Image courtsey: Ming Thein | mingthein.com
Ming Thein (Click here) reviewed that what he calls the “mini OMD” camera, the new Olympus E-PL5. He likes the camera a lot and ends the conclusions with a wish: “now if only they’d make one with a built-in EVF like the NEX-6…“. Don’t worry Ming, I think Olympus will do that soon! 🙂
Speaking of the E-M5. There is “travel review” at Eidolonfilms and writes: “I’d highly recommend the Olympus OM-D E-M5 to any travel or street photographer that craves a low profile camera that works quickly and produces great image quality. I know my back is grateful that I no longer lug around a larger DSLR”
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E-PL5 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here). In EU at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK, Amazon France,
E-PM2 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here). In EU at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK, Amazon France,
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And the refurbished E-M5 is also back via Cameta:
Silver Olympus E-M5 for $849 at Cameta (Click here).
Black Olympus E-M5 with 12-42mm lens for $949 at [shoplink 34210 ebay]Cametaacutions (Click here)[/shoplink] and Cameta (Click here).
Silver Olympus E-M5 with 12-50mm lens for $1149 at [shoplink 34211 ebay]Cametaacutions (Click here)[/shoplink] and Cameta (Click here).
Black Olympus E-M5 with 12-50mm lens for $1149 at [shoplink 34211 ebay]Cametaacutions (Click here)[/shoplink] and Cameta (Click here).
91 Responses
Really don’t understand why people keep saying Olympus should make one with an EVF. They already do. It’s the OMD.
A humpless model is easier to slide in and out of a pocket without getting entangled.
…and if they’re making models without built in flash, it’s easier to carry a small flash on camera if there is no hump. So – either make a body with hump AND flash or without both.
I think thats a bit optimistic, even with a pancake you have to take care, especially not loosing your lenscap.
You’ve forgotten that 15mm cap lens ;).
A pocket, really? None of these fit in a pocket with lens attached. m4/3 as a pocketable camera is a notion that doesn’t exist in reality.
Depends on your pockets really.
E-M5 with 17/2.8 quite fits my coat pocket still. With the 20/1.7 it gets rather tight, and with larger lenses, no-go.
E-PM1 with that Lumix ‘pancake’ 14-42 zoom also quite fits my coat pocket.
So, in my world, that makes them pocketable, WITH lens.
But if you were trying to fit one in your jeans pocket, then possibly an E-PM5 with that 15/8 bodycap/lens, but otherwise no-go.
Exactly, GF-1 + 20 mm does fit into my coat pocket (and takes much less space in satchel than a G5).
i put ep2+20mm in my coat pocket while traveling. its quite useful.
Olympus maybe doesnt want to take away one of the om-d strong points (evf), or its simply just too crowded inside their bodies with the stabilizer included.
“Olympus maybe doesnt want to take away one of the om-d strong points (evf)”
I don’t agree with that line of thought. If Canon managers were thinking like that, there’d be no 60D or 650D. Sony would have to choose between NEX-7 and NEX-6. The gap between E-PL5 and E-M5 is too large…
in the case of Olympus we are talking a about two different distinctive lines, while the Canon and Sony examples are not.
Maybe it won’t be a PEN, cheaper OM-D was mentioned several times as well.
but surely not a humpless OM-D
If so, their argumentation is stupid.
I think the reason there was no E-Px camera this time round is to leave their options open.
Cheers DTC.
I don’t mind the size of the OM-D but and I would welcome an integrated EVF, but I do mind paying extra for weather sealing. That’s where the E-PL5 fits. I owned and E-P2 and handled the OM-D but I don’t know why I liked the E-P2 better. Perhaps it is the feel of the buttons on the OM-D…
The E-PL5 makes a lot of sense. With an EVF it will too.
Well, its still possible for E-P5 to fill the gap
Personally, I think both Olympus and Panasonic should make true rangefinder style bodies. Enough of us M4/3 users have been calling for one, for long enough, that one would think both companies would see fit to deliver bodies like like that. It’s a logical extension of the M4/3 camera line-up.
I’d like a slightly more compact body to augment my GH2. the more I think about it, the more inclined I am to want a built-in EVF. I’m loathe to buy a GX1 or EPL5 P&S style body with a clip on EVF… more expense, more complexity, more bulk. TiltyScreen, yes, EVF-free? NOPE.
Instead, I’ll take a hard look at the NEX-6… plus a pile of lens adaptors from Rainbow Imaging for my Nikon, Olympus OM, Pentax and Voigtländer lenses. Except for wide-angle, I really like the 2x crop when it comes to shooting with adapted lenses
+10000000
Cause camera that would have similar layout to Panasonic L1 is best choice for mirrorless (as already proven with Fuji and Sony models). And obviously much older M cams.
Even very old Olympus E-1 had ergonomics/layout that were much better for “real life” shooting than most of dSLRs of that time (or as it goes, even today).
Its suprising but most ppl actually do own nose between eyes. 😀
Absolutely!
Because the om-d is to expensive for me, and because the om-d is butt-ugly. I’m looking for a nice PEN with EVF.
SO, you want All the Bells and Whistles…
You just don’t want to PAY for them.
Gotcha. Keep hope alive.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Only dinosaurs want a built in EVF on every camera. Just because that was the only way to shoot in the past (optical viewfinder) does not mean it was the best way to compose or shoot. Not everyone is a dinosaur – not everyone wants a built in EVF. I much prefer LCD so i can be aware of the entire scence as i shoot. And as far as street photography is concerned, throwing a camera up to your face is not exactly the most stealthy. I only need an EVF when i use telephoto lenes (for stabilization), therefore i prefer clip on.
““now if only they’d make one with a built-in EVF like the NEX-6…“. Don’t worry Ming, I think Olympus will do that soon!”
This sentence is more important than all the posts from the previous week.
Do you know what effect it’ll have on E-PL5 sales :)?
we just have to wait; if such PEN with built-in EVF will appear, surely it will be priced similarly as the NEX-6. Olympus could observe the sales results from that camera if it would make really sense, because they know lots of current MFT comments here are complaining about stuff being too expensive.
My point was: what if this comment causes people to put their E-PL5 purchases on hold until new Olympus m4/3 with EVF comes out?
Yes, it will surely be more expensive than PL5, though. Somewhere between PL5 and M5, I guess. m4/3 is somewhat overpriced compared to similar DSLR offerings, but that’s due to manufacturers trying to cash in on the craze, but only immediately after the release. Several months later, the camera body prices come substantially down.
yes sorry, i misunderstood your prev comment,caused by too quick reading and too quick replying…….
No problem. My English is sometimes hard to understand :).
Oh yes. Be still, my beating heart. I’ll wait until Christmas for news, but beyond that…
I think there are people who like/want an SLR-styled camera, and there are those who like/want a rangefinder-style.
I’m of the latter persuasion (I already have a DSLR).
We can all walk the streets together happily, surely.
And nobody will ever know what camera took what photo.
if people are dieing for a humpless model, just go with nex or fuji than. Why make something like another? I’ll rather they work on a flip up and twist LCD
If a lot of people complaIn about an oly or pany rangefinder style model, it just means that there is a market !
And for myself, i can’t find the nice affordable vaiety of small optics i need with nex and fuji..
“if people are dieing for a humpless model, just go with nex or fuji than.”
no IBIS
+
large lenses
+
small number of lenses
+
mostly mediocre lenses
=
no buy
Those who aready have m4/3 lenses would have to buy new lenses when switching to another system.
> if people are dieing for a humpless model, just go with
> nex or fuji than. Why make something like another? I’ll
> rather they work on a flip up and twist LCD
if you want a flip and twist screen, get a G3.
I for one couldn’t care less.
you see?
for every feature one wants, someone else doesn’t.
we all want the perfect cam that has exactly the features we want. I think the camera manufacturers don’t want to make it though. They rather sell us an new imperfect cam every year or two.
IO really hope for a PEN with built-in EVF!!! pls
And some SMALL lenses e.g. 12-60!
Than there would be no hasitate anymore 🙂
That PEN with builtin EVF will come, possibly for this years Christmas season, or if not, somewhere in the first few months of next year.
If you want to have a 12-60, you have to pick 2 out of the following 3:
– small
– fast aperture
– good optical quality.
It is physically impossible to have all 3, so if that is what you are waiting for, you will be waiting in vain.
while you are mindfull about whats possible with a mft 12-60,you should also keep in mind that it might be impossible to have both EVF and IBIS in the PEN format.
When considering 5 axis IBIS like the E-M5 has, yes, but that might be difficult to fit into a PEN body even without the EVF, unless Olympus managed to shrink it considerably.
Hence, a more ‘classic’ IBIS implementation similar to the one in the E-P3 or E-5 is much more likely I think, and that would also leave enough room for an EVF.
I’m mostly curious as to where exactly they’ll stick the EVF, and if that will be at the expense of screen area or controls real-estate.
Anyway.. I do have information to say with a very high amount of certainty there will be a PEN with EVF, but I have no information concerning the exact IBIS implementation, or placement of the EVF beyond that it won’t be an OM-D like ‘hump’.
I guess admin is all ears to hear about what you know about that possible rf styled PEN. As are others 🙂
All I currently know is what I just posted. Don’t worry, I keep admin uptodate if I hear or see any information that I can share 🙂
Yes ,12-60 just what we need yet another slow kit zoom.Or do you mean like the realitivly huge fairly expensive {£900 } FT 12-60.
Yes, he’s talking about the 4/3 12-60mm lens, which is worth every penny of its $900 price tag. Put that lens on the 4/3 E-5 and you have a dynamite combination. If Oly can come closer to matching that lens in m4/3, people will pay to get it.
Yes, the 12-60 FT is a pretty good lens but it is too large, too heavy and to pricey for mFT it is f2.8-F4 so pretty slow at the long end with some pretty funky moustache distortion at the wide end. Put it this way do you think Nikon or Canon users would be shouting for a 24-120 f5.6-f8 lens. Alas nearly every option that has been shrunk to suit the goals of mFT has been at the expense of performance.
The E-5 with an F4 {tele end} lol man you want the dinosaurs back . The E-5 is nearly 3.5 stops behind the D5100’s DR at base ISO that is even with Olympus ISO lies. You are one of the guys who wants Olympus to lose even more money bumping out a high end FT , dream on
While it is nice to have boat loads of DR, and high ISO in the stratosphere… Truth is, photographers use the equipment they have, and great photographers use the equipment they have to great effect.
I would take an E-5 over the D5100 any day of the week, and bang out better pictures because I know the sensor, I know the lenses.
How many 12-60 lenses, or 50-200 do you think Olympus has sold over the years… how many 14-35 and 35-100? Where are they? They bought almost as fast as they become available second hand… who is using them?
Truth is, with the new IBIS, the new sensor, the HG and SHG lenses plus some new features… An E-7 would sell like hot cakes.
@ab Olympus were little more than bit players in digital era pre mFT . oly fanboys are beyond delusional .the 12mp sensor in the e5 was out of date when it came out. Compared to the FF models that you all like to claim are so bad the e5 is a pathetic joke. it’s Af is generations behind at its time of release it was nearly as expensive as FF models.
we hear the bleating of the oly nutters its the lenses it’s all about the lenses , here is the news the area where oly lens outdo FF is in the extreme corners and that is at a dof no ft lens can get to. ft is dead simple as, if they sold the way your thinking then they would not have had to commit a decade of fraud to cook the books.it will get worse now that they have let the wolf in the door ask the Minolta users how helpful Sony are lol.
Unfortunately a pretty accurate description IMO.
Tell me, which ‘full frame’ camera can you buy NEW for $1700? Even the D600 is more expensive then that and doesn’t come anywhere close with regards to build quality, so you are talking rubbish by saying the E-5 at introduction was almost as expensive as a ‘full frame’ camera.
Then your statement concerning the Olympus financial scandal is off by about a decade or so, again you are talking rubbish.
But then you have that funny statement about lenses, dof that a ff lens cannot get? Well, at least that leaves absolutely no doubt about you being a totally clueless moron.
Bart the e-5 was £1500 when it launched very close to the d700 and 5dmkii at the time .the d600 is better than the e-5 in every way that matters , including Dr ,noise , AF image quality there were good reasons why FT failed . including poor sensor,poor AF, oversized overpriced lenses.
FT is gone how anyone can think otherwise is beyond me , the very best that can be hoped for is a better way to use FT lenses on a no doubt high grade met body. THere has been one top model camera released in three years and no lenses for how long. ?
you are one of the biggest Olympus fanboys here talking with Olympus fanboys is way too close to arguing about religion .
The list price for the E-5 is 1699 Euro with a street price of 1500 euro. The current STREET price for a D700 is at least 2300 euro. That is a 800 euro difference, so not anywhere near the same price. Current street price for a D600 is 1999 euro, which is still nearly 500 euro above that of an E-5.
So no, its not ‘as expensive’, not even close.
You get a better camera for a fair bit more money? It would be strange if that wasn’t the case really.
the d5100 sensor is far better than the e5 and there are no shortage of Nikon lenses so your claim is bs obviously the e5 is better built but that sensor sucks and fanboy rants don’t change it.
how blind do you have to be to claim OLympus FT was a success it was a failure . and they would be very stupid tp pursue a market that is now probably a fraction of one percent get real
Are you totally incapable of reading?
Ab did NOT say the E-5 is a better camera, he said it allows HIM to take better pictures.
You know its the photographer that is responsible for the pictures, and not the camera, do you?
The 4/3 12-60mm is actually fatter but shorter (and better and faster) than the 12-50 and costs more or less the same money! The question is how much re-design is needed to build an an m 4/3 version of it (i.e. to shorten the flange distance), what would be the effects of a shorter flange distance on size and optical quality, and whether a retractable version of it (to reduce size further) would be technically feasible.
I dont know where you come from but here the Olympus FT 12-60 lens costs £879
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-olympus-12-60mm-ed-f2-8-4-0-swd-zuiko-ed-digital-lens/p1024799?awc=2298_1350156281_269de3455b06f44e0761e8f560cfb9e2utm_source=aw
While the 12-50 comes in at £294
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-olympus-12-50mm-f3-5-6-3-zuiko-digital-ed-black-micro-four-thirds-lens/p1529273?awc=2298_1350156224_229592c4ef77c64c397e3e7957a86735&utm_source=aw
So the 12-60 is almost exactly three times the price, not what I would call in the same price sector. The 12-60 lenses are an f2.8-f4 lens so hardly a speed demon .Plus if the redesigned it for mFT what would happen.
Lucky you… it’s twice that price over here. Over here, 300 quid will only get you a 14-42. You may ignore the first part of my comment >-(
Great shots in the travel review with the OM-D, thanks Admin for point it out.
am I the only one who looks at the shutter button and the mode dial and thinks “cheap & flimbsy” ?
It’s throughly dragging on my idea of buying one. Might wait to see what the e-p5 is.
The only way to tell would be to handle one.
For me, aside from the lack of an integrated EVF, the most off putting thing about the EPL5 is the 16:9 LCD. That’s just a really dumb design decision when your sensor has a native 4:3 aspect ratio.
Not dumb if you want 16:9 photos out of camera (regardless of lack of multi-aspect). But, then again Jeff, you’re a Pany fanboy.
Panny fanboi? hah hah, hardly. Although, I do like my GH2.
Micro Four Thirds fanboi? Absolutely. What a great system! There’s really something for almost everyone!
The only thing I prefer about Panasonic is their lousy UI, which is only marginally better than the crappy Oly UI. And I prefer movable LCDs over fixed, which puts the EPL5 over the GX1 as far as usability go. But, full articulation beats TiltyScreen™ any day. Other than that, it’s a toss-up. If the upcoming EP5 has a built-in viewfinder, I may go for that over a GH3, but that boils down to size and handling.
Face it, both P&O make some truly dumb-ass design decisions, like 16:9 LCDs with a 4:3 sensor or inflating the GH3 to small DSLR size, or power-zoom lenses or $100 lens hoods. I have no trouble pointing them out from either side.
Me, I just like shooting photos and like photo gear. I own, Panasonic, Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Pentax cameras and hold no particular allegiance to any of them.
I DO have lens preferences, especially manual lenses.
Voigtländer fanboi? You betcha! Nikon AI-S lenses?… goddam straight! Can’t wait to get my Oly 15mm f8 and am mulling whether to ditch my old Nikon 60mm f2.8D macro for the Oly 60mm macro, which looks fantastic, focus-by-wire aside!
The whole P vs. O thing is just plain irksome. Can’t we all just get along? 😉
Fat aspect screen in 4:3 aspect ratio camera is complete and utter waste of valuable and very limited real estate in this size cameras.
If not 4:3 screen it shouldn’t be any wider than 3:2 to give good size image most of the time.
+1
Exactly! That kind of mistake really shouldn’t go into production in the first place…
I am surprised to see how well this diminutive body cap lens perfoms in the hands of a gifted photographer!
+100!
Speaking of which, check out the shots from his D600 review. Some gorgeous street shots!
Just to get the forum vide right , basically if anyone posts anywhere on the net saying how good any Olympus product is { even someone’s holiday pics } then you get a link from admin lol what a joke seriously . Olympus fan boy BS gets real old ,
That’s pretty much the case. 😉
You left out the relentless pounding on all things from Panasonic… like the tiresome IBIS thing… the lack of it hasn’t kept me from photographing things for 40+ years. 😉
anyway olympus had noted about the EP-5… this will be a rangefinder with EVF…
This is a fake, the two halves of the camera don’t even match, but shows what a fully loaded M43 body would be like. Has everything – except IBIS of course! 🙂
http://thingsnstuffs.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/new-panasonic-gh3.html
Loaded with bulletpoint engineered, not real, features.
Like too small grip and lacking controls.
That Ming Thein review is three weeks old.
Isn’t it about time for Olympus to give a 25 fps video recording mode for us Europeans? Heck, even my almost 3 year old GF1 can do that. I’d also expect a 3.5mm audio input OR a proper accessory port adaptor that doesn’t unnecessarily take away your only hot shoe. Have one on top of the adapter for crying out loud, if you nothing else comes to mind.
I’d almost decided to get an EPL5 to use alongside my GX1 (which I love).
but at the last minute I cancelled.
I hope I’ve made the right decision, I’m now waiting for the Fuji E-x1 with an 18-55 F4 OIS zoom. It ticks all the right boxes for me. I shall of course keep the GX1 to use with my Panny & Oly lenses.
I’m okay with the Pen Mini and Pen Lite lines not having built-in EVF. The top-line Pen line should, to further differentiate them from the lower end models, and also keep up with the Nex. In that sense, I think Sony marketing has a better grasp on line differentiation – EVF on top of the line models, none on the entry level units.
But damn, bigger (ever so slightly) than the original Pen Mini and not as sleek? These things are getting bigger and bigger, aren’t they. For an entry level Pen, I would have thought size would be more important than image quality.
Why do people insist on shoving slr ergonomics into other people’s throats ? It was the same charade when only pany cameras had EVFs, ¨if you want evf why don’t you get a GH2 then ?¨, now it’s the same crap with the EM5…Don’t you get it ? RF stiled body let’s you:
1. Move your head further to the left
hence…
– Get’s your nose out of the way of the LCD i.e. no more smudges and unwanted touch AF
– Frees up your left eye to check surroundings for better composition
– Since you head no longer blocks the controls you have better ergonomics
– You don’t have to buy an extra accessory that takes up the hotshoe
A M4/3 NEX-6/XE-1 equivalent WOULD NOT takes sales from the OMD line, it would help to keep people from going to other systems, something the EM5 has been incapable of as it’s becoming apparent. Even if it does take profits away from the EM5, who cares ? those pennies go to the same pockets: Olympus. Besides, the OM-D is one step above the Pen line, Olympus itself has said it’s aiming at a more Pro line with it so it makes sense to sell in smaller numbers. Why should Olympus (or Pany) sit still while Sony and Fuji make profits from RF bodies ? shove OMDs into people’s faces until they get used to a slr body ? It takes a lot more money to make an EM-5 than it would take to make a non weather sealed E-P5 with EVF.
An E-P5 would not make your EM5s obsolete, it would only give an alternative to the other half of M4/3s that have been crying for a RF camera since the E-P1.
Hear, hear.
Congratulations, you earned my post-off-the-day award.
Agree completely. Even if new technology is expensive, a new EVF, months down the line it becomes a must. Oly will be bleeding towards NEX6 and the E-X1 if it doesn’t incorporate a VF soon in a RF.
These bodies are not expensive to make compared to a dSLR, they have no electromechanical parts, all you sell its new technology, and that is strictly time dependent.
maybe its also true in these days that people are more spoiled and picky about what they want. If a brand or system doesnt offer a RF style body, you could also settle down for an external EVF or OMD/GH solution. Sometimes its good to make a compromise if you want to stay in the same system. If the situation was reversed with only RF style bodies in the MFT, I would not mind to settle for such camera, even if i prefer the EVF above the lens axis, but thats just a detail.
same old shi**y LCD display.. what is olympus thinking???
What, more rumors of a Pen w/ an EVF? It would be great but I kind of doubt it. My guess is the EM5 is the answer to NEX as far as Olympus marketing is concerned.
That could be true but If that’s the case then they’ll be eventually forced to release a direct rival to the XE-1 and NEX6 anyway, cause the EM5 is sure as hell not keeping customers from switching to those 2 cameras. I’m not saying it’s a case of massive migration towards NEX and Fuji X, since people are heavily invested in M4/3 glass, but there’s only so much waiting you can tolerate before you start to get frustrated with the lack of proper solution all the while other systems are on their 2nd generation RF bodies.
I’ll wait until further confirmation, if Oly or Pany refuse to answer market demand then I’ll invest elsewhere (I’ll probably keep my e.pl1 for casual use only)
i wonder if the migration to the NEX-6 because it has a RF design weighs up to the fact that you have less native lenses to choose from……..
You got to love a camera that has strap lugs, that poke you in the hand, and make it sore. I guess Olympus is wanting to sell us a grip with this one too. Of coarse it could just be, that they designed all the bodies four years ago or so and have to use up all their designs, before they start making pain free bodies. Porcupine designed body, get out of my hand – bitch! Where the hell is my Panasonic?
Or you just go learn to properly hold a camera, or maybe take the pain in your hands as a sign to go somewhere else, which would nicely free us from your unwarranted and never-ending stream of cynical negativity.
Bart, did you even read the review? One of the very first things he complained about was the strap lug. As far as learning to hold the camera and the rest of your dribble goes, well, some of us actually use cameras for hours on end and holding something that long tends to give you an idea of ergonomics, vs people like you, that apparently buy a camera to sit it on your desk and admire the looks of it, then promptly hop on the Internet and tell everyone how great it is, without every having actually used it, other than to pick it up now and then, for a few brief moments , so as not to get any finger prints on the pretty finish.
Absolutely, my E-M5 got about 15400 shutter activations from just sitting on my desk being admired.
removed
The OM-D is IMO a very desirable camera. However, as touch AF is increasingly popular, a centrally located EVF is no longer practical. Why pay for both EVF and touch LCD when you cannot use both and switch between them easily.
I would personally jump at a RF styled E-P5 even if it has no 5-axis IBIS or weather sealing.
As for E-PL5, looks like a great package except for the below par screen. This is a big problem for a non VF camera, I.e.many would be happy to do without EVF but in that case they need a good screen in terms of resolution and colour reproduction.
An EVF would be nice, but what I’d really like to see is them fixing the two obvious flaws of the series- that weird wasted space screen and the lack of a built in flash. Yeah, I know built in flashes are usually crap and not much good for serious work. But most people buy cameras to record events, not to produce works of art. Even people who primarily film for artistic expression sometimes use their camera to take snapshot pics of vacations, parties, or social gatherings. Built in flash is often critical for such uses. Silly not to include it. Might not matter right now since Oly have a sensor advantage in their smaller lineup, but once Panny starts putting GH3 sensor in smaller line (which I imagine will start with upcoming GX2) then choice boils down to IBIS vs Built in Flash and Better Screen, which is probably a win for Panny with most consumers. A built in flash and a screen without black bands is hardly cutting edge tech or costly addition. Fixing this should be Oly’s #1 priority.