Comparing the Olympus OM-D E-M1, E-M5, and E-M10

Olympus has recently announced a new addition to their OM-D line of Micro Four Thirds cameras, the Olympus OM-D E-M10.  At first it was thought that the OM-D E-M10 would be replacing the E-M5.  However, Olympus intends to keep all three models in their OM-D line of Micro Four Thirds cameras.

In this blog post, I will compare the three Olympus OM-D models and tell you why you might select one over another.  There is also a table near the bottom of the blog post that compares the key features of the OM-D line of cameras.

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 sits at the top of the OM-D line of cameras.  It is the biggest of the cameras, has the most features, and the highest specifications.  The OM-D E-M1 also has many configurable dials and buttons giving the camera a more professional feel.  The Olympus OM-D E-M1 has the best weather proofing of the 3 OM-D cameras with splash, dust, and freeze resistance.

When you compare the E-M5 to the E-M10, it starts to get more confusing.  The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is an older camera so it has the older version of the TruePIC image processor.  However, it does have splash and dust weather proofing while the new E-M10 does not have any weather proofing.   So if you need weather proofing, that limits your choices to the E-M1 and E-M5.  The E-M5 also has 5-axis image stabilization like the E-M1 while the OM-D E-M10 only has 3-axis image stabilization.

The new E-M10 has some of the new features that are present in the flagship E-M1 camera such as built-in WiFi and Timelapse Recording.  It also has some of the higher specifications that are found in the E-M1 but not in the E-M5.  For example the E-M1 and E-M10 have 81 focus points while the E-M5 only has 35.  The OM-D E-M10 also has a higher resolution LCD screen than the E-M5 with 1,037,000 screen pixels.  The Olympus OM-D E-M10 is also a bit smaller and lighter than the EM-5.

If you don't need weather proofing on your camera and want some of the newer features found in the E-M1, you might want to take a look at the Olympus OM-D E-M10.

Updated for the OM-D E-M5 Mark II and E-M10 Mark II

Olympus OM-D Camera Specification Comparison

Feature	E-M1	E-M5	E-M10
Image Processor	TruePIC VII	TruePIC VI	TruePIC VII
Megapixels	17 MP	16.9 MP	17 MP
Sensor	4/3" Live MOS Sensor	4/3" Live MOS Sensor	4/3" Live MOS Sensor
ISO Range	100 – 25600	200 – 25600	200 – 25600
AF Points	81	35	81
WiFi	Built-in 802.11b/g/n	None	Built-in 802.11b/g/n
LCD Display	3.0-inch articulated LCD 1,037,000 screen pixels	3.0-inch articulated LCD, 610,000 screen pixels	3.0-inch articulated LCD, 1,037,000 screen pixels
Shutter Frames Per Second Continuous	10 FPS	9 FPS	8 FPS
Shutter Speed	60 – 1/8000 sec	60 – 1/4000 sec	60 – 1/4000 sec
Image Stabilization	5 axis	5 axis	3 axis
Weight (incl. battery)	17.3 oz / 497g	14.99 oz / 425g	13.97 oz / 396g
Size	130 x 94 x 63mm / 5.13 x 3.68 x 2.48 in.	122 x 89 x 43mm / 4.8 x 3.5 x 1.69 in.	119 x 82 x 46mm / 4.69 x 3.24 x 1.81 in.
Weather Proofing	Advanced (dust, splash, freeze resistant to -10c	Yes (dust, splash)	No
Battery	BL-1 lithium-ion	BL-1 lithium-ion	BLS-5 lithium-ion
Other Features	Timelapse Recording, Focus Peaking		Timelapse Recording, Built-in flash, Focus Peaking

Related Posts
Olympus OM-D E-M1 and E-M5 a Visual Comparison
Putting Focus Peaking to the Test on the Olympus OM-D E-M1
The WiFi Feature on the Olympus OM-D E-M1