E-M5 | Absolute Best Settings for Big Landscapes

Enjoy yourself! I fell in love with the Southwest when I was there in Tucson.

I wouldn't worry too much about anti-shock and IBIS settings. Unless you're going out at dark, leave your tripod at home and shoot handheld. The gain in mobility from not having to cart a tripod around will likely outweigh anything it can do for you. Sunlight is bright enough that you'll be able to shoot at settings like f/5.6 1/1000 ISO 200; at that speed it won't really matter. (I've never used a Micro Four Thirds camera there, but I have used Four Thirds DSLR's, and left IBIS on all the time, and shot landscapes handheld.)

Leave "Noise Reduction" on; the only time it matters is when you're shooting long exposures, in which case it helps you. "Noise Filter" is the thing you're thinking of; it only affects jpegs, but should be Off for the best jpegs.

Really, the things you can do to improve your photography in the Southwest the most aren't technical; they involve putting you in the best places at the best times. Even more than most places, the "golden hour" is huge in the Southwest, because the direct sunlight from above during the rest of the day is just awful. The E-M5's sensor may be up to dealing with the dynamic range, but it still won't make a pretty picture.

I don't remember if the E-M5 has a digital level on it, but if you need to check to see if you have the camera level, you can line straight edges up with the trunks of saguaros (since nothing else is straight in the desert) if you're in the Sonoran.

The one technical thing that will catch you by surprise is white balance. During the day "sunny" WB will likely be good enough, but as it gets toward sunset the white balance can change rapidly, and "neutral" WB (what you get off of a grey card) may be different than "what looks good"; I often found myself pushing WB a little bit toward amber for the effect. There's no one right answer, but the question bears some consideration.

Enjoy the desert! It's a beautiful, beautiful place... just don't poke the cholla.