Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Review

March 2, 2015 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The E-M5 Mark II is the new flagship Micro Four Thirds compact system camera from Olympus. The third model in the range of cameras dubbed OM-D, the E-M5 Mark II is a classically styled 16.1 megapixel model that offers the world's most effective 5-axis image stabilisation system, rated for up to 5-stops of compensation and effective for both stills and movies and any lens that you attach to the camera. The new OM-D Movie Mode offers multiple video frame rates (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) and bit rates up to 77 Mbps, plus focusing during video capture via the new 3-inch touch-sensitive, vari-angle LCD screen. In the High Resolution mode, the 5-axis image stabilisation system can capture 40 megapixel JPEGs and 64 megapixel RAW files by moving the sensor between each shot and merging eight single exposures into one during the course of 1 second. Other key features of the Olympus OM-D EM-5 include a dust- and splash- proof magnesium-alloy body, 2.36 million-dot Electronic Viewfinder with eye-detection, 10 frames per second burst shooting, TruePic VII processor, a sensitivity range of ISO 200-25600, 81-point area auto-focus system, in-camera keystone compensation, built-in WiFi for remote control shooting and sharing, a mechanical shutter and fully-electronic shutter mode with speeds of up to 1/16000 second. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II is available in silver or black for £899/$1099 body-only.

Ease of Use

At first glance the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II looks very similar to the 3-year-old E-M5 that it replaces, but underneath the slightly revised exterior are a host of changes that bring this camera bang up to date. With silver/black or all-black body choices offered, we had the latter version of the E-M5 Mark II in for review, along with the M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 kit lens.

Feeling very robust and reassuringly solid in the palm thanks to the magnesium-alloy body which boasts the same dust and splash-proof capability as the flagship E-M1 camera, the E-M5 Mark II's dimensions are 123.7 x 85 x 44.5mm, so it's definitely one for a camera bag rather than pocket if the kit lens remains attached, with a body-only weight of 417g.

Starting from the front, the E-M5 Mark II has a re-programmable depth-of-field preview button located to the bottom-left of the lens mount, a round lens release button to the right, plus a new flash sync terminal and an AF assist lamp above interrupting the otherwise feature-less faceplate. The flash sync terminal allows the use of mains flashes and other cable-contact flash units via a standard sync cable. Olympus specifies an x-sync speed of 1/320s with the FL-LM2 and 1/250s with other external units. The E-M5 Mark II's handgrip is slightly different to its predecessors, featuring a more curved design that runs towards the lens mount and an the use of a different, more leather-like texture, with just enough room vertically to accomodate three fingers.

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 their image stabilization mechanism additionally corrects for horizontal shift, vertical shift and rotary motion (rolling) for both still images and movies. The E-M5 Mark II now offers an incredible 5-stops of compensation complete with auto panning detection, with Olympus claiming that handheld shutter-speeds as low as 1/4 second are obtainable.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Front of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II can cleverly create a 40 megapixel JPEG or a 64 megapixel RAW file in the High Resolution mode, achieved by shifting the sensor in half-pixel steps and capturing eight images over a period of one second. Olympus recommends that you mount the camera on a tripod or other stable surface to obtain sharp results and also that your subject should be static, although they have already hinted that in the not-too-distant future you'll be able to hand-hold the camera when using this mode. Note that you need to download the "Olympus High Res Shot Raw File Photoshop Plug-in" to open the RAW files in CS5 or newer 64-bit Adobe Photoshop.

Focusing is another area where the Olympus OM-D E-M5 II has been significantly improved. The number of selectable AF points has been expanded to 81 in a 9x9 grid versus the E-M5's 35. Low-light auto focus continues to be excellent – the system managed to focus down to -2EV (as long as there was something to focus on) even without the use of the focus assist lamp. This is seriously low light, about the same as a landscape lit only by moonlight and nothing else. It doesn't include the 37 on-sensor phase-detection auto focus points that the flagship E-M1 offers, though.

The continuous shooting speed has been increased too, to 5fps with auto focus (up from 4.2fps on the OM-D E-M5), and 10fps without. Manual focus enthusiasts will be delighted to learn that the Olympus E-M5 Mark II has a focus peaking feature, which enables precise focusing even without magnifying into the live view feed, although we would love to see a few more options for the outline colour.

On the top is a vacant flash hotshoe that sits directly above the lens, with a partially recessed shooting mode dial on the left hand-side when viewed from the rear. The coin-like dial has a surrounding ridged edge for easier purchase and a new locking button at its centre. On most other cameras that have a lockable dial, you need to hold down the centred button while turning the dial – on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, the mode dial locks with one press of the locking pin and unlocks with a second press, which is a clever idea. The shooting mode options remaining the same as the original E-M5's, being program, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, video, scene modes, Art Filters and - the most obviously highlighted of all - iAuto mode.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Rear of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

The power switch has been relocated from the rear of the camera to the left-hand side of the flash hotshoe. The placement of the on/off switch might well raise a few eyebrows as it means you will almost always need to use your left hand to turn on the camera, which is hardly an ideal solution. Actually, this is a design nod to the Olympus OM-1 film camera that had its power switch in virtually the same location – which is all nice and well, but we’d still prefer it to be in a position where you can easily reach it with your right thumb or forefinger.

There are now 14 Art Filters in total, with Dramatic Tone and the self explanatory Gentle Sepia working the best for us, the former adding an intensely gritty look as if a photograph has been photo copied and vividly hand coloured. 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.

Over to the right of the external flash hotshoe are a small-ish shutter release button, with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II readying itself for action in a second or so. Squeeze down halfway on the shutter release and the E-M5 Mark II quickly responds thanks to the new TruePic VII processor, the screen almost imperceptibly blurring before snapping back into focus, with the AF point flashing up in green with an accompanying bleep of confirmation. The E-M5 Mark II certainly delivers in terms of focusing speed and perhaps more importantly accuracy too, with very few false positives.

Take the shot and 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 the memory 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. Action photographers will appreciate the headline grabbing burst rate of 10fps, although that's only achieved by locking the focus point at the first frame of the sequence - the EM-5 Mark II performs at a more modest maximum speed of 5fps when auto-focusing.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Tilting LCD Screen

The wi-fi implementation on the OM-D E-M5 II is actually quite good. You first need to download a free app for your smartphone (Android and iOS versions are both available), but after that, everything is pretty straightforward. You simply touch the Wi-Fi icon on your camera's display to set up a connection. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II will provide you with an SSID and password, but you do not need to type in either of them – just launch the app on your phone and scan the QR code displayed by your camera with your phone. This is nearly as fast as using NFC (Near-Field Communication), a feature that the OM-D E-M 5 Mark II doesn't offer. Once the connection is established, you can download images from the camera to your smartphone, or use the latter to remotely control the camera. The level of control provided is quite good – you can choose from a variety of shooting modes, set aperture, sensitivity, shutter speed and white balance, choose a drive mode, and focus on practically any part of the frame, all remotely.

The Olympus E-M5 Mark II has a time-lapse photography mode, which allows you to capture up to 999 frames at user-specified intervals. You can also tell the camera when to start the sequence, which comes in handy if you want to set up the camera well in advance. The E-M5 Mark II will save each shot in the format of your choice – ORF or JPEG – and can optionally create a time-lapse video in-camera, which you can play back on the rear screen, or upload to a website like Vimeo or YouTube. While shooting raw and creating a video afterwards on your PC gives you more control over grading, sharpening etc., the in-camera option is nice to have when shooting JPEG or raw+JPEG, as it is obviously much faster.

The shutter release is encircled by the first of two command dials. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark I inherits the 2x2 Dual Control system first seen on the Pen E-P5. This comprises two top-mounted control wheels and a function lever on the rear that’s pretty easy to reach with your right thumb. The function lever has two settings. 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 – for example, you can turn it into a handy AF/MF toggle if that makes more sense to you. Alongside is the non-specific, user attributable 'Fn2' function button, on our review sample sensibly given over to adjusting the ISO speed, along with new Fn3 button for changing the Display and Fn4 button for accessing the HDR options (both can be re-configured).

Completing the EM-5's top-plate is a red video record button. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II can record Full HD movies at a variety of frame rates (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) and either inter or intra-frame compression, and the highest bit rate has increased to 77Mb/s from 24Mb/s on the E-M5. The E-M5 Mark II can use its excellent 5-axis sensor-shift image stabiliser when shooting movies, which translates into smooth hand-held footage, even when using longer telephoto lens. Manual exposure can be enabled for videos, although you do have to rotate the mode dial to the Movie position to take advantage of this. (You can start filming in practically any other shooting mode too, but in that case, videos will always be recorded with auto exposure.) Audio is recorded in stereo PCM and uncompressed HDMI output is also possible, as is support for timecode. Shooting modes include Aperture priority, Art Filter, Manual, Program and Shutter priority, while one-shot echo and multiecho effects can be added to movies.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Top of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Moving to the rear of the E-M5 Mark II, we find the built-in electronic viewfinder complete with diopter control to the left. Note that the E-M5 II no longer features the manufacturer's second-generation accessory port beneath the hotshoe, so you can no longer attach a variety of optional peripherals such as a Bluetooth adapter, an external microphone adapter kit or the MAL-1 Macro Arm Lights.

Instead of a built-in pop-up flash, the EM-5 Mark II is supplied with the diminutive new FL-LM3 unit (guide number of 9/m at ISO 200) which clips into the external flash hotshoe and the accessory port, much like the flash on Sony's NEX cameras. While many will bemoan the lack of a true built-in unit, thankfully Olympus have chosen not to sell it as an optional accessory, and it does have the same dustproof and splashproof construction as the camera body. Plus it can now swivel and tilt for bounce flash and act as a wireless controller for off-camera flash. It may make the OM-D EM-5 Mark II look a little top-heavy when fitted, but at least you have the choice of whether to use it or not.

The Olympus E-M5 had a pretty decent finder – with a resolution of 1.44 million dots, 1.15x magnification and an 18mm eyepoint –, but the EVF on the OM-D E-M5 Mark II is all-around better, offering a 2.4-million-dot resolution, 1.48x magnification and a 21mm eyepoint - it's actually the same EVF as found on the flagship OM-D E-M1. All these specifications translate into a much improved viewing and framing experience that rivals – and in some respects outclasses – the best optical viewfinders found on any cropped-frame DSLR. The EVF also benefits from the addition of Adaptive Brightness Control, which contributes to an improved viewing experience. Also the finder now has an eye proximity sensor that allows the camera to switch from the LCD screen to the EVF automatically when you lift it up to your eye. Like the E-M1, the E-M5 Mark II's electronic viewfinder “gains up” in low light, making it arguably more usable than an optical finder. The EVF helpfully displays key shooting information along the bottom of the viewfinder, and you can preview manual and creative adjustments live through the EVF without having to lower the camera to look at the rear screen.

The camera's back is dominated by a large, articulated rear screen. Unlike the E-M5, this is not an OLED panel but an LCD – with a considerably higher resolution (1,037,000 vs. 610,000 dots) and capacitive touchscreen technology. As the monitor is now side-mounted, the degree of articulation has also been greatly improved – it's now a fully articulated vari-angle display that can be rotated to the front for easier selfies and closed against the rear of the camera to protect the screen.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II In-hand

The E-M5 Mark II is the latest Olympus compact system camera to feature touch screen operation, although if you're not a fan you can for the most part get away without using it much at all, as there are a plethora of physical buttons which are either dedicated to specific functions or can be customized to suit. Indeed, the touch-sensitive interface hasn't led to a cleaner or more pared-down minimalist look.

Dragging a finger, and so the AF point, around the screen is a quick and easy way of following the subject, though inadvertently subsequently tapping it will cause the shutter to fire. 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-M5 Mark II on a neck strap, or the thumb of your left hand straying as you handle the camera.

To the right of the EVF is the function lever for the 2x2 Dual Control system. Just below this control and the usefully protruding thumb-rest are dedicated and self-explanatory Menu and Info buttons, the latter toggling through various LCD views. Underneath again is a option-less 4-way navigation controller with a central OK button - pressing this accesses the E-M5 Mark II's quick menu system, a handy onscreen grid of icons that provide quick access to most of the camera's main settings. In conjunction with the camera's plethora of external controls and its customisable buttons, this makes the E-M5 Mark II a pleasure to use. The final controls on the rear are the Delete button and Playback buttons.

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 left 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, along with a new standard 3.5mm stereo microphone jack. On the right is a flip open cover protecting the memory card slot. There is the option here to use all varieties of SD media card, up to and including SDXC cards. On the bottom of the EM-5 Mark II is a screw thread for attaching a tripod, with the lockable battery compartment alongside. The BLN1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery supplied with the E-M5 Mark II is good for around 310 shots, slightly down from the E-M5.

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 OM-D E-M5 Mark II 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 200 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 improved image stabilisation system works excellently for both stills and video, even when hand-holding the camera at very slow shutter speeds. The presence of Art Filters may be unusual in such a high-end prosumer camera, but they do produce special effects that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom. The new High resolution mode can create a 40 megapixel JPEG or a 64 megapixel RAW file, while the HDR options succesfully expand the dynamic range.

Noise

There are 8 ISO settings available on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. 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

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

16M Fine (7.74Mb) (100% Crop) 16M Normal (3.07Mb) (100% Crop)
quality_fine.jpg quality_normal.jpg
   
16M RAW (13.4Mb) (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

Night

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II 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 200.

Night

Night (100% Crop)
night1.jpg night1a.jpg

Image Stabilisation

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II comes with a 5-axis 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)
24mm / 1/5th Second antishake1.jpg antishake1a.jpg
     
100mm / 1/5th Second antishake2.jpg antishake2a.jpg

Art Filters

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II offers 14 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
   
Vintage Partial Color
art_filters_13.jpg art_filters_14.jpg

Picture Modes

Olympus' Picture Modes are essentially pre-set combinations of saturation, contrast and sharpness, except for the 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

HDR

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II offers two different HDR modes, HDR1, HDR2 (painting-like), and a number of HDR bracketing options (3 or 5 frames in 2.0/3.0EV steps selectable, 7 frames in 2.0EV steps selectable).

Off

HDR1
hdr_01.jpg hdr_02.jpg
   

HDR2

 
hdr_03.jpg  

High Resolution

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II can create a 40 megapixel JPEG or a 64 megapixel RAW file in the High Resolution mode, achieved by shifting the sensor in half-pixel steps and capturing eight images over a period of one second. Olympus recommends that you mount the camera on a tripod or other stable surface to obtain sharp results. Note that you need to download the "Olympus High Res Shot Raw File Photoshop Plug-in" to open the RAW files in CS5 or newer 64-bit Adobe Photoshop.

Off (100% Crop)

On (100% Crop)
high_resolution_01.jpg high_resolution_02.jpg
   

Off (100% Crop)

On (100% Crop)
high_resolution_03.jpg high_resolution_04.jpg

Sample Images

As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.

Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.

Product Images

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Front of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Front of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Side of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Side of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Side of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Side of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Rear of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Rear of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II / Image Displayed
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Rear of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II / Turned On

 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

Rear of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II / Main Menu
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Isometric View / OK Screen
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Isometric View / Info Screen
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Isometric View / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Rear of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Rear of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Rear of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II / Screen Closed
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Top of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Bottom of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Side of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Side of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Front of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Front of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Memory Card Slot
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

It may look similar to the 3-year-old EM-5, but with a plethora of "under-the-hood" improvements, the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II far surpasses that camera, and in some ways the flagship OM-D E-M1 too.

Although not quite as easy to use as the slightly larger Olympus OM-D E-M1, the E-M5 Mark II's revised control layout is well thought-out and the level of customisability is extremely high. The camera is robust – more so than the E-M5 –, and highly responsive. The EVF is among the best we have ever used, with great resolution, good colour rendition, fast refresh rates, a large apparent size and adaptive brightness control. Other additions, such as a PC sync terminal for studio flashes and a 2x2 Dual Control system, will appeal to professional photographers, while the focus peaking feature will likely be welcomed by those who use legacy lenses on a regular basis.

Image quality is excellent for a cropped-sensor camera. From ISO 100 through to ISO 1600, noise is very well controlled, usually not becoming an issue until you hit ISO 3200. 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 improved image stabilisation system works very well indeed, even when hand-holding the camera at slow shutter speeds or shooting video without a tripod, and the new range of frame rate options and higher bit rates for movies make the E-M5 Mark II the best Olympus camera for video work.

In many ways the E-M5v Mark II out-performs the OM-D E-M1, most notably with it's much more versatile tilting screen, better video options, improved image stabilisation, and the innovative and highly effective High resolution mode. Our main criticism of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II lies not with its performance, design or feature-set, but with its price. £900 / $1100 body-only is a lot to pay for a compact system camera, especially as the slightly older OM-D E-M1 can actually be picked-up for less, making the decision between the two very difficult indeed, not to mention excellent competitors like the Fujifilm X-T1, Sony A7S and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4. Still, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II has some unique tricks up its proverbial sleeve tht make it worthy of compasition against all of those cameras, which is high praise indeed when you consider that it's not even the flagship model in the OM-D range...

5 stars

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

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II.

Fujifilm X-T1 Graphite Silver

The new silver edition of the Fujfilm X-T1 adds a more durable coating, ultra-fast electronic shutter, Natural Live View function, and a Classic Chrome film simulation mode to one of the year's most popular mirrorless cameras. Read our Fujifilm X-T1 Graphite Silver review to find out if this new edition is another hit for Fujifilm...

Fujifilm X-T1

The Fujifilm X-T1 is a brand new compact system camera that looks, feels and performs very much like a classic DSLR that''s been shrunk in the wash. Is this the best X-series camera that Fujifilm have released, and can it compete with the likes of the Sony A7/A7R and Olympus OM-D E-M1, not to mention DSLRs from Canon and Nikon? Read our in-depth Fujifilm X-T1 review to find out...

Leica T

The Leica T is a new mirrorless camera quite unlike anything else on the market, with a unique Apple-like unibody design and large touchscreen interface. Being a Leica, it also comes with a big price-tag, so can the new Leica T justify its price and challenge its main compact system camera rivals? Read our in-depth Leica T review to find out...

Olympus OM-D E-M1

The Olympus O-MD E-M1 is a new professional compact system camera. Targeting its DSLR rivals, Olympus are promoting the E-M1 as a smaller and more capable camera. Read our expert Olympus E-M1 review to find out if it really can beat the competition...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 is the first compact system camera to offer 4K video shooting. The exciting GH4 also features a 16 megapixel sensor, 12fps burst shooting, 3 inch swivelling touchscreen, electronic viewfinder, built-in wi-fi and NFC connectivity, a weather-proof body, and an extensive ISO range of 100-25600. Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 review complete with with sample photos, test shots, videos and more...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 is an exciting new compact system camera aimed firmly at keen photographers. With a built-in tilting electronic viewfinder, 16 megapixel sensor, 3 inch tilting LCD touchscreen, pop-up flash, 60/50p high-definition video, integrated wi-fi and NFC connectivity, both lens and in-body image stabilization, and a stylish design, is the GX7 the ultimate interchangeable lens camera? Read our expert Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 review to find out....

Samsung NX1

The NX1 is the new professional model in Samsung's compact system camera range. The weather-proof Samsung NX1 features a DSLR-like design, 3-inch tilting AMOLED screen, electronic viewfinder, 4K video recording, built-in wi-fi, bluetooth and NFC connectivity, 15fps burst shooting, and an APS-C CMOS sensor with 28.2 megapixels. Read our in-depth Samsung NX1 review, complete with sample images and video, to find out if this is a serious proposition for professionals...

Sony A6000

The Sony A6000 is a new compact system camera that features the fastest auto-focusing system in the world. With a 24.3 megapixel APS HD CMOS sensor, 1080p HD movies, high-res 3 inch OLED screen, electronic viewfinder and built-in flash, the Sony NEX-6 also offers 11fps burst shooting, wi-fi and NFC connectivity, and downloadable PlayMemories Camera Apps. Read our full Sony A6000 review to find out if it's the best Sony NEX camera yet...

Sony A7

The Sony A7 is the second mirrorless camera in the World to offer a full-frame sensor, but this time it's a slightly more modest 24 megapixels, rather than the A7R's 36 megapixels. The cheaper Sony A7 also offers a more innovative and potentially quicker hybrid AF system, faster flash sync and burst shooting speeds, and a quieter electronic shutter. Is the Sony A7 just as good as its big brother? Read our Sony A7 review to find out...

Sony A7R

Big sensor in a small body - that's the USP of the new Sony A7R camera. Offering a 35mm full-frame sensor inside a relatively compact body that takes interchangeable lenses, the A7R is a truly unique and genuinely exciting proposition. Is the Sony A7R the ultimate fusion of DSLR technology and compact system camera size? Read our Sony A7R review to find out...

Sony A7S

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Specifications

Type

  • Body material

    Magnesium alloy body

  • 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 VII

Filter

  • Dust reduction filter

    Supersonic Wave Filter

Viewfinder

  • Type

    Electronical Viewfinder

  • Pixel number

    2.360K dots

  • Diopter adjustment

    Yes -4.0 - +2.0 diopters / built-in type

  • Field of view

    Approx. 100%

  • Magnification

    Max. 1.48x with a 50mm lens set to infinity at -1 dioptre (depending on selected viewfinder style)

  • Eye point

    21mm at -1 dioptre from eyepiece lens

  • Style

    3 styles selectable

  • Displayed information

    • Aperture value
    • Shutter speed
    • AF frame (super impose)
    • AF confirmation mark
    • AF lock
    • Auto bracket
    • Battery check
    • Exposure compensation indicator
    • Exposure compensation value indicator
    • Exposure level indicator
    • Exposure mode
    • Flash
    • FP flash
    • IS activating mode
    • Metering mode
    • Number of storable sequential pictures
    • White balance
    • Level Gauge
    • Highlight & Shadow
    • Live Pre-view function
    • Histogram

  • Brightness adjustment

    Adaptive Brightness Technology / Manual settings: +/- 7 levels

  • Correction of colour temperature

    +/- 7 levels

Live View

  • Displayed information

    • Aperture
    • Shutter speed
    • Auto bracket
    • AE lock
    • Focus mode
    • Shooting mode
    • Battery check
    • IS activating mode
    • 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
    • Flash mode
    • Histogram
    • Level Gauge
    • Highlight & Shadow
    • Focus peaking
    • Number of storable pictures
    • Custom
    • Face detection
    • Flash intensity
    • WiFi

  • 100% field of view

    Approx. 100%

  • Magnification levels

    3 / 5 / 7 / 10 / 14x

  • Dynamic range expansion

    When in HDR1 or HDR2

Image Stabiliser

  • Type

    Sensor shift

  • Modes

    Five-dimensional, vertical or horizontal activation, automatic

  •  

    Up to 5 EV steps (CIPA)

Focusing System

  • Method

    Contrast Detection AF system

  • Focus areas

    81 points / All target, Group target (9-areas), Single target (normal), Single target (small)

  •  

    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

  • 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
    • Near side priority
    • Right side priority

  • Predictive AF

    Yes

  • AF tracking

    Yes , Available in continuous AF mode

  • Focus peaking

  • Colour selection

    White, black, red, yellow

  • Intensity

    High / Middle / Low

  • Back light effect

    On / Off

Exposure System

  • Modes

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

  • Exposure compensation

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

  •  

    Note: Monitor and EVF displays only up to ±3 EV.

  • Exposure bracketing

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

  •  

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

  • ISO bracketing

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

  • AE lock

    Yes

  • My Mode

    4 settings storable

  • Enhancement function

    Digital Shift

  •  

    Shadow Adjustment Technology

  • HDR bracketing

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

  •  

    7 frames ( +/- 2 EV steps )

Scene Modes

  • Number of scene modes

    24

  • 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
    • Hand-held Starlight
    • Panning

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

    -2 - 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
    • Vintage
    • Partial Colour*

  • Variation / Effect

    Available

  • Art Filter bracketing

    Art Filters selectable

Photo Story

  • Modes

    • Fun Frame
    • Standard
    • Speed
    • Zoom in / out
    • Layout

Sensitivity

  • Auto

    ISO LOW - 25600 (customisable, default ISO LOW - 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

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)

  • High res shot

  • Shutter type

    Electronic shutter

  • Shutter speed

    1/8000 - 8s

  • Start delay

    0, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15. 30s

  • Resolution

    JPEG: 7296 x 5472 / RAW: 9216 x 6912

  •  

    Equivalent to 40M pixel sensor (8 shots combined into a single JPEG using sensor shift)

  •  

    Available in P/A/S/M mode

  • Anti shock mode

  • Shutter type

    Electronic first curtain shutter

  • Shutter speed

    1/320* - 60s

  • Start delay

    0, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30s

  •  

    * For speeds over 1/320 sec., mechanical shutter will automatically be selected.

  • Silent mode

  • Shutter type

    Electronic shutter

  • Shutter speed

    1/16000 - 60s

  • Start delay

    0, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15. 30s

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. 10fps

  • Speed (L)

    5fps

  • Max. number of frames

    16 frames (RAW)

  •  

    Up to card capacity (JPG / Large Normal mode)

  • Conditions

    Memory card: TOSHIBA SDHC UHS-II R95・W90　EXCERIA™

  •  

    When using the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 Pro

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 VII

  • 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
    • TTL-Auto
    • FP Manual
    • FP TTL Auto

  • Type

    Detachable flash with bounce capability (bundled)

  • Flash compensation

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

  • Guide number

    12.9 (ISO 200)

  • X-sync speed

    1/250s / 1/8000s (Super FP Mode)

External Flash Control

  • X-sync speed

    1/250s / 1/8000s (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 bundled flash

  • Group setting

    4 groups

  •  

    Available when used together with cameras compatible with the Olympus wireless RC flash system.

Monitor

  • Monitor type

    Vari-angle LCD - Touch Panel

  • Monitor size

    7.6cm / 3.0'' (3:2)

  • Resolution

    1037K dots

  • Brightness adjustment

    +/- 7 levels

  • Colour balance

    +/- 7 levels Vivid (default) / Natural

  • Touch Control fucntions

    • AF area enlargement
    • AF area selection
    • Art Filter
    • 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

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

  • Middle

    3200 x 2400 / 1.7MB / frame

  • Small

    1280 x 960 / 0.4MB / 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)

  • Time code

    Rec run / Free run

  •  

    Drop frame / Non-drop frame

  • Image Stabilisation Mode

    Yes Sensor shift

  •  

    M-IS1 (Image sensor shift and electronic image stabilizer with multi motion IS)

  •  

    M-IS2 (Image sensor shift with multi motion IS)

  • HD Movie quality

    Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) / 30p, 25p, 24p / ALL-I(A-I), IPB(SF, F, N) (MOV)

  •  

    Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) / 60p, 50p / IPB(SF, F, N) (MOV)

  •  

    HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) / 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p / ALL-I(A-I), IPB(SF, F, N) (MOV)

  •  

    ALL-I (A-I: ~ 77Mbps)

  •  

    IPB (SF: ~52Mbps, F: ~30Mbps, N: ~18Mbps)

  •  

    HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) / 30p (MOV)

  • Movie quality

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

  • Maximum Recording Time

    29min (MOV)

  •  

    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

  •  

    * Frame rate may drop when using certain art filter

  •  

    Class 10 or higher SD card is recommended for movie shooting

  •  

    UHS-II or UHS-I U3 card is recommended for ALL-I shooting

Movie Specialties

  • Time lapse

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

  • Fast motion

    Yes

  • Slow motion

    Yes

  • Movie clips

    1, 2, 4, 8s

  •  

    (Extension up to 16s by pressing record button before clip ends.)

  • Movie effects

    • Multi shot echo
    • One shot echo
    • Art fade
    • One push tele-converter
    • Old Film

  • Art Filter

    • Cross Process
    • Diorama
    • Dramatic Tone
    • Gentle Sepia
    • Grainy Film
    • Key Line
    • Light Tone
    • Pale & Light Colour
    • Pin Hole
    • Pop Art
    • Soft Focus
    • Vintage
    • Partial Colour*

  •  

    * 18 colours selectable

  •  

    Frame rate limited to 30fps or lower

  • HDMI Live View

    Yes (GUI* is shown on connetced device only and peaking is not available)

  •  

    * GUI can be hidden for recording on external drive under following condition. Movie type: YCbCr 4:2:2 / Frame rate: as set / Sound: no

Sound Recording System

  • Internal microphone

    Stereo

  • Recording format

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

  • Image footage

    30s

  • Speaker

    Yes

  • Microphone functions

    • Wind Noise Reduction
    • Recording Volume
    • Volume limiter
    • Audio Dubbing

View Images

  • Modes

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

  • Light box

    Yes

  • Histogram in playback mode

    Yes

  • Shooting information

    Off / On

  • Highlight/Shadow point warning

    Yes

Erase / Protect / Copy Function

  • Erase modes

    Single, All, Selected

  • Image protect mode

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

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 (Can be set to mode dial.)

  • Factory reset

    Full / Basic

  • Programmable button

    Yes

Interface

  • Hot shoe

    Yes

  • 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

    WiFi

  •  

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

  • Tethered control

    Yes

  • Microphone jack

    3.5 ø mm mini-jack

  • Earphone jack

    3.5 ø mm mini-jack (HLD-8G required)

  • Combined A/V & USB output

    -

Wi-Fi Functions

  • Easy Connection

    QR code setting

  • Wireless Shooting

    • Live View
    • Power off
    • Rec View
    • Self timer
    • Touch AF & Shutter
    • P/A/S/M exposure modes
    • Bulb mode
    • Zoom
    • Movie recording

Power Supply

  • Battery

    BLN-1 Lithium-Ion Battery

  • Sleep mode

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

  • Battery life

    Approx. 750 shots in Quick sleep mode

  • Movie recording

    80min (standard JEITA conditions) 150min (when zoom and other operational functions are not used)

Environment

  • Temperature

    -10 - 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)

    123.7 x 85 x 44.5mm (without protrusions)

  • Weight

    469g (including battery and memory card)

  •  

    417g (body only)

Exterior

  • Available Colours

    • Black
    • Silver

Your Comments

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  1. Introduction
  2. Ease of Use
  3. Image Quality
  4. Sample Images
  5. Product Images
  6. Conclusion
  7. Main Rivals
  8. Specifications
  9. Comment