Description of the OM System OM-5 II:
A photograph isn’t just a landscape—it’s an emotion frozen in time. Every image carries a part of us and reflects who we are in that moment. Just like the weather, our emotions change—calm one moment, wild the next—always part of our journey.
The OM SYSTEM OM-5 Mark II is an ultra-compact, lightweight mirrorless camera designed for outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers who demand top-notch image quality without compromise.
Weighing just 370 g (Body only), it’s the ideal companion for travel, hiking photography, and spontaneous videography—delivering robust performance in an
extremely portable form.
FEATURES
Unmatched image quality: Sharp, steady, and vibrant shots—wherever you are.
Compact and durable: Ready for your adventure, no matter the weather.
Computer-Assisted Photography (CP) button: Creativity inspired by the wonders of nature.
High-Performance Autofocus: Capture every split second.
Night Photography: When the light fades, the magic begins
New Features of the OM System OM-5 Mark II
When comparing the OM-5 Mark II to its predecessor at first glance, the changes aren’t very noticeable, but as always, it’s the details that matter.
The new camera has a slightly deeper grip, which makes it more comfortable to handle, especially at long focal lengths.
Among the buttons on the top panel, a new CP button has been added, replacing the exposure compensation button.
Last but not least, the camera has been updated to USB-C, allowing it to be charged and used as a webcam.
CP button
CP stands for “Computational Photography” and allows you to quickly turn on, turn off, and switch between shooting modes such as High-Res shooting, as well as provide quick access to the LiveND filter. Unfortunately, the graduated gradient filter familiar from the OM-1 Mark II or OM-3 is not available here.
What has been carried over from the OM-3, however, is the new color adjustment feature for photos, allowing you to capture images with your own unique style directly in JPG format.
Freehand AssistantThe OM-5 Mark II features a new Freehand Assistant that displays the stability of your long-exposure shots in real time.
MenuThe OM-5 Mark II is the third camera to feature thenewOM System camera menu, designed for ease of use and maximum speed.
Last but not least, compared to the old OM-5, it also features the new Night Vision mode, which provides a bright preview of the image at night to help you better compose shots with a foreground.
Other advanced OM System features:
Body As we’ve come to expect from the first Olympus OM-5, this model also features a small, lightweight, yet very rugged body with an IP53 rating.
Whether it’s sun, rain, wind, or snow—these bodies are designed so you can always have them with you to capture the moment.
Although the body is very compact, we still have plenty of settings and buttons for quick operation right at our fingertips, so we don’t have to wade through submenus.
The connectivity options on the body have been upgraded compared to the first OM-5; on the left side, we have a microphone and headphone jack, a micro HDMI port, and the new USB-C port. This port can be used to charge the camera’s battery, but unfortunately does not support USB Power Delivery (USB PD). It is also used to connect the camera to a computer as a webcam.
The camera supports UHS II SD cards, but unlike the OM-1, there is only one slot available, so a direct backup cannot be created.
The display features a tilt-and-swivel design.
Photo
Just like the original OM-5, this camera features a 20-megapixel MFT sensor. The industry is currently fond of touting very high megapixel counts, but we find that this resolution is sufficient for most of what I capture in my personal photography. You can also print larger prints from these images if you’d like.
But if you’re thinking, “For my landscape photography, I need more—much more!”—no problem. The OM-5 Mark II also has a High-Res mode.
This mode takes multiple photos and combines them in-camera to produce a higher resolution image. This way, you can capture a 50MP shot handheld or even an 80MP shot with a tripod. Just be mindful of your subjects, though. If anything moves in the images, it can lead to compositing errors.
Well-known features like Live ND Filters (up to ND 16 in this case), Live Composite, Bulb mode, and Pro Capture are, of course, also included, just as you’d expect from other Olympus and OM Systems cameras.
In addition to the ND filter (which only works in photo mode) but can actually save us some money, we especially like Pro Capture, where the camera takes a few shots both before and after you press the shutter button, allowing you to pick the perfect moment.
Of course, all of this is pointless if the resulting photos are blurry. But we can put everyone’s mind at ease here. The face and eye autofocus works very reliably, and if multiple people are detected, you can quickly switch between them.
For nature photographers, however, there’s one small drawback: unfortunately, bird or animal detection isn’t included here.
Video
These days, a DSLM isn’t much of a camera without video.
The OM-5 Mark II doesn’t disappoint in this regard either—with 4K at 30 fps and Full HD at 120 fps, you can work with excellent results.
The improved image stabilizer is especially helpful here. It offers 6.5 stops of stabilization, and with compatible Sync lenses, that number jumps to a full 7.5 stops.
So shooting steady footage handheld is no problem at all. For moving shots, however, we still recommend using a gimbal.
All of that is well and good, but our highlight when it comes to video is actually portrait-oriented video. It may sound like a minor feature, but if you’re active on social media, you’ll find that it’s super annoying to shoot a lot of portrait-oriented footage without this feature. That’s because videos are still always recorded as horizontal footage. To share them in portrait format on Instagram and other platforms, you first have to rotate the entire video and save it again.
Thanks to the OM-5 Mark II, this step is eliminated, and you can upload it directly to the web without any detours.
Other notable features:
USB Streaming
The OM-5 Mark II also has the capability to be used as a webcam directly via USB-C. As soon as you connect the camera to your PC, it’s immediately recognized by programs like Zoom, Skype, or Teams and is ready to use. This is a feature that people unfortunately overlook or ignore time and again, but one that has become very important—especially in the last few years—for projecting a professional image in online meetings.
Star AF
It might sound completely unnecessary, but many who’ve used this feature swear by it. Since there are super-wide-angle lenses with large maximum apertures available for MFT (for example, the Olympus 17mm f/1.2), we find the camera very well-suited for astrophotography. The mode does exactly what it sounds like. It focuses accurately on the stars. It’s often difficult for standard AF systems to work accurately here, and working with manual focus and Live View is simply tedious. It’s best to try it out for yourself.
Focus Stacking
Small cameras are often well-suited for close-up subjects. Thanks to the wide selection of MFT lenses, there are also many macro options available. When combined with the focus stacking feature, the camera captures multiple images at different focus distances and produces a single image with a greater depth of field.
Tell your story.
The OM-5 Mark II isn’t meant to stand out, steal the show, get in the way of your experience, or even be the sole reason for your adventure. Rather, it’s like your favorite pair of boots that leads you down unknown paths; the bag that always has what you need; or the friend who helps you see the world in a wonderfully different way.
INVISIBLE
So compact that you’ll barely notice it. A compact, classic design that disappears into your bag but feels just right to hold.
ROBUST
Remarkably robust. The OM-5 Mark II can withstand whatever your adventure throws at it. There’s no such thing as bad weather for storytelling.
DISCOVER
See nature in a whole new way through computer-assisted photography—a constantly expanding photographic journey of discovery.
Less Weight = More Fun
The OM-5 Mark II is designed to accompany you without getting in the way of your experience. It’s so compact that you can stow it in your favorite bag or let it dangle unnoticed from your shoulder until inspiration strikes. It’s ready for your story, but it’s not a heavy burden.
Let the weather surprise you
The best stories come from mishaps. It’s time to embrace those moments: The OM-5 Mark II is IP53-rated—dustproof, splashproof, and freeze-proof—so you can keep telling your story, just like your favorite pair of boots that just keep on going.
With 5-axis IS, you’ll never be shaken out of a shot again
The OM-5 Mark II can stabilize even the shakiest situations by up to 6.5 stops (or 7.5 with compatible Sync-IS Lenses). This makes longer handheld exposures and shake-free telephoto shots a breeze.
Forget filters—with LiveND, you can let your creativity run wild
Get the most out of moving subjects by using LiveND to change how you perceive motion. With up to four effect levels (ND16), you can transform seemingly ordinary moments into magical ones—even with the brightest and widest Lens.
Let the OM-5 Mark II guide you into new realms of creative flow—with Live ND. With this computer-assisted feature, every scene with a moving subject is transformed into mesmerizing, fluid images. Backyard streams become endless sources of inspiration, clouds become works of art, and waves transform into ethereal-looking mist. With Live ND, you can also use any wide-angle lens, such as the 7-14mm F2.8 PRO and the 8mm F1.4 Fisheye PRO, without worrying about vignetting.
Big on Demand. Handheld Hi-Res
Some scenes are so evocative that you have to go big to do the moment justice. With the OM-5 Mark II, you can capture large images without having to bulk up your gear. With Handheld Hi-Res mode, you can capture impressive 50-MP files without having to lug around a heavier camera and a tripod.
The Supersonic Wave Filter removes dust from your sensor
, so you can change lenses worry-free on your adventures. The OM-5 Mark II is equipped with a Supersonic Wave Filter (SSWF) that vibrates over 30,000 times per second to instantly remove dust from the surface of the image sensor.
Never miss the moment. 121-point PDAF autofocus
Focus on the moment, not on the focus. The OM-5 Mark II features a 121-point autofocus sensor (All Cross-type On-Chip Phase Detection AF) that enables reliable focusing in all situations and with all your subjects. Capture majestic wildlife with ease and use wide-aperture lenses with the confidence that the story you’ve captured is sharp and in focus. (Note: Unfortunately, the OM-5 Mark II does not support OM System’s well-known animal eye autofocus.)
Focus on what matters. Improved Face/Eye AF
When taking photos of the people who matter to you, you should always be smiling and staying calm. With the improved face and eye autofocus, you can effortlessly photograph both individuals and groups. With a single tap on the screen or press of a button, you decide whose story you want to tell.
Don’t just let the night slip away. Capture it with Starry Sky AF
No more guesswork or complicated manual focusing when you’re capturing the night sky. Starry Sky AF makes astrophotography accessible with a special autofocus mode designed for the night sky. Combine it with other computer-assisted photography features like Live Composite, and a galaxy of possibilities is just a click away!
Live Composite
Make the dark hours your ally with Live Composite. With this computationally intensive feature, you can effortlessly dive into a whole new world of long-exposure photography. No more accidental overexposure or guesswork. Watch as the light comes to life on your OM-5 Mark II’s screen, and enjoy everything from star trails to light painting during the golden hour.
HDR
With HDR images, you can quickly capture the full dynamic range of a scene or go beyond the natural capabilities of your eyes. The OM-5 features multiple effect levels and can take a series of 3 to 5 images with different exposures. It can even process 4 images together in selectable HDR modes.
Color Creator
Get creative with the Color Creator feature, which lets you freely control the hue and saturation of any scene to maximize the impact of your story. Choose which part of the scene you want to highlight, from breathtaking orange hues in sunsets to the lush greens of the jungle.
Art Filters
Explore the world around you with 16 different Art Filters. From classic black-and-white films to artistic soft-focus effects, there’s more than enough to help you discover the world in a whole new way through the screen or EVF of your OM-5 Mark II.
Focus Stacking
Get as close as you want without having to stop down the aperture to keep everything in focus. Choose how deep you want your focus to be, and let the camera combine the images. Whether you’re shooting extreme macro shots or low-light landscapes, this feature lets you maximize depth of field without having to resort to higher ISO settings or f-stops.
AF Target Modes
Whether you need to focus precisely on details or want to take quick Schnappschüsse of moving wildlife, there are six different AF target modes to ensure you don’t miss your moment. Whether you’re a fan of traditional single-point focusing or want to create your own AF patterns for a specific purpose, there’s a mode for every need.
Scene Modes
You’re faced with a beautiful scene that you want to capture as faithfully as possible, but you don’t know where to start? Well, that’s no problem. With its 22 scene modes, the OM-5 Mark II is like a friend who always has just the right advice for you. From Beach + Snow to Nature Macro to Handheld Starlight, there’s a preset to set you and your camera up for success.
Description of the OM SYSTEM M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II:
Compact. Fast. Indispensable.
This high-performance zoom lens belongs in every camera bag! The compact, weather-sealed, and fast lens covers the entire range from wide-angle to medium telephoto shots. This high-performance zoom lens belongs in every camera bag!
This compact, weather-sealed, and fast lens covers the entire range from wide-angle to medium telephoto shots. This high-performance zoom lens belongs in every camera bag!
BRIGHT F2.8
You’ll love this fast, bright lens with its large aperture. It lets you enjoy excellent image quality practically anytime, anywhere—even when lighting conditions aren’t ideal.
IP53 WEATHER SEALING
Focus on your subject, not the weather.
An advanced sealing system reliably protects the lens from dust, water, and freezing temperatures, ensuring worry-free photography.
COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT
Discover the epitome of portability.
This pocket-sized lens weighs less than 400 g, making it 50% lighter than comparable standard zoom lenses for 35mm-format mirrorless cameras.
ZERO Coating
Our state-of-the-art coating prevents ghosting and flare, ensuring outstanding image quality in challenging shooting situations, such as backlighting.
FLUOR COATING
Simply wipe away dirt, dust, and snow—without leaving streaks. The advanced high-performance coating ensures your lens stays spotlessly clean.
MF COUPLING
If you want to switch from autofocus to manual mode, simply pull the focus ring toward you and continue shooting while the camera automatically keeps focusing.
FUNCTION BUTTON
On the lens barrel, you’ll find an L-Fn button that you can assign to a specific function or a custom setting.
GET UP CLOSE
A small zoom lens is ideal for close-ups. Get as close as 20 cm to your subject and capture high-resolution images—across the entire focal length range.
FASTER AUTOFOCUS
The mechanism, designed for both video and still photography, has been redesigned. The lenses now operate faster and more quietly, allowing the autofocus to respond even more quickly.
Demo model
