Sad Used Prices for EM-1 first edition

Tom Caldwell wrote:

averacpa wrote:

Just out of curiosity, today I checked KEH for selling (to KEH) prices on both my EM1 and GX7 camera bodies both in excellent plus condition. While the EM1 only fetches $95 dollars US, they will give me $129 for the GX7 yet the EM1 is superior in so many ways.

Owning both cameras mentioned I would dispute your assertion that the E-M1 is superior.

The GX7 was and remains a classic - a prefect rendition of the RF-Style body in digital format.

The interface is very intuitive and Panasonic certainly fitted it up with every bit of technology they had when it launched. Unlike my E-M1 my GX7 has been 100% reliable and has had a lot more use. Today I still use it in parallel with a GX85 and GX9 - in no way do I consider the GX7 inferior for practical use.

In terms of percent of value, the $600 GX7 bought new is holding up so much better than the EM1 (also bought new), which in my case was overhauled by Olympus last year for green blobs in the EVF. They replaced the viewfinder and the rear dial and brought the camera back to specs, although the rear dial in my opinion was not needed (already replace once and working perfectly).

My E-M1 had evf “blobs” (developed within months of ownership) which were fixed with the dodgy back wheel (as supplied). The repaired wheel survived but despite careful use the blobs eventually returned. Furthermore the I (personally) think that the GX7 interface is about perfect and intuitive whilst the E-M1 interface has to be learned and assimilated over a much longer period of time. Luckily the Olympus repair centres have a good reputation as they must be needed more often. I would rather own stuff that never fails.

None of my several Panasonic camera bodies have ever developed “blobs” in the evf and I of course use identical dioptre settings and use them in a similar manner.

So the need for your Olympus to be serviced back up to specs has been the answer your own curiosity. You did not mention if the GX7 needed to be repaired.

Anyone buying a second hand E-M1 will no doubt take into account the lottery of their reputation for breakages - and I see that neither of use mentions “strap lugs”.

I am still quite happy with the images they both take and will hold onto them for a while longer. Funny how many of Nikon film cameras are still selling used for more than their original cost (if in good condition).

Try buying a Panasonic GM5 these days.

Bit of an odd comparison, GX7 and E-M1, as they have very different feature sets and audiences. I can't comment on relative reliability since I never owned a GX but the EM-1s served me flawlessly as do the M1iis I use today. I just know I could have never shot sports with the GX7. Or four-thirds lenses, but that's true for most m4/3 cameras and I don't hold that against it.

It's still a pretty, and pretty small camera for somebody who would like one. The E-M1 reains a great entre for performance shooters who don't mind 16MP. I do not hesitate to recommend clean used copies to beginners.

Cheers,

Rick