Olympus OM-D EM-5 - thoughts from a user

[Julian de'Courcy]

I have had the Olympus OM-D EM-5 for just over two weeks.

IMG_8039 by JuliandeCourcy, on Flickr


I have a large full frame camera that gives superb image quality, is easy to use. The problem is, I don’t wish to carry it with me all of the time because it is large and heavy. Not to mention it can be intrusive and intimidating to others.

IMG_8048 by JuliandeCourcy, on Flickr


The Olympus has been a revelation over other small cameras I have purchased. Reasons that pushed me to get this camera over the many small format cameras on offer were, fast focus, no shutter lag, image quality and available good quality lenses. It was the lenses that in the end swayed me to the Olympus with all the other boxes ticked. I found out for myself a long time ago as many already knew the camera lens is the most creative part of a camera system, at least to my eyes.

My initial experience with the Olympus has me in many ways dumbfounded, amazed and exited in what a small camera can do (to the point where I think it is too good, something must go wrong.. Sad as it is only a camera) Not all is rosy though. There are two disappointments to date. Base ISO at 200 and a shutter speed of 1/4000, especially as there are many very good fast lenses available. The camera can be a bit fiddly with small buttons but this is the nature of anything that is small. The camera redeems itself, of its fiddley-ness, in a big way by having two wheels that can be designated to certain operations as can two function buttons. For anyone who wants the basic set up in M/A/TV to quickly access, iso, aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation, all of these functions and more can be at your finger tips, being easily adjusted in no time at all to suit. The camera is weather proof and this does seem to mean rain proof with the correct lenses on, as demonstrated online in many videos with the Olympus reps throwing buckets of water over the camera while in use. I have been in the rain and all was ok. I have the 12-50/f 3.5-6.3 lens which is worth getting as the kit. For the price, it is a useful and adequate carry around, do all---ishh lens. The 45/f1.8 lens I have for this camera is a gorgeous close up portrait lens; it is sensational and can be purchased at a very reasonable price. The shutter sound from this camera is very quiet, hardly noticeable and add this together with the touch screen that can be set to focus and trigger the shutter simultaneously with a touch, it is useful where you don’t wish to be the centre of attention whilst taking pictures. All in all, over a few other small format cameras I have purchased, as a second light, carry always and everywhere camera, this is the one camera to date which I don’t imagine will be left to gather dust as all the others have. At least I hope not. I will find a home for the G12 and Nex 5n.
Sample Portraits.

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OM-D EM-5 by JuliandeCourcy, on Flickr


OM-D EM-5 by JuliandeCourcy, on Flickr

 

[Hamish Gill]

Julian
Cheers for putting this together ... its interesting to hear how you are getting on!
I hope you dont mind, I changed the thread title to make it a bit more descriptive

So you have a sony nex5n? and you dont rate it by comparison?

How long will it be before that jupiter-8 finds a way to b mounted on the em-5 then?

 

[Paul Lange]

Interesting reading especially as the camera is a serious amount of money, on par with the Fuji X1-Pro which I guess it goes head to head with. Seems it has something going for it and is quite well thought out, not just hype.

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Hamish , good title better than mine . Yes I have the Nex 5n and overall no, it is not as good with all things taken into consideration. It is though a fine bit of technology. I was at a point where I asked myself do I keep investing in Sony to end up with a overall good compact system that works for me. My conclusion was no, I could not see their commitment in E fit lenses as I did in other makers. I was going to go Fuji Xpro but the initial investment is quite considerable. I saw what Olympus had to offer in the way of lenses and scouring the web, in the right hands I kept seeing superb images using the Olympus MFT prime lenses along side the Panasonic Leica lenses on offer, especially the Panasonic Leica Summilux DG 25mm F1.4, Oly 45mm + 75mm f1.8 lenses and their 12mmf2 . I did work backwards this time and new what lenses I wanted and then needed a camera to fit them. I take as given, any camera today that shoots raw will produce a very reasonable image quality. So really I did not see Sony committing at least in the short term to super doooper lenses.
The Jupitor works brilliantly on the Zorki it is attached to, I am very fond of that camera. Simple is the best way to describe it and yes I have been looking on E-bay for a M39 to m/4/3 adapter. In fact something to get excited about.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Sounds like you have worked your way quite well to the right camera for you!
I too have the Jupiter-8, sits nicely on the voigtlander ... My zorki is long dead unfortunately, the lens def lives on!

So are you selling the NEX?

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Re; nex 5N
Not 100% sure. As you are aware the price received for a second hand electrical item can be quite dire. I have daughters and it is an option that I may well let them have the camera although the one who enjoys photography prefers using film. I will suggest to her that it maybe worth having for the video as she does dabble with that media.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Sounds a wise choice!
if you come to sell it, do let me know ...
Cant afford or need one, but you never know

... So, you have any other ltm lenses? I'll bet good money that Jupiter makes a wonderful portrait lens

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

It is the only ltm I have. Yes it is ok I have had it on the Nex with a toilet roll as a tube with masking tape to hold it steady and it worked well. The helios worked well like this also. The useful thing about a toilet roll is you can slide the lens until you get proper focus. Or was it kitchen roll tube? Cannot remember.

. A couple shots with Zorki and J/8, My first scanned negatives so fairly rough and ready which I liked.

BOAT Zorki -4K Jupiter 8 by JuliandeCourcy, on Flickr


kAY Zorki - 4K Jupiter 8 by JuliandeCourcy, on Flickr

 

[Hamish Gill]

Lovely stuff!
The "rough and ready" look suits perfectly... Although it looks pretty good to me!
Tell me this ... Does the aperture click on yours ... I've had two that don't!

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

No the aperture is smooth, so you have to be aware that it is set each time. yet that can alow for some good accidents. I am just about to send of for an M39-MFT adapter. I have just held the Jupiter against the OM-D and fashioned a tube. It looks promising, It is very sharp so that's a good start and hopefully it has some other good characteristics, so thanks for the nudge, I may get an OM-MFT also, depends whats in the bank. I picked up a bag full of OM and Om fitting lenses in the summer at a junk fair, there were three OM bodies included so a good find for a few bob and I would like to try out those lenses.

 

[Pete Askew]

Those are very nice Julian - great tones. I like the idea of the cardboard tube. Some cine / video shooters will use a lens just held against the body to produce interesting effects. I've never tried it with stills (or video for that matter) and I can imaging you will probably need to be shooting from darker into lighter conditions but it could be interesting. Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the converter.

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Yes Pete there is a method where the lens is kept lose on the camera and held slightly offline to allow light to enter the fitting. This gives a burnt out part to the images where the light has been more generously allowed to hit the film or sensor. I do believe it is used more for video where you get an effect as if the sun is blowing part of the image and you can wiggle lens making the gap variable. I brought a macro lens a few years ago and if I knew what I do now I would have gone the route of tubes. For anyone who does macro only occasionally it works well and home made tubes are fine and work very well for stationary subjects. The kitchen roll method I always use to see what a lens is initially like and worth the investment in an adapter.

 

[Ahmad Bhai]

I had a go on OMD in a camera shop. Marvellous.

Edit : the word i was looking for is .... spiffing.

 

[Ahmad Bhai]

Just read Olympus are shipping their 1:1 macro 60mm f2.8 apparently it's a humdinger in IQ just as the 75 1.8.
Although the 75 1.8 is better built in metal. I did test the 75 1.8 on OMD .... smooooth.

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Just read Olympus are shipping their 1:1 macro 60mm f2.8 apparently it's a humdinger in IQ just as the 75 1.8.
Although the 75 1.8 is better built in metal. I did test the 75 1.8 on OMD .... smooooth.

Ok, but Olympus released a m4/3 f2.8 60mm macro 1:1 version back in the summer. The 17mm f1.8 has just been released and available December in Europe? I would enjoy the 75 f1.8 very much. The other m4/3 lens would be the Panasonic 7-14 but along with good lenses expensive, these are just shy of £1000. The 75mm f1.8 has dropped in price after initially coming out, not enough as yet for myself.

 

[Ahmad Bhai]

Well i must say Julian if i had the funds OMD & 75 1.8, 45 1.8, 12 2; Panny 25 1.4.
As it is i am looking at Oly E600 which is just a few milimeters bigger than OMD ... just missing those things which makes the OMD Electric(ity)

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Just picked up a copy of What Digital Camera, and the OM-D E-M5 is their Camera Of The Year, 2012. Tough competition too. Must say I would like one too.

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

I would say I have and still enjoy the camera a lot. I do wonder if this camera may be very reminiscent of the original OM range of cameras that people became very fond of.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

Thanks for the informative read, Julian. I have looked long and hard at this camera. I got to play with one in a local camera shop and was very impressed with it. As I shoot primarily micro 4/3 now, what impressed me the most with this camera was the speed of it and also the build quality.

Now, if I can just convince my wife of my need for this camera then perhaps I will get one. Maybe.....