colyn
ישו משיח
Anybody using this camera and care to comment on it?
I have a couple of Olympus digital lens that need a body..
I have a couple of Olympus digital lens that need a body..
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
A thorough review is here.
(Bigger version)
Excellent build quality, maybe the best of any camera in its price bracket?? Tiny body (similar to Nikon D5000), a hair bigger than the 400 series. Works well with the 12-60 but the 14-54 would be better and I wouldn't want to go bigger without adding the supplementary grip/battery pack. Superb ergos, considering its small size and that it has one adjustment dial, not two.
Same IQ as E-P1, that is, roughly equivalent to the better APS-C cameras of the previous generation (the Canon 7D, Nikon D-5000, and Pentax K-x are IMO the current leaders, and are about a stop better in low light). Dynamic range is probably the Achilles' heel. Incorrect exposure in difficult light will get you. But that's true to a greater or lesser extent with most digital cameras. Native ISO, where you get the best DR, is 160 or 200 -- not 100. Both images here were shot at 400, handheld, in pretty dim light. The out-of-camera JPEG engine might be the best available, if you believe DPReview.
In RAW, processing with Lightroom 3 gives you an extra half stop or so vs. LR2, and maybe 1/3 of a stop over the in-camera JPEGs, due to improved handling of chroma noise. ISO 1000 processed in LR3. looks quite good in color, IMO. I set AE default to -1/3 default in the menu system.
Menus are deep and complex, and the camera is highly customizable (see linked reviews above). More similar to say a D90 than a D60 or D5000 in this respect.
(Bigger version)
The image stabilization is superb. The finder is better than any Oly 4/3 finder except the E-1, E-3, and E-30, but it's still a mirror box and not a prism, and that's obvious (it's no OM1/2/4, that's for sure). AF is excellent with the 12-60, which is my primary lens on that camera. I've taken the camera out for a 3-day backpacking trip with rain, sometimes heavy, throughout [~ 50 images].
Hiking, the day before the backpacking leg of the trip, in rather heavy rain and hail. Taken with an old Fuji F30.
Some moisture appeared on the focusing screen during the trip (12-60, which is itself weather sealed, was never removed) so I know things got wet. No hit to image quality, no issues with reliability so far.
If you get one, I highly recommend getting the kit 14-42. It's tiny and plastic and shockingly good for a crappy little $50 zoom.
For the current selling price of $500 for the body, or $550 for the body and 14-42, it's a fairly decent deal.
Oh, and it takes CF cards as well as the craptacular XD cards that older Oly's demanded.
(Bigger version)
Excellent build quality, maybe the best of any camera in its price bracket?? Tiny body (similar to Nikon D5000), a hair bigger than the 400 series. Works well with the 12-60 but the 14-54 would be better and I wouldn't want to go bigger without adding the supplementary grip/battery pack. Superb ergos, considering its small size and that it has one adjustment dial, not two.
Same IQ as E-P1, that is, roughly equivalent to the better APS-C cameras of the previous generation (the Canon 7D, Nikon D-5000, and Pentax K-x are IMO the current leaders, and are about a stop better in low light). Dynamic range is probably the Achilles' heel. Incorrect exposure in difficult light will get you. But that's true to a greater or lesser extent with most digital cameras. Native ISO, where you get the best DR, is 160 or 200 -- not 100. Both images here were shot at 400, handheld, in pretty dim light. The out-of-camera JPEG engine might be the best available, if you believe DPReview.
In RAW, processing with Lightroom 3 gives you an extra half stop or so vs. LR2, and maybe 1/3 of a stop over the in-camera JPEGs, due to improved handling of chroma noise. ISO 1000 processed in LR3. looks quite good in color, IMO. I set AE default to -1/3 default in the menu system.
Menus are deep and complex, and the camera is highly customizable (see linked reviews above). More similar to say a D90 than a D60 or D5000 in this respect.
(Bigger version)
The image stabilization is superb. The finder is better than any Oly 4/3 finder except the E-1, E-3, and E-30, but it's still a mirror box and not a prism, and that's obvious (it's no OM1/2/4, that's for sure). AF is excellent with the 12-60, which is my primary lens on that camera. I've taken the camera out for a 3-day backpacking trip with rain, sometimes heavy, throughout [~ 50 images].
Hiking, the day before the backpacking leg of the trip, in rather heavy rain and hail. Taken with an old Fuji F30.
Some moisture appeared on the focusing screen during the trip (12-60, which is itself weather sealed, was never removed) so I know things got wet. No hit to image quality, no issues with reliability so far.
If you get one, I highly recommend getting the kit 14-42. It's tiny and plastic and shockingly good for a crappy little $50 zoom.
For the current selling price of $500 for the body, or $550 for the body and 14-42, it's a fairly decent deal.
Oh, and it takes CF cards as well as the craptacular XD cards that older Oly's demanded.
Last edited:
colyn
ישו משיח
Thanks for the information.
I was happy with my old E-500 but it died recently and am considering a replacement body for the lens one of which is the 14-42mm lens.
Excellent sample photos...
I was happy with my old E-500 but it died recently and am considering a replacement body for the lens one of which is the 14-42mm lens.
Excellent sample photos...
swoop
Well-known
I used to own one. It was an upgrade for my Panasonic DMC-L1. I loved the compact body. But the high ISO performance and 2x crop just wasn't producing the results I wanted. But 80% of the time it did the job. And the in camera effects were fun to play with. Also, their pro-line of lenses is way more expensive than other brands. Keep in mind it has the same exact sensor as the Olympus EP-1. Which produces great results.