OM-D E-M5 First impressions - Page 2

dreilly · 05-09-2012

A few shots with the Panny 20.

Shot with the LCD using the touch-screen focus. Zora is really hard to photograph on her walk to school...she's a fidget monster. I was shocked that the E-M5 focused and shot so quickly! Taken wide open.

Shot wide open in very dark twilight at 6400. Up close, the full size image does show some swirly noise structure, but it's not bad. No color noise which is interesting. I'm pretty sure this was shot with the noise reduction completely off. I'll have to shoot some high ISO stuff in RAW.

One of the things I've loved about Olympus' imaging train since the E-5 is the lack of the AA filter (or lightness of it). Zooming in is just a joy, you don't get that weird fine-detail blur like with many other cameras. I know it's not a big deal in practical terms, but it saves me the step of sharpening, etc. The JPEG engine really does a great job.

jsrockit · 05-09-2012

Might have to sell one of my m lenses and grab one of these. The super-quick focusing and weather proofing make this a great camera to have.

dreilly · 05-09-2012

Now begins the process of defining a solid lens kit. I didn't do any side by side comparisons of the images produced by the Panny 20 and the Lux 25...I did compare the size and how they felt on the camera, and decided for the 20. I also love the 40mm POV and always have. And I figure i might just get the Nokton .95 down the road and do shallow DOF in a big way. So the Lux is up for sale. So too is my M. Zuiko 9-18mm...great little lens, very sharp, but I'm not really a superwide kind of guy. I just got the 14 pancake and it's tiny and sharp and about as wide as I usually know what to do with.

So right now I have the 14 and 20 pancakes, and will probably get the 45/1.8 soon. And then...still considering a weatherproof 4/3 lens like the 14-54mm II. So I can really go out in a rainstorm!

Oly did right with the E-M5 but I feel like they're behind in m43 lenses and Panny has the edge. There's no rumors about a m4/3 replacement of the truly great 12-60 or even the 14-54mm II, and yet Panny is coming out with a faster zoom later this year. Get on it Oly, when you try you make amazing glass. Kick it into gear instead of making three variations of essentially the same camera for young Japanese women!

dreilly · 05-09-2012

Gilpen,
You can also use the level feature in the other two EVF modes...in Custom menu J, info settings, you can enable the level, and then when you're using the EVF, hit Info until that appears. The UI is a little confusing in terms of the settings, but I think I'm getting it...

plummerl · 05-09-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreilly

Now begins the process of defining a solid lens kit. I didn't do any side by side comparisons of the images produced by the Panny 20 and the Lux 25...I did compare the size and how they felt on the camera, and decided for the 20. I also love the 40mm POV and always have. And I figure i might just get the Nokton .95 down the road and do shallow DOF in a big way. So the Lux is up for sale. So too is my M. Zuiko 9-18mm...great little lens, very sharp, but I'm not really a superwide kind of guy. I just got the 14 pancake and it's tiny and sharp and about as wide as I usually know what to do with.

So right now I have the 14 and 20 pancakes, and will probably get the 45/1.8 soon. And then...still considering a weatherproof 4/3 lens like the 14-54mm II. So I can really go out in a rainstorm!

Oly did right with the E-M5 but I feel like they're behind in m43 lenses and Panny has the edge. There's no rumors about a m4/3 replacement of the truly great 12-60 or even the 14-54mm II, and yet Panny is coming out with a faster zoom later this year. Get on it Oly, when you try you make amazing glass. Kick it into gear instead of making three variations of essentially the same camera for young Japanese women!

The Oly 12mm/F2 is a very, very nice lens!

mingkookoo · 05-09-2012

Nice pics dreilly. Might hv to get myself an OM-D this X'Mas.

More pics please

coelacanth · 05-09-2012

[quote=PKR;1875988]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreilly

Now begins the process of defining a solid lens kit.

I've been doing the same.. Lumix 14, 20, Oly 45mm f 1.8.

If you want a zoom.. Lumix 14-42 zoom (the ASPH - the begger 14-42mm Lumix lens), don't get it too wet..

Thinking that myself.

So far I got 25/1.4 and 45/1.8, hoping to add 14/2.5 or 12/2.0. The leaked PDF says the new Oly 75/1.8 has über IQ.

I'd love to see a consistent F2.8 weather sealed zoom for my occasional paid gigs in near future...

dreilly · 05-09-2012

Lensrentals just did a resolution comparison of <25mm m43 lenses, and the 14/2.5 did better than the 12/2 at the wider settings. At f4 the 12mm pulled a bit ahead.

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012...matest-results

It's just one test, but it seems the 14 is a heck of a lens for a very low price. Just got mind today...I'll try to post some images tomorrow. Maybe down the line I'll splurge on the 12....but for $160 I couldn't refuse the 14!

coelacanth · 05-09-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreilly

Lensrentals just did a resolution comparison of <25mm m43 lenses, and the 14/2.5 did better than the 12/2 at the wider settings. At f4 the 12mm pulled a bit ahead.

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012...matest-results

It's just one test, but it seems the 14 is a heck of a lens for a very low price. Just got mind today...I'll try to post some images tomorrow. Maybe down the line I'll splurge on the 12....but for $160 I couldn't refuse the 14!

Please do post! I didn't realize the going price of this lens was that low. Combined with a god lab results, I am definitely interested to see it in action.

dfatty · 05-09-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by coelacanth

Please do post! I didn't realize the going price of this lens was that low. Combined with a god lab results, I am definitely interested to see it in action.

i had no idea either, thanks for the heads up. there are some sellers on *bay selling them unboxed, as lenses that were part of kits they broke up. i just ordered one at that price. there are some international sellers but there's also one in NJ that's selling low with a 14 day return.

nikku · 05-09-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreilly

Now begins the process of defining a solid lens kit. I didn't do any side by side comparisons of the images produced by the Panny 20 and the Lux 25...I did compare the size and how they felt on the camera, and decided for the 20. I also love the 40mm POV and always have. And I figure i might just get the Nokton .95 down the road and do shallow DOF in a big way. So the Lux is up for sale. So too is my M. Zuiko 9-18mm...great little lens, very sharp, but I'm not really a superwide kind of guy. I just got the 14 pancake and it's tiny and sharp and about as wide as I usually know what to do with.

So right now I have the 14 and 20 pancakes, and will probably get the 45/1.8 soon. And then...still considering a weatherproof 4/3 lens like the 14-54mm II. So I can really go out in a rainstorm!

For my kit I went for the Panny 7-14mm, 14/2.5, 25/1.4, Oly 45/1.8, and 14-54mm mk II. 7-14mm for superwide (great lens, far more useful than I thought it would be when I first got it), 14/2.5 for when I want the smallest kit possible (on the E-M5 it fits into a tiny saddle bag on my bicycle), 25/1.4 as my normal, and 45/1.8 as a portrait lens. The 14-54mm is solely for travel--I love the idea of "one camera, one lens" for when I travel.
Wouldn't mind getting a long zoom for fun, but don't know how much I'd actually use one.

CK Dexter Haven · 05-09-2012

dreilly,

That's a really nice report on your impressions. You have piqued my interest, and i previously had zero interest in an Olympus, much less an m4/3 camera. I look forward to reading more from you - about this, and other matters.

coelacanth · 05-10-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfatty

i had no idea either, thanks for the heads up. there are some sellers on *bay selling them unboxed, as lenses that were part of kits they broke up. i just ordered one at that price. there are some international sellers but there's also one in NJ that's selling low with a 14 day return.

I broke down and ordered one as well. The price is rather hard to pass up. I went with a black one from the same seller just to be a bit different from the 20/1.7 I had before and I think the black one goes well with the PL25/1.4 and OM-D. It's a few bucks higher than silver version, but with -$2 shipping and comes with a lens pouch. We'll see how it goes.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the 25/1.4 that I just received this evening.

gavinlg · 05-10-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreilly

A few shots with the Panny 20.

Shot with the LCD using the touch-screen focus. Zora is really hard to photograph on her walk to school...she's a fidget monster. I was shocked that the E-M5 focused and shot so quickly! Taken wide open.

Shot wide open in very dark twilight at 6400. Up close, the full size image does show some swirly noise structure, but it's not bad. No color noise which is interesting. I'm pretty sure this was shot with the noise reduction completely off. I'll have to shoot some high ISO stuff in RAW.

One of the things I've loved about Olympus' imaging train since the E-5 is the lack of the AA filter (or lightness of it). Zooming in is just a joy, you don't get that weird fine-detail blur like with many other cameras. I know it's not a big deal in practical terms, but it saves me the step of sharpening, etc. The JPEG engine really does a great job.

Wow... Those are pretty impressive. Can you post some more when you get a little further along with it?

dreilly · 05-10-2012

I had no idea that the 14mm came in black....probably would have gotten that one...does the 20 come in black too? Funny, that grey is pretty dark anyway.

dreilly · 05-10-2012

How's that 14-54 II working on the OM-D, Nikku?

willie_901 · 05-10-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreilly

A few shots with the Panny 20.
does a great job.

I appreciate you did shared photos where the subjects were more than 1 foot from the camera. When I was paying attention to the m4/3 world it seemed like 90% of the photos people shared were close-ups.

There's nothing wrong with close-ups of course. But it made me wonder why they dominated the samples I saw on several Forms.

I enjoyed the LUMIX 20/1.7. It is a great lens and I enjoyed using that angle of view... it reminded me of when I carried a Canonet QL17 around everyday.

dreilly · 05-10-2012

Willie,
You know, I was just thinking that the other day. A long while back I was on the 4/3 forums (I think it might have been pre-Pen days) and I had the exact same thought...why are there all these photographs of bees and flowers everywhere? I think the Pen series opened up the idea that these cameras were good for street photography, and I think that changed the demographic. The 4/3 E series were great all-around cameras and were great for candid people work, etc. But I think it was the Pens that opened up the format to different genres. Thanks for making that comment, now I don't feel like I was crazy for bugging out of those forums and thinking that I had brought a knife to a gunfight or tried to iron my pants with a steamship or some such metaphor.

coelacanth · 05-10-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreilly

I had no idea that the 14mm came in black....probably would have gotten that one...does the 20 come in black too? Funny, that grey is pretty dark anyway.

I didn't neither until I noticed many listings were specifying "Silver" so I looked further and found "Black" ones. It could be specific to bundle models or region specific. I don't think 20 ever had black version. Since you got rid of 25/1.4 and have 20/1.7, I think the silver (yes it's pretty dark, more like gunmetal) one works well.

Now only if Panasonic re-issue the 20/1.7 with faster/quieter AF in black...

dreilly · 05-10-2012

The 20 is much quieter than the 25, which chatters just like the X-Pro 1 did.

mep · 05-10-2012

Soon, you'll be able to play dress-ups...
http://aki-asahi.blogspot.jp/

coelacanth · 05-10-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreilly

The 20 is much quieter than the 25, which chatters just like the X-Pro 1 did.

Really? I am not hearing that at all. I can hear very quick *tick when it focuses but nothing like 20's focusing sound or X-Pro1 chattering I heard. Maybe because the focusing itself is very quick I don't notice it like I did with 20. Hmm. I've heard people taking about the "noise" on the 25, but I'm not sure if I'm hearing the same thing. So far I have no complain in the sound/noise department.

coelacanth · 05-10-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by mep

Soon, you'll be able to play dress-ups...
http://aki-asahi.blogspot.jp/

Nice. I saw the special process you have to take for OM-D recovering involving copper plate bending, but the end result pictures are very tempting.

The blog says they are going to start selling the kit on Friday (JST).

dreilly · 05-10-2012

Sug,
You can't hear the aperture adjusting to different light levels as you move the camera around? It's not super loud and it didn't bother me, but I heard it.

nikku · 05-10-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreilly

How's that 14-54 II working on the OM-D, Nikku?

I'll definitely give a report once I've had a chance to handle it more.

As for the "rattlesnake" noise on the 25/1.4, it's way louder on the E-P2 than the E-M5, but I do occasionally hear it on the E-M5 (not very loud at all).