Olympus OM-D EM-5 User Review, brian1208 records his early impressions
I have watched the development of the micro four thirds cameras with interest since buying and then quite rapidly selling the Panasonic Lumix G1. I was looking for a replacement for my back-up Canon DSLR which would be lighter to use as a travel camera but the compromises involved were such that I decided to stick with my Canon system.
Since then I have found that the weight of the DSLRs (Canon EOS 5D Mk2 + 60D) and associated lenses were getting too heavy for me, such that I was reduced to having to choose which lens to take with me (and it was invariably the wrong one).
When the Olympus OM-D E-M5 was announced I read all the reviews available and felt that, just maybe, here was the system that could finally replace at least my 60D + some of my travel lenses.
My local friendly Jessops let me play with the camera over several visits including running some images onto my SD card. Reviewing those on my PC convinced me that it was worth giving it a try so I sold my 60D + a couple of less used lenses and purchased the OM-D EM-5 + kit lens.
My photography covers a wide range of subjects including water sport (kite boarding and sail boarding), bugs & bees macro, studio, landscape, flowers and wildlife (particularly birds in flight and small mammals). As you can see, I'm not a specialist!
Early tests indicated that I had made the right choice so I invested some more money and got myself a travel kit which now comprises:
- Olympus OM-D E-M5
- Olympus 12-50mm kit lens
- Olympus 75-300mm (used)
- Olympus 9-18mm
- Olympus 45mm f1.8
- Olympus FL36 flash gun (used)
The weight of my old setup compared to this new setup is noticeable:
Canon EOS 5D Mk2 + 17-55mm L IS + 24-105mm L IS + 100mm L IS macro + 70-300mm L IS = 3.8kg
Olympus OM-D EM-5 + 9-18mm + 12-50mm + 45mm f1.8 + 75-300mm = 1.24 kg
Which means that I can carry my entire Olympus rig in my Lowepro Nova 180 AW shoulder bag, without injuring my shoulders or neck after a days shooting. So far I am delighted with the results I am getting under a variety of shooting situations:
Canon EOS 5D Mk2 + 17-55mm L IS + 24-105mm L IS + 100mm L IS macro + 70-300mm L IS = 3.8kg
Olympus OM-D EM-5 + 9-18mm + 12-50mm + 45mm f1.8 + 75-300mm = 1.24 kg
Which means that I can carry my entire Olympus rig in my Lowepro Nova 180 AW shoulder bag, without injuring my shoulders or neck after a days shooting. So far I am delighted with the results I am getting under a variety of shooting situations:
Macro: with the kit lens
Crab spider with hoverfly
4 sport chaser profile
Water sports: with the Olympus 75-300mm
Board jump colour
Board gybing
Landscape: with the Olympus 9-18mm
Quay sunset
Studio: with the kit lens
Colin with kit
Eye detail
Flowers: With the kit lens, 45mm f1.8 and 75-300mm
Gazzania
Bee hunting
Wildlife & Nature: Using the Olympus 75-300mm
Cormarant
Fox stare
Fox stare
Birds in flight is one area were I have had real problems using the techniques I developed using my Canon DSLRs as the AF performance of the E-M5 + 75-300mm does not seem capable of getting focus lock on birds against the sky and, to a lesser extent, against other backgrounds. I have started to use manual focus for this purpose and am finding that as I develop the technique I am getting more successful with this genre. I have also found that using the 45mm f1.8 allows very rapid and accurate focus lock using S AF mode which suggests that it may be the lens that is a major contributor to this "problem".
(Since writing this I spent a while at our local airport flying club and found that the E-M5 + 75-300mm is very capable when it comes to shooting aircraft in the sky, dark planes against dark skies, distant shots and so on. I get the impression that the key is to have the subject occupying at least 30% of the frame, use the centre-point focus and shoot in SAF mode.)
Another technique I have been playing with relates to shooting macro using the "fn2" and "fn1" buttons, first to reduce the centre focus point to a minimum (I like the fact that using the "Info" button let's you select whether to use 7x, 10x or 14x magnification, I tend to use 10x). Having set this and got approximate focus on the subject tapping (very lightly) the fn2 button gives a magnified view in the view-finder which lets you manually fine focus accurately and rapidly on the subject. A quick press of the shutter button then nails the shot (but don't touch this button until you want the shot as it switches out of the magnified view).
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Conclusion:
This has been a most interesting and fun period of my photographic life, first deciding whether to buy into the m4/3rds system via the OM-D E-M5, then whether I should dispose of my Canon system. I'm happy that I made the right decison and, as others have reported, find that it has brought a sense of fun back into my hobby. It's not all good news though, I'm still finding the Menu system confusing, the buttons can be a real pain at times (as with the need to "tap" the “fn2" button to magnify the view) but it's getting better with use.
Read our full Olympus OM-D E-M5 review for full sample photos and ratings.
Read our full Olympus OM-D E-M5 review for full sample photos and ratings.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Pros:
LightweightWell made (some of the lenses are built like a watch)Comparatively small, even with the battery packEVF is excellent, clear and large enough to compose and manual focus withVery fast, accurate AF in SAF mode using center focus pointThe kit lens is excellent value, particularly for close-up & macro workA good range of lenses is availableThe ability to use 3rd party / legacy lenses via adapters is a bonusPrints from processed RAW images are close to the quality of those I got from my Canon system (tested up to 18"x12" so far)Olympus OM-D E-M5 Cons:
Menu system is not easy to useButtons are not nice to use, a bit "squidgy" and imprecise feelingContinuous AF and Focus Tracking are not well enacted, I've stopped using this for my workIt's not best suited to shooting Birds in Flight, particularly against light, bright skiesOlympus OM-D E-M5 Specifications
| Manufacturer | Olympus | |
| Image Sensor | ||
| Pixels | 16.1Mp (Megapixels) | |
| Pixels (W) | 4608 | |
| Pixels (H) | 3456 | |
| Sensor Type | Live MOS Sensor | |
| Sensor Size | Micro / Four Thirds | |
| Sensor Size (width) | 17.3mm | |
| Sensor Size (height) | 13mm | |
| Aspect Ratio |
| |
| LCD Monitor | ||
| LCD Monitor | 3in | |
| Screen resolution | 610k dots | |
| Touch Screen | Yes | |
| Focusing | ||
| Focusing modes |
| |
| Exposure Control | ||
| Shutter speeds shortest | 1/4000sec | |
| Shutter speeds longest | 60sec | |
| Exp modes |
| |
| Metering |
| |
| ISO sensitivity | 200 - 25600 | |
| White balance |
| |
| Exposure Comp | +/-3 | |
| Viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder Resolution | 1.44million dots | |
| Shooting Options | ||
| Continuous shooting | 9fps | |
| Video | ||
| Movie mode | Yes | |
| Video Resolution |
| |
| Video FPS | 30 | |
| Stereo Sound | Yes | |
| Optical Zoom with Video | Yes | |
| Other Features | ||
| Image Stabilisation | Yes | |
| Interface | ||
| HDMI | Yes | |
| USB | USB 2 | |
| Wi-Fi | No Data | |
| Storage | ||
| Card Type |
| |
| File Type |
| |
| Power Source | ||
| Battery Type | Lithium Ion | |
| Battery Life (CIPA rating) | 330shots | |
| Box Contents | ||
| Box Contents | Body, Flash FL-LM2, Li-ion battery BLN-1, Li-ion battery charger BCN-1, USB/Video Multi cable, Shoulder strap, OLYMPUS Viewer 2/ib CD-ROM, Instruction manual, Warranty card | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Weight | 373g | |
| Width | 121mm | |
| Height | 89.6mm | |
| Depth | 41.9mm | |
Comments
-
Report Error / Abuse
14 Aug 2012 10:24AMJoin ePHOTOzine for free and remove these adverts.
-
Report Error / Abuse
14 Aug 2012 10:44AM-
Report Error / Abuse
14 Aug 2012 2:28PM-
Report Error / Abuse
14 Aug 2012 3:51PM-
Report Error / Abuse
14 Aug 2012 4:36PMI think its cute (but ugly?) and I'm certainly not ashamed to be seen out with her in public
Saul, I'm shooting in RAW and processing in LR4, depending on the lens I use I need very lttle sharpening at all (45 f1.8 is so sharp that for portraits I often soften a bit by reducing the clarity slider).
With the 75-300 at 200 to 300mm I find I need a bit more sharpening but I'll put some butterfly / bee shots up in my PF later which confirm a suspicion I've had for some time - namely the more I use this camera the better its getting at taking sharp images
With the legacy lenses, I suggest you get ones with a built in manual iris as otherwise you end up using them wide open (unless you go the 4/3rds route)
-
Report Error / Abuse
15 Aug 2012 6:56PM-
Report Error / Abuse
15 Aug 2012 7:31PMGreat review, Brian
-
Report Error / Abuse
16 Aug 2012 8:23AM-
Report Error / Abuse
18 Aug 2012 6:58AMThese included a child trampolining, a dog trying to catch a ball and a Wakeboarder in the throes of a major wipeout.
The child and dog were shot using the Olympus 9-18mm and the Wakeboarder using the Olympus 75-300mm.
I found that using 6fps in SAF mode with IS1 or IS2 allowed me to track the action and keep focus on the subject for around 70% - 80% of the the frames.
I'm very impressed with this performance which is up there with what I was achieving with my canon 7D + L lenses
You can see a small collection of images from these shoots (all hand-held) here
action
-
Report Error / Abuse
19 Aug 2012 5:22AMDenny
-
Report Error / Abuse
19 Aug 2012 10:32PM-
Report Error / Abuse
22 Aug 2012 12:57PM-
Report Error / Abuse
22 Aug 2012 10:17PMI look forward to reading your review when it comes out (can you say where it will be published?), it will be interesting to get a pro's view on how this little thing performs, it will give me a chance to see what else it can do
-
Report Error / Abuse
26 Aug 2012 8:52AMI have handled an E-M5 and to be honest, its not as nice to hold as a DSLR or the Panny G5, i guess this is the price paid for going retro with OM styling.
Olympus need to bring out a budget version which would possibly bring it into my price range, if they do that then the Panny G5 must be a serious alternative.
Great camera though, shame about the price.
-
Report Error / Abuse
26 Aug 2012 8:54PMOne other thought is that I am still learning how to post-process my RAW files and maybe am not showing the Olympus colours at their best?
-
Report Error / Abuse
27 Aug 2012 2:54PMThe older Olympus colours when they used a Panasonic sensor were liked very much by Oly users and especially in Jpeg. The palette was punchy but always retained the lesser more subtle hues without going over the top and shots of landscapes were always lovely. Olympus deservidly earned their excellent colour signature reputation from mostly landscapes.
Ironically, the Panasonic G series cameras using the same or similar sensor as the Oly were a tad more neutral if not a slightly cooler palette than Olympus, colours looked 'flatter'. Its been heavily rumoured that the E-M5 uses a Sony sensor, but no body has ever confirmed or denied it.
However, the colours from the E-M5 are superb but not quite as 'warm' as the old Oly palette.
The older Oly sensors were so good in Jpeg mode that very little more detail could be gained using RAW making it almost reduntant for those not bothered to do loads of PP.
I agree with your comments on the Canon, but then all manufacturers to one degree or another over emphasise the colour palette to make the pictures more attractive to Mr average.
Once again, great pictures, excellent review and a nice camera, but not for me.
Sign In
You must be a member to leave a comment.
ePHOTOzine, the web's friendliest photography community.
Join For Free
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more.