Most of us still didn’t get their preordered E-m5 cameras that Olympus just announced the new E-m5 double kit (via DC.watch). It will be released in July.
More E-M5 news:
ThePhoBlographer posted the full E-M5 review: “Olympus took what many have said about them and their sensors for years and threw it upside down on its head. The new sensor is terrific and renders images with low noise at higher ISOs. But to be honest, all of their fast primes allow you to not need to shoot at such volcanic ISO settings. The RAW file quality is just like film…nuff said.”
An E-M5 test by Rob Knight. A new handmade E-M5 leather case on [shoplink 31362 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
E-M5 (Pre)order links (Click on store name): Amazon, Adorama, B&H, Jessops, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.
The E-M5 keeps to be present in the Amazon Bestseller list(changes hourly!):
USA: E-M5 on position 5/13/15/20 (Click here)
UK: E-M5 is on position 5/13 (Click here).
Germany: The E-M5 is on position 2/13 (Click here).
France: not available (Click here to see rankings anyway).
Japan: E-M5 on position 11 (Click here).
50 Responses
Chris did a great write up… Wasn’t sure he liked it from his initial impressions a few weeks ago…
Apparently he was trying “to be honest” – I would hope so – he used the word “to be…honest” 6 frigg’n times in the review.
if olympus really wanted to sell this they just need to do a kit of the 14-42 mark I (from EP1 kit), the 14-42 mark II (from EPL2), and the 14-42 mark II BR from the EP3 kit.
market research tells me that they can charge 2500 for it – call it the vintage lens collectors edition. this will keep the competition prices at reasonable levels while simultaneously proving that olympus is not for plebians but otherwise for serious business like flowers.
They better make kits with primes, much better combinations then zooms which force you into the high iso settings. While the 12-50 is a fine lens its just not suited to my taste, so I sold it yesterday(but i will miss that 12mm setting…..)
You’re right. It would be a good way to get rid of some of those 17mm lenses.
How else will they clear the crappy, unwanted zooms out of dead storage? Give them away?… I mean … Have a special sale!
I’ve so far kept my 12-50 that came with but I’ve not unwrapped it. Only been using the 12mm f:2. Besides the black lens on the chrome body looks weird to me.
Holy Mother! That is a lot for a half-case. I value hand-made as much as the next person, but over $200 (shipped) for a half case? I’d rather get another speedlight or put it towards a good lens.
All grouching about the price aside, what is a half-case any good for? I don’t understand at all…
1/2 cases are part of the whole retro thing. But like most retro trends, they fail to understand the point of the original.
Back in the day, you’d get an 35mm camera and a nice leather case that fit the camera. When you were out shooting, off went the top part, which protected the body and kit lens, but you’d leave the bottom 1/2 on so you could snap the top of the case on again. The only time the bottom came off was to change film or use a tripod.
I suppose it added some grip, but grip wasn’t the point, because you always had 3 points in contact… right hand on camera/shutter, left hand holding lens, viewfinder to eye. A grip was pretty much unnecessary. When digital cameras came along, marketers called large battery compartments “grips”.
+1
To be *really* retro, they should have a pocket for the film box cover to show the ASA/DIN numbers and the number of pictures on the film.
🙂 Ektachrome 160/36!
I remember it well……. 🙂
The good ole’ days :-).
Pan F
Very cute.
Tri-X, but never T-Max.
These so called “ever ready” cases were called “never ready” cases by many. I can’t recall seeing many, except in the refuse barrel 😉
Given the discount when ordering the 40-150mm with the EM5 in the US we pretty much already have the 2 lens kit here.
This camera continues to impress me as long as you know its limitations. I think it’s the perfect camera to bring along when I can’t bring my 5d2.
B&H is (was?) already giving a discount on the 40-150 if you bought it at the same time as the 12-50 kit. And seriously – the 12-50 is a great lens. I will keep on insisting on this until enough people have actually used it that it loses its reputation as a “mediocre lens”. My point is, I don’t see the point in buying the EM5 with a 14-42. The 12-50 is a better match for it.
12-50 at the E-M5 is better then I was thinking after reading all the tests, and I like that lins. Zoom range ist also great, and macro mode is nice 🙂 But the 14-42II seems to be a little bit sharper in the corners.
THe 14-42 is also a mediocre lens. I think if you but a camera like the E-M5, it’s better to stick a very good lens in front of it – like the Panny 25/1.4, the Oly 12/2 or 45/1.8 😉
Yeah, but you can’t use all three at the same time. 😉
Sure. If you really want a zoom, I think only the 12-35 from Panasonic is good enough for the OM-D. Otherwise, I rather put less money in the body and more in the lens.
12-50 and 14-42 are good enough for most people. Maybe I will buy a better zoom, if there is one available. Maybe. The Pana 12-35 is a little bit expensive, and, more important for me, 12-35 is a limited zoom range. Something like the 14-54 would be fine, or 12-60. So come on, Olympus 😉
You could always an Oly 12-54 (either I or II) on the E-M5, with a 4/3-u4/3 converter. Both lenses are CDAF compatible and weather-sealed (and faster than the 12-50) — although both are also a… bit… heavier than the 12-50.
The 12-50 may be a better lens, but it is also much bigger.
One of the advantages of m4/3 is the size.
the double lens kit has been available in Australia for a while, same price as 12-50 kit
I’m not sure if it was actually available (as stock), but the price was set & pre-orders are taken.
Australia’s recommended twin lens kit is the same price as the weatherproof (12-50) kit, which is AUS$1,499.00 & all the prices were released together (when it was finally decided) about a couple of months ago.
Silly kit.
Would make more sense if it was paired with 40-150mm
I would rather wish that Olympus do a special edition of the 12-50mm kit lens F2.8-5.6 with edge to edge sharpness. Diameter could be a little bigger and cost $150 to 200 more.
Nice idea, but methinks you’re dreaming if you think an f2.8 will only be “a little bigger” and only $200 more.
F2.8 for $200 extra sound “slightly” optimisic, but I’d be willing pay $700 extra for such a lens and I’m certainly not alone.
Only $200 extra for the lens cap! 😉
I would buy it and say buh-bye to my 14-140mm to help finance it!
If Olympus introduce a water resistant pancake lens (or somewhat small enough) with high P.Q. , I will got one with E-M5 …. i don’t like the 12-50…..it’s not so (relatively)bulky…
That’s odd – I have this kit already for 3 weeks!! Bought in Singapore Dutyfree…
Admin, what about G5? Any news?
OM-D as a vehicle for selling slow and low IQ kit lenses?
A strange marketing strategy.
In my view, the camera shout come with a first class standard focal length prime. Oh well, there is a gaping hole in the Oly lens lineup? Then it is high time to close it. High time for a reasonably fast high quality prime in the 17 – 25 mm range. Given the existence of the 25mm Leica anmd the 20 mm Panny, i feel it is self evident that Oly must come up with a decent 17-18 mm lens, letting the substandard 17mm f2.8 sink into oblivion.
Olympus needs to go pro with m43 lenses. And by that I mean no compromises on speed and quality, no matter what size or cost. Sometimes a bigger/more expensive lense is just worth it, especially since its still going to be way smaller and lighter than any apsc counterparts.
These cheap mediocre f3.5+ zooms just don’t cut it, and fiddling with changing primes and missing shots all the time is also getting really annoying really fast.
The problem is that Pro Quality Zooms are Expensive and Heavy. The E-System ED 14-35mm f2.0 SWD weighs 900 grams (about 32 Oz) and costs $2,299.99. How much change in weight and price would there be for a M43 version ???
Batteries for OM-D. Hey…I just got my Wasabi batteries for my new OM-D from BlueNook http://www.bluenook.com/Wasabi-Power-Battery-Charger-Olympus/dp/B0084FM5JC.
(I own similar batteries for my GX1 and they are better performers than the Panny Batteries)
The Olympus Stock Battery is 7.6V 1220mAh. The Wasabi is 7.6V 1300mAh. So I do not think the Olympus and Wasabi charger/batteries are interchangeable (this does not bother me at all… with my OEM charger and battery and my Wasabi kit I can charge two batteries at once!).
The kit is just like the the one I got for my GX1. Its great. 1 charger, 2 batteries, a car/lighter adapter for the charger, and a European adaptor for the plug. The cost with shipping was $34.65. I think it is well worth it…I am not a fan of $7 batteries from China. I see that those batteries say 1500mAh Sanyo Batteries and then you take off the cover and inside they are actually 1050mAh crap from China that will not last very long. …but hey…what do you expect for $7.
The Wasabi batteries say right on the cell: “Premium Cells From Japan”. I think the kit is worth the price and I am sure I will get many reliable charges from the batteries..
My two cents for what it is worth. I saved money from buying the Oly extra batteries, have a travel charger and I am not putting $7 misrepresented junk from China in my brand new $1000 Camera Body. Its a win!!!!
Addendum. The Wasabi and Olympus batteries and charger ARE interchangeable. This info is stated on the web page.
Thanks for the link, but I think the the whole “Note!” needs to be quoted here.
“Note: Batteries are NOT decoded. Your camera will not display the battery’s run time and must be charged with the Wasabi Power charger. Charger is fully compatible with the Olympus original battery”
Ross….I think that that note is a general disclaimer. In my GX1 and my OM-D the batteries are recognized. No problem. The only camera I have that issue with, with 3rd party batteries not being recognized is with my Canon 5DMark II. As soon as I put the batteries in the camera gives me a message saying that they will not be recognized properly by the camera. It sucks that you do not get any warning but they are so much cheaper than OEM.
When I turn my OM-D on..it recognizes the battery with a green “fully charged” read-out….I will see if I can run the camera down tonight and see if the warning comes up and I will post it here. I think that the Wasabi’s work just like OEM in the camera…in spite of the disclaimer.
Bob. Thx. Great looking product. Also a far superior wall mount charger compared to the ancient corded version that Oly packs with the camera. One big question: the Wasabi site says the battery is “decoded” and the camera can’t read the charge level. Us this true in your experience with the E M 5???
OK…Ross and Jim….The Wasabi battery works exactly like the OEM battery. The camera gives normal feedback in the viewfinder when the battery is becoming low. Also…the warning level sensitivity is adjustable in the menu system.
I have no idea why Wasabi/Blue Nook has that note on the battery. I do not believe that the battery in the Olympus OM-D (or my GX-1) is “chipped”. The battery in my Canon 5DMarkII is “chipped” hence unchipped after-market batteries do not give feedback in the viewfinder.
(yeah….what is up with the corded charger with the Olympus OM-D???? That combo is humongous!!!!) Olympus…this is a “micro” four thirds camera!!!!!! LOL!
Th Oly brand battery seems to go flat *very* quickly.
My single batter has been used for four straight days and for a tiny camera battery and I’ve used the little strobe a bit it seems it’s still at 3/4. Seems good to me. And yes the D4 was rated at 4000 shots but the rig weighs 4 times as much.
The e-m5 14-42 and 40-150 kit is available in Australia from $1337 it is part of the original kit releases. Try Digidirect or Digital camera warehouse.
And the 1/2 case is at least a 1/2 case not a 1/4 case as the others seem to be. Must have a look at asi ashai when I have a day for the page to load, I think they use a 286 or 386sx.
what is so new about the double lens kit? It’s on sale for ages in Singapore.