The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera sports the popular mirrorless technology that allows for a light and compact body. More than that, however, the OM-D E-M5 is an outstanding camera that provides you with tools like an electronic eye-level viewfinder, a 120fps refresh rate, a tilting 3.0" OLED touchscreen monitor, 16Mp of resolution, and - of course - an ever-expanding array of compatible lens options. All these factors boil down to a camera that's easier to transport than the average DSLR, yet puts multiple creative choices, and numerous other high-end features and functions, at your disposal.

Taking the features of the OM-D EM-5 one at a time, let's begin with the camera's high image quality. Making such stunning 16Mp stills and 1920 x 1080 HD video possible would be the 16Mp Live MOS image sensor and the TruePic IV image processor. The heart of the camera, these two work together with an array of M.ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses for impressive images and movies.

Other features worth mentioning here include Olympus' AF system, which enables fast, accurate images in a variety of situations. Additionally, 9.2 fps high-speed sequential shooting goes a step further to ensure that fast moving subjects are easily captured. The 5-axis image stabilization system also comes into play here, compensating for vertical, horizontal, and rotational camera shake, which conventional 2-axis systems of the past haven't been able to tame. This stabilization is built-in the camera body, and ensures effective stabilization with all lenses.

The high-res, 1.44 million dot LCD has 100% field-of-view coverage and a 1.15x maximum magnification. The EVF also allows for enlarging the focus point for seeing the effect of many different features right in the viewfinder. In addition to this impressive EVF, the camera also has a 3.0" tilting OLED touchscreen monitor, making it the first Olympus camera to have such capabilities. The touchscreen monitor allows for fast menu navigation, and brilliant composition and review of scenes.

The OM-D EM-5 is also a tough camera, featuring a dust-proof and splash-proof design. As Olympus states, "multiple ring-shaped seals protect the camera from sand, dust, rain, and water spray". That means there's no need to fear the elements and as a result, miss the shot. What's more the OM-D extends this feature to the bundled flash unit, the optional grip, the power battery holder, and the optional M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ lens.

Intuitively Designed Electronic Viewfinder

The OLYMPUS E-M5 is the first Olympus interchangeable-lens camera to incorporate a 120fps refresh rate, high definition electronic viewfinder with an eye sensor to seamlessly switch the display between the tilting 3.0" touch screen OLED and the electronic viewfinder for ease-of-use. It features a 100% field of view, maximum 1.15x magnification, and an eye point of 18mm for fatigue-free viewing. Camera setting information, such as shutter speed, is displayed at the bottom of the viewfinder so photographers can concentrate on framing shots and take full advantage of an EVF's ability to display the effects of various exposure adjustments and Art Filter effects - all without having to take the eye away from the viewfinder

Superior Image Quality

The Olympus E-M5 uses a 16.1 megapixel High-Speed Live MOS Sensor offering improved performance and exceptional clarity and speed in all aspects of image capture. Olympus' TruePic VI image-processing engine dramatically improves image quality in low-light environments. The camera's sensor allows for a maximum ISO of 25,600, and the dynamic range has been expanded for more faithful color reproduction

Unprecedented 5-Axis Image Stabilization

The Olympus E-M5 is distinguished by the world's first 5-axis image-stabilization mechanism capable of reducing the effects of camera motion and image blur from five directions on stills and video, even including motion blur caused by the photographer walking or running. Previous IS mechanisms compensated for camera shake by addressing only two kinds of movement along the vertical and horizontal axis. However, camera shake can actually be caused by five different kinds of movement: horizontal shift, vertical shift, rotary motion, as well as the yaw and pitch. While some technology has attempted to correct for camera blur by building the Image Stabilization mechanism into the lens, the Olympus E-M5 IS mechanism is incorporated into the camera body itself so that all lenses mounted on the body can take advantage of this sophisticated technology, whether shooting stills or HD video

Blazing Speed

Focus and shoot faster with record-breaking autofocus speed and imaging processing. The Olympus E-M5 employs the FAST (Frequency Acceleration Sensor Technology) AF system, introduced in the PEN E-P3, but with even greater speed. The 16Mp Live MOS chip drives image data off the sensor at a blazing 240 frames-per-second, a 2x speed increase in Continuous Autofocus, with reduced image blackout enabling photographers to track fast action. Maximum frame rates in sequential shooting have also increased more than 2x with a max frame rate of 9fps in Single AF. A new 3D tracking AF system can follow the subject through the X-, Y- and Z-axes to dramatically improve focus on moving subjects

Creative Freedom

The Olympus E-M5 features a 3.0" tilting OLED touch-screen to enable photographers to get up high or down low for any shot. The touchscreen interface offers intuitive focus and release of the shutter and review and enlargement of images in playback with the touch of a finger. The Live Bulb feature updates the Live View image on the OLED screen at pre-set intervals during long exposures and enables the user to preview continually unfolding action such as fireworks or waterfalls and adjust the exposure time accordingly while capturing the image at the desired moment. An innovative new interface, EVF Creative Control, produces a tone curve overlay on the viewfinder screen to enable separate adjustment of highlight and shadow brightness, white balance, magnification and aspect ratio can also be manipulated via the EVF.

A "Key Line" Art Filter joins ten other available filters on the Olympus E-M5 and enhances the edge lines of the image to make it look more like an illustration. "Cross Process II" and "Dramatic Tone II" Art Filters provide variations on the popular existing filters, and the two new Echo effects for movies leaves a momentary residual image of a subject's movements when activated during movie recording. Users who like to perform their movie post-editing on a PC will particularly appreciate the Full HD 1080i movie recording function, which adopts the MOV format (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264)

Powerful Portability and Rugged Durability

The striking, iconic design of the Olympus E-M5 is more than just looks; its magnesium alloy body is rugged enough to stand up to severe environmental conditions like heavy rain and blowing sand. The Olympus E-M5 employs internal seals extensively and, when the optional M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50 mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ lens is attached, this combination delivers an integrated dustproof and splashproof camera system. The electronic viewfinder section of the body is also made of magnesium alloy to ensure durability, and the FL-LM2 Electronic Flash that ships with the camera features the same dustproof and splashproof construction

Compatible with All Micro Four Thirds-Compliant Lenses

The Olympus E-M5 is compatible with all Micro Four Thirds-compliant lenses, including two lenses that Olympus will introduce later this year: the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75mm f/1.8 and the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm f/2.8 macro. The 75mm lens is a high-quality metal design with fast aperture settings for portraits and indoor sports shooting, while the dustproof and splashproof 60mm lens features 1:1 macro and a closest shooting distance of just 7.5 inches