We needn’t say much on the state of the competition in the compact mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILCs) space. In the short period of a few months we’ve seen the release of some pretty amazing high-end mirrorless shooters with very distinct design and engineering decisions and featuring a number of innovations.
The latest entrant is the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) digital camera that has claimed a number of firsts. It’s the first MFT rangefinder-style camera with a built-in EVF and the first with a weather-sealed body, it is also the first ever camera with 5-axis image stabilization, while Olympus is claiming that the camera has the fastest autofocus of any interchangeable lens camera.
It’s hard not to mention its looks, inheriting the design of the old Olympus OM series of film cameras. Fujifilm established this design trend with the X100, X10 and X-Pro1 but it’s Olympus that’s mainly responsible for the revival of retro-looking cameras, with the release back in 2009 of the PEN E-P1. Make no mistake however, this latest bunch of mirrorless cameras is miles ahead of the initial pair of Micro Four Thirds cameras that started the mirrorless craze just over 3 years ago.
Below, we’ve compiled a comparison table between the four most popular high-end mirrorless shooters: the Olympus E-M5, Fujifilm X-Pro1, Panasonic GX1 and the Sony NEX-7. We would note, that there is one new and apparently very capable competitor missing from this comparison and that’s the Pentax K-01 that can take all the standard Pentax K-mount lenses, we hope to include this MILC in a future comparison.
| Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Fujifilm X-Pro1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 | Sony NEX-7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Sensor (effective resolution and size) | 16.1-megapixel 4/3 Live MOS | 16.3-megapixel ASC-C X-Trans CMOS |
16-megapixel 4/3 Live MOS | 24.3-megapixel APS-C Exmor HD CMOS |
| 17.3mm x 13.0mm | 23.6 x 15.6mm | 17.3 x 13.0mm | 23.5mm x 15.6mm | |
| Focal-length multiplier | 2.0x | 1.5x | 2.0x | 1.5x |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 200-25,600 | ISO 200-6,400 (100-25,600 extended) | ISO 160-12,800 | ISO 100-16,000 |
| Continuous shooting | 9 fps 4.2 fps continuous AF |
6 fps | 4.2 fps | 10 fps |
| Viewfinder / effective magnification |
1440k dots EVF with eye sensor 100% view / 1.15x magnification |
Second generation hybrid optical /electronic
OVF 0.37x and 0.6x magnification depending on lens 90% coverage EVF 1440 dots 100% view |
Optional external EVF 1440k dots 100% view | 2359k dots OLED EVF with eye sensor 100% view / 1.09x with 50mm lens |
| Autofocus | 35-area contrast AF Touch AF |
49-point contrast AF | 23-point contrast AF 0.09-seconds Touch AF |
25-point contrast AF |
| Shutter speed | 60-1/4,000 sec; live bulb max 60 min | 30-1/4,000 sec; bulb max 60 min | 60-1/4,000 sec; bulb max 2 min | 30-1/4,000 sec; bulb |
| Metering | 324 zones | 256 zones | 144 zones | 1,200 zones |
| Flash | External | External | Yes | Yes |
| Image stabilization | 5-axis sensor shift | None | None (lens) | None (lens) |
| Lenses | Micro Four Thirds
Four Thirds with adapter |
X mount
Leica M with adapter |
Micro Four Thirds
Four Thirds with adapter |
E-mount Alpha-mount with adapter |
| Lens ecosystem | 6 prime 1 macro 1 fisheye 15 zoom 1 3D lens |
2 prime 1 macro |
6 prime 1 macro 1 fisheye 15 zoom 1 3D lens |
3 prime 1 macro 3 zoom |
| Video | 1080i60 MOV 20Mbps 1080i60 MOV 17Mbps 720p60 MOV 17Mbps |
1080p24, 720p24 | 1080p30(25 PAL) 20Mbps MP4
1080i60 17Mbps AVCHD |
1080p60 AVCHD 28Mbps
1080p24 24Mbps 1080i60 17Mbps |
| Audio | Stereo; mic input | Stereo | Stereo; mic input | Stereo; mic input |
| LCD size | 3-inch 614k dots tilting touch OLED | 3-inch 1,230k dots RGBW (White) LCD | 3-inch 460k dots fixed touch LCD | 3-inch 922k dots tilting LCD |
| Battery life (CIPA rating) | 330 shots | 300 shots | 300-340 shots | 410 shots |
| Dimensions | 4.8 x 3.5 x 1.7 in (121 x 90 x 42 mm) |
5.5 x 3.2 x 1.7 in (140 x 82 x 43 mm) |
4.6 x 2.7 x 1.6 in (116 x 68 x 39 mm) |
4.8 x 2.6 x 1.7 in (120 x 67 x 43 mm) |
| Body weight including card and battery | 14.0 oz (425g) | 15.9 oz (450g) | 11.2 oz (318g) | 12.3 oz (350g) |
| Body material
|
Magnesium alloy
|
Aluminium and magnesium alloy | Aluminium with metal buttons | Magnesium alloy |
| Ruggediza-tion | Weather-sealed | |||
| MSRP | $1,000 (body only) | $1,700 (body only) | $700 (body only) | $1,200 (body only) |
| $1,100 (with 14-42mm kit lens) | $2,300 (with 35mm f1.4 kit lens) | $800 (with 14-42mm kit lens) | $1,350 (18-55mm kit lens) | |
| $1,300 (with 12-50mm power zoom lens) | $950 (with 14-42mm X power zoom lens) | |||
| Release date | April 2012 | March 2012 | December 2011 | December 2011 |
| © Stuff-Review | ||||
