In the past few weeks 3 exciting new cameras have been announced, all 3 of them have feature sets which many would have only dreamed of a couple of years ago, so how do they compare on paper:

The specs compared:

Firstly, what they have in common:

• weatherproofed, magnesium alloy body construction
• 100% viewfinder coverage
• 1080i HD H.264 video (up to 29min 59secs per clip)  with audio level control and optional stereo mic inputs
• SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card support
• timelapse recording (Olympus and Canon via cable, Nikon in-built)
• wired remote control (and wireless via optional propietary or 3rd party wired devices)
• remote TTL flash support (Canon adds radio wireless TTL flash support previously only available on Canon/Nikon via Pocketwizards)
• HSS/SuperFP high speed sync flash
• multi/spot/centre-weighted metering
• AE bracketing 2,3,5,7 frames
• WB bracketing
• self timer
• aperture priority, shutter priority, programmed auto,  manual exposure modes
• live view (always Live view on the Olympus and automatically switches from screen to EVF; Live View clunky on Canon and Nikon due to presence of mirror)
• similar shutter ratings of ~150,000 frames (although I believe the Olympus is rated at 100,000 frames)
• AF assist lamp
• optional external battery portrait mode grips

Summary of pros and cons:

Olympus OM-D E-M5

• great value for money
• compact quiet non-intrusive system with lovely compact and movie optimised lenses delivering adequate image quality and narrow depth of field capabilities for most people
• industry leading image stabilisation and manual focus solutions
• fastest, most accurate AF for stationary or slow-moderately moving subjects with option for near-instantaneous AF and exposure just by touching the subject on the touch screen
• tiltable OLED touch screen
• lots of visual aids in the viewfinder including being able to activate image stabilised magnified live view easily for ANY lens
• fast 9fps burst rate albeit with AF only on 1st frame and no IS (a very reasonable 3.5fps for full AF and IS or 4.2fps with AF and no IS)
• 1/250th sec flash sync with new flashes
• adequate HD video for most people with some very nice special effect options , unique built-in IS which works on every lens which means perhaps the end of having to work out how to use and carry big expensive camera stabilisation rigs whilst walking and video – the main downside is no 25p/24p mode and no live HDMI out capability
• ability to use almost any lens ever made including Leica, Canon and Nikon as well as Olympus Four Thirds and OM lenses
• much easier to use camera and flash system than the Canon or Nikon cameras (flashes are simpler but just as versatile, while the absence of a mirror greatly simplifies the user interface and the many Scene modes and Art filters makes use easier and much more fun and easier creativity is possible)
• Timed BULB and Live BULB mode makes night time shots on tripods much easier and more fun.
• smaller and less expensive tripods and backpacks possible
• less expensive high quality wide aperture prime lenses
• ability to hand hold longer telephoto field of view lenses with ease
• underwater housing
• C-AF may not be adequate for fast moving subjects
• no WiFi file transfer (only optional Bluetooth transfer to phones of web-sized images)
• no GPS option at present
• no radio wireless TTL flash at present (I would think Pocket Wizards would be seriously looking into Olympus support to expand their market now that Canon have entered into their niche)
• more noise at high ISO but most should be using low ISO anyway
• DxOMark tests show the new Micro Four Thirds lenses such as 12mm f/2.0, 25mm f/1.4, and 45mm f/1.8 offer comparable optical quality to the full frame pro equivalents (see recent posts), at much less weight, size and cost.
• jpegs will display on iPhoto on the new iPad3 unlike those from the Canon or Nikon which are too big (iPhoto can only handle up to 19mp)
• unbeatable as a compact minimally intrusive, light weight travel or social photography kit

Canon 5D Mark III:

• perhaps the best implementation of a relatively affordable full frame dSLR yet
• lovely optical viewfinder with fast phase contrast detect AF for moving subjects
• sensible 22mp sensor promises a much better compromise of resolution, dynamic range, and image noise as well as file storage size compared to the Nikon D800
• full frame sensor allows even shallower DOF possibilities than the Olympus but for many inexperienced users this just creates more difficulties
• radio remote TTL flash but flash sync only 1/200th sec could be a deal breaker for strobists and fashion/wedding photographers
• full use of the wonderful range of Canon L lenses at the designed uncropped field of view – but they are expensive, big and heavy, and the older ones may not be adequate optically.
• optional GPS
• 25p/24p HD video but no 60i for slow-mo movies and only mono mic
• 1/8000th sec allows wide aperture shots in bright sunlight without having to resort to ND filters or polarising filters
• Digic 5+ processor (same as in the 1D X) is 17x faster than the Digic 4 processor in the Canon 5D Mark II
• like the Canon 1D X though it cannot AF with lenses at f/8 or smaller so you cannot use an f/4 super telephoto lens with a 2x teleconverter!!!
• jpegs will NOT display on iPhoto on the new iPad3 as exceed the iPhoto limit of 19mp
• fantastic, versatile, general purpose full frame dSLR just a pity flash sync is a bit slow and you can’t AF with f/8 lens combos.
  

Nikon D800:

• 36mp full frame dSLR but perhaps Canon has the better sensor compromise
• 25mp 1.2x crop mode
• lovely optical viewfinder with fast phase contrast detect AF for moving subjects
• can be used with DX lenses in cropped mode – but what DX lenses are worth using?
• full frame sensor allows even shallower DOF possibilities than the Olympus but for many inexperienced users this just creates more difficulties
• 1/250th sec flash sync and radio remote TTL flash but only via 3rd party PocketWizard devices
• full use of the wonderful range of Nikon F lenses at the designed uncropped field of view – but they are expensive, big and heavy, and the older ones may not be adequate optically.
• optional GPS
• intervalometer built in
• 25p/24p HD video but no 60i for slow-mo movies and only mono mic but importantly for some, it does have live HDMI out
• 1/8000th sec allows wide aperture shots in bright sunlight without having to resort to ND filters or polarising filters
• fantastic option for wedding/fashion/landscape photographers who may benefit most from 36mp and will generally use them at low ISO and the high flash sync is a nice bonus compared to the Canon 5D MIII
• full frame or 1.2x crop jpegs will NOT display on iPhoto on the new iPad3 as exceed the iPhoto limit of 19mp
• 6fps 15mp DX mode may be very handy for sports photographers as they effectively gain 1.5x crop telephoto field of view whilst keeping file sizes down, plus they can use f/4 lenses with a 2x teleconverter and still get AF.

Final thoughts:

My old Olympus E510 Four Thirds dSLR was capable of making nice 20″x30″ prints, and this new Olympus E-M5 is purported to have substantially higher image quality than the old E510, and now that the E-M5 has most of the features and more that the semi-pro full frame dSLRs have, one has to seriously consider, do they need to pay 3x as much and carry twice the weight and size of a full frame dSLR?

Very few photographers print larger than 20″x30″ if they print anything at all.

The professionals will tend to migrate more to medium format for their landscape and studio work, while the Canon 1D X and Nikon D4 may suit them best if they are sports photographers.

The main issues that really kill image resolution are AF accuracy, camera shake and optical quality, and it is on the 1st 2 of these issues that the Olympus E-M5 has significant advantages over the full frame dSLRs whilst at least being comparable and at times better wide open on optical quality given their  lenses don’t need to cover such a large sensor.

The biggest problem in not getting the photo at all is not having the camera with you – and with this issue, small size counts for a lot – and it is here again that the Olympus wins hands down.

For most of us, the Olympus E-M5 will address our needs very nicely indeed and save us a LOT of money and bulk.

Those who already have lots of pro level Canon or Nikon glass,  wedding photographers, or those who need to shoot fast moving subjects or very low light moving subjects regularly, or want radio remote TTL flash, will look forward to the new Canon 5D Mark III or Nikon D800.

Each of these cameras offer a high level of video features but differ on the details, so the very serious videographers will want to wait until more examples of their video capabilities are exposed, and then also compare them with the likes of the hackable Panasonic GH-2 (a GH-3 is expected to be announced in September), or perhaps a Sony NEX 7.