The OM-D series E-M5 and E-M10 cameras

 Last Update:- 16th June 2023

Introduction.

The Olympus OM-D series pioneered the mirrorless segment as we know it today. Olympus OM-D cameras like the E-M1 I/II/III and the E-M5 I/II/III were leading the industry with at least 10 years in terms of vision, innovation, functionality, and performance. The OM-D series also became the most targeted range of cameras by marketers deploying some of the most aggressive counter-marketing strategies typically found in the Pharmaceutical and Political segments.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKII with a special handgrip and a 14-150mm MKII lens.

I bought my first Olympus OM-D camera, the E-M5 with the 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ lens in late 2012. My first reaction was it's an exciting concept with a high level of flexibility consisting of high-quality lenses plus add-ons like the handgrip and separate battery grip. The E-M5 with a 12-50mm lens was expensive at $1300 when the E-620 and E-P3 were selling for less than $800 each.

The Olympus E-M5 with its unique range of add-ons had a remarkable resemblance to the original OM-4 analog camera and converted many photographers to the M43 mirrorless segment.

The E-M10 followed the E-M5 and received rave reviews. It quickly became as popular as the E-M5. Priced attractively, the E-M10 was very popular at half the price with the new 14-42mm EZ lens. It quickly became a first choice for those upgrading from compact or mobile phones. 

The E-M5 was the first OM-D with the new 5-axis in body image stabilization (IBIS). Other models like the Pen E-P3 and the E-M10 came with 3-axis stabilization. The E-M5 was also the first M43 camera to introduce shuttershock to the M43 mirrorless segment. I recall upgrading from the E-P3, and how frustrating it was to get so many blurred images with my new E-M5. Olympus added a new 0-second Anti-Shock option to fix the problem.

The E-M10 used a different shutter mechanism which helped. All new Olympus M43 cameras benefitted from these new and improved shutter units plus the new 0-second software fix.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKI with a 25mm f1.4 Leica lens.

The E-M10 MKI and MKII were interesting because both came with an optional handgrip like in the above image. The handgrip had a new feature to access the battery or memory card. It's possible to unclip the handgrip from the camera with a unique clip. The handgrip works well with the 14-150mm or 75-300mm lenses. It's a pity that Olympus excluded this option from the EM-5 MKIII. I did not see any mention that this option would be available for the EM5 MKIV. 

This was disappointing because one of the strengths of the O-MD series is its ability to grow in functionality with the handgrip or separate battery grip. This enabled photographers to scale the camera as needed. One moment the E-M5 is a small compact camera, and in the following, it's fitted with a comfortable handgrip, or it changes into an extended battery life...

E-M10 target customers

While evaluating the E-M10 product positioning, we see the original E-M10 was a bit of a "free spirit." It lacked the different EM5 add-ons, weather sealing, and the accessory port. Other than that, it offered the bulk of the EM5 functionality. If you think about the evolution of the EM10s, the simplified chart below describes what I find interesting about these E-M10s. One can create more charts like that's based on different photographers' needs and priorities.

Click on the chart for an enlarged view.

The EM10 MKII was a comprehensive upgrade to the original EM10. I couldn't help thinking it was designed to fill the gap between the original EM5 and the far superior EM5 MKII. Olympus planned the opposite for the EM10 III and positioned it into the existing Pen space.

When Olympus launched the EM5 MKII, it was a more powerful camera than the original EM1. The EM1 MKII followed one year later to re-establish the E-M1's superiority. The EM1 was targeting professionals as well as serious hobby photographers. The Pen range was designed for casual or entry-level photographers and the Pen F for city or street photographers. 

When Olympus introduced the E-M10 MKIV and its simplified user interface, they hinted they were planning to discontinue the Pen F. The E-M5 III also confirmed this. Like with the E-M5 II, photographers expected new and trendsetting features. They were not ready for a "tamed down" E-M1 MKII. That's why the initial disappointment with the E-M5 MKIII.

What happened was a common strategy of optimizing the new factory in Vietnam by re-positioning the product offer and lowering manufacturing and product costs. We also see Olympus considering the complete phasing out of the Pen range. It will not surprise me if any future Pen will exclusively be for the Japanese market and to help Olympus transition the offer... The E-PL10 was initially launched to be this model. This will basically accelerate the overall imaging business profitability or marketability. I think we also see this when we read between the lines with the JIP announcement...

This is one more reason why I question the timing of "selling" the imaging business. 

In one of my previous articles I asked, what did Olympus managers see

 about the global economic recovery that made them run...? 

One cannot help to ask, is Olympus preparing for future camera sales, or were they getting ready to sell the imaging business? Compare this with what we see happening at Canon and Nikon, they delayed their entry into the professional mirrorless segment, and then both introduced new mirrorless cameras with new lens mounts in late 2018? Next, go study Sony and Fuji and ask yourself if they are ready for the future while into the 3rd and 4th generation of their mirrorless camera range. Think of the 12 years it took from introducing the mirrorless concept in 2008 to having a fully refined M43 product offer in 2020. I cannot help smiling when I see photographers raving about the wonderful EVF on their new Canon or Nikon mirrorless camera...

The Olympus EM10 range main functions and features

New EM10 AP Menu.

The new AP menu gives photographers easy access to advanced features. Must say it would have been nice if Olympus added the curves (highlight/shadow) and the Color Creator to the AP menu. With the MKIII it's now more practical to select curves via the SCP, whereas with the MKII one simply uses the multifunction button. The MKII only adjusts highlights and shadows whereas the MKIII and MKIV also adjust mid-tones. When Olympus launched the MKIII they removed the RC (Remote Flash) function. This was quickly "corrected" with the next firmware upgrade.

Is the new AP Menu something useful? It's difficult to say, for someone new to OMD cameras it could be something valuable. For existing OMD owners, my advice is to try it first... I found the AP menu a little frustrating because you need to go back to the advanced menu to access more advanced options. I did not check but I am sure those reviewers complaining about the Olympus menu, also found something with the MKIII and IV menus to complain about...

I studied the EM10 MKIV and the EM5 MKIII at my local camera shop. It is possible to rent these cameras but I honestly cannot make up my mind about Olympus. For example, I bought a Panasonic G9 on the secondhand market and I am considering supporting Panasonic in the future. I feel it is important to support those manufacturers that are loyal to their client base. That does not mean I will not enjoy the extensive secondhand Olympus supply...?

The new EM5 MKIII.

When studying the EM5 MKIII and the EM10 MKIV, I was surprised at how lightweight these new bodies are compared to the EM10 MKII and the EM5 MKII. The original EM5, the EM10, and the EM10 MKII all used a solid metal build. The EM5 MKII has a nasty weakness wearing off the silver, black, or platinum paint at the corners, whereas the EM10 MKI & II stays good for years. Another really irritating aspect of more recent models is the rubber inserts on the thumb position. I first experienced this with the Pen F and I noticed the EM10 MKIII and MKIV have this too. The rubber falls off over time and it's esthetically and functionally not really practical. See my wife's EM10 MIII and my Pen F below. The E-M10 MKII still uses the best solution, it will stay good for years...

That said my wife loves her E-M10 MKIII. She has her 14-150mm fitted almost permanently. It seems the MKIII is manufactured from the same composite material as the MKIV and the E-M5 MKIII. Unlike the E-M5 MKII, these new bodies do not scratch easily or lose paint at the corners. The image and video quality are great and my wife is completely satisfied with her E-M10.

One can talk for hours about these differences, the new panorama function, the AP Menu, the different video options, or the difference in resolution. The bottom line is, that talking makes no difference to these cameras. If it's more video you want, consider the EM1 MKII or the EM5 MKIII. This is true for almost any feature graving forum expert... You can safely select almost any OMD to closely match your own needs, whether it's the original EM10 or any other OMD right up to the EM1X.

Studying the video specifications of the MKII, III, and IV, we see the main differences are:

• The MKII is basically a replica of the EM5 MKII
• Olympus added 4K to the MKIII and IV with an increase in data rate (102mps)
• Olympus added a 720p, 120fps slow-motion to the MKIII and the MKIV
• Olympus removed the All-I option from the MKIII and IV (not all use this)
• The movie options accessible via the AP Menu are the most basic options only
• With the MKIII and IV, it takes a little digging to access more advanced video options
• All the E-M10 cameras benefit from recording with IBIS plus electronic stabilization
• The MKII, III, and IV all have the 4K TimeLapse function - check the details first...
• The MKII slow-motion basically uses 60p and adapts that to the set frame rate

I think it is important to see that while the MKIII and IV benefit from 4K, the MKII has 1080P plus All-I. Studying the MKIV in my local shop I also saw one can buy a brand new EM1 II with 4K and more video options for less than a new E-M10 MKIV. Again the scalability of the EM1 II is excellent plus the additional features one gets with the E-M1 MKII.

Let's talk about a missed opportunity

Panasonic G100 for Vloggers (Panasonic image).

I think the vlogging camera in the above image is shouting a message from the mountaintops. With all I wrote about Olympus, the financial scandal, the amazing turnaround, and the reorganizing of the imaging business, one thing we never discussed is the impact it had on the employees. 

Missing an opportunity to introduce a great vlogging camera, is more than revealing. It's not that nobody knew what vloggers need, or that vlogging is something completely new. Vloggers have been begging for a good vlogging camera. To make things worse Sony and Panasonic are already leading the way but do not have the equivalent of an E-M10 camera...

How did Olympus miss this one with the new EM10 MKIV? Here we have the perfect camera, an amazing new segment, and "policy" or "saddened employees" lacked commonsense?

To make this worse, Olympus cannot go back and quickly adapt the EM10 MKIV because the screen format is completely wrong. I am really too embarrassed to even show a picture of the MKIV flip-down display. Besides, think of the possible cost savings if all OMD cameras had the same display. I think this example demonstrates just how out of touch Olympus was at the end... 

Update 26th Jan 2022:- From writing this article I did decide to stay with Olympus and not to invest in Panasonic. I bought the EM1 III during a special promotion in December 2021 and received the 17mm f1.2 Pro lens at no additional cost.

Conclusion

The E-M10 range cameras are probably the most exciting in the OMD range. From the award-winning MKI with its built-in flash to the latest MKIV, each E-M10 has its own unique strengths and great value. Yes, they are not weather-sealed and the MKIII and IV are a little different. That said, they do have the new AP menu, and many newcomers value that... 

As discussed, Olympus created a unique opportunity with the O-MD range. If you look carefully you will see the E-M1 MKII is a complete bargain new and secondhand. The MKII was commercially available in 2020 plus it was hugely attractive in terms of price and functionality. Now in 2022, they are selling secondhand for less than $200 in our local market. This is no-brainer territory...

It always amazes me to see just how disconnected the financial 

advisors are when it's about engineering and 

designing or consumer behavior...