The third version of Olympus' E-M1, the E-M1 Mark III model in this range is designed to be the go-to camera for professional and enthusiast photographers, offering the high-speed shooting, and focusing system from the E-M1X, but without the built-in battery grip, the camera has improved image stabilisation for impressive handheld shots, including hand-held high-res shots.
Pricing & Availability: The E-M1 III is available now, priced at £1599 body only.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Features
At the core of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III is a 20mp Four Thirds CMOS sensor, and the camera comes with a new TruePix IX image processor for improved speed, as well as the latest updates and features from the flagship E-M1X. Plus, the camera offers other professional-level technology such as superior image stabilisation.
The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III is like a mini Olympus OM-D EM1X - with the same IS system and shutter as the E-M1X, plus Live ND and a handheld high-res mode!
Improvements over the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II:
- 7.5 stops IS possible (1 stop improvement)
- Handheld High-Res Multi-Shot mode (50mp), needed a tripod on Mark II
- 80mp High-Res Multi-Shot mode with a tripod
- Live ND filter (up to ND32, 5EV)
- Multi-selector / Joystick added
- Added ISO button
- Updated AF system (see below)
- New super control panel (simplified, can toggle between new and standard)
- Joystick / multi-selector added - great for moving autofocus area
- Updated video recording with Flat / OM-Log400 added
- ProCapture update: up to 35 frames retroactively (35 before, 120 shots after), in both raw and jpeg with no frame blackout
- B added to mode dial - live composite, live bulb, live time, shutter open for 6 hours!
- Focus stacking, focus bracketing - quicker, more accurate
- New shutter unit, with a 400,000 shot rating (compared to 200,000 on the Mark II)
- 580g with battery, 134.1x90.9x68.9mm
Find out the main differences between the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and Mark III in our comparison.
As part of the Micro Four Thirds system, the camera has access to a wide range of lenses, however, Olympus has introduced a new 12-45mm f/4 PRO weather sealed lens with the camera, which is slightly more compact than the 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens, making it a great compact option for travel.
There are two SD card slots, with the top slot being UHS-II. The bottom slot is UHS-I. According to Olympus, in order for the bottom slot to also be UHS-II, then they would have needed to redesign/alter the body, as it would have required a larger body.
AF System has been updated - The camera continues to have 121 phase-detection all-cross type AF points. There are additional group options with 25 group, 9 group AF point target modes added (same as E-M1X), and you can set up Custom AF target modes - this can make focus up to 30% quicker. You’ll also find single, group 5-point, and 121-point AF options are still available, as well as the option to choose the size of the AF point/area.
Advanced face priority benefits from the new image processor, with better AF algorithms that can better detect small faces and eyes, as well as keeping stable focus on a subject even when they turn away from the camera. The improved AF algorithm with TruePic IX improves tracking performance as well.
A new Starry Sky focus mode has been added, previously you would have had to use manual focus. The camera also allows exposures up to 30 minutes using the bulb mode.
The E-M1 Mark III remains compatible with the same battery grip as the E-M1 Mark II, the HLD-9.
Video: CINE-4K / 4K UHD video recording is possible, and a new OM-Log400 colour profile has been added for a flat colour profile for later grading. You need to enable this option in the Video menu, under Specifications Settings, and Picture mode. Auto ISO has been added. You can record FullHD video at 120fps.
Further improvements have been made for video, with additional AF options added, so that you can choose the AF point, with options for single-point AF, all 121 AF points, with group 9 or 25 points also available.
There’s HDMI out, and Olympus says the camera pairs well with their high-res sound recorders (such as the Olympus LS-P4). A View Assist function has been added, which converts the colour gamut to FullHD / BT.709 equivalent for display.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Key Features:
- 20.4mp "Live MOS" (CMOS) sensor
- 5-axis In-Body Image Stabilisation (same as E-M1X)
- Up to 7.0stops (body), or up to 7.5 stops with Sync IS
- 121 point all cross-type on-chip phase-detection AF sensor
- Starry Sky AF added, Advanced face priority - improved AF algorithm with TruePic IX - tracking performance improved
- 50mp handheld High-Res Shot using 16 images
- 80mp tripod High-Res shots
- Live ND filter up to ND32 (5 stops)
- 18fps with C-AF/AE tracking
- 60fps with fixed AF/AE - using the electronic shutter
- Pro-Capture - extended buffer
- 400,000 shot shutter rating
- New super control panel (simplified, can toggle between new and standard)
- SSWF supersonic wave filter dust reduction – new coating, better coating than E-M1X
- CINE-4K / 4K UHD video recording, OM-Log400
- Weather-sealed magnesium alloy camera body (IPX1 tested)
- USB charging/power (use while connected to USB)
- Dual SD card slots (UHS-II top)
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Handling
With a camera body that is very similar to the E-M1 Mark II, we found the camera very comfortable to hold, with a large grip, and plenty of rubber texture. The E-M1 Mark II and Mark III manage to provide a relatively compact camera body, whilst also providing a large, comfortable handgrip, with buttons and controls that are where you expect them to be. For those that want additional grip, and want a larger camera body, the optional battery grip from the Mark II is compatible with the Mark III.
We also welcome the new joystick, which makes it easier to adjust the focus point. We’re also a big fan of dedicated buttons for ISO and exposure compensation on the camera, making it quick and easy to change these when needed. The body is made of magnesium alloy and is weather-sealed making it suitable for all weather conditions.
The mode dial has been updated to give an additional custom mode so that there are now 4 different custom modes on the dial (compared to 3 on the Mark II). You can lock the mode dial with the centre button. However, the Art filters and "Auto" mode have been removed from the mode dial. The Art filters can still be accessed, just not on the mode dial, instead, you can select them as colour options.
The camera features an updated "Control panel" display, with a new simpler control panel display. The Super Control Panel is a great way to change settings, however, as there are so many options, it’s possible that it may have distracted you from the core camera settings, so Olympus has introduced a new simpler display.
Olympus OMD EM1 Mark III - New simpler rear display.
Unfortunately, the main setup menus are still very long and lack the colour coding of previous models, meaning it can take a long time to find the advanced setting you're looking for. The camera features a "My Menu" section where you can add your favourite settings so that you’ve got quick access to these. There’s a good level of customisation available, with the camera letting you customise buttons to give quicker access to settings. There's built-in help, accessible by pressing the info button.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) remains the same as the Mark II, with a 2.36m dot resolution, and 0.74x magnification, and provides a good view of the scene, although it would have been nice to see this updated, as blacks can look a little washed out. The screen on the camera is also the same (as the E-M1 II) and is a vari-angle 3.0inch touch-screen with 1037K dot resolution. Despite these not being as high-resolution as other new cameras, the colour reproduction looks very good.
The camera uses the BLH-1 battery which is rated at 1720mAh (7.4V), and battery life is rated at 420 shots, or up to 900 shots with "Quick sleep mode" switched on - this is a slight reduction compared to the E-M1 II at 440/950 respectively. You can use the USB connection to charge the battery in-camera, or use the connection to power the camera with a compatible USB power bank. With the optional battery grip, you can double the battery life.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Sample Photos
Shooting with the camera - Focus felt rapid, and snappy, letting us quickly grab shots. We used the 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens and were impressed by the close focusing capabilities of this lens. We were also impressed that we were able to use the handheld high-res mode, and got sharp detailed 50mp images (the majority of the time), with the camera creating the images in-camera. When using a tripod, it's possible to create 80mp images in-camera. Pro-Capture is selected as one of the drive modes, and lets you shoot at speeds up to 60fps (Pro-Capture High) with fixed focus and exposure, whereas Pro-Capture Low lets you shoot with C-AF Tracking at a slower shutter speed.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Lens test images
We used the Live ND feature, to take a slow shutter speed photo of the waterfall, at a 1second exposure (handheld), using the ND32 (5EV) setting, which is the strongest available. You can set this from ND2 (1EV) to ND32 (5EV), with 1EV steps in-between. We used a range of lenses, from both Olympus, and Panasonic, and there are a vast array of Micro Four Thirds lenses to choose from, from ultra-wide-angle to longer telephoto lenses, which means that you should easily be able to find the right lens for you.
Continuous AF, and Continuous AF + Tracking performed well, with a good success rate the majority of the time. However, there were times when it failed to maintain the lock on focus, and once it had lost focus it would then lose it for the rest of the sequence. As light levels dropped the camera's success rate also appeared to drop. The success rates will depend on your subject, as well as your lighting conditions. The camera doesn't feature the specific subject-tracking options found on the E-M1X, however, this wouldn't have helped here as they are designed for motorsports, planes, and trains. All of the photos with birds above were taken using C-AF Tracking.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III ISO test images
Noise Performance - Fine detail starts to drop off at ISO1600 / ISO3200 on default settings. There are options to adjust the Noise Filter, and these photos were taken on the default setting of "Standard". If you want slightly sharper images and don't mind a little bit more noise, you can set this to "Low" and noise performance is still good, with improved detail. However, to retain the most detail, and have more precise control over noise, you can process the raw files for better results. Dynamic range is reduced when shooting at the "Low" ISO speeds of ISO64 and ISO100, and the standard ISO speeds start at ISO200, and the highest ISO speed available is ISO25600. There is a very slight improvement in noise performance compared to the E-M1 II.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Using the "Keep Warm" On or Off setting you can decide whether you want your shots to retain the warm ambience of the scene (such as candlelight, or warm tungsten lighting), or give a more accurate white balance, which will be particularly useful for product shots. Under fluorescent lighting, the AWB performs well, with the fluorescent preset giving a slight colour cast.
Video - The E-M1 III offers updated video options, including OM-Log400, and Flat colour profiles, however, it can take a little bit of time to find where the settings are to be found. With Cine4K (24fps), and 4K UHD (30,25,24fps) the camera has high-resolution video recording, and the quality produced is very good. The built-in image stabilisation is also very effective, and this can have a big impact of the viewing experience when playing back video. It can also make it possible to get good video footage without having to use a tripod. Built-in microphone and headphone sockets, as well as HDMI out, and USB 3 PD (Power Delivery) support means the camera is ready to go. You can watch additional videos on the ePHOTOzine YouTube channel.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III - 4K Handheld Video Sample
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Sample Video - Mist In Kew Gardens Greenhouse Shot Handheld
A new Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO lens has also been announced, and our review can be found here. The lens has a 24-90mm 35mm equiv. focal length, is dust/splashproof and offers 0.5x magnification with 1.2cm closest focusing. The lens weighs 254g and measures 70mm x 63.4mm, making it a compact travel zoom.
Value For Money
The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III is available for £1599 body only, which makes it relatively expensive compared to some of the alternatives, however, we would expect this to change over time. Some of the closest alternatives to look at, include the following cameras:
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, 20mp CMOS sensor, IBIS, 60fps continuous shooting (electronic), C/4K video, £1199
Panasonic Lumix G9, 20mp CMOS sensor, IBIS, 60fps continuous shooting (electronic), 4K 60fps video, £999
Sony Alpha A6600, 24mp APS-C CMOS sensor, IBIS, 11fps continuous shooting, 4K video, £1399
Fujifilm X-T4, 26mp APS-C BSI CMOS sensor, IBIS, 15fps continuous shooting, up to 30fps (electronic, cropped), C/4K 60fps video, £1549
Alternative DSLRs with high-speed shooting and weather sealing include the following cameras.
Nikon D500, 20mp, 10fps continuous shooting, 4K video, £1449
Canon EOS 7D Mark II, 20mp, 10fps continuous shooting, FullHD video, £1379
If you're looking for a similar, but smaller camera, then the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III is another option, with up to 30fps continuous shooting. Prices shown are correct at the time of writing and are body only.
Have a look at more options in our guide to the Top 20 Best Premium Mirrorless Cameras. You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Verdict
The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, offers what some might see as an incremental upgrade to the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, however, the E-M1 II (and Panasonic Lumix G9) are still, to this day, some of the only cameras to offer 60fps continuous shooting at 20mp. Improving on the E-M1 Mark II, therefore, is no bad thing, making an already great product even better.
Whilst the camera may only have a 20mp sensor, (which will seem low to some), it may seem an unlikely choice when thinking of a landscape camera, however, the relatively compact size of the camera, weather-sealing, as well as the innovative features such as LiveND, and impressive image stabilisation, make it a great travel camera, and one you can quite easily take with you on walks and travels. You can also avoid carrying that heavy tripod (due to the IS), and reduce the need to a range of filters (thanks to the built-in ND filter), making it more travel friendly when compared to a camera where a tripod is essential.
With still subjects, you also have the option of 50mp (handheld) or 80mp (tripod) high-resolution shots. This makes it particularly suited to high-detail product photography, and other still life photography.
The fast, rapid focus and face and eye-detection focus make it suitable for a wide range of shooting scenarios, including street photography, family and portrait photography, and we were impressed by the updated face and eye detection focus being noticeably quick and rapid.
The camera's focus stacking focus include the ability to create the focus-stacked image in-camera, making it well suited to insect and other macro photography with the right lens.
The high-speed shooting on offer makes the camera a good choice for sports and wildlife, however, the smaller sensor has obvious disadvantages, compared to more modern counterparts, which benefit from BSI CMOS sensors (and larger sensors) and therefore image quality quite quickly drops off as you reach higher ISO speeds (ISO3200 and above) with detail reduced. The camera is best suited for outdoor and well-lit sports photography, whilst the camera can be used for low-light shooting, you'll need a brighter lens to get the most out of the camera, as the camera can struggle at higher ISO speeds.
It's a shame that the Micro Four Thirds range of cameras hasn't (yet) found a 20+ mp sensor with BSI CMOS technology, as this would give the system a much-needed boost in low-light / high ISO performance.
For owners of the E-M1 Mark II, there may not be enough reason to upgrade, however, some of the features introduced are impressive in use, particularly Live ND, Star focus, and the handheld high-res shooting. There are a number of operability improvements that make the camera even more enjoyable to use (ISO button, joystick), with improvements in autofocus (with additional group options) also very welcome. The camera also has an improved shutter rating, with a 400,000 shutter rating, giving extra peace of mind for the longevity of the camera.
For those that want to produce video, the camera offers CINE-4K video at 24fps, 4K UHD at 30,25,24p, and the introduction of a flat colour profile, as well as OM-Log400, means you can use this camera for more serious video work.
If you have a desire for a more compact camera system, compared to the DSLRs and APS-C cameras available, then the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III has a vast range of interesting and appealing features and can deliver excellent images, as well as access to a vast array of relatively compact Micro Four Thirds lenses.
| The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III offers high-speed shooting, plus a range of innovative features, that make this a compelling travel camera system. |
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