Olympus OM-D E-M5, E-M1, E-M10 - Mk1, Mk2 & Mk3 Owners Thread

I just bought a Lowepro Photo Sport 200 and that would seem to fit your requirements exactly.

I bought mine for an upcoming trip and the camera compartment fits my EM1 with 12-40 attached and either the 40-150 pro or 100-400 beside it (this maxes out its depth/width), the camera is accessible from the slide like a sling pack. In the hydration pouch I can put my Macbook (or a hydration pack), in the main compartment I can put fleeces/lunch/lenses/stuff and in the 'helmet' pouch on the outside I can stuff a coat for easy access. A tripod can be put in the side pocket and strapped in, a first aid kit could be put in the top pocket.

If you want to be able to fit a bit more stuff in it or a camera with long lens attached maybe the Photo Sport 300 would be better but my requirements were as small as possible to fit all my kit for transporting in hand baggage and then use as a day pack when I get there (I will put an EM5ii body and the 100-400 lens, both wrapped, in the main compartment and there is still room for a fleece and bits and bobs).

I got mine from Jessops for £85 with a code (from camerapricebuster) which was cheap enough to stop me looking at mindshiftgear backpacks.

Thanks Ned - I've been looking at that one. Was it the mk I or mk II version you got? My only concern was the ease of access for anything other than cameras and lenses from the side access padded section.

Simon.
 
Thanks Ned - I've been looking at that one. Was it the mk I or mk II version you got? My only concern was the ease of access for anything other than cameras and lenses from the side access padded section.

Simon.

I got the mk2 (although in my experience the differences between Lowepro mks are generally only cosmetic) and it's just like any other backpack really, undo the clips and the drawstring and in you go. The ability to stuff a coat or fleece in the outside is great for me as when out and about that is probably the main reason I'm going to want to quickly access anything in the pack.
 
I got the mk2 (although in my experience the differences between Lowepro mks are generally only cosmetic) and it's just like any other backpack really, undo the clips and the drawstring and in you go. The ability to stuff a coat or fleece in the outside is great for me as when out and about that is probably the main reason I'm going to want to quickly access anything in the pack.

Sorry Ned, I meant things like filters etc that I currently carry in the padded section of the bag I'm currently using. I know on some Lowepro bags that you can open the side access a little way to quickly pull a camera out, or unzip it across the body of the bag to get at the whole compartment. This bag only seems to have a flap that opens. I'm sure there will be other places to store things like filters so maybe it's a non issue. Everything is a compromise somewhere!

On the mk II, does the tripod go into the elasticated pocket on the side of the bag? Presumably there's a strap to secure the top of it and stop it from moving too much while walking?

Cheers,

Simon.
 
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Sorry Ned, I meant things like filters etc that I currently carry in the padded section of the bag I'm currently using. I know on some Lowepro bags that you can open the side access a little way to quickly pull a camera out, or unzip it across the body of the bag to get at the whole compartment. This bag only seems to have a flap that opens. I'm sure there will be other places to store things like filters so maybe it's a non issue. Everything is a compromise somewhere!

On the mk II, does the tripod go into the elasticated pocket on the side of the bag? Presumably there's a strap to secure the top of it and stop it from moving too much while walking?

Cheers,

Simon.


Ahh, ok. Well there isn't really room for anything other than the camera and lens in the padded section except there are some reasonably clever memory card slots in the 'door'.

All other stuff would need to go in the pack, I would put those bits and pieces in the top pocket for quick access - Im currently looking for a smallish 'stuff pouch' for filters, cards, batteries, cables etc.

One thing about the bag which I like (but might drive others nuts for losing stuff) is that the padded section is kind of just in the bottom of the bag and not separated off at all so that apart from were it is connected to the back panel and opening you can stuff stuff around it in the main compartment. For example you might fit a small lunchbox down there, or stuff a top, or maybe the first aid kit. Or, you might lose your filters down there :D
 
What are people's thoughts on the Olympus 9-18mm lens? I'm looking around at options for wide angle, stopped down landscape work. This is quite an old lens, so can it still cut the mustard on a modern m4/3 body? I want to be able to use my HiTech filter system, so that rules out the two 7-14mm lenses (they're outside my budget anyway), and I don't really want a fisheye and then have to mess about defishing etc.

Any experiences and images you could share would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance :)

Simon.
 
I love it! I would have liked it to go to 8mm. But 9mm still is very wide.
It's very compact so I use it as a walkabout and night lens in addition to having it in a pocket wherever I go.
 
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I love it! I would have liked it to go to 8mm. But 9mm still is very wide.
It's very compact so I use it as a walkabout and night lens in addition to having it in a pocket wherever I go.

Thanks Ian :)
 
I use the 9-18 all the time for Landscapes with HiTech 85mm filters
 
I don't use UWA that much and the 9-18 is ideal for me as it is small and light but well built, it is plenty sharp enough across the frame and has pretty low CA and distortion is corrected in camera; perfect for travel. Ideally it would be a mm or two wider but that's probably asking a bit much from such a compact lens.

Here's a couple from my NY trip:

NYC-303647 by Ned Awty, on Flickr

Reflections by Ned Awty, on Flickr
 
9-18mm at max wide.
17173116096_91e50e25fd_c.jpg

P4190642_v1 by ianp5a, on Flickr

It gets used at 9mm a lot at the vintage car shows.
 
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Hi there folks,
I'm looking at changing my heavy Canon gear for the OM-D cameras.
What I'd like to know is Olympus bringing out a mk11 Em-1 in the near future. If not then I'll go with the current model.
Thanks everybody

Cap.
 
Hi there folks,
I'm looking at changing my heavy Canon gear for the OM-D cameras.
What I'd like to know is Olympus bringing out a mk11 Em-1 in the near future. If not then I'll go with the current model.
Thanks everybody

Cap.

Current rumour is that it will be announced in June but delivery might be delayed for a while due to Sony's sensor factory being hit by an earthquake.

Still, at release it will probably be ca. £1400 whereas the EM1 can now be had for under half that so there is quite a price difference.
 
Keep an eye on 43rumors as that brings that latest gossip ( and bear in mind that it's not always accurate at this stage )
 
Hi there folks,
I'm looking at changing my heavy Canon gear for the OM-D cameras.
What I'd like to know is Olympus bringing out a mk11 Em-1 in the near future. If not then I'll go with the current model.
Thanks everybody

Cap.

I can't help with the question, but as a Canon shooter I have to admit the OM-D line is like a breath of fresh air.
My gear has to stay, for some of the gigs I shoot full frame is the only way, but for my everyday shooting I am very pleased to have turned to Olympus.
 
Thank you all for your replies.
Reason for asking the question was to find out if possible what differences the new one would have over the current model and the justification in holding on for it..

Cap
 
Thank you all for your replies.
Reason for asking the question was to find out if possible what differences the new one would have over the current model and the justification in holding on for it..

Cap

I expect one of the main differences would be the sensor - that new 20mp sensor in the Pen-F looks pretty good.
 
Thank you all for your replies.
Reason for asking the question was to find out if possible what differences the new one would have over the current model and the justification in holding on for it..

Cap

No one really knows what the new sensor will be because the one in the Pen F doesn't have phase detect focus points (as far as we know) and most people expect the EM1ii to have phase detect to improve continuous AF (which IS something Oly have said they will do).

However, some people are expecting miracles from a new sensor but as the Pen-F has shown, even after 5 years of development since the amazing 16mp m43 sensor was released the new 20mp one is marginally better at best (if it were that much better I'd have bought a Pen-F over a EM5ii as a backup, but it wasn't). The 16mp sensor was ahead of its time and that still shows, we may have to wait 5-10 years for organic sensors before seeing any step change in m43 performance (would love to be proved wrong though). Still, it would be nice to see some improvements and I would like better dynamic range at high ISO, I'm not overly fussed about noise performance, which is already good but high ISO shots are difficult to PP due to the limited dynamic range.

To put it simply people are hoping for better CAF, better high ISO performance, handheld hi-res mode and better video. Oly have hinted at some of those and promised against others but have also said they'll only include what they need to vis a vis the competition. Some people are already complaining about this but I think is VERY sensible - the EM1 is now what, 3 years old and Oly are still giving it new firmware that almost makes it a new camera and many other brands would have made you pay for a new camera for, the Oly approach (and Fuji do it too) extends the life of the hardware whilst keeping functionality up to date. This is great for us, as we don't have to pay for a new camera all the time and great for Oly as they don't have to invest in new hardware manufacturing all the time.
 
Thank you Nawty and everyone else.
I'm going with the units available now. The price hike that'll come with the new EM 1 for the extras just wouldn't justify my waiting for them. What you're saying in your post Nawty is what I expected to hear really, and thank you for that.
I'll get the EM-1 and 5mk11, they'll keep me busy for a while.

Cap
 
I have a fancy for less DoF for car meets that I attend. I used to have a 45 1.8 which i sold through lack of use and I have the 25 1.8 but this doesn't really give me the "pop" that i'm looking for - at 5 metres, the DoF is 2.35 metres. Now the 45 would give 0.69m DoF at 5 metres but it might be too tight for framing, especially when it comes to putting photos on Instagram

So that leaves the P25 f1.4 which would give DoF of 1.79m or the Sigma 30 mm f1.4 DC DN which would give DoF of 1.22m. The P25 is similar money ( used ) to the Sigma (new )...but the hood doesn't reverse which would annoy me....the Sigma hood reverses but the lens is considerably bigger...

aaaarrgggghhhhhh :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: why is this so tricky ?
 
I have a fancy for less DoF for car meets that I attend. I used to have a 45 1.8 which i sold through lack of use and I have the 25 1.8 but this doesn't really give me the "pop" that i'm looking for - at 5 metres, the DoF is 2.35 metres. Now the 45 would give 0.69m DoF at 5 metres but it might be too tight for framing, especially when it comes to putting photos on Instagram

So that leaves the P25 f1.4 which would give DoF of 1.79m or the Sigma 30 mm f1.4 DC DN which would give DoF of 1.22m. The P25 is similar money ( used ) to the Sigma (new )...but the hood doesn't reverse which would annoy me....the Sigma hood reverses but the lens is considerably bigger...

aaaarrgggghhhhhh :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: why is this so tricky ?

You could go for an old 35mm SLR 50mm f1.2. It'll mean manual focus but it'll get you thinner dof. You could even go for a legacy 85mm f1.8 or 135mm f2.8 but all of these mean shooting from further back without people getting in the way.

Actually... how about the 25mm f0.95? It's an excellent lens.
 
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The Voigtlander is £450+ at apertureuk... More than I want to spend at the moment and I don't know if MF would get on my nerves eventually
 
They're prices as well aren't they ?

If you want shallow dof on a strict budget you could reduce your camera to subject distance, if possible. An old 50mm f1.4 and a cheap adapter should give you shallow dof quite cheaply (£50?) and if your subject is stationary MF may not be too much of an issue. I went out with my A7 and two MF lenses the other day and didn't get a single oof shot. I know you said MF might get on your nerves but for this one use (car events) maybe you could live with it?
 
I have Olympus Zuiko, Minolta Rokkor and Canon FD. I went for these as they're mass market, easy to find and relatively cheap and of those I'd say that the Minolta Rokkor is the best. It's the sharpest of the three and suffers slightly fewer optical nasties. Adapters can be had for around £8 to £10.
 
Thank you all for your replies.
Reason for asking the question was to find out if possible what differences the new one would have over the current model and the justification in holding on for it..

Cap

If you look on www.43rumors.com and scroll through or search then they have plenty of leaks about the em1. Apparently, Improved ibis, new sensor, improved tracking, stuff about appealing to the pro market etc. With regards to the price and waiting for it to drop, then it took 5/6 months after launch for the em1 to drop to the current price it is at in the UK.

The em1 is already a great camera. But if you were going to wait but wanted to switch then the em10 mk2 is 375 on hdew?
 
The Voigtlander is £450+ at apertureuk... More than I want to spend at the moment and I don't know if MF would get on my nerves eventually

You could look at the Mitakon 25mm 0.95, if you risk it you could get it for £260 from HK. I was in the same situation as you last week, I decided the Panasonic 25mm 1.4 was the best option for ease and price. I felt the Sigma would only get taken out on rare occasions due to the size (roughly the same size and weight as my Panasonic 45-150mm) and I'm not great with manual focusing at all.
 
@woof woof so I've spent the last 12 hours looking for a Minolta 50mm MD f1.4 - they seem to range from £40 to £100+ on EvilBay, some have fungus ( which I assume isn't good ), dust ( expected given the age ? ). Couldn't find any listed in shops that you mentioned.. :(

I also had a look on mu-43 at the adapted lens thread - quite lovely so now I have a "romantic" notion that MF could work...if I can find a lens at the right money
 
@woof woof so I've spent the last 12 hours looking for a Minolta 50mm MD f1.4 - they seem to range from £40 to £100+ on EvilBay, some have fungus ( which I assume isn't good ), dust ( expected given the age ? ). Couldn't find any listed in shops that you mentioned.. :(

I also had a look on mu-43 at the adapted lens thread - quite lovely so now I have a "romantic" notion that MF could work...if I can find a lens at the right money

MF lenses are nice as long as you don't want to take anything moving or if you are in a hurry. For the price it's worth a try
 
It'd be for car events where they're parked..TBH, I'll probably end up thinking "nah, I can't be bothered" :D
 
@woof woof so I've spent the last 12 hours looking for a Minolta 50mm MD f1.4 - they seem to range from £40 to £100+ on EvilBay, some have fungus ( which I assume isn't good ), dust ( expected given the age ? ). Couldn't find any listed in shops that you mentioned.. :(

I also had a look on mu-43 at the adapted lens thread - quite lovely so now I have a "romantic" notion that MF could work...if I can find a lens at the right money

You just have to keep looking, they crop up quite often.
 
MF lenses are nice as long as you don't want to take anything moving or if you are in a hurry. For the price it's worth a try
Well, people used to use them for moving subjects :D

In these modern AF days MF may not be ideal for everyone but if you want a wide aperture lens for a lot less than a moden Panasonic or Olympus wide aperture AF lens goes for what other choice is there?
 
It'd be for car events where they're parked..TBH, I'll probably end up thinking "nah, I can't be bothered" :D

Hehehe

They do render colour up really well and have a nice quality. I've got a few m42 super takumars - check them on Flickr. Where are you based? You could have a try with mine if you were near Enough?
 
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