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E-5 vs. A77

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BubbaE1

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Is anybody else surprised how much positive attention the A77 is getting? Indeed, it seems to have the functionality of a superbly designed and engineered camera, but isn't IQ the ultimate goal? From the comparisons I've done, the A77, in terms of IQ, has nothing on the E-5. In fact, the E-5 seems better in some instances.

Is it just the novelty of it that is attracting so much attention? Just curious what you guys think.
--
Justin
E-1 + 14-54 II
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dinger
 
BubbaE1 said:
Is anybody else surprised how much positive attention the A77 is getting? Indeed, it seems to have the functionality of a superbly designed and engineered camera, but isn't IQ the ultimate goal? From the comparisons I've done, the A77, in terms of IQ, has nothing on the E-5. In fact, the E-5 seems better in some instances.

Is it just the novelty of it that is attracting so much attention? Just curious what you guys think.
--
Justin
E-1 + 14-54 II
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dinger
Click to expand...
Actually IQ isn't the ultimate goal for all situations. What good is a high IQ camera if functionally, it's not reliable or capable of getting the desired captures in certain situations? Features such as the full time PDAF at 12FPS, electronic curtain shutter and PDAF during video are all features that allow reliable captures under sitations in which the E5 would not. Also in Sony's favor is the vast number of lenses available.

Doug Brown has used the A77 for situations in which he's regularly used the E5 and has commented on it:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=39457924

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1037&message=39342958

To me the best observation from Doug is that it wouldn't be worth investing in an entirely new system compared to the E5 and ZD glass I already have. Of course, this was before the scandal broke and I hope that Olympus recovers well enough to keep producing the E5 and lenses as well as the m4/3 line which becomes more enviting with each new product announcement.

--

Some people operate cameras. Others use them to create images. There is a difference.

http://ikkens.zenfolio.com/

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I agree a lot with what you said. Yes, functionality is crucial when operating a camera. A camera could have the best IQ in the world but if it can't function properly, who cares about the IQ. This where I think the E-5 has struck a great balance, IQ and functionality wise.

I just wonder how much Sony is hoping the A77's bells and whistles, which, again, are nice, will overshadow what may be a camera with average IQ? The point being that if people can praise the A77 with its IQ, it seems to me the E-5 deserves more praise then too.
--
Justin
E-1 + 14-54 II
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dinger
 
The Sony A77 has 24.3 effective megapixels (for those that would like to crop their images or make large prints etc.)...which is about twice as many as the Olympus E-5. The Sony A77 appears like it performs much better at high ISO levels (someone else can research the details about this if they would like). I'm sure there's a lot of other differences beyond just image quality for those that want to look for them. But for me, I'm going to see if I can take some pictures with my old 8mp and 10mp Olympus DSLR cameras on this gloomy cloudy Oregon Saturday...I'll see you all later...until next time. :)
 
BubbaE1 said:
I agree a lot with what you said. Yes, functionality is crucial when operating a camera. A camera could have the best IQ in the world but if it can't function properly, who cares about the IQ. This where I think the E-5 has struck a great balance, IQ and functionality wise.

I just wonder how much Sony is hoping the A77's bells and whistles, which, again, are nice, will overshadow what may be a camera with average IQ? The point being that if people can praise the A77 with its IQ, it seems to me the E-5 deserves more praise then too.
--
Justin
E-1 + 14-54 II
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dinger
Click to expand...
I've sold Sony products of various types over the years. They have always been rather arrogant in their approach to marketing their products. They would have us all believe that their SLT technology is revolutionary, when in fact all it is is a rehash of 60 year old SLR technology. Yes, it works better than the "pellicle" mirrors during 35mm film days, but to me it's a stop gap measure.

Nikon has demonstrated effective imaging sensor PDAF with their new mirrorless cams. The V1 is a lot of what the A77 could have been and in many ways better. If Nikon comes out with a "dslr" comparable to the A77 specs but using the new Aptina sensor technology-of course making it APS-C size-it will make the A77 look like a flash in the pan (or like Sony didn't learn their lesson from Betamax).

The E5, like other Olympus cameras, isn't intended for those fixated on pixel peeped IQ. I don't think Olympus has ever had that in mind with their E series. IMO they have concentrated on the user experience through features such as the most effective dust reduction technology, IBIS, articulating LCD, LV that doesn't make you scream, and lenses that tend to offer a better price/performance point than most offerings from other brands.

Some people may be inclined to force themselves to use a camera that doesn't quite feel right to them because of excellent IQ (as Kirk Tuck said a while back, his Nikons were superb cameras, but they lacked "soul" when it came to handling) I'm not one of them. When I bought my first DSLR, I passed on both Canon 450D and the Sony offerings at the time because the E520 felt better in my hands and offered a "purer" photographic experience for me. Others feel differently and that's fine for them.
--

Some people operate cameras. Others use them to create images. There is a difference.

http://ikkens.zenfolio.com/

http://sarob-w.deviantart.com/
 
BubbaE1 said:
Is anybody else surprised how much positive attention the A77 is getting? Indeed, it seems to have the functionality of a superbly designed and engineered camera, but isn't IQ the ultimate goal? From the comparisons I've done, the A77, in terms of IQ, has nothing on the E-5. In fact, the E-5 seems better in some instances.

Is it just the novelty of it that is attracting so much attention? Just curious what you guys think.
Click to expand...
What is wrong with the IQ of A77?
 
I think this ,,IQ is the ultimate goal,, thing is very wrong. For people who don't realize that I feel sorry and it's not worth elaborating. And even IQ was the ultimate goal, what is IQ anyway ? Does great bokeh gets included in this for example ? And there are many characteristics of lenses and sensors that contribute ti IQ and cannot be measured in any way in the lab, there are things that can only be seen by your eyes, and not many of us realize this.

Getting back to the A77, it has a very good sensor and ca produce excellent photos, but I think the SLT system still has a looooong way to go to replace proffesional DSLR. If I have to carry such a big camera, I see no reason to get the A77. Why not carry a real DSLR ? Now the NEX-7 is another story. Great image quality, good ergonomics and features, small size and weight.

The E-5 still have some advantages compared to A77, my feeling is we are comparing a real camera with a gadget that acts as a camera. Let's not forget Zuiko lenses.
 
Okreb said:
Popular Photography in their November 2011 issue claims that the A77 is the best APS-C camera they have ever tested.
Click to expand...
OK, so maybe that's why they get the attention...
 
d3xmeister said:
I think this ,,IQ is the ultimate goal,, thing is very wrong. For people who don't realize that I feel sorry and it's not worth elaborating. And even IQ was the ultimate goal, what is IQ anyway ? Does great bokeh gets included in this for example ? And there are many characteristics of lenses and sensors that contribute ti IQ and cannot be measured in any way in the lab, there are things that can only be seen by your eyes, and not many of us realize this.

Getting back to the A77, it has a very good sensor and ca produce excellent photos, but I think the SLT system still has a looooong way to go to replace proffesional DSLR. If I have to carry such a big camera, I see no reason to get the A77. Why not carry a real DSLR ? Now the NEX-7 is another story. Great image quality, good ergonomics and features, small size and weight.

The E-5 still have some advantages compared to A77, my feeling is we are comparing a real camera with a gadget that acts as a camera. Let's not forget Zuiko lenses.
Click to expand...
I think your intention was to reply the OP, not me.
 
The best in what way? Lots of tricks up its sleeve for sure. LOADS of megapixels - yes, that ticks boxes doesn't it? It is certainly very advanced, as you would expect from Sony. But really not something that I would be interested in. Now the NEX-7 is a different story and I find that fascinating. It looks like something I would like to own, unlike the A77. If I were to change system, then lets have a real change - and have something smaller and smarter, and altogether different. There are not enough fast E Mount lenses yet for my liking, and I have not as yet peered through the EVF of one of them - and I am very sceptical of the concept - but admit that its coming, like it or not - but that camera could woo me I think.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdloudon/
 
The Olympus E5 is an outstanding camera. And so is the Sony A77.

For any Olympus user, who is heavily invested in that wonderful Zuiko glass, then it is a no brainer.
The E5 is the obvious choice.

But for anyone who isn't in that category, and is trying to decide on which format to select for the long term, then they must consider the following.
  • The A77 costs less than the E5
  • The A77 can do more than the E5
  • The A77 can shoot in less light, and has greater DR
  • The A77 has a cutting edge sensor, the E5 is using a tweaked 3 year old one
  • The A77 can do 12 fps, vs 5 fps for the E5
Someone said above... "let's not forget that wonderful Zuiko glass."

I couldn't agree more.

I love my Zuiko lenses. But it seems Olympus has forgotten them completely, since they haven't released a new 4/3 lens since 2008. And Sigma has discontinued 10 of the 14 4/3 lenses from their catalog.
  • The A77 can use over 90 Minolta/Alpha mount AF lenses. The E5 has around 35 lenses.
But here is the biggest reason you cannot dismiss the A77....
  • The A77 is part of an ongoing product line. The E5 is a dead end.
None of what I said above should be construed as knocking the E5. It really is an outstanding camera. But being totally objective about it, it is hard to deny that the A77 does more, costs less, and is part of ongoing product line.

No one using an E3 and HG or SHG lenses will dump their gear to buy an A77. That just wouldn't make practical sense. But anyone who owns just an E520 and kit lenses who wants to move up would have to think hard before spending a lot of money on an E5 plus 12-60mm lens.
--
Marty
http://www.fluidr.com/photos/marty4650/sets/72157606210120132
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marty4650/sets/72157606210120132/show/
my blog: http://marty4650.blogspot.com/
Olympus E-30
Olympus E-P1
Sony SLT-A55

 
Popular Photography may not be that far off in their assesment. The A77 is a joy to use and exhibits more 'character' than I am used to in Sony products.

Super quiet shutter ... fast and accurate focus ... nice clour rendition ... robust, solid body ... the ability to review exposures right in the viewfinder on a DSLR ... good, accurate flash exposure ... and that Carl Zeiss 24-70mm 2.8 made everyone who tried it just melt.

At TIFF I handed it around to a dozen or so professionals (with three hours to kill before each red carpet everyone got a good look at it) Near unaminous praise except for a couple who still didn't like the EVF concept. In fact, shooting Hedley in concert yesterday I ran into a some of the guys from TIFF and they wanted to try it out again.

High ISO is not a strength of the A77 however. It is really very average at 3200 ISO, and not much better than the E5 when properly set up.

The E5 is the best DSLR Olympus has ever produced, and mated to SHG or HG glass it routinely produces superb results.

Both are great cameras, you can't go wrong with either. A slight boost in contrast and saturation brings the Sony JPEG's close to the Olympus look.

Douglas Brown
 
BubbaE1 said:
Is it just the novelty of it that is attracting so much attention? Just curious what you guys think.
Click to expand...
I'll quote myself from an earlier thread that wasn't specific to the A77.

The fact is that the positive aspects of the A77 design outweigh the negative aspects. Olympus innovations are not significant enough as a whole to shift reviewer perspective such that they evaluate the camera from a "fresh slate" point of view. The Sony A77, however, has so many new and different aspects thrown in that reviewers have been forced to mentally "disconnect" it from APS-C DSLRs. (Good job on Sony's part -- none of this "feature crippling" nonsense in the A77.)

Of the problems that exist with the reborn pellicle system some are not resolvable (you will always lose some light) while some will improve in step with Moore's law (the EVF performance will improve over time).

So Sony have done a good job of positioning the pellicle system as a new and different system, and reviewers are less inclined to compare it with DSLRs (or the "mirrorless" systems, for that matter). This means that the positives are allowed to stand out while the negatives don't really get over-egged as they would do if this were "just another DSLR".

Nikon are trying to achieve a similar marketing pitch with their "1" system -- it's mirrorless, but a "more sensible mirrorless".

(IMO Nikon should have put a 1:1 sensor in the system and offered proper multi aspect ratio capability. I guess I'll wait and see what Canon and Pentax produce.)
 
The negative comment that I heard was it was too many megapixels.
50MB RAW pictures!!!
 
I'm looking at the A77 & 70-400G as a special use system - aviation and motorsports photography. 24mp leaves lots of room for cropping, and still maintains good IQ. 400mm on the A77's 1.5 crop factor produces a FF equivalent of 600mm, even more reach than my 5-200 & 1.4x can provide.

The only thing I'm not sure of is the A77s tracking ability with fast moving subjects. The reviews I've read so far are mixed.

The E-5 along with my 12-60 and 50-200swd would make a great all around system, and provide excellent jpeg images (for times when I don't want to work in raw). Small and light weight, to boot. A dandy Oly system, I believe.

Eventually, I'd like to have both cameras. I just hope my 7D doesn't get jealous :)
 
Oliver85 said:
The negative comment that I heard was it was too many megapixels.
50MB RAW pictures!!!
Click to expand...
Sorry, my bad... that 50MB RAW is for the NX200 not for the A77.
sorry :(
 
For me... It doesn't matter How good the camera system build, but that system no more production again.... It's useless to keep that camera.......
 
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