I just came across Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKIIIs camera and was wondering what it is. It turns out to be a model between the new E-M10 MKIV and the original E-M10 MKIII. It was launched ay the same time as the new E-M10 MKIV was.
It has some of the features from the new E-M10 MK IV, but not all of them. The body is the same as E-M10 MKIII. The only visible difference is the IIIs marking on the bottom of the body.
image: Olympus
This model in for the Chinese and Thailand markets. Most likely it is all about the price. But it is also for sale in a UK online store. It is actually quite a clever move from Olympus. It has the 16Mpix sensor from the original E-M10 MKIII and most of the specs. The things that are from E-M10 MKIV is the new panorama mode and the ability to use Silent Shutter in PASM.
Full specs can be found on the Olympus China webpage if you are interested.
The silent shutter is one of the best features of mirrorless cameras. It makes it possible to shoot in total silence. It is a great feature for concerts and other places where the noise of the mirror of the mechanical shutter can be distracting.
I personally like the new panorama mode. It should have been already in the original E-M0 MKIII, but I am glad it is now on the new camera. Panning the scene and letting the camera stitch the panorama is more convenient than taking individual images and then stitch them in post. Of course, in some cases, it is better to make the panorama in post. There are more options to tweak it then. But for casual shooting, I think the panning way is better.
This could be also a very interesting collector’s item for those who collect Olympus cameras.