Comparing the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, E-M1 Mark III, and EM1X

Olympus has recently released two new upgrades to their OM-D line, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III and OM-D E-M1 Mark III. So how do these new model revisions stack up to the Flag Ship OM-D E-M1X pro body released in February 2019?

Feature Comparison

First let’s start with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. The 3rd version of the OM-D E-M1 brings a lot of the features of the E-M1X in a smaller body. While the E-M1X has dual TruePic VIII processors the newest E-M1 has the TruePic IX processor, which enables it to have many of the AI features of the E-M1X in a smaller body.

The E-M1 Mark III has the Hand-held High Res Shot, Live ND filter, and Pro Capture mode introduced in the E-M1X. The E-M1 Mark III also has the same 7 stop image stabilization as the E-M1X. The E-M1X does have built in GPS and an integrated battery grip with 2 batteries included.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III

At the time of writing this blog, the Olympus OM-D E-M1X is selling for $2,599 on Amazon.com while the E-M1 Mark III is priced at $1,799.

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III is a very capable MFT camera but does lack some of the pro features built in the E-M1 Mark III and E-M1X. The E-M5 Mark III doesn’t have the same image stabilization as the E-M1s and is lacking hand-held high res shot and Live ND filters. It also doesn’t have the same level of weather proofing and doesn’t have the AF Joystick.

It does contain some new features like PRO Capture Mode, In Camera USB charging, and the Super Sonic Wave Filter Dust Reduction. The E-M5 Mark III is also a lot lighter and smaller making it ideal for travel and it’s quite a big cheaper priced at $999 at Amazon.

Take a look at the specification comparison below. I hope this helps with your purchasing decision.

Specification Comparison

Feature	E-M5 Mark IIII	E-M1X	E-M1 Mark III
Image Processor	TruePIC VIII	TruePIC VIII Dual Quad Core	TruePIC IX Quad Core Processor
Megapixels	20.4 MP	20.4 MP	20.4 MP
Sensor	4/3” Live MOS Sensor	4/3” Live MOS Sensor	4/3” Live MOS Sensor
ISO Range	200 – 25600. Expands down to 64	200 – 25600. Expands down to 64	200 – 25600. Expands down to 64
AF Points	121	121	121
WiFi	Built-in 802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth	Built-in 802.11ac + Bluetooth	Built-in 802.11ac + Bluetooth
Shutter Frames Per Second Continuous	10 FPS (Mechanical Shutter)	15 FPS (Mechanical Shutter)	15 FPS (Mechanical Shutter)
Shutter Speed	60 seconds – 1/8000 (mechanical), 1/32000 electronic	60 seconds – 1/8000 (mechanical), 1/32000 electronic	60 seconds – 1/8000 (mechanical), 1/32000 electronic
Image Stabilization	5.5 Stops (In Body). 6.5 Stops with Sync-IS	7 Stops (In Body). 7.5 Stops with Sync-IS	7 Stops (In Body). 7.5 Stops with Sync-IS
LCD	3 inch fully articulated LCD, 1,040,000 screen pixels	3 inch articulated LCD, 1,037,000 screen pixels	3 inch fully articulated LCD, 1,037,000 screen pixels
Weight (incl. Batteries)	14.6 oz / 414 g	35.17 oz / 997 g	20.46 oz / 580 g
Size	125 x 85 x 50mm / 4.92 x 3.35 x 1.97 in.	144 x 147 x 75mm / 5.67 x 5.79 x 2.95 in.	134 x 91 x 69mm / 5.28 x 3.58 x 2.72 in.
Weather Proofing	Weather Sealed Body (dust, splash, and freeze proof)	IPX1-rated weather sealing	IPX1-rated weather sealing
Battery	BLS-50 lithium-ion	BLH-1 lithium-ion x 2	BLH-1 lithium-ion
Battery Life	310	870	420
Memory Card Slot	Single	Dual UHS-II SD card slots	Dual (1 – UHS-1, 1 – UHS-II) SD card slots
Shutter Rating	?	400,000	400,000
GPS	None	Built In	None
Other Features	50 MP high Res Shot (tripod only), In-camera Focus Stacking, PRO Capture Mode, In Camera USB charging, Super Sonic Wave Filter Dust Reduction	PRO Capture Mode, In-camera Focus Stacking, Live ND filter mode, Hand-held Hi-res shot, Dual AF Joysticks, Built in Battery Grip, In Camera USB charging, Super Sonic Wave Filter Dust Reduction	Hand-held High Res Shot, Pro Capture Mode, In-camera Focus Stacking, Auto Focus Joystick, In Camera USB Charging, Live ND filter Mode, Super Sonic Wave Filter Dust Reduction, Starry Sky AF

Written by Martin Belan

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