I hate the name. Great if you’re into meditation, I suppose, but I hate to eee them take away the Olympus name.

I am very surprised that this review didn't mention that the sensor was not upgraded to the stacked BSI sensor from the OM-1.., or that it's still using the same sensor from the E-M1 II from 2016.

In my opinion, a major omission in this review and on OM Systems side for not changing it which didn't allow any of the AF system improvements that were introduced with the OM-1.

Just two words “Very disappointing”

Looks kinda plastic, especially for the price, but m43 reamins the only system where the whole outfit can be compact, even with a couple zoom lenses. Bigger cameras can squeeze by with pancake lenses, but even something as fundamental as a 70-200 turns a medium size outfit into a full sized one. Of course you can easily upsize m43 to a point where it doesn't make much sense, but there are great options like the Panasonic 35-100 that really are small and light.

I don't think I'd buy this camera, but when deciding size, weight, price, lenses, the one question I have never asked is, is this camera still competitive?

Olympus has fallen. Where is that Wow product?

If all they want to do is to produce products that are marginally better than previous ones and expect old customers will cling on then I think i would have been better switching to Sony E mount or Fujifilm which is cheaper, more cost efficient and previlaged to use.

Do u know what is branding Olympus / OM / JIP?
You need to make your loyal users feel prvilaged and hyped, not having sleepless nights worry their gears are about to go obsolete and irrelevant.

Go hype your cameras like Fuji on Tik Tok.

Two points:
1) If you look at the history of the M1 and M5 releases, the M1 always gets the newer hardware and software features. After 2-3 years a new M5 is released with many of those same features. The OM-5 is following a very similar roadmap as previous M5 series cameras. Olympus/OMDS is not going to put out a camera that is a baby M1 for much less than the M1, and cannibalize sales of their flagship. They need to make money. To expect anything different is naive.
2) A camera is basically a small computer with tightly integrated hardware and software. The reason the OM-5 does not have a USB-C or the new menu system is that it would take very significant developer resources to code, test, and release such an upgrade. The sensor, TruePic processor and motherboard are all tightly integrated with the menu system. Which is like the OS (Windows or Mac). Developer resources are limited. I would rather see those resources dedicated to the next version of the M1 and M5 series.

I think OM-Systems missed the mark in the following ways:

1> Really? Same old menus? I heard that menus system on OM1 was so much of an improvement I really thought any new camera would include the new look and feel - hopefully this they can fix in firmware updates?

2> Same super-dated EVF - I was not expecting 6Mp but competitors are all at 3.9Mp or more in this camera type - this could have been easily upgraded and with little added cost.

I really hope that OMS comes out with an OM5-ii comes out soon with 1 and 2 addressed. Would not mind a new BSI sensor but that is not an absolute must.

IMHO an OM5 outfitted with these updates would be a formidible contender for best travel camera, small, light, solid, best weather seal & IS - and a huge range of zooms and primes to pick from.

Quite a few people on this thread speaking authoritatively about Oly/OMS m43 cams vs. a wide variety of other cameras, lenses, and sensor formats.

It must be nice to own or have rented (for long enough that proficiency is established) so many cameras.

These people should be writing scholarly articles with their deep knowledge of so many danged cameras.

I wish I was rich enough and that I had enough free time to become an expert on the up and down sides of so many camera brands/models and lenses.

I'm jealous!

I love shooting with my now older OLYs.

personally, the OM-5 should have got a menu and body upgrade to at least include a focus joystick. It's like Olympus (now OM) is stuck in the past. Yes, the camera does have a truly amazing image stabilization, and computational features other makers do not have, but the AF is somehow lacking, and the whole user experience feels outdated and several features are just slow to get to because of a truly outdated menu and interface (e.g., why can't you just click on an another button to jump into another function like you can do on a Sony or a Fujifilm camera). In the end, like any camera these days, you can get great results once you give yourself time to understand all the ins and outs, but I found more fun using things like the X-T30 or the X-S10, which are also cheaper. If it wasn't for the plethora of cheap, small, and overall very good prime lenses available on m43, I would not recommend going this way.

For years I’ve hoped in vain for a digital version of the old Olympus XA, something to compete with the Fujifilm X100 series. Clamshell design, 35-40mm equivalent f2.8 lens, with a one inch or M4/3 sensor, limited bells and whistles but excellent image quality. OMDS, you listening? Sigh, will probably never happen…

In the context of M4/3 system users, this is the lightweight and competent option in the OM line up, and with improved weather sealing.

What camera under $1500 has a 50MP Hand Held High Resolution Mode, a Live ND option, can record unlimited 4K video and act as a web cam. The EM1.3 is $1500 and only has the first 2. There is nothing else even close to it's price that has these features. Why people buy cameras is completely subjective, and since I have 0 need for *est with most things the OM5 would be just fine for me, and I suspect I'm not alone. Can it compete, of course it can - anyone wanting its features over something that lacks them will choose it. People who want other features will choose something else. It's nice we have options.

If this is what JIP believes will justify its investment, it is sorely mistaken. This is, at the very least, the second most critical body in OM's line. To introduce an uncompetitive product at a premium price is lunacy. The only application I can see for this body is travel with long zooms. That’s not a market that’s going to generate much volume/cover much overhead.

Compete with what? Clickbait headlines are fine but the way they're used here just adds further idiocy and insecurity to the photography world.
When the 16.7 mp Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II appeared in 2004 it marked the ultimate evolution of miniature-format cameras. Every sub-medium format camera released in the ensuing 18 years has been redundant; feature piled on feature with zero improvement in the aesthetic quality of the images.
And please let's not go on and on about dynamic range and noise and all the other irrelevant metrics that this website claims to report; the stopped publishing numerical data with their reviews years ago so there is no empirical evidence on which to base your objections.
So yes, this new Olympus is 100 percent competitive.

This company needs to revolutionise to survive.
Bringing 'just another' camera - without much innovation - to market will NOT safe this company from a slow death.

Current Olympus users will most likely oppose and disagree as they find their sensor size to be the pot of gold.... But for OMD to make a chance to survive they imho need to have a Full Frame camera built according to the well known looks of an Olympus camera. With all bells and whistles and including extensive video options. Built around the L-Mount.

What OMD needs now is not a camera that serves their current but shrinking user base. What they need for survival is to attract new customers by expanding their product portfolio.

I'm hoping for more high-end cameras from Lumix and OM. The success of GH6 and OM1 should be enough to persuade them both to crank out some extremely powerful, expensive wee cameras.

OM System OM-5: what's new and does it compete? (Title)

The correct answers are 1) Not much, and 2) No.

Nothing to see here. Only for Olympus lens owners and only when their existing cameras break.

It is unrealistic to expect "a smaller and lighter OM-1 at half the price."

This camera is just a slight improvement over it's predecessor, at the exact same price. And this is what happens when a technology becomes very mature. Just like the iPhone 14 isn't a big improvement over the iPhone 13. But Apple raised the price on that one, and OM System held the same price as the three year old camera it replaced.

Had OM System actually created "a smaller and lighter OM-1" then it would cost almost the same as an OM-1 and all the internet critics would be whining about the price. So they just cannot win, no matter what they do.

even for existing Oly users very meh and disappointing. They did not even bother to implement some dirt-cheap, but important updates like USB-C or a more usable menu system.

But who cares, there are much better alternatives and mFT is on its last leg and OM even more so. Final year/s.

A tiny, yet rugged, "can do many things well and some excellently" body with plenty of lenses to choose from is it's USP. And for this reason I am tempted to give mft another try. With two f4 pro zooms and one or two fast primes in the bag it's made for all sorts of outdoor activities.

Pretty underwhelming camera from an experienced photographer like myself. 2nd hand G9/EM1iii might be a better deal tbh. Might be a good deal for newcomers esp since MFT used lenses are dirt cheap.

Summary: "these minor updates won't make Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III owners run out to their local camera store to buy this as an upgrade"

"OM-5 has a tough time is against midrange models in other systems, like those from Canon, Sony, Fujifilm, and Nikon. You can get a lot of bang for your buck these days."

Yes, I agree
if small is your thing
this is one of the best you should consider!

No camera is a master of everything. The EM5 series excels when portability is paramount. Many people like it because it is so small and light yet it has a very good feature set which makes it a lot of fun to use. If I need more, I use my OM1 which is certainly more capable but is also bigger, heavier and almost twice as expensive. For the EM5’s, the Olympus line of very good f/4 lenses, including the 12-45mm and 40-150mm, is a winner (my BIF 100-400mm f/5-6.3 goes on the OM1). Also, the new OM5 is a capable 2nd (sometime 1st for me) video camera. I have been filming my garden for a YouTube series with my EM5M3 on sliders @ 1080p 60fps. The video is very good with no panning jaggies and the camera makes the whole cumbersome rigs easier to handle. Happy with my EM5M3, I pre-ordered the OM5 because I can use the better weather sealing, the no-time-limit video + OM Log-400, Live ND, Pro Capture and hand-held HR Shot. I am also interested in its exposure smoothing since I do time lapses.

It’s a unique combination of features that should appeal to many. If it is ticking boxes for you, don’t let the neganinnies put you off.

Wow, I'm an old Canon user new to Olympus and every-single-time M43 gets a review, the same old guys show up using the same old arguments about image quality and low light performance. Kindly understand that while those are important metrics, there are other important factors that drive consumer choice. Horses for courses, and if your course is one of hiking and travelling where size and weight are key, Olympus has a quality alternative for you.

The HHHR in an E-M5 body is what I've been waiting for, since that size is the largest one-handed camera I can handle. It will be interesting to see how well it works on the fly and driving with HHHR with the standard lenses, if it works at all. And I never have used face/bird/cat detection/AF anyway - probably never will. No need for a huge camera here...

This article needs a correction.
It says " .... when a number of cameras had their tripod sockets damaged when in use."

The tripod sockets in those cases were being misused.

The manufacturer's materials stated not to put anything besides a tripod in the tripod socket, yet people did. Then they blamed the camera!

Or is the manufacturer to blame if my camera I run over a camera with my car? The owners manual doesn't say not to, and setting a camera on the ground makes more sense than suspending a camera from the tripod mount.

If cameras are used improperly and the manufacturer takes the hit we all pay.

The OM-5 looks like a typically competent camera from the Olympus family (now OM System). A photographer I respect the work of shot most of his landscape photographs with EM-1s.

https://www.philnortonphotographyblog.co.uk/black-and-white#8776c29de8ba75b1f

The problem could be the relatively higher competence of bigger formats which can be had for not much more money, coupled with high-quality, third-party lenses (Sony and Tamron) and without a lot of compromise in weight as along as the photographer is not in telephoto territory. Think of Sony A7C, or Nikon Z 6II or an update to the Canon RP.

At higher than 200 mm, the combination of lightness and quality is very compelling for the M43 format.

a bubble and squeak camera full of leftovers

Glad I sold off my Oly gear when it still had some value. Damn.

It will be interesting to follow how long it takes to read an article about OM System OM camera's without the word Olympus even mentioned.

The EM5 mark III was a modest update (some would say downgrade), the OM5 being a more modest update is what is disappointing for m43 users. Most fans are not asking for pie-in-the-sky features, but based on complaints for the mark III and some of the new features from the OM1, i think there was a reasonable way to create a more compelling midrange body.

As it really is, the OM5 is still a fine photographic device with some unique features. Put in my hands and I'd probably have no problems using it within its limitations. But in this cutthroat market, it is not as competitive as it could have been.

"It's long past time for a menu makeover
Of all the low-hanging fruit to pick, that this was skipped might sting the most."

Agreed it stings the most. I'd say, it stinks.

I wonder if the weather sealing is any different to the em5 iii.

Although I do believe they would have strengthened the bottom plate becaus if that fails again it would be very bad for the brand.

This camera looks like a great complement for the 60mm F2.8 macro.

OM and some of their fanboys seem to be trying to sell this thing on the line that it's a smaller and cheaper EM1Mk3. While that may be true, the catch is that the EM1Mk3 is over two years old itself, and was barely any upgrade from the 6 year old EM1Mk2.

So as far as real tech or improvements, there's not much to see here. Is it a bad camera, no. It's just a real missed opportunity for OM as the first camera with their name on it. And leaves a giant hole between this and the OM-1 for $1k more.

What matters to me the most in upgraded cameras is image quality. All other formats see notable IQ improvements with each upgraded, or new camera. I know that many 4:3 users are satisfied with the IQ of their cameras, and they look to other changes as being important. That’s fine, if you already have bought into 4:3.

But over time, 4:3 has continued to fall further behind other formats. The supposedly “new” 20mp sensor has just offered between one quarter and one half stop better s/n, and that’s about it. Very disappointing.

So other than for size and weight advantages, if that matters to some people, I find it hard to recommend any 4:3 system these days.

Excellent travel camera which can serve well for professionals, too

It's a capable compact ILC to take on vacations. I think MFTs is still the best choice when considering the tiny and light lenses. I used to lug around 10lbs (4.5kg) on vacations including a tripod. I was younger and in shape, but after a day, that weight in gear around your neck wore on you. Now my kit is ~2.2 lbs (1kg) with three lenses and no tripod needed. Less than 1/4 the weight!

"...there are a lot of other lenses that are poorly balanced on this body, leading to cradling the lens for support far more often."

Not making a judgment call on this, but isn't this how photography was done for decades?

As much as it would be nice to take OM at their word, I think it really will take someone doing a teardown of the camera to see how the tripod mount has actually been reinforced to build confidence in this camera among devotees of the E-M5/OM-5 series.

Comparing OM and Fuji X-S10. The latter body is virtually the same size in plan area and only 15mm deeper and weighs under 2oz more. Though CIPA 6 stops of IS as opposed to 7.5 I'd still back the Fuji (which I've owned) for IQ and the bigger sensor..

I'm not sure why everyone praises Olympus/OM for its weather seal ratings. Is it because they don't understand them? It's not an accomplishment rating, just a statement of what the seals can/can't do, and something Olympus alone decided to look into. Almost certainly, solely for advertising. IP53 is extremely basic in its protection, and probably what other brands are equal to or even better at.

IP53
Protected from limited dust ingress.
Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical.

But any kind of official rating seemingly creates an air of legitimacy for those who don't know.

AF doesn’t mean what it used to.