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Thinking of getting an Oly, but how often does your gear break?...

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GearHead88

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Hello All,

I've been debating between getting a Fuji or an Olympus for quite some time. I had thought I had decided to go with a Fuji X-T10 but some things came up and I never got around to buying it. Now that I'm at a point where I am ready to buy again, I am once again undecided.

My Local Best Buy has both the X-T10 and EM5-II that i can sort of toy around with. However, if I did buy an Olympus right now, it would either be the Pen-F or wait until EM1-II gets released.

But I have two main questions:

1) I see quite a bit on the M43 forum here about a lot of people having issues with their Olympus gear breaking through various reasons. How often does that happen? And is it something to be concerned about when buying into Olympus? Perhaps extra warranties should be bought too? I just dislike the idea of buying into a company who's products are known to break down every so often. I'd like to make sure that's not an issue. And while I'm aware that could happen with any camera I buy, there's a difference between what could happen and what often happens or is known to happen.

2) Price. I know you get what you pay for but it seems that a lot coming out of Olympus these days are getting pricier...the EM1-II ans the new 25mm Pro lens in particular. I know they are well made but for those prices it seems I could go with A Sony A7II and pay the same prices for their lenses. I wouldn't because I don't like Sony's color rendition nearly as much as Olympus's, but it's just a point that I have to consider. Is it likely prices will come down in time or that Olympus will continue to make great quality lenses for a reasonable price down the road?

As always, I'd like to thank anyone who contributes to helping and answer my questions. Have a great day!
 
My EM-5 has some trouble with the PASM wheel, sometimes it changes mode when only touching the wheel, not turning. And the rubber viewfinder cup fell off many times, till I glued it on. And another wheel fell off too, glued it back on.

These are very annoying design faults of version one, version two I don't know anything about. But I really like the camera, the IS is wonderfull and picture quality is very good.

Jozef.
 
I don't think oly products break very often. It is commonly posted here as people are looking for fixes or places to complain.

As for price, demand has dropped, so prices need to be higher to recoup the costs, inflation happens, and the recent prices are top of the line gear. Plus exchange rates also fluctuate.

I would be the Sony if I were you, your megapixel per dollars ratio will provide a better photographic experience for sure.
 
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I had an issue with my EPM1 and had to send it in for repair. My EPL5 has the flaky rear dial syndrome and I have fixed it to some degree with Deoxit.

My EP5 was a refurbished camera and, so far, it is OK.

Meanwhile, no issues with any of my Panasonic cameras.

There are several reports on this forum of the EM5 II's screen failing and dial and strap lug failures on various bodies.

Allan
 
3 years with a factory refurbished EM1. No issues. I use a sling strap.
 
I have an E-M5 over four years old and and E-M1 over two years old. Both have had zero problems. They would both pass for brand new right now because I take very good care of my equipment. Having said that, I probably have put less than 10,000 exposures on each of them. If you are a very heavy user or careless with your equipment, you might have some problems.
 
GearHead88 said:
Hello All,

I've been debating between getting a Fuji or an Olympus for quite some time. I had thought I had decided to go with a Fuji X-T10 but some things came up and I never got around to buying it. Now that I'm at a point where I am ready to buy again, I am once again undecided.

My Local Best Buy has both the X-T10 and EM5-II that i can sort of toy around with. However, if I did buy an Olympus right now, it would either be the Pen-F or wait until EM1-II gets released.

But I have two main questions:

1) I see quite a bit on the M43 forum here about a lot of people having issues with their Olympus gear breaking through various reasons. How often does that happen? And is it something to be concerned about when buying into Olympus? Perhaps extra warranties should be bought too? I just dislike the idea of buying into a company who's products are known to break down every so often. I'd like to make sure that's not an issue. And while I'm aware that could happen with any camera I buy, there's a difference between what could happen and what often happens or is known to happen.

2) Price. I know you get what you pay for but it seems that a lot coming out of Olympus these days are getting pricier...the EM1-II ans the new 25mm Pro lens in particular. I know they are well made but for those prices it seems I could go with A Sony A7II and pay the same prices for their lenses. I wouldn't because I don't like Sony's color rendition nearly as much as Olympus's, but it's just a point that I have to consider. Is it likely prices will come down in time or that Olympus will continue to make great quality lenses for a reasonable price down the road?

As always, I'd like to thank anyone who contributes to helping and answer my questions. Have a great day!
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I'm debating the same as you. But....I would never discard Olympus because of gear breaking more often than on any other brand. I've used E3 / E5 and EM5 (last one for four years now), and I ' ve never experienced any issue with any of these cameras. On the contrary, my EM5 still works as smooth as the first day I bought it and I might buy the new EM1 Mark 2.
 
GearHead88 said:
1) I see quite a bit on the M43 forum here about a lot of people having issues with their Olympus gear breaking through various reasons. How often does that happen? And is it something to be concerned about when buying into Olympus? Perhaps extra warranties should be bought too? I just dislike the idea of buying into a company who's products are known to break down every so often. I'd like to make sure that's not an issue. And while I'm aware that could happen with any camera I buy, there's a difference between what could happen and what often happens or is known to happen.
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My own unscientific opinion based on the things I've read in this forum is that Olympus cameras does have some notable QA issues with its cameras, more so than Panasonic. Three that come to mind are: EM1 strap lugs with loose nuts; EM5 II rear screens that suffer from loose screws and screen failures; and EM1 control dials that don't reliably read user input. I ended up buying an EM5 II anyway, and I immediately put tape over the rear screen's screws and used double-sided tape to hold the eye cup in place.
GearHead88 said:
2) Price. I know you get what you pay for but it seems that a lot coming out of Olympus these days are getting pricier...the EM1-II ans the new 25mm Pro lens in particular. I know they are well made but for those prices it seems I could go with A Sony A7II and pay the same prices for their lenses. I wouldn't because I don't like Sony's color rendition nearly as much as Olympus's, but it's just a point that I have to consider. Is it likely prices will come down in time or that Olympus will continue to make great quality lenses for a reasonable price down the road?
Click to expand...
Prices always come down from their initial, introductory pricing. That's a fact. And of course the 25/1.2 is going to be expensive. It has a very narrow market and will be price accordingly.
 
GearHead88 said:
Hello All,

I've been debating between getting a Fuji or an Olympus for quite some time. I had thought I had decided to go with a Fuji X-T10 but some things came up and I never got around to buying it. Now that I'm at a point where I am ready to buy again, I am once again undecided.

My Local Best Buy has both the X-T10 and EM5-II that i can sort of toy around with. However, if I did buy an Olympus right now, it would either be the Pen-F or wait until EM1-II gets released.

But I have two main questions:

1) I see quite a bit on the M43 forum here about a lot of people having issues with their Olympus gear breaking through various reasons. How often does that happen? And is it something to be concerned about when buying into Olympus? Perhaps extra warranties should be bought too? I just dislike the idea of buying into a company who's products are known to break down every so often. I'd like to make sure that's not an issue. And while I'm aware that could happen with any camera I buy, there's a difference between what could happen and what often happens or is known to happen.

2) Price. I know you get what you pay for but it seems that a lot coming out of Olympus these days are getting pricier...the EM1-II ans the new 25mm Pro lens in particular. I know they are well made but for those prices it seems I could go with A Sony A7II and pay the same prices for their lenses. I wouldn't because I don't like Sony's color rendition nearly as much as Olympus's, but it's just a point that I have to consider. Is it likely prices will come down in time or that Olympus will continue to make great quality lenses for a reasonable price down the road?

As always, I'd like to thank anyone who contributes to helping and answer my questions. Have a great day!
Click to expand...
I sold both my E-M5 and E-M1 with relevant gear because of recurring failures and poor QC. Waiting now for the E-M1 MkII hoping in better build quality and reliability.

On the contrary, I had no issue whatsoever with my E-1 & E-3, which I'm still using.

Hope this helps.
 
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[No message]
 
Over 7 years the following of my Oly gear has broken:

- 1x aperture mechanism in 12-60 2.8-4

- 2x mode and on-off switch dial on E-620

- 1x FL-36

No idea how this compares to equipment from other manufacturers of digital cameras. It however compares unfavorably in comparison to 35 mm film cameras and lenses, but given the added complexity of digital cameras, this does not come as a surprise.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photography-by-thomas/sets/
 
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The E-M1 had many reported issues with the lugs and the dials. For the most part they didn't reoccur after being sent for repair. The E-M5 Mll did have a few reports with the LCD screen going black but I do not think that was as wide spread as the issues on the E-M1. I haven't seen any real issues with the Pen-F being reported in this forum yet.

The eyecup falling off has happened on many other brands in the past. Some people (including me) have reported it happening on the Olympus OM-D bodies and the simple fix for that is using gaffer tape to secure it to the body.
 
1. I've been using Olympus gear for about six years now. Two bodies and an assortment of lenses. Only my flash is broken. It still works but the head doesn't rotate anymore. I don't think Olympus is exceptionally good or bad when it comes to gear reliability. Theyre overall good, but so are other manufacturers.

2. The prices on consumer grade stuff does come down. Prices on premium equipment won't come down until there's a replacement.
 
It should also be mentioned that I have read good reports on the quality of the work done by the Olympus repair centers in the US and Canada as opposed to what I have seen reported for Panasonic.
 
GearHead88 said:
1) I see quite a bit on the M43 forum here about a lot of people having issues with their Olympus gear breaking through various reasons. How often does that happen?
Click to expand...
You're witnessing statistics at play. MFT forum here is one of the most active on DPR, so by sheer number, you will have a higher chance of seeing user complaints. Also, you will see more complaints about those cameras that are popular in the crowd here.
GearHead88 said:
And is it something to be concerned about when buying into Olympus? Perhaps extra warranties should be bought too? I just dislike the idea of buying into a company who's products are known to break down every so often.
Click to expand...
Products of ANY company break down. If you are so worried about this, the thing you should be looking at is the quality of customer service and warranty conditions.
GearHead88 said:
I'd like to make sure that's not an issue. And while I'm aware that could happen with any camera I buy, there's a difference between what could happen and what often happens or is known to happen.
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Well, if you know what to pay attention to, you are more likely to notice early symptoms and act accordingly. Or in some cases, prevent it from happening at all (EVF burn-in for example). It's probably better to know of potential common problems going in, I think.
GearHead88 said:
2) Price. I know you get what you pay for but it seems that a lot coming out of Olympus these days are getting pricier...
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Look around. Most higher quality stuff that's been released in recent times has been rather expensive. It's a general trend, not limited to Olympus or Micro 4/3.
GearHead88 said:
it seems I could go with A Sony A7II and pay the same prices for their lenses.
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Well, if you could, what's stopping you? Same price, FF sensor. Win-Win.
GearHead88 said:
I wouldn't because I don't like Sony's color rendition nearly as much as Olympus's, but it's just a point that I have to consider.
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Isn't color rendition something that's easily adjustable by developing your own RAW files? I dislike colors from Olympus, so I make sure I get the colors I like when developing RAW files. I could probably get similar results for OOC JPEGs by changing in-camera settings, but in general, I hate the JPEG output from MFT cameras. And I'm kinda sure that Sony cameras also have picture settings to tweak things like color. Are you sure this "color rendition" issue is something worth missing out on such a fantastic deal as Sony's Full Frame system?
GearHead88 said:
Is it likely prices will come down in time or that Olympus will continue to make great quality lenses for a reasonable price down the road?
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"Reasonable" is very relative. If you don't feel like current prices are reasonable, I just don't see how that could change for you in the future.
 
Rssrsvp said:
It should also be mentioned that I have read good reports on the quality of the work done by the Olympus repair centers in the US and Canada as opposed to what I have seen reported for Panasonic.
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Practice makes perfect. ;-)

I lost the eye cup on my E-M5. At least it doesn't catch on my bag anymore. I believe this was fixed in later models. My 9-18 just started to freeze when focusing passed the 14mm mark. I'm less zen about this one.
 
Erick L said:
Rssrsvp said:
It should also be mentioned that I have read good reports on the quality of the work done by the Olympus repair centers in the US and Canada as opposed to what I have seen reported for Panasonic.
Click to expand...
Practice makes perfect. ;-)

I lost the eye cup on my E-M5. At least it doesn't catch on my bag anymore. I believe this was fixed in later models. My 9-18 just started to freeze when focusing passed the 14mm mark. I'm less zen about this one.
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Like I mentioned the eyecup issue has happened in other brands also and the simple fix is to use gaffer tape. It works like a charm and doesn't mar the appearance of the camera body.
 
I sold my Panny and switched to an Olympus EM10 about two years ago.

It's been great.

After dealing with Panny repair center in Texas once I don't think I will buy any other Panny products.

Before you buy see if your credit card doubles the manufacturers warranty. That might give you some peace of mind.
 
GBC said:
I don't think oly products break very often. It is commonly posted here as people are looking for fixes or places to complain.

As for price, demand has dropped, so prices need to be higher to recoup the costs, inflation happens, and the recent prices are top of the line gear. Plus exchange rates also fluctuate.

I would be the Sony if I were you, your megapixel per dollars ratio will provide a better photographic experience for sure.
Click to expand...
I've had my E-M1 for three years and have had no issues with it at all. I've gotten totally used to it, and therefore have been, just for fun, researching other systems.

Sony (the system you recommend as definitely providing a more cost effective solution) does not appear to have any lens at all that are comparable to the Oly 12-40 f/2.8. The FE lenses tend to be very expensive, and too long focal-length wise when mounted on an A6xxx body. The native E-mount lenses are outdated and cheap, and their IQ is lackluster (they also don't have the wider f-stop that the Oly 12 - 40 lens does).

I've looked and looked, but can find no lens in the Sony A6xxx collection equivalent to my 12 - 40. I've searched for Sony, Sigma, and Tamron lenses, all with zero success. If you can provide me a link to a quality E-mount autofocus lens with fixed f/2.8 aperture (or heck, even f/2.8 - 4.0 would do), with a FF equivalent focal length of 24 - 80 or thereabouts, I'd really appreciate it.

Please understand that I say this seriously, and not in a mocking or sarcastic manner, by the way. It really frustrates me to think that there is what appears to be a gaping hole for E-mount lenses, because Sony is trying to drive people to their much more expensive FF system.

Thank you


Tom
 
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