Olympus OM-D E-M5 review

Click here to see the full resolution image

In bright, natural light, the OM-D is capable of producing shots which more than compete with its DLSR rivals.

Click here to see the full resolution image

A wide variety of Micro Four Thirds lenses are now available, including Sigma third party lenses, which we used to shoot this image (30mm f/2.8). It is when using the different lenses that are available for the system that the true versatility of the camera becomes apparent.

Click here to see the full resolution image

The macro mode on the supplied 12-50mm kit lens is an impressive addition, allowing fine detail to be captured and a very shallow depth of field effect to be achieved.

Click here to see the full resolution image

A number of different art filters are available, including the Pinhole effect, which can be customised to emphasise one of three different colours - here yellow tones have been chosen.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Shot at f/9 to get a feel for the level of detail that can be captured, the OM-D has performed reasonably well, although the reds do appear slightly over vibrant, and there is some examples of over sharpening along the high contrast edges.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Shot with the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens. Here we increased the exposure compensation by +1EV to bring out the colours in the sky and flowers.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Here's another shot taken with an art filter - this time the Gentle Sepia. Art filters can be activated when using PASM modes, giving the user creative control over parameters such as aperture. Shooting in raw format means that the filter can be removed (or swapped) in post-production.

Click here to see the full resolution image

We shot this image with the 12-50mm lens with macro mode engaged - the tip of the lens was just a couple of centimetres away from the bud of the flower, showing how impressively close the lens is able to focus to produce great detail.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Shot into the sun, flare and ghosting is apparent on this image, which also suffers from a small degree of chromatic aberration. Overall though, this is kept to a minimum.

Click here to see the full resolution image

You can shoot in different ratios, not just the native 4:3 which is native to the camera. This includes 3:2, which is likely to be popular with those used to shooting with DSLRs, and 1:1, which produces a square crop as seen above.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Colours are generally captured well, with the whites here appearing particularly bright without losing highlight detail.

Click here to see the full resolution image

The OM-D has been able to capture an impressive amount of detail, while also producing great out of focus background effects when coupled with the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens.

Click here to see the full resolution image

In this low and mixed lighting, the OM-D has captured the mood well, and the Auto White Balance has done a pretty good job. Again, this shot shows how the background can be defocused for pleasing effects.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Colours have been captured well, being bright without being overly vibrant.

Click here to see the full resolution image

The dramatic tone black and white filter is a new filter for the OM-D, which creates a HDR style image. You can choose from either b&w or the original colour filter.

Click here to see the full resolution image

The OM-D boasts ISO sensitivity shooting at up to 25, 600. Here, in this image shot at ISO 1600, noise has been relatively well controlled, while the highlights have been mostly kept intact.