Olympus OM-D E-M5 review (body only, Black)

Overall, I enjoy shooting with the E-M5. Like the NEX-7, it's a good size -- neither too large nor too small -- and comfortable to grip, and all the lenses are small enough to stash in a roomy jacket pocket if necessary. The retro look deservedly attracted quite a bit of attention, and several accidental drops attested to the camera's sturdy build.

The EVF and tilting OLED touch-screen display are bright and usable, though the latter becomes nearly invisible in direct sunlight and I always find OLEDs too cool and contrasty for my taste. The buttons feel mushy and some of them are a little too small for easy access (like the function and review buttons), and there's no way to lock the front dial, which adjusts exposure compensation -- with the inevitable consequences -- without changing its function entirely. And it's time for the company to overhaul its implementation of custom settings to bring it into parity with competitors to make them easier to use.

	Fujifilm X-Pro 1	Olympus E-P3	Olympus OM-D E-M5	Samsung NX20	Sony Alpha NEX-7
Sensor (effective resolution)	16.3mp X-Trans CMOS n/a	12.3mp Live MOS 12 bit	16.1-megapixel Live MOS 12 bit	20.3mp CMOS n/a	24.3mp Exmor HD CMOS 12 bit
	23.6mm x 15.6mm	17.3mm x 13mm	17.3mm x 13mm	23.5mm x 15.7mm	23.5mm x 15.6mm
Focal-length multiplier	1.5x	2.0x	2.0x	1.5x	1.5x
Sensitivity range	ISO 100 (expanded)/200 - ISO 6400/25,600 (expanded)	ISO 200 - ISO 12,800	ISO 200 - ISO 25,600	ISO 100 - ISO 12,800	ISO 100 - ISO 16,000
Continuous shooting	6fps approx 15	3fps unlimited (LN) JPEG/17 raw	9fps 17 JPEG/11 raw	8fps 11 JPEG/8 raw	3fps unlimited JPEG/6 raw (10fps with fixed exposure)
Viewfinder magnification/ effective magnification	Optical 90 percent coverage/ EVF 0.47-inch 1.44-million dots variable n/a	Optional	EVF n/a-inch 1.44-million dots 100% coverage 1.15x/0.58x	n/a 480,000 dots 100% coverage 1.04x/0.69x	EVF 0.5-inch 2.4-million dots 100% coverage 1.09x/0.73x
Autofocus	49-area Contrast AF	35-area contrast AF	35-area contrast AF	15-point contrast AF	25-area contrast AF
Shutter speed	30-1/4,000 sec; bulb to 60 min; 1/180 x-sync	60-1/4,000 sec; bulb to 30 minutes; 1/4,000 FP sync	60-1/4,000 sec; bulb to 8 minutes; 1/250 sec x-sync (flash dependent)	30-1/8,000 sec.; bulb to 4 minutes; 1/180 x-sync	30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb; 1/160 sec x-sync
Metering	256 zones	324 area	324 area	221 segment	1,200 zones
Metering sensitivity	n/a	0 - 20 EV	0 - 20 EV	0 - 18 EV	0 - 20 EV
Flash	No	Yes	Included add-on	Yes	Yes
Image stabilization	Optical	Sensor shift	Sensor shift	Optical	Optical
Video	1080/24p H.264	1080/60i AVCHD @ 20, 17Mbps; 720/60p @ 13Mbps	1080/60i QuickTime MOV @ 20, 17 Mbps	1080/30p; 1080 x 810/24p; 720/30p H.264 MPEG-4	AVCHD 1080/60p @ 28, 24Mbps, 1080/24p @ 24, 17Mbps, 1080/60i @ 17Mbps; H.264 MPEG-4 1440x1080/30p @ 12Mbps
Audio	Stereo	Stereo; mic input	Stereo; mic input	Stereo	Stereo; mic input
LCD size	3-inch fixed 1,230,000 dots	3-inch fixed OLED 614,000 dots	3-inch tilting touch screen OLED 614,000 dots	3-inch articulated AMOLED 921,000 dots	3-inch tilting 921,600 dots
Wireless file upload	None	None	Optional Bluetooth	Wi-Fi	None
Battery life (CIPA rating)	300 shots	330 shots	n/a	330 shots	350 shots
Dimensions (inches, WHD)	5.5 x 3.2 x 1.7	4.8 x 2.7 x 1.4	4.8 x 3.5 x 1.7	4.6 x 2.5 x 1.4	4.8 x 2.8 x 1.7
Body operating weight (ounces)	15.9	13.0	15.1	14 (est)	12.4
Mfr. price	$1,699.95 (body only)	n/a	$999.99 (body only)	n/a	$1,199.99 (body only)
	n/a	$899.99 (with 14-42mm lens)	$1,299.99 (with 12-50mm lens)	$1,099.99 (with 18-55mm i-Function lens)	$1,349.00 (with 18-55mm lens)
	n/a	$899.99 (with 17mm f2.8 lens)	$1,099.99 (with 14-42mm lens)	n/a	n/a
Ship date	February 2012	August 2011	April 2012	May 2012	November 2011

On the unique feature front is the ability to display and adjust the highlight and shadow areas of the tone curve in the viewfinder. It's a great idea, but a little difficult to use on the spur of the moment -- there's lots of pressing and fiddling with the tiny controls, and you're putting a lot of faith in the accuracy of the viewfinder. It would be a lot more convenient if you could save presets for immediate recall.

A little more useful is the ability to finely adjust a lot of parameters. For instance, you can program an exposure shift for each of the main three metering choices, set the maximum and minimum values for the histogram, choose which type of metering the auto exposure lock uses, and opt to keep a warmer tone in automatic white balance. You can customize the display in a gazillion different ways so that, for the most part, you only see the options you want. And while the camera doesn't have a full touch-screen interface, it is a touch screen and allows you to perform the operations you really want a touch screen for: touch focus with magnification, touch shutter and swiping navigation during playback. The one missing option is touch spot metering. Though it doesn't include built-in wireless as Samsung does, it's optional via the PenPal Bluetooth adapter. (For a complete accounting of the camera's features and operation, download the PDF manual.)

Furthermore, the relatively new 12-50mm lens is a really nice kit fit with this model. Though it's not as small as the typical 14-42mm version, it's got a load of nice features, including a macro setting and quiet electronic zoom for video, it's weather sealed and feels well built. It's a good focal range, too -- angle of view equivalent to 24-100mm. It's not the sharpest or fastest lens, and could probably use a better class of coatings, but that would also make it far more expensive.

Conclusion
You don't have a lot of choices if you're looking for something rugged under $1,000 that's better than most of the point-and-shoot alternatives. There's the forthcoming Pentax K-30 dSLR, but it's bigger and clunkier. While you don't get best-in-class photo quality with the OM-D E-M5, it's a not-unreasonable trade-off for the rest of the package.