The OM-D E-M5 is a new, gorgeous, retro-tastic Micro Four Thirds camera from Olympus. It is the first from Olympus to come with an electronic viewfinder, and is aimed at enthusiasts who want a serious MFT option. We've fallen deeply in love with this camera, here's why.

Low noise at very high ISO settings; Superb handling; Excellent image stabilization; Fast and accurate auto-focus; Gorgeous retro-inspired design

Cramped and small back buttons; Less noise difference at lower ISOs; Camera strap hinders handling; Banding in some very high ISO shots

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 takes its design cues from Olympus' much-loved 35mm OM SLR range and is the first of a new line of Micro Four Thirds OM-D series cameras. Find out if the E-M5 is a natural successor to this line of classic cameras in the What Digital Camera Olympus OM-D E-M5 review.

Lovely design; premium build; solid performance and great images

Base ISO of 100 would be welcome

Since the introduction of the Olympus Pen E-P1 in June 2009, the compact system camera (CSC) has taken the world by storm. The compact-sized Pen E-P1 was a clear homage to the original Olympus Pen series – a half-frame camera that spanned more than two decades – but with the added benefit of digital...

Three years after making its first entrance into the compact system camera arena with the PEN E-P1, Olympus has gone back to its roots again to produce the OM-D E-M5, with its retro styling owed to its analogue predecessor.

After having updated its 35mm Pen cameras for the digital age, Olympus is trying the same trick with its legendary OM SLRs. While the SLR-style optical viewfinder has been ditched, the OM-D E-M5 'recycles' plenty of the...

Weatherproof finish (and weatherproof 12-50 mm lens; Great retro design; Picture quality up to 3200 ISO; Two settings dials; Effective stabilisation system; Sharp; smooth EVF; Tilt LCD touchscreen; Quiet shutter release

No built-in flash (separate accessory supplied; Battery life could be better; Menus can be confusing; Handling - room for improvement; No headphones or mic sockets for video; 3D AF tracking isn't always reliable; No GPS; no Wi-Fi

This past weekend I was able to spend time with some folks from Olympus to pick up an OM-D E-M5 for review. I get to play with a lot of cameras due to my job running Photo.net, and that's something I appreciate. But there are cameras and there are "cameras!

In 2008, Olympus wowed photographers with a retro-styled prototype of what would become its first Micro Four Thirds PEN camera , the E-P1 ($799.99, 3.5 stars). In the years since, the company has refined the PEN designs, adding models that support optional EVFs and other accessories like the...

Compact body; Fully weather sealed; Crisp LCD EVF; Articulating rear display; Sharp kit lens; Impressive high ISO performance; Fast autofocus; Shoots at 9 frames per second; In-body stabilization; Large native lens library; Optional grip available

External flash; Lacks a standard mic input

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is certainly the most capable Micro Four Thirds camera we've reviewed and arguably the most likeable mirrorless model yet. It falls down a little bit on its continuous focusing but we have absolutely no complaints about the image quality.

Very good image quality; even at high ISO; Bright; punchy JPEGs make the most of camera's capability; Very fast autofocus with most Micro Four Thirds lenses; Weather-sealed body; Built-in image stabilization helps increase number of sharp shots; Good level of direct control despite small body,...

Focus tracking distinctly unreliable; Small controls sometimes awkward (especially with cold/gloved hands; No in-camera correction of CA (which can be problematic with 12-50mm kit zoom; Default JPEG settings a bit keen to blur detail away; Several useful features hidden in obscure and...

For anyone doubting the ability of mirrorless / compact system cameras, this is the camera that should answer a lot of concerns. It has a weather-sealed compact body, an excellent range of lenses and most importantly excellent image quality - that is significantly improved over previous Olympus PEN...

Excellent noise performance; Excellent image quality; Excellent Image Stabilisation; 9fps continuous shooting; Extremely fast focus; shutter response; shot-to-shot etc; Weather sealed body; Excellent range of lenses

12-50mm Lens not the best - but good for macro; IS system noise

Micro Four Thirds cameras are coming fast and furious, and getting better and more technically impressive all the time. For its latest offering, however, Olympus looked backward for inspiration rather than forward. The OM-D E-M5's design harkens back to the 1970's, to Olympus' old OM-1 film SLR.

Excellent image and video quality; Blistering performance; Extremely attractive

Expensive for a Micro Four Thirds camera; Smaller sensor than most $1,000-plus cameras