My little back story
Hi there, I'm Olivier Costier. Photography is one serious hobby of mine and I've been using Olympus gear for about 5 years now. I've been practicing as much as my free time allowed to for the past three years and I recently got offered the great opportunity to be one of the first to test the new Olympus E-M5 MkIII. For sure I couldn't pass on that. To tag along this new body, i got sent the 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens.
The goal here was to evaluate how both of them team up to create a perfect wanderer kit. This won't be a technical review but more a user oriented review how I liked using this new piece of gear.
Usability
Being already accustomed to Olympus menus, it wasn't really hard for me to get around the new E-M5. That is not to say that these are easy to handle but time and practice are your best allies when getting a new gear. But the Super Control Panel is very easy to use and provides about 90% of what you'd need to set your photos. As far as hardware is concerned, here is a non exhaustive list of what I noted when using this new camera:
- There is the obvious quatuor that are the weather proofing, the 20MP sensor, the internal sensor stabilization and the new phase detect autofocus all descending from the big bro that is the E-M1 MkII.
- You'll find many customizable buttons and I would advise to take the time to set those up as the whole shooting experience can be made even better.
- The apparition of the new ISO button is very welcomed as it speeds up operations.
- The articulating screen is still there and I'm very happy it is
- The grip has a better definition than the E-M5 MkII. I tend to go for a deeper grip as I have fairly big hands but didn't feel any discomfort when using it with 12-200mm all day.
- You have now the possibility to move the focusing points on the live view screen when having your camera brought up to your eye.
- USB Charging makes its apparition on this new body but there is a catch, it's Micro USB and you can charge the camera when it is operating. That's a good start though.
Weather sealing & Articulating screen
For years now when it first introduced the OM-D line up, Olympus has been offering weather sealing cameras that could be used in some of the harshest conditions. As far as I'm concerned, I started my adventure with an OM-D E-M10 MkI which is part of the entry level gear that is not weather sealed. To be honest, this didn't really prevented me to use it in rainy weather but I couldn't help being cautious about it.
As for this new E-M5 MkIII, the weather sealing is right here on the money and coupled with the 12-200mm, this combination is right up to the task whenever you'll want to go out. This, coupled with the articulated screen provides quite a big range of possibilities. As you'll see on the next photo series, all of them were taken at low angle when the camera was dipped into the puddle to get the reflection. The screen was a huge help to get those without having to crawl next to the camera screen ...
That Sensor stabilisation Though
As I've already told you, the main reason I've switched to Olympus cameras is that crazy ability to stabilize any lens you put on the body. Even better, the stabilization is now so good that you can handheld a few second exposure and still get sharp images. That's truth right there and if you don't believe me... Well... see for yourself
A great combination for the wanderer
As said before, when testing the new E-M5, I received the 12-200m zoom to test it with as a kit. indeed it was interesting to use it as it was intended. As a camera to set you free and what is more liberating than not having to bring multiple lenses with you on your travels. The zoom range it provides is quite an asset allows you to let that creativity flowing. From wide to telephoto, you'll get many as many picture opportunity as you can imagine.
The first thing that comes in mind when using this lens is "jack of all trades master of none". Considering the stunning quality provided by the pro lenses Olympus designed, it's obvious that you won't match that throughout the whole zoom range but from 12mm to 100mm you can get some very satisfying results which come fairly close to what the 12-100 f/4 can produce. From 100mm to 200mm the pictures get softer but sharp enough to produce stunning pics.
My final thougths
As an owner of the E-M1 MkII, it really felt that the new E-M5 MkIII was a strip down and more user friendly version of the former high end camera. So I pretty much knew what to expect of this camera from the get go and it did deliver .
Coupled with the 12-200mm Zoom, I feel that it can become a great solution to "Break Free" and roam around enjoying your photography. A feather weight camera + an extended range zoom is a perfect combo isn't.
Credits:
© Photocostier