[ Opinion ] - Will You Buy The Olympus E-5?

[K3N]

Try this Alien Skin Bokeh 2

You can adjust and have full control over bokeh after the shot in postprocessing. It has Lightroom integration as well. Very nice.. With this, you can get the advantages of FourThirds glass and bokeh control.

 

[microcosm]

Chua Beng, good for you mate. If you think I am against people like you, well, maybe I am. Maybe I am not, maybe its just you who feels that I am. Whatever you feel, it is regretful that you felt the way you felt. I am sure everyone else who have met me would no I am not a person of malice.

I have answered questions that you have asked, and hope that satisfies you. Other comments which you have rejected, hope that would help the others within this community.

Have a good day.

 

[nightpiper]

说者无心, 听者有意

I read thru all microcosm replies (3x) & still didn't feel anything offensive at all, juz plain facts & solutions. Chua Beng, u too sensitive liao. Time to go to the park for a stroll with a cam & smell the roses.

 

[hydroburn249]

personally, i wont buy the E5 because i dont have any 4/3 glass. :bsmilie:

as for bro microcosm, ever since i joined the forums last year, he has been one of those mods who usually gives good straight forward advice. yes sometimes he doesnt sugar coat his words, but isnt that life? not everyone sugar coats what they say.

 

[candycaine]

Chua beng,

I've seen "harsher" words than what Microcosm has written. That's not saying much though. CS is not a utopian funland. In a forum, you interact with real people. Unless you prefer that the people around you perpetually speak to you in a patronising manner, then I don't understand what offense you can take from cold facts. The very fact that you are a one man camp here shows that the 43 community here has nothing but respect for Micro.

In any case, take a chill pill- don't throw away your dignity over a thread discussing a camera.

 

[nokkieg]

Chua Beng,

If your wish is for a small sensor camera (like 4/3s) mounted with fast lenses (f2 and below) to give you shallow dof which other brands DLSR users are enjoying, then you are coming into a wrong system!

You are not the first (nor will you be the last) photographer wanting shallow dof to get the bokeh effect (which is desirable to certain genre of photographers, but not all). If this is the photographic need you want fulfilled, then 4/3 system is not the system for you.

Knowing that the above is what you want, the 4/3s moderator (who has been around for quite a while and has dealt with other forum members asking the same question) quickly pointed it out to you.

It is better to inform you right off at the start before you invest in the 4/3s system and expensive fast prime lenses and then only to realize that you can't get your photographic needs fulfilled. You will then be dissatisfied and (maybe, maybe ah) start to feel shortchanged. Maybe (maybe ah), even ridiculed by other camera system users and for them to claim that their system is superior and that it can get shallow dof and fantastic bokeh at f/?? blah blah and 4/3s system cannot!

This then causes further misunderstanding of the 4/3s system, which I think the 4/3s community feels unjustified and it just gets perpetuated deeper and deeper. I think the 4/3s community has learnt to accept/ignore this misunderstanding and instead concentrate on photography.

As to whether i will buy the E5? Yes, I will. To top it of, I am also looking to buy an all in one f/2 prime ----- the 14-35mm. But not for the bokeh effect, but rather, to be able to use a higher shutter speed to get sharp pictures (some 4/3 members might say the 14-35 is too sharp, hor brothers?)

Thanks for all the helpful input.

I am not wanting lotsa lenses. I'm just hoping for some FAST lenses with aperture below F2, primes mainly. I miss that shallow d.o.f. which other brand DSLR users are enjoying. If they do not produce anymore lenses, this hope will be unfulfilled.

 

[nerfwings]

Chua Beng,

If your wish is for a small sensor camera (like 4/3s) mounted with fast lenses (f2 and below) to give you shallow dof which other brands DLSR users are enjoying, then you are coming into a wrong system!

You are not the first (nor will you be the last) photographer wanting shallow dof to get the bokeh effect (which is desirable to certain genre of photographers, but not all). If this is the photographic need you want fulfilled, then 4/3 system is not the system for you.

Knowing that the above is what you want, the 4/3s moderator (who has been around for quite a while and has dealt with other forum members asking the same question) quickly pointed it out to you.

It is better to inform you right off at the start before you invest in the 4/3s system and expensive fast prime lenses and then only to realize that you can't get your photographic needs fulfilled. You will then be dissatisfied and (maybe, maybe ah) start to feel shortchanged. Maybe (maybe ah), even ridiculed by other camera system users and for them to claim that their system is superior and that it can get shallow dof and fantastic bokeh at f/?? blah blah and 4/3s system cannot!

This then causes further misunderstanding of the 4/3s system, which I think the 4/3s community feels unjustified and it just gets perpetuated deeper and deeper. I think the 4/3s community has learnt to accept/ignore this misunderstanding and instead concentrate on photography.

As to whether i will buy the E5? Yes, I will. To top it of, I am also looking to buy an all in one f/2 prime ----- the 14-35mm. But not for the bokeh effect, but rather, to be able to use a higher shutter speed to get sharp pictures (some 4/3 members might say the 14-35 is too sharp, hor brothers?)

The 14-35 is sharp when the focus is right. I'm still facing problems with the AF in challenging lighting even with the new firmware. Fit on the 14-54 and it will focus twice as fast and twice as accurate in the same condition.

Even with that, I like the 14-35 the most among the other lenses because of its image character. Like I mention to some people. Even if the AF is non-functional and I will have to manual focus the lens, I will still consider this lens.

 

[microcosm]

Folks, I think Chua Beng gets the message. So let's not turn this into something ugly.

- - -

nokkieg, the 14-35mm might be an excellent lens, but nefwings has pointed out its "slight problem" in low light, which is quite hilarious considering that it is supposed to be a fast lens! Whether this lens performs better with the E5 has yet to be seen... but I am quite excited with the new firmware for the other SWD lenses, they focusing speeds are supposedly speed demons... ha ha ha... that is exciting news... and the Canon 7D is the benchmark!

 

[MichaelLee]

a bit off topic, has anyone tested and compared the AF speed of e5 + 12-60mm vs e5 +14-54MII vs e5 + 14-35mm ?

I would believe e5 +12-60mm would give the fastest AF. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong.

 

[nerfwings]

a bit off topic, has anyone tested and compared the AF speed of e5 + 12-60mm vs e5 +14-54MII vs e5 + 14-35mm ?

I would believe e5 +12-60mm would give the fastest AF. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong.

I have used the e5 with all the 3 lenses and this would be my usage feeling. It is not based on any tests and it's just what I feel and observe personally. So I might be wrong.

Af speed in good light
1) 12-60
2) 14-54
3) 14-35

Af accuracy in good light (14-35 & 12-60 nearly the same here)
1) 14-54
2) 12-60
3) 14-35

Af speed in poor/indoor light
1) 14-54
2) 12-60
3) 14-35

Af accuracy in poor/indoor light
1) 14-54
2) 12-60
3) 14-35

In total I have shot on the e5 with these lenses for a total of about 20hrs in collection

 

[diCam]

The 14-35 is sharp when the focus is right. I'm still facing problems with the AF in challenging lighting even with the new firmware. Fit on the 14-54 and it will focus twice as fast and twice as accurate in the same condition.

Even with that, I like the 14-35 the most among the other lenses because of its image character. Like I mention to some people. Even if the AF is non-functional and I will have to manual focus the lens, I will still consider this lens.

14-54mm (or MK II) should not be compared directly with 14-35mm SWD in term of AF speed. The latter is a f2.0 lens constant across the zoom range. There are a lot of glasses to move in order to achieve focus on a targeted subject and when focused the braking effect to stop the glasses movement.

 

[diCam]

Folks, I think Chua Beng gets the message. So let's not turn this into something ugly.

- - -

nokkieg, the 14-35mm might be an excellent lens, but nefwings has pointed out its "slight problem" in low light, which is quite hilarious considering that it is supposed to be a fast lens! Whether this lens performs better with the E5 has yet to be seen... but I am quite excited with the new firmware for the other SWD lenses, they focusing speeds are supposedly speed demons... ha ha ha... that is exciting news... and the Canon 7D is the benchmark!

Did Olympus benchmark E-5 to Canon 7D in term of AF performance?

The comparison, as I read from the internet, is image quality.

 

[k3mistry]

hello all,


eh...most importantly...when is the camera selling? Any folks got any clue or kang tao? Can't wait to use it for an event assignment.

 

[spidey89]

hello all,


eh...most importantly...when is the camera selling? Any folks got any clue or kang tao? Can't wait to use it for an event assignment.

I thought I've posted many times? Hahaha, the official news is that is either late this month or early next month, no news on exact date yet

 

[nokkieg]

Hi Nerfwings,

Thanks for the tips!

I presume that you were using the E5 and the 14-35mm with lens firmware v1.1 when you still encountered focusing problems in low light conditions?

What was the nature of the problem you faced actually? Was it:
a) focus hunting (lens moving in and out trying to lock focus)?
b) mis-focussing (focus locked, but the result was that focus was off)?
c) unable to focus at all (due to dim lighting conditions)?
d) all of the above?

I see that you rated the 14-35mm third in all the 4 categories (based on your own personal observation). But what was the actual time it took to focus in poor light? 1sec, 3sec, 5sec? (based on your own personal observation).

For my photographic needs and when shooting in low light conditions, I guess my subject can wait a few secs. I have been using the 50mm f/2 in these sort of conditions and still able to get desired results! It's not as if I am shooting a moving F1 car in a dimly lit room that I need it to focus in instantly!

Thanks.

The 14-35 is sharp when the focus is right. I'm still facing problems with the AF in challenging lighting even with the new firmware. Fit on the 14-54 and it will focus twice as fast and twice as accurate in the same condition.

Even with that, I like the 14-35 the most among the other lenses because of its image character. Like I mention to some people. Even if the AF is non-functional and I will have to manual focus the lens, I will still consider this lens.

 

[nissanmanic]

I thought I've posted many times? Hahaha, the official news is that is either late this month or early next month, no news on exact date yet

time to hang christmas socks at home for once and build a makeshift chimney. I hope Olympus gave Santa enough E-5 stocks to go around!

I would buy the E-5 no doubt. The only problem is when will the prices come tumbling slightly when it's settled in the market. Not in a hurry after I saw what fellow users are doing with their PENs & E-520s. (trying to kill the virus, but I doubt I can hold it off for long) Actually I've been deeply poisoned by E-5 & the EPL-1, can just die already.

My concern is with the battery though. How long does it take for the BLM-5s to be charged through the BCM-5? I know the BCM-2 that came with my E-520 was used with the E-3, ridiculous 5 hours charge time, wth!

Luckily the E-5 is still compatible with BLM-1s, otherwise I would want to hum-tam Olympus already, because I invested in BLM-1s & bought a BCM-1 before E-5's launch, thinking they would still use the BLM-1s on the new flagship. But how is the battery life with BLM-1s? Has anyone tested?

 

[k3mistry]

I thought I've posted many times? Hahaha, the official news is that is either late this month or early next month, no news on exact date yet

ya lar...i know...i am just being irritating.. E1 wait until now...what's a few more months right?

On a serious note... it would be good to know an exact date so ppl like me can plan our schedule /work.. like whether its in time for assignment and critical stuff, etc.

Moreover, its a night assignment - so i thought it would be a good chance to push the E5 for low light performance (compared to the E1) esp. AF. Be using strobes though but it will be good to test it out in a real world situation.

So.... when will the E5 be selling huh?

 

[nerfwings]

14-54mm (or MK II) should not be compared directly with 14-35mm SWD in term of AF speed. The latter is a f2.0 lens constant across the zoom range. There are a lot of glasses to move in order to achieve focus on a targeted subject and when focused the braking effect to stop the glasses movement.

Yes I agree with that. Good point brought up for reference to others as well.

 

[nerfwings]

Hi Nerfwings,

Thanks for the tips!

I presume that you were using the E5 and the 14-35mm with lens firmware v1.1 when you still encountered focusing problems in low light conditions?

What was the nature of the problem you faced actually? Was it:
a) focus hunting (lens moving in and out trying to lock focus)?
b) mis-focussing (focus locked, but the result was that focus was off)?
c) unable to focus at all (due to dim lighting conditions)?
d) all of the above?

I see that you rated the 14-35mm third in all the 4 categories (based on your own personal observation). But what was the actual time it took to focus in poor light? 1sec, 3sec, 5sec? (based on your own personal observation).

For my photographic needs and when shooting in low light conditions, I guess my subject can wait a few secs. I have been using the 50mm f/2 in these sort of conditions and still able to get desired results! It's not as if I am shooting a moving F1 car in a dimly lit room that I need it to focus in instantly!

Thanks.

For clarification, e5 firmware is 1.0 and 14-35 firmware is 1.1.

Yes I am aware and it is true for me that the 14-35 is worst performer in terms of af in the 3 lenses. However people don't just buy lenses based on af performance alone.

In situations where the 14-35 is troubled, the lens will make numberous micro adjustments to the focus going back and forth a small range. Similar to that of the 12-60 in low light. I think it has got something to do with the swd motor. As both 12-60 and 14-35 reacted similarly. Just that due to heavier and more glass in the 14-35, the micro adjustments are made more slowly. In indoor lighting the 14-35 can take a good 2 secs to lock focus.

Focusing accuracy is good in the e5 however it still doesn't really work on the e3 with strong front focus tendency observed on 3 different units of e3 I've used. It is also a hit and miss affair on the e3 with af not being accurate about 25-50% of the time. E30 seems fine. And it's fine on the e5 as well. I only have 1 unit of 14-35 so based on different performance on different bodies, I conclude that it is not a problem with the lens.

Comparing the af ability in low light between the 50mm and the 14-35, there is a huge difference with the 50 able to lock on focus quickly and accurately a lot better than the 14-35.

Sometimes it's easier that you test it out yourself. If you're really keen in buying this lens I urge you to try it out first and understand it's limitations together with it's ability before buying it. That will make you a much happier man. I bought mine with the limitations in mind and I am fully satisfied with the lens so far.

What I can do most for you is to meet up with you in person somewhere or at oly studio with the 14-35 and some samples shots for you to test out the lens in person as well as demonstrate to you what can be achieved with this lens that other lenses cannot, may it be an oly lens or canon/nikon lens.

Pm or SMS me if I can be of help.

90608017 - Kenneth

 

[spidey89]

ya lar...i know...i am just being irritating.. E1 wait until now...what's a few more months right?

On a serious note... it would be good to know an exact date so ppl like me can plan our schedule /work.. like whether its in time for assignment and critical stuff, etc.

Moreover, its a night assignment - so i thought it would be a good chance to push the E5 for low light performance (compared to the E1) esp. AF. Be using strobes though but it will be good to test it out in a real world situation.

So.... when will the E5 be selling huh?

:bsmilie::bsmilie: GG already, As to exact date, nothing on Olympus side, so nothing here either, sorry