Olympus OM-D E-M1 Review

Overall Score

76

Main Features

  • 16 MP Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • 100 - 25600 ISO
  • 5-axis Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • Electronic Viewfinder
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-In Wireless
  • 130 x 94 x 63 mm, 497g.
  • Price Category:
  • Replaced by: OM-D E-M1 Mark II

I want (0) I have (0) I had (0)
Check Price

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Overview


First introduced in October, 2013, Olympus OM-D E-M1 is a 16 MP Mirrorless with a Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sized CMOS sensor.

Olympus replaced OM-D E-M1 with Olympus E-M1 II. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:

Compare Olympus E-M1 with Olympus E-M1 II


Olympus E-M1 comes with a 17.3 x 13 mm CMOS sensor, which has a diagonal of 21.64 mm (0.84").

- Full Frame
- Olympus OM-D E-M1

Sensor resolution of Olympus E-M1 ~ 4613 x 3468 pixels.

Olympus E-M1 has Crop Factor: 2.0

The sensor has a surface area of 224.9 mm².

There are approximate 15,997,884 photosites (pixels) on this area.

Olympus E-M1 Series History
Model Year $ Sensor ISO Weight Dimensions
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Olympus E-M1 MIII 2020 20MP 200 - 25600 580g 134 x 91 x 69mm
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Olympus E-M5 III 2019 20MP 200 - 25600 414g 125 x 85 x 50mm
Olympus OM-D E-M1X Olympus E-M1X 2019 20MP 200 - 25600 997g 144 x 147 x 75mm
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Olympus E-M10 MIII 2017 16MP 200 - 25600 410g 122 x 84 x 50mm
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Olympus E-M1 II 2016 20MP 200 - 25600 574g 134 x 91 x 67mm

Proc and Cons of Olympus E-M1


Get to know this camera closer. Let's look at the features and characteristics of this model. Compare Olympus OM-D E-M1 with competitors in pro mirrorless cameras.

Pros
Built-in Wireless
Tilting Screen
External Flash
RAW Support
1037k dots Screen Resolution
1/8000s Max Shutter Speed
Manual Exposure Mode
Microphone Port
Timelapse Recording
81 Focus Points
Flash Sync Port
Focus Bracketing
Remote Control with a Smartphone
5-axis Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
Touch Screen
AF Face Detection
25600 Max Native ISO
10.0 fps Continuous Shooting
Manual Focus
497g Light Body
Environmental Sealing
2360k dot Viewfinder Resolution
5 AE Bracketing Range
150000 cycles Shutter Life Expectancy
Focus Stacking
Cons
No Bluetooth
Low Battery Life: 350 shots
No Articulating Screen
Type Scores

Olympus OM-D E-M1 has an Overall Score of 76/100 and ranked #63 out of 214 in Mirrorless cameras, and ranked #96 out of 1222 in all cameras.

Olympus E-M1 Scores
Imaging score
52
Features score
85
Value for money score
88
Portability score
82
Overall score
76
Average Scores in Pro Mirrorless
Imaging Score
71
Features Score
78
Value For Money Score
82
Portability Score
74
Overall score
79

Physical Dimensions of Olympus E-M1


Olympus OM-D E-M1 weighs 497g and has external dimensions of 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.12 x 3.7 x 2.48"). Considering that the average weight of Pro Mirrorless cameras is 691g, Olympus E-M1 is 194 grams less than the average weight of cameras in this category. Olympus E-M1 is less by 7mm more than the average length in Pro Mirrorless.

Weight Comparison
Pro Mirrorless Cameras


Olympus E-M1
497g
Average weight
691g
Min weight
465g
Max weight
1320g

Thickness Comparison
Pro Mirrorless Cameras


Olympus E-M1
63mm
Average Thickness
67mm
Min Thickness
37mm
Max Thickness
97mm

Here is the front and top view image of Olympus OM-D E-M1 with the dimensions:

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Size Compared to Major Competitors


Model Weight OM-D E-M1 Dimensions OM-D E-M1
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Olympus E-M5 II 469 g 497 g 124 x 85 x 45 mm 130 x 94 x 63 mm
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Olympus E-M1 II 574 g 497 g 134 x 91 x 67 mm 130 x 94 x 63 mm
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II Olympus E-M10 II 390 g 497 g 120 x 83 x 47 mm 130 x 94 x 63 mm
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Olympus E-M10 396 g 497 g 119 x 82 x 46 mm 130 x 94 x 63 mm
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 Panasonic GX8 487 g 497 g 133 x 78 x 63 mm 130 x 94 x 63 mm
Olympus PEN-F Olympus PEN-F 427 g 497 g 125 x 72 x 37 mm 130 x 94 x 63 mm
Sony Alpha A7 II Sony A7 II 599 g 497 g 127 x 96 x 60 mm 130 x 94 x 63 mm
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus E-M5 425 g 497 g 122 x 89 x 43 mm 130 x 94 x 63 mm

Specifications of Olympus OM-D E-M1


General
Brand Olympus
Model OM-D E-M1
Announced October, 2013
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless
Lens
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds
Manual Focus
Focal Lens Multiplier 2
Number of Lenses 103
Macro Focus Range n/a
Screen
Screen Size 3"
Screen Type Tilting
Screen Resolution 1037k pixels
Touch Screen
Live View
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 2360
Viewfinder Coverage 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.74
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 81
Number of Cross Focus Points 0
Photography Features
RAW Support
Min Shutter Speed 1/60 sec
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash
Flash Modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual
External Flash
AE Bracketing
AE Bracketing Range ±5 EV
WB Bracketing
Sensor
Sensor Size Four Thirds
Sensor Type CMOS
Sensor Dimensions 17.3 x 13 mm
Sensor Area 224.9 mm²
Sensor Resolution 16 MP
Max Image Resolution 4608 x 3456
Max Native ISO 25600
Min Native ISO 100
Max Boosted ISO 0
Min Boosted ISO 0
Video Features
4K
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080
Video Formats H.264, Motion JPEG
Timelapse Recording
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
Connectivity
GPS None
Wireless Connectivity Built-In
Bluetooth
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Battery
Battery Life 350 shots
Battery Type Battery Pack
Battery Model BLN-1
Physical
Weight 497 g
Physical Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63 mm
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Shock Proof
Storage
Storage Type SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage Slots 1
Other Features
Self Timer
Selfie Friendly

Latest Pro Mirrorless

Panasonic GH5 II
Panasonic GH5 II

20MP | Four Thirds CMOS | Micro Four Thirds mount

FujiFilm GFX 100S
FujiFilm GFX 100S

102MP | Medium format BSI-CMOS | Fujifilm G mount

Sony A1
Sony A1

50MP | Full frame BSI-CMOS | Sony E mount

Leica SL2-S
Leica SL2-S

24MP | Full frame CMOS | Leica L mount

Nikon Z7 Mark II
Nikon Z7 Mark II

46MP | Full frame BSI-CMOS | Nikon Z mount

Nikon Z6 Mark II
Nikon Z6 Mark II

25MP | Full frame BSI-CMOS | Nikon Z mount

Panasonic S5
Panasonic S5

24MP | Full frame CMOS | Leica L mount

Sony A7S III
Sony A7S III

12MP | Full frame BSI-CMOS | Sony E mount

Canon R5
Canon R5

45MP | Full frame CMOS | Canon RF mount

Canon R6
Canon R6

20MP | Full frame CMOS | Canon RF mount

Latest Mirrorless

Olympus E-P7
Olympus E-P7

20MP | Four Thirds CMOS | Micro Four Thirds mount

Panasonic GH5 II
Panasonic GH5 II

20MP | Four Thirds CMOS | Micro Four Thirds mount

Sigma fp L
Sigma fp L

61MP | Full frame BSI-CMOS | Leica L mount

FujiFilm GFX 100S
FujiFilm GFX 100S

102MP | Medium format BSI-CMOS | Fujifilm G mount

FujiFilm X-E4
FujiFilm X-E4

26MP | APS-C BSI-CMOS | Fujifilm X mount

Sony A1
Sony A1

50MP | Full frame BSI-CMOS | Sony E mount

Leica SL2-S
Leica SL2-S

24MP | Full frame CMOS | Leica L mount

FujiFilm X-S10
FujiFilm X-S10

26MP | APS-C BSI-CMOS | Fujifilm X mount

Nikon Z6 Mark II
Nikon Z6 Mark II

25MP | Full frame BSI-CMOS | Nikon Z mount

Canon M50 Mark II
Canon M50 Mark II

24MP | APS-C CMOS | Canon EF-M mount