would like comments from Olympus E-M5 & E-M1 users
Dec 3, 2013 12:14:08 #
After visiting a camera store yesterday and actually seeing and handling the Olympus E-M5 & E-M1 cameras I'd like to hear from users of these two camera models.
Was hoping for something lighter and smaller than these but I'd opt for either one of these if they are sturdy and capable of handling just about any photo occasion barring underwater.
I do love the grip on the E-M1. The optional grip for the E-M5 was $250 and looks like it would ad to the size and bulk of the camera more so than the grip that is part of the E-M1 camera. Don't care about the extra battery capability of the optional grip.
Someone on the reviews on Amazon under the heading "A very nice camera that fails to live up to the hype" did a very long review on the E-M1 and enough negative comments to cause me to want to get more feedback on that camera.
I'm not a technical person.....I wish these camera companies would make a bare bones camera option that worked great without all sorts of bells and whistles....wifi, in-camera artsy alterations, etc.
So please keep comments in the realm of the essentials.....motion stabilization, visibility or lack of artifacts at the higher ISO end, shutter responsiveness, durability, etc.
Oh yes ..... lenses for sharpest imagery....is it better to stay with the Zuiko micro 4/3 lenses rather than ones that require an adaptor?
How are they for post processing HDR work?
Was hoping for something lighter and smaller than these but I'd opt for either one of these if they are sturdy and capable of handling just about any photo occasion barring underwater.
I do love the grip on the E-M1. The optional grip for the E-M5 was $250 and looks like it would ad to the size and bulk of the camera more so than the grip that is part of the E-M1 camera. Don't care about the extra battery capability of the optional grip.
Someone on the reviews on Amazon under the heading "A very nice camera that fails to live up to the hype" did a very long review on the E-M1 and enough negative comments to cause me to want to get more feedback on that camera.
I'm not a technical person.....I wish these camera companies would make a bare bones camera option that worked great without all sorts of bells and whistles....wifi, in-camera artsy alterations, etc.
So please keep comments in the realm of the essentials.....motion stabilization, visibility or lack of artifacts at the higher ISO end, shutter responsiveness, durability, etc.
Oh yes ..... lenses for sharpest imagery....is it better to stay with the Zuiko micro 4/3 lenses rather than ones that require an adaptor?
How are they for post processing HDR work?
Dec 4, 2013 07:16:20 #
sueyeisert
Loc: New Jersey
I have the EM-5. I like the camera,but I needed the grip which adds extra money.You really need to carefully go through the menu system and set up. Look at DPreview for articles on set-up. Busch's book is inaccurate and missing important info. I like the 12-60mm lens, but now would get primes or the new 12-40mm 2.8. Buy the extended warranty $100 for 2 extra years. My camera was replaced. BTW I would not use the camera for sports.
Dec 4, 2013 12:40:47 #
sueyeisert
Thanks for the reply. Since my post I went back to Amazon to read reviews on the E-M5 and realized that not only were there plenty of reviews but response messages from people who read the reviews which lead to even deeper forum type discussions. Pretty interesting and informative.
Might have to get the add-on grip or fork out lots of extra money for the E-M1 (money which could have gone toward another lens) because of what feels to me to be a more comfortable and secure grip.
Decisions, decisions...... :roll:
Thanks for the reply. Since my post I went back to Amazon to read reviews on the E-M5 and realized that not only were there plenty of reviews but response messages from people who read the reviews which lead to even deeper forum type discussions. Pretty interesting and informative.
Might have to get the add-on grip or fork out lots of extra money for the E-M1 (money which could have gone toward another lens) because of what feels to me to be a more comfortable and secure grip.
Decisions, decisions...... :roll:
Dec 4, 2013 13:05:56 #
Em1 if you can afford it. Just got mine last week. Plain and simple, it's awesome.
Dec 4, 2013 14:27:57 #
Every camera has its quirks, so you need to be comfortable with the quirks of the camera you have.
I have been shooting the EM-5 (with the add-on grip) for about a year now (and I came from Oly DSLRs before that). the camera and the lenses I have produce marvelous files in most situations, but it is certainly not a "camera for all occasions." It's low-light capabilities still do not match those of the best FF sensor DSLR's but come very close to the best APS-C sensors and exceed most of them. It is also difficult to get the nice bokeh you can get with a FF sensor, but with the right lenses and shooting distances you can come close. I have been using the Panasonic 12-35 and 35-100 2.8 zooms most of the time, but also have some Oly legacy lenses from my EM-5 days using the adapter for regular 4/3 to M4/3. (BTW, with a M4/3 camera you can adapt almost any maker's lens to the camera, even old Nikon, Canon (and even Leica) glass. I have not yet done that, but have some old Canon lenses that I might try with the camera at some point.)
As someone else noted, the camera does not do super-well at auto focus tracking so it is not the best camera for sports or other fast-moving subjects, and its video capabilities are mediocre. If you are planning to use it to do video you will be disappointed. (From what I have read, the EM-1 is supposed to be better at both.)
The EM-5 also does not have a built-in flash, which is kind of a pain when you want one to do fill or simply shoot some "candids" of people where lighting is not critical. Since I very rarely use flash, it is not a deal-killer, but the little add-on flash that comes with the camera is not very convenient when you want to add a little light to a shot.
I do have two awesome Oly Zuiko 4/3 zooms (the 12-60 SWD and the 50-200 SWD) that I kept because they are such great lenses. Although they work fairly well on the EM-5 with an adapter, the auto-focus is slow because the camera only has phase detect auto focus (which works fantastically well with lenses that are designed for it) but is slow and cumbersome with lenses that rely on contrast detect auto-focus. The EM-1 has both (phase and contract detect auto-focus) and is supposed to work well with the regular 4/3 lenses that work on that auto-focus system. For that reason alone I am considering replacing the EM-5 with the EM-1 as I love those lenses! (I did shoot a trip to Cuba with the EM-5 and only my old regular 4/3 Zuiko lenses and I got great shots, although I missed some due to the slow auto-focus!)
I do want to add a couple of words about camera size and the add-on grip for the EM-5. Although you may think that "smaller is better," I have found that the EM-5 is actually too small without the add-on grip (and I have "medium-size" hands). The grip makes the camera much better all-around as far as size and balance and the ability to hold it steady, and it gives you an extra portrait shutter release that is very nice to have! It also puts an extra battery in the camera, and I cannot tell you how often I have gotten shots I would not have gotten by having that extra battery on board. The system switches seamlessly from one to the other (and you can set it to use one first and then the other) and there is an indicator light that shows what battery it is using at a given time. I carry three batteries (two in the camera and one in my bag) and once the camera switches over to the other, I replace the dead one when I am not actively shooting. Now that I have experienced that feature I will try to have it available in any "serious" camera I own.
Finally, for a system that is almost as capable as a FF DSLR, I can get the camera with grip attached (and with either of the Panasonic zooms attached), three more lenses (the other zoom, my Oly 50mm 2.0 macro and an 8mm M4/3 fish-eye), a large Metz flash and loads of other accessories (filters, grey card, cables, phone, etc.) in a Think Tank Speed Freak v20 bag with some room to spare. Try doing that with an equivalent FF DSLR!!!
Overall I love the EM-5 and if anything plan to replace it with the EM-1 (as I have quite an investment in the system) and for my needs it is a great camera.
I have been shooting the EM-5 (with the add-on grip) for about a year now (and I came from Oly DSLRs before that). the camera and the lenses I have produce marvelous files in most situations, but it is certainly not a "camera for all occasions." It's low-light capabilities still do not match those of the best FF sensor DSLR's but come very close to the best APS-C sensors and exceed most of them. It is also difficult to get the nice bokeh you can get with a FF sensor, but with the right lenses and shooting distances you can come close. I have been using the Panasonic 12-35 and 35-100 2.8 zooms most of the time, but also have some Oly legacy lenses from my EM-5 days using the adapter for regular 4/3 to M4/3. (BTW, with a M4/3 camera you can adapt almost any maker's lens to the camera, even old Nikon, Canon (and even Leica) glass. I have not yet done that, but have some old Canon lenses that I might try with the camera at some point.)
As someone else noted, the camera does not do super-well at auto focus tracking so it is not the best camera for sports or other fast-moving subjects, and its video capabilities are mediocre. If you are planning to use it to do video you will be disappointed. (From what I have read, the EM-1 is supposed to be better at both.)
The EM-5 also does not have a built-in flash, which is kind of a pain when you want one to do fill or simply shoot some "candids" of people where lighting is not critical. Since I very rarely use flash, it is not a deal-killer, but the little add-on flash that comes with the camera is not very convenient when you want to add a little light to a shot.
I do have two awesome Oly Zuiko 4/3 zooms (the 12-60 SWD and the 50-200 SWD) that I kept because they are such great lenses. Although they work fairly well on the EM-5 with an adapter, the auto-focus is slow because the camera only has phase detect auto focus (which works fantastically well with lenses that are designed for it) but is slow and cumbersome with lenses that rely on contrast detect auto-focus. The EM-1 has both (phase and contract detect auto-focus) and is supposed to work well with the regular 4/3 lenses that work on that auto-focus system. For that reason alone I am considering replacing the EM-5 with the EM-1 as I love those lenses! (I did shoot a trip to Cuba with the EM-5 and only my old regular 4/3 Zuiko lenses and I got great shots, although I missed some due to the slow auto-focus!)
I do want to add a couple of words about camera size and the add-on grip for the EM-5. Although you may think that "smaller is better," I have found that the EM-5 is actually too small without the add-on grip (and I have "medium-size" hands). The grip makes the camera much better all-around as far as size and balance and the ability to hold it steady, and it gives you an extra portrait shutter release that is very nice to have! It also puts an extra battery in the camera, and I cannot tell you how often I have gotten shots I would not have gotten by having that extra battery on board. The system switches seamlessly from one to the other (and you can set it to use one first and then the other) and there is an indicator light that shows what battery it is using at a given time. I carry three batteries (two in the camera and one in my bag) and once the camera switches over to the other, I replace the dead one when I am not actively shooting. Now that I have experienced that feature I will try to have it available in any "serious" camera I own.
Finally, for a system that is almost as capable as a FF DSLR, I can get the camera with grip attached (and with either of the Panasonic zooms attached), three more lenses (the other zoom, my Oly 50mm 2.0 macro and an 8mm M4/3 fish-eye), a large Metz flash and loads of other accessories (filters, grey card, cables, phone, etc.) in a Think Tank Speed Freak v20 bag with some room to spare. Try doing that with an equivalent FF DSLR!!!
Overall I love the EM-5 and if anything plan to replace it with the EM-1 (as I have quite an investment in the system) and for my needs it is a great camera.
Dec 4, 2013 18:02:27 #
sueyeisert
Loc: New Jersey
I would figure the cost of the EM-1 with the 2.8 lens. Then figure the cost of the EM-5 with grip and 2.8 lens. I would get the 2.8 lens. You can buy a refurbished EM-5 from Olympus ,but then absolutely get an extended warranty.
mossgate wrote:
sueyeisert br br Thanks for the reply. Since my p... (show quote)
Dec 4, 2013 18:47:47 #
The 50mm macro f2 is a real winner. In a pinch you can add the ec14 to make it a 70mm 2.8.
Dec 4, 2013 20:35:50 #
Traceman
Yes, I now think the optional grip for the E-M5 would be a good idea.
Thanks for all the information on lenses, too.
Yes, I now think the optional grip for the E-M5 would be a good idea.
Thanks for all the information on lenses, too.
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