Anyone have experience with micro 4/3rds format cameras?

killpanda said:
I didn't have the money on me, otherwise I would have been weak and would have grabbed it already :-D
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Yes, in the mean time, April can't come fast enough. I have never before experienced such quantities of DO WANT for a piece of technology, as I do for the OM-D... Argh, almost two months... :-|
 
That thing is mightily tempting, I don't think I explored the limits of my E-PL2 though, so I'll pass for now ^^


(Well, that's what I keep repeating myself anyway :-D)
 
killpanda said:
That thing is mightily tempting, I don't think I explored the limits of my E-PL2 though, so I'll pass for now ^^

(Well, that's what I keep repeating myself anyway :-D)
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Well, it's not that easy for me. I have been waiting for something like this since I first tried an E-P2 in a shop. I really liked the size, but wasn't thrilled about the AF-speed. I also wanted something with a built-in view finder, and weather sealing (nice for rainy days) Now it's finally here, it's going to be hard to resist. This is also one of those rare instances where it just looks even better after after the launch, despite the pre launch hype. Here are some ISO samples. I have to say these look very good, I'd say even ISO 6400 looks useable, that would be a two stop improvement over what I get from the E-30.

New OM meets old OM; Here the E-M5 with the OM Zuiko 100mm f2 Auto-T
DSC_7093.jpg


By the way, here it is with the new 75mm 1,8:
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Here it is with the new 60mm f2,8 Macro:
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Grip came in quite handy here, with the 14-35mm f2:
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More so here; 150mm f2 on an adapter:
Olympus-E-M5-CP.jpg


Finally, a slightly cheesy marketing video:
[video=youtube;JyFe-Kd6dxc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyFe-Kd6dxc[/video]
 
Well, good to see they're showing it with SHG lenses. Still itching to hear about how fast they autofocus on the E-M5.
 
That 75mm f/1.8 looks huge :-D I bet the price tag on it will be huge as well, it seems to be the same kind of "premium" fit and finish as the 12mm f/2.0!
 
Labcoatguy said:
Well, good to see they're showing it with SHG lenses. Still itching to hear about how fast they autofocus on the E-M5.
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I know, previously, using AF with legacy 4/3-lenses on a mFT camera was a bit like using MF-lenses, as the AF was a bit of hit and miss, hunting back and forth, or simply giving up. Some lenses were useable; the 14-54II, 9-18, as well as the SWD equipped lenses. Others were useless, such as the non-SWD 50-200 with it's long (and slow) focusing action. When it comes to how legacy 4/3-lenses AF will perform with the E-M5 I think it's too early to tell. Though, in this (german) blog entry they say it works rather well (on a 35-100, so not SWD-equipped), not quite up to the speed of the E-5 with the legacy 4/3-lenses, but still almost as fast. (Based on my limited understanding of the German language)

P2066365-001.JPG

(The big HLD-6 grip could come in handy here)

I think Olympus signaled their intent when it comes to legacy 4/3-lenses with the introduction of the weather sealed MMF-3 adapter. I don't think they would have bothered making a serious weather sealed version of the MMF-1 if they didn't feel the old legacy 4/3-lenses could add anything.
The MMF-3 Four Thirds mount adapter is designed for mounting a Four Thirds Standard-compliant lens on a Micro Four Thirds Standard-compliant camera body. The MMF-3, which also features dust- and splashproof construction, is ideally suited for use with Olympus? similarly constructed High Grade and Super High Grade lenses.
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killpanda said:
That 75mm f/1.8 looks huge :-D I bet the price tag on it will be huge as well, it seems to be the same kind of "premium" fit and finish as the 12mm f/2.0!
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Yes, the build and finish is supposed to be the same as the 12/2. I'm not sure if it's weather sealed, the 60/2,8 Macro is though...
 
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I went to the shop with money in my hand to grab the 14mm f/2.5, sadly the shop was already closed by the time I arrived :'(
Finding cabs in Beijing is becoming a real issue, we've had to wait about 15 minutes to finally climb into one!
 
killpanda said:
I finally got enough time to go to the shop and I have the lens :-9

So far I really quite like it :)
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Congrats...!! :D Hope you enjoy it. It's very small and compact, so it's nice just to keep in your pocket as a wide angle backup for when the 20/1,7 becomes a bit too narrow...

In other news, lots of sample images from the E-M5 has popped up. In my opinion there are massive improvements in high-ISO performance. From comparing the samples, I'd say the E-M5's images at ISO 6400 are as good as the E-30 or E-PL1's images at ISO 1600. Even ISO 12800 seems useable, if resized. ISO 25600 is a bit of a gimmick, though would be useable if you resize and shoot in monochrome colors. Impressive, considering this is pre-production firmware, so it will most likely be better with the final firmware update. Samples at: ePhotozine, Four Thirds User, Focus Numerique: Sample 1, taken with 45/1,8, same as the previous, upscaled to 8000x6000, and cropped. Small comparison chart, and more here (jpegs). Previews at: dpreview, LetsGoDigital and Pocket-Lint.

Size comparison with the OM-2:
Olympus-OM-D-hands-on-launch-06.jpg


Comparison with OM-4Ti and motor winder:
Olympus-OMD-and-4Ti.jpg


Not a big camera:

olympus_camera_05_620x465.jpg


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I am just getting more and more certain that I will get one of these as soon as they show up here... :woot:
 
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Now, here's an image quality comparison between E-M5 and E-P3 with the following parameters:
Below I have combined test charts shot with E-M5 and E-P3 at various ISO settings. Settings while shooting:

- Lens Zuiko D. 50mm f/2 Macro @ F4
- JPG Large Fine (I saved also RAW files to be compared later)
- Picture Mode: 4 Muted @ Contrast -2, Saturation -2, Sharpness -2, Gradation Normal
- Noise reduction & noise filter: OFF
- Equal aperture and shutter speed settings in both bodies at corresponding ISOs
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Represents an imporvement of at least two stops I'd say...
 
Thinking of trying about the new Samsung NX200

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was reading dpreview's review on the camera and the performance is not bad.

And now frys.com has it on sale with the kit lens for $600. Very tempting.
 
That top control dial is interesting, though I wonder if it's placed further back than is comfortable to use with your index finger. Would you be comfortable with the lack of an EVF option?
 
Labcoatguy said:
That top control dial is interesting, though I wonder if it's placed further back than is comfortable to use with your index finger. Would you be comfortable with the lack of an EVF option?
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No. I never cared about the lack of EVF option on a mirrorless ILC camera. Had the option on the GF1, never took advantage of it.

The only discouraging thing I read in the review is the write speeds in RAW are a bit slow. I'll need to demo the camera at a store with a fast memory card and see how bad it actually is. I suspect this is a combination of small memory buffer (unsurprising for a lower priced compact camera like this) + large 20 MP file sizes (something I'm not exactly thrilled about).

edit: I just read an amazon user review and he explains the camera does not have a compressed, lossless RAW format, its all uncompressed RAW files which come out to 40 MB per file. Ugh, this explains the slow write times now, Yeah no thanks at this point.
 
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After reading the fantastic reviews of the OM-D I decided to get one and it arrived yesterday (and no, having a built in EVF was not a factor in buying it, still not a priority to me) but the construction, performance and photos posted by ppl who already bought it impressed me enough to pick one up


DSC_7983 by KayOne73, on Flickr
 
Now Panasonic has released the 12-35mm f2,8 for mFT... Despite being a constant f2,8 zoom, it's actually quite small, less than 3" long and using 58mm filters... First impressions of this lens here...

Compared to the new Tamron 24-70mm f2,8 for full frame cameras:
pan_12_35_tam_df-600.jpg


On the OM-D:
pan_12_35_om_d-600.jpg


There is also a 35-100mm f2,8 in the pipeline as well...
 
And now, the final specs of the m.Zuiko 75mm f1,8 is officially announced:
? 75mm focal length (equivalent to 150mm in the 35mm film format)
? F1.8 aperture with circular blades
? 3 ED and 2 HR lens elements
? Premium multi-coating using Olympus ZERO lens coating technology
? High speed, silent focusing with MSC lens drive technology
? All metal barrel
? Precision manual focus ring
? Compatible with all Micro-Four Thirds standard mount cameras
? Portraiture, Fashion, Stage, Sports and low- light photography applications
? Expected availability in July 2012
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OM-D_E-M5_75mm__silver_silver_tilt_XL.jpg


Full press release here... Hands-on preview at Four Thirds User.
 
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edkwon said:
Got my 45mm f 1.8 in the mail!
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How do you find the 45/1,8 to be...? I have tried it a few times, and I have to say it's a very nice lens, although the build quality might feel a bit low rent compared to the all-metal 12/2 and the 75/1,8.
 
marcos_eirik said:
How do you find the 45/1,8 to be...? I have tried it a few times, and I have to say it's a very nice lens, although the build quality might feel a bit low rent compared to the all-metal 12/2 and the 75/1,8.
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I cannot speak for the lenses you're talking about, but its a nearly all metal construction lens, not silver plastic, so it feels very high quality. Image quality is quite nice.
 
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