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

Engineer73 said:
Anyone got one/tried one?

I'm in the market and would like practical reports please before I jump.

Thanks

Jeff
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I would personally wait for a few months. Unless you are tied to m43 seems as if a slew of new cameras will be coming on the market (hopefully) driving the prices down. A friend as extensively used the EM1 and he was very happy with it. A real professional tool. I had a look at the files and they indeed look excellent. What attracts me to the EM1, is this camera with the new 12-40 lens seems to be a fantastic travel camera with excellent image quality.

possibly tempted by Sonys and maybe Nikons new FF cameras, but the laws of physics cannot be defied and their top quality travel zooms are just too big and heavy in comparison to the Oly 12-40 and Panasonic 12-35.
 
Do you think we will see the price fall significantly before the end of the year. Need to buy by 1st Jan so waiting for some movement hopefully. Still deciding between 70D/D7100 or to go for EM1. Don't think the budget will stretch to the new FF sonys and the lenses are going to be expensive. Not sure what else to look at really, quite confused.
 
AndrewSt said:
Do you think we will see the price fall significantly before the end of the year. Need to buy by 1st Jan so waiting for some movement hopefully. Still deciding between 70D/D7100 or to go for EM1. Don't think the budget will stretch to the new FF sonys and the lenses are going to be expensive. Not sure what else to look at really, quite confused.
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I'm not sure we will see drops until end Jan/Feb at the absolute earliest.

I think it really depends what you want the camera for. I think IQ is more than sufficiently fulfilled my m43 - if the lens selection is there for you I would go for m43 (also don't discount the EM5, still a great camera and deals to be had).
 
Really liked the EM5, IQ etc but the buttons are just a little too small in my hands to be comfortable. Otherwise I would go for it and make the most of the free 45mm lens rebate from Olympus. EM1 just seem that little bit bigger and more suited to my hands.

DSLRs fit and feel good in hand but just that extra weight means I am not sure if I will end up leaving it at home sometimes.
 
EM5 is a cracker but like you I struggle with the small buttons / grip.
EM1 is said to be around the same size as the EM5 is with the first part of the grip attached, although the on-camera buttons are larger.

I hear what your saying about size, I sold a D600 and bought a used EM5 but only kept it for a fortnight as I couldn't get on with it.

I personally think £1300 is a lot for just the body right now on the EM1, good as it is when the EM5 can be had for £600-£700.

Looking at the cameras you've mentioned I'd probably go for the D7100, its what I'm currently looking at and it looks a cracker, I previously had the D7000 and with either a kit zoom or small prime (24mm/35mm/50mm) it was easy to carry around with me and had all the grip/size I could ask for.
 
crazyp said:
I would personally wait for a few months. Unless you are tied to m43 seems as if a slew of new cameras will be coming on the market (hopefully) driving the prices down. A friend as extensively used the EM1 and he was very happy with it. A real professional tool. I had a look at the files and they indeed look excellent. What attracts me to the EM1, is this camera with the new 12-40 lens seems to be a fantastic travel camera with excellent image quality.

possibly tempted by Sonys and maybe Nikons new FF cameras, but the laws of physics cannot be defied and their top quality travel zooms are just too big and heavy in comparison to the Oly 12-40 and Panasonic 12-35.
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Thanks for this. I have just sold my heavy Canon 7D and f/2.8 zooms so I'm looking for something light with a good choice of lenses and good but not fantastic image quality. M4/3 seemed to fill my requirements. Mostly I shoot street, portraits and landscapes and I travel a lot.

As other people have said maybe it is worth waiting until the initial surge of interest fades and prices go down. However Olympus seem to keep their prices high on principle so i'm not sure if it is worth waiting and missing all those photos I might take in the here and now.

best wisnes

Jeff
 
Yeah I am thinking the 7100. It looks to have an edge on the 70d for stills. I do like the touch screen on the 70d but probably a gimmick and not really that important. I can get the 7100 form Amazon for £940 then £100 cashback with the 18-105 lens. The 70D is over £1K and only with the 18-55 which is probably quite limited. I could manage with the 18-105 for quite a while.
 
I've been using a Nikon D700 with an old 28-105 zoom for travel and after the last holiday, I just felt the heft much more (probably due to the heat), which has prompted me to try something else. Also the lens is really only good when stepped down to f6-f7, which is a bit limiting.

D7100 is a good choice, but read about issues with the buffer - not sure if that will impact you or not?
 
bl0at3r said:
Hopefully a power hardtop Mazda MX5. What did you get yourself?
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Nice! I'm geting a 180 bhp Audi A3 quattro :D. Being made redundant in December but already have another job so decided I was going to spend some frivolously. I figured going for the S3 would probably cost me too many licence points!
 
arad85 said:
Nice! I'm geting a 180 bhp Audi A3 quattro :D. Being made redundant in December but already have another job so decided I was going to spend some frivolously. I figured going for the S3 would probably cost me too many licence points!
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older shape (52) ? I had one a few years ago, amazing car :)
 
Does anyone use the grip on their EM5? I have rather large hands and find the EM5 alone quite small to handle and putting me off buying it. Unfortunately none of the local camera stores have the grip in stock for me to try.

If not then i will go with either the d7100 or 70d
 
buckas said:
older shape (52) ? I had one a few years ago, amazing car :)
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Nope... Brand spanking new - will be delivered on 14 plates... :D

Call it a (second) mid-life :cool:
 
AndrewSt said:
Does anyone use the grip on their EM5? I have rather large hands and find the EM5 alone quite small to handle and putting me off buying it. Unfortunately none of the local camera stores have the grip in stock for me to try.

If not then i will go with either the d7100 or 70d
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I used the grip and still didn't find it large enough, even with just the first part of the grip its not as big as the grip on a D7100 or 70D
 
Hi all

Just picked my EM5 today.
I must say that I looking forward to getting out and seeing what it is able to do.
picked the omd up as a walk-about for when I really dont need the 5DIII or when weight is an issue.

Does anyone know of any decent thirdparty batteries that will work with the standard charger?
 
lensworx said:
Hi all

Just picked my EM5 today.
I must say that I looking forward to getting out and seeing what it is able to do.
picked the omd up as a walk-about for when I really dont need the 5DIII or when weight is an issue.

Does anyone know of any decent thirdparty batteries that will work with the standard charger?
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Enjoy your EM-5. I've just ordered a couple of these, which have been recommended to me:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B24YO1O/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item
 
Pamamoz have the Em1 in for £1113 with 12-50 lens, massive saving of £386 compared to best UK price.

Did anyone here buy their EM5 from panamoz. Any specific issues with Olympus and grey imports?
 
AndrewSt said:
Pamamoz have the Em1 in for £1113 with 12-50 lens, massive saving of £386 compared to best UK price.

Did anyone here buy their EM5 from panamoz. Any specific issues with Olympus and grey imports?
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My understanding is that Oly do a 1yr worldwide warranty, so you'd be covered for a year, then after that you're dependent on the extra year of panamoz warranty.

On the flip side, buying UK stock you get 2yrs warranty as standard, then with the em1 you get "service plus", which give an additional 6 months and expedited turnaround times (apparently). Plus, you'll get whatever the bundle deal is at the time (eg free grip worth £190).
 
Can anyone confirm the worldwide warranty or point me in the direction to the info from olympus?
 
AndrewSt said:
Can anyone confirm the worldwide warranty or point me in the direction to the info from olympus?
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Linky.

You should make sure with any grey imports that the warranty card is included in the box, as I've heard of people who have received unsealed boxes with no card.
 
Just got a EM-5, 45mm, 12-50 & 60mm macro delivered for a mag piece I'm doing.

It's a cracking little camera isn't it! Bit small when you're used to using a gripped 5D3 but seems to pack a punch! A

Any pointers or tips on must do things to get the best out of it, settings wise etc? Would be good to hear from existing owners

cheers,
drew
 
buckas said:
Any pointers or tips on must do things to get the best out of it, settings wise etc? Would be good to hear from existing owners
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Some insight from me:

Because it's so damn small and lightweight compared to a full frame combo, it's harder to hold it still without introducing some camera shake. And because it's higher pixel density, it's more susceptible to shake as well. So I had to concentrate a bit on my technique when I first moved across (the 5D2 really is nice and hefty!), and I found that I needed a higher minimum shutter speed than I was used to in order to keep things critically sharp.

I use auto ISO a lot for portraits with the 45mm, and I usually set the min shutter to above 1/160 if the light allows it. I just dial in the desired aperture, then let the camera roam around the ISO values keeping an eye it's at or under 1600, which gives good results, such is the quality of sensor and lens. White balance is very good imo, and left in auto most of the time (usually with the keep warm setting on for portraits), apart from obvious cases, and I tend to use S-AF, which is really very quick and accurate, with the smallest point size possible (x14 mag I think).

Also, get used to the fact more noise will be visible in post, eg when sharpening in 100% view, compared to the 5D. At common print sizes though, it's not a real world problem, but it might bug you at first (if so, I suggest making a few prints).

And don't bother with C-AF, esp coming from the 5d3. Just don't go there. Trust me. :bang:
 
Thanks Will! Very helpful, will have a play over the weekend. Lol yeh, have read online people's views to C-AF, say no more :thumbs:

drew
 
You shouldn't really have any difficulty with slow shutter speeds, the 5 axis IBIS system of the OM-D is pretty amazing, you can achieve sharp hand-held shots down to ridiculously slow exposure times.

Here's an example, barrels of 1867 vintage port (O'Porto August this year)
1/6 second, ISO2500, E-M5 with 12-35.
 
Dear Olympus,

WEX photographic are currently running an offer for the next few days where you can get a full frame Canon 6D for £1,175 (after code & cashback), bundled with lightroom 5 and premiere elements 11 (worth £180). Linky.

Please respond to this massive price pressure by lower the price of the EM1. In my opinion, £1300 (plus free £180 grip) is too expensive in the todays market.

Regards,
A potential EM5 upgrader.
 
Xenon54 said:
Dear Olympus,

WEX photographic are currently running an offer for the next few days where you can get a full frame Canon 6D for £1,175 (after code & cashback), bundled with lightroom 5 and premiere elements 11 (worth £180). Linky.

Please respond to this massive price pressure by lower the price of the EM1. In my opinion, £1300 (plus free £180 grip) is too expensive in the todays market.

Regards,
A potential EM5 upgrader.
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I completely agree, no doubt he EM1 looks a great camera, but with other recent releases and price drops like the above its looking really expensive, we have so much choice now, the markets not the same as when the EM5 was released
 
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Someone above mentions using auto ISO and the ability to set a minimum shutter speed whilst doing so - is that correct and does it work in all modes?
Thanks
 
davek said:
Someone above mentions using auto ISO and the ability to set a minimum shutter speed whilst doing so - is that correct and does it work in all modes?
Thanks
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There's an option in the Menu to set if auto ISO works in all modes or just P / A / S, ie not Manual. it's in the cogs menu E called "ISO-Auto". There's also the option called "ISO-auto set" which allows you to set a max (I set mine to 6400) and a default (I set mine to 200).

Separately there's an option called "flash slow limit" in cog menu F which allows you to set a min shutter speed as well.

So, if you shoot in Aperture priority, the camera logic seems to be designed to always use the lowest ISO. If you point the camera at a lower light scene, it will lower the shutter speed to compensate (as is normal with A mode), until you hit the min shutter speed limit, at which point it'll start to raise the ISO. Then if you point at a brighter scene, the ISO will drop all the way down to the default value, before raising the shutter speed. So it makes sense to set the default value to 200 (best IQ) and a min shutter that's not too low (to avoid motion blur), but the exact value will depend on focal length and what you're shooting.
 
Xenon54 said:
There's an option in the Menu to set if auto ISO works in all modes or just P / A / S, ie not Manual. it's in the cogs menu E called "ISO-Auto". There's also the option called "ISO-auto set" which allows you to set a max (I set mine to 6400) and a default (I set mine to 200).

Separately there's an option called "flash slow limit" in cog menu F which allows you to set a min shutter speed as well.

So, if you shoot in Aperture priority, the camera logic seems to be designed to always use the lowest ISO. If you point the camera at a lower light scene, it will lower the shutter speed to compensate (as is normal with A mode), until you hit the min shutter speed limit, at which point it'll start to raise the ISO. Then if you point at a brighter scene, the ISO will drop all the way down to the default value, before raising the shutter speed. So it makes sense to set the default value to 200 (best IQ) and a min shutter that's not too low (to avoid motion blur), but the exact value will depend on focal length and what you're shooting.
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Thanks for the comprehensive reply - the only cameras I've come across that allow min shutter in auto ISO have been Nikon Dslrs and the fuji x100. I consider it almost essential - thanks again!
 
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davek said:
Thanks for the comprehensive reply - the only cameras I've come across that allow min shutter in auto ISO have been Nikon Dslrs and the fuji x100. I considerate it almost essential - thanks again!
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Yep, but the min shutter feature seems to be related to flash (hence the name and location in the menu) so the fastest you can set it is 1/250, which isn't much use at very long focal lengths.
 
Had a play with an EM1 with grip and 12-40mm at Photo Live show today. Nice camera, feels great in the hand and super build quality. Still not enough to tempt me away from EM5 at £1299
 
ShrubMonkey said:
Had a play with an EM1 with grip and 12-40mm at Photo Live show today. Nice camera, feels great in the hand and super build quality. Still not enough to tempt me away from EM5 at £1299
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I've been tempted, now just waiting for it and the EM-5 I won to arrive! :shrug:
 
Its been suggested I ask here so....

Does anyone live near chelmsford in essex who would be prepared to pop round for a few mins and let me try their EM5 & grip on for size & weight?

Unfortunately I'm severely disabled and cant get to a shop to try one out to see if it will be ok for me.

Thanks

Ian
 
magicaxeman said:
Its been suggested I ask here so....

Does anyone live near chelmsford in essex who would be prepared to pop round for a few mins and let me try their EM5 & grip on for size & weight?

Unfortunately I'm severely disabled and cant get to a shop to try one out to see if it will be ok for me.

Thanks

Ian
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I would have gladly helped out Ian, am only in Southend, but I sold it a month or so ago.

Sorry
 
magicaxeman said:
Its been suggested I ask here so....

Does anyone live near chelmsford in essex who would be prepared to pop round for a few mins and let me try their EM5 & grip on for size & weight?

Unfortunately I'm severely disabled and cant get to a shop to try one out to see if it will be ok for me.

Thanks

Ian
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Ian, it might be worth posting this over on the Olympus E-User Group UK there's a lot of EM5 users across the country as its a specific Olympus forum.
 
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