Finally you can see a first set of official [shoplink 29074]Olympus E-M5[/shoplink] full size(!) image samples. They have been posted by the Chinese website pcpop (Click here). To facilitate the picture analysis I give you the direct links to their eleven full size images:
Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3, Pic 4, Pic 5, Pic 6, Pic 7, Pic 8, Pic 9, Pic 10 and Pic11.
Surprise, Pic 3 has been actually taken in my city…Antwerpen! Olympus next time make me a call when you pass by! 🙂
HKgolden (Click here) posted a short ISO comparison. The website loads very slow so here is the direct link to the image: http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/5057/37492reuploaded.jpg
Our friend Valentin Sama from DSLRmagazine (Click here) posted a new set of E-M5 image samples (with firmware 0.95). Too bad they are not in full size. I asked him if he can share the original images but he said Olympus doesn’t allow to post them because the firmware isn’t final 🙁
Full Updated Preorder list (with new Redcoon Deutschland preorder):
1) Black E-M5 body at
Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Warehouse UK (Click here), Redcoon Germany (Click here) and Amazon Japan (Click here).
2) Silver E-M5 body at
Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Warehouse UK (Click here), Redcoon Germany (Click here), and Amazon Japan (Click here).
3) Black E-M5 body with 14-42mm lens at
Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and Amazon Japan (Click here).
4) Black E-M5 body with 12-50mm lens at
Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Jessops (Click here), Redcoon Deutschland (Click here), Amazon Deutschland (Click here) and Amazon Japan (Click here).
5) Silver E-M5 body with 12-50mm lens at
Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Jessops (Click here), Amazon Deutschland (Click here) and Amazon Japan (Click here).
6) FL-600R wireless flash at
Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).
7) MMF-3 Four Thirds adapter at
Amazon (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).
8) HLD-6 power battery holder at
Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and Amazon Japan (Click here).
113 Responses
Is it me or do the images look somehow awkward?
a little correction:
the Redcoon Germany link for the black E-M5 body with 14-42mm lens is wrong, it brings you to the kit with the 12-50mm lens.
Thanks Kaspar! I corrected it!
@ Admin: Antwerp? I thought, you said you lived near the Alps.
He also said that he had hired in to friends to help out as admin, and he is supposed to be on vacation! 🙂
(one of the “to”‘s should be “two” :-))
Both are right. Sometimes in Antwerp, and sometimes in the Alps!
Heheh… The DSLR Magazine photos are taken in MY city: Amsterdam!
Admin has a mountain hideout in case the Yakuza is looking for him. You don’t think Olympus paid the Yakuza for nothing right?
the cobblestones in pic #3 look smudged. Maybe due to too much NR.
Yes looks like it, though at ISO 200 there should be no reason. Maybe the Art filter?
Yes, Art Filters. But even then there’s still lots of room for improvement.
It’s not only you. Some look like photos from a cell phone (totally blurred by NR and yet still noisy). Again, the ISO1600 looks like ISO1600 on my E-520 but is less sharp (and without that ugly banding that was typical to E-520 sensor). 😐 I hope it’s because of some very strange settings (for certain the sharpening is too high, making dots in the sky) because some photos look on the other hand very good, better than anything I could achieve on E-520.
It’s not just you. They look a bit weird. Some shots suggest a real improvement (models with black areas) and some shots suggests more of the same but not as bad as before (chroma noise in shadows).
These still aren’t final firmware – thankfully, as the NR artefacts are terrible. I’m sure it will all be sorted out in the final firmware, although Oly’s default NR has been too heavy for some time now (but thankfully easily adjustable).
Quite good results so far (I’m *not* talking about the art filtered crap), but a bit too much smoothing or sharpening there and there for my taste… I guess it relates to the JPEG engine settings used, and that it’s tweakable…
Ah, and for the records, here are part of EXIF informations retrieved using exiftool: https://gist.github.com/1826656
Edit: looks like all have been shot at ISO 200 excepts the second one which is ISO 1600, which is a backlight shot so… I will definitely not draw any conclusion from these and wait for decent reviews.
I wonder how the video quality is
Well, it’s 30p and only 20mbits in H.264, so I bet you it won’t be great.
Yes, it doesn’t look great. But all because of the firmware. It could be replaced with updates or hacks. Potentially if the sensor and the processor are good (as I heard) even with a clean HDMI you can get good quality videos.
If there’s no rolling shutter then it’s fine for the market – indie film makers and professionals will use a GH2 or a Canon, both hacked. Olympus aren’t trying to spoil that party BUT by not using AVCHD have made editing far more flexible for the rest of us! It’s got H.264 which is the important bit.
Oh and sensor IS for video rather than software, thumbs up again!
Specs can tell you one thing but video quality comes down to scaling algorithms on these cameras, barring the GH2 all DSLR/ILC cameras break down due to aliasing and moire.
I think the fact that the one with the birds is only ISO 1600 is a little unnerving. Yes, let’s hope the final firmware helps it out, because the artifacts are horrid, and the noise in general is really bad. It looks in the details though that it’s an art filter, so that’s likely causing the problem it seems.
I’m also not impressed by the sharpness of any of the images I saw. Even outside, at ISO 200 and f6.3, it’s still not great. The watch (f6.3) isn’t exactly fabulous either, though not particularly terrible. Is that the new 12-50mm lens? Oly jpeg processing (which usually sharpens things TOO much)? Early firmware?
I have to say the more images I see the less impressed I become. Even the ISO comparison shots are telling, and show what most of the ISO comparisons I’ve seen thus far are showing… about a stop and a half improvement over the E-P3… if that. Let’s hope the final production model puts out some stellar quality in real reviews.
I’m still really optimistic, as I’ve owned Olympus cameras for the last 2 years, and their quality and output has not disappointed me. Plus, the camera is just plain gorgeous. So it better be good so I can buy it. 😉
Sky in N.o. 3 looks terrible!
Pitty so far I have been impressed with OMD – but this is making me have 2nd doubts!!!
Isn’t it a bit early to have second thoughts? We really don’t even have enough information yet to have first thoughts :-). There is probably a reason why camera producers don’t allow the publishing of pictures by pre-production firmware (such as these) — the final quality normally improves quite a bit.
The art filter made that terrible. No need to worry.
This is so OBVIOUSLY a picture with the Dramatic Tone Art filter.
Sorry,
these don’t look good, there is no detail. We will have to wait for the final firmware and controlled testing.
But for now my OM-3/4Ti still have the advantage:).
“But for now my OM-3/4Ti still have the advantage:).”
If you were a REAL photographer you’d coat your own glass plates and expose them in a 16×20 view camera.
who says I don’t 🙂
I even make unique representations of reality in a time consuming process called sketching:)
Amazon Deutschland offers the kit for 1.499,- ?
Redcoon offers it for 1.299 which sounds much more realistic to me
Jacobs, UK: £1149 with 12-50 zoom — but they don’t ship out of UK.
According to Google, £1149 are 1371€. I think I would order it at Redcoon.
Must be an error on Amazon.de. They will surely correct that.
I never sharpen fullsize images for printing, let alone for viewing it on 1:1 on a pc display.
sharpening is good before reducing the size..thats it.
Is it just me or does that model look alot like actress Eva Green in the 10th sample?
No, Eva Green is much slimmer in the jaw line
Just looked at pic #3 and was frightened away. Terribly overprocessed and full of NR artefacts. I can not imagine that this is really an ISO-200 image?
I really hope for Olympus that this V0.8 image is not representative!
That’s the dramatic art filter. Don’t get too hung up on it!
Good image quality overall , I’m impressed but I have already owned a GX so it really doesn’t make sense if I go for OMD . The True Pix processor is still better than Venus from Pana in my opinion , lucky I’m a Raw shooter .
Next preorder (1299€ kit12-50) in germany:
http://www.foto-erhardt.de/product_info.php?products_id=504495?piwik_campaign=preise&piwik_kwd=idealo
Yes, this is where I placed my preorder. RedCoon wants to have the money immediately, while Erhardt just places the reservation and will send the bill when the camera is actually available.
Pic #3 looks terrible. Very muddy. WTF? Why even post these samples if they’re not representative of the final firmware? Doesn’t anyone look at these before posting? What’s the intent other than to say “hey, our camera actually takes photos” which should be assumed…
I agree with your opinion…probably the final image quality is so f***ing amazing they don’t dare to show it yet 😉
Art filter.
Mmmh…I really think image quality could (and should) be better. Of course this is not the final quality, but I’m really wondering:
Why would Olympus allow to publish these (lousy) photos?
Why not waiting for the final firmware? Or did the Chinese website just take photos with their model and put them on the net (bad for Olympus?!)?
Why would anyone publish these art filter samples? *doesn’t understand mankind*
Apart from that, not bad: but, IQ-wise, definitely no reason to upgrade from my G3… that’s good, so there’s more money for new glass.
True, this is ridiculous. This is nothing you cannot make in Photoshop. And this is supposed to be a “pro” camera, not an advanced p&s for people who want quick results out of camera.
This is not a “pro” camera as people continue to say. It’s an advanced camera that has “pro” features, but is affordable enough for any enthusiast to buy. If you don’t like the art filters, don’t use them. Don’t even think about them.
Real “pro” cameras like Hasselblads and Nikon D4s are much more expensive.
Having said that, any proffesional can make none and take great photos with almost any camera.
Hello Olympus
I just made a picture with an about 12 years old cam of yours. I had an internal flash & remote control!….
-> Pls change your marketing stuff before you will have the same history like pentax…
Oh man, I just looked at pic #, does it look ugly or what. Probably abuse of art filters. On the other hand, pic #11 shows quite a respectable DR! Noise in the sky area is not that great though.
Took a closer look at the Antwerp picture – looks horrible in 1:1 no detail at all. Have they used some kind of art filter? I certainly hopes so.
The photo “portrait mountain + cluod” with 7-14mm looks better – I would say similar to G3 quality
Also looking at Fuji x-pro examples – looking more as expected and a lot better resolution than G3.
Still to early for a final statement as there is someone behind the camera as well and in this case at least two different ones in different environment. (strange that photographers with a new camera seem to be in a state of subject fatigue – shit photos in that quality sense)
“Also looking at Fuji x-pro examples – looking more as expected and a lot better resolution than G3.”
Oh, you mean the Fuji X-Pro examples that a Fuji employee made and posted in his blog?
As I write above we do not know about the people who did the photographs that goes for the Oly examples as well as the Fuji ones.
The photography is poor on both sides, but looking at the file quality the Fuji is clearly better.
I used Lightroom and played around with the files in the same way as I post-process my own G3 photos.
I have a sharp and experienced eye and do not favor any brand – opposite to many at this site.
I must say I am a bit disappointed at skin detail and general detail retained in those photos. A 16MP portrait from Good glass and D7000 looks more detailed.
The fine textures are very much destroyed by NR in all of those samples.
I hope this is NR at max… or just a JPEG unfinished firmware showing its ugly head…
I will be avoiding all of the “regional” pricing and taking advantage of the strong Aussie dollar by buying on eBay from the cheapest vendor with the best reputation!
I bet retailers will jack up the price by 20% anyway and unless I can get that extra $200 in free prints or other perks its a no deal!
Don´t like the skin! It looks horrible! Too much or badly brougth-up makeup?
I could hear my wife complain that she can see every pore, every defect.
Wen will Olympus start to correct CAs in camera? This is terrible. And there’re still no lens profiles in Lightroom. OhhNooo!
Yeah! What’s with the lack of profiles?
EXIF data say these shots have been taken using firmware 0.8, so the results are probably not the definitive ones.
Couldn’t we just keep quiet waiting for reviews made against the definitive version of the software?
I was sure hoping to see better quality. Compared to some test shots from the new X-Pro1 posted at http://brandonremler.blogspot.com/2012/02/fujifilm-x-pro1-random-shots.html (granted the camera is $700 more), I think I may be better off saving my $s for the Fuji.
Sorry, I have no EXIF Info…but what lens is used? The 12-50mm?
PS: If the lens is the problem, there is still hope 😀
The purple colour (especially at the top) in pic 2 looks very artificial (like spray paint). Either there is too much chroma noise or these pics have been touched (in a wrong way!)
I guess…art filter
I agree. There’s way too much noise in some of the pics. My guess is that these pictures are JPEGs out of cam, but used some of these stupid art filter shit. Especially the two Antwerp pics do mimic some HDR effect. The one with the birds and the big wheel is most awfull.
Well, viewing the maker notes with ExifTool. The “big wheel with birds” is done with ArtFilter=CrossProcess. Something very weird indeed. The Grand Place of Antwerp is made with ArtFilter=Dramatic Tone.
The glacier is done very straight forward with aperture priority.
That makes sense. The glacier one is the most meaningful of the pics. The DR is reasonable, but i saw quite a bit of noise in the sky…
Yes, some of them are done with art filters. If you download the pics to your desktop, then right-click on them, go to properties, then the details tab, you can see under the exposure section where it says “creative”. Anytime you see that, it’s an art filter. Regardless, the pics are still soft pretty much throughout.
Different Lenses.
12-50, oly ft 7-14, 12mm f2, 45mm f1.8, for the first model shot even the 35-100f2 at f8.
So it is not the lenses. Partly they used art-filters though.
Just wait and see.
That was it, hype is over, it was fun 3 weeks, now go back to your seat
Amazing how the self-declared experts here can’t recognise an Art Filter when they see one.
Maybe a very “Dramatrictone” in Antwerpen that day the picture be take. 😉
Not impressed at all, in fact, very disappointed.
The link for pic 4 doesn’t work….
And I’m not sure if it’s the jpeg engine, optics, or what, but something just doesn’t feel as good as it should (1-3). Could be higher ISO though, that would also explain the issues.
Art filter + 1600 ISO for the bird pic. Other than that it’s pretty much ISO 200. But others are “art filtered” as well.
Yep, after looking through them all, I’m pretty sure there is some bad in camera NR going on here. I also have to say, the only one that looked sharp enough was the watch photo. The last studio portrait was also alright.
* sign *
I pre-ordered E-M5 in my country, but sample images above look awful. Actually it’s really disappointing to see how Olympus presents IQ of their cameras. They have a very good product in hands but it seems that they don’t know how to present it attractively and professionally.
If Olympus is not sure about strategic advertisement, they should consider asking or hiring professionals to do so. Nikon, for instance, sets up a micro site here –>
http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/microsite/d800/,
and letting pros do their assignments in their styles. And those sample pics looks nice with good quality. Cliff Mautner, one of the pros Nikon used, also wrote about his D800 experiences in his own blog here –> http://cmphotography.com/blog.cfm
This is another thing that Olympus should learn from their competitor.
The samples look great unless you look at 100% pixel view. But at 16MP you have to give it a break on the pixel level.
On the Nikon site, I can only see small images, not 100% ones.
So you are comparing apples and oranges.
you don’t get my point, do you? Did I compare two products? Read my post again and try to understand the term “strategic advertisement”.
You cannot compare apple and orange but you can compare the tactics that both apple and orange use to advertise their products.
Thanks for your comments. Actually you don’t understand my point. Did I compare E-M5 to D800? No way! Re-read my post carefully. I don’t talking about the ACTUAL IQ of both E-M5 and D800 at all. I’m talking about strategic advertisement which is the plan for promoting IQ to your potential customers.
You cannot compare “Apple” with “Orange”, but you can compare the tactics of “Apple” and “Orange”. For this matter, I admire Nikon for their advertisement plan.
Thank for your comments. Actually you don’t understand my point. Please re-read my post. I don’t compare anything between D800 and E-M5. And I don’t talking about the ACTUAL IQ of both E-M5 and D800 as well. What I’m trying to say is how both products use the strategy to show IQ to potential customers. And I see none from Olympus.
Of course you cannot compare Apple and Orange, but you can compare the tactical plan used to present Apple and Orange. Right?
These are not Olympus samples. In fact, Olympus forbided full res samplse reslease because the firmware is not finished.
Al of those photos have either Art Filters either iEnhance activated. It can be seen in the EXIF. The default NR setting is bad, with artifacts, that’s in all PENs also, check IR comparometer.
Do you like GX1 IQ ? I think is great, and the OM-D cannot possibily have worse IQ than that.
Thanks D3Xmeister. I know that these images are not formal samples from Olympus. And this is a problem. What we have is the operation “Search and See”. I even don’t have formal, IMPRESSIVE sample pictures which should be taken properly by qualified photographers. Even though the firmware is not the final version, I feel that it’s enough to create nice and exceptional sample pictures.
I feel very firmly that the IQ of E-M5 is much better than what I see over the Internet.
Some of pictures was exhibited in Olympus booth of CP+. I saw it. Especially, pic10 and 11 were very beautiful.
And in seminar session, Japanese pro photographer told that he could use ISO 1600 regularly and resolution is very wonderful.
Olympus official photos are always disappointing. I haven’t seen a single official photo from Olympus that worths a penny. Their site is the last place I’ll look for reference images. I just don’t know how they do such a disservice to their cameras.
Let’s wait for some serious RAW shots.
you know what, when there is professional lighting, every camera can shoot great JPEGs….
They need to stop posting crap like those if they want to sell cameras.
I’m so disappointed, these pics look like they were taken on a phone camera.
There is no detail in any of them!
Get rid of the art filter crap and give us some images that show what the camera can do!
http://translate.google.pl/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=pl&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.quesabesde.com%2Fnoticias%2Ftoshi-terada-olympus-e-m5-entrevista-amsterdam%2C1_8501
@jacek Very nice, timely, and informative interview. Thank you.
Good news for FT lens owners and enthusiasts (and pro lens MFT in general):
[Google Translate touched up]
>And that [OM-D E-M5 prosumer] camera, does offer some kind of solution for users of Four Thirds lenses beyond an adapter?
It is something we have to do. But not only professional photographer in mind, but also on brand loyal users who have many optical Zuiko Four Thirds bayonet. Yes, definitely need some kind of solution that ensures a good autofocus system. We are aware of it.
-=-
Good. Thank you, Toshiyuki Terada and Olympus.
That Google translation is totally wrong.
The headline is: “Pese a que muchos la usarán como tal, la Olympus E-M5 no es una cámara profesional”
Which translates to: Though many will use it as such, the Olympus E-M5 is not a professional camera.
Yup, but the answers clear the confusion. And that’s why I touched up the google translation to be “prosumer camera.” That’s what Terada was suggesting for the E-M5 — an enthusiast camera which will see some use by pros.
As an aside (or back to the meat of the interview), I really like the way Terada delineates the various segments. He’s serious about the features and performance of even subtle things (like viewfinder response) and “gets it.” Nice interview.
Sorry guys, but Olympus does not allow to make some tests with the E-M5 before there is the final firmware, and that should be in about 3, 4 weeks. So don’t take these pics for serious. I don’t wonder that they are published on a chinese website 😉
Man..look at the Pic.4, what’s the ISO setting for that? 6400? Lost all the details.
And Pic.11 has a wonderful scene, but the camera just cant capture better than that. Look at the lost of the DR in that picture.
Imagine you’ve come across that wonderful place, perhaps its the first and the last time you are there and you only have this camera, and this is all what you can get.
“Imagine you’ve come across that wonderful place, perhaps its the first and the last time you are there and you only have this camera, and this is all what you can get”
You need to get your head out of the toilet bowl because you cant be talking about image 11.
Well, if its good enough for you, then go for it, Kid. But try download the full size of Pic.11 and peep the pixel also see and realize that the DR doesn’t hit the last stop. Ask some of your friend if any who knows better, they will agree with me, that this pic, could’ve been better easily. Don’t become too fanboy, kid. Cant you even see the very picture on top (the 2 eyes) See how much the lost of detail in her skin. That’s the same camera.
No one expects a 43 sensor to keep up with FF or the very best of APSC. But your comments are so far from reality just because you like the sound of your own criticism.
If it really is that bad then I am sure you can provide an APSC image that is better than this at ISO 6400 at around 14mm wide angle equivalent. Feel free to post up a link. And I will give you a sporting chance by allowing it to be done on any lens, and even on the NEX 7.
Images from my EPL2 never look good at 100%. Too much N/R, too much sharpening, contrast etc – that being said (ironically) they look 10x better in print and/or when re-sized compared to images shot with my D700. My friends, family members, and even fellow photogs prefer my EPL2 images over those from D700. Olympus’s formula doesn’t impress the pixel peeper as much as it does those who enjoy a finished final product and at the end of the day that’s what I really want anyways. So looking at the sample images without pixel-peeping I find myself impressed, but that’s just me…
For my eyes they look very good. I have E-30 & E-P2.
sorry for my next question but my brother who is using canon 600D could install third-party firmware on his Camera, Is it possible with Olympus Cameras? If yes, then E-M5 is going to be one of the best because I don’t like how Olympus prevents some tweaks.
Admin: Don’t you know it’s unethical to post direct links to images on other sites?
Didn’t anything unethical because
1) There is a general link to the website
2) The website is in chinese and many will have problems to find a way to see the full size samples
3) The link to the images is not on my server but on their server. You can see from the URL you are on their website.
Thanks
These pictures look like shit.
That pocket watch picture looks amazing! It is taken, of course, under controlled (studio) lighting but still, even the bright part of the rim of the clock work is not blown out. This is a picture my trusty GH1 probably wouldn’t have managed to take in this quality.
I don’t much care for the whole art filter stuff, that’s for private fun.
Now let’s see the first pictures developed from RAW.
take those pics away..they will scare people away from Oly..not good PR for the camera….only £950 body only in DK cheapest I’ve found in Europe
+1.
I was considering this camera when the rumor appeared long time ago. After seeing all the samples so far, I’m pretty convinced not to get it and maybe will get the x-pro1 instead
Finaly a camera with art filter that make shot looks like a cell phone one 🙂
I keep wondering how they can ship a weather sealed camera with art filters an an iAuto mode. They’re missing something obvious here. They should concentrate on driving the market, not to make such compromises trying to address it.
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