OM SYSTEM OLYMPUS OM-5 Silver Micro Four Thirds System Camera M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm F4.0 PRO kit Outdoor Camera Weather Sealed Design 5-Axis Image Stabilization 50MP Handheld High Res Shot

Coming from the OM-D 4, entry level. This is a Mid Tier Camera for the price.

I started with photography back in 1959 and shot with Nikon for over 40 years and later with LUMIX, Fuji film, and now the OM 5. I moved to the OM 5 because it was the lightest camera I could find with the quality I demanded. I have been a newspaper photographer, a freelance photographer,a wedding photographer and today a street photographer. This camera produces as good an image as any I have ever used.For some one thinking it is to complex a camera to learn on there is the “P” setting. You can grow to be a good photographer using this camera, if you let it teach you. The camera companies spend hundreds of dollars in research to make these systems that are a marvel of AI. This could well be the only camera you need. The lens available are plentiful and can often be found used. Just a really great system.

Read reviews for days. Just get it. It's great.

Several years ago, I switched from a Pen-F (digital) to an OMD EM1 mk III, to get the hand-held high res feature. The EM1-3 has been great, but for my purposes, a travel outfit where both the camera and the lenses are truly lightweight, the EM1-3 is a bit heavy. Since the OM-5 has the same 20mp sensor as my EM1-3 but weighs almost 7 ounces less, it seemed worth getting to save nearly half a pound, which is a lot in a m43 system.The OM-5 is very nice and has a better (OLED) finder than the EMI-1. But the OM-5 has only a slight bit of a handgrip. If you stick with the small prime lenses, the OM-5 is a dream. But if you mount one of the bigger lenses (still small, compared to other formats) you'll probably want more of a grip. Handgrips are available, but they add 3-4 ounces at which point the weight savings vs. the EM1-3 is negligible.The other thing that didn't quite work was the single custom memory setting on the OM-5. The EM1 mk III has four. Because there are so many settings on these cameras, it makes sense to set up your camera in advance for different situations. (And please, I own Nikon and Canon systems and they also have lengthy menus with too many options; this is not something unique to one brand).It's possible to re-assign the buttons on the OM-5 for use as additional custom memories, but this turned out to be kind of a hassle compared to a single knob that says Custom 1, Custom 2, etc. So I am sticking with the EM1 mk III. Custom mode #1 is my go-to, f/4 at ISO 200; Custom #2 is exposure brackets at ISO 200, Custom #3 is exposure brackets at Auto ISO for low light, and Custom #4 is handheld high res. I can do all these things without touching a single button. Just turn the camera on, and rotate the knob. Of course Custom is just what it says. If you don't have requirements like mine, the OM-5 is a lovely camera. Nothing in full frame or even APS can match what these little cameras can do without taking on more weight.

You can read professional reviews of what't inside this. In its price range, although I think I got it on sale, this is the best m43 option for most people who are not convinced that more expensive gear means better images.The other guys' m43 near this price range have a bizarre hybrid focus system that once you push it you will see the issues. The phase type focus in this may not be the world's best but its a step up.The camera is well made, weather sealed (not waterproof) and yields excellent raw images (I have not shot a jpeg with any dSLR in many years so no opinion). It has some computational goodies, like stacked focus with appropriate lens, hi resolution mode and neutral density if that matters, and records quality non-log 4k video. I've been using m43 and ff side by side for more years than I want to admit--the Image Quality to camera heft ratio of m43 is unbeatable, particularly if you are fond of long teles (see comments about focus).The EVF is physically smaller than what you will get in FF so its important to block light coming in around the eye--true for all smaller EVF cameras. Otherwise it has every read-out you can imagine, some of which are even utile.One real knock, sadly common to too many dSLRs, is that the manual seems to have been translated from the original Klingon by a Wookie. You may have to do a web search to find out how to do what you want to do if you can't penetrate the manual.

I bought numerous digital cameras in last twenty years, and all cameras combined didn't have that many dead pixels as this one that I purchased the most recently.This shows just how bad the quality of the camera is. Not just the sensor, but overall: knobs, latches, buttons do not give this robust feeling when handling the camera.Talking about buttons and knobs, there are too many and they are scattered all over the camera. For a small camera like OM-5 the minimalist approach would be a better idea. I use the camera about once a week and in a year I still didn't find a good use for all the buttons.There is another huge design flaw that I never saw it being mentioned before. It is about holding the camera. Forget about holding it with a single hand, because it's impossible to do so without accidentally pressing a few buttons in the process. Among all the unnecessary buttons there is no room to lean the root of the thumb that gives the support when using a single hand.There was so much said about the awful menu system. I don't understand why not fixing something that so many people complain about.With OM System I learned there are PRO lens without manual focus button. I would be ok with that if I wouldn't have to spend time by clicking through menus to turn off auto focus.If I compare it to another 20MP camera that I have from a different brand and for the half price, it has better handling and more solid feel than OM-5.The retro look is unfortunately the only thing I can compliment on this camera. Even with all the various features that is not enough.