The Buyers guide to...Best Olympus / OM System cameras in 2023

The OM System OM-5 is a Micro Four Thirds camera and the replacement for the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III. It also has the honour of being the first camera to have the OM System badge since the sale of the Olympus camera business.

While the OM System OM-1, which is badged as the Olympus OM-1, is aimed at enthusiast photographers, the OM System OM-5 is designed for people who love the outdoors and want to capture images or video of their experiences.

The OM-5 can record C4K (4096 x 2160) video at 24p, 4K (3840 x 2160) video at 30, 25,24p or Full HD video at up to 60p, and the recording time is only limited by the storage or battery life. There’s also a High-Speed Recording mode in which Full HD (1920 x 1080) MOV footage can be recorded at 120fps for slow-motion playback.

OM-Log400 is supported to give more freedom over post-capture grading and vertical shooting is enabled.

It’s also possible to connect the LS-P5 audio recorder to the OM-5 (or an external microphone) for better-quality sound. Headphones can be connected to the LS-P5 for monitoring the audio.

Pair these with improved battery and in-body image stablisation performance, and the diminutive OM-5 offers some solid capabilities for videographers.

Read our OM System OM-5 Review

It’s often overlooked as such, but the OM-D E-M5 Mark II was a surprisingly capable video camera, and at the end of 2019 Olympus replaced it with the even more capable OM-D E-M5 Mark III. As well as its brilliant 5-Axis Image Stabilisation, the E-M5 Mark III offers C4K recording at 24fps and 4K at 30p, 25p or 24p. And Full HD 1080p footage can be recorded at up to 120fps which is perfect for slow-motion playback.

Further good news is that the highest resolution video enables bit rates of up to 237 Mbps, which is good news for post-production processing.

The OMD E-M5 Mark III scores in another area because it’s very compact yet has an excellent stabilisation system. The latter takes out much of the shake and wobble of hand-held recording and can even smooth out the jerky movement of walking up or downstairs.

Read our Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Review

In some respects the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III was a fairly modest step-up from the OM-D E-M1 Mark II; however, it feels more refined and has some great features that make shooting in tricky conditions a little easier. It also enables photographers to travel lighter, not just by being relatively small and light itself, but by allowing tripods and ND filters to be left behind in many situations. Olympus also offers an extensive array of superb lenses and the 2x focal length magnification factor is especially useful for sport and wildlife photographers.

Olympus evolved the E-M1 III, giving it most of what the E-M1X has but in a smaller form factor that seems more in line with the Micro Four Thirds message.

What’s more, the speed of its superb autofocusing system and Tracking AF is so good that anyone shooting or filming action will be impressed by its hit rate, even in gloomy conditions.

Which brings us to low light. Olympus’s 5-Axis Image Stabilisation in the E-M1 Mark III is incredible.

In our tests, when shooting at the 100mm end of Olympus’s 12-100mm f/4 lens we were able to get consistently sharp images at 1/2sec, proving the 6.4EV shutter speed extension claim to be true. What’s even more impressive, however, is that at the 12mm we were able to get sharp images with 2sec exposures.

And switching to the camera’s High Res Shot mode allows you to capture 50-megapixel scenes with stunning amounts of detail. The E-M1 Mark III can do it all.

With the first camera under the new ownership, OM System delivered what many Olympus users have been hoping for: a camera that offers everything the Olympus OM-D E-M1X has (and more) in the more compact, single-gripped form of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. Look beyond the resolution and you’ll see a new sensor paired with a processing engine that’s 3x faster than its predecessor, plus enhanced autofocusing, AI-enabled subject detection and full-resolution continuous shooting at up to 120fps or 50fps with continuous focusing. There’s also a refreshed menu, faster high-resolution shooting and an even more robust body. It adds up to make a great camera for wildlife, travel and general photography – perfect for professionals working in a wide range of disciplines.

Read our OM System OM-1 Review

The OM-D E-M1 Mark II is actually a very good camera for wildlife photography, but thanks to its built-in vertical grip, the OM-D E-M1X is better suited to use with long, heavy telephoto lenses. It also has two processing engines built in and this helps power an intelligent subject detection system.  This enables you to set the E-M1X to detect specific subjects including Motorsports, Airplanes and Trains and it works brilliantly and we’re still hoping that animals will be added to the list soon.

There are also two mini-joystick multi-selector controls on the back of the camera for setting the AF point while the viewfinder is in use. Having two of these controls means there’s one in easy reach whether you’re using the horizontal or vertical grip.

Olympus redeveloped the OM-D E-M1 II’s autofocus system for the OM-D E-M1X. It still has 121 cross-type phase detection AF points but the AF algorithm has been re-worked to boost performance – and it works a treat.

Read our Olympus OM-D E-M1X Review

Although the PEN E-PL10 now replaces it, the E-PL10 only makes a few aesthetic changes to the E-PL9, so we’re sticking with the PEN E-PL9 for our choice as the best Olympus camera for vloggers.

The PEN E-PL9 is an entry-level model in Olympus’s range, and offers 4K video recording at 30, 25 and 24p, and Full HD video can be recorded at 60p.

To go along with that 4K video recording is a vlogger-friendly 3-inch, 1,040k-dot touchscreen that articulates 80 degrees up or 180 degrees down on its bracket for shooting selfies and vlogs.

Video is an essential feature in 2021, especially for vloggers, so the E-PL9’s 4K at 30fps is impressive for a camera of this size and price.

There’s also a High Speed Video mode for capturing slow-motion movies, a Clips video mode for capturing 4sec movies and you can also add the camera’s Art Filters and a wide range of other effects to your videos.

You’ll also find the addition of Bluetooth connectivity (a first for Olympus cameras), new art filters, more AF points and Oympus’s new TruePic VIII image processor, inherited from the company’s flagship E-M1 Mark II.

As well as popular Olympus stalwarts Live Composite and Live Bulb modes, the E-PL9 also has Focus Bracketing (shoot up to 999 frames at different focus differentials, which you can merge into a focus stack in your photo editing software), Sweep Panorama, HDR Backlight and Keystone Compensation (for correcting converging lines in-camera) modes.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV isn’t much bigger than some compact cameras with much smaller sensors yet it’s much more versatile, has a great collection of features and produces better image quality.

Aside from the increase in the pixel count, it makes a fairly small step up from the OM-D E-M10 Mark III, but the autofocus system is better and the ability to see the screen from in front of the camera is a useful addition.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV makes a very good first serious camera and is an excellent model for anyone looking for a smaller alternative to a large camera. It’s also compatible with an extensive collection of lenses.

We have recommended the Olympus E-M10 camera line to quite a few photographers who have been looking for a compact and lightweight camera and they’ve all been very happy with their purchase. If you’re looking for a camera to carry everywhere that will get you great results and doesn’t need a tripod much of the time, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is a great choice.

Read our Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV Review