The E-5 - is it really that crappy?

Unfortunately ... and as is the case with ALL photography (and with most art forms) ... all we have and all we are supplied with is the picture. We're not SUPPOSED to be able to compare it with the actual scene nor are we, in fact, able to.

We are merely the observers of an image, an image you provided, and the image needs to stand up on its own as an image, not as something only you can see in your mind. I don't think your image holds up ... and quite a few here think likewise.

--
SteveG
'When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.'
— Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie
http://www.stephenmichaelgarey.com