OM-D E-M1 MARK III GETS FLAGSHIP FEATURES
THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED THIRD-GENERATION Olympus OM-D E-M1 inherits a number of features from the mirrorless system’s flagship E-M1X, including the Live ND mode, handheld multi-shot high-res capture, and up to 7.5 stops of correction for camera shake via in-body image stabilisation (IBIS). The E-M1 III retains the same compact bodyshell as the Mark II, which means a single battery compared to the E-M1X’s pair. As before, the bodyshell is sealed against dust and moisture, and insulated to allow shooting in sub-zero temperatures. The optional HLD-9 battery grip can be fitted to add the second battery and extend the shooting range. In-camera battery charging is now available via USB-C. Dual memory card slots for the SD format are again provided, but compared to the E-M1X, only one has UHS-II speed support.
The sensor is the same 20.4MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds imager as is used in both the E-M1X and E-M1 Mark II, but it’s matched with a new TruPic IX processor which delivers a number of performance improvements, including a new autofocusing algorithm.
The native sensitivity range is equivalent to ISO 200 to 25,600 with two extended low ISOs of 100 and 64. The maximum continuous shooting speed remains at 18fps with AF/AE adjustment and 60fps with the AF/AE locked to the first frame. The quoted burst length at 18fps is 90 frames for large/superfine JPEGs and 76 for RAW files but, at 10fps, these extend to unlimited (i.e. until the memory card is full) and 286 frames respectively. Now with three modes, the IBIS operates over five axes, giving up to 7.0 stops of correction with the M.Zuiko Digital lenses that have optical stabilisation and up to 7.5 stops with the 12-100mm f/4.0 PRO zoom. IBIS is, of course, the basis of the High Res Shot capture modes which generate JPEGs of 50MP resolution when shooting handheld and up to 80MP when using a tripod. Depending on various factors, including how steadily you’re holding the camera, up to 16 images can be taken with pixel-shifting and then combined to boost not only the resolution but also the colour reproduction. The Live ND function (ability to extend exposures) uses multi-shot capture with the number of frames varying according to the ND setting – which range from ND2 to ND32, representing an exposure reduction of between one and five stops – with a progressively greater number of short exposures being captured to create the motion blur that would be the result of using a conventional neutral density filter on the lens.
The E-M1 Mark III has the same hybrid phase/contrast detection autofocusing as before which uses a total of 242 cross-type measuring points and has low-light sensitivity down to -6.0 EV. It has face- and eye-detection with adjustable subject tracking parameters, but not the AI-based Intelligent Subject Detection which is the E-M1X’s star feature. There’s also focus bracketing and focus stacking with selected M.Zuiko Digital lenses. Auto bracketing is additionally available for exposure, ISO, flash, white balance, the Art Filter special effects and HDR capture. Other notable features include flicker detection, the Highlight/Shadow adjustment, an extended intervalometer sequence of 9,999 frames, and an extended duration for Live Composite exposures of up to six hours
On the video side, the Mark III camera isn’t significantly changed from the Mark II, but notably steps up to better quality audio via 96kHz sampling and 24-bit quantisation. As before, it can record 4K in both the DCI and UHD resolutions; the former at 24fps and 237 Mbps, the latter at 30/25/24fps and 102 Mbps. Both the OM-Log400 and Flat profile are provided with the View Assist function which adjusts the EVF and monitor displays to the colour space for these profiles. An 8-bit 4:2:2 colour output is available via HDMI.
For more information about the OM-D
E-M1 please visit www.olympus.com.au