Olympus OM-D or something else?

mrbez

mrbez

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Hi Guys,

I am looking for a camera for my girlfriend but feel like I've been a little disconnected from the world of photography for a while.

I use a 7D which I'm actually selling, and I will probably replace my camera with the same suggestion to also come out of this thread.

The main use of the new camera would be for her fashion and travel blog. We travel a lot together and find the 7D way too big and heavy, I'm therefore looking for something much more portable, without hopefully losing too much on image quality etc.

We both love the look of the Olympus OM-D range.

In and around this price point, what would you guys recommend?

Thanks in advance.
 
What price point? There's a big price difference in the em10 mark2 and em1 and then the rumours of an em1 mark2.

Personally, ive gone from a canon 5d and 40d to the em10 mark2 and love the portability and size, the image quality is better with much sharper images than i used to get. I miss some of my f2.8 lenses etc but as ive only recently converted and am finding my lost photography mojo again I started at the "bottom" of the omd range.

I can't see how you can go wrong by doing the same, getting used to the system and then updating / upgrading as required.

Being used to the canon you'll be abit flummoxed at first with the vast array of settings and options, however, once set up (plenty of youtube vids etc out there) and you'll soon be used to it, took me only a few days.
 
I would also suggest the EM10 MK2 as it is very good value plus you can add on a bigger grip if you need to. You can save even more money by getting the earlier generation of the EM10 if you do not need all of the features of the new one. The sensors and the image processors should be the same in both versions so both have the same IQ
 
Thanks for the replies so far guys.

What are the new features in the mark ii?

If this is just a nice to have, I may indeed go for the mark i.

Which lens should I be looking at for now also? I'm currently in the US so I may purchase from here.
 
mrbez said:
Which lens should I be looking at for now also? I'm currently in the US so I may purchase from here.
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Primes or zooms?

The 17mm f1.8 is nice :D as are the 25 and 45mm f1.8's :D
 
mrbez said:
Thanks for the replies so far guys.

What are the new features in the mark ii?

If this is just a nice to have, I may indeed go for the mark i.

Which lens should I be looking at for now also? I'm currently in the US so I may purchase from here.
Click to expand...

The 10 mk 2 upgrades are mostly nice to have but I think the better IBIS and better VF make it worthwhile (also you will benefit from future firmware upgrades which tend to be good with Oly but they've stopped adding features to the mk 1). When I was in America I didn't find the price difference to be worthwhile buying there and it is actually much much cheaper to buy a grey import here, which is effectively what you would be doing by buying in the US.

If you're talking about the EM5 then the mk 2 is significantly better but then it costs a lot more - the mk 1 can be had very cheaply now and offers the same image quality modern versions but lacks things like wifi.

The EM1 mk 2 is still looking a long way off, I read recently that it would be end of year earliest which is further off than the previous prediction of this spring. I only hope that, like the new 300mm it will be worth the wait (as opposed to the new Pen-F which is just a re-hashed EM5ii).
 
Nawty said:
The 10 mk 2 upgrades are mostly nice to have but I think the better IBIS and better VF make it worthwhile (also you will benefit from future firmware upgrades which tend to be good with Oly but they've stopped adding features to the mk 1). When I was in America I didn't find the price difference to be worthwhile buying there and it is actually much much cheaper to buy a grey import here, which is effectively what you would be doing by buying in the US.

If you're talking about the EM5 then the mk 2 is significantly better but then it costs a lot more - the mk 1 can be had very cheaply now and offers the same image quality modern versions but lacks things like wifi.

The EM1 mk 2 is still looking a long way off, I read recently that it would be end of year earliest which is further off than the previous prediction of this spring. I only hope that, like the new 300mm it will be worth the wait (as opposed to the new Pen-F which is just a re-hashed EM5ii).
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Doesn't the PENF have that new sensor which will probably go into the E-M1 mk2?

OP - E-M10 mk2 and 17mm would probably do a good job for travel type stuff? WiFi will help you post photos from a phone or iPad while you're on the road, surprisingly useful if you want to share something to social media!
 
JYC said:
Doesn't the PENF have that new sensor which will probably go into the E-M1 mk2?

OP - E-M10 mk2 and 17mm would probably do a good job for travel type stuff? WiFi will help you post photos from a phone or iPad while you're on the road, surprisingly useful if you want to share something to social media!
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Yes it has a new sensor but the hope is it doesn't go on the EM1ii as it doesn't really seem to offer much of an improvement in IQ. We are waiting for the Adobe raw converter so we can properly assess the dynamic range but for most people the new sensor is a bit of a let down. Also, this new sensor doesn't have phase detect AF sensors so again, it is hoped this isn't the sensor for the Em1ii.

The reason I went for the EM10 over the EM5 is wifi. EM10 + iPad makes for a great travel combo.
 
Definitely need to try them first, I handled both EM1 and EM5 mk2 the other week and they felt a bit too small for me.

Might also be worth looking at the Fuji X series cameras and lenses, a search on this site will give you a good insight
 
I went down this route for the portability, initially having the EM10 with 14-42mm EZ pancake and then the EM5-II with 12-40mm f2.8. Both combos are excellent, but obviously the latter is significantly better in all accounts (barring size). However, the EM5-II with 12-40mm f2.8 is getting quite bulky again and for city breaks etc essentially was essentially no different to my DSLR as I had to carry it on a sling strap anyway, in which case the weight difference is barely noticeable as the weight's distributed across your body with a strap like this. Even when I hade the EM10 with Pancake it's not pocketable and I prefer a slingstrap to a neck strap, but of course it is better not having the lens sticking out when you're walking around, especially in busy places where it can bash into folk and so the reduction in bulk was noticeable. However, I've just bought an RX100-III and my initial tests show that there's little to no difference in IQ between this and the EM5-II with 12-40mm (once I'd realised that the RX100 shows diffraction at f8 and best to use at f5.6 and below, preferably f4). The EM5-II has probably 1.5 stop better ISO which you would obviously notice if using the 12-40mm f2.8 at the long end, but the advantage is lost at the short end as the RX100 is f1.8 so ISO will be just over a stop less anyway. Obviously, stick the pancake lens on the Olly and the RX100-III may possibly be better in low light due to the wider aperture.

Handling is better on the Ollies obviously as it as more dials and buttons, but the Sony is very useable. Took me about a day to get to grips with it and now all features are within easy access. I'm actually now contemplating getting rid of my Olly gear. I still have me D750 for ultimate performance and IQ, and then something that is truly portable/pocketable. Trouble is the Olly's such a nice camera I'm struggling to decide whether to get rid of it or not :confused: It's sooooo pretty :LOL:
 
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JYC said:
WiFi will help you post photos from a phone or iPad while you're on the road, surprisingly useful if you want to share something to social media!
Click to expand...

That's how I did this yesterday :) Used the wifi on the phone to remote control the camera, set up the shot, position the fridge items, ensure I was in the photo properly etc etc.

fisheyefunfridge by Donnie Canning, on Flickr
 
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