E-M5 camera of the year at Dpreview…

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The worldwide largest forum community at Dpreview picked up the Olympus E-m5 as the camera of the year 2012. I think back 1-2 years when many blogger and experts forecast a decline of the Olympus camera system. Nevertheless Olympus was able with their limited resources but very creative engineers to develop and launch an extraordinary camera. I hope both Panasonic and Olympus will continue to create useful and well made cameras like this. 2013 should be the year of the new advanced PEN, OMD and GX models. This is going to be (again) and intriguing year!

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Two unusued E-M5 for $879 on eBay US (via Slidoo). 829 for the refurbished E-M5 at Cametaauctions (via Slidoo). 899 Euro is what you pay for the OMD in Europe (via Slidoo). E-M5 at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, Jessops, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.

E-M5 Case:
There is the official [shoplink 31898 ebay]CS-36FBC Olympus case[/shoplink]. A [shoplink 31899 ebay]leather half case from Hong Kong[/shoplink]. A full [shoplink 31900 ebay]leather case with strap from Cina[/shoplink]. Than we have half cases from two well known producers, [shoplink 31901 ebay]Zelenpol[/shoplink], [shoplink 31906 ebay]Kaza[/shoplink] and [shoplink 31902 ebay]Gariz[/shoplink].

E-M5 Batteries, and other things:
The [shoplink 31905 ebay]Olympus GS-4 strap[/shoplink] and the [shoplink 31903 ebay]DSTE E-M5 batteries[/shoplink] you have to use with an extra charger. There is an [shoplink 31903 ebay]E-M5 car charger[/shoplink] a [shoplink 31908 ebay]new E-M5 LCD screen[/shoplink] and a [shoplink 31909 ebay]Front Cover+ Top Panel[/shoplink].

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This Post Has 128 Comments

  1. 1st?

    I remember reading that Olympus didn’t really expect much interest for the EM5.

    I hope they can stay on the current course, with solid releases and innovative ideas, not the endless micro-variations on the same theme that we’ve seen after the EP1 and before the EM5

    1. what where? I remember wanting to buy one but not being able because there were none available. I ended up buying it in a local store for much more than online. And a few days ago I heard that in this store the om-d was the most sold interchangeable lens camera. so at least here in switzerland I know that this camera was sold a lot.

      1. Consider 2 things:
        1. this is a camera in the ‘up market’ price range. Volumes in that segment are relatively low, but margins are usually decent. This already causes volume expectations to be on the low side
        2. for a long time after introduction, it was rather difficult to buy an E-M5, as they were being sold faster then Olympus could deliver. This is an indication that indeed they didn’t expect to sell as many as they did so far

        So, that expectation was reasonable, and the initial availability indicates that indeed the expectations were lower then the actual sales.

        That a camera from a smaller brand, that is also in the higher price range, manages to get itself into the top 10 best sold cameras of the year (in Japan) is actually somewhat surprising.

    2. Yes, first for a camera I’ve never ever seen someone have except once. Congrats to the SONY OM-D. My, my, the m43’s alliance of Oly and Pano is really fractured. Oly is no buying sensors from Sony.LOL

      1. Fuji, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, etc…

        Lots of companies use Sony made sensors now because Sony makes the best sensors. I don’t understand why you think is funny. It is still up to each company to make the overall camera itself, and Olympus did some very impressive things with this camera that do not directly involve the sensor.

        1. It’s funny because Pano sonic and Olympus were tag team lovers who touted their little m43 system, they tried to get Canikon to adopt their system but got the hand. Then Olympus as we all know was buying sensors fromt heir buddy Panosonic, and now it seems like they arent anymore, maybe they had a lover spat.Whateer the case, its a sign that the m43 alliance is fractured. That’s whats funny. Oh hey, I just answered my own question.LOL That is funny.LOL

          1. Yeah right, and if at the time of film cameras you had to put a Kodak film into your Leica rangefinder then I guess it meant betraying Leica right?
            Oh no I get it: one has to have a side and a consortium-based system using a sensor from a third company does not fit your flagwaving narrow minded mentality maybe… so you’re burping out a li’le teenage laugh. It’s okay mate, we understand…

            1. Film isnt a DIGITAL SENSOR , mate, just like gas isnt electric. You win the award for not knowing the obvious, mate. Now throw another shrimp on the barbie.

              1. Thank you for making me discover the idiom “throw a shrimp on the barbie” :D
                As for the rest. Well let’s just say that I rest my case and that the inside competition you rightfully mention finally had the advantage of yielding the OM-D and the GH3. In-system emulation. I find it cool actually :)

          2. Yes, the m4/3 alliance is fractured and failing. That’s why another player got into it, right?

      2. Fants your attempt at a snarly remark is making you look like a complete idiot.

        Little FYI, most major camera manufacturers rely on Sony to manufacture there camera sensors because Sony is the world leader manufacturer of camera sensors. Also to be noted is most of the time the design is in-house of the ordering company. In lament terms (so you understand), companies design their sensors, Sony makes them.

        I don’t know about you, but i am VERY happy having the best manufacturer of camera sensors making the sensor that goes in my camera.

        1. “…companies design their sensors, Sony makes them.”

          True to some extent, but the design will have to comply with what the maker’s tech can offer. Hence ordering from Sony will yield some other opportunities than ordering from Pana, because Sony’s tech is different. It’s always a tight correlation between the design and the production line. As of now Sony’s sensor tech seems better, but that can change any day w/ the next evolutionary step…

      1. You mean the OM-D? Still sold out in a lot of places.

        Took months to get mine…

        I guess no one is buying it.

        1. Go out on the street and take a look at what ppl are using friendo. You wait for a product that’s probaly discontinued is not a good indication of success. Even camera dealers tell me no one askes for that omd. Its overpriced and no one is going to pay that amount for a battery drain evf…no one. Money dont grow on trees like olympus would have you think. I dont need n poll to tell me what i see on the street, unless some dumbass bought 5 million omd’s, that camera does not sell, just like the rx1 wont sell. Olympus doing what it does best, making products to be eventally abandoned. Look at their history, it doesnt lie.

  2. This is even more remarkable as the poll was sponsored by Nikon. You could win the D800. This skews the results in Nikon’s favour.

      1. Actually, 5% more considering overall distribution.
        Bit over 1% more voted in favor of OMD considering overall votes, but considering just d800 and omd, omd got almost 5% more.

        2. How many people voted more than once? Dpreview forums have more sockpuppets than you can shake a stick at!

          Also, of those who voted, who was qualified to vote by having extensively used ALL the cameras in the running?

    2. Dont let the pooland the moron fanboys fool you. Like American shit idol, the winner wins because a couple of wankerboys who love oly products voted a few thousand times each. ?that why the camera of the year is a camera no one has and you wil almost never see someone with it on the streets. The emperor has no clothes award. LOL

  3. I have no doubt that EM5 is camera of the year 2012 .
    DP preview pick it right .
    But I don’t understand why Pana cannot come out something similiar to Olympus . The GX although quite up to standard but it just an evolution from GF , nothing more than that .
    Come on , Pana , bring me the L1 style camera with highend features .

    1. interesting how Olympus came out on top after they managed to get away from Panasonic made sensors

      2. Agreed. Panasonic denying Olympus access to their best sensors in order to “maintain product differentiation” was a jerk move. Now that Olympus is flying high with a sensor made by one of Panasonic’s biggest competitors, they’re feeling the consequences of their bad business practices.

    2. How is the gh series not similar? Some different design decisions: in lens vs in body stabilization, boring vs retro styling, but otherwise very similar. The GX vs E-P introductions will be interesting, will one, both, or neither go for built in viewfinder in a digital rangefinder shape? In my a view it is all about getting a very small package with an evf; no hump, grip optional.

  4. That the E-M5 could win (although by a small margin) in a year with very strong competitors in the full frame section is a big surprise and deserves respect. The success is probably partly due to the fact that this camera was long overdue by Olympus sticking too long to its former PEN-only strategy. That could have caused a strong mobilization by Olympus customers.

    But that does not explain it enough. Olympus has created a really appealing product, which attracts a lot of non-Olympus followers.

    Also, a big surprise is, how much the GH3 failed to achieve sympathy. That is not only because it is available for a much shorter time. The GH2 owners could have voted for it, if they would completely agree with the new concept of Panasonic’s flag ship. Additionally, the RX1, which isn’t available in great amounts yet, received much higher votes than the GH3.

    This leads to the question, if Panasonic is on the right track with its m4/3 bodies. The GH3’s size probably offended more loyal Panasonic customers than Panasonic wished, the too dominant orientation towards video (both technically and in marketing) may put a lot of Photographers off and towards the E-M5. Last, the stubborn insistence to avoid in-body-image-stabilization despite of producing non-stabilized lenses by itself is a big long term advantage for Olympus.

    In this situation Panasonic managed to equip its flagship product with an in my opinion flawed view finder, which will put even more loyal customers (I was one) away from Panasonic to Olympus.

    In all respect with the achievements Panasonic made for the success of m4/3 with its pioneering work of the G1, the current direction is not good (where is the competitor to the Fuji XE-1, will Panasonic set a new exclamation mark to introduce a GX2 with build-in view finder?).

    1. The explanation is: if oly had had top sensors all these years they might well have had many many cameras on the top spot!

      Always the big looser was IQ with the pana sensors – and thats kinda a big deal feature in a camera…

    2. Dude, it’s obvious why the E-M5 would get more votes than the GH2.

      The E-M5 was a major leap forward compared with the preceeding Oly’s.

      The GH3 is an incremental step forward from the altready-spectacular GH2, which was in turn incremental from the GH1. Less overt excitement generated (and available for a much shorter time, which certainly contributed.)

      1. Dude, if the GH3 were so good and popular, it would have received a lot more than its meager 2.2% of the votes, even if it was available only for a short time. If you think that only camera owners vote for their cameras, you misinterpret the results.

  5. I think it is fantastic.
    Read the comments at DPReview and you will see that many of their readers are not pleased with the result.
    I think that is fantastic,too! :-)
    I an disappointed that the editors at the site did Olympus a disservice though, by putting the first place photo and write-up UNDER the Canon and Nikon photos and wite-ups!
    I guess we know who butters their bread.

    2. That’s pretty normal for websites, as they want to do a ‘countdown to #1’ style presentation.

  7. It’s my first ‘serious’ camera – I like to think I made the right choice for me, poll result or otherwise.
    It might not meet certain quality thresholds for some; I’m sure every last one of them is printing huge billboards too – but it’s made photography for me more fun than it’s ever been. What sold me in the end was the results it got out of primes. Finally the format had balanced appeal and I bought in.

    I’m glad it won the poll – not because I bought one, but because it actually deserves it.

  8. And deservedly so.

    What’s more remarkable is that they did not do anything extraordinary ( except that new IBIS system ). They just put the pieces together: new IBIS + sensor with Sony tecnology + their excellent jpeg engine + VF module from VF-2 + E-P3 OLED touchscreen + E-PL3 tilt mechanism + E-Px controls. That just shows they have all the ingredients to succeed but haven’t put them in one camera until early 2012. And I don’t know the reason why they are so slow. Just think – it took them two years to put AF assist lamp in m4/3…

    Also, a part of E-M5 success has to be attributed to many m4/3 excellent lenses. For example, there is no doubt there are some very good NEX bodies, but with just a few decent lenses, they are being held back.

    1. Agreed, and this holds true for most manufacturers. There seems to be always something missing to make a model really interesting.

      1. Selling the perfect camera, whatever it may be to different people, is not in the best interest of longterm profit. A manufacturer wants their customers to frequently upgrade. Therefore, desirable features will be omitted on all cameras: you just may have to buy two bodies. Dang!

    2. Well, AF light was the first option I turned off when I bought my OMD Em5 in May..

  9. The results of the DPReview poll (it was a poll, not an editor’s choice) are remarkable in a few ways:

    1. Sensor size is beginning to lose its importance as smaller sensors become decent. “Full frame” is little more than a myth.

    2. It is widely recognized now that the future of digital photography will be largely mirorless.

    3. Many CaNikon users feel ready to try something else and m4/3 keeps gaining popularity among advanced photographers (not least thanks to the weakness of NEX optics).

    4. “Best camera” does not necessarily equal “best image quality” anymore, but rather “best compromise”.

    5. Panasonic (by providing many fine lenses to the system) and Sony (by providing the sensor) are also contributors to the appreciation of the E-M5. The cooperative business model scored a small victory here.

    1. Just one note.. over the 1 1/2 century of photography history, ‘best camera’ never meant ‘best image quality’, but always ‘the most practical solution that would provide sufficient image quality’.

      This is how we ended up with the 135 format to begin with, it was the smallest film size that would still produce acceptable results at the time, and it was small enough to enable cameras like the original Leicas.

      Every camera system is a compromise, the only real difference between systems is in how they compromise.

      1. You’re right, of course. However, since digital photography became popular about a decade ago image quality was the limiting variable in the equation and many photographers seemed more than willing to sacrifice portability and discretion for the “best IQ”. The E-M5 signals a turning point for many in this regard.

        1. Vell Nikon F4,F5,F6, and Canon EOS-1n have not small camera body too, but this camera so Kodak build from film camera, to digital SLR camera for Nikon and Canon, be very havy in end of -90.

  10. EM-5 is disappointment of the year from the standpoint of a video guy. It has such an outsanding stabilizer that beats the crap out of any DSLR out there. Just like a built-in steadicam for video. No one has anything close. And they ruined such a marketing advantage over competitors with poor codec, lack of 24p for filmic-look-lovers and 25p for the PAL bigger half of the world. WTF?

    Hope they are going to turn they face to the video shooters this year.

    1. Well I bet it would be possible to run the EM5 at 24,25,30,60 and maybe 120fps – with say 20/40Mbit switchable 1080p – the hardware is probably capable of all this (maybe not the 120fps but possibly – the sensor can run at 240fps!-I think)…

      I totaly agree with their IS (that also works on old MF leggacy lenses as well) they should have gone to town with the video – if they had implemented alll the above they would have cleaned up nearly all the £1000 market – photo and video and size and features would have been right up there… as it is their lower end Super Zoom bridge cameras pack better video modes WTF?

    2. This is exactly what’s stopped me buying the OM-D; built-in video limitations & lack of an integrated sound jack. Such a shame considering the other capabilities & weather-sealing. Hope they sort it out with a new release v soon.

  13. Happy new year everyone!

    The top cameras are there now with the E-M5 and the GH3. What is still missing is a lot of top lenses and this is at least as important as the cameras.
    I’m still missing a 300 mm / 2,8 or a 300 mm / 4.0 plus some teleconverters for wildlife photography.
    Also a 100 – 300 mm / 2.8 X lens to complement the Pana “Pro” zoom lens range would be very much welcomed!!!

    1. > Also a 100 – 300 mm / 2.8 X lens to complement the Pana “Pro” zoom lens range would be very much welcomed!!!
      Just accept it to have at least bigger diameter than Zuiko 90-250mm.
      300mm f/2.8 means ~107mm aperture size and front element needs to be bigger than that.

  14. Sorry for spoiling the fun, but I think that the hump is a big mistake. Retro can have an appeal for marketing, but there are serious limits.

    The new mirrorless can fence for themselves, they don’t need to appeal to the clueless who still think (or not think) that dSLR are top dogs.

    I really hope that Oly thinks again and get the message from NEX 7/6 and from the Fuji X. In practical use a hump gets in the way of any stowing. It also raises attention in street photog. to the camera. Leica had it right from the beginning. To have a hump without the prism is a travesty.

    1. The hump houses the IBIS, so I am glad with it.
      I guess we will get an E-P5 in Nex-6 style, EVF in the corner, OM-D Sensor,
      Flipscreen, Touch …. But only with the normal pen IBIS.

        1. Amalric yeah depending on the point of view I can understand your opinion, but in the case of the OMD,as you also know,its design is intentionally based on the original OM. If Olympus decided not to use hump space for additional electronics and tried to make a flat design, then it would have been the ultimate PEN I guess. we could go a step further and reduce the left “redudant” body part further untill we get the L shape back, but then again the real estate at the back would be greatly affected too, unless they enlarge the right part maybe?

          1. Ulli, the Pen was Oly’s real stroke of genius. I still have the P2, and its ergonomics are v. good considering the small space available.

            Eventually I’ll get the E-M5 for its features, but not for its ergos or haptics. In this respect the Fujis improved a lot, buttons being bigger and more rational, despite size being similar. I also handled a NEX7 which is a real pleasure to hold, although it has the menus of a cellphone.

            So I do hope dearly that by the end of January we have a new Pen inheritor that can match the other two. The dSLR shape, for those who remember the historical was only a compromise needed by TTL. Digital doesn’t need any ugly hump, so good riddance.

            Possibly Oly (and Panny) believed that it was needed by the poor souls who still believe that SLR is the king of creation, but if I need to spend 1000 $ on metal sheated plastics, let me at least decide about the shape :)

            1. Totally agree about the ergonomics. The hump doesn’t bother me but the button size & placements are v compared to Fuji or the EP3 I was hoping to upgrade from.

          1. Thanks for the answer. As I suspected, IBIS has nothing to do with the hump. Whether a usable evf can be fitted at the left corner of the camera (and the back screen moved to the center, without reduction in size) is a different matter. The bottom line though is that if you dispense with the articulated back screen as well, you can fit a 5 axis IBIS ans ALL the em-5 dials and controls in a pm2-sized body … or smaller. Which is what OLY should have done in the first place.

    3. I dont think the hump was any mistake at all. Not only does it house the IBIS as a previous poster pointed out, but it aligns the viewfinder with the lens which is a preference of mine and many others… many many others.

      As for pocketability, that hump will not prevent the camera going into a jean pocket as it wont fit by miles. With my 17mm f2.8 it pops into all my jacket pockets (think suit jacket or wool coats).

      Now not to say they shouldnt offer an EP3 with an EVF (which may or may not fly due to the VF2s all over the place and the added cost but lets not get dramatic about the OMDs shape. The look and IQ probably equally led to the success of the camera combined.

      As far as I am concerned I would prefer to see their hybrid model first, however I understand if they want to increase their userbase a bit more first.

    4. Smooth swift relaxed operation and you will get plenty of street shots right, even with a medium frame.

      On the other hand, a suspicious body language will attract the attention to the camera big time, even if its just a tiny cell phone snapper.

      Does the hump makes a difference? maybe. Academic armchair hairsplitting difference if you ask me and its largely outweighed by having a built in EVF.

      1. God bless you: I’m so tired of reading complaints about the size or bulky aspect (not to mention the color…) of a camera affecting the stealthness of photography.

      2. I would have no problems shooting an E-M5 in the streets, however blending in is paramount.

        I use a Pen, even below a 2 m. distance, so everything helps. dSLR shape instead is associated with nosey tourists in the EU.

        Despite this the E-M5 is a v. fine camera, but there is room for a third form factor, and even more. Lack of mirror box does not specify anymore where EVF should be. It is simple as that.

        1. I immediately got used to the central EVF of OMD. I simply find logic, the fact that it’s aligned to the lens. Despite not having a small nose, it’s never been a problem either. I don’t know. I never put a camera in a pocket, usually while I’m travelling it sits inside a wotancraft bag (unbreakable and beautiful), while I’m walking around it’s in my hand, wrapped around my wrist with a silk artisan&artist rope. It’s small enough not to be noticed, and in metros, for example, I can take candids from 1mt away, using the tilt screen and looking somewhere else. People are used to the presence of cameras, but here in EU or USA usually don’t like being captured. Asia is different. That’s why I keep saying that it’s the attitude that matters most. In the past it was surely more uncommon to see people walking around with a camera, not to mention if that camera had a red dot on it, and photographers had to hide it and behave even more stealthy. Doisneau himself used to say that “you have to choose a place, a place you know, stand there with your camera until you become a part of it, until people get used of your presence”.

    6. do you own E-M5? have you used it?
      first of all hump isn’t that big and doesn’t present problem for storing the camera.
      second of all, there is no need for cookie cutter cigarette box shaped cameras from all mirrorless manufacturers.
      olympus has always been original in it’s cameras and their functions. it has no need to copy others ideas. usually is other way around, olympus comes up with a function in a camera and soon enough other makers put the same or similar function in their products

      1. “olympus has always been original in it’s cameras and their functions. it has no need to copy others ideas. usually is other way around, olympus comes up with a function in a camera and soon enough other makers put the same or similar function in their products”

        Yes, I can think of a certain (Canon) reluctant follower of Olympus designs that criticised Olympus (well, its faithful followers did) with some of its design features & are now using similar (but necessarily as good as Olympus has done), namely live view, articulating screen (on the DSLR models & it’s a shame the M4/3’s models don’t get it too), art filters & other things too.

        1. It’s a bit difficult when I can’t edit my comments.
          “(but necessarily as good as Olympus has done)” should have read, (but not necessarily as good as Olympus has done).

      2. Don’t own the E-M5, but I’ve used it. While the hump is an issue, it is a minor one. But the ergonomics are crap. I am generally able to use without much issue almost any camera out there and the OM-D without the grip just doesn’t work for me. Not to mention the cramped buttons on the back. That grip should’ve been a part of the camera since the beginning.

    7. The ‘hump’ argument was only brought up (originally) by the competition trolls to try & put down the possibility that anything from Olympus could be any good. Just take a look at the back of the E-M5 & notice the the E-VF is packed in closely above the display monitor & then the accessory port & hotshoe is immediately above the EVF with absolutely no room to cut it any lower (just try & fit the small flash with the larger eye cup & notice how close it all is), so this idea of it having a large lump is the sort of thing a troll could only continue to raise or someone who has not taken the time to look at the design with intelligence. This comment is not meant to offend you, but please consider that some things just has to be made a certain size to be useful & this ‘hump’ was obviously made as small as it could be. To me it is just a pointless argument as it (the hotshoe with accessory port & EVF ‘hump’) serves its purpose for me just fine.

      1. Well frankly I have discovered that I don’t share with my American counterparts anything in the matter of taste and efficiency. European Leica is still alive and kicking after one century, excuse my French :)

        And ya, it will go on kicking ass for another one, the true inheritor of the millenary Reich :)

        Fuji in its way has perfectly understood how it achieved simplicity, and it eliminated the mode wheel. A hump was not even considered.

        The common complaint of all reviewers has been with the E-M5 menus. I know Oly menus, and I am not scared by them, but they are really made according to the Christmas tree principle: put as many gifts under the tree you can, even the most unlikely.

        Think that you can read an encyclopedia on the field? perhaps it’s part of the American Military doctrine, but then the target went away long ago. :)

        So back to basics, and try at least one model with built in EVF, and no hump. Or I might seriously consider the X-E1 after a while.

        1. KMA, fiscal cliff survivor. Soon you will have no rebates at all to spend on cameras and perks.
          It’s a sad pleasure to see your accelerating decline…

          Preordering a 20$ Russian plastic film Holga might perhaps send away your sadness in 2013 :)

          1. I am no surprised by the racist schwein.

            BTW I am a European expat, so you missed your mark. You too are a candidate for a Holga? :)

            1. I don’t like this general racist topic. It’s going too far and tasting bad. I can tell you that where I live there’s no garbage around (I live in Italy), and I’m sure not all Americans dream of fighting on wars, nor that Germans are all nazis. Di dove sei @amalric ?

    8. Visual acuity is 1:1000 so will see hump less than 25m, its the stance that gives the photographer away.

  15. Thanks, Admin, for posting the headline and photo/ribbon of the OM-D as winner of this poll as its sponsor, DPR, clearly should have: as front page news.

    Very bizarre that the only camera they mention in their home page intro link to the poll results is the Pentax K-01 (!), and any mention/photo of the E-M5 as winner is shoved way to the bottom of their article which instead places, guess who, the Canon and Nikon FF DSLR’s more prominently above it. This in a reader’s choice poll where they, as sponsors, are supposed to simply and accurately convey the results.

    Guess I shouldn’t be at all surprised. What does have me concerned is that DPR has now bought out Digital Camera Resource and hired Shawn Barnett away from Imaging Resource, clear steps towards cornering the photo journalism market and potentially shaping it to their and Amazon’s (their owner) agenda/views. The new Murdoch Newscorp of photography?

    2. I just wanted to read and comment on what I wrote. Yup, it’s still there…and I’m still lonley.

  17. Does anyone else feel DP review was slightly begrudging in there accompining text, giving it to Oly for the EM5… you get the feeling they wanted a canon/nikon winner!

    2. I found it odd the choose to offer a negative remark about the omd… True or not why do it?

  18. http://www.flickr.com/groups/olympus_om-d/discuss/72157632320729841/
    http://photocamel.com/forum/four-thirds-micro-four-thirds-forum/174796-help-olympus-e-m5-camera-year-dpreview.html
    http://www.flickr.com/groups/olympusesystem/discuss/72157632294735580/
    http://www.mu-43.com/f42/camera-year-2012-dpreview-38309/
    http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/post/50515286
    http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/post/50511121
    Even the moderators help out lol
    http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/post/50515237
    http://e-group.uk.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24782
    http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/four-thirds-standard-4-3-m43/1201206-help-olympus-e-m5-camera-year-dpreview.html

    1. Excuse him, he’s got no lfe and he plays with his own omd every morning before his mommie come to check on him and his bed stains.

  19. Some readers apparently don’t see this “award” was not given by dpreview but by a reader poll. There was at least one call on the Olympus fans to purposely vote in favor of the omd-5 in this poll. Given the closeness with the d800 it’s possible that worked to push it to #1.

    That said all three cameras there are good and the em-5 being “first” in a reader poll shouldn’t make you love it or hate it more. If it works for you- it works for you (same goes with other cameras)

  20. Years from now this poll will be cited as a turning point: where the mirrorless camera–a really fine example of one, with an integrated viewfinder–first beats BOTH of the two “giants” of the camera industry with their latest but old-fashioned mirror offerings.

    Yes, it’s only a poll. But it records very nicely, at the end of the year of its introduction, the importance of this OM-D camera. Olympus has achieved its aim–to come out with a worthy successor to the legendary OM cameras. This is the OM-1 of the digital age. I look forward to continued advancements in the mirrorless area, but the OM-D em5 will be a legend itself.

    1. Oh pleazzzzzzzzze..go outside and see the best pol of all, your eyes, if youre not blind, look at how most ppl are NOT using olympus nor panosuckit. Take a look dude, if you have the guts too.

      1. You’re comparing hordes of ignorant brand loyalists who buy Canon or Nikon every time, against a format that in the OMD has only just come of age.

        Mirrorless is the future and your ‘poll’ is invalid.

    1. @ lol@ canon , Well DPreview is based in America where 83% of all interchangeable cameras are not mirrorless so they are just playing the odds. Look at the success or rather lack of success of the sales of mFT in America to see why , the first mFT model on the list of top selling digital cameras of all types is not even in the top 150 selling cameras behind all the latest FF models, Aps, Nex , Fuji, Canon eosm, Nikon 1

      http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_hi_3?rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A%21493964%2Cn%3A502394%2Cn%3A281052&ie=UTF8&qid=1357083852

      looking at these type of numbers I reckon that mFT makes up less than 5% of the US market, so the war has not been nearly won yet

      1. True, but it’s not a war, and it is not fought in the US. That was the reason for my being so negative. A leading country should welcome technological change, like it did in the past.

        What happened: all that is left is macho chest beating. For cameras?!

        I remember that the first ad for a Pen was a woman waiting for the Metro and with men looking at her. Allegedly the first mirrorless were designed for Asian women. Is it so strange that small cameras, and lenses are held in such contempt by a culture that prefers size and weight, quantity to quality?

        The battle for mirrorless (war metaphor!) is fought in Asia which has the fastest growing markets. At some point Samsung deluded itself thinking it could price out Japanese companies, but instead it priced out Apple in cellphones :)

        Some of these battles are really culture clashes in disguise. As Europeans I think we can contribute with the history of photography and it accumulated know how. Cameras come and go. Photog. hopefully stays.

  22. Your links just prove that many Nikon owners like themselves are asleep at the wheel in so many aspects….

    BTW there were similar calls made on the few Nikon sites…

    1. @youdidnt
      you seem to be one of the head vote gatherers even suggesting folk sign up for voting, what a shameless person you are

    2. @youdidnt
      you seem to be one of the head vote gatherers even suggesting folk sign up for voting, what a shameless person you are . I found two Nikon vote appeals and the response to the posts were typically to treat it with the contempt it served while on the Olympus forums the fanboys were wetting themselves with excitement . Sad sad state of affairs . Did you think you wouldn’t get caught

      1. what this pol says more than anything is the Oly is new popular… hit a huge sweet spot… thats why it whipped canikons ass – as only 37 people can afford big canikon kit!

  23. And what’s wrong with that? Many, me included, wouldn’t have noticed the poll otherwise.

    It was a popularity contest. Judging by the number of the links you have posted, E-M5 really has huge support among its users and thus deserves the top spot.

    1. @ dummy , most of the links were made by a handful of idiots ( hi youdidnt ) , if you actually read a couple of the links you will see that some are essentially saying that people should sign up just so they can vote’ that is cheating plain and simple . The fact that an Olympus fanboy like youdidn’t thinks its is OK for Olympus to commit massive fraud makes cheating in an inane poll no surprise. To everyone else it is just embarrassing

      1. by making a suggestion to vote or to sign up just to vote nobody forced those that voted to vote like they did, so you can’t declare that poll as a fraud nor as cheating , especially not a fraud by Olympus as a company as it was not Olympus that officially asked for people to vote

    2. You cant accept the polls because its the truth, Olympus is number one in the world, thats why all pros and serious folks use it including me. Canon Schamon1 LOL . youre an idiot.

  24. Although I am a happy owner of the OM-D E-M5 (not “OM-5” as dpreview writes one place), I did not vote. Why not? Because I hate to have to sign up…

    Obviously, the D800 is a better camera wrt image quality, etc., then the OM-D. But with my experience of not using my old DSLR too much due to size/weight, to me clearly the E-M5 is the preferred camera: I use it, and I would not have used/dragged around the D800. So my vote, if I had voted, would have gone to the OM-D.
    —
    The “victory” by a small percentage — or some 150 votes. In other words: by the same order of magnitude that has decided the outcome of much more dirty presidential elections with millions of voters. :-)

  25. M43 rumors readers = Dilusional blind folks who think the entire wolrd is using the OMD.

  29. this is well deserved , my em5 holds its own against the larger sensored x100 well if not at the highest isos

    congrats olympus

    1. If your em5 hold its own against the x100 but not high iso’s than why not just buy a damn x100 seeing as how they’re pretty much the same price now? so you would rather pay the same to get less high iso quality? Do you know what your even saying man?

      1. How do you mount the 75mm f/1.8 on an RX100? Or the 60mm macro? Or a 7-14mm?

        Also, high ISO OM-D beats the RX100 by a mile. In fact, the first m4/3 camera, the Panasonic GF1, that came out in 2009 beats the RX100 at high ISO.

        1. Actually, at the same output size the RX100 is at least as good as the 12mp mFT cameras at high ISO. With far better DR, I have the E-P3 and the RX100.The RX100 is the real revolutionary camera this year as it holds the promise of genuinely decent image quality in a truly pocket friendly size. Though I have a bugger of a time trying to fit my Olympus 75mm on the RX100 LOL

  31. Yeah congrats to Olympus for winning a award and congrats to Canon and Nikon for still being the kings making allllllllll the monies. Yeah that’s right, ” monies” something Olympus still cant do in the camera world.

  32. It’s heartening to see that the Olympus came first. I bought the camera in april, and never looked back since then. It’s a remarkable little gem which doesn’t stop to amaze me. In my book this is the camera of the year for various reasons, but above all because it is the first time in the digital area that a small camera doesn’t have to be ashamed to offerings that are bigger and cost double or more. This is an achievement in itself.

    I think no one who has used these camera’s will doubt this poll, maybe not even the order of the results. These three camera’s are the benchmarks to future camera’s…

  33. Lol, it’s quite sad that all the non 43/MFT users all flock here to bash a legitimate poll result, because it didn’t go the way the wanted.

    For one, it’s an internet poll people, for chrissakes get a life if you’re going to get that worked up by mouse clicks.

    And for two, for all the idiots suggesting the poll was skewed by people directing others to the poll, I’m sure the much larger fan bases of Canon and Nikon were directed to do exactly the same thing, so the point is moot. MOOOOT!

    Now get over it and enjoy the camera you have, and if you want to decide how shit the OMD is for yourself, go and check one out in a shop.

    For the record, I love mine!

  36. Comments are no longer allowed on this post.
    Everyone can state his or hers thoughts. But being respectul is the rule all have to follow.
    Sorry for those who wanted to express their legitimat opinions.

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