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Of all the cameras that I’ve reviewed in the past, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 will always have a special place in my heart. It seems appropriate to follow the previous revisitation of the very first E-1 by revisiting the E-M5. The E-M5 was a game-changer for the mirrorless interchangeable camera world, pushing the boundaries for capabilities and setting high standards for other mirrorless manufacturers to follow. It’s been 6 years since the release of the E-M5 and I want to explore the significance of the E-M5’s role in changing the perception towards mirrorless cameras as a serious tool. I spent a day with the E-M5 for my shutter therapy and all the images shown are fresh out of the trusty, old E-M5.

MT also reviewed the original E-M5 some time back, here, and wrote about how it was a game changer for him professionally at the time, here.

Rewinding time back to the birth of mirrorless cameras – we find that feedback from users was: slow and unreliable AF, inferior image quality (in comparison to DSLRs), bad ergonomics, and laggy electronic viewfinder or LCD screen. While the mirrorless cameras were much smaller and lighter than DSLRs, they were in no way equivalent or close to what similarly priced DSLRs could do. Sony came along with over-simplified camera controls and a layout that required deep dives into the menu to change even exposure settings. Fuji followed closely with their nearly unusable autofocus. The mirrorless vs DSLR was a one-sided war (or massacre rather) until the unexpected Olympus OM-D E-M5 came along.

What did Olympus do with the E-M5 that changed the mirrorless game?

Firstly, there was the nearly lag-free, built-in electronic viewfinder. The EVF allowed photographers coming from a DSLR to feel right at home – and helped stability while shooting. The AF was so fast, even Canon 1D series shooters were impressed. The camera was built to take a beating with a magnesium alloy body and full weather-sealing. Then there was the first introduction of the 5-Axis image stabilization that no one saw coming. The benefits of powerful IS was a welcomed with wide open arms. The new 16MP Micro Four Thirds image sensor, as tiny as it was, managed to show a huge step up in image quality. The image quality was so good, it nearly matched the best APS-C cameras at that time, such as Canon 60D and Nikon D7000 – in terms of high ISO performance and dynamic range. The APS-C DSLR cameras had a slight advantage but the gap was small and dismissable. Finally – the fact that you had all this available in such a small and compact body made the E-M5 an instant hit for Olympus. It was the miracle camera they needed after the financial crisis from the huge accounting scandal in 2011.

As great as the E-M5 was, it was not perfect. I was the first to complain about the inconsistent color and contrast between the EVF and LCD screen. I also questioned the weather-sealing capability as the EVF fogged up while I was testing it in the rain. I was not entirely convinced by the EVF on the E-M5, and I recall that at the time I still preferred an actual optical viewfinder. The buttons on the camera were too small and grouped close together – an accidental press and unwanted settings happened too often. Also the buttons felt too stiff, due to rubber-sealing.

Despite the flaws (which were mostly addressed and fixed in the E-M1) the E-M5 remained my favourite Olympus camera over the years. There is just something about the E-M5, perhaps it’s all the memories. My blog rose to popularity after the rigorous E-M5 reviews and even Ming Thein told me that he took notice and got into Micro Four Thirds after reading my review.

Recalling the sales figures which I used to have access to when I was an Olympus employee, E-M5 sales were a record high but Olympus did not really successfully win over or convert DSLR users to mirrorless. Instead, a huge chunk of the E-M5 sales went to DSLR users who wanted another small camera to use alongside their DSLR system.

The reign of E-M5 was short-lived, as other camera makers took note and improved their products. Sony kept pushing their image quality and even dared to go full frame with their A7 series which has proven to be successful. Fuji was slow to fix their AF (even the X-Pro 1 and X-T1 were really sluggish), but they eventually got there. Panasonic has been at the forefront (alongside Sony) in pushing high-quality video (1080p first and now 4K). A little late to the game, Canon also upped their game with the M5.

Things are getting really exciting this year – Canon and Nikon are rumored to be releasing a full frame mirrorless system. The announcement is expected to be close to or during Photokina. If these full frame mirrorless cameras have super fast AF, good image stabilization, are built to be tough and have the latest EVF, things may not look too good for the Micro Four Thirds system. One clear advantage that the Micro Four Thirds system has is a mature range of lenses, but that is easily overcome in a matter of 2-3 years, especially by Canon and Nikon. Yet the sales of camera and imaging products in total continues its sharp decline each year. It is difficult to predict where the future lies.

As someone who has just exited the camera retail business, it was a breath of fresh air to not worry about camera sales trends. My focus is now on shooting more and developing my skills as a photographer. I would be thrilled to be able to review new cameras now and then, but what truly matters to me is going out there and shooting – regardless of the camera in hand. Even if that camera is the old OM-D E-M5, which remains perfectly capable of producing beautiful images even today.

Do you still have your old E-M5 in your camera bag? Do you still actively shoot with an E-M5? I have since moved on to E-M10 Mark II and E-P5 while shooting on the street. For paid assignments I use the E-M1 and E-M1 Mark II. But I will always have the E-M5 stored safely in the drybox and occasionally take it out for a spin. I have too many fond memories with the E-M5 to let it go.