a semi pro-like ISO 25600, and also offering a new LOW/ISO 100 setting. The top shutter speed has also been increased to a very impressive 1/8000th second, making the E-P5 the first compact system camera with a mechanical shutter to offer such a highspeed, and great for freezing fast-moving objects or shooting wide-open with fast lenses, even in bright conditions.

Most image stabilization systems compensate for camera shake by correcting yaw and pitch. Olympus claim that camera shake is actually caused by five different kinds of motion, and the E-P5's image stabilization mechanism additionally corrects for horizontal shift, vertical shift and rotary motion (rolling) for both still images and movies. You can see some examples on the Image Quality page of this new system in action. We also had very few images that suffered from camera shake during the review period.

Unsurprisingly the E-P5 retains the Olympus USP of on-board Art Filters, which are also worth singling out for praise. These filters can be applied to Full HD video as well as stills, recordable in AVCHD or reduced resolution Motion JPEG formats, which helpfully ups the E-P5's game.

The E-P5 features a built-in flash, here of the pop up variety, which means it has been neatly and unobtrusively sunk into the top plate. Activated with a press of a dedicated button sitting just behind, it's been added without increasing the overall bulk of the camera.

Feeling robust and reassuringly solid in the palm thanks to the retained metal build, the E-P5's dimensions are 122.3 x 68.9 x 37.2mm. So it's still one for a camera bag rather than a pocket with the kit lens attached, with a body-only weight of 378g (50g heavier than the E-P3). Unlike the E-P3, you can't remove the handgrip, a feature we rather quite liked.

Olympus E-P5 Olympus E-P5
Side Tilting LCD Screen

From the front of the E-P5 it's pretty much business as usual, with a chunky lens release button to the left of the lens mount and Micro Four Thirds system logo directly beneath. There's also a small porthole for the AF Assist lamp and the afore-mentioned angular handgrip, which only has space for two fingers rather than three. Completing the front of the E-P5 is a very welcome second control dial, which in conjunction with the rear control dial makes it a cinch to change the aperture and shutter speed when shooting in Manual mode.

The Olympus E-P5' top plate has a vacant hotshoe sits directly above the lens, with a recessed shooting mode dial to its left hand side, again if viewing the camera lens-on, making room for the embedded flash on the right. The coin-like shooting mode dial has a surrounding ridged edge for easier purchase, although we found that it was moved far too easily when stored in a bag or pocket. The options on the dial have largely remained the same as the E-P3's, the shooting options being program, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, video, scene modes, Art Filters and - the most obviously highlighted of all - iAuto mode. Art Filters have also swelled from ten to twelve in number. A new shooting option for the E-P5 is the quirky Photo Story mode, which offers a range of collage-like layout styles and frame effects, the twist being that the camera shows a live preview of the layout, into which your picture are inserted on-the-fly.

As with its predecessor in the E-series the Art Filter digital effects are applied at the time of capture which means write speeds are inevitably a couple of seconds longer than for regular images. When shooting using certain filters, such as Diorama or Dramatic Tone, the screen's refresh rate slows, providing a real time preview of how the eventual image may look. Somewhat strangely, the new Focus Peaking function is actually applied as an art filter, slowing down the frame rate of the display, although it can be used in conjunction with the MF Assist magnification and the built-in image stabilisation system.

Controls adjacent to the shooting mode dial have also changed slightly; the adjacent shutter release button is now slightly smaller but just as usable, and the dedicated exposure compensation button of the E-P2 has become a non-specific user attributable 'Fn2' function button. By default this opens the Live Guide menu, presented as a colourful toolbar on the left hand side of the screen. This lets users try out picture adjustments with the aid of an onscreen slider bar to adjust the likes of depth of field and see the results in real time before pressing the shutter release button with accessibility extended beyond iAuto mode.

From the top we have the ability to change colour saturation, from 'clear & vivid' to 'flat & muted', next down is the ability to alter 'colour image', which translates as shifting the tone between warm and cool via slider bar, with the third option shifting brightness/exposure between a simple bright and dark. The fourth option down is probably the most interesting/effective in that it provides the ability to incrementally blur the background of your shot by again dragging an indicator on a slider - thus providing a similar shallow depth of field effect to that achievable with a DSLR and suitable aperture.

Olympus E-P5 Olympus E-P5
Pop-up Flash Top

For its fifth Live Guide option Olympus has retained the curiously named 'Express Motions', which to us has always sounded more like a bowel movement than the actual emphasizing of subject motion by introducing blur. Well, in fact, there's the option to both blur any movement or stop it in its tracks, again achievable by dragging a slider indicator. The last option on this tool bar is a on-board shooting hints and tips manual, with the usual 'suspects' of photographing children and pets given the most prominence ('take a picture at their height level' being a summation of the level of advice imparted). We even get tips, as a bit of closet advertising, for attaching Olympus accessories, such as lens converters.

The on/off control is now a much more tactile switch, rather than a button. The activation of the flash via the button on the rear meets an instant response, sound-tracked by a satisfyingly robust 'clunk' as it's raised approximately an inch above the body on a spring-loaded Meccano-like mechanism. A pair of stereo microphones are located just in front of the hotshoe and directly above the lens mount, completing the E-P5's top-plate.

The Olympus E-P5 quickly readies itself for action in less than a second; that is, as ever, if you've first manually unfurled the retractable 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens (equivalent to 28-84mm in 35mm terms). Otherwise you're faced with a text message on a blank OLED screen asking you to perform this action before a picture can be taken, which is slightly irritating. For street photographers for whom the E-P5 is otherwise ideal, the business of extending the lens does inevitably lengthen the time between seeing something that might make a good picture and actually being able to take said picture.

Squeeze down halfway on the shutter release button and as previously indicated the E-P5 very nearly instantaneously responds, the screen very briefly blurring before snapping back into focus, AF point flashing up in green with an accompanying bleep of confirmation. Go on to take the shot and even when shooting RAW and Fine (top quality) JPEG in tandem there's a wait of an acceptable three seconds before the shot is fully committed to card. Buffer memory is such however that you don't have to wait that long to squeeze off another shot if the opportunity presents itself.

Moving to the backplate of the E-P5, the lineage from the E-P3 to this model is fairly clear. The accessory port, the same Accessory Port 2, has been retained directly below the vacant hotshoe, with the flash button over to the left. The first control that we come to, top right of the screen, is the second, thumb-operated, control dial. Below is a small red video record button. Press this to record, or stop recording, no matter which shooting mode is otherwise selected on the top dial.

Olympus E-P5 Olympus E-P5
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

This is now surrounded by a brand new switch that, along with the controls dials, forms an integral part of what Olympus refer to as the 2x2 Dial Control system. In the first position, moving the control dial on the front of the camera adjusts the aperture while the dial on the back adjusts the shutter speed. On the second setting, the dials change the ISO value and white balance respectively. You can also configure the switch's operation too. It's a clever system that helps to keep the number of external controls to a manageable level, although it is easy to set the switch to the second position to change the ISO speed, forget that you've not changed it back to position one, then curse when you go to change the aperture/shutter speed and change the ISO again instead.

The button immediately below is for enlarging an image up to 10x in shooting mode to aid manual focusing (with up to 10x also available in playback mode), and below that again the Menu and Info buttons.

Ranged around the E-P5's backplate control dial/pad are controls for exposure compensation, flash settings, continuous shooting/self-timer options, and the ability to manually specify the AF point. Dragging a finger, and so the AF point, around the touchscreen will achieve the same end, though inadvertently subsequently taping it will cause the shutter to fire. Yes, this facility can be deactivated by prodding the relevant shutter button icon on the touch screen, but it's just as easy to accidentally turn it on again; even via an action as incongruous as the button of your shirt connecting with the screen as you're wearing the E-P5 on a neck strap, or the thumb of your left hand straying as you handle the camera.

Completing the rear of the E-P5 are dedicated and self-explanatory image deletion and playback buttons.

While chunky lugs for attaching the supplied shoulder strap hang at either side of the camera, thankfully out of the way of fingers and controls, on the right hand flank, if viewing the camera from the back, we find a pair of covered ports for joint USB/AV output and mini HDMI output respectively. This cover, being a weaker plastic element amidst the surrounding brushed metal, is one of the very few flimsy points on the outwardly covetable camera.

Also plastic-y, but more reassuringly chunky, is the flip open cover protecting the joint battery and card compartment at the E-P5's base. There is the option here to use all varieties of SD media card, up to and including SDXC cards. Slightly off-centre is a metal screw thread for attaching a tripod. The PS-BLN1 rechargeable lithium ion battery supplied with the E-P5 is good for around a more than respectable 400 shots.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 7Mb.

During the review, the Olympus E-P5 produced images of excellent quality. In the Natural picture mode, colours are vibrant without being garish or over-saturated, while dynamic range is very good. From ISO 100 through to ISO 1600, noise is virtually undetectable, not becoming an issue until ISO 3200, which is an excellent result for a Micro Four Thirds sensor camera. ISO 3200 and 6400 are still eminently usable, with only the two fastest settings of 12800 and 25600 really suffering.The corresponding raw files are inevitably more noisy at lower ISOs.

The supplied flash unit is more than powerful enough for fill-in use, while long exposures are easily achieved. The new image stabilisation system works very well indeed, even when hand-holding the camera at slow shutter speeds. The Art Filters produce special effects that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings available on the Olympus E-P5. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and the RAW equivalent on the right:

JPEG RAW

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg
   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

iso6400.jpg iso6400raw.jpg
   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

iso12800.jpg iso12800raw.jpg
   

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

iso25600.jpg iso25600raw.jpg

File Quality

The Olympus E-P5 offers two JPEG quality settings - Fine and Normal. Naturally, you may opt to save your photographs in the camera's raw file format (ORF). Raw+JPEG shooting is available.

16M Fine (100% Crop) 16M Normal (100% Crop)
quality_fine.jpg quality_normal.jpg
   
16M RAW (100% Crop)  
quality_raw.jpg  

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are just a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes by changing the Picture Modes.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

sharpen1.jpg sharpen1a.jpg
   
sharpen2.jpg sharpen2a.jpg

Flash

The Olympus E-P5 features a pop-up flash that has multiple modes including Forced On, Forced Off, Auto, Slow Sync, Rear-Curtain Sync and almost any of these combined with red-eye reduction. The pictures below were taken of a white wall from a distance of 1.5m, with and without the built-in flash.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (28mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (28mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (84mm)

Flash On - Telephoto (84mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And now for some portraits. The pop-up flash of the Olympus E-P5 did not cause any red-eye effect.

Flash On

Flash On (100% Crop)
flash_on.jpg flash_on1.jpg
   

Red-eye Reduction

Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

flash_redeye.jpg flash_redeye1.jpg

Night

The Olympus E-P5 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 60 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times as long as 30 minutes, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 100. We've included a 100% crop to show what the quality is like.

Night

Night (100% Crop)

night1.jpg night1a.jpg

Image Stabilisation

The Olympus E-P5 comes with a sensor-shift image stabilisation (IS) system, which allows you to take sharp hand-held photos at slower shutter speeds than with cameras that lack this feature.

Focal Length / Shutter Speed

Off (100% Crop)

On (100% Crop)

28mm / 1/10th Second antishake1.jpg antishake1a.jpg
     
 

Off (100% Crop)

On (100% Crop)

84mm / 1/10th Second antishake2.jpg antishake2a.jpg

Art Filters

The Olympus E-P5 offers 12 different Art Filters, which allow you to quickly apply an artistic effect to a photo before taking it (JPEG images only). Note that applying the Art Filters slows the camera down somewhat as the camera takes several seconds to process and save the image.

Pop Art

Soft Focus

art_filters_01.jpg art_filters_02.jpg
   

Pale&Light Color

Light Tone

art_filters_03.jpg art_filters_04.jpg
   

Grainy Film

Pin Hole

art_filters_05.jpg art_filters_06.jpg
   
Diorama Cross Process
art_filters_07.jpg art_filters_08.jpg
   
Gentle Sepia Dramatic Tone
art_filters_09.jpg art_filters_10.jpg
   
Key Line Watercolor
art_filters_11.jpg art_filters_12.jpg

Picture Modes

Olympus' Picture Modes are essentially pre-set combinations of saturation, contrast and sharpness, except for the new i-Enhance mode that aims to optimise each photo individually. You can tailor each Picture Mode to your needs. The following examples demonstrate the differences across the available Picture Modes.

i-Enhance

Vivid

picture_modes_01.jpg picture_modes_02.jpg
   

Natural

Muted

picture_modes_03.jpg picture_modes_04.jpg
   

Portrait

Monotone

picture_modes_05.jpg picture_modes_06.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Olympus E-P5 camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Olympus E-P5 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Olympus RAW (ORF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 21 second movie is 46.4Mb in size.

Product Images

Olympus E-P5

Front of the Olympus E-P5

 
Olympus E-P5

Front of the Olympus E-P5

 
Olympus E-P5

Front of the Olympus E-P5 / Flash Raised

 
Olympus E-P5

Front of the Olympus E-P5

 
Olympus E-P5

Front of the Olympus E-P5 / VF-4 Fitted

 
Olympus E-P5

Front of the Olympus E-P5 / VF-4 Fitted

 
Olympus E-P5

Front of the Olympus E-P5 / VF-4 Fitted

 
Olympus E-P5

Side of the Olympus E-P5

 
Olympus E-P5

Side of the Olympus E-P5

 
Olympus E-P5

Side of the Olympus E-P5

 
Olympus E-P5

Side of the Olympus E-P5

 
Olympus E-P5

Rear of the Olympus E-P5

 

Olympus E-P5

Rear of the Olympus E-P5 / Image Displayed

 
Olympus E-P5
Rear of the Olympus E-P5 / Turned On
 
Olympus E-P5
Rear of the Olympus E-P5 / Main Menu
 
Olympus E-P5
Rear of the Olympus E-P5 / Function Menu
 
Olympus E-P5
Rear of the Olympus E-P5 / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Olympus E-P5
Rear of the Olympus E-P5 / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Olympus E-P5
Rear of the Olympus E-P5 / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Olympus E-P5
Top of the Olympus E-P5
 
Olympus E-P5
Bottom of the Olympus E-P5
 
Olympus E-P5
Side of the Olympus E-P5
 
Olympus E-P5
Side of the Olympus E-P5
 
Olympus E-P5
Front of the Olympus E-P5
 
Olympus E-P5
Front of the Olympus E-P5
 
Olympus E-P5
Memory Card Slot
 
Olympus E-P5
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Olympus E-P5 is a compelling mix of old and new, fusing together a gorgeous retro design with the latest 21st-century technology to create the most stylish and advanced PEN yet. It's not perfect though - fitting the expensive VF-4 viewfinder makes the E-P5 physically bigger than the flagship weather-sealed OM-D E-M5 (although the resolution of the VF-4 is higher than the E-M5's viewfinder), the wi-fi connectivity is rather limited, and the official price has shot up quite considerably since the previous E-P3 launched, making this very much a premium product. Still, that's very much what the E-P5 is - a premium camera in virtually every way.

The E-P5's main new features - a tiltable 1.04-million-dot touchscreen, innovative 2x2 Dial Control system, built-in Wi-Fi, expanded ISO range of 100-25600, built-in 5-axis image stabilisation, top shutter speed of 1/8000th second, focus peaking in manual AF mode, and 9fps continuous shooting - make it the most full-featured Olympus mirrorless camera and one of the best on the market. It might not be weather-sealed like the OM-D or have a built-in viewfinder, but in many ways it's the equal and often the better of Olympus' flagship model.

With the same sensor as the OM-D E-M5 on-board, image quality is unsurprisingly excellent. Noise doesn't rear its ugly head until ISO 3200 for JPEGs and even the faster settings prove eminently usable, although the E-P5 does apply some pretty aggressive noise reduction to keep the files clean as shown by the much noisier raw images. We never longed for a camera with a bigger sensor, and you'd have to step up to a full-frame DSLR to see an appreciable leap in image quality.

The E-P5's biggest problem is not the camera itself, but its price - £899.99/$999.99 body-only makes it as expensive as the OM-D E-M5. Sure, it offers a lot of features that its big brother doesn't, but then the E-M5 is arguably a more well-balanced camera thanks principally to its built-in viewfinder. Olympus seem to be positioning the E-P5, at least on launch, as a direct alternative to the E-M5, rather than a cheaper one - only you can decide if the more compact, stylish and feature-rich E-P5 warrants such a position.

Ultimately the E-P5 joins the E-M5 as a fantastic compact system camera, albeit again a rather pricey one. It's different enough to its older sibling to warrant careful consideration - smaller, lighter, in some ways more flexible, and with some genuinely useful extra features - so much so that we can recommend the new Olympus E-P5 just as highly as our favourite compact system camera of 2012.

5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 5
Image quality 5
Value for money 4

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Olympus E-P5.

Canon EOS M

The Canon EOS M is a new compact system camera that boasts 18 megapixels, full 1080p high-definition videos with continuous auto-focusing, and a touch-screen interface. Other key features of the EOS M include a 3-inch LCD screen with 1,040k dot resolution, ISO range of 100-25,600, and a flash hotshoe. Is Canon's new mirrorless model a real contender? Read our Canon EOS M review to find out...

Fujifilm X-E1

The Fujifilm X-E1 is a new premium compact system camera. The retro, rangefinder-styled X-E1 offers the same image sensor and lens mount as the flagship X-Pro in a smaller, lighter body, with a new electronic viewfinder, built-in flash, 18-55m kit lens and more affordable price tag. Read our Fujifilm X-E1 review to find out if it's a viable alternative to the X-Pro1...

Fujifilm X-Pro1

The Fujifilm X-Pro1 is a new premium compact system camera. Building on the popularity of the X100, the retro, rangefinder-styled X-Pro1 offers a brand new sensor that's claimed to rival full-frame DSLRs, an improved hybrid viewfinder, and a new X lens mount with three prime lenses available on launch. Read our Fujifilm X-Pro1 review to find out if it can emulate the runaway success of the X100...

Nikon 1 V2

The Nikon 1 V2 is a second-generation compact system camera that's clearly been redesigned to appeal to the serious enthusiast. In addition to a more direct control layout with shooting mode and control dials, a chunky hand-grip and built-in pop-up flash, the Nikon V2 also sports a new 14 megapixel sensor, faster 15fps burst shooting with continuous focusing, and improved Best Moment Capture and Motion Snapshot Modes. Read the World's first Nikon 1 V2 review to find out if this new mirrorless model can capture the attention of the more discerning photographer...

Olympus E-PL5

The Olympus E-PL5 is a new compact system camera that offers a lot more than first meets the eye. Also known as the PEN Lite, the EPL5 has exactly the same image sensor and processing engine as the flagship OM-D E-M5. It also boasts the World's fastest autofocus system, a 3 inch tilting LCD display, full 1080p HD movies, and an extensive range of creative filters. Read our in-depth Olympus E-PL5 review to find out if it's a true bargain or not...

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus have expanded their Micro Four Thirds family with the launch of the OM-D E-M5. Boasting the World's fastest autofocus system, the E-M5 brings the original design ethos of the 1970's film OM series kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Read our expert Olympus E-M5 review to find out if it's the best compact system camera on the market.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 is a new compact system camera that promises to offer both high-quality still images and movies. The exciting GH3 features Full 1080p HD video with bit rates up to 72Mbps, a 16 megapixel sensor, a 3 inch swivelling touchscreen OLED, built-in wi-fi connectivity, a weather-proof body, and an extensive ISO range of 125-25600. Read our Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 review to find out if it's the most complete video/stills camera yet...

Panasonic Lumix G6

The Panasonic Lumix G6 is a new compact system camera that offers a lot of bang for your buck. Standout features of the Panasonic G6 include a 16 megapixel Live MOS sensor, capacitive touchscreen control system, OLED viewfinder, wi-fi and NFC connectivity, fast auto-focus system, 1080p AVCHD movies with stereo sound, 7fps burst shooting and an extensive range of creative effects. Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 review now to find out if it can take on its DSLR and CSC rivals...

Panasonic Lumix GF6

The Panasonic Lumix GF6 is a new entry-level compact system camera that offers a lot of cutting-edge features for not a lot of money. The diminutive GF6 has a tilting LCD screen, built-in wireless and NFC connectivity, fast 0.09 second auto-focusing, a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor, 1080i HD video, and a touchscreen interface. Read our Panasonic Lumix GF6 review, complete with full-size JPEG and RAW sample images...

Samsung NX300

The Samsung NX300 is a new mid-range compact system camera featuring a 20.3 megapixel APS-C sensor, hybrid AF system, 3.3-inch tilting AMOLED touchscreen, 8.6fps continuous shooting, Wi-fi and NFC connectivity, full 1080p video, and an ISO range 100-25,600. Read our in-depth Samsung NX300 review now...

Sony NEX-6

The NEX-6 is the latest compact system camera from Sony, slotting in between the mid-level NEX-5R and the top-of-the range NEX-7. With a 16 megapixel APS HD CMOS sensor, 1080p HD movies, high-res 3 inch OLED screen and built-in flash, the Sony NEX-6 also features 10fps burst shooting, wi-fi connectivity and downloadable PlayMemories Camera Apps. Read our full Sony NEX-6 review, complete with sample JPEGs, RAW files, and movies, to find out if it's the best Sony NEX camera yet...

Sony NEX-7

The Sony NEX-7 is a new compact system camera with a long list of photographer-friendly features. Offering a 24.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, 1080p HD movies, high-res 3 inch tilting screen, 10fps burst shooting, built-in electronic viewfinder and pop-up flash, the NEX-7 seems to be on paper at least a very exciting proposition. Read our full Sony NEX-7 review, complete with sample JPEGs, RAW files, and movies, to find out if this is the ultimate compact system camera...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Olympus E-P5 from around the web.

pcmag.com »

The Olympus PEN E-P5 ($1,449.99 list with 17mm lens and EVF)$1,449.00 at Amazon is the latest addition to the Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera family, and it's a winner. The PEN features the same imaging engine and stabilization system as our Editors' Choice OM-D E-M5$1,149.00 at Amazon, but uses a removable add-on EVF rather than a built-in version. It's got built-in Wi-Fi, a first for the PEN family, and an innovative control system that lets you take command of four camera settings via a toggle switch and two control dials. It doesn't have the OM-D E-M5's weather sealed body or kit lens, but it does put a few additional controls at your fingertips.
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Specifications

Type

  • Body material

    Metal

  • Lens mount

    Micro Four Thirds

Image Sensor

  • Type

    4/3'' Live MOS sensor

  • Effective pixels

    16.1 Megapixels

  • Filter array

    Primary colour filter (RGB)

  • Aspect ratio & area

    4:3 / 17.3 x 13.0mm

  • Full resolution

    17.2 Megapixels

Engine

  • Type

    TruePic VI

Filter

  • Dust reduction filter

    Supersonic Wave Filter

Live View

  • Displayed information

    • Aperture
    • Shutter speed
    • Auto bracket
    • AE lock
    • Focus mode
    • Shooting mode
    • Battery check
    • My Mode
    • IS activating mode
    • Internal temperature warning
    • Face / Eye detection mode
    • Record mode
    • ISO
    • Sequential shooting mode
    • White Balance
    • Metering mode
    • Exposure compensation value
    • AF frame display
    • AF confirmation mark
    • Shooting information
    • Spot metering area
    • Super FP
    • Flash status
    • Touch Panel Condition
    • Focal length
    • Eye-Fi condition
    • Flash mode
    • Histogram
    • Custom
    • Face detection
  • AF type

    Contrast detection system

  • 100% field of view

    Approx. 100%

  • Magnification levels

    5 / 7 / 10 / 14x

Image Stabiliser

  • Type

    Sensor shift

  • Modes

    Five-dimensional, vertical or horizontal activation, automatic

  • Effective Compensation Range

    Up to 5 EV steps

Focusing System

  • Method

    Contrast Detection AF system

  • Focus areas

    35 points / Automatic and manual selection

  • / Auto selection with Face Detection ON

  • 800 points / Manual selection in Magnified View Mode

  • AF lock

    Yes , Locked by first position of shutter release button in single AF mode, AE/AF lock button (customised)

  • Modes

    • Manual focus
    • Single AF
    • Continuous AF
    • Single AF + MF
    • AF Tracking
    • Super Spot AF
  • AF illuminator

    Yes

  • Full time AF

    Yes

  • Manual focus

    Yes , With enlarged focusing area or focus peaking

  • Face Detection extension

    • Eye Detect AF: Off
    • Left side priority
    • Right side priority
    • Near side priority
  • Predictive AF

    Yes

  • AF tracking

    Yes , Available in continuous AF mode

Exposure System

  • Modes

    • Programme automatic
    • Aperture priority
    • Shutter priority
    • Manual
    • Bulb
    • Time
    • i-Auto
    • Scene Modes
    • Art Filter
    • Photo Story
    • My Mode
  • Exposure compensation

    +/- 3EV ( 1, 1/2, 1/3 steps )

  • Exposure bracketing

    2 / 3 / 5 frames ( +/- 1/3, 2/3, 1 EV steps )

  • 7 frames ( +/- 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 EV steps )

  • HDR bracketing

    3 / 5 frames ( +/- 2 / 3 EV steps )

  • 7 frames ( +/- 2 EV steps )

  • Note: HDR picture can not be made by this function.

  • ISO bracketing

    3 frames ( 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps )

  • AE lock

    Yes (Fn1/Rec button)

  • My Mode

    4 settings storable

  • Enhancement function

    Shadow Adjustment Technology

Scene Modes

  • Number of scene modes

    25

  • Modes

    • Portrait
    • e-Portrait
    • Landscape
    • Landscape with Portrait
    • Macro
    • Sports
    • Night Scene
    • Night Scene with portrait
    • Children
    • High key
    • Low key
    • Digital Image Stabilisation
    • Nature Macro
    • Candle
    • Sunset
    • Documents
    • Panorama
    • Fireworks
    • Beach and Snow
    • Fisheye converter
    • Macro converter
    • 3D
    • Wide converter
    • Underwater Macro
    • Underwater Wide

Multi-Exposure

  • Max. number of frames

    2 frames (shooting)

  • 3 frames (editing)

  • Auto gain control

    Yes

  • Frame assistance

    Live View

Light Metering

  • Method

    TTL open aperture light metering

  • Zones

    324 zones Multi-pattern Sensing System

  • Detection range

    0 - 20 EV (17mm f2.8, ISO 100)

  • Modes

    • ESP light metering
    • Spot metering
    • Centre weighted metering
    • Highlight
    • Shadow

Art Filter

  • Modes

    • Pop Art
    • Soft Focus
    • Pale & Light Colour
    • Light Tone
    • Grainy Film
    • Pin Hole
    • Diorama
    • Cross Process
    • Dramatic Tone
    • Gentle Sepia
    • Key Line
    • Water colour
  • Variation / Effect

    Available

Photo Story

  • Modes

    • Standard
    • Fun Frame

Sensitivity

  • Auto

    ISO 200 - 25000 (customisable, default ISO 200 - 1600)

  • Manual

    ISO LOW - 25600 in 1/3 or 1 EV ISO steps

Shutter

  • Shutter type

    Computerised focal-plane shutter

  • Self timer

    2s / 12s

  • Custom (delay 1-30sec.,shooting interval 0.5/1/2/3sec.,number of shots 1-10)

  • Anti Shock

    Yes release delay: 1/8 - 30s

Shutter Speeds

  • Shutter speed range

    1/8000 - 60s (in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps)

  • Bulb mode

    Up to 30 minutes (selectable longest time in the menu, default: 8 minutes)

  • Time

    Up to 30 minutes (selectable longest time in the menu, default: 8 minutes)

White Balance

  • AUTO WB system

    Advanced detection system with Live MOS sensor

  • Manual White balance (One-Touch)

    Yes

  • White balance bracketing

    3 frames / +/- 2, 4, 6mired steps

  • One-touch white balance

    2 custom settings can be registered

  • Custom WB

    1 setting can be registered at Kelvin temperature (2000K - 14000K)

  • Preset values

    • Tungsten
    • Flourescent 1
    • Sunlight
    • Flash
    • Overcast
    • Shade
    • Underwater
  • Auto Flash adjustment

    Off / Auto WB / Flash

  • Keep warm colour

    On / Off

Sequence Shooting

  • Speed (H)

    Approx. 9fps

  • Speed (L)

    5.0fps (IS off), 4.5fps (IS on)

  • Max. number of frames

    18 frames (RAW)

  • Up to card capacity (JPG / Large Normal mode)

  • Conditions

    Memory card: Toshiba SDXC UHS-I card R95 W80 model Premiugate series "Class 10" 8GB

  • Note: Depending on shooting conditions, the sequential shooting speed may reduce speed during shooting.

  • Interval shooting

    Interval: 1s - 24h

  • Max. number of frames: 99

Image Processing

  • Colour space

    sRGB / AdobeRGB

  • Sharpness + Contrast

    5 levels

  • Contrast

    5 levels

  • Saturation

    5 levels

  • Black & White filter

    Yellow, Orange, Red, Green

  • Black & White toning

    Sepia, Blue, Purple or Green in Black & White mode

  • Picture mode

    i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Portrait, Muted, Monotone, Art Filter

  • Gradation

    4levels (auto, high key, normal, low key)

  • Engine

    TruePic VI

  • Art Filter bracketing

    Available

  • Tele converter effect

    2x

Internal Flash

  • Modes

    • AUTO
    • Manual
    • Manual (Full, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64)
    • Red-eye reduction
    • Slow synchronisation with red-eye reduction
    • Slow synchronisation
    • Slow synchronisation 2nd curtain
    • Fill-in
    • Off
  • Type

    Internal Flash

  • Flash compensation

    +/- 3 EV ( 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps )

  • Guide number

    10 (ISO 200)

  • X-sync speed

    1/320s / 1/4000s (Super FP Mode)

External Flash Control

  • X-sync speed

    1/250s / 1/4000s (Super FP Mode)

  • Type

    TTL AUTO, AUTO, MANUAL, FP TTL AUTO, FP MANUAL

  • Modes

    • Auto
    • Red-eye reduction
    • Slow synchronisation
    • 2nd curtain and slow synchronisation
    • Fill-in for exclusive flash
    • Manual
  • Intensity

    +/- 3 EV ( 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps )

  • Note: Some functions are only available if they are supported by the external flash.

Wireless Flash Control

  • Number of channels

    4 channels

  • Compatible external flash

    FL-36R, FL-50R, FL-300R, FL-600R

  • Control method

    Triggered and controlled by built-in flash light

  • Group setting

    4 groups

Monitor

  • Monitor type

    Tiltable LCD - Touch Panel

  • Monitor size

    7.6cm / 3.0'' (3:2)

  • Resolution

    1037000 dots

  • Brightness adjustment

    +/- 7 levels

  • Colour balance

    +/- 7 levels Vivid (default) / Natural

  • Touch Control fucntions

    • AF area enlargement
    • AF area selection
    • Enlargement
    • Enlargement playback
    • Frame forward/backward
    • Live Guide
    • Scene Modes
    • Shooting mode
    • Shutter release
    • Super Control Panel
    • Wifi connection

Level Gauge

  • Detection

    2-axis

  • Display

    Rear display and viewfinder

Super Control Panel

  • Displayed information

    • Battery indicator
    • Record mode
    • Shutter speed
    • Aperture value
    • Exposure compensation indicator
    • ISO
    • AE bracketing
    • AF frame
    • Focus mode
    • AEL notification
    • Face detection
    • Number of storable frames
    • Metering mode
    • Exposure mode
    • Exposure level view
    • Flash compensation value
    • Colour space
    • Gradation
    • Colour saturation compensation value
    • Sharpness compensation value
    • Contrast compensation value
    • White balance
    • White balance compensation value
    • Noise reduction
    • Flash mode
    • Drive mode
    • Internal temperature warning
    • Histogram

Recording Formats

  • RAW

    12bit

  • RAW & JPEG

    Yes parallel recording

  • JPEG

    Yes

  • Aspect ratio

    4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9 / 6:6 / 3:4

  • MPO (3D)

    Yes

Image Size

  • RAW

    4608 x 3456 compressed / 17MB / frame

  • 4608 x 3456 Fine (compression: 1/4) / 7.5MB / frame

  • 4608 x 3456 Normal (compression: 1/8) / 3.5MB / frame

  • 2560 x 1920 Normal (compression: 1/8) 1.1MB / frame

  • 1024 x 768 Normal (compression: 1/8) / 0.3MB / frame

Still Image Recording

  • EXIF

    2.2

  • PIM

    III

  • DPOF

    Yes

  • DCF

    Yes

Movie Recording System

  • Recording format

    MOV(MPEG-4AVC/H.264), AVI(Motion JPEG)

  • Image Stabilisation Mode

    Yes Sensor shift (5-axis)

  • HD Movie quality

    Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) 30p, 20Mbps (MOV)

  • Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) 30p, 17Mbps (MOV)

  • HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) 30p, 13Mbps (MOV)

  • HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) 30p, 10Mbps (MOV)

  • HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) / 30fps (AVI Motion JPEG®)

  • Movie quality

    640 x 480 / 30fps (AVI Motion JPEG®)

  • Time laps

    1280 x 720 / 10fps (AVI Motion JPEG®)

  • 29min (17Mbps)

  • 14min (SD) / 7min (HD) (AVI Motion JPEG®)*

  • Max. file size

    4GB (AVCHD)

  • 2GB (Motion-JPEG)

  • Exposure Modes

    • Aperture priority
    • Art Filter
    • Manual
    • Programme automatic
    • Shutter priority
  • * Some Art Filters are excluded

  • Movie effects

    • Multi shot echo
    • One shot echo

Sound Recording System

  • Internal microphone

    Stereo

  • Recording format

    Stereo PCM/16bit, 48kHz, Wave Format Base

  • External microphone

    Optional

  • Image footage

    30s

  • Speaker

    Yes

  • Microphone functions

    • Wind Noise Reduction
    • Recording Volume

View Images

  • Modes

    • Index
    • Calendar
    • Zoom
    • Slide show
    • Movie
    • Single
  • Light box

    Yes

  • Histogram in playback mode

    Yes

  • Shooting information

    Off / On

Erase / Protect / Copy Function

  • Erase modes

    Single, All, Selected

  • Image protect mode

    Single frame, Selected frames, All Frames, Release protect (Single/All selected)

Image Editing

  • RAW data edit

    Yes

  • Red-eye reduction

    Yes

  • Sepia

    Yes

  • Black & White

    Yes

  • Resize

    Yes

  • Correction of saturation

    Yes

  • Shadow Adjustment

    Yes

  • Trimming

    Yes

  • e-Portrait

    Yes

  • Gradation auto

    Yes

Menu

  • Menu languages in camera

    English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Czech, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Greek, Slovak, Turkish, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Serbian

Customisation Options

  • Fn Button

    Yes

  • My Mode

    4 settings storable

  • Factory reset

    Full / Standard

  • Programmable button

    Yes

Interface

  • Media

    SD Memory Card (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I compatible) Class 6 is recommended for Movie shooting

  • HDMI™

    Yes Micro connector (Type D) *

  • USB 2.0 High Speed

    Yes

  • Combined V & USB output

    Yes NTSC or PAL selectable

  • Wireless connectivity

  • Connection

    Accessory Port 2

  • * "HDMI", the HDMI logo and "High-Definition Multimedia Interface" are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.

Wi-Fi Functions

  • GPS info

    Available through Smartphone GPS data

  • Wireless Shooting

    • Live View
    • Rec View
    • Touch AF & Shutter
    • Self timer
    • Power off
  • Image Share

    File type: JPEG, MOV

  • Simultaneuosly connectable devices: 4

  • Privacy function

  • Easy Connection

    QR code setting

  • Note: Shooting mode is fixed on i-Auto

Power Supply

  • Battery

    BLN-1 Lithium-Ion Battery

  • Sleep mode

    1, 3, 5, 10 min. and off selectable.

  • Live View shooting

    Approx. 400images (50% with Live View)

Environment

  • Temperature

    0 - 40°C operating temperature / -20 - 60°C storage temperature

  • Humidity

    30 - 90% operation humidity / 10 - 90% storage humidity

Size

  • Dimensions (W x H x D)

    122.3 x 68.9 x 37.2mm (without protrusions)

  • Weight

    420g (including battery and memory card)

  • 378g (body only)

Exterior

  • Available Colours

    • Black
    • Silver
    • White

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