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OM System OM-5 II: two-minute review
What the OM System OM-5 II lacks in sensor and video specifications it makes up for with photographic features. If you want to go full-frame, or get a more powerful APS-C hybrid, then go for it; if you need these things, you need them. But if what you need is a small, affordable and supremely versatile camera that can follow you anywhere, then this is it.
What do you want to shoot? Landscapes? Nature? If you’re okay with 20MP, then the OM-5 II will do perfectly, thanks to its lightweight, hike-friendly size, weather sealing and rock-steady IBIS. Will you need to use any ND filters? The camera’s in-built Live ND can give you up to four stops longer exposures – perhaps not always enough, but it helps.
If you’re into nature photography, and particularly macro work, you can use the in-built focus-stacking mode to keep your whole subject sharp, or focus bracketing if you want to merge the frames later in software.
Fancy some night photography? Experts will insist you need the low noise of a full-frame sensor, but the OM-5 II does pretty well with a fast prime and its Starry Sky AF. While you’re at it, you can use the Live Bulb mode to see long exposures build on the screen in front of your eyes, or use the Live Composite mode to capture bonfires, fireworks or urban light trails, recording only ‘new light’ so that the image isn’t overexposed.
What about sports and wildlife? The OM-5 II is not a dedicated action camera, but it does pretty well, shooting at up to 10fps with AF and up to 30fps with focus locked on the first frame. It also has a Pro Capture mode, which offers a rolling buffer of 14 frames with the shutter button half pressed so you don’t miss the moment the action starts.
There are limits. The OM-5 II doesn’t have the newer stacked sensor that is within the OM-3 and OM-1 II, and it makes use of an older 121-point AF system somewhat than OM Systems’ new subject-tracking quad-pixel AF. But at this worth one thing’s obtained to offer, and the OM-5 II’s AF continues to be fast and efficient, and positive for on a regular basis use.
Video isn’t a strong point either. The OM-5 II peaks at 4K 30p, and whereas it might probably do the marginally wider C4K format, that’s solely at 24p. You do get Flat, OM-Log400, OM-Cinema1 and OM-Cinema2 profiles, however since this digital camera shoots solely 8-bit video there’s a restrict to how far you’ll wish to push any shade grading later.
There’s yet another factor to say: the OM Art Filters. Fujifilm followers make an enormous fuss over Fujifilm Film simulations, however that’s nothing. From gritty black-and-white (with borders, should you like!) to super-saturated pop-art to HDR-like dramatic tone results to classic, bleach bypass and immediate digital camera appears to be like, OM System Art Filters are a incredible playground for artistic photographers. Yes, you possibly can shoot a uncooked file similtaneously a backup – heck, you possibly can even bracket Art Filter results to get a number of options for every picture.
The OM-5 II does have limitations – after all it does. You’ll wish to avoid sky-high ISOs, its AF can’t match the newest AI subject-recognition tech in rival cameras, and its video options are primary.
And no, it’s not an enormous advance on the outdated digital camera, the OM-5; however as I’ve stated, it does not should be. If you stand again and have a look at what this digital camera can do, at this worth (unchanged from the Mark I model, by the way in which), it’s an absolute pocket rocket, even immediately. In my e book, the OM-5 II is the best affordable travel camera going.
OM System OM-5 II: price
You can buy the OM-5 II for around $1,199 / £1,099 body-only or $1,599 / £1,499 with the 12-45mm f/4 kit lens. Don’t underestimate this lens; it’s small, portable and offers excellent image quality well beyond the typical kit lens. OM System calls it a Pro lens, and it is. And, like the OM-5 II, the camera is weather sealed. You can get cheaper ‘starter’ cameras than this, but none which approach the OM-5 II’s feature set.
OM System OM-5 II: specs
|
Sensor |
4/3-inch Live MOS sensor, 20.4MP |
|
Lens mount |
Micro Four Thirds |
|
ISO range |
200-6,400 (64-25,600 exp) |
|
Autofocus |
121-point phase/contrast AF |
|
Burst shooting |
6fps mechanical with C-AF, 10fps electronic with C-AF, up to 30fps electronic with S-AF, Pro Capture mode with S-AF |
|
Video |
C4K 24p, 4K UHD 30p, FHD up to 120p |
|
EVF |
2.36m-dot OLED |
|
Rear screen |
3-inch 1.037m-dot vari-angle touchscreen |
|
Storage |
1x SD UHS II |
|
Battery |
BLS-50, 310 shots |
|
Size (body only) |
125.3 x 49.7 x 85.2mm, 418g |
OM System OM-5 II: design
- Reshaped grip for better handling
- Excellent top-mounted twin control dials
- Weather sealed (as are OM Pro lenses)
The OM-5 II is a small camera with remarkably good ergonomics. The grip has been reshaped so it handles larger lenses better (just as well, because the old add-on grip no longer fits), and the top-mounted control dials are easy to reach with your thumb and forefinger and have a precise, quality feel with just the right amount of weight.
This also applies to the main mode dial, which has a central locking button to prevent accidental adjustments. The buttons are a little less impressive, and seem a bit on the small side for anyone with big hands, but they work fine, and they’re clearly labelled and well spaced. There’s a new CP (computational photography) button on the top to make it easier to access the camera’s clever computational features, though you still have to turn a dial to select the one you want.
I’ll admit the button placement here did annoy me. The CP button and the video Record button are just too close together, and too hard to tell apart by touch. Hitting CP instead of Record was endlessly annoying during my video tests.
The ‘OK’ button on the back activates the camera’s ’Super Control Panel’ where you can make practically all of your day-to-day settings adjustments, and one of the key improvements in this camera over the old one is the redesigned menu system. That doesn’t sound like much of a thing, right? In fact, it transforms the experience of using this camera – if you’ve used the ‘old’ menus, you’ll know this was long overdue.
The EVF is not the highest-resolution, but it’s clear, contrasty and crisp, and it’s fine, especially at this price. The vari-angle rear screen is great too – and if you have the touch-shutter mode enabled, you can tap to focus and shoot in a single action and the response is practically instantanous.
For its size, this is an exceptionally well designed camera. Yes, if you’re new to it you will have to learn where things are, as with any camera. But once you’re past that phase you’ll find this camera fast and intuitive to operate, with fewer button presses and less lag than many of its rivals. What the OM-5 II lacks in state of the art specs, it makes up for as a pure shooting tool.
OM System OM-5 II: performance
- Only 121 AF points, but fast
- Excellent detail
- ISO best kept to 6,400 or below
The OM-5 II is an extremely responsive camera. It starts up fast, it switches between the EVF and the rear screen in a fraction of a second as you move your eye to and from the viewfinder, and the autofocus is extremely fast too, especially using the tap shutter option on the rear screen. The only respect in which the AF system is starting to show its age is the relatively modest 121 AF points on offer, and the fact that the individual AF boxes/targets are fairly large, though you can swap to a more precise Single-S (small) option.
Detail rendition is excellent with OM Pro lenses like the 12-45mm f/4 pro and OM primes like the 17mm f/1.8, 25mm f/1.8 and (especially) the 45mm f/1.8. All optical corrections are carried out in-camera, applied automatically, and embedded in the raw files as ‘manufacturer’ correction profiles. Dynamic range is really good too, though you can’t drag up really deep shadows more than 2-3EV before they start to get a little noisy – this is where a larger-sensor camera will often do a little better (though not always).
This was taken handheld with the Computational Photography 4-stop ND choice to sluggish the shutter pace proper right down to 1/2 sec. I’m not fairly satisfied by the motion within the leaves and the grass, however it’s nice should you don’t love carrying filters
The most normal sensitivity on this digital camera is ISO 6,400, however it does supply an expanded ISO vary as much as 25,600 – personally I’d stick at ISO 6,400. At this setting the OM-5 II nonetheless produces excellent outcomes, although should you shoot uncooked recordsdata and use Adobe Camera Raw/Lightroom you may see somewhat extra noise than you bargained for. That’s Adobe’s uncooked engine, not the digital camera. Of course, lately you will get some terrific AI noise discount instruments – I’ve used them on OM digital camera uncooked recordsdata and the high-ISO picture high quality is remodeled.
As for video, take a look at the pattern beneath. The circumstances have been fairly wild, however the OM-5 II did a terrific job below the circumstances
If you do use the OM-5 II for video you’ll get first rate outcomes. It received’t monitor you as successfully as another hybrid cameras as you progress across the body, however should you maintain fairly nonetheless you ought to be positive. The OM-5 II shouldn’t be designed for video in the identical manner that many hybrid mirrorless cameras are, however should you sometimes use video straight from the digital camera with none fancy grading results, it’s positive, particularly for social media use.
Should you purchase the OM System OM-5 II?
Buy it if…
Don’t purchase it if…
How I examined the OM System OM-5 II
- I examined the digital camera for 2 weeks
- I used it with OM System’s 12-45mm f/4 equipment lens
- I shot each stills and video in quite a lot of circumstances
I’ve owned a number of Olympus and OM System cameras previously, so I’m very accustomed to their strengths and weaknesses and precisely what they’re able to. I spent a while with the OM-5 Mark II, evaluating its improved dealing with and menu system with the unique OM-5 which I’ve additionally reviewed, and likewise with the E-M5 III earlier than that.
I used the OM-5 II and its 12-45mm f/4 equipment lens for quite a lot of initiatives together with landscapes, avenue/journey photographs, and video in moist and wild climate circumstances. I needed to match the element rendition with my full-frame cameras, the picture high quality at increased ISOs, and the effectiveness of the IBIS with the intention to discover the compromises and benefits of this smaller format.