Review Olympus Om-D E-M5 Mkiii. A rolling Review

[saladin]

Testing for Wakefulness

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A few days before Melbourne went into full Covid lockdown, I was working down near the Maribyrnong River and discovered that the Australian Wakeboard Championships were being held. This was a fortunate eventuality given i was keen to find a way to shoot a fast moving sport. Even more fortunate was that the Em5iii was in the car. So, too, was the Oly 40-150 Pro and teleconverter. Everyone carries such a combo as their everyday carry camera, don't they? Err, no? Ok, probably not.

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I actually cant recall why i had the big zoom. But I did. So i spent a (somewhat extended!) lunch break (and then a short stint again the next day) putting the Em5iii AF through its paces. How could i not?

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Essentially, i dialled in the smallest central AF point and at first ran standard C-AF. As always, the biggest limiting factor for me was keeping the AF point on the target. Particularly as the wakeboarders became closer and their relative speed naturally increased across the EVF. I had many shots with the backround in focus, but i was also more than happy with many shots. The 5 and the Pro get along just fine.

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I used AF-Tracking for a short time but i found it less intuitive for me and i wasn't terribly confident in the system. I'll be frank - at the time of use, i wasn't entirely sure on how the system works, or how to make it work best for me. Quite often, it wouldnt lock on what i wanted it to lock on and I'd watch the target frame vanish off the edge of the evf as i panned with the competitor.

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I will definitely experiment further with tracking down the track. As time wasn't entirely my own to spend ( I was meant to be working!) , i switched back to C-AF but this time i set the maximum focus distance to 100 meters.

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Obviously, this restricted the potential photo's to a closer area, but I thought it may help the AF if i wandered off target and prevented it having to rack back from a theoretical infinity setting. I did feel that this helped, but i also felt that I improved my panning ability too, so its not a clear cut case. Sports is absolutely a genre that benefits immensely from practice and familiarity. Both will be more useful to the photographer than a new camera.

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Overall, i'm very pleased with my results. The camera handled perfectly fine with the big Pro lens and i never once thought i really needed the optional grip. Yes, it may have helped, and yes, I'll probably get one when they're on discount. But it's far from essential. Incidentally, the camera balanced beautifully with the standard grip from my fingertips with the 40-150. With smaller lenses, it doesn't. The extra weight out front actually helps in this regard.

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I'd love to do some more testing. And i will. I considered holding off on this section for at least another sporting event, but at the moment that seems quite a distance into the Covid future. Australian Rules footy would be ideal, its a sport i've shot often so that removes one variable. But Wakeboarding is a seriously tough sport. Most of the competitors when i was there were juniors - the senior events were held over for the Saturday and Sunday - and it was remarkable to see what they could do. It was rare to see two clean passes, falls were commonplace. Which was of little surprise given some of the tricks they were trying to pull off. And sometimes did!

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If nothing else, it reinforced what i'd suspected early - this is a seriously capable allrounder. I am now comfortable that the Em5iii is incredibly versatile. If I need something done, chances are that the Em5 Mkiii won't be the reason I cant do it.

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All photo's are jpegs with tweeking done in snapseed on my phone. I kept a close eye on shutter speed and often shot a bit underexposed to protect the whites. Lighting conditions varied and ISO was adjusted to suit. And I'd have no hesitation recommending the small 5iii with the 40-150 Pro. Both are top quality, and work together beautifully.

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The learning continues. Thanks for reading.

 

[ac12]

Pretty good shots.

I shoot High School games, and in my gym, my exposure is:
ISO = 3200, 1/500 sec, f/2.8

If I shoot with my dSLR and the 35/1.8 lens (at f/2), I can bump the shutter speed up to 1/1000.
That is better for volleyball, which has a wicked fast spike.

BB players are too close together to use group AF, so I have to use single point AF.
Agree that it is hard to hold the AF point on a running subject.
Most of my OOF shots are when I swing the camera from player A to player B, and overshoot player B, and focus on the wall on the other side of the gym.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

So if my reading/skimming is right, you still own a G9? Do you still used both, or has the EM5.3 won you over? If there's one thing I wished for from my G9, was that it was closer in size/weight to the G85 it replaced. The 5.3 really has my eye at the moment, and your write-up isn't helping me fight the urge.

 

[saladin]

So if my reading/skimming is right, you still own a G9? Do you still used both, or has the EM5.3 won you over? If there's one thing I wished for from my G9, was that it was closer in size/weight to the G85 it replaced. The 5.3 really has my eye at the moment, and your write-up isn't helping me fight the urge.

Not so much "won me over". Its more along the lines of just seeing what the 5iii can do. I'll probably shoot it alongside the G9 one day , but i still lean towards the G9 for longer lenses and the 5iii as an everyday carry.

 

[saladin]

Wakeboard photo day thoughts added to saved post position above.

My next post will be a summation of the camera as I've found it overall. Covid has made life difficult for putting a camera through it's paces, but it's probably time to wrap this up.

 

[DaPonti]

I just wanted to say thank you for a very good and detailed write-up, with nice pictures too (and, I'll give you that, some funny lines). It's particularly interesting to read your follow-up impressions after some time.

 

[saladin]

Cheers . I'll be posting at least one more largish post soon-ish.

 

[littlefish]

In part due to this thread, I upgraded from the M5ii to the m5iii. And I'm liking it a lot. Thank you!

 

[Jay2233]

Thank you for the review. Amazing pictures. I'm planning to get this when i save up a bit more money.

 

[saladin]

Black And White Thoughts.

So, how about 2020, hey? I'm making an assumption here - because clearly i can't have travelled to find out first hand - but I doubt there's anyone on the planet that hasn't had their life impacted by the pandemic, and untold millions have had theirs turned upside down. Or worse.

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Certainly, when I purchased the Em5iii back in January - as related in the opening post of this thread - I never dreamt that that trip to New Zealand would be the only chance to use the camera in its intended role for the best part of 7 months, and counting. There is much about the Em5iii that I am yet to put through its paces, and yet the chances to do so remain slim. So i woke up this morning - Sunday. A cold, wet Sunday in Melbourne. A Melbourne in the grip of a Covid lockdown, bereft of its usual life for at least another three weeks. I've made myself a coffee, flicked on the laptop and decided that it was time. Time to ponder on the Em5iii and perhaps put some definitive thoughts on the forum for you all.

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Its sitting here next to me on the desk, surrounded by a small forest of (or should that be 'forest of small?) prime lenses. Two things strike me. Firstly, It looks resplendent. Timeless. Classic. It looks like a camera, not a digital device. You want to pick it up, turn the dials, press the shutter. That in itself cannot be underestimated. Such things are intensely personal, but for me it looks better than the Em1 series. The Prime lenses add to this. Zooms are practical, but Primes have inherent character and an innate ability to stop the clock.

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When its out of sight, I tend to not think about it. When its on display, it calls to me. Its an interesting phenomenon, and I've decided that its part of the vexing and sometimes contradictory questions that surround this camera. Read other online reviews and you may see that train of thought play out in more general terms, given voice by a general feeling of "its not quite the advancement we were hoping, its not offering anything unique, its a bit bland". Usually, I think they refer to the paper specifications. And it's true, its quite unassuming. Until you look at it and even better, use it. They rarely seem to realise that all of what it does offer, the very things that they feel are underwhelming, are what makes it very very unique indeed. Without doubt, as i sit here looking at it, it is anything but bland. It's whispering to me. Load us up, a small classic bag, and lets go for a walk.

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I resist. For now. Instead, I go and fetch the GX8 and a small tripod. Time for a portrait of the 5iii and its little gathering. Actually, its handy to know the likes and dislikes of any reviewer, it can provide illumination into the corners of opinion bias. Ergo, I like the GX8. I like it very much. Actually, i love it. There, i said it. It is another camera that appeals to me in the hand, and by sight, far far more than its specs would suggest. It's plain black, rectangular, solid. It too is classic and timeless, but more utilitarian perhaps than the angular and hump-equipped 5iii. It is the camera that makes me think I'd also love an X-pro3. These are the types of camera's that appeal to me, just to be clear. It - the GX8- is also larger than the 5iii. Not appreciably, but noticeably. Visually, its a bigger difference than a tape measure would suggest. The heft is different too, when you pick them up.

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Which, photo taken and GX8 returned to shelf, brings us back around to the 2nd thing that strikes me. The size. Or lack of. The 5iii is tiny. Not GM5 tiny, but it treads a delicate line of being just big enough to improve the ergonomics without any extraneous fat showing on the scales. I can prove that. I just put it on the scales. That whole kit from the photo weighs just 1250 grams, including strap. It gives you excellent optical quality all the way from 15mm to 75mm and the light gathering of F/1.8 . In full frame terms, that's 30mm to 150mm. And a couple of those lenses are magically elite, the other two 'merely' (a sacrilegious term in this context) very good. By comparison, the Lumix S1 is 1041 grams. On its own. Yes, you can get smaller full frames than that. Yes, some will argue the Depth of field thing on the lenses. I don't know why. I really don't. For most usage, the aperture is about gathering light, for faster shutter speeds, for keeping ISO down. Do i care that the 25mm has the depth of field of a 50/ 3.5 on FF? No. I don't. I was going to add "usually", but even that isn't true. I don't recall ever wishing for more wafer thin DOF at a given focal length. When you're inside a barely lit cave and shooting wide open, I find i want every bit of focus depth i can get!

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You might. And that's fine. I understand that some want a different DOF for a certain perspective. Its one of the driving factors for some peoples love of Medium Format, as much as any requirement for more resolution. But now we're venturing into the topic of "buying the right tool for the job". Which is apt. And which for the Em5iii promptly returns us back to the starting point. "Because it's small". We could end this review right here. You buy the Em5iii because it weighs very little , is an interchangeable mount and allows a full kit that permits International travel with carry-on luggage. I know it does, we did it. And if we're ever getting out of this interminable lockdown, I'm loading this kit into my motorcycle tanks bag and hitting the road for a few days. I'll barely know its there. So. Done. Buy it. Because its tiny. Its that simple. Lets stop it with that. And i will. But only to go and make a coffee. Feel free to put the kettle on. It's still raining out, a warm brew is just the ticket. Here commenceth a short interlude.

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Ok, we're back. So yes, the ultimate raison d etre for the Em5iii is its compactness. And some of us love its style. But what is it like to use? The major caveat here is the one i stated at the beginning - Covid has thwarted my attempts to heavily use the camera. And thus, there are things that I cannot give a definitive opinion on. But I'll try. Some- most?- of this I've likely covered earlier in the thread.

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The ergonomics are not too bad for me. I have relatively small hands for an adult male of my height. This has stood me in good stead in my profession - as an electrician i can fit my hand through an australian powerpoint cutout. Not all sparkies can do that. Useful. But to put it in a more meaningful context , perhaps, my thumb and forefinger don't quite touch around the focus ring of the 25/1.8 Olympus lens. So, when i hold the Em5iii, my pinky finger hangs of the bottom. I find that i press the inside of the first joint against the bottom of the camera. Its not great, it can be slightly uncomfortable over time but i tend to not notice it. I can get my pinky tip onto the camera but it requires a change in hand angle and doesn't feel natural. My third finger sits perfectly over the front Fn button. This button is tactile-ey (is that a word? methinks not) better than the similar one on the GX8. I have this button set up to return the focus point to centre. I find this very useful indeed. You can set up the AF point off centre - on a third grid line for instance - and toggle back and forth between them. If nothing else, it eliminates having to muck around changing the AF position via the d-pad dance or rear screen trackpad. I still tend to shoot with the LCD closed, fwiw. That's just my thing.

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My thumb falls naturally on the thumb pad. I have good access to the Iso function button. Which no longer controls ISO. I've mapped it to toggle AF/MF. This suits me better. Just yesterday, using the 75mm, i struggled to pick out a close object in a cluttered background of bracken. Quickly moved to MF via the button, dragged the focus back to minimum distance, all good. Incidentally, the EVF and peaking are more than good enough for manual focusing, even if the EVF isnt class leading. And it isn't. But its not poor. Somewhat better than adequate is how I'd class it. Its not G9 or Gx8 standard, which is a shame. But its not GX9/Gx85 standard either, which is more important.

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Move the thumb slightly to the left and it lands effortlessly on the AEL/AFL button. I use back-button-focus to detach it from the metering half press. I think back to how awkward BBF was on the original Em5 and rejoice at how comfortable the 5iii is in comparison. I usually shoot in aperture priority, so the Front dial is assigned to Aperture (or shutter in Shutter priority) and the rear dial is exposure comp. I have the histogram and blinkies turned on in the EVF, so the rear dial is rapid access to highlight protection. This leaves the Exp Comp button free for other duties. Mine is set for Magnify View if using fully manual lenses. I don't use it a lot, but its nice to have for Pentax or Helios lenses. With the AF decoupled from the half press, you can of course also easily just spot meter off one part of the frame rather than dial in the compensation. Incidentally, you can lock the exposure via half press and then AF afterwards. It took me some brain training to not fully depress the shutter when trying to AF though, lol.

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Speaking of AF, its fast in S-AF. Very fast. And accurate. Its better than the Pen-F, for reference. Tracking and Face recognition is still something of a mystery to me. It will pick a face out of a frame without problem, but not over longer distances. If , like me, you've seen video's of the Sony's and new Canons locking onto faces and putting small crosses over eyes at remarkable distances, it won't do that. Particularly Eye focus, you need to fill a substantial portion of the frame before seeing a little box outline an eye. But the face box is pretty reliable. A joystick would be particularly nice to shift between various faces, but alas, you need the Em1 series for that luxury. Incidentally, and happily, Face Detection would often work on profiles. This should be useful for street photography as well as normal portraiture. I did manage to get to a basketball game and also some waterskiing - reports posted previously in this thread - and results are promising. C-af seems better than Tracking so far. But this is one area that Covid has cut down further testing on.

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The IBIS is outstanding. Even without dual-ibis lenses, Its miles better than the Gx8. Not least because the 5iii stabilises the view - which makes framing better - whereas the Gx8 doesn't. It may also be better than the G9 , but this is harder to quantify. If its not better, its certainly no worse. And this is a massive ability for a small camera to have. It makes it so much more powerful - and compelling - as an ideal travel camera. Every inch that you can broaden the shooting envelope helps exponentially. No tripods need be carried, slow shutter exposures for creative idea's, inferior ISO characteristics minimised. Added to outstanding weathersealing, this becomes a camera that encourages you carry it into all sorts of locations and positions that others may not.

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In a similar vein is the High-res function , which could possibly be used to deliver more than just larger files. I need a lot more work on this, but early thoughts are that in the right situation it can extend the effective focal length of the lenses you carry. You'll need a stable rest, yes, and usually a static main subject - unless aiming for a creative look - but the cropping ability of a 40 or 80mp file is substantial.

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Clearly, the camera suits smaller lenses, particularly primes. For me at least, the style , the haptics and how it makes me want to shoot all scream "prime lens". But it didn't feel out of place with the 40-150 Pro. Hold the lens and just use the body for shooting functions. Focus was as fast as anything else i've used. I'm not a video shooter, so i cannot give any guidance on how it performs, nor on how C-AF might transition during a shoot.

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What don't i like? It would be great to have an af joystick, no doubt. A second card slot would be ideal, but the camera is small for a reason. Some will bemoan the smaller battery , and its true that other cameras will give you much better life. But in practice, i've found that the USB charging ability more than offsets this. For the camera's main purpose, I'm perfectly content. Heck, you don't even have to take a charger with you depending on the trip. I can see one area that might be an issue- if i was shooting a wedding then the battery supply would have to be carefully monitored. The lack of an accessory battery grip feeds into this problem. But it could be done, and frankly three or four spare batteries in your pocket won't weigh you down. But my main gripe with the 5iii isn't the camera itself. Its with the lack of small weathersealed primes. I've mentioned it before, no doubt I'll mention it again. The camera is small and rugged, but the most portable primes fail the 2nd part of that equation. It doesnt make sense. I've also had some recent gremlins with the Wifi App, but it seems related to a phone firmware update, not the camera. And i wish it could use the Aperture rings on Panasonic lenses. Another long-held bugbear of mine. The lack of fast access to custom modes has bothered me less than I might have supposed. I think this camera just encourages one to focus on basic shooting and I'm less fussed with small changes. Some of the onboard filters are handy, though.

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And then, most of all, there's the image quality. And no, I'm not really talking about outright high iso performance, or noise, or empirical dynamic range measurements. I'm talking about how the images feel, the warmth, the colours and the sheer mood of the shots. And sometimes I'm just gobsmacked with the output of the 5iii. I'll use the term "rendering" for lack of an ability to really describe what I mean. Some shots just have a mix of clarity and depth that stands out. So far, I've tended to see it in colour shots mainly, and often with the PL15. Every single shot in this review, from memory, is a jpeg. Not straight out of camera jpegs, but just minimal tweaking in snapseed. I recently upgraded my DXO to the latest version, so i now have Raw support for the 5iii, but i havent used it as yet. I intend to for shots that i'm wanting to print big. In the meantime, I've found a delightful clarity to even the standard jpegs with a little bit of sharpening and structure added. Sometimes a vignette, usually a border and watermark and I'm more than pleased. At computer screen size, the files look lovely. I even printed a heavy crop of a Hi-res file and found that it looked great. Sure, high ISO isnt going to be the best on paper, but unless you're shooting indoor sports (where high shutter speed is critical) then the 5iii provides enough tooling to keep ISO low anyway. And i'd urge everyone to print more, you just may be surprised at how tactile your MFT shots can look.

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So, i have two final takeaways on the Em5iii. Firstly, if you bother to use it, its far from bland in either styling or results. It is way more unique than any of the website reviews suggest, because nothing - and I mean literally nothing - else offers the combination of size, weight, weathersealing, USB charging , EVF, IBIS, AF speed, high res, Live composite and sheer range of glass for the system as does the 5iii. Styling is subjective, but to my eye it is very appealing. The images you can get - in almost every area of photography- are more than good enough most of the time. And the aforementioned characteristics make it far more likely that you'll take the camera with you. The ultimate travel camera that also makes you want to travel? I own many camera's. None do everything this one can do. In a field of endeavour that operates under compromises imposed by the laws of physics, the 5iii balances a whole host of abilities against each other like few else. That's it's "thing", paper specs be damned.

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Which leads to the 2nd takeaway. I've learnt that , for me, the sensor size is entirely secondary. Yes, I'd like an X-pro3. Yes, I'd like a Leica M one day. I'm somewhat interested in the new Panasonic S5, but if someone built a FF GX8 i'd buy one with certainty. I'd love to try a GFX-R. But these arent appealing because of the bigger sensor. That's just a nice bonus. They're appealing because of their styling, their layout, how they do things, how they'd make me feel and as a result how they'd make me want to shoot.

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That's the thing with the Em5 Mark III. It's a "greater than the sum of it's parts " camera. When i look at it, i don't see what it cant do. I only know how it urges me to take photographs. All of my camera's fit this criteria. That's why I still have them. And its the only one that matters for a daily shooter.

One thing is certain, whether we are good or bad with photography skills, or have a good or bad 'eye'. We won't get good pictures , nor have fun, with a camera we don't want to use. Everything else is secondary.

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Happy shooting, everyone.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

An incredibly detailed review. I know I appreciated this thread, as you succeeded in talking me into buying the EM5iii for myself. Like you, I now have a fistful of primes for the short-medium end (9mm BCL, P14, O25, O45) but I also pair up with the 40-150 2.8 and MC20 on the long end. I don’t even use a grip there, I just support the camera more by the lens, and my right wrist thanks me for it. And maybe it’s just coincidence, or due to just getting more practice, but I do feel this kit has raised the quality of my results, or at least that’s the impression from the feedback I get when I share the results. I also shoot JPG, with just mild edits in Photos. For such an unassuming kit, the EM5iii punches well above its weight class.

My only real complaint is the right-hand lug placement. It’s just in an awkward spot for me, so I haven’t been using a strap this whole time. Still, at one time, I thought this camera would be too small for my hands, but I have adjusted to it just fine at this point. Unlike you, my hands are on the larger size—for context, a size L glove is a pretty snug fit for me.

 

[Panolyman]

I'd not come across this thread before and haven't yet looked at the first three pages, but having read the report by @saladin (above), I am in complete awe; both at the photos he's taken and the way he has expressed his views on the camera.
There's no way I could take the photos he does, no matter what camera I have, but it's so inspirational.
It is so wonderfully written too and now I've seen it, it's one thread I'll keep referring to.
I don't think I've ever read such an honest and comprehensive report anywhere and I would like to say thank you indeed.

And thanks to Randy too, for his comments and inspiring photos too.

Who needs camera magazines when the like of these guys are on here.

 

[saladin]

Thank you very much for the very kind words, Brian. Particularly regarding the writing. I enjoy writing, when the mood takes me.

The first few pages detail buying the camera on the day of a trip to New Zealand, and some early thoughts when we returned home. Its been a frustrating few months since then.

But of course you can take pics at least as good as mine. I think if we all just get out and enjoy our camera's, we will keep getting better.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I'd not come across this thread before and haven't yet looked at the first three pages, but having read the report by @saladin (above), I am in complete awe; both at the photos he's taken and the way he has expressed his views on the camera.
There's no way I could take the photos he does, no matter what camera I have, but it's so inspirational.
It is so wonderfully written too and now I've seen it, it's one thread I'll keep referring to.
I don't think I've ever read such an honest and comprehensive report anywhere and I would like to say thank you indeed.

And thanks to Randy too, for his comments and inspiring photos too.

Who needs camera magazines when the like of these guys are on here.

If you mean me, you’re too kind! I have a ways to go to catch some of the folks here. I do feel like my macro-bug efforts have greatly improved this season, with my newer kit being a big contributor to the cause, especially the 40-150 2.8.

You are totally spot-on that with the ”user experience” reviews sentiment. I’m also a follower of tech, and at one time I thought it would be a dream job to be a tech reviewer, but now I believe it would be the stuff of nightmares. It takes me months to really come to a conclusion on something like a camera body or lens—but reviewers rarely get to (or perhaps even want to) spend that much time with a product. Instead, they take it out for a weekend and try to tell us if it’s good or not, and how do you make such a conclusion without your own biases showing through? If can be done, but it’s not as common as it once was. I don’t see how someone could have checked every feature or worked out every bit of performance in the part over a weekend. A 20-page sample image thread here along with all the comments about the good, the bad, and the ugly will always tell me more, and I have the ability to ask real users questions and get real answers! This site has certainly helped me find what I’m looking for, and how to squeeze the best out of the kit I’ve got.

 

[Panolyman]

Yes, I did mean you Randy.
I've enjoyed reading your posts and your experiences gravitating from the G9 to the Em5.
I'm no critic, but have certainly noticed from your photos that you are enjoying your new found expression with your gear.

 

[Bob in Pittsburgh]

Thanks for this detailed, informative review. Olympus USA is having an outlet sale today and I just ordered a reconditioned OM-D EM5 mkiii. It will definitely be an upgrade from my PEN E-PL7.

I am going to re-read this entire thread before the new EM5 arrives.

 

[drd1135]

Thanks for this detailed, informative review. Olympus USA is having an outlet sale today and I just ordered a reconditioned OM-D EM5 mkiii. It will definitely be an upgrade from my PEN E-PL7.

I am going to re-read this entire thread before the new EM5 arrives.

I thought about it. The refurb model in the US is going for $699.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Yeah, I looked and saw the refurb at an awesome price. Not long ago, I was actually able to score used one from Lens Authority for $750 that had 1400 on the shutter count. I’d be all over that deal if I didn’t already have one. The silver is the same price too.

 

[Drdul]

Pre-MF not available if Selection Lever is set to Mode 2 MF focus

Is this still the case with the latest firmware? I can't find any reference to this in version 1.1 of the manual. (There's no mention of the Function Lever or Pre-MF in the description of new features at the end of the manual, so it's either a silent change with newer firmware or it hasn't changed.)

I would want to assign a button to Pre-MF, and I expect that I would want to use the Function Lever in mode2 as the other modes don't seem to offer anything for my purposes. I would really like to know if mode2 precludes assigning Pre-MF to a button before I make a decision to buy an E-M 5iii.

If that's the case, what happens if you have the Function Lever set to mode1 or mode 3 and assign a button to Pre-MF, and then change the Function Lever to mode2? Does the Pre-MF button assignment stick or does it disappear?

 

[SojiOkita]

Is this still the case with the latest firmware? I can't find any reference to this in version 1.1 of the manual. (There's no mention of the Function Lever or Pre-MF in the description of new features at the end of the manual, so it's either a silent change with newer firmware or it hasn't changed.)

I already used pre-MF and my lever is always in mode 2.

Mode 2 is not an AF/MF switch, it just switches between 2 focus modes of your choice, and Pre-MF is just a focus mode among others.
You can even switch between MF and preset MF if you want.