The E-m5 with the 12-35mm X lens (Image courtesy: DSLRmagazine).
Luminous Landscape is one of my favorite websites and they just published a long and as usual very well written E-M5 and 12-35mm X lens review (Click here to red the full article!).
E-M5:
It’s a very honest and practically oriented test (which I like a lot). In short LL says that this is the best m43 camera yet: “It is a winner, and has now become my preferred camera for travel and urban walk-around shooting“…”there isn’t a camera with a superior MFT sensor. The OM-D E-M5 is likely the most highly configurable camera ever. Dynamic range looks to be quite close to any other mirrorless system and in terms of colour accuracy the O-MD may be among the best current cameras. Skin tones are particularly pleasing right out of the camera, with JPGs as well as raws in Lightroom 4.1. Video on the OM-D is OK, but not great.” Of course it has flaws and issues like any camera and LL list them all. Most of them can be fixed via further firmware upgrade (which I hope arrives soon).
12-50mm and 12-35mm X lenses:
They are not si impressed by the 12-50mm Olympus kit lens: “In fact it’s a pretty good lens, but it’s not a great lens.” But there is also another critic: “A $500 lens should have a shade included, it’s as simple as that. To not do so is an insult to customers.”
LL also had the new 12-35mm X lens for testing: “Simply put, this is a first rate lens“.
It’s a gold time for Micro Four Thirds and there is a lot of big news coming soon…GH3, new PEN’s a new lenses! Great!
New E-m5 and new lens (pre)orders:
E-M5 at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, Jessops, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.
Olympus 75mm lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon Germany and Amazon UK.
Panasonic 12-35mm X lens at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon Germany, Amazon UK, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.
41 Responses
1st
I have a sneaking suspicion the GH3 will actually be called the GH5.
Just a hunch.
😉
Yes,
GH3 rumors are welcome for a change
oooh that new Panny zoom is awfully tempting
Sorry …I can’t buy one unless it is offered in silver. 🙂
+1 😀
The lens looks impressive and the reviews make it sound impressive! Quite nice. I am tempted ..but my money is on the 75mm f/1.8. MFT has sooooo many great lens choices and camera bodies right now it is an extremely desirable system… It makes photography so much fun!!!!!
Get some of this (http://goo.gl/eC3j6), an X-Acto knife (http://goo.gl/fJHdM), one of these (http://goo.gl/FyveI) and you’ll be all set. 😉
Admin you know is not very …. to keep us waiting. Please give us any news you have on LENSES. Be it FT2/3
TIA
BTW. Any update (rumor) on mZD150/2.8 macro patent?
No update on the 150mm macro patent.
150mm seems quite long for a M4/3 macro lens, given the 2x sensor crop. I have 105mm macro lens and that focal length is quite good.
For 1:1 shots of nervous animals (such as baby pythons) 150mm is not long, it is merely usable, where the 45mm is not.
> It’s a gold time for Micro Four Thirds and there is a lot of big news coming soon…GH3, new PEN’s a new lenses! Great!
Somebody knows when the 60mm macro is expected ?
what about G5?
G8 allready happened 😉
+1.
XZ2 pleasee !!!!!
What about EP5 or E6 (or E7)?
why the heck do u always misspell DSLR!!
Glad you found the shift key at the end!
As the review states, Oly’s built-in stabilization is a bit better that Panasonic’s in-lens; which means the owners of Oly cameras, the E-M5 in particular, will pay for something that they won’t use, or rarely use.
I think, it’s quite unfortunate that Panasonic chose to go with the in-lens stabilization; and think that the in-body one should have been part of M43s standard in addition to other stuff such as the accessories port.
I agree, if it is IBIS you only have to do it once; it it is on via lens, you must replicate this say 2, 5, 10 times… Costly and more bulky… Maybe it was intended to prevent Pana bodies to get Oly glasses… dunno.
Yep, certainly. IBIS works better (at least the E-M5’s version) and saves money.
which is why olympus lenses that are worth having are affordable?
There are some that like IBIS and some that like Lens IS, the standard evidently allows for either and that’s what has happened. More choice for the photographer and mix and match, something one cannot do with others.
Do keep an eye on Pana’s very highend camera . I believe is not GH but another new series .
@Yun
tell us more 😮
I hope so.
M4/3 would benefit from offering more complete system from compacts to real high end bodies now that competition is going to increase from both directions. (more big sensor compacts for backing up DSLR, which start getting more features from mirrorless)
And at the moment Panasonic has better integration of stillss and video with GH2 taking (16:9 aspect ratio) RAWs without any pause in video.
Unfortunately Panasonic probably doesn’t want to buy IBIS from Olympus.
M43 would benefit from canon having a 4/3 size sensor and a canon proprietary mount (or even m43). The lenses from third party manufacturers would be the correct size for a m43 mount also. The industry would also gravitate to 135 and 4/3 size sensors as canon explained their actions.
While that could bring lot more third party optics it will make it also harder for Olympus and Panasonic to sell m4/3 if there’s similar feature set big brand Canon on next shelf.
Average consumers don’t really look what features camera has, they look for that big brand. (that was one reason why 4/3 failed to get critical mass)
I find the title photo quite ironical: lens from Panasonic (otherwise known better for camera bodies) on body from Olympus (otherwise known for its outstanding optics). Funny how things turned out.
I have noticed more of this happening. I hope Caterpillar and Ducatti don’t form a common standard.
could make for a bloody fast bulldozer?
don’t tease about gh3 yo. release that info!
This lens looks so at home on the E-M5! Now, who do I rob to get it…
New lens? Still think we need a better 17mm.
It’s meant to be a stock standard focal length, and yet we have an average 4 year old kit lens, a $1000 plus monster with no AF, a sigma at 19mm and a slow-to-AF 20mm.
Given the utility of that focal length, the absence of a 17mm f/1.8 or f/2.0 with snappy AF is a real soft spot in the system.
I totally agree, an high quality 17mm f1.4 or even f2 would be great and that gap at 17 focal range could be finally covered with quality and af.
+1
Just need to +1 that comment
I would love to see it with a gh2
MR is the best. Ilove his reviews.
I think I am pretty much sure about replacing my GX1 with the Oly after reading MR’s review, and I guess keep all my Panny lenses. the 12-35 looks really nice and 20mmf1.7 is a really nice pancake.
Now, I think it is safe to invest more money into this system.
Hope Oly will ditch original 4/3 and use all its limited resources for this mount.