Olympus OM-D Test Shots With A Few Lenses

[Johann Espiritu]

Got my OM-D at the perfect time (the M9 is with Leica for a sensor scrubbing) and took it for a spin at the beach house. Here are some samples with different lenses (all processed in Silver Efex Pro 2, which is my usual workflow):

With the Lumix 20/1.7:


Tails by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr


Twin Rocks by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr

With a Nokton 35/1.2 via Voigtlander adapter:


Rocio and her first camera! by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr

And finally, with the 12-50 kit lens:


Grandpa the Golf Pro and... by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr


...Lucas the Golfer by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr

[kdemas]

Thanks for posting some samples. I\Have you noticed "the hum" that has been discussed here and there? How do you like the handling?

Enjoy your new camera!!

Kent

[Johann Espiritu]

About the "hum" - honestly, it's there if you look for it. I didn't notice it until someone asked me if there was one, that I heard it. Otherwise, when you're using it, I totally forget about it, and you have to get your ear up close to actually hear it. There would be little chance, if any, of anyone other than the user hearing it (unless your subject is an animal with ultrasensitive hearing, I guess!).

The camera itself feels solid in your hands. The kit lens feels plasticky, but nothing objectionable. It's just that the OM-D feels much better made in comparison. It's surprisingly very small in your hands, so I was shocked at first. It felt a little cramped - much like other m4/3 cameras (I am 6'2" and have big hands). After a day of shooting, I was fine with it though. The Panny 20/1.7 is on it now, and it feels like a nice compact shooter in this combo!

[rover]

Thanks for sharing. How is the use of the E-M5 with manual lenses. Do you have other m43 cameras? How does the user interface with this one compare? Keep posting!!!

[Johann Espiritu]

Hi rover,

My wife has a GF1 (with the viewfinder) and I just got my daughter her "first camera", an EPL3.

I always had trouble with manual focus lenses on the GF1 as the screen simply did not have the resolution for it to be practical. The refresh rate also seemed lower, making it more difficult. I also tried it on the EPL3, but without the viewfinder, manual focusing with a screen a foot or two away from you was just an awkward experience.

While manual focusing on the EM5 is not as smooth as with an optical viewfinder, it is not bad either. You just have to work out your "workflow" for it (what I did is assign the MF zoom function to one of the dedicated function buttons), and you sort of work it out. Of course, it's nowhere as smooth as focusing using a rangefinder, or even a SLR ground glass or split focus screen.

The user interfaces for both the Lumix and the Oly require you to learn them. It requires a bit of memorization and some button pushing, which is very much unlike the M9. Of course, there are a few dozen more features on the m4/3 cameras, so I guess that's to be expected. Overall, not bad though. In about half an hour of use, it gets somewhat natural.

Will post a few more over the next couple of days. Keep watching this thread!

[rover]

Thanks Johann. I am reading and learning getting ready for when my E-M5 arrives.

[paulfish4570]

nice work, johann. do olympus and lumix share the same mount?

[rover]

Paul, yes. The m43 standard is a shared format, so the cameras and lenses from each participant are fully compatible.

[Johann Espiritu]

Originally Posted by paulfish4570

nice work, johann. do olympus and lumix share the same mount?

Thanks. Yes, they both use the Micro 4/3 mount (for the Micro 4/3 models, that is).

[paulfish4570]

ah! thank you, sir. as i am an olympus om-1 fan, this em-5 is very interesting to me.

[gilpen123]

Great shot of the fish tail very minimalist love it.

[dreilly]

Nice work. How are you finding the OM-D files compared to those from the older 12 MP sensor? I have an EM-5 on preorder.

[shadowfox]

Originally Posted by Johann Espiritu

The camera itself feels solid in your hands. The kit lens feels plasticky, but nothing objectionable. It's just that the OM-D feels much better made in comparison. It's surprisingly very small in your hands, so I was shocked at first. It felt a little cramped - much like other m4/3 cameras (I am 6'2" and have big hands). After a day of shooting, I was fine with it though. The Panny 20/1.7 is on it now, and it feels like a nice compact shooter in this combo!

Johann, sounds like you're the perfect candidate for the optional grips.

Thanks for the photos (I like your sense of composition too). Looking forward for more.

[kuzano]

Originally Posted by paulfish4570

ah! thank you, sir. as i am an olympus om-1 fan, this em-5 is very interesting to me.

While the OM-D (EM-5) is a micro4/3 mount, the dimensions are almost identical to the OM-1 and 2 bodies. The OM-D is only 1 cm less in width than the OM-1 body, making it a very comfortable size for those who found the OM series film cameras a comfortable small handful. That, plus the fact that the extra grip is almost identical to the size and configuration of the winder grip I used on my OM's make this a very attractive package for me. And that's aside from all the "out of the ball park" technology offered here.

I'm selling a bunch of camera gear, including all my other Oly digital to buy the full boat on the OM-D.

Olympus really got their S__T together on this one.

[Johann Espiritu]

Originally Posted by dreilly

Nice work. How are you finding the OM-D files compared to those from the older 12 MP sensor? I have an EM-5 on preorder.

JPGs looks cleaner in general, but I'm waiting for Adobe Camera Raw to be updated to be able to read the OM-D's RAW files. (I've never used the Olympus Viewer software before this camera, so I don't want to use that as basis). I do expect them to be much better, though. In-camera processed JPGs look great so far.

[Johann Espiritu]

Originally Posted by shadowfox

Johann, sounds like you're the perfect candidate for the optional grips.

Thanks for the photos (I like your sense of composition too). Looking forward for more.

Have it on pre-order, and should have it in a week or two! Will post more photos once I get a decent Internet connection.

[DNG]

Looks Great, Your Daughter with the 35mm/1.2 is really nice... Detailed, Sharp good tones..
At 800 ISO, her skin is so smooth... I have a Panasonic G3, and I have a Black E-M5 on Pre Order.. I hope I get it in the 1st delivery batch from B&H

Post More, Can't get enough.

[Johann Espiritu]

Here are a couple more, both with the 12-50 kit lens:


Rocio by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr


Lucas and Marga by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr

[paulfish4570]

lovely children, johann ...

[Johann Espiritu]

Here are a couple more...

...the first with the Nokton 35/1.2 via adapter:


Mavis + Elian by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr

...and one more with the kit lens at the widest 12mm:


Vern + Mavis + Marga by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr

[Trius]

Imagine having a 70mm equivalent f1.2 ... that's just too wonderful!

[Johann Espiritu]

Originally Posted by Trius

Imagine having a 70mm equivalent f1.2 ... that's just too wonderful!

It's a combo that I'm enjoying a lot now - especially since the EVF is clear enough to use for manual focus. I was always frustrated with this in the GF1, but now have a nice portrait combo!