3 From Chinatown With OMD

[kbg32]

Today was my first outing with the Olympus. The OMD feels like a mini Canon 5D. So much control. So very solid with a wonderful "wisp" of a shutter sound. Can't wait for RAW CAmera Support. These are all out of camera jpegs with some adjustment to my liking. The files out of camera are incredibly sharp and saturated. Unlike its Panasonic cousins, the OMD definitely has a bit of a learning curve, Where I can be up and running just after unboxing a Lumix, the OMD's menu is not as intuitive. Nothing difficult. Some time reading the manual and scrolling through the menu, will get you there quickly. This is the utmost M4/3!

http://keithgoldstein.me/2012/05/16/...n/?postpost=v2

Apologies for not posting in thread. I need to go through my RFF gallery and clean out some images to post new work.

[gavinlg]

FYI, adobe lightroom/ACR has e-m5 raw support already.

[papasnap]

great shots!

[kbg32]

Thank you!!!

[Paul T.]

which lens?

[River Dog]

I like the colour rendition. Did you pull them down much in post?

[kbg32]

Originally Posted by Paul T.

which lens?

Panasonic 14/2.8

[kbg32]

Originally Posted by River Dog

I like the colour rendition. Did you pull them down much in post?

Thanks. Yes, I did take the saturation down a bit. For street work, I am not a fan of over saturated imagery.

[Keith]

These are the first pics I've seen from this camera that have made me want one ... I love the subtle but nicely saturated colours and feel these would convert well to black and white!

I still have some issues with the format though!

Thanks for posting.

[Keith]

I took the liberty of downloading an image and doing nothing other than desaturating it. As I supected it has a very nice look. In amongst all the new digital toys that we are currently bombarded with this is my pic of them in spite of the slight issue I have with micro 4/3.

[kbg32]

Hi Keith. Interesting. This camera has one of the best IQs I have ever experienced. I have the Panasonic G3 and the EM5 apparently has the same chip, but he noise, or lack of, from this camera is astounding. These images were shot at ISO 800, 1000, and 1250. Since RAW is not supported yet in CS5, there were the jpegs.

[KenR]

Very nice indeed. I especially like #3 with the background of the Chinese characters.

[kbg32]

Thank you KenR.

[nikku]

nice street portraits. The 14/2.5 works well on that camera.
Keith, the format may not necessarily suit you, but it really is coming into its own. The OMD gives the most "film like" look of all the m4/3rds cams, and I really think it's because of the way it handles highlights and the much improved dynamic range. I've really been pleased with the files I get from mine. Looking forward to seeing how they print.

[nikku]

I would also like to add, the OMD really does make an excellent digital counterpart to the film OMs. Similar in size, though the OM does have slightly larger prime lenses on the whole. I can fit the EM5 w/ 25/1.4 and an OM-4T with 35/2 with flash, spare batteries, and film in a really small camera bag.

[kbg32]

Originally Posted by nikku

nice street portraits. The 14/2.5 works well on that camera.
Keith, the format may not necessarily suit you, but it really is coming into its own. The OMD gives the most "film like" look of all the m4/3rds cams, and I really think it's because of the way it handles highlights and the much improved dynamic range. I've really been pleased with the files I get from mine. Looking forward to seeing how they print.

Thanks. The 14/2.5 is one of my favorite lenses, and 28mm is my favorite focal length. This camera's IQ is fantastic!

[shadowfox]

Originally Posted by kbg32

Hi Keith. Interesting. This camera has one of the best IQs I have ever experienced. I have the Panasonic G3 and the EM5 apparently has the same chip, but he noise, or lack of, from this camera is astounding. These images were shot at ISO 800, 1000, and 1250. Since RAW is not supported yet in CS5, there were the jpegs.

Keith,
I remember reading somewhere that Olympus has hinted that the sensor in E-M5 is not Panasonic's.

[kbg32]

Originally Posted by shadowfox

Keith,
I remember reading somewhere that Olympus has hinted that the sensor in E-M5 is not Panasonic's.

If you could find that, I'd be interested in reading about it. If I remember, DP Review even said it was the same chip. I had been reading that everywhere.

Thanks.

[kbg32]

Yup, you are right. But as of now, no one knows who Olympus sources the sensor from. In way I don't care. As long as it keeps working the way it does!

[dreilly]

Companies are often cagey about the sources of their sensors. Sometimes they "tweak" them or perhaps even order them from the OEM with slightly-different specs? But you're right that it doesn't really matter, the E-M5 does nice stuff.

[Keith]

I came so close to buying one of these yesterday ... to the point of ringing DCW in Brisbane to see if they had one, which they did! I was all set to head over there with my money in hand but had a reality check at the last minute and took a chill pill! LOL

The camera they had, had the lower end kit lens on it ... 14-48 or something like that but very slow I noticed, particularly at the long end of the zoom. For someone like me who generally works between 35mm and 50mm what would be the recommendation for a couple of fast primes and what would I expect to pay?

[dreilly]

The 20mm f1.7 is really a cracker of a lens. Just fantastic. I sold the Panny Summilux 25mm f1.4 for it. That is, for many people, a sweet spot between the FF 35mm and 50mm. I'd start with that. It's about $350 or so if you find one used,sometime better. Definitely my top pic(k)!

That little 14-42 kit lens isn't bad. It has very little mass and volume, rather a spectacular feat of physics. It focuses VERY quickly.

Right now I have a three prime kit, the Panny 14 (very nice too), Panny 20 and the Olympus 45 on the way. Total cost of all three: ~$900.

But I'd still start with the 20.

cheers
doug

[Keith]

Originally Posted by dreilly

The 20mm f1.7 is really a cracker of a lens. Just fantastic. I sold the Panny Summilux 25mm f1.4 for it. That is, for many people, a sweet spot between the FF 35mm and 50mm. I'd start with that. It's about $350 or so if you find one used,sometime better. Definitely my top pic(k)!

That little 14-42 kit lens isn't bad. It has very little mass and volume, rather a spectacular feat of physics. It focuses VERY quickly.

Right now I have a three prime kit, the Panny 14 (very nice too), Panny 20 and the Olympus 45 on the way. Total cost of all three: ~$900.

But I'd still start with the 20.

cheers
doug

Thanks for that Doug ... I feel a little more confident about the OMD as a potential purchase now. I suddenly realised yesterday how little I actually know about the micro four thirds system and was genuinely concerned that there wasn't lenses available that would suit my shooting style ... and if there was they would be horrendously expensive!

[kbg32]

I am a big fan of the Lumix 14/2.5 and the Lumix/Leica 25/1.4. The Lumix 14-45 Aspherical is a great zoom as well.

[kbg32]

There are a great amount of lenses available from Panasonic and Olympus. A lot more are on the way. I know a lot of people dog the Olympus 17mm, but I quite liked it.