dparker708

I am debating which one of these beauties to purchase. I held both in my hand today and the M5 fit a little better. The 100 - 400 lens for the Lumix is awesome. The photo store told me I could get the Olympus and the Lumix 100 - 400 lens would fit on it.
Has anyone used either camera and could recommend one over the other?
I'm a freelancer so either camera would work.

Would love to hear from other joggers.
Thanks,
Diane

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

For general purpose photography the Olympus M5 Mark II is a good body. I own two of them.

What do you mostly want to use it for?

Kuzano

The sensor shift feature (40 mp jpg, 64 Mp RAW) would be the deal maker for me on the MKII EM5. (I am aware that the feature is shutter speed dependent)

If it weren't for that the 20Mp in the Panasonic would get the nod over the 16mp Olympus.

Video is a non starter for me on any digital camera, so can't speak to that.

lukan Loc: Chicago, IL

I've had the E-M1 (got stolen from my daughter while on loan) and I currently shoot a GX8. They handle differently. The GX8 is very smooth, its stills are excellent, lens selection excellent, IS much improved over previous models but not 5-axis IBIS, video is far superior to the Oly. Oly's jpegs shot in superfine rez are superior to anything out of any other camera.
The video is important to me because it's 4K and shoots 8MP stills at 30 fps. When you learn how to use the camera and put fine glass on it, there's no shot that'll get away at 30fps with 4K (8MP) resolution. Lumix, Leica and Oly all make great lenses for mu43, so it really depends what you're shooting the most. If it moves or if there's action-shooting in your future get the GX8 (or wait for the new Pany GH5 to come out this fall). If it's mainly stills, landscapes, studio and portraits then get the Oly (or wait for the E-M1 Mk2 this fall). I personally would get the GX8 over the E-M5 Mk2 because of the new 20MP sensor and the 4K video (and video stills) capability. There's no bad or wrong choice, it realy does depend on what you shoot the most and which brand you like better. As far as menus, the Oly is just fine and I felt comfortable with it right away. Lumix is easier, but Oly allows for more customization (which I prefer).
It's six of one, half-a-dozen of the other. Boils down to personal preference. Both make beautiful photos and great enlargements.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

I am jogger but I don't carry my camera when jogging. I used to carry an iphone/camera when jogging but I fell one day and smacked the iPhone flat onto the concrete sidewalk. It survived, with scratches, (me too) but I was lucky the glass didn't shatter. So after that I don't carry it.

However walking is also good cardio exercise and it is much safer to carry a camera while walking. So you might consider that instead.

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

I could be wrong here, but I understand that the image stabilisation on the Panasonic is in the lenses, whereas, on the Olympus the I.S. is in the body.
Panasonic lenses fit the Olympus bodies and vice-versa. Therefore I would opt for the Olympus camera.

lukan Loc: Chicago, IL

The GX8 also has a relatively sophisticated new stabilization in-camera.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

I have two Olympus cameras so I am biased but I would take the Olympus route.
I do have Panasonic lenses mounted on both cameras which makes a good combination as Olympus cameras have built in OIS.

dparker708

Thank you all for helping me decide on the Olmpus!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

As always, I recommend reading reviews by people who compare cameras all the time. I'm afraid my jogging days are behind me.

(Reviews) http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCameraStoreTV/videos
http://camerasize.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
http://snapsort.com/compare
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu
http://www.imaging-resource.com/cameras/compare/

jro1010

If I were in your position, the conversation would be about image quality and color rendition. I had shoot Oly and Pana. Had been very satisfied with the quality of their lenses. But the color rendition on the Pana haven't been good for my taste. Particularly in low light situation. For me there is something that has to do with the white balance and the high iso... In terms of the video... The 4k obviously would be the route to go. But then again... what good would it be if there is color rendition issues?... just saying... Peace to you all. jro

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yes, wrong... at least sometimes.

The Panasonic LUMIX GX7 and GX8 both feature in-body image stabilization. Many Panasonic and Leica lenses do have in-lens stabilization. The more recent Panasonic and Leica lenses can be user-updated with new firmware that allows DUAL IS when those lenses are used on the GX8!

The DUAL IS system is far better, because it combines the best of both worlds. That said, if your lenses don't have IS in them, the Olympus IBIS is better than the Panasonic IBIS.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I'm not a jogger, but I am a 'Hogger. So is Daniel J. Cox, a professional photographer who has used LUMIX cameras for the past few years, and swears by them.

Dan has a wealth of insights and information on his blog:

http://naturalexposures.com/corkboard/

Dan's favorites include the LUMIX GH4 and GX8, and he also has the G7. He uses top-notch glass from Olympus and Panasonic and Leica, and is particularly fond of the new 100-400mm Leica lens for m43.

I think the choice boils down to what you photograph. If video is a concern at all, then hands-down, Panasonic wins. If dual IS interests you, and you use long lenses often, the GX8 is the current pick.

Both cameras produce really good raw files. Olympus has always had more popular "looks" for its straight-out-of-the-camera JPEGs, but you can tweak the Panny's menu settings to get close to them.

Olympus menus and controls are a bit of a complicated mess. The GH4 is an absolute joy to use, because the menus are well-organized and the button/wheel/switch layout just makes perfect sense to me. The GX8 layout is also sensible.

Personally, I'm torn between grabbing the GX8 now, and waiting around for the forthcoming GH5, which is due out this year, if you believe the rumor mill...

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

I just bought a Gx8 camera- Previously I owned the Olympus M10 and M5. I sold the M10 and kept the M5 (not Mark II) mostly because of its weather sealing.

The following remarks are made by a "newbie" to the Gx8 :)

The M-5 and Gx8 have good IS and IQ but the Gx8 fits my in my hands better. Also the controls on the Gx8 are better placed for me and it's just easier to make quick camera changes. I have not found the Gx8 menu system easier to set up than Olympus- they are all complicated - (Sony a6000 has the easiest and most intuitive menus to set up and then get back to- in my opinion)

I am using the Gx8 with the Tamron 14-150 mm for now as my long lens waiting until the L 100-400 mm lens becomes readily available and reviewed by "regular people". The IS in the Gx8 works fine with the non IS Tamron lens down to about 1/40 second handheld.

The Gx8 has very fast and reliable focus even with a 3rd party non IS lens. I would say that Olympus colors are richer and maybe a bit more traditional looking but I prefer the Gx8 color rendition and shadows and highlight settings. With a little tweaking to the menu JPEGs are quite good right out of the camera. I turned down the contrast and turned up the sharpness and saturation a little and am quite satisfied. Most of what I do is in Raw but it's handy to have a good Jpeg as well.

I can't address the video capabilities but ask me in a few months because I fully intend to get more involved in video.

Really you can't go wrong with either Olympus or Gx8 cameras-
FYI- B&H is giving 100.00 gift card with purchase of the Gx8-

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Easy...
Do you care at all about video...yes...Gx8...if not EM5ii.