BHphoto (Click here) just changed the availability date for the OM-5. It has been postponed to April 16th.
DPreview, Robin Wong and the E-M5 image quality:
Dpreview (Click here) just posted a low light high ISO samples. Robin Wong (Click here) posted his second part of the E-M5 review with a focus o the High ISO quality: “At ISO3200, the image actually looked very clean, and even up to ISO6400, the output is still acceptably good, on par, or possibly better than E-P3 at ISO1600. Hence, Olympus’ initial claims as they announced the E-M5 that it has at least two stops of EV advantage over E-P3 were not a joke at all.”
Robin is very positively impressed by the image quality but I hope to see soon more detailed studio tests done by Dpreview or DxOmark. The ISO tests made by Focus Numerique (Click here) showed us that the E-M5 and [shoplink 26836]GX1[/shoplink] differences in RAW are minimal. It’s the usual very good Olympus JPEG engine that makes the difference.
Ops now I am talking like a pixel peepers…back to real photography! I really don’t pay too much attention about small resolution, noise and dynamic range differences. What matters first is the usability of the camera. As some readers reported yesterday high image quality makes no sense if the autofocus on the camera won’t work appropriately (I am talking about you Fuji X PRO 1!). And in the real world the five AXIS IS from Olympus will probably help you to get real sharp images in situation were other cameras may blur away the resolution due the camera shaking. I write all this to remind you that no camera is perfect. What matters is which camera works really best for your real photographic use. That’s why I use the [shoplink 16254]GH2[/shoplink] for some of my video work, the [shoplink 28308 ebay]E-P1[/shoplink] as my “always wtih me” camera and the [shoplink 28309 ebay]Mamiya 7[/shoplink] for astonishing quality pictures which even overshadows the new 36 MPX Nikon D800 😉
More E-M5 bits:
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Quick Hands-on in the Philippines at Ferdzdecena (Click here).
Review of the Olympus OM-D EM-5 For Street Photography on Youtube (Click here).
Preview at TheTecnoLast (Click here).
Dynamic Range OM-D vs Nex 5N vs Oly e-p3 vs Pana G3 at Dpreview forum (Click here).
E-M5 preorder:
Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, J&R, Jessops, Redcoon Deutschland, Amazon UK, Amazon Deutschland and Amazon Japan. The E-M5 in all his versions is present in the Amazon top ranking list.
76 Responses
Kind of a bummer on the slip for the release date. I wonder if there are more pre-orders than expected, or delays in manufacturing?
2 stops is nothing to sneeze at…
What???? You kidding? 2 stops is a huge world of difference !!
ha.. ya, i was kidding. “nothing to sneeze at” kinda means its a big deal.
I think that’s only if you didn’t preorder the first wave. I preordered the day it was available on Feb 8th and rumors are that it will come earlier than the April 10th for the states.
Actually …the G3 Raw-Conversion Images on the Focus Numerique site looked quite a bit sharper than the OM images.
I could not find any lens data (did I miss it, anyone?)ie what lens was used on each camera to shoot the tests, but the difference in sharpness may have been the lenses?
I noticed this as well. It was kinda weird.
If you look at the focus nunerique files, the E-M5 were used at Noise Filter Standard. Oly users would know how this destroys much of the original details, hence the lack of sharpness.
While in Robin Wong’s blog, he turns the noise filter OFF, or LOW.
To Beefcake and MikePL… Yeah…my comment above was based on comparing the images at ISO 400 on the Focus Numerique site. (I can only peep so long…it gets insane..)…but if you take a look at ISO 6400 the Oly image has held together somewhat better.
For me anything above 800-1600 is and area that I will never shoot at…so it is meaningless to me.The G3 images hold together, ie sharper right through ISO 1600. The two extra stops on the OM are kind of silly (for my use).
Mike, you could be right. On the Pany you have to turn the NR to -2 to have no in camera NR.
On the Oly the NF must be off.
Is there a difference between NF and NR?
Robin does great reviews…though…this peeping could be moot. LOL. Who knows.
“Is there a difference between NF and NR?”
Oly calls black frame subtraction “Noise Reduction.” Black frame subtraction is used to remove “dot-noise” resulting from long exposure times. NR is totally different from NF.
The images at focus-numerique were front-focused (only the red car in the botton right looks sharp). I’m sorry that this wrong test made people think that the sensor is the same as the G3 or worse.
Really, the E-M5 images (raw) were MUCH better in the shadows than the G3 (also raw). And shadows have been the big problem of Panasonic’s sensors. This sensor cannot be from Panasonic and it is quite better than the one in the G3, both at low and high ISO.
Zonkie…you could be right about that…but if they missed the focus…what else did they miss????? LOL!
I guess we should wait for more comparisons from other review sites. At any rate…pixel peeping aside, Robin’s images look quite wonderful!
Just to prove what I said, here’s a crop from the bottom-left of the pictures from Focus Numerique (dark area with an old camera). G3 vs. E-M5 vs. NEX-5n. All processed from raw in Raw Therapee, no NR applied. All at ISO 3200 with matching exposure (f/5.6, 1/125).
http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/7263/testiso2.jpg
Hey..thanks for doing that …The OM looks quite better. I guess the final word will be comparing the actual Raw files side by side. The DPR Jpeg post doesn’t mean much for comparing, (but they look VERY good!!!) . ..but from this info….”maybe” it is a new sensor? I need more reliable info!!!!! LOL!
Says “Kodak” below the lens, there…
I can only read that on the 5N sample.
Excellent comparison, thank you zonkie. It shows that either noise reduction or a focus error blurred the oly pics in focus numerique sample pics. Now, it looks much better.
I really like that the new oly has very little chroma noise (i hate chroma noise!). Better even, than the nex? Also, dr is better than the panny.
Have you all seen this
Chip.de seems to have made a full e-m5 test.
Interesting reading … take a look f.ex. at DR: Up 2-2,5 steps (?)compared to older m43 cameras, and beating all dslrs 😉
sound nice..
http://www.chip.de/bestenlisten/Bestenliste-DSLR-%C3%BCber-1.000-Euro–index/detail/id/969/ng
Thanks for the link!
I wonder why the EM-5 scored less points for speed. Considering all the processor upgrades, I thought it would at least match the NEX-7.
that is so because they used the 12-50mm for the speed test
and the 17mm for the image quality. terrible choice there – and then they compare it against:
– a d700 with a 60mm macro lens
– a aony a77 with a 50mm/1.4
– canon 1d mark4 with a 50mm/2.5 macro
and rate them the same. dont trust chip.de with their reviews… like i said in another post here: they often just copy press releases and guess scores. they dont even have a review of the em-5 on their site. just a news/preview and a video where they read the specs out.
Wow, is this accurate? I always heard that the Nikon’s had much better DR than that. And it’s supposeduly 2.3 stops better than the E-5. If so, the E-5 sure is a POS and needs to be replaced ASAP.
It could be that they have used OOC JPEGs. I can’t imagine any other way for E-M5 to beat the D7000 in IQ.
You don’t see any Panasonics in that comparison on the the German site,
Germans know their stuff.
A lot of Canikon ranked below the OM5.
The Panas you will find here
Cams under 1000 Euro
http://www.chip.de/bestenlisten/Bestenliste-DSLR-bis-1.000-Euro–index/detail/id/968/
Better than 5DMk2, it is a little too much no ??
There was a post made some days ago refering to the E-M5 being better than a 5DMk2 though I can’t seem to find it.
This is a global score taking in account many things, not only IQ. The 5Dmk2 has a score of 100 on that, while the E-M5 only scored 90 and the Nex-7 93. The E-M5 has a good AF and good features, while the 5DMk2 is often criticized for its poor AF.
Anyway, I agree, these scores look weird.
i would not exactly call chip.de a trustable source. it is a quite big site/magazine but their reviews are often terribly inaccurate and just rephrased press releases. sometimes i think they get paid for good reviews. i stopped trusting that site like 5 years ago.
dont get me wrong, i quite like the om-d, but i certainly would not do so because of a “review” from that site.
Chip.de – DR measurements different ISO values:
Base ISO – 400 – 800 – 1600 – 3200
E-M5:
11.3 – 11.3 – 10.7 – 9.7 – 9.0
Nex 7:
9.3 – 9.7 – 9.3 – 9.3 – 8.7
Hmm, isn’t the Sony sensor in the Nex 7 said to have 13 EV DR at base ISO?
According to this test the E-M5 bodes very very well!
In that matrix it’s actually the best of the lot!
Is that really possible, I wonder…
Robin Wong examples: Pretty much equal to G3 performance to my eye. In post processing using f.i. Topaz Denoise can make images baby-smooth. But, really, some grain in the image can be very nice! Much detail + noise is better than less detail + no noise.
6400 is very usable, a little depending on context and subject.
Hi, does anybody know if there is the rattlesnake problem on the em-5??
If by rattlesnake you refer to bright aperture clicking of Panasonic lens on Olympus body, you don’t need to worry. It’s not a functional problem in any way.
Chip.de is not exactly a specialist in digital cameras, and they also did not perform a thorough test yet. Let’s wait until the E-M5 hits the shelves… Robin’s preview looks good enough to me to preorder the camera.
I really love Admins approach: I nourish you with rumors about MFT but I SHOOT with Mamiya…
just joking…
My OM-2n is waiting for a digital baby sister/brother…soon
I shoot ALSO with Mamiya 🙂
Admin, could you show us some of your shots from that big beast?:D
We all know you are a bit shy when it comes to your work but I think I´m not the only one who´s interested in this camera 🙂 don´t be scared nobody wants to criticize you 😀
I am not scared of critics. I may will show you soemthing…one day 😉
hope it will be soon 😀
I would be very interested in some sort of conclusion using a m4/3 camera and mamiya
Lol chip has tested with the 17 pancake
No, they say the lens used is the 12-50.
Super bummed the shipping date slipped. I’m getting flashbacks of the Nex-7. (different circumstances I know)
Olympus OM-D E-M5 low light high ISO sample series:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/03/09/olympus-omd-em5-iso-series
Dpreview just released some low light high iOS samples
guys
high ISo in low light results are bad really bad. Check out wool balls. Yes you can’t see much color noise what Oly did was literally destroyed every sharpness. You can’t even see white wools over balls @6400 default ISO
This is terrible. Put 2 browsers side by side you will understand what i am talking about. It is like you water-brushed them.
Such a bummer
I think you need a new monitor.
“wool balls” You made my day. Get a shaver dude 🙂
Hi. Are there any news about availability of the new Kenko Tokina mirror lenses for m43s, especially the 300mm?
not yet…
This was done using Oly Viewer software, which means even when you say no to NR it says YES and still applies some. Off does not really mean off, just like the OoC jpegs.
This camera will cover my needs very well. I mostly shoot ISO 200 and 400, a few times 800 and 1600. From 200 to 1600 the images are excellent.
Last night I was photographing with my EP3 at iso 200, with the Lumix 25 f1.4, just with week house lights, and the images came excellent. The image stabilization allowed me to shoot even at 1/8th of a second. The OM-D will be fantastic.
+1 i take splendid low iso over hi iso any day, hi iso is a nice to have but no must
+1
DPReview: I cannot tell the difference switching between 800 & 1600 … at all.
Only at 3200 do I see a change, which is on par with with X Pro1 for me.
From preliminary dpreview E-M5 samples, ISO 200-1600 are excellent. At 3200, the details in low contrast areas ( fur ) become smeared, but it’s still OK for most situations. ISO 6400 is for emergency IMO, higher ISOs are unusable except for black and white photography. Color retention is also impressive – excellent up to ISO 6400.
Can’t wait to see its comparison with Fuji X Pro 1 and Canon G1X!
They look pretty great, ISO12800 will be quite usable I think.
What got my attention is how DPR’s Canon 5DMk3 test has significantly longer exposures compared to E-M5.
Of course, it was shot at smaller aperture, but still the difference is quite striking.
5DMk3 shots are more exposed as well giving an impression of better low light handling than it might be the case.
For instance E-M5 @ISO200 has following settings:
5/8s exposure
f/6.3
while 5DM3 @ISO200:
6s exposure
f/11
Am I just being paranoid or did DPR get a memo from Canon to show their new camera in the best possible light (pun intended emoticon – :D).
They probably aim to maximize DOF without introducing diffraction – which sets in at larger apertures for smaller sensors. Makes sense to me…
Memo.
Panasonic has decided to skimp on video in all their other cameras in order to protect the GH2. Imagine if Olympus puts the 5 axis IS in the Pen series. They’d blow away all but the GH when it comes to video.
So far none of the Pens have stabilsiation in videomode, maybe the new system will allow it though (it does in the E-M5).
Right. Up until the E-M5 the Pens have been pretty bad when it comes to video. But if the new Pens get the same quality video and the 5 axis IS I think Panasonic will have to upgrade the video in the GF series.
I think that they won’t be able to fit the bigger IBIS system of the OM-D into a Pen sized body.
Take E-PL3, put that bigger IBIS system in it and you’ll get E-PL2 size – maximum. As someone said here, Olympus traditionally puts all the newest parts in their latest model, regardless of its price and position. E-PL1 had better high ISO and flash while being roughly half the price of E-P2. Economy of scale is another reason: the more similar parts you produce, the less they’ll cost. So, it’s reasonable to expect both new sensor and new IBIS in a new E-PL or E-PM in June, for around 600 USD with kit lens.
Well, you’re right about software and the sensor. But the IBIS is a precision mechanical part that probably can’t be produced cheaply. Also, they need something to differentiate the OM-D from the Pen. My guess is they’ll stay with two axis IBIS on the Pen. At least as long as other manufacturers use two axis IS.
@ Miroslav, yes, I believe so. As far as I remember, since the first time Olympus introduced IBIS, all Olympus body are equipped with it. from E-x series to the cheapest E-PM1.
Same for sensors. Never before Olympus take a step back in term of Megapixels. 6MP in E-1, 8MP in E-300, 10 MP in E-3, 12MP in recent cameras. So, I guess it would be safe to say all future Oly camera will have 16MP sensor and 5 axis IBIS. Moreover, its not rare that Olympus introduced new technologies in cheaper model cameras that would be later used in flagship models.
Not entirely correct the E-330 went back to 7.5MP from the E300 which was 8MP. But the reason was the introduction of live view among many other features that were used on this SLR, which were roundly berated by the “experts” in many forums and blogs as not being a need for SLR users. Which we all know are now standard on all SLRs from all manufacturers.
Must beat GH2 in base ISO dynamic range or I’m not interested. It’s literally the only thing keeping me from switching away from my DSLR… MFT has GOT to have at least one camera with good base ISO. COME ON!
People say they are not as sharp and dpreview stated they turned sharpness down to -2. why adjust anything just leave it alone
Has anyone seen anything on E-M5 use with SD UHS-1 cards. The manual says use is OK but has anyone seen anything about it being tried.
Compatibility may mean that the card defaults to its standard SD rate (which may be 4,6 or 10 depending on the card) or it may mean that it is using full UHS-1 capability. Write speeds of up to 45 Mb/s and read of 90 depending on the card brand.
Yesterday I was able to play with this beautiful little camera at a demo by the Olympus rep at the local camera store. At first it was uncomfortable in my hand, worried it might slip out, but as soon as we put on the extra grip, it become very comfortable in my hands. My personal conclusion was that I will have to fork out the extra money and get the grip and vertical grip for this camera, as I prefer to use my camera without a neck strap, and really love something I can wrap my fingers around.
It was pointed out to me that with the grip in place, you now have three adjustment wheels on the top of the camera and the ability to set each of them to what ever takes your fancy. If you add the vertical grip you get a forth wheel. So with the addition of the grip you suddenly have the tri wheel navigation that was so desirable in the Sony Nex 7. Personally this makes this little camera now an enthusiasts / professional tool for me.
The extra grip and the vertical grip weight hardly was noticeable once added to the camera. I did note that the extra grip did flex, and did not feel as solid as I would expect in a pro camera, probably another reason it isn’t labeled as a pro camera by Olympus.
It’s Canon G1 X by the link, not Panasonic GX1. Canon(‘s noise) is better though.
Sorry, I meant Panaosnic G1X. You have to look in the FN test archieve to find it.
By the way, Pana GX1 beats Canon G1X in matter of high ISO (DxO mark), and just very slightly weaker in DR. Canon achieves higher score just because of much better color fidelity.
Unfortunately, the Panasonic GX1 Test (I looked at ISO 1600), in the Focus Numerique archive used the 14-42mm XZoom which is a soft lens. To my eye the whole bottom of the photo is soft or out of focus. Unfortunately, one of the best areas of these images to look for noise is around the old Kodak bellows camera in the black areas, but it is all “soft” for some reason here. Too bad the Oly 45mm f/1.8 or the Pany/Leica 2.8 Macro were not used and focused properly…the results would tell us MUCH more.
Have a look at Zonkie’s comparison of just that area in the link he provided in answer to one of your posts above.
yes, if you look, you can see that I responded to that. That involved the G3 at ISO 3200 (an ISO I personally would never shoot at). This reference (thread started by admin. just above this post) involves the GX1 sample on the Focus Numerique site, with a different lens on it. So Zonkie’s post, although very interesting and informative does not list, or mention the GX1.
Admin : Robin Wong review part 3,.http://robinwong.blogspot.com/
Hi, I have also done two new reviews comparing the Panasonic Lumix GX1 to the Olympus OM-D E-M5, so all three are here:
The first short one:
http://www.fotograf-stockholm.nu/olympus-om-d-e-m5-vs-panasonic-lumix-dmc-gx1/
More in-depth:
http://www.fotograf-stockholm.nu/olympus-om-d-e-m5-first-impressions-hands-on-vs-panasonic-lumix-gx1/
Video filming:
http://www.fotograf-stockholm.nu/video-filming-movie-mode-with-panasonic-lumix-gx1-and-olympus-om-d-e-m5/
Rgds
Petter