The µ43 thread - welcome to the really dark side

bsoltan said:
A friend of mine has been trying to persuade me not to go CSC and get an APS-C instead, D5300, 700D or Samsung NX30.

However none of the bodies are as small as the E-PL5 which is really keeping me in this camp. Currys still have it with the 14-42 and 40-150.

I did try the camera out in Currys, I found it a bit uncomfortable to hold although it doesn't help having it tied to their security. The menu system also seemed poor but hopefully I won't have to delve into it too much, and there is the Super-Menu to activate and use. At least it was responsive and same with snapping away in the store (although no delay with it trying to save).

I need to order by tomorrow really to be able to take it away with me on Saturday.

For taking landscape shots on my trip to New Zealand what will be the best lens to use on the E-PL5 body?

Can anyone also recomend the a bag to fit the gear and the necessary filters to fit the lenses? (sorry if I'm asking too much!) :)
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Yeah the Olympus menu system takes a little getting used to... I don't think it's particularly better or worse than most others, just different. Once you have the Super Control Panel activated you barely ever need to enter the main menu while shooting.

For landscapes I'd definitely be packing an Olympus 9-18 (or Panny 7-14 if feeling flush!). The 9-18 performs well, packs down very small, matches the size of the E-PL5 and is cheap to buy filters for. Between that and the two kit lenses you should be pretty sorted, although you might also like to consider one of the pancake primes for low light situations and those occasions where you might want to just slip the camera in a pocket.

Filters, I'd just go for CPLs and perhaps a ND or two if you like slow shutter work (forget the NDs if you're not taking a tripod).

Bagwise, any small messenger or camera bag should do the trick, there are about a million options out there.
 
bsoltan said:
King4aDay you are a bad man.. but I think I owe you a beer. Or hopefully I can repay with some good pictures from my trip.

I currently have an E-PL5 with the 14-42 mm + 40-150 and I picked up a Lowepro StreamLine 250 messenger bag.

I have on order:
Joby GorillaPod Hybrid Tripod, SanDisk Ultra SDHC 64GB & 16GBx2, Duracell BLS-5 Battery, DSTE® 2pcs BLS-5 batteries.
Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 9-18mm, Hoya 52mm & 58mm CPL, Hoya 37mm UV.
And a few other bits and pieces.

Merry Christmas to me. :cool:
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Nice one. You can never post too many photos of New Zealand really. And the 9-18 really is a marvel of miniaturisation.
 
Hi all,

Thought this was worth a mention - ebay user 'limal' seems to be a semi-official seller of Olympus EU refurbished cameras. Postage is under £10 from Germany and all bodies come with a 1 year manufacturer warranty, although I'm not sure if you'd have to send them back to Germany in the event of a claim. Feedback on ebay and various German forums seems to be positive.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Digital-C...o_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&_ssn=limal

Lots of E-M5s, E-M10s, E-M1s and Stylus 1 auctions going through in the next few days.

I've been watching a few auctions and some of them have ended at real bargain prices of around half retail price - Stylus 1s from £160, E-M10s from £232 body only (£261 with normal 14-42, £311 with pancake), E-M5s from £255 body only (£330 with 12-50), E-M1s from £335 (although more typically £460 body only or around 900 with the 12-40 2.8).

Anyway, I've just bought a Stylus 1 for my brother for Crimbo, I'll update this thread with how the service/condition is after it arrives.
 
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First images of the E-M5 II -

oly_e-m5ii_silver_f001.jpg

oly_e-m5ii_silver_b001.jpg

oly_e-m5ii_silver_t001.jpg


http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-first-images-of-the-new-olympus-e-m5ii/

Same E-M5 16MP sensor
Update processor (improves slightly the IQ)
No PDAF
New sensor shift shooting that allows to combine 8 pictures in one to create a 40 Megapixel image
Improved 5 axis stabilization
It does have clean hdmi-out
all common frame rates and video optimized af-algorithm.
50Mb/s all 1080p (no 4K recording)

Reminder: The new Olympus camera coming during the first week of February will be called Olympus E-M5II (or E-M5 Mark II). And the big new feature of the camera is “sensor shift” shooting. The camera has a 16 Megapixel sensor that can shoot up to 40 Megapixel by shifting the sensor (in up to 8 frames of single shots).

The sources didn’t explain me in very detail how it works but my guess is that it works in a similar way of the Hasselblad H5D-200c. Hasselblad (Pdf file here) describes the tech in that way:

High precision piezo-electrical actuators control movements of the sensor in ½ and in one pixel increments. By combining six shots, offset by a combination of both ½ pixel increments and one pixel increments, the colors, Red, Green and Blue of each point are obtained with a double resolution in both the X and Y directions. The result is an astonishing 200Mpixel full color image with no artifacts, such as moiré.
The Bayer Mosaic filter pattern covers the pixels of the sensor. Moving the sensor in one pixel increments between shots, allows for the exact R, G, B values to be captured in every pixel. The multiple captures are then assembled to deliver the correct colors and ultimate definition of detail. Adding captures, each offset by a ½ pixel sensor movement, creates space for extending the sensor resolution from 50Mpix to 200Mpix. The outstanding definition of color and detail is maintained
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I like it.

Dual-mode FN1 in a sensible place for back button focusing/focus peaking/whatever.
Fully articulated screen (I really missed this moving from the GH2 although I can see some street shooters being unhappy).
Improved video and IBIS.
40MP sensor shift will hopefully be great for landscape and still life work.


Not overly keen on On/Off placement but I guess that's fairly minor. FN3 and 4 look pretty awkward to get to. New button on the front could be handy but seems to be right where I grip the E-M5, hope it isn't a nuisance.

Would have liked a new sensor - I guess we're stuck with the current gen for at least another couple of years. They'll probably be saving it for whatever the E-M1 replacement is. At least they updated the processor but that's not going to give many gains, I'd have liked another stop or two of high ISO performance.
 
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The GF line just got a revamp -

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_gf7_review/

GF7 looks much more appealing than previous versions but I'm not sure how it stacks up against the GM1 to be honest. Launch price will be £429 with the 12-32, which is the exact same price as the GM1 with 12-32 costs now. Haven't had a close look at the specs but seems you get a slightly larger body with a tilt screen.

Previous GFs have dropped in price really fast, if this follows suit it should make a good entry level camera for those that don't need an EVF or hotshoe. The smaller bodies make so much more sense with the 12-32 compared to the old bulky 14-42s.

panasonic_lumix_gf7_review-275x310.jpg
 
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I'm out of control. Since payday I've ordered an Olympus 45mm 1.8, Samyang 7.5mm 3.5 fisheye and Samyang 12mm 2.0.

I guess I'm going to have to start doing astro landscapes now.

...speaking of which, I might ask for a SkyTracker v2 for my birthday :p

Urgh that was a really nasty bout of GAS.
 
Smeghead said:
Just curious, any particular reason you went for the 7.5mm and 12mm primes rather than the 7-14mm or 9-18mm?
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I've got the 9-18. Can't really afford the 7-14, plus it doesn't take filters easily.

The 7.5 and 12 are mainly to have a play with some astro landscapes at some point. Plus I've never had a fisheye so just sought of fancied one, plus the 12mm will be really handy for the very low light aquarium photography that I do a lot of for my other hobby. I really like the 9-18, it's an excellent lightweight wide-angle lens that takes a cheap sized filter, but it just isn't fast enough for a couple of things I need to do.

The 12mm arrived yesterday - really enjoying it thus far. It feels really well made and balances very well on the E-M5.
 
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