nikku
Well-known
I think the Panasonic 20/1.7 is the lens for you then. 40mm equivalent, and it's got loads of character.
nikku
Well-known
Repeat after me: SCP is my friend....SCP is my friend...SCP is my friend...
malthusiantrap
Established
Hi, sorry I was busy. Being a student on a limited budget my consideration is cost of entry.
gavinlg
Veteran
I don't find the olympus super control panel useful or good personally. Didn't like it on my e-410, didn't like it on my E-3, didn't like it on my e-p1. Its just a giant bundled up mess of random settings in random order, and to access them you have to press a button, look at the screen, navigate to your setting, scroll through the setting, and then press ok. It's not really any different to a normal menu, just layer out in a checkerboard pattern rather than a list.
IMO of course, I've noticed others seem to think it's great.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Don't forget that the active screen on the OMD allows you to touch the function on the SCP to activate it ... so no scrolling!
I use mine all the time.
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
Can't speak for others, but I can.
And there was no significant initial hype for the OM-D, at least not around here. A lot of us had a distinctly underwhelming response to the announcement, including me. For most, expectations have been exceeded. It's not perfect, and I probably won't buy one soon. I may not even be interested until the next version is released.
River Dog
Always looking
Interesting comments from Steve Huff on rediscovering the X100, running with the OMD and X2.
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012/...cking-kudos-to-fuji-for-the-firmware-updates/
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012/...cking-kudos-to-fuji-for-the-firmware-updates/
palker
Established
I had and sold an X100 after about 9 months.
I really wanted to like it, but was tired with lower light focus way too much hunting.
Non existent manual focus.
Fixed lens.
Portrait distance focus always at the limit between normal and macro.
It was a very slow camera for me to operate.
The optical viewfinder was good, and I had no sticky aperture issue, but did miss some exposure not paying attention to the shutter speed in bright sunlight.
I ditched it and got a GX1 wow such an improvement, then after a shot time got the OMD, due to my aging eyes and limited arm length. Again a sygnificant improvement. I could have gone GH2 or G3, but decided to go with the most up to date. Fantastic camera.
I bought mine from the Olympus online store, no wait delivered in 2 days.
I use the Pany 14 and 25 and the Oly 45 and hope to track down a 75 when they are released.
The menu system is different but in my opinion no more strange than any other camera, there are many tweaks for programming buttons and dials to perform as you like.
It is a great fun camera.
Phil.
I really wanted to like it, but was tired with lower light focus way too much hunting.
Non existent manual focus.
Fixed lens.
Portrait distance focus always at the limit between normal and macro.
It was a very slow camera for me to operate.
The optical viewfinder was good, and I had no sticky aperture issue, but did miss some exposure not paying attention to the shutter speed in bright sunlight.
I ditched it and got a GX1 wow such an improvement, then after a shot time got the OMD, due to my aging eyes and limited arm length. Again a sygnificant improvement. I could have gone GH2 or G3, but decided to go with the most up to date. Fantastic camera.
I bought mine from the Olympus online store, no wait delivered in 2 days.
I use the Pany 14 and 25 and the Oly 45 and hope to track down a 75 when they are released.
The menu system is different but in my opinion no more strange than any other camera, there are many tweaks for programming buttons and dials to perform as you like.
It is a great fun camera.
Phil.
Shade
Well-known
Despite loving tye Fuji colours, the em5 is a whole different and very capable camera. I sold my Fuji for it and have no regrets whatsoever...
andrew00
Established
How do users feel about the AF of the OM-D? What about the card read/write time?
One thing I used to enjoy when shooting people back in the day (in film land!) was to have two cameras, one in each hand and basically swap between the two whilst the flash recharges.
The X100 is a great camera but the AF is still not that fast, it's good but not really fast enough for quick shooting. Likewise the time it takes to write to the memory card is soooo long it's impossible to shoot the camera with people in RAW+Jpeg imo as it takes so long.
I've been using my Nex-7 a lot for the above shooting and was thinking about getting a second one but the problem with the Nex-7 is the good flash for me is the 43AM flash, which is naturally pretty big.
I'm therefore curious about the OM-D, perhaps with the FL-14 flash, as a compact combo.
So what's the AF + Write speed like?
One thing I used to enjoy when shooting people back in the day (in film land!) was to have two cameras, one in each hand and basically swap between the two whilst the flash recharges.
The X100 is a great camera but the AF is still not that fast, it's good but not really fast enough for quick shooting. Likewise the time it takes to write to the memory card is soooo long it's impossible to shoot the camera with people in RAW+Jpeg imo as it takes so long.
I've been using my Nex-7 a lot for the above shooting and was thinking about getting a second one but the problem with the Nex-7 is the good flash for me is the 43AM flash, which is naturally pretty big.
I'm therefore curious about the OM-D, perhaps with the FL-14 flash, as a compact combo.
So what's the AF + Write speed like?
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
It's occured to me that the X100 I had has the reliability record from hell!
The camera was replaced after a week because of erratic over exposure (replaced by Fuji) ... the second camera lasted a week before I noticed severe banding (replaced by Fuji) ... the third camera ultimately went to Paul in the US who has just received the camera back from Fuji with a replacement lens assembly because of the re-ocurring over exposure problem that he started suffering with it recently.
Hopefully my OMD will be blessed with better reliability.
The camera was replaced after a week because of erratic over exposure (replaced by Fuji) ... the second camera lasted a week before I noticed severe banding (replaced by Fuji) ... the third camera ultimately went to Paul in the US who has just received the camera back from Fuji with a replacement lens assembly because of the re-ocurring over exposure problem that he started suffering with it recently.
Hopefully my OMD will be blessed with better reliability.
Paul T.
Veteran
This is a question I've pondered, especially as I own a GF1 and hence the Pana 20/1.7.
But isn't the Olympus far more expensive than the X100? The latter is around £650 in the UK, but the Olympus is more like £1000. I'd buy one during my trip to Japan, but even there it's nearly £800. It's a lovely camera, but I think we're paying a premium price for its cute looks.
But isn't the Olympus far more expensive than the X100? The latter is around £650 in the UK, but the Olympus is more like £1000. I'd buy one during my trip to Japan, but even there it's nearly £800. It's a lovely camera, but I think we're paying a premium price for its cute looks.
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
I think you're confusing the OM-D with Nikon-1
How can you say it's just about the looks of the camera?
By now there are plenty of hands-on reviews that acknowledge the versatility and the performance of the camera in daily use. Some even from people who used to think that m4/3rd cameras are mere toys.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
You got to be kidding here...
I use both various Oly's and an X-Pro. They're all fine, and both cameras implement a quick menu rather nicely. Despite its quirks I like the X-Pro more than any digital I've used. Feels right in the hands, delivers fantastic files. The B&W JPEGs are the best I've ever seen out-of-camera.
It was a tough choice between the X-Pro and the OM-D but that remarkable, lovely OVF won the day for me.
dreilly
Chillin' in Geneva
Keith,
That might have been just a bad sample. It's really hard to get a good sense of reliability because the ones who have the bad samples are more likely to write about it. So it's hard to say. Mine was trouble-free. The statistical spread is hard to say. If I had a bad one, however, I would be shy to try another for sure. I guess human brains were wired more to base their decisions on anecdote (aka experience) rather than statistics. Of all the digital cameras I've owned, I've rarely had any problems. I had a D700 refurb with bad AF out of the box, I had to repair an E-5 with a cracked LCD hinge. Other than that they have been remarkably trouble-free.
That might have been just a bad sample. It's really hard to get a good sense of reliability because the ones who have the bad samples are more likely to write about it. So it's hard to say. Mine was trouble-free. The statistical spread is hard to say. If I had a bad one, however, I would be shy to try another for sure. I guess human brains were wired more to base their decisions on anecdote (aka experience) rather than statistics. Of all the digital cameras I've owned, I've rarely had any problems. I had a D700 refurb with bad AF out of the box, I had to repair an E-5 with a cracked LCD hinge. Other than that they have been remarkably trouble-free.
bhop73
Well-known
Every digital camera has more controls than a Leica M.. :bang:
As far as the macro mode.. it's just one button on the back.. I don't really get what's difficult about it, but oh well.
Personally, I set my x100s menu only once. The only times I've had to "dive into the menu" is reformat my card, everything else has a button or dial. I like using the x100 for the most part, but i've found it's not a reliable camera. I've had a lot of issues with autofocus missing and i've had the sticky aperture blades issue repaired twice. If I had to do it over again I might go with the OM-D.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
Not a problem with the Leica M, generally, now is it?
I LOVE the custom settings. I LOVE the ability to toggle between OVF and parallax-free EVF. I LOVE the ability to see my DoF scale and a live histogram through the OVF.
More settings... but also new and very useful capabilities.
I still love my M6 (it is not lonely and still eats plenty of 2TMY) but it is not the end-all and be-all.
dreilly
Chillin' in Geneva
Well, let's see. Focus on the chef flipping eggs. A few frames, did I get it in focus? Okay, good. Oh, that looks great on the plate. Use my feet to zoom in on plate. Try to focus. No good. Too close. Step back. Too much clutter in the frame. Take camera away from eye, locate macro button. (Later I got to know the button by feel and eliminated this step.) Change to macro mode. OVF turns into EVF, reframe...plate taken away by waitress! Chef turning sausages on grill, lots of fire, quick, damn, AF is slow because it's stuck on MACRO. Locate macro button, toggle, awe, crap, fire is gone, the moment lost...
Having a macro mode accessible only by a few button clicks was not fun for me. YMMV, but I think my issue was pretty reasonably frustrating. The X100 is great for some things but it's just not as nimble as the OM-D.
gilpen123
Gil
Have both, love the Fuji colors but not as fast as I would want it to be. Yesterday, I shot with the OMD during the Philippines' Independence Day celebration and I would say it hold it's own very well. I use it with the grip, a 20 1.7 and 45 1.8. It's an excellent fast action machine, one needs to understand very well it's UI to maximize the potential. Still learning it though.