oh yes of course thats true, poor omission on my part
but without tilting the windmill any further, I still think OMD to be better value for stills
GH will still be a better video platform however
No, they are only prototypes right now. We can speculate, but nothing is for certain until the official announcement which rumors says could be in a couple months or til the end of summer. Of course we're all hoping it will be sooner rather than later.
wjmeyer wrote:
No, they are only prototypes right now. We can speculate, but nothing is for certain until the official announcement which rumors says could be in a couple months or til the end of summer. Of course we're all hoping it will be sooner rather than later.
"We have here another very fine and impressive lens, and one that is fully capable of holding its own against APS-C cameras and also against certain full-frame models"
Do you really like and trust DXOmarks rating/reviews of glass
Since the Olympus 12mm f/2 came out at $800 (then dropped just after Christmas to about $710 I think, but has since risen back to $800) and the new 75mm is also a metal body, etc. I fear the 75mm may start out pretty high.
Spyro P. wrote:
Ok I'm seriously considering an m4:3 kit, just not sure if OMD is the best option.
Can someone tell me which one is considered the best built-in EVF in the m4:3 world?
Also, do all Panasonic m4:3 cameras have the variable aspect sensor?
(ie the actual sensor is slightly larger than the image circle and the camera doesnt just crop if you select 3:2, but it changes aspect ratio and the diagonal stays the same)
Only the GH1 & 2 have variable aspect sensors the others are 4:3 format.
The OM-D viewfinder is easily the best at the moment - unlike the others, it seems almost like you're using an optical finder. It has some advantages in that it doesn't dim when using slow lenses, and unlike other models, I didn't notice any flickering.
I've been considering getting a GH2 to supplement my 5D II, but am probably going to go with the OM-D instead. The Panasonic cameras are great, but sometimes they feel a bit like using a transformer toy instead of a camera. The OM-D feels like a proper camera, even though its about the same size.
wjmeyer wrote:
Since the Olympus 12mm f/2 came out at $800 (then dropped just after Christmas to about $710 I think, but has since risen back to $800) and the new 75mm is also a metal body, etc. I fear the 75mm may start out pretty high.
Thanks, that's rather expensive.
And I'm not sure that I like to invest a lot of money in new body/lenses from Oly at this moment. Not with all the huge problems in that company
Sven Jeppesen wrote:
And I'm not sure that I like to invest a lot of money in new body/lenses from Oly at this moment. Not with all the huge problems in that company
I understand your trepidation; however, the company's woes have nothing to do with how good their bodies/lenses are Olympus will not go under, but they could partner with another electronic giant who will keep everything alive.
EVF with faster refresh rate, probably shorter blackout times
2 dials
higher resolution LCD
better touch interface (? maybe, not sure)
weather sealing (they did a demonstration where they poured water on it)
more solid build
compatible with Olympus's better wireless flash system
compatible with Olympus's growing list of accessory port accessories (macro flash, microphone, EVF, etc.)
Might have missed a few. GH2 has benefits too, but you asked about the E-M5 so there it is. Comparative image quality is still a big question mark. There's nothing to indicate the E-M5 will have anything less than very good image quality, but until controlled RAW tests are available we won't know which one is better between the two and by how much.
wjmeyer wrote:
I understand your trepidation; however, the company's woes have nothing to do with how good their bodies/lenses are Olympus will not go under, but they could partner with another electronic giant who will keep everything alive.
In their current position it's more realistic that an other company buy their camera business. Which is a small part of the company but making the huge loss. Partner ship is not that realistic. Only if the other company is very small or weak
And if they stay as they are today. Do they have the money to invest in new bodies/lenses ? I would worry investing my money in a new Oly system or camera
wjmeyer wrote:
Since the Olympus 12mm f/2 came out at $800 (then dropped just after Christmas to about $710 I think, but has since risen back to $800) and the new 75mm is also a metal body, etc. I fear the 75mm may start out pretty high.
Your guess is as good as mine, but as you said since the 75mm has the same metal construction as the 12mm and is larger with more glass I'd be very surprised to see it come under $999. This is clearly going to be targeted as an up-market lens like the 12mm. Olympus's lens prices are usually higher than material cost would suggest (see 45mm f/1.8 at $399 that has less glass at a similar focal length and aperture to Canon and Nikon's 50mm f/1.8 lenses for less than 1/2 the price), and even keeping that in mind I think a lot will find the 75mm price hard to swallow if it's as I guessed.
The thing that makes the 45/1.8's price easy to swallow is the optical quality. Yes, it's smaller and has less glass than the Canon or Nikon 50/1.8, but it's also exceptionally good. It's far, far better than the Canon 50/1.8, and though I haven't used the Nikon, I'd imagine it likely outdoes that as well. It is an exceptionally sharp lens that also has a very pleasing contrast curve and outstanding bokeh. It's really a truly wonderful lens. Frankly, the Oly 12/2 and 45/1.8 along with the Panny Leica 25/1.4 are one of the best 3 lens lineups one can get...the fact that they make such a small and discrete system is a wonderful bonus. If the 75/1.8 is as good as the 45/1.8, it'll be an amazingly good lens, and a must-have in the system.
True Sven, these are all things to consider and something I seriously thought about last year when I decided to supplement my Nikon system with MFT. I think I made the right choice as we have some great stuff coming, especially the E-M5.
Yohan, I too am concerned that Oly may want too much for their 75, but we'll see...
I had a play with it at the CP+ show in Yokohama last week, then went back for a second look - along with a lot of other new toys like the D800 & 1DX. I wasn't the only one - there was at least a half-hour wait for the whole time the show was on.
Jman13 wrote:
The thing that makes the 45/1.8's price easy to swallow is the optical quality. Yes, it's smaller and has less glass than the Canon or Nikon 50/1.8, but it's also exceptionally good. It's far, far better than the Canon 50/1.8, and though I haven't used the Nikon, I'd imagine it likely outdoes that as well. It is an exceptionally sharp lens that also has a very pleasing contrast curve and outstanding bokeh. It's really a truly wonderful lens. Frankly, the Oly 12/2 and 45/1.8 along with the Panny Leica 25/1.4 are one of the best 3 lens lineups one can get...the fact that they make such a small and discrete system is a wonderful bonus. If the 75/1.8 is as good as the 45/1.8, it'll be an amazingly good lens, and a must-have in the system. ...Show more →
These 3 together weigh as much as my Canon 85mm f1.8, which isn't particularly big is one of the reasons I'm thinking of switching back to a 2 camera set-up for my travels.
I need to replace the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 which I foolishly got for the 5D2 (it just doesn't focus fast or consistently accurately enough) so am thinking of using the OM-D as my main telephoto option, but these little lenses are also very tempting.
Jman13 wrote:
The thing that makes the 45/1.8's price easy to swallow is the optical quality. Yes, it's smaller and has less glass than the Canon or Nikon 50/1.8, but it's also exceptionally good. It's far, far better than the Canon 50/1.8, and though I haven't used the Nikon, I'd imagine it likely outdoes that as well. It is an exceptionally sharp lens that also has a very pleasing contrast curve and outstanding bokeh. It's really a truly wonderful lens. Frankly, the Oly 12/2 and 45/1.8 along with the Panny Leica 25/1.4 are one of the best 3 lens lineups one can get...the fact that they make such a small and discrete system is a wonderful bonus. If the 75/1.8 is as good as the 45/1.8, it'll be an amazingly good lens, and a must-have in the system. ...Show more →
I agree there. I have a 45mm f/1.8 coming in the mail in the next few days and can't wait to use it. Everything I've seen points to it being a stellar lens, which... yeah... does make the price tag a bit easier to stomach. It's not like $330 from eBay is very much to pay for this kind of image quality.
Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 is superb as well and no complaints from me about its price (surprisingly low considering the aperture and Leica tag slapped on it). Just not my focal length, otherwise I'd give it a serious look. Maybe when somebody finally does a large aperture 17mm with AF I'll ditch the excellent Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 and sort of split its roles into a 17mm and 25mm.
Like you I'm confident that the 75mm f/1.8 will be superb. However I think the value proposition will be much lower than the 45mm f/1.8. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a must-have simply based on performance, assuming it will be great. The terrific Canon 85mm f/1.8 is $400, and unless proven otherwise I think the $999-and-up guess for the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 is a realistic guess. That's a huge jump in price. Also not saying that it won't be totally worth it for people who need 150mm equivalent for m4/3 and that I wouldn't take one in a heartbeat if given to me, but price is going to be a big barrier to it being a must-have lens.
Olympus will not go under, but they could partner with another electronic giant who will keep everything alive.