Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Big test
PRICE: £1599.99
OLYMPUS.CO.UK
The latest model in Olympus’s line-up of professional Micro Four Thirds cameras boasts a new autofocus system, handheld high-res shot mode and several very welcome design tweaks
WORDS AND IMAGES BY WILL CHEUNG
YOU CAN SEE, EVEN IN THIS BRIEF OVERVIEW, THAT THE OM-D E-M1 MARK III HAS AN IMPRESSIVE ARRAY OF GOODIES
THE GENERAL RULE of thumb is that if a camera brand introduces a product that is a significant step up from the previous model, it gets a new number or family name. If, however, the changes are incremental then you get the pre-existing name followed by Mark II or III. So, from Olympus and its OM-D family, in recent times we have seen the E-M10 Mark III, the E-M5 Mark III and now the E-M1 Mark III. So we know the OM-D E-M1 Mark III is different from the Mark II; but the question is, what is different and are the changes enough to consider an upgrade if you are a Mark II owner? And if you are not a Mark II owner – perhaps you have the Mark I – is the new camera’s feature set compelling enough to make you take the plunge? With all this in mind perhaps we should start by highlighting the OM-D EM1 Mark III’s key selling features. It is a 20-megapixel Micro Four Thirds format camera with a 121 point AF system that can shoot can shoot Raws at 60fps or 18ps with AF tracking. There’s in-body image stabilisation with 7.5EV benefit, dual SD card slots, 2.36m dot EVF and an articulating touch monitor. Plus there is a Starry Sky AF mode, Live ND filter with settings from 1EV to 5EV, focus stacking/bracketing and Live composite modes. That is just scratching the surface, though, and more of the camera’s features will be unveiled we will progress though this review. The differences between the Mark II and Mark II include a handheld high-res shoot mode in addition to a tripod high- res mode, USB charging with operation
ABOVE The new OM-D E-M1 Mark III is an upgrade on the previous model; but does it have enough new features to justify taking the plunge?
possible during charging, a shutter capable of 400,000 actuations and an even better supersonic wave filter to keep the sensor clean. There are key design changes too. There’s a multi-controller or focus lever instead of a D-pad, the B mode has its own place on the mode dial and there are a few button changes. I think you can see, even in this brief overview, that the OM-D E-M1 Mark III has an impressive array of goodies. One thing the Mark II and Mark III share is size, the quoted dimensions
being identical – although the new model sneaks in an extra 6g in weight. The OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a very fine camera, and when it came out back in 2016 with a new sensor, it appealed to photographers looking for a lighter mirrorless system. However it lagged behind other cameras in some key areas, such as autofocusing and video functionality. Both aspects have been addressed in the Mark III. The new camera’s autofocus system features 121 phase detect/contrast detect hybrid sensors, the phase
detect ones being cross-type, and these points cover 75% of the vertical and 80% of the horizontal area of the sensor. This 121-point grid can be customised so you can, for example, set up a 9x2 AF point pattern and position it to the left side of the frame because that’s where you expect the subject to be, or if you are shooting planes in the air you could set up a 1x11 pattern across the middle of the frame. There isn’t the Intelligent Subject Detection AF seen in the E-M1X
18 Photography News | Issue 76
photographynews.co.uk
Powered by FlippingBook