Olympus OM-D E-M5 in the flesh, sample photos!

We got a pre-production unit of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 this morning and have been testing it all day with much gusto. Check out our live photos and sample shots taken with the camera after the jump.

Having owned and used the Olympus PEN E-P3 for several months now, I was kind of excited to see what the Olympus OM-D E-M5 brings to an already great line-up of impressive Olympus PEN series. After un-boxing a pre-production unit early this morning and taking a few sample shots, I was glad the OM-D did not disappoint. I am told that this unit still has some bugs so I’ll be more forgiving.

On the outside, the OM-D has that very solid feel, quite heavy for its size actually. It’s got that retro look with sharp lines and matte metal finish.

The OM-D borrowed some nice features from the E-PL3 and the EP-3 like the tilt-able LCD screen, the full capacitive touch display and an attachable electronic viewfinder. The Art filters and Scene modes are there as well.

There’s a proximity sensor that detects if your eyes is near the viewfinder and turns off the display screen.

If you’ve used a dSLR before, the interface and buttons of the OM-D will be familiar while the extra ones will show self-explanatory symbols. In any case, you should be able to learn how to properly navigate the camera after several minutes of familiarizing with the control and the menu.

The OM-D comes with an M.ZUIKO Digital ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ as part of the kit lens. It’s a pretty good lens for walk-around and some macro shots. The lens can do multi-speed powered zooming or can be set at manual zoom.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 specs:
16.05-megapixel new Live MOS Sensor
TruePic VI image processing engine
9.2 fps fast sequential shooting
ISO 200 – 25600 (customisable, default ISO 200 – 1600)
1/4000 – 60 seconds shutter speed
Evolved Art Filters
3.0-inch swivel-type OLED monitor, capacitive touchscreen panel with fast response
Full-HD (MOV) movie recording function

So I took as many sample photos I can get during the day (in between meetings and events). Here are some samples while the rest of the original ones I uploaded in Picasa here.

Was also able to get a quick full HD video recording at around 5:30 in the afternoon while inside a moving car.

Was able to do a more proper video recording (hand-held) this time. The E-M5 pretty much handles autofocus smoothly when zooming in and out of the subject.

I wish I could get samples using the OM-D but I only have an overnight chance to use this camera. Despite the very limited time, I was thoroughly impressed with the performance and photo/video quality of the EM5.

According to our source the price of the body is Php59,900 while the one with the 12-50mm kit lens Php65,900. The camera will be available in the Philippines this April 2012.

See more shots of the OM-D E-M5 below:

[uds-billboard name=”olympusomdboard”]

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

8 Comments

Katrina says:

13 years ago

Since you’re an owner of the E-P3, would you give up the E-P3 for an E-M5?
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noel arias says:

13 years ago

You mentioned an attachable evf. You mean the evf can be removed?online
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Stephanie says:

13 years ago

Great shots. Would you mind sharing what type of pie that was?
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Jeremy says:

13 years ago

Haha, check out the guy taking a leak against the wall at 6 seconds into the video!
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David says:

13 years ago

The EVF display lights up when you look through the viewfinder, the LCD display dims.

The price is quite a bit more then the US price, but that is common for tech in the Philippines, even though it isn’t fair. About $300 more for the body only and $230 more for the body with 12-50 lens.

Thanks for the review and sharing the photos.
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Calvin says:

13 years ago

why would the display light up when you’re looking through the viewfinder? your face should be far away to look at the display diba?
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marilyn says:

13 years ago

waaah nice camera wish we can try it also tnx
- Reply

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