I HAD THE E-5 BUT NOW THAT I TRAVEL A LOT MORE I WANTED A LIGHTER CAMERA SYSTEM THAT WOULD PERFORM WITH THE SAME IMAGE QUALITY AS THE LENSE ON THE E-5.THE OLYMPUS TEC REP WAS AT A B&H EVENT AND LET ME TRY THE OM-D AND I WAS SOLD . IT TOOK A LITTLE TIME TO ADJUST TO THE MENU SET UP AND FEEL IN MY HAND .I LIKE THE IMAGES
THEY ARE AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN I HOPED FOR IN THE FIRST THREE DAYS I TOOK OVER A THOUSAND IMAGES USING
ALL THE SHOOTING TECHNIQUES I LIKE TO USE AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CAMERA WAS PERFECT.

Recent trip, used the 12-50mm lens for most purposes, with limited use of the 40-150, and the Panasonic 100-300. Very good images, shot highest quality JPEG and many in RAW format as well. Edit in Lightroom and Aperture, both handle them well. Very fast focus with 12-50mm but telephotos spent a bit more time searching. Good battery life, but charging was a bit slower than I expected, (using Canon system recently.) I am very happy with system and the small size is SO GREAT.

The E-M5 is small in size but packed with useful features. Equipped with a 17mm or 45mm prime lens it makes a great street camera. With the optional grip it remains light in weight but is comfortable to handhold with longer lenses. The focusing is as fast as anything I have used. The stabilization works extremely well, allowing longer shutter speeds and almost perfect hand-held video. The four presets are great for quickly changing shooting modes. All in all it is a truly great camera.

I started with Olympus with the 2020 and after a 3030 and a 5050 (which I still use), I have had a E500, 510, and 520. I moved up to E-5-a great camera. When the EM-5 came out I received the first one in my area in May 2012. Olympus shipped the EM5 overnight express (at their expense) when I told a service representative I was leaving on a photo before the camera would arrive by ground as I had ordered. Her name was Elizabeth. I am more than delighted with this camera. I carry it with the following lenses in a messenger bag: 12mm, 20mm, 45mm, 12-50mm, and a 75-300mm. I also carry two flash units, battery chargers, and 3 spare batteries, etc. The total weight is 6.25 lbs. The E-5 with similar range of lenses weighed in at 19 lbs. My friends carry over 40 to match my range of lenses. Who could ask for more. Wonderful pictures, small (and light) and a pleasure to use. Thank you Olympus.

Where to start .... I bought an OMD E5 to use as my backup for my D800 and also to be my travel camera. I have used the Fuji Pro and x100s and while I loved the look of the images the cameras just had a few too many quirks for me and I didn't want to invest in their glass. So after alot of research I went to Olympus.

I bought the 75mm 1.8, 12mm f2, 60mm 2.8 and the PL 25 1.4 to use as my travel kit. In a small sling bag I fit all of that stuff plus and extra battery, 58mm Kaseman CP and UV filters , 46-58mm setup ring, Lite Panel Micro , RRS table top tripod and 2 SighnRay Graduated Neutral Density Filters and a couple of small flash lights. All that stuff probably weights about the same as my D800 with the 70-200mm lens. Definate advantage !!!!!

Now lets be honest is this kit capable of the same stuff my D800 is no , maybe photographers much more highly skilled than myself would take better shots with the Oly kit but, not because of the equipment. However .... if I am not carrying the D800 and similar stuff it won't take nearly as good a picture as the Oly :)

I find I am using the EM-5 more and more and yes there are some limitations but, they are getting fewer and fewer. Will I sell my FF gear and pro lenses no way but, I am very happy with my little micro 4/3 set up.

I have taken about 6,000 photos with this traveling in Ecuador, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia & Thailand. I bought it for scuba diving because its small size is easy to swim with when it is inside a Nauticam housing. 



The light weight of the system is a big plus because I travel on small planes with restrictions on weight of carry-on luggage. The two dials for shutter speed and aperture are the best feature. The on/off switch is better than a button, because it doesn't get accidentally depressed. The eye-recognition in the view finder is a good thing. 



Complaints: There are not enough matching quality lenses and the existing lenses try to cover a huge range of focal length. I really need a prime long telephoto lens and there is none that Olympus mentions. Also, their manual is too brief.



There is serious chromatic aberration (CA) throughout an image, not just on the periphery when using a flash underwater. Underwater flash on a fish illuminates fish against a dark blue background, and the color flares on the edge of the fish are very tedious to remove, especially if there are a lot of fish. 



All the chromatic aberration can be automatically removed by a simple mathematical algorithm. Panasonic includes this in their micro-four-thirds cameras. Olympus does not. Please Olympus, get it together! Also, Photoshop removes lens aberrations for Nikon and Canon, but seems to have no support for or from Olympus. 



Yesterday, I was on a photo shoot of hummingbirds. The 70 - 300 mm lens did not quite cut it. I wished I had a prime 300mm lens with extenders. My buddy with a Canon 7D and a 600mm with extenders got much larger and sharper shots. And we were standing just 2 feet apart. I admit that his lens weighs a ton and could never be hand-held.



For an African wildlife safari, or birding shots ... something seems to be missing here. 

Otherwise, its a good camera for around while traveling in foreign countries. I usually carry two cameras at all times: one with a telephoto and one with a wide angle, just so I can quickly get any shot. So the light weight allows me to carry two E-M5 cameras all day, along with a backpack of other camera equipment and a tripod.

An improvement over the PEN series

I have taken about 6,000 photos with this traveling in Ecuador, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia & Thailand. I bought it for scuba diving because its small size is easy to swim with when it is inside a Nauticam housing.

The light weight of the system is a big plus because I travel on small planes with restrictions on weight of carry-on luggage. The two dials for shutter speed and aperture are the best feature. The on/off switch is better than a button, because it doesn't get accidentally depressed. The eye-recognition in the view finder is a good thing.

Complaints: There are not enough matching quality lenses and the existing lenses try to cover a huge range of focal length. I really need a prime long telephoto lens and there is none that Olympus mentions. Also, their manual is too brief.

There is terrible chromatic aberration (CA) throughout an image, not just on the periphery. Underwater flash on a fish illuminates fish against a dark blue background, and the color flares on the edge of the fish are very tedious to remove, especially if there are a lot of fish.

All the chromatic aberration can be automatically removed by a simple mathematical algorithm. Panasonic includes this in their micro-four-thirds cameras. Olympus does not. Please Olympus, get it together! Also, Photoshop removes lens aberrations for Nikon and Canon, but seems to have no support for or from Olympus.

Yesterday, I was on a photo shoot of hummingbirds. The 70 - 300 mm lens did not quite cut it. I wished I had a prime 300mm lens with extenders. My buddy with a Canon 7D and a 600mm with extenders got much larger and sharper shots. And we were standing just 2 feet apart. I admit that his lens weighs a ton and could never be hand-held.

For an African wildlife safari, or birding shots ... something seems to be missing here. Olympus does not mention in their marketing anything about how to get maximum focal length. I'll have to research it.

Otherwise, its a good camera for around while traveling in foreign countries. I usually carry two at all times: one with a telephoto and one with a wide angle, just so I can quickly get any shot. So the light weight allows me to carry two E-M5 cameras all day, along with a backpack of other camera equipment and a tripod.

I got my OM-D E-M5 over a month ago now, and was really not sure how useful this camera would be. I got it mainly for the 16.1 MP image sensor, did not think I would ever use the video feature, and was not sure about the art filters, since I would not have the ability to choose yellow, orange, red, or green filters in Black and White… etc. I got it with the 12-50 mm lens, which is a Must Have lens for anyone using the Micro 4.3 mount.

I really like shooting with the Art Filters on the EM-5. My favorites tend to be Pop Art, Grainy Film, Sepia, Dramatic Tone, and Key Line. Starting out, I would shoot an image in color, then move the dial to “Art”, and shoot the shot with each art filter listed above. Then ! I discovered the Art Bracket setting… you select the preferred art filters to be included then shoot ONE image, and the camera repeats an image for each art filter selected… Much Easier!!

The zoom ring has three settings; 1, pulling it back toward the camera puts you in manual zoom mode; 2, pushing it outward toward the front of the lens puts it in E-zoom (motorized) mode; 3, and pushing in the macro button allows you to push the zoom ring outward again, going into macro mode. Once in macro mode, you are set at the 50 mm focal length, so you compose your image, push the shutter button half-way, and focus is achieved very quickly! WOW, you have to try it to appreciate it!

I have used the video a couple of times, and I am really impressed with my simple effort learning to use it. I will eventually get to using it more, but for now, I am happy knowing it is available.
But my main reason for getting this camera was the 16.1 MP. And in that regard, I am really pleased. Images come out sharp and clear. Colors are rich and clean; the Art Filters produce some really exciting colors and contrast. The Sepias and Black and Whites have great tonal range! Portrait Flesh Tones are perfect!

This OM-D E-M5 is a great camera. There seems to be nothing bad to say about it. The high resolution 16.1 MP should alone be enough reason for anyone using the Pen cameras to justify an upgrade to E-M5, and at the same time, is a good reason for E-series owners to add a new body for their stables of some of the best lenses in photography!

The E-M5 beats the E-5 in MegaPixel rating, and has a slight advantage in the Art Filters, whith the Key Line and Art Bkt. But the E-5 is clearly THE FlagShip Digital Camera!!
I own the E-5, the E-500, and the OM-D E-M5, and have used all with great success. Olympus may be inclined to make the Micro FourThirds format their "Future", but that is a marketing mistake. The FourThirds System is too solid a system to phase out!

This is a wonderful camera, maybe not good for beginners though. The layout of controls is really easy to use and very fast. I love the dial controls for aperture and speed. I only wish that the focus and zoom had stop points and did not keep moving when they hit the end points. There are so many options and capabilities that I have not even used half of them yet, but am playing with it all with great success. I also love the look and feel, as well as the size. Thanks Olympus for another great camera.

I love this camera with prime lenses, oly 12, pany 20, sig 30, oly 45, oly 75. It's very compact and take great shots!