µFourThirds to the Test

[chuasam]

The oft repeated adage that full frame is far superior to the MFT sensor has been going on and on here. I've been often recommending OLYMPUS to the newbies asking for a camera recommendation and it was time I had first hand experience.

I decided to put this to the test. Olympus Canada graciously loaned me a EM5 II with the 12-40/f2.8 for a few weeks while I put the camera through its paces.

I shot a dance pushing the ISO as high as 1250...it was pretty comparable to my D810 at 1600 and far far far superior to the 5DsR that I borrowed from Canon a few years back.

While the image quality blows me away (and I'm not easy to impress), the handling leaves a little to be desired. The camera goes to sleep in 3s (I changed to settings to 30s) which is a far cry from my insta-on D810 and most DSLRs. The response time is much slower than a DSLR.

Plus side...the IBIS is pure magic. The size of the camera is refreshing.

I will be posting further images and updating this thread as I get more images.

 

[Braineack]

thread is useless without pics...

 

[chuasam]

fine...ok this has little aesthetic merit but ISO 1250 shot at f/2.8 wide open cuz that's how i roll...1/40s

full image

100% crop

 

[jaomul]

As far as I am aware the sleep thingy going on is the battery save setting that can be turned off completely

 

[chuasam]

As far as I am aware the sleep thingy going on is the battery save setting that can be turned off completely

which might lead to me having a dead battery when I need it the most.

100% crop

ISO 200

This is me putting camera through paces before taking off for my vacation.

 

[jaomul]

As far as I am aware the sleep thingy going on is the battery save setting that can be turned off completely

which might lead to me having a dead battery when I need it the most.
View attachment 147189

100% crop
View attachment 147190

ISO 200

This is me putting camera through paces before taking off for my vacation.

This may be true, but the point is the camera can be set up to be fast when performance is more important than battery life.

The real issue isn't performance, it's the fact that the battery life is rubbish. I say this and I like Olympus, I recently even bought this EM5 mark ii. However there's no point in reviewing a Ferrari but keeping it below 2000 rpm because the petrol might run out, then saying it's slow

 

[will_f]

I have an Olympus PEN 5 (or something like that). Not so fast at grabbing focus (I hear the newer models are a lot better) but great sensor stabilization lets me shoot at pretty low light. The smaller sensor actually helps when doing macro since it gives a deeper depth of field.

View attachment 147257


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chuasam]

I have an Olympus PEN 5 (or something like that). Not so fast at grabbing focus (I hear the newer models are a lot better) but great sensor stabilization lets me shoot at pretty low light. The smaller sensor actually helps when doing macro since it gives a deeper depth of field.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey Will!
How’s anchorage?
I can recognize that North Flag anywhere.

 

[Derrel]

I think the small-sensor cameras are unbeatable when you want to have deep depth of field at apertures like f/5.6 to f/8, and want the backgrounds to be mostly recognizable in the "norma;" focal length ranges. This also makes them bad in some shooting situations, when you want to separate the foreground from the abckground in a vry fast, rapid, or high-degree sort of way. Like, for example, the shot of the two men seated at the table at the press conference: the two potted planmts, the electrical outlet, and the old photo on the wall behind them are ugly, and intrusive, and made worse by the small-sensor camera and the lens used to make a picture with that angle of view. However, for say, a landscape, or a close-range nature scene, the SMALLER sensor and the cvorrespondingly shorter lens lengths needed would be BETTER in many,many cases, to pull off deep DOF shots.

One thing that in inarguable though: the new Olympus cameras FEEL SEXY AS HELL in the hand! The WAY Oly builds em...OMG...every time I demo one, I wanna buy it! They are ***that*** amazing in the hand! The fit! The feel! The solid feeling! The textures! O>MG!

But you know, for many people, the smaller sen sor and deeper DOF on most angles of view is a net positive, as opposed to FF or FX sized sensors.

 

[chuasam]

Day 3 with the Olympus OMD-EM5 II
the camera feels great in the hands but the buttons and configuration grates at me.
There's no quick ISO access (without customization), it's hard to get to items without activating the battery draining rear screen.

The low light performance is acceptable. It is no D810 but it would definitely do fine as a travel camera or something for the non-actual-professional.
the DOF is good when shooting events but not so good when doing portraits.

Here's me at the dog park. I'd be a way better landscape photographer if only I could do it indoors.

The tracking is outstanding

the camera is very competent and what you're seeing is me struggling to handle a really complex interface.
There is sooooo much you can customize.

 

[chuasam]

the deeper DOF forces me to compose better rather than simply relying on my shallow DOF to blur everything else out.
I can't decide if this is a good thing.

 

[chuasam]

Quick shot while waiting for my plane.
I don’t think I’ve taken out my D810 yet.
This EM5 II is just that good.

Oh wait..no this was taken with my iPad

 

[chuasam]

More unsolicited food pics
I really ought to be taking more pictures but I’ve been eating and being lazy.

At least these photos are totally honest and not even tweaked in any way.

 

[chuasam]

I’m completely sold.
The EM5 II with the 12-40 is probably the perfect travel camera.

 

[chuasam]

The crap light photograph is staggeringly good.