Product Reviews
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Oly E-M5: A Whole New World
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October 14, 2012
- By:
Osama
I've been a Sony/Minolta guy for the past 5 years. I accumulated some pretty decent gear, but the thing that bothered me about it all was the size. In my head, a system changeover was in order. So when the time came to replace my aging Sony Alpha A100, two options were open to me: Sony's E-Mount System (get the NEX-7) or Micro Four Thirds (get the Olympus OM-D E-M5). After a fair bit of evaluation, reading reviews and taking my own shooting style into consideration, I went with the E-M5. Two primary reasons for choosing M4/3 over Sony E: Better lens selection in M4/3 and the fact that the NEX-7 didn't provide a wired shutter release option (something I like to have). Finally got the E-M5 at the end of summer and have been using it ever since. I got it with the (weather-sealed) 12-50mm kit lens (a fairly decent lens which doesn't get used much on my E-M5). I made my purchase at the Henry's location at Brampton, and was given the best possible price. The E-M5 is a whole new world for me! Note that my comparisons are based on my experiences with my old Sony Alpha A100. A few things that I love about it: * Manual Controls: This camera is quite customizable. Buttons can be set up to operate in multiple ways, with quite a few shortcuts. * IBIS: The 5-axis system has been commented on way too often; I won't go there. However, I love how I can change the focal length to provide stabilization to my manual adapted lenses. * Built-in EVF: Excepting the EVFs on Sony's latest SLT and NEX cameras, for me, the Oly E-M5 has the best EVF in its class. I checked out the new Fuji XE-1 and the Panasonic GH3 at the Exposure Show; neither of their EVFs are as awesome as the E-M5's. As far as the optical vs. electronic viewfinder argument goes, I am fully comfortable with the EVF and actually find it to be better than even viewfinders on high-end bodies under low light conditions. * Weight of gear: This one is obvious; I barely feel the weight of my E-M5 around my neck, whether it is with a native lens or an adapted lens. Paired with the Panasonic 14/2.5, it's feather-weight. * High ISO Performance: With my A100, I could barely go past ISO 400, now I am comfortable shooting at ISO 1600, with options available to go higher should the need arise. A few things that are a minor annoyance: * Spongy buttons: In all fairness, for me, only the "Play" button suffers from this, takes a couple of tries to get right. * Placement of USB port Rubber flap: The LCD screen needs to be lifted to open up the flap. * Placement of D-Rings: Since the grip is small (I don't mind this!), the strap lugs/D-rings dig into my palm (I definitely mind this!). This can be remedied by the battery grip (hoping to get this soon). Overall: Image quality is superb! The shutter has a really neat, quiet sound. You might want to turn off the focus confirm beep, since I found it a little too loud with no way to dial it down. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If that is true, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 is the most beautiful camera I've had the pleasure to see, use and own. To check out my photography, visit http://oosidat.blogspot.ca/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/osamasidat/
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Switched From a DSLR
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September 26, 2012
- By:
Ryan
I had been wanting to make the switch from DSLRs to something smaller for a while... After going on some trips, lugging around all that large gear just wasn't doing it for me. I have two black labs, so lighter gear was a priority for me personally. It may not be everyone's priority, but it definitely was for me. I sold my 60D, grip, lenses. I had a few "what the hell am I doing?" moments along the way, but I made the plunge. Am I happy? Well yeah, I sure am. It's a FNTASTIC CAMERA! Some of the apsects I really enjoy about this camera are the live view/live guide/live bulb functions. In live bulb, I can basically press the shutter, wait for the picture to appear on the screen, and release the button when the light is right on the screen. Great for night shots. I enjoy the touchscreen... but that's more because I'm a geek. Of course, the size compared to my old 60D is like night and day. It's splash proof and dust proof. Perfect for those rainy days out on the coast. The EVF sometimes lags slightly, but to me this is a non-issue. I don't typically shoot action or hold the shutter release down for max FPS, so to me, no big deal. But others may find it irritating. I love the in-camera image stabilization. Keeps handheld shots sharp. Two different settings too. Pretty amazing. Most reviewers will probably mention this as one of the OM-D's standout features. In terms of image quality, I've had one or two images blown up. I'm not disappointed at all. People have knocked the 12-50 lens a bit, but to me (i am no pro, but I love to shoot, and I know what I want in a lens) it's more than adequate. Plenty sharp. Might be a tad slow on the tele end, but for a kit lens, again you can't have it all. The macro function on this lens works surprisingly well too. and the electronic zoom when using video is a nifty trick. I like that. Keeps it silent. I bought the grip for my OM-D and I'm glad I did to be honest. It changes the way you hold the camera so dramatically, that you'll wonder why you didn't buy it sooner. The camera is a little on the pricey side. Enthusiasts might not think so, and I didn't hesitate to order mine immediately. What you get for your money is a quality tool to ignite your creativity. We all know that it's the photographer that makes a great picture, not the camera. I agree with this, but I also think that having the right camera is also pretty important. The OM-D is that camera for me.
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E-M5
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July 03, 2012
- By:
Nicolas
For a while I was interested in photography, but was not willing to carry something bigger than a decent P&S. In my research to change camera, I stumbled on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and I really liked it. I was thinking to myself that I was willing to accept a fairly bigger camera for a better image quality.<br /><br />Well, when the camera came, it was bigger, but not nearly as big as what I thought it would be. I was sure I'd need to purchase an accessory such as the HLD-6, but after having used the camera for a bit, I came to the conclusion that the grip was comfortable as it was and that I did not needed such accessory; however, that may not be the case for everyone. Someone coming dSLR might feel the need for the grip. <br /><br />The buttons are fairly small, but all of them are fairly easily accessible. The review and Fn1 buttons are probably the ones placed in the most awkward position and you do feel they are small, but accessibility is not a concern for me. <br /><br />As I was reading reviews, I was dreading the Olympus menu which is said to be fairly complicated. I can't say the first few days I wasn't overwhelmed, but now I am much more comfortable with it and for 99% of my shooting, I do not need to dig deep in the menu. The only thing I still struggle with is the flash, but that is probably because I try never to use it and as a matter of fact, I have only used it once out of necessity. But talking about the flash, I had an incredibly hard time remove the terminal cover to use the FL-LM2. I was sure you had to slide it according to the manual, but its actually a matter of uncapping.<br /><br />I couldn't review the EM-5, if I was not talking about IBIS. Even if I knew it was "noisy", it took me a few days to notice it(and that is because I put my ear next to the camera). It works well, I have no complaints about it.<br /><br />Movies/sound are surprisingly good, but this is a camera so that's all I'll say about it.<br /><br />The 12-50mm lens is very useful, decently fast to AF, decently sharp, but the real reason why it was purchased was to complement the EM-5's weather sealing. It has yet to show its magic, but I won't put it through an artificial rain just for the sake of testing it. <br /><br />And now for the most important part, picture themselves. This might also be the shortest part. They are very good. I personally keep the auto ISO maxed at 1600, but that is because I prefer to manually raise the ISO past this point knowing that despite the very good performance of the camera the picture quality will degrade slightly. I would not hesitate to raise the ISO to 6400 or even 12800 in situations where it calls for it, but I wouldn't want all of my pictures taken at such high ISO because there is a loss in quality. <br /><br />If I could, I'd give this camera 4.5 stars because nothing is perfect (but for me this is as close as it gets) and there are some tiny details I wished could be better. <br />1. I'd like it if lowest ISO was 100 (or even better 50).<br />2. I wished an integrated (internal) ND filter could be used (like on some compact cameras).<br />3. Continuous shooting mode is fast, but the buffer could be improved.<br />4. EVF proximity sensor is great, but it makes it hard to use the touch screen sometimes<br />5. 12-50mm lens is rather big, but that is part of the weather sealing deal.<br />6. Price is high, stock is low, but that is what happens when you have a successful product
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