Put E-5 kit up for sale, but not one taker ...

Joe Lynch said:

I still have the first OM-1 I bought in 1977. And an OM-4. Haven't used them in years. I carry a Canon S90 all the time, have an E-3 in the truck, another E-3 in the shop, and use an E-5 and E-M1 now most of the time. The shop E-3 still gets used a bunch, at ISO 800 or slower. The E-5 is great at the dog park and race track. The E-M1 is good for everything. I have an E-500 that is in the closet next to the film cameras.

My last Vivitar 283 flash bit the dust a couple of years ago. Bought new manual flashes. Added video lights to the old umbrella and light stand setups. Learned video. Learned to edit video.

But I still shoot the E-M1 in full manual mode some times. Just to remind myself that I haven't forgotten the challenges of shooting and pushing high speed slide film in full manual mode when we didn't have a choice otherwise.

We have choices now that couldn't even be imagined 10 years ago. I love the new stuff, but have fond memories of and respect for the equipment developed along the way. Stagnant is not good. New is good. Old is not necessarily bad, however. People who know that will buy your older model stuff, and, in doing so, support purchase of more new stuff.

Joe

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veroman said:

It wasn't even worth considering as a trade when I contacted my local high-end gear store.

What I'm really posting about is how some of the very best older digital cameras in general fall out of favor so quickly and so decidedly. Even when priced competitively ... or bargain priced as mine is ... the consumer trend is almost always in the direction of the newer, even if isn't as good as the older; and it's often nowhere near as good!

This trend has been going on for quite some time, but it always surprises me when this near-neurotic behavior affects me directly.

Truth be told: the E-5, in the right hands, is one of the all time great digital SLRs. I've often described the files as "jaw dropping," because more often than not that's exactly what they are. The build and handling is superb if not second to none. The resolution of fine detail is really quite surprising for a 12MP camera. I have had no issues whatsoever with capturing those fine details with this camera. And, true to form, the E-5 followed in the Olympus tradition of rendering images in a most non-digital way ... natural, real, full and rich. And let's not forget those amazing Zuiko lenses!

And yet, I can't even give it away.

What a world ...

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

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Member said:

You can send it my way if you want to give it away

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Member said:

I dont understand this. eBay completed listings present a different picture, one of whenever an E-5 body comes up (when they do, it's rare) there are numerous bids, and Buy it Nows are generally gone within a day or two if reasonably priced. Ive been following them for awhile here.

For example, from late Aug to early Oct there were 10+ completed US sales, with prices ranging from $650 to 902 USD. Many were BIN, and bidding ranged from 12 to 26. If anything, prices are coming down big time from earlier this year, where you couldnt get one in mint shape for under 900 USD and have to deal with 40-50+ eBayers in a bidding war...

I have a feeling your local high-end gear store didnt want to get stuck with a 4-year-old 12MP 4/3 camera, given Olympus's corporate rejection of continuing the DSLR line, so you jumped to conclusions that the E-5 is viewed as worthless. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not. I still use mine for events and activities that require a flash system, and for telephoto reach with my 50-200 SWD. It's been through hell and back, takes a licking and keeps on ticking 100,000+ shutter actuations later.

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