OM-D E-M5 First impressions

[celluloidprop]

Originally Posted by dreilly

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.

I think it's also that the mirrorless cameras are seen as an affordable first step up from compacts - and for people with no pretensions of Making Art, flowers and animals and close-ups of friends are always popular subjects.

I suspect you'd see a similar ratio with entry-level DSLRs if you could match APS-C and m43 demographically - but DSLRs also bring in people with those pretensions of making art to give greater variety to what you see on the web.

[Bingley]

I've been following this thread with great interest. FWIW, I have both the Pany 14mm f2.5 and the Pany 20mm f1.7, which I happily use on an Oly E-PL1 (which is approximately the same size as the old Olympus RC). These lenses are splendid, and are great for use in street photography. I've been very happy w/ the IQ. Most of the color pix in the Vienna and Salzburg sets on my flickr were taken with the 20/1.7 on the E-PL1.

From the OP's review and other comments on this thread, I'm looking seriously at an OM-D and staying within the M4/3 system. Very impressive results, and being able to use the lenses I already have (plus legacy glass) would be a real plus.

[coelacanth]

Originally Posted by dreilly

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.

I'm at work with some conversations happening and computer fans are running, but I don't hear anything with the lens facing different brightness levels. With X-Pro1 (at least before the firmware update when I had it) I heard the chatter loud and clear by doing what I did with OM-D/25mm. I've tried both rear LCD and EVF but nothing. OM-D is adjusting the brightness of the scene accordingly but the aperture blades are full-open and not moving around. I even tried using LED light a bit but no chatter.

Maybe they changed something with new batch? (lens firmware is 1.0) Maybe that's OM-D doing it? (firmware 1.1)

[dreilly]

I wonder if it has something to do with how you set the EVF...to autoadjust or not? I just shipped out my 25, so I can't test it anymore.

[coelacanth]

Originally Posted by dreilly

I wonder if it has something to do with how you set the EVF...to autoadjust or not? I just shipped out my 25, so I can't test it anymore.

Not sure if I'm doing things "right" but EVF auto adjusts the brightness by default as far as I know. I tried live-view boost thing but the result was the same. No noticeable chatter. The 25/1.4 is behaving as quiet as the 45/1.8 (which is REALLY silent) for focusing, with just one quick and small "tick" when focus is done. No chattering during use/carry. I do miss the 20/1.7's portability a lot though...

[coelacanth]

Got the 14/2.5 from the ebay seller we talked about earlier. Nice lens pouch included.

Haven't had chance to shoot anything but wow this thing is small! A lot smaller/lighter than the 20/1.7 (though I don't have it anymore to compare in photos). On OM-D, the kit reminds me of product shots of E-410 from a few years ago, but even smaller.

[nikku]

Originally Posted by nikku

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

First impression: I probably need the battery grip to balance out the camera a little better. If it weren't for the necessary thickness that the adapter adds, I might not need the grip, as on its own the 14-54mm is not so big.
Second impression: autofocus is not as fast as any of my dedicated m4/3rds lenses (7-14mm, 14/2.5, 25/1.4, 45/1.8, 14-42mm kit lens). It is as fast as the first version 14-42mm on my E-P2, and faster than the 20/1.7 was on that camera.
Third impression: prime lens image quality in a useful focal range. I've only taken boring test shots and dog pics, but I'll be doing more shooting with it when I can. Unfortunately, the lens size makes it less than convenient for hauling around on my bicycle. For me, it will be more of a "special purpose" lens (beach, bad weather, portrait sessions, traveling when I don't want to bring multiple lenses).

I'll try to post a photo or two taken with it here.

[dfatty]

Originally Posted by coelacanth

Got the 14/2.5 from the ebay seller we talked about earlier. Nice lens pouch included.

gah, i'm on the east coast and still haven't gotten the lens, i have no idea how you got it so fast on the left coast! can't wait.

[nikku]

Okay, here's a few dog and flower pics to give an impression of the 14-54mm. All shots wide open. Two at the widest and two at the longest settings. Minimal PP done (levels adjusted).

[paulfish4570]

sure handles whites well ...

[nikku]

Originally Posted by paulfish4570

sure handles whites well ...

Yeah...I need to trust the meter more. The flower shots were -.3 EV comp, but the dog pics were straight up. I had to do more adjusting to the flower shots due to underexposure.

[coelacanth]

Originally Posted by dfatty

gah, i'm on the east coast and still haven't gotten the lens, i have no idea how you got it so fast on the left coast! can't wait.

Here are some quick snaps, from OM-D & 14/2.5 to Eye-Fi to iPhone to Google+ app to Picasa. No alteration, noise filter off.

[Trius]

I got to handle Gene's OM-D this past Sunday, and I found it to be very solid, and the cover material is not as bad as it appeared to me online. I'd still have it re-skinned, though.

That said, the one thing that I really didn't care for was, as I suspected, the size. It is just not wide enough on the left-hand side (as you are holding the camera in shooting position,) ... it felt cramped to me. Obviously it's very capable of making terrific images, it just felt unbalanced to me. I don't have extremely large hands, but for my stature my hands are wide. Maybe I could get used to it, but after nearly 40 years of holding film OMs, my hands are sorta molded into the OM's form factor!

[gilpen123]

This is what I've been saying earlier, size is a bit of an issue balancing the camera the way we are used to holding one. The grip helped a lot though even without the battery case. Seems like it is a necessary add-on to us who have this issue. Maybe a leather case will also help.

[shadowfox]

Originally Posted by Trius

I got to handle Gene's OM-D this past Sunday, and I found it to be very solid, and the cover material is not as bad as it appeared to me online. I'd still have it re-skinned, though.

That said, the one thing that I really didn't care for was, as I suspected, the size. It is just not wide enough on the left-hand side (as you are holding the camera in shooting position,) ... it felt cramped to me. Obviously it's very capable of making terrific images, it just felt unbalanced to me. I don't have extremely large hands, but for my stature my hands are wide. Maybe I could get used to it, but after nearly 40 years of holding film OMs, my hands are sorta molded into the OM's form factor!

Get a grip, Earl.

Joking aside, good that you have Gene close-by. I have no one here who has the OM-D.

[jsrockit]

Originally Posted by coelacanth

of product shots of E-410 from a few years ago, but even smaller.

Man, this camera is so tiny. I may have to break down and buy it.

[coelacanth]

Originally Posted by jsrockit

Man, this camera is so tiny. I may have to break down and buy it.

Another size-comp shot.



M8 with fully collapsed Elmar-M is pretty darn small setup but OM-D + 14mm beats it by quite a bit. IMHO, Digital M and Digital OM combo makes a lovely tiny setup for any event, street, travel day shoot. Worked great in my recent "casual" all-day wedding shoot.

[dreilly]

Another set with the E-M5 and the 14/2.5 lens. Which i like. Little sweet vignetting.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xenar/s...7629773734012/

A few:

[Shade]

I'm starting to love the Om-D...

[jbot]

Do any of you OMD users know if there is an option to turn off the back screen while you shoot? Also is there an option to have it off while shooting except for a small 3 or 4 second preview of the image you've just taken?

Thanks in advance!

[burancap]

I swore I was done desiring cameras... But I really like what I have seen in this thread!

[coelacanth]

Originally Posted by jbot

Do any of you OMD users know if there is an option to turn off the back screen while you shoot? Also is there an option to have it off while shooting except for a small 3 or 4 second preview of the image you've just taken?

Thanks in advance!

Yes you can turn off the back screen entirely while you shoot. "info" button cycles through different info sets (that you can specify as well) and one of them is "off." You can still have the eye sensor turn on for EVF so

Shooting: EVF On, LCD Off
Sitting: EVF Off, LCD Off

is possible.

Also you can set the preview after a shot in EVF so you can preview the image you took while keeping the LCD turned off.

[jbot]

Originally Posted by coelacanth

Yes you can turn off the back screen entirely while you shoot. "info" button cycles through different info sets (that you can specify as well) and one of them is "off." You can still have the eye sensor turn on for EVF so

Shooting: EVF On, LCD Off
Sitting: EVF Off, LCD Off

is possible.

Also you can set the preview after a shot in EVF so you can preview the image you took while keeping the LCD turned off.

Thanks that's helpful. I can't wait till I can afford to buy one. Soon!

[DRabbit]

Originally Posted by burancap

I swore I was done desiring cameras... But I really like what I have seen in this thread!

resistance is futile...

[Uncle Bill]

I have been a digital holdout because I was looking for a decent system that did not weigh a ton and was disappointed that Fuji just didn't quite get it right with their X series. Now about the Olympus OM-D E-M5 (calling it the OM5 from now on), I think it fits the bill for me which is one digital system for travel and occasional event work that did not weigh a ton and did not look like a "Pro camera".