The new OM system OM-5 camera with USB straming +amp;+amp; star autofocus

Today is the day! The OM System OM 5 camera is introduced and we summarize for you once, what all is in the small miracle inside. Since the OM-1, which was introduced at the beginning of the year, OM System is again on everyone's lips. The former Olympus fans, have taken the change very well. The OM-1 is more a model that is aimed at professionals in terms of price and features, which is why with the OM-5 a slimmed down model is to come out, which nevertheless has it in itself. Find out now in our video or text. Have fun!

Is the casing convincing?

The housing is similar to the Olympus (OM System) OM-D E-M5 series in terms of light weight and ruggedness. It is equipped with the new IP53 rating, which ensures that it won't be a big deal if an unexpected downpour hits. So, you can always carry the case with you without worrying much about the weather conditions. The housing is very compact, which still ensures easy operation of the camera. There are plenty of settings and buttons for quick operation. However, the ports on the housing had to suffer. Important ports like the microphone and headphone jack. There is a micro HDMI and micro USB port, but no USB-C, which will be of great importance today and in the future.

Is the photo quality promising?

The camera can not only look classically retro, because there is also something in it. A 20 MP MFT sensor is installed in the OM 5, which is completely sufficient for a classic application area in our opinion. In the end, it is also possible to print larger formats without any problems. If this is not enough, the camera can be set to Res mode. This mode creates several images one after the other and calculates them together in such a way that you can achieve a resolution of up to 80 MP. However, care should be taken not to move around in the picture, otherwise distortions will occur.

Well-known features from the past are of course not missing, such as the integrated ND filter (in this case up to ND 16), Live Composite and Bulb, as well as Pro Capture. In addition to the ND filter, which works in the photo area, we also find the Pro Capture particularly good, because this function already shoots before and after the actual release busy images, so you have the perfect moment in the lens in any case.

OM-Systems has given the OM 5 a new autofocus that ensures that all images are even sharper and clearer. The autofocus works very solidly and also features face detection among other things. If several people have been detected by the autofocus, you can switch back and forth between them.

The video quality

The current standards in the OM-5 offer 4K video recording at 30 fps and Full HD at 120 fps, guaranteeing very solid work. The new improved image stabilizer ensures smooth video recording without much blur in the image.

One highlight is actually the edge-to-edge video. It may sound like an unimportant feature, but when you are producing a lot of content for social media, it makes a lot of sense.

It pays to be quick!

As with the OM 1, there is also a great promotion this time. Anyone who orders the camera by 30.11.2022 will get a warranty extension from 2 to 5 years!

All special features at a glance

The OM 5 comes with a handful of small special features that we find very charming and would like to summarize briefly.

• USB streaming. The OM 5 now also has the option of being used directly as a webcam. As soon as you connect the camera to the PC, it is immediately recognized in programs like Zoom, Skype or Teams and can be used. A feature that people unfortunately keep overlooking or ignoring, but which has become very important (especially in the last few years) to give a professional image in online meetings.
• Star AF. It may sound really unnecessary, but many who have used this feature once swear by it. Since there are super wide-angles with a large open aperture for MFT (for example, the Olympus 17mm with f/1.2), we find the camera very good for astrophotography. The mode also does exactly what it sounds like. It focuses correctly on the stars. It's often difficult for normal AF systems to work accurately here, and working with manual focus and Liveview is just tedious. Try it out for yourself.
• Focus Stacking. Small cameras are often very suitable for small photo subjects. Thanks to the wide range of MFT lenses, there are also many macro solutions. If you combine this with the focus stacking feature, the camera takes several pictures at different focus distances and creates an image with greater depth of field.

Our conclusion

In summary, it feels like an Olympus OM-D E-M1 III in an improved E-M5 III body, with most of the benefits of the technology of the time + a little extra like USB streaming and edge-to-edge video. So if you're looking for a rugged, fast, yet small companion for your travels and stories, you'll definitely get your money's worth here.

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