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

Greytop said:
The 40-150 f/2.8 is a fantastic piece of glass, I would go that route and lose the hood so it looks a little less intimidating (in the street).
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OK third try
HuwI screwed this up and sent it to myself when I meant it for you( I'm a beginner here). I'm posting it again.

I was in Park cameras yesterday and discovered Olympus has a test Drive programme with selected stockists that enables potential buyers to test drive a lens for 2 or 3 days. That is what I am going to do starting with the 40-150.
By the way I notice that you have two Olympus bodies. If you don't mind me asking, what do you use them for and how do they compare?
 
Since you asked..... ;)

I tend to use my E-M1 with my Pro zooms sometimes griped, the E-M5 MkII get's it's outings with my selection of primes (generally).
Light weight zoom solution and lighter weight prime solution.

I've just added the ECG-2 handgrip to my E-M5 which makes for even nicer handling camera.
Output between the two... next to nothing.

Hope that helps.
 
Apologies if this has been asked before, but here goes.....

Forgetting that the EM1 mk II has been announced, what is the better camera for landscape work and keeping up with a very active four year old between the original EM1 and the EM5 mk II? Is the EM1 with the latest firmware upgrade still able to hold its own against newer models from both Olympus and Panasonic? I'd be using the camera predominantly with my Oly 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens.

Panasonic seems to be moving ever more video centric, and hence as a stills shooter the features that Olympus offers are becoming ever more appealing.

Would be really interested to hear people's thoughts and experiences.

Cheers,

Simon.
 
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srhmoto said:
Apologies if this has been asked before, but here goes.....

Forgetting that the EM1 mk II has been announced, what is the better camera for landscape work and keeping up with a very active four year old between the original EM1 and the EM5 mk II? Is the EM1 with the latest firmware upgrade still able to hold its own against newer models from both Olympus and Panasonic? I'd be using the camera predominantly with my Oly 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens.

Panasonic seems to be moving ever more video centric, and hence as a stills shooter the features that Olympus offers are becoming ever more appealing.

Would be really interested to hear people's thoughts and experiences.

Cheers,

Simon.
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I think the answer might not be as clear cut as you're hoping. Life's never that easy!

I made this decision earlier this year. Sounds like a similar application to me though I was never that confident that either would really satisfy for fast moving kids.

The things that prompted me to go for the EM5ii were:

  • Hi res mode. This was a big draw for me. Many people don't seem that bothered about this but I personally love it and have found it far more usable than I'd perhaps envisaged. It's true that it doesn't work in lots of applications but for landscapes, I've found it works more often than not. A small amount of movement in shot at relatively quick shutter speeds can throw up some silly effects but when you're using longer shutter speeds and movement is more fluid (flowing water, moving clouds, grass blowing in the wind etc, it all blends okay in the same was a single long exposure looks.
  • It's smaller. I like the fact that it's pretty discreet but doesn't lack in the control department. It's lovely to carry with no grip and just a 17mm 1.8 attached.
  • It looks nice - I know this one is unimportant but I like the more retro appearance of the EM5ii.
  • Long exposure noise. I have no direct comparison experience here but I'd read a lot of complaints about long exposure noise on the EM1. The EM5ii is no full frame performer here but I find it perfectly okay.
  • The live composite and live bulb modes. These are great but not sure if firmware updates have now brought these features to the EM1?

Things than almost made me opt for an EM1

  • Better AF performance for moving subjects. I honestly don't know how differently they perform but I get the impression the EM1 is better but maybe still not what everybody would hope for.
  • Better balanced body for bigger lenses. This might be very relevant to the 12-40, although of course the EM5ii can take a grip.
  • Better direct button layout. The DSLR style body puts everything more conveniently at your finger tips.
  • Focus stacking in camera. This wasn't actually a consideration at the time as it wasn't announced but is a nice feature. The EM5ii does focus bracketing but you'd need to stack in software.
  • Being able to effectively use 4/3 lenses. I don't have any but the option is nice and there are some stunning lenses to choose from.
I'm sure that's not telling you anything new! It's a tough choice. Not really sure that you can make the wrong decision as they both have some great features but are pretty damn similar underneath it all.
 
gad-westy said:
I think the answer might not be as clear cut as you're hoping. Life's never that easy!

I made this decision earlier this year. Sounds like a similar application to me though I was never that confident that either would really satisfy for fast moving kids.

The things that prompted me to go for the EM5ii were:

  • Hi res mode. This was a big draw for me. Many people don't seem that bothered about this but I personally love it and have found it far more usable than I'd perhaps envisaged. It's true that it doesn't work in lots of applications but for landscapes, I've found it works more often than not. A small amount of movement in shot at relatively quick shutter speeds can throw up some silly effects but when you're using longer shutter speeds and movement is more fluid (flowing water, moving clouds, grass blowing in the wind etc, it all blends okay in the same was a single long exposure looks.
  • It's smaller. I like the fact that it's pretty discreet but doesn't lack in the control department. It's lovely to carry with no grip and just a 17mm 1.8 attached.
  • It looks nice - I know this one is unimportant but I like the more retro appearance of the EM5ii.
  • Long exposure noise. I have no direct comparison experience here but I'd read a lot of complaints about long exposure noise on the EM1. The EM5ii is no full frame performer here but I find it perfectly okay.
  • The live composite and live bulb modes. These are great but not sure if firmware updates have now brought these features to the EM1?

Things than almost made me opt for an EM1

  • Better AF performance for moving subjects. I honestly don't know how differently they perform but I get the impression the EM1 is better but maybe still not what everybody would hope for.
  • Better balanced body for bigger lenses. This might be very relevant to the 12-40, although of course the EM5ii can take a grip.
  • Better direct button layout. The DSLR style body puts everything more conveniently at your finger tips.
  • Focus stacking in camera. This wasn't actually a consideration at the time as it wasn't announced but is a nice feature. The EM5ii does focus bracketing but you'd need to stack in software.
  • Being able to effectively use 4/3 lenses. I don't have any but the option is nice and there are some stunning lenses to choose from.
I'm sure that's not telling you anything new! It's a tough choice. Not really sure that you can make the wrong decision as they both have some great features but are pretty damn similar underneath it all.
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Everything in life is a compromise!

Great reply - thank you.

My biggest concern with the EM5 mk II is ergonomics. From brief periods of handling one, I doubt I could get away without adding one of additional grips. That starts to make it expensive IMHO. However, it has a terrific feature set.

Of course, a G80 is another option. However, it is limited to a maximum 2 minute bulb exposure. Now I don't do a huge amount of LE work, but I've certainly taken several images this year with a shutter speed beyond this. The introductory grip off makes the camera pretty good value too (assuming you want a battery grip!).

Decisions, decisions! I'll probably end up doing nowt LOL

Simon.
 
srhmoto said:
My biggest concern with the EM5 mk II is ergonomics
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Yes to that, I have one and I always have to fiddle around to find the buttons and regularly press a buton I didn't mean to. I've even been in a situation where I pressed a button accidentally, didn't know which one and then had to faff around to get it back to a sane operating mode.

That said it is a great little camera and I use it quite a lot.
 
srhmoto said:
Everything in life is a compromise!

Great reply - thank you.

My biggest concern with the EM5 mk II is ergonomics. From brief periods of handling one, I doubt I could get away without adding one of additional grips. That starts to make it expensive IMHO. However, it has a terrific feature set.

Of course, a G80 is another option. However, it is limited to a maximum 2 minute bulb exposure. Now I don't do a huge amount of LE work, but I've certainly taken several images this year with a shutter speed beyond this. The introductory grip off makes the camera pretty good value too (assuming you want a battery grip!).

Decisions, decisions! I'll probably end up doing nowt LOL

Simon.
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Indeed. Ergonomics with the bigger lenses attached to the EM5ii is a slight issue. I have a third part grip that doubles up as an Arca L Bracket for mine that balanced better but the actual handgrip part of it is too fat and makes button access with a fatter lens attached (including 12-40 2.8) a bit of a pain. The proper Olympus version of the L-bracket (ECG-2) looks far better ergonomically but is really pricey for what it is. Never been a big fan of full on battery grips but there is a proper Olympus one of those too that looks like it offers better value. Obviously the EM1 doesn't need any of this consideration unless you want the portrait/battery grip or need an L-bracket anyway.

I must admit for my usage I quite like the smaller form of the EM5 but I tend to use primes. I think if I were only ever using a 12-40, the grip would be permanently attached and then I'd have to question whether an EM1 would make more sense.
 
Loving these comparisons that are being done.

I'm currently looking to drop most if not all of my full frame canon gear as I am really enjoying using the m43 stuff. Deciding on what I will be getting at the moment.

I currently have an EM10 mark ii and some primes. I'm interested to know if they autofocus on the EM5 mark ii is any better than the 10. The 10 is fast, but the continous AF is utterly useless - it's simply too slow.
 
I doubt it. C-AF on the e-m1 for kids/dogs/bif is also pointless. Cars it can do...mostly
 
srhmoto said:
Apologies if this has been asked before, but here goes.....

Forgetting that the EM1 mk II has been announced, what is the better camera for landscape work and keeping up with a very active four year old between the original EM1 and the EM5 mk II? Is the EM1 with the latest firmware upgrade still able to hold its own against newer models from both Olympus and Panasonic? I'd be using the camera predominantly with my Oly 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens.

Panasonic seems to be moving ever more video centric, and hence as a stills shooter the features that Olympus offers are becoming ever more appealing.

Would be really interested to hear people's thoughts and experiences.

Cheers,

Simon.
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I have both the EM5ii and the EM1 and if your subject is in any way moving whatsoever you want the EM1, which is actually pretty passable as long as the subject is reasonably large in the frame (picking small fast things out of the air it can't do).

For landscape they are both great, the IBIS in the EM1 isn't quite as good as the EM5ii but both are very good.
 
seriousrikk said:
I currently have an EM10 mark ii and some primes. I'm interested to know if they autofocus on the EM5 mark ii is any better than the 10. The 10 is fast, but the continous AF is utterly useless - it's simply too slow.
Click to expand...

No it isn't, you need the EM1 for better AF.
 
Nawty said:
I have both the EM5ii and the EM1 and if your subject is in any way moving whatsoever you want the EM1, which is actually pretty passable as long as the subject is reasonably large in the frame (picking small fast things out of the air it can't do).

For landscape they are both great, the IBIS in the EM1 isn't quite as good as the EM5ii but both are very good.
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Agree with this. I have both too (originally intended to sell the EM1 when I bought the 5ii but haven't got round to it/couldn't bring myself to do it!) and generally leave the 12-40 on the EM1 as it's better balanced on that than on the 5ii which I use with smaller primes. I got a good deal on the grip for the 5ii which I find necessary to make it comfortable to hold, otherwise it's a bit too small.
 
Greytop said:
Since you asked..... ;)

I tend to use my E-M1 with my Pro zooms sometimes griped, the E-M5 MkII get's it's outings with my selection of primes (generally).
Light weight zoom solution and lighter weight prime solution.

I've just added the ECG-2 handgrip to my E-M5 which makes for even nicer handling camera.
Output between the two... next to nothing.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
many thanks
 
Thanks Nik - I can't work out if it's noisy on the opposite bank / trees or if it's wind movement. 40s exposure could be noise and the 9-18 isn't the sharpest lens I have but is fine for landscape
 
Think I am slowly coming round to the idea of going with m4/3rds and sticking to it this time. Decided to go for Olympus over Panasonic and looking at either a E-M5mk2 or an E-M1 with probably a 12-40pro lens. I am getting into landscape quite a bit and was wondering what sort of filter sizes do people use? would something like the Lee Seven5 or Hitech 85mm system be ok?
 
ian-83 said:
Think I am slowly coming round to the idea of going with m4/3rds and sticking to it this time. Decided to go for Olympus over Panasonic and looking at either a E-M5mk2 or an E-M1 with probably a 12-40pro lens. I am getting into landscape quite a bit and was wondering what sort of filter sizes do people use? would something like the Lee Seven5 or Hitech 85mm system be ok?
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I use the Hitech 67mm system with an Oly 12-40mm pro. Only problem I've found is that is vignettes at 12mm with 2 filter slots plus a circular polariser fitted. Other than that, it works a treat.

Simon.
 
damianmkv said:
Thanks Nik - I can't work out if it's noisy on the opposite bank / trees or if it's wind movement. 40s exposure could be noise and the 9-18 isn't the sharpest lens I have but is fine for landscape
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the trees on the left look like movement to me, but tbh i don't think it detracts from the image.
 
I use the Lee Seven5 system on my EM1 and GX8. Pricey but excellent quality except weirdly the polariser, which can display ghosting / reflections and is hideously expensive for a small system. Would be better if the polariser on the Seven5 (and indeed the full frame Lee system), went in the back slot rather than hanging off the front, (like my 10 year old Cokin system), as I think that would alleviate a lot of the issue, but then I guess it would be difficult to use little and big stoppers ?
 
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srhmoto said:
I use the Hitech 67mm system with an Oly 12-40mm pro. Only problem I've found is that is vignettes at 12mm with 2 filter slots plus a circular polariser fitted. Other than that, it works a treat.

Simon.
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The 85mm Hitech vignettes on the 12-40mm at 12mm with and 9-18mm at 9mm with 2 slots and a polariser.
I need another holder with single slot.
 
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I have a question regarding shutter speed limitation.

I shoot mainly in aperture priority but I wanted to do a little street stuff whilst the Mrs was shopping, I left the camera in aperture priority and started shooting but my shutter speed dropped when the light started to fade so I had a play in the menu looking for the minimum shutter speed setting and couldn't find it. Not a big issue as I went into shutter priority and auto ISO but my Fuji used to let me set a minimum shutter speed as my D750 does.
I'm I missing it, is it hidden somewhere in the sub menus?

I shoot an E-M5 MK II by the way but I presume all OM-D's will be the same.
 
Billy said:
I have a question regarding shutter speed limitation.

I shoot mainly in aperture priority but I wanted to do a little street stuff whilst the Mrs was shopping, I left the camera in aperture priority and started shooting but my shutter speed dropped when the light started to fade so I had a play in the menu looking for the minimum shutter speed setting and couldn't find it. Not a big issue as I went into shutter priority and auto ISO but my Fuji used to let me set a minimum shutter speed as my D750 does.
I'm I missing it, is it hidden somewhere in the sub menus?

I shoot an E-M5 MK II by the way but I presume all OM-D's will be the same.
Click to expand...

Use the Flash slow limit setting in the Menu.
It may seem strange, but it is the recommended way.
It only works in mechanical shutter mode though.

The guys and gals on mu43.com have all the answers.
 
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srhmoto said:
Everything in life is a compromise!

Great reply - thank you.

My biggest concern with the EM5 mk II is ergonomics. From brief periods of handling one, I doubt I could get away without adding one of additional grips. That starts to make it expensive IMHO. However, it has a terrific feature set.

Of course, a G80 is another option. However, it is limited to a maximum 2 minute bulb exposure. Now I don't do a huge amount of LE work, but I've certainly taken several images this year with a shutter speed beyond this. The introductory grip off makes the camera pretty good value too (assuming you want a battery grip!).

Decisions, decisions! I'll probably end up doing nowt LOL

Simon.
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I had a similar decision when I bought my E-M5mk2 last month and ended buying a slightly used body and a new grip, so the overal cost was mo more than typical new retail for the body only. I felt the E-M1 was potentially getting a bit old and also quite bulky, whereas with the added grip I can just remove it if I want a more compact package. I have the 12-40 and it is a nice balance.
Commenting on the AF performnce on moving subjects, I don't use it a lot, but have found it to be more than acceptable, even on my original E-PL5. This is with the Oly 75-300mm lens.
 
srhmoto said:
Apologies if this has been asked before, but here goes.....

Forgetting that the EM1 mk II has been announced, what is the better camera for landscape work and keeping up with a very active four year old between the original EM1 and the EM5 mk II? Is the EM1 with the latest firmware upgrade still able to hold its own against newer models from both Olympus and Panasonic? I'd be using the camera predominantly with my Oly 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens.

Panasonic seems to be moving ever more video centric, and hence as a stills shooter the features that Olympus offers are becoming ever more appealing.

Would be really interested to hear people's thoughts and experiences.

Cheers,

Simon.
Click to expand...

Simon ime a bit surprised your GX8 will not keep up with a active four year old,ime finding i can manage BIF with mine and the 100-400,putting something like my 12-35 f2.8 on makes it even better for action shots.
 
srhmoto said:
Apologies if this has been asked before, but here goes.....

Forgetting that the EM1 mk II has been announced, what is the better camera for landscape work and keeping up with a very active four year old between the original EM1 and the EM5 mk II? Is the EM1 with the latest firmware upgrade still able to hold its own against newer models from both Olympus and Panasonic? I'd be using the camera predominantly with my Oly 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens.

Panasonic seems to be moving ever more video centric, and hence as a stills shooter the features that Olympus offers are becoming ever more appealing.

Would be really interested to hear people's thoughts and experiences.

Cheers,

Simon.
Click to expand...

Panasonic may have more cameras that have 4K on them, but this can be useful for photographers too. The 4K can be used to extract still images at 30fps and for focus stacking... Now I'm sure that posting this will have people complaining that you only get an 8mp image when photos are extracted from 4K. However, I've seen 20X30" canvas prints and A1 poster prints from stills extracted from 4K video that look really good. Ok, they may not be professional grade and it will have its limitations, but they're still good for the enthusiast. I particularly enjoyed using focus stacking for macro photography and I have a friend who needs photos for his website that involve product photography where this comes in really handy.
 
mikew said:
Simon ime a bit surprised your GX8 will not keep up with a active four year old,ime finding i can manage BIF with mine and the 100-400,putting something like my 12-35 f2.8 on makes it even better for action shots.
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I'm sure one of the problems I have is not having it paired with one of the more modern Panny lenses to take advantage of the 240fps focusing speed and DFD technology, but in my experience the hit rate with my son running / scooting / riding towards the camera at anything over walking pace using continuous AF is very poor. I get much more success using single AF. For me, it's just a limitation of the system that I accept and can to an extent work around. There's always a compromise somewhere, and I'm happy enough to accept this given all of the other benefits that m4/3 brings.

Cheers,

Simon.
 
Jono1 said:
Panasonic may have more cameras that have 4K on them, but this can be useful for photographers too. The 4K can be used to extract still images at 30fps and for focus stacking... Now I'm sure that posting this will have people complaining that you only get an 8mp image when photos are extracted from 4K. However, I've seen 20X30" canvas prints and A1 poster prints from stills extracted from 4K video that look really good. Ok, they may not be professional grade and it will have its limitations, but they're still good for the enthusiast. I particularly enjoyed using focus stacking for macro photography and I have a friend who needs photos for his website that involve product photography where this comes in really handy.
Click to expand...

In over a year of ownership of my GX8, I've only used a 4k photo mode once and that was really just to see how it worked. Nothing that I photograph really benefits from the technology. I would also much prefer if the 4K frames were captured as raw files, as I much prefer my own JPEG output rather than anything the camera can produce. I have no doubt that the 4K photo modes are useful for other photographers, but right now for what I currently photograph, they aren't really of any interest to me.

Simon.
 
srhmoto said:
In over a year of ownership of my GX8, I've only used a 4k photo mode once and that was really just to see how it worked. Nothing that I photograph really benefits from the technology. I would also much prefer if the 4K frames were captured as raw files, as I much prefer my own JPEG output rather than anything the camera can produce. I have no doubt that the 4K photo modes are useful for other photographers, but right now for what I currently photograph, they aren't really of any interest to me.

Simon.
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I'm the same Simon - the reason I went for the G80 was ergonomics - I love the Olympus design but I just cannot get on with the handling, the EM5 and 10 are just too small for me :(

In saying that I have tried the post focus mode which is fun - will try the 4k burst when I get the chance.
 
Saw my father in law today.

"I've got a torch for you. If it doesn't work, throw it"

Turns out to be a Panny dmw-fl360l flash which works as OCF and TTL on my e-m1. Am well chuffed...but have no idea how to use it properly.

Tried it in the living room and wow ! Lots of stuff to learn now
 
Billy said:
I have a question regarding shutter speed limitation.

I shoot mainly in aperture priority but I wanted to do a little street stuff whilst the Mrs was shopping, I left the camera in aperture priority and started shooting but my shutter speed dropped when the light started to fade so I had a play in the menu looking for the minimum shutter speed setting and couldn't find it. Not a big issue as I went into shutter priority and auto ISO but my Fuji used to let me set a minimum shutter speed as my D750 does.
I'm I missing it, is it hidden somewhere in the sub menus?

I shoot an E-M5 MK II by the way but I presume all OM-D's will be the same.
Click to expand...
The EM1ii seems sort this properly so maybe firmware update will for other models
 
its been about 12+ months since i had the 45 so i don't recall but i had the 025 before the Sigma and I don't notice any discernible difference in AF performance. My only "grumble" is that sometimes 60mm equivalent is a bit long for what i want but that's not the lenses fault :LOL: Personally, i love it - its very sharp and gives great background separation

Have a picture of a tree rat

grey by damianmkv, on Flickr
 
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