Finally also Amazon has the new camera available for pre-order:
Olympus E-5 12.3MP Digital SLR with 3 inch LCD (Body Only)
P.S: I didn’t find the E-5 in European shops. Comment this post if you find it!
Finally also Amazon has the new camera available for pre-order:
Olympus E-5 12.3MP Digital SLR with 3 inch LCD (Body Only)
P.S: I didn’t find the E-5 in European shops. Comment this post if you find it!
*Please also check your spam folder if you don't get the confirmation mail. And mark the mail as "non-spam" to see the future newsletter.
89 Responses
Found that here http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1022&thread=36325046&page=2 :
I found in another forum (German) the following that prove this supposition;
http://www.dslr-forum.de/showthread.php?t=741823
Beim Gespräch mit den Ingenieuren und Managern wurde auch klar, in welcher Schwierigen Situation die Entwicklung standfand. Noch im letzten Jahr war nicht klar, ob diese Schiene (E-x-Reihe, nicht DSLR an sich!) überhaupt weiter bedient werden soll. Durch die Wirtschaftskrise ist der Imaging-Bereich doch deutlich eingebrochen. Der Erfolg der E-PL1 hat wieder etwas für Aufwind gesorgt, trotzdem waren die Vorgaben für die E-5 knapp – sie muss von Anfang an profitabel sein, nur dann wird sie gebaut. Damit war nach den Erfahrungen mit der E-3 aber eben auch klar, dass das ganze eine Evolution werden muss. Den Rest kennen wir nun.
Translation by Google:
In the conversation with the engineers and managers it became also clear, in which difficult situation the development occurred. Still last year was not clear, whether this rail (E x row, not DSLR in himself!) generally wide should be served. Nevertheless, by the economic crisis the Imaging area has clearly broken. The success of the E-PL1 has provided again something upward wind, nevertheless, the default scarce for the E-5 – she must be profitable from the outset, only than it would be factured. However, after the experiences with E-3 it was just also clear that the whole one must become an evolution. Now the rest we know.
i knew e5 was e-pl1 successor.
LOL! That made my day! 😉
I have so many questions … I do not know what to do: to sell or continue. Oh, my god!
Please, Olympus, sell it at 1200-1300 euros and put an end to my doubts! Think of your followers who have trusted in your bodies and lenses over the years.
Easy…if you still want to stay with Oly, wait a few months, the price will fall, since the statements of ending mirror cameras will affect very hard the sales from Oly 4/3 cameras from now. This is officially the dumbest move i ever saw from a company…release a product and short after predict it will be the last…wonderful marketing….
LOL, But Olympus go modular, maybe we get more information on this on PHOTOKINA?
We sure hope so…
Oly cameras traditionally loose about 20% of their price within first 3 month on market.
Otherwise, “to sell” is too late. If lots of people start selling Oly gear now, prices on eBay/etc would fall drastically.
I personally look for my aging E-520 replacement and if E-5’s price would fall to $1200-1300 (and no major flaws would show up during reviews; unlikely) I would definitely buy it. Nice upgrade and all. It’s not that I use even quarter of E-520 capabilities – and I have already graduated from the ranks of pixel peepers. 12-60 is a great lens, what actually made me shooting again and I hope to keep it around for quite some time.
The Nikon D7000 beats the E-5 in almost every respect. It sells at 1200 Euros as opposed to the E-5 at 1700(!!) Euros.
I went to Hamburg’s most respected Olympus dealer and you can pre-order the E-5 there too. I also saw it available for pre-order on some Austrian online shop.
I used
http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich (Europe option) and it shows up at at least 5 different shops, all at 1699 Euros.
Don’t buy it. Send Olympus a message that this camera is not competitive at 1700 Euros.
Is this a troll? “Beats in every respect”? Let’s see, the D7000 has
-more megapixels
-more autofocus points (whoop-de-doo…)
-and higher ISOs (although above 6400 they’re labeled “Hi1” and “Hi2”, and some reviewers have termed them a bit of a gimmick)
-higher-res movie modes
-slightly higher max sequential shooting rates
OK, that’s fair…now let’s look at the rest.
Things that are equivalent:
-flash sync speed
-max shutter speed
-LCD display
Things the E-5 wins on:
-greater autofocus EV range
-face detection in AF
-finer control of ISO setting
-longer maximum exposure time (60s vs. 30s)
-more AE bracketing shots (7 vs. 3 frames)
-more powerful built-in flash
-greater range of flash compensation
-greater range of diopter adjustment (not likely to be useful for most of us)
-WB bracketing (silly)
I am not slamming the D7000 here – I’m sure it’s fine. But it all comes down to what you want/need. Higher useful ISOs would be nice, but other than that it’s mostly a wash for me. I don’t shoot movies, I don’t give a crap about extra AF points (I use about three regularly anyway), I shoot pretty much no shots at 1/8000s or 60s, I virtually never use the built-in flash, I think WB bracketing is silly, etc. Olympus does, however, offer some really stunning glass that nobody else can touch…
To each its own priorities…i agree..both have their strenghts (CLS on Nikon is really good)….and while the Oly glass is “untouchable” the sensor from 4/3 do not make justice to it….
I don’t think he was a troll, you both make good points. No doubt both cameras are competitive with each other, but the bottom line is the E-5 is priced $500 more than a very similar Nikon body. Plus, the Pentax K5 will be announced soon too, and it may very well best both of them. It should match the E-5’s build quality and weather resistance and match the IQ of the D7000. The E-5 has a tough road ahead. I simply see no reason to pay a premium for it.
Wow! You really had to dig deep into the spec sheet to find any place where the Olympus E-5 is superior. I think it is safe to assume that Tobias is not a troll… he is simply making a fair spec comparison. BTW, isn’t the D7000 a mid-level dSLR?
I think that you forgot some of the most important aspects.
The E3(E5) pentaprism optical viewfinder, the difference between a pentaprism with 100% coverage with 1.15x magnification and an aproximated 100% coverage with 0.94x magnification is there, actually a bright a big viewfinder is one of the most expensive things of a camera design together with the mirror box and that´s why they want to remove them with EVIL cameras, after that a camera will be awfully cheap to manufacture, just plastics and electronics with no mechanics and optics anywhere, mobile phones embed a camera in them for a ridiculous amount, but there are neither pentaprism nor mirror boxes there.
There is also the body sealing and a warranted shutter up to 150000 exposures and the sensor cleaning technology.
And I´m not justifying the price difference, but the key differences between an E3 versus an E30 where not IQ related, said that, I also think that the E5 is not competitive.
Or here http://geizhals.at/eu/a569767.html (5 Austrian dealers + 1 from UK).
> Don’t buy it. Send Olympus a message that this camera is not competitive at 1700 Euros.
Why commenting here if you do not own Oly? Because if you had a camera from Oly you would have known that their street price falls down from MSRP very very quickly.
We own two DSLR bodies from Olympus and five lenses at home, including the Zuiko 12-60mm which I would love to use on a modern body. I am really hoping for the price of the E-5 to drop to below 1200 Euros or a matching Dollar equivalent within the next 4 months. But let’s face it, at 1700 Euros this body is too expensive. A new 5D MkII can be bought at around 1800 Euros in Germany. Where is the relation in price?!
BTW, you can take a look at the pictures I took with my Olympus gear by following the “Tobias W.” link.
You seem to like bikes…(smile)…i really love thie one:
http://www.friendlyimitationofwork.com/index.php?showimage=371
beautiful image…congrats..
Thanks. I used one of my old Minolta Rokkor lenses on a E-520. Great combination of gear.
Nikon release the D7000 a day later with similar specs, better video, and included lens for $200 less on Amazon. This is why I’m ticked off at Olympus. Why don’t they listen to the consumers!! The fact that they didn’t include 1080p in the E5 is just foolish. Olympus owners needed them to hit this one out of the park in every category and as usually they show up late with outdated features…sigh.
Take them both out in the rain, or on an open boat with salt spray, and then assess the value proposition.
So we are talking about changing systems on the specs of a camera that has not been released yet, not reviewed and not looking at it in the wider context of the system advantages/disadvantages that every camera system has! Words almost fail me. On another note how does the D7000 beat the E5 in all respects, have you handled them both, shot with both of them, read the reviews (keeping on eye on the reviewers bias) or is it just the specs. Why not wait for the final product and judge then on the basis of knowledge and review …and 4/3rds will continue, it’s called convergence, do you really think Oly would put a 300mm lens on a Pen!
i thought there was already a post on this? as i recall there was a robust discussion as to why or why not to buy this camera at 1700. the overwhelming majority of people here don’t seem to be too interested. i was gonna expand but there is nothing left to say… even if it drops to 1000 with a lens. next please, panasonic where art thou
Yep..who knows…maybe Panasonic can come with a better sensor DR wise…
One shoss p has already announced it here :
http://www.toppreise.ch/prod_210872.html
Currently there is only one shop offering it in the price comparator, this shop is usually more expensive than many others.
One Euro = approximately 1.3 SFR nowadays, may be less.
The VAT (7.6) is included in the price indicated, which is much less than the VAT perceived in EU countries where it ranges from 18% to 21% in most countries. However usually the seller takes the difference, that is the Swiss price VAT included is often more or less equal to the EU prices VAT included ( concretely that means that the seller takes from us what the taxes didn’t take)
To pour more salt into the wound: did you know you can get a new Canon EOS 5D Mark II for around 1800 Euros in Germany? So, in other words, a full frame camera is about the same price as a Four-Thirds body? ROFL!
I honestly would have purchased this camera, without a doubt, if it had better video implementation.
I am more than happy with my E30, so with the minor improvements, I’m sure the E5 is even better at taking stills. Weather proofing is nice, I could use that.
But no 1080i, no 24p frame rate and no video compression control is most likely a deal killer for me. Is any of this possible with a firmware update?
Maybe, just maybe, there will be a better option in m43?
Take them both out in bad weather and then assess the value proposition.
I’m intrigued by this camera as I’ve seen Oly users have been hyped up about its would-be innovative features. For me, I like Oly SHG glass, so I’ll wait for more review to see if I need to get one to compliment my Sony A900.
What’s funny that I keep seeing this “take them both … in bad weather…” Since when it is the weather that I would take my pictures in 99% of the time? It’s just ridiculous to actually spend $1700 so that you can shoot in a bad weather for non-pro purpose. With that said, I’m still ready to jump in if it’s a good camera.
At least olympus own a new record, the company that gave up the most system in the world, pen, OM, 4/3… How long will m4/3 last ????
I does not make people confident to invest in any new Olympus product whatever it is…
the E3/E5 optical viewfinder blows the lights out of the D90/D7000
Makes sense for the D90 which only shows 96% of the frame. But both D7000 and E-5 show 100%. And shouldn’t the bigger sensor size of the D7000 implicate that the viewfinder is bigger than compared to the E-5? Isn’t that why the E-5 has a 1.15 magnification in the first place?
Exactly right. Even with the smaller magnification % the APS-C the D7000/D300/Pentax K7/Canon 7D all offer slightly larger OVF’s thanks to the larger sensors/mirrors they employ.
Please see the reference image on this page: http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/43/view-size.html
I loved the camera and it would be a great upgrade from E-510 but what I am concerned about is the continuity of the 4/3 system. I have six lenses at home including 7-14. If I am going to through them after a couple of years then there is a problem
I would not give more than 500€ for that body because this is the end of the 4/3 line and spending money on it would be crazy.
OM Series cameras…
Why did they stop selling? Is history repeating?
You can use OM lens on FT and MFT by OM Adapter MF-1 and MF-2.
Very disappointed with the features of this camera. I’m going to have to add to my canon collection after seeing this outdated piece of metal. Oly just isn’t competitive in the pro market anymore. The E-3/E-500 has been their best camera and it’s 4 years old. Sorry to say goodbye Oly, but I can’t run a business with second best products. I’ve spent a lot of money on Oly equipment too. You will miss me Oly.
Ya… But the OMs were innovative. People liked them, and then OM-10 and… Phhht.
It just stops. For years and years. What was in between then? Small point and shoots?
Wikipedia. … Hmmm. The OM-4 was made from the late ’80s till the early 2000s. Huh. Must have gotten those tooling costs well and truly paid for.
Anyway, what I was asking was, did Oly essentially give up for a while?
I’ve had Contax systems, Oly systems, Pentax systems, because I have really liked the cameras. However, I have not had good luck with companies… They all seem to want to give up. While Oly does not seem to bevquitting the camera market, I’m not sure if they want to build the types of cameras I want to use anymore. Not really into the PEN compact type cameras.
Sigh.
“To pour more salt into the wound: did you know you can get a new Canon EOS 5D Mark II for around 1800 Euros in Germany? So, in other words, a full frame camera is about the same price as a Four-Thirds body? ROFL!”
Full frame Sony Alpha 850, $2000
Of course then I would need Zeiss lenses. Eeek! Money, much.
I got into Oly for the lenses, but if I stay with Oly it looks like I would eventually be perhaps mounting lenses on a PEN. The PEN lenses have too much distortion and are too slow.
Drat drat drat.
Spiny, not a pro, no ocean near, hate being in the rain. :-). The new Nikon looks to be weather sealed, and someone yesterday said the K-7 Pentax was?
Why do people keep saying this camera offers weather proofing? The camera body does, virtually every lens Oly makes, including the majority of their most celebrated, do not. From the start this has been my greatest disappointment with Oly, and frustration with its fans: this is NOT a weather sealed system, never has been. You see people bragging about the slight improvements over the sealing on a Canon 7D body, yet the lens-mount and lens itself constitute the first place weather becomes an issue, the easiest to expose, the most most severe when exposed, the number 1 concern. Compare the sealed lens options, and Canikon is not trailing; they lead. This is also why I wholly ignore Sony’s offerings… they seriously sell lenses designed and advertised for field and wildlife photography that have zero sealing.
“Why do people keep saying this camera offers weather proofing? The camera body does, virtually every lens Oly makes, including the majority of their most celebrated, do not.”
Ehm, all of Olympus’ higher-end 4/3 lenses are sealed (the ‘high grade’ and ‘super high grade’ lines). Only the ‘standard’ line is not:
http://asia.olympus-imaging.com/products/dslr/lenses/
I’ve used mine (in combination with an E-1) in downpours with no ill effects beyond the drops on front element.
the best lense olympus makes is weather sealed , the 12-60mm
Brandon, what is your definition of “sealed”? I’m working in a vacuum here. Why are you raining on my parade? I think you are all wet.
Here’s the US release page:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1525&cid=em_e5_09_10_lm&hq_e=el&hq_m=2045553&hq_l=2&hq_v=33a744dcb4
I’ve decided to stick with Oly. I’m getting great quality pix out of my E-520 and 12-60, so I think some more lenses and maybe an E-30 or E-5 are in my future. I’d you are dumping your system:
317-408-8893, angel3000.Dana@gmail.com
This camera actually looks like exactly what I need, an upgrade to my E-620 setup… Unfortunately, Olympus is charging too much. At minimum, it should match the new D7000 price.
It will come down in price, but how far and how fast?
I’ll sell my E-620 and take the money to buy this new one, but not at $1,700 (for $1,700 I would rather step up a get a D700 for a few hundred more).
Oh well, at least I’m having a ton of fun with my new Panasonic LX5 for now…….
I’m so glad that Oly finally added an SD card, and essentially killed off the xD card and begun the killing off of the Compact cards.
I’ve got a Class 10 SD card currently and I can just pop it into the side of my Macbook Pro for simple uploading, or when my Eye-Fi SD card gets here next week, I’ll be able to do it even easier. I’ll be live blogging shows in a month or two…. Cannot wait…
Take pictures, proof them on camera, wirelessly upload them to Flickr and then they auto load into a Flash slideshow on my site!!!!
Olympus certainly needs to set an aggressive price point to sell the E-5 body.
After all only the most loyal customers or those who are heavily invested in Zuiko HG and SHG glass would dare contemplate buying into 4/3rds now.
No doubt the Nikon D7000 will turn out be a popular camera body for the price.
But the problem I have always had with the Nikon DX format is the zooms lenses.
They have slower apertures of between f/3.5 and f/5.6, offer no environmental protection and are mass produced in Thailand with the expection of the aging 17-55mm f/2.8 which was released for the Nikon D2H.
I would have to buy the FX lenses if I wanted to match the quality of my Olympus Zuiko HG and SHG lenses. And then I’d be spending twice as much on lenses and also have twice as much weight to carry.
Sure I could buy an aging FX body like the Nikon D700 for a bit more than the price of a new E-5, but then I have to be content with soft edges, vignetting and greater lens distortions.
And if I use a medium angle FX zoom lens on a DX body the field of view is not optimised and a 24-70mm f/2.8 becomes a 36-105mm f/2.8.
No system is perfect and the Olympus E system has not been without it’s short falls.
However until Nikon, Canon, Sony or Pentax can produce a professional grade, weather resistant camera body with an articulating LCD that can shoot in the photographic ratio of 4:3, then I have no choice but to remain an Olympus user.
@Mark: “Nikon…slower apertures of between f/3.5 and f/5.6, offer no environmental protection and are mass produced in Thailand with the expection of the aging 17-55mm f/2.8 which was released for the Nikon D2H.”
Right for consumer lenses, way wrong on f2.8 lenses. Oly’s consumer lenses are slow as molasses as well and have no environmental sealing. Nikon and Canon’s pro (read expensive) line are weather sealed, just like Zuikos SHG–watch Sunday football and tell me otherwise. Also, as for Nikon, their top end glass are made in Japan, not Thailand, and not that Thailand doesn’t put out good glass. BTW, I checked my consumer grade Zuikos–they’re all made in….China.
You gotta really distort facts and create new ones in order to keep that Oly fanboism alive.
Stay with your 4/3 with limited DR, high noise, CA in bright highlights, diffraction by f/11, tiny viewfinders, etc.–I’m very happy with my D700 (yeah, aging at 2 years old and 12 MP–put it out pasture soon), high DR, very low noise, big viewfinder, weathersealed camera/lenses, 8 FPS, etc.
One thing we agree on–no system is perfect.
Dude! No distortion of facts intended.
If you read my comments then you will see that I was talking about the “Nikon DX zoom lenses” only.
Check for yourself and you will see I am right:
http://www.nikon.com.au/products.php?categoryid=21
The Olympus HG zoom lenses are at the same price point as Nikon DX lenses. So it’s logical to compare them as they are both used for competing crop factor D-SLRs.
BTW, I previously owned a Nikon system for birding. A D300 with a Nikkor 200-400mm f/4.0. The lens is not fully weather sealed only the mount.
One finally point image quality is not just about technical specs.
Colour accuracy is one of the main reasons I chose the Olympus E-3. Reds that look red straight from the camera. Not orange like with some other systems.
I also like the articulating LCD for shooting low and high angles and prefer the 4/3 image ratio.
I understand that the Olympus system may not meet all photographers requirements.
And certainly if you were shooting professional sports events that Nikon and Canon are better options.
The other advantage Olympus still holds over many of it competitors is the in body image stabilization. It’s 4 stops on my E-620 I believe and 5 stops on the E-5, this is often looked over, but I think it is very important, especially when I’m using the 50mm macro the majority of the time. Without image stability I bet this 100 mm equivalent would produce much more blurry photos, but instead it almost always performs great!
IIRC Pentax and Sony also use IBIS.
“Jason- The other advantage Olympus still holds over many of it competitors is the in body image stabilization. It’s 4 stops on my E-620 I believe and 5 stops on the E-5, this is often looked over, but I think it is very important, especially when I’m using the 50mm macro the majority of the time. Without image stability I bet this 100 mm equivalent would produce much more blurry photos, but instead it almost always performs great!”
That’s right & how much more is an IS lens over a non one in price? There is justification for Olympus to add that amount to their body price. It would be better for Olympus to start at a more realistic price in the beginning because the biased magazine reviewers love to quote the original RR price when comparing all the brands even when the price drops significantly.
Jason, if the price drop follows their other cameras, expect it to drop $300 or more in six months, depending on demand. The E30 dropped about that much in that time frame.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=154284867933417&v=wall
everyone join up to get olympus to reduce price!
We don’t need to join a group on social network. We don’t have to do anything actually. As long as nobody buys it at that price we’ll be fine. Let the invisible hand of the market rule in our favor.
actually olympus would see it as 4/3’s being abandonded and would probly cease production and not make anymore cameras if nobody bought it
I don’t think so. They’ll have obligations to every single customer which already bought the thing – in terms of warranty and spare parts. So they’ve passed the point of no return by then.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=154284867933417&v=app_2344061033#!/group.php?gid=154284867933417
The 12-60 is marketed as weather-sealed, and sure enough they through in some gaskets, but fundamentally it is a post design for foul-weather as it does not internally zoom. No push-pull lens can ever be top-drawer for weather resistance. Now you might say it has served you fine, but that observation just brings us full circle: even a completely unsealed rig will likely survive most encounters with the outdoors. Moderate sealing protects, reliably, from 95% of foul weather out there. So for those who say the 12-60 is sufficient–they’re right, but then so of course is the 7D and other competition that these same fans typically insult as satisfactorily constructed. You can’t demand ultimate weather-proofing (not mere resistance) as a reason for your system’s superiority, and then ignore that the glass doesn’t offer anything like that.
I do think the quality of the sealing is a bit more than anecdotal. I am a regular on the Olympus SLR forum on DPreview and not once have I heard a story of someone getting water in their lens when it was mounted. Returning to anecdotes, I *have* heard stories of people rinsing their camera+lens under the tap (or beer) and using it directly after the camera had been dunked under water. Also, Olympus Japan apparently offers an explicit bad weather warranty for the E-5 (plus weather sealed lenses).
As far as I can tell, in the past 7 years the Olympus high grade and super-high grade lenses have demonstrated their weather proofing quite effectively. And the best thing about this is that their high grade lens line starts at approx. 400 euros. Too bad that you have to buy the overpriced oversized E-5 to couple it with…
Brandon. Ever been the RAF Fairford on a Friday? It nearly always rains at some point in the Day. Last year the heavens opened as the Lancaster taxied for the Queens review. It’s very unusual to see this precious aircraft out flying in such weather so I carried on photographing it. I found myself the only photographer still taking photos with complete confidence in my E1 and 50-200 combo. All the Cankon shooters have NO confidence in their kit remaining operational in these conditions, despite the fact that that many of them were using sealed cameras and lenses. It’s the real world experience that counts, not what the spec sheet says. It’s why I have stuck with my E1 and have to hide the E330 away on these occasions. I look forward to the E5 despite disappointment that it not more.
Corrections to rushed post:
‘threw’ not ‘through’
‘post design’ should have read ‘poor design’
‘unsatisfactorily’ not ‘satisfactorily’
@ Brandon: “No push-pull lens can ever be top-drawer for weather resistance.” Why?
If a zoom lens is meant by this that has a retractable tube, then answer should be pretty clear. When the lens is retracted to a wide angle focal length and you change the focal length to the maximum, the volume that holds air inside the lens grows. The additional volume will be filled by air that will be sucked into the tube when you change the focal length. If air can get in and out of the lens, so can other stuff.
Actually, the goes in/out through the body. The E-X cameras have special breathing holes (with waterproof membranes) for this purpose (near the card slots). To substantiate this, you’ll find that zooming such lenses isn’t easy with the lens cap on.
@ Jeff, the E-620 advertises 4 stops IS, but realistically 2, it will be interesting to see what that is with the E5, if they have improved it to 5 then that will be a huge improvement when in conjunction with a possibly usable 6400
Why? asks Reza.
…because the very nature of such designs is to (A) contain increased points of entry (b) expose those same points continuously during operation (c) cause an additional and powerful suction/friction along those same seams.
think of the new Gitzo Ocean: it is intended specifically to be immersed in water. For this purpose it has specialized joints along the sections that undergo essentially the same abuse-motion as an externally zooming and/or focusing lens in action under the elements. It has stainless and CF construction, and a hollow ‘functionless’ core, and so innately less sensitive internals. It took years to develop these uber-joints and the whole tripod, though small, is to date the most expensive non-limited edition Gitzo ever. Even so it has special vents to release the water and dust they still couldn’t manage to keep out, in sufficient amounts that would harm even this relatively immune apparatus.
This is heavy stuff: Der Spiegel, Germany’s most read online magazine is bashing the E-5:
http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/gadgets/0,1518,druck-717572,00.html
Olympus E-5: Teure Profi-Kamera mit wenig Neuerungen
“Wesentliche Unterschiede der neuen Olympus E-5 zur Nikon D7000: Die Kamera ist teurer (empfohlener Verkaufspreis: 1700 Euro), der Bildsensor kleiner (2,24 Zentimeter), der Bildschirm auf der Rückseite dreh- und schwenkbar, die Videoauflösung geringer (HD, 720p). Das ist alles nicht besonders überraschend und aufregend. Wenn die Kamera nicht wider Erwarten überragende Bildqualität im Vergleich zur D7000 oder einer anderen Spiegelfreflex mit APS-C-Sensor liefert, gibt es kaum einen Grund, sich für sie zu entscheiden. Außer man hat schon für eins der Vorgängermodelle eine Menge FourThirds-Objektive gekauft.”
Their verdict: unless the E-5 surprises with yet unknown image quality there’s hardly any reason to buy it – unless you’re already stuck with a lot of FourThirds lenses.
Hey Olympus! Great blunder! Well done!!!
I do not care if the D7000 is better or worse. I want the E5 can get the best quality of my Zuiko.
I’ve always relied on Olympus and I have enjoyed with the Zuiko. I have an E510 and I have not bought before E3 thinking in the E5. If I buy the E5, I will continue learning and enjoying many years, that’s what I want. And within 10 years a lot can happen.
I really think the E5 will deliver excellent image quality.
But a camera needs a unique selling point and stand out against their competitors, so marketing wise Olympus did already harm themself a lot with the sober E5 spec’s and the high price. (but this articel will pressure Olympus for lowering the price)
Also their silence on their futural plans with four thirds is a big marketing failure. So many people bashing Olympus for that. This is also a big marketing failure. They could say: “we are working on some great 4/3stuff here”. But again, they did say nothing!
Absolutely right. I am very interested in the E-5 as I’ve made considerable investments into FT already. However, not knowing about FT’s future and the price of the E-5 I might just as well make the switch to Full Frame by getting a Canon 5D MKII for just about the same price as the E-5 and invest into a couple of new Canon lenses while selling my Olympus stuff. It will be more expensive now, but the move will be without alternative if Olympus cannot promise that FT will continue. MFT is not an alternative for me in the future. Who wants to use large and heavy lenses on small MFT bodies, made even bigger by adapters?!
If anybody at Olympus is reading this: at about 1000 – 1200 Euros I will start to consider buying the E-5. I won’t make any further investments into new glass though. If the E-5 doesn’t drop in price, I’ll try my luck with an E-3 which hopefully will be available at a much cheaper price. I just need a decent sealed body to go with my pro glass.
It will be 1699 euro (netherlands)
http://www.kamera-express.nl/ProductDetail.aspx?id=33571&c1=5282&pc=29
And there we go, we at the same point again, so stupid to step on the same rake twice! First OM, now 4/3. It is cul-de-sac. Not a single reason to invest in the system anymore. Even Sigma stopping making 4/3 lenses. Shame! It is better to take a hit now and sell it, otherwise it will cost nothing like OM lenses now. My question is what did Olympus think with statements like that and releasing E-5 that can’t compete with it’s parameters with rivals?! $1700 for a cropped sensor? Totally nuts!Even $1300 looks steep for something that is dying…
Ok, so sell me your Four Thirds systems.
Olympus product-and-marketing-evolution:
“…from an eagle to a ‘bandog of Panasonic'” ?
Olympus will not survive this kind of “double” corporate brand strategy and product differentiation if they do not improve their communicative skills NOW! …”
The D7000 image at ISO3200 is online (chase javis’ blog) and I took an ISO3200 photo with an E5 (pre-production version) to compare them. I like the image produced by the E5 better. Hell, I can even use the ISO6400 images on the internet.
Numbers do not really interest me, bigger pictures mean I will have to invest faster on TB disks, same with 1080p movie.
£1500 may be steep for some but for me it is fine, because:
1. I will never have to bring it to a shop for mirror or sensor cleaning (abour $40 each visit).
2. I won’t need to spend on VR or stablised lenses
3. The weather proofing is proven and even improved – want to go to the beach and do a test with your D7000? I know my (soon) E5 can handle it.
4. There is no hassle with choosing between bad cheap lenses since the range is already covered with high quality lenses. Why would Sigma produce a lens that is already made by Zuiko Digital?
End of the line? I think not! It will be a real innovation when Olympus makes a mirrorless camera good enough for demanding professionals. They say they will support 43rds lenses when that time come with an appropriate body and I believe them. I never relied on third party discussions or rumours to confuse me.
operationally (and this question may only appeal to those who’ve shot or needed dual cameras before) … would you rather have 1x E-5 or 2x E-30 bodies?
it’ll depend on how many HG/SHG lenses u’ve own :p I use E30/E520 both with combination of 14-54 and 50-200 and they works great everytime for my need, however I’ll probably get an E5 one day.
Vitasamb:”Not a single reason to invest in the system anymore.”
Bullshit. And I say that with utmost feeling.
Easy 1x E-5 coz I already have the E3 and put the 14-35mm f2 on one and the 35-100mm f2 lens on the other
Dana Curtis Kincaid : you will love the improvements on image quality.
I think that E-5 would be great camera for example wildlife photography and difficult environment (jungles, war zones etc.). There is one important thing most of people are forgetting about E-System (mostly people who never shoot with Olympus SLRs) – even cheapest E-4xx series are very good build so it is joy to take photographs with it. And E-3/5 are built like tank. This attribute you won’t find in any technical specifications you just get to use it.
Oly User
4 hrs, 12 mins ago
Dana Curtis Kincaid : you will love the improvements on image quality.
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I have done well with the 500 series cameras, so looking forward to something just a smudge better. $1600 is not that much money.
I need one more lens to compliment the 12-60, FYI. Need a telephoto.
I’m interested in the E-5 to see if it will complement and increase the image output from my 35-100.