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WhyNot

WhyNot

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After reading a few reviews this is the first camera I've considered pre-ordering, as I normally prefer for the members of this forum to provide some live experiences with the camera first ... However there are a few things that have made me hesitate and maybe change my mind .. This would be a walk about camera and I really prefer a tilting LCD to at articulated one when I'm doing normal walk about photography. Second, like the M1.3 that I passed on because they didn't upgrade the view finder, this one still has that 2.36M one rather than upgrading to the 3.76M that most cameras at this level (Fuji ... ) have included. Then there are all those color and computational options that I would rather have while post processing rather than on the camera (not sure of the advantage here as I generally am a reactive rather than a contemplative photographer, particularly if I am on the street.) Generally the same reasons I passed on the Pen! .... (also I note that a pre-order offer of $200 off on a package including one of the new water resistant lenses indicated on one of the rumor sites isn't shown on the B&H page!)

I am interested in your take on this new and beautiful camera ....

WhyNot
 
Thought about the OM3 for a bit if it might replace my M5.3 down the road at some point. Made a list of my pros and cons:

Pro:

  • USB-C charging
  • looks nice and seems to have nice tactile wheels according to some reviewers
  • better AF and subject tracking
  • better menus
  • better battery life
  • custom modes on PASM dial
Don't care about:
  • computational features and the special button (if it is reprogrammable, just don't label it)
  • high fps speed
  • color wheel and front dial for color modes (I wish they would work with Adobe to bring their JPEG profiles to Lightroom, the ones in LRC are horrible, reddish, and too saturated, especially "muted" which I like a lot)
Con:
  • a bit too wide
  • low res viewfinder for 2025
  • no grip at all (I like to carry my camera in my hand and just a small grip helps greatly to secure a good grip)
  • price
  • it is a small thing but I hate those strap triangles and prefer to put my strap directly on the camera (like many Nikons do)
  • the weird left dial for stills, video, and some other weird mode. Why not reduce the custom modes on the PASM dial to three and add video there. The left dial could be another control dial or a marked ISO dial
  • I am ok with a swivel out display, but a swivel and tilt display would have been nice
So…as much as I was intrigued by the OM3. I hope they might release an OM5.2 at some point. This for me is not an interesting replacement.
 
Mostly agree ..... also elsewhere I commented that I thought this camera was what I would have expected for an OM5.2

WhyNot
 
Anyone know how long it takes Amazon USA to get a shipment of new camera bodies and lenses? I prefer to buy locally but it's 120 miles to my nearest dealer.
 
It's nice. Good build and layout, familiar menu and features for OM-1 shooters, essentially what a Pen F descendant would have been but no smooth top deck, plus the EVF back in the center. Felt good with every lens I tried on it.

Just like an E-M1 series finder, except the X that has higher magnification. Not the OM-1 finder and much more compact. That would be huge on this body.

Maybe my future small travel camera.

Cheers,

Rick
 
I'm also more interested in an OM-5.2. I like the size/shape better, just want the new menus, the GD filter and HHHR. The OM-1 in the body would do it for me. Now that the parts have aged a bit and some of the R&D cost is repaid I would hope that that price can be closer to $1,200 than $2,400. Maybe at some point between them I would feel like its time to replace the EM5.3. Don't expect to need it much before summer but don't expect it this year.
 
EZGritz said:
I'm also more interested in an OM-5.2. I like the size/shape better, just want the new menus, the GD filter and HHHR. The OM-1 in the body would do it for me. Now that the parts have aged a bit and some of the R&D cost is repaid I would hope that that price can be closer to $1,200 than $2,400. Maybe at some point between them I would feel like its time to replace the EM5.3. Don't expect to need it much before summer but don't expect it this year.
Click to expand...
I agree, Harvey .. I too would prefer a slightly smaller body .. and with time and reading more reviews I've become luke warm and will probably look again if Peta Pixel is right and the price drops $400 in 6 months... It is a bit larger than I would have expected even with the metal body .. and I'm really waiting for that next compact or M5.? that has a tilting LCD as I shoot about 67% of my walk about pictures framing with the LCD at hip level like my old Bronica ... OTH I've reached an age where waiting is not necessarily a good idea as aging continues to limit what I can do with a camera ...

WhyNot
 
WhyNot said:
I agree, Harvey .. I too would prefer a slightly smaller body .. and with time and reading more reviews I've become luke warm and will probably look again if Peta Pixel is right and the price drops $400 in 6 months... It is a bit larger than I would have expected even with the metal body .. and I'm really waiting for that next compact or M5.? that has a tilting LCD as I shoot about 67% of my walk about pictures framing with the LCD at hip level like my old Bronica ... OTH I've reached an age where waiting is not necessarily a good idea as aging continues to limit what I can do with a camera ...

WhyNot
Click to expand...
Have queued up two times for a new model—E-M5 and O-M1, each was a pretty good wait, too. Both had preorder spiffs as incentive. Guessing OM-3 supply will be adequate but no way to know ahead of time.

Suppose my point is I was happy to have the camera in my hands and making pictures and not waiting N months for "the right deal" to come down the pipeline, a tack I normally take.

If it would fill a big hole in your kit, or if you're simply itching for something really different and new, don't wait. (The States get an incentive for a discounted 17 of 25 if bundled with.) If an incremental nice-to-have addition to a robust kit, then perhaps wait.

No wrong answer!

Rick
 
Skeeterbytes said:
WhyNot said:
I agree, Harvey .. I too would prefer a slightly smaller body .. and with time and reading more reviews I've become luke warm and will probably look again if Peta Pixel is right and the price drops $400 in 6 months... It is a bit larger than I would have expected even with the metal body .. and I'm really waiting for that next compact or M5.? that has a tilting LCD as I shoot about 67% of my walk about pictures framing with the LCD at hip level like my old Bronica ... OTH I've reached an age where waiting is not necessarily a good idea as aging continues to limit what I can do with a camera ...

WhyNot
Click to expand...
Have queued up two times for a new model—E-M5 and O-M1, each was a pretty good wait, too. Both had preorder spiffs as incentive. Guessing OM-3 supply will be adequate but no way to know ahead of time.

Suppose my point is I was happy to have the camera in my hands and making pictures and not waiting N months for "the right deal" to come down the pipeline, a tack I normally take.

If it would fill a big hole in your kit, or if you're simply itching for something really different and new, don't wait. (The States get an incentive for a discounted 17 of 25 if bundled with.) If an incremental nice-to-have addition to a robust kit, then perhaps wait.

No wrong answer!

Rick
Click to expand...
Good thoughts! No I have the M10.2 and M1.1 and a Stylus that are great for a walk about..I also have the M5.3. which is not quite as comfortable but usable. ... I would have had the OM1 if I could still have long sessions with the birds but some hand problems now prevent that ... Some of the newer features and that stacked sensor tempt me to increase my camera collection ..

WhyNot
 
I usually let events drive my camera gear purchases. If I know I'm doing something in August that can benefit from new gear, I'll look for a time/way to save a little money on the purchase. I have a new gig that could benefit from some of the things in this body that I don't have in my OM-1 but it can wait. The EM5.3 still serves me well and I have the OM1 when I need it for something the EM5.3 does not have.
 
The leather half case on my EM5.3 makes it a lot more comfortable with any lens size and it protects the silver paint. I have the OLY grip for it too but never use it since I have the OM1. I'd like the HHHR, GN filters of the OM5 / OM3, and I won't buy an OMS body with the old menus. I like the way they improved the tracking and subject detection functionality of the OM1.2. The CP button looks appealing. I thought I'd use the joystick but I rarely do. I won't miss it. For the lighting I shoot in the stacked sensor in the OM1 doesn't make much of a difference. I'd like some of the features in plastic and the OM5 body size for a little less weight and a little less money. Plastic has never been a problem for me.
 
EZGritz said:
The leather half case on my EM5.3 makes it a lot more comfortable with any lens size and it protects the silver paint. I have the OLY grip for it too but never use it since I have the OM1. I'd like the HHHR, GN filters of the OM5 / OM3, and I won't buy an OMS body with the old menus. I like the way they improved the tracking and subject detection functionality of the OM1.2. The CP button looks appealing. I thought I'd use the joystick but I rarely do. I won't miss it. For the lighting I shoot in the stacked sensor in the OM1 doesn't make much of a difference. I'd like some of the features in plastic and the OM5 body size for a little less weight and a little less money. Plastic has never been a problem for me.
Click to expand...
My discomfort comes from that LCD propped out to the left ... But I too would like to try out some of those features to see if they add anything to what i do now.. I have to confess that I rarely use features that would not be found on my old film versions of these cameras. But I do like post processing on a computer to spending time in a dark room ...

WhyNot
 
I prefer the other way to articulate the LCD but sometimes full articulation is essential. I'd like to be able to quickly get into computational modes to choose from. I'd use it more. GN filters are highly valuable when you need them. I used to carry a set of them and will greatly appreciate having them in software instead to darken a bright sky without darkening the rest of an image. Think about a scene on a walk where you have shadows in the lower part of an image and a bright sky that is light blue in your eyes but blown out in the image because its way out of the DR of the camera. GN filtering is the best way to deal with this. HDR can work but introduces other issues because it's a multi-shot image capture. GN is a single shot.

I can see how some of the features and functions are not appealing to you because you have bodies that don't have them. Most of the time I don't need them. Thats why I hung on to ethe EM5.3 so long. It's an EM1.2 inside and it still works for me most of the time. There are time though, that I wish it had HHHR and subject detect AI+ tracking. and that would have enabled me to make better photos. I so want to be rid of the old menus and that, plus the CP button are brilliant.

It's one of those cases where you don't know you need it until you try it. Then you don't want to go back and you can't believe you lived so long without it. I remember you posted how great the EM1.2 was when you bought a used one ~ 6 years after it was a new camera. It would be like that.
 
WhyNot said:
After reading a few reviews this is the first camera I've considered pre-ordering, as I normally prefer for the members of this forum to provide some live experiences with the camera first ... However there are a few things that have made me hesitate and maybe change my mind .. This would be a walk about camera and I really prefer a tilting LCD to at articulated one when I'm doing normal walk about photography. Second, like the M1.3 that I passed on because they didn't upgrade the view finder, this one still has that 2.36M one rather than upgrading to the 3.76M that most cameras at this level (Fuji ... ) have included. Then there are all those color and computational options that I would rather have while post processing rather than on the camera (not sure of the advantage here as I generally am a reactive rather than a contemplative photographer, particularly if I am on the street.) Generally the same reasons I passed on the Pen! .... (also I note that a pre-order offer of $200 off on a package including one of the new water resistant lenses indicated on one of the rumor sites isn't shown on the B&H page!)

I am interested in your take on this new and beautiful camera ....

WhyNot
Click to expand...
Starting from the bottom I'll mention that B&H does have the $200 off offer. You can find it under the "build bundle" option. (Notable that the new lenses actually come with lens hoods standard!) Interestingly, B&H is also offering the 12-45 option for an additional $300. I thought that was a EU only offering and not one for the US.

I had pretty much decided not to get anything new from OM as it's looking like there is very little new coming, but this camera has intrigued me to the point of considering getting it new, maybe even pre-order. (The only time I ever bought a new Olympus model was the 100th anniversary edition of the E-M1.2.)

Like you I was disappointed by the lack of an upgrade to the EVF, but looking at the specs for it I noticed that the eyepoint is 27mm, much longer than the 19.2 of the E-M1.2. The glasses I currently wear stand out from my face, so to see the full viewfinder I have to take them off or use an old pair that sits closer. I think the 27mm eyepoint could solve that. I wish I could have attended the camera introduction that occurred in my area this past week so I could test this, but I didn't learn about it until the night before and I already had another commitment.

I've been shooting a lot at night lately and like you wish that the rear screen had a tilt option to it which is more discrete. I'm learning to live with it though. People don't seem to notice the screen hanging off to the side that I am tapping. But along with shooting at night, I've been shooting a fair amount of B&W film (Tri-X) in Pentax and Canon cameras.

That leads me to the thing that really has my attention with the OM-3, the mode dial. I've played with the Art filters before but the B&W is just one setting of many. On the OM-3 there are multiple mono modes and they can be customized. For a while now I've been thinking of renting a Pentax K-III monochrome. There of course you get raw files in B&W and not just jpegs. But that camera is expensive, and while I could mount my old M42 Pentax lenses on it with the adapter, I'd need to at least get the 11-18 2.8 for it to have a true wide angle. I've also been shooting a lot in the rain with Olympus, when the old film cameras have to stay home, so I know I can trust the weather sealing on it. I'm not so sure about Pentax. Thus, even though the price is high, for me at least, the OM-3 might be a better option. It even has the same grip as my Pentax H3 (i.e. none at all!)
 
rodriguezPhoto said:
WhyNot said:
After reading a few reviews this is the first camera I've considered pre-ordering, as I normally prefer for the members of this forum to provide some live experiences with the camera first ... However there are a few things that have made me hesitate and maybe change my mind .. This would be a walk about camera and I really prefer a tilting LCD to at articulated one when I'm doing normal walk about photography. Second, like the M1.3 that I passed on because they didn't upgrade the view finder, this one still has that 2.36M one rather than upgrading to the 3.76M that most cameras at this level (Fuji ... ) have included. Then there are all those color and computational options that I would rather have while post processing rather than on the camera (not sure of the advantage here as I generally am a reactive rather than a contemplative photographer, particularly if I am on the street.) Generally the same reasons I passed on the Pen! .... (also I note that a pre-order offer of $200 off on a package including one of the new water resistant lenses indicated on one of the rumor sites isn't shown on the B&H page!)

I am interested in your take on this new and beautiful camera ....

WhyNot
Click to expand...
Starting from the bottom I'll mention that B&H does have the $200 off offer. You can find it under the "build bundle" option. (Notable that the new lenses actually come with lens hoods standard!) Interestingly, B&H is also offering the 12-45 option for an additional $300. I thought that was a EU only offering and not one for the US.
Click to expand...
I found that offer a couple days later when my immediate attraction to the camera had lessened and I didn't pre-order! (I might have had I seen it that first day) Rationalization had kicked in ...
rodriguezPhoto said:
I had pretty much decided not to get anything new from OM as it's looking like there is very little new coming, but this camera has intrigued me to the point of considering getting it new, maybe even pre-order. (The only time I ever bought a new Olympus model was the 100th anniversary edition of the E-M1.2.)
Click to expand...
I bought the M1.2 on sale after the M1.3 was introduced and they were clearing inventory ... I was going to skip that model but the M1.3 disappointed me by not upgrading the VF as Panasonic had done to their later models ...
rodriguezPhoto said:
Like you I was disappointed by the lack of an upgrade to the EVF, but looking at the specs for it I noticed that the eyepoint is 27mm, much longer than the 19.2 of the E-M1.2. The glasses I currently wear stand out from my face, so to see the full viewfinder I have to take them off or use an old pair that sits closer. I think the 27mm eyepoint could solve that. I wish I could have attended the camera introduction that occurred in my area this past week so I could test this, but I didn't learn about it until the night before and I already had another commitment.

I've been shooting a lot at night lately and like you wish that the rear screen had a tilt option to it which is more discrete. I'm learning to live with it though. People don't seem to notice the screen hanging off to the side that I am tapping. But along with shooting at night, I've been shooting a fair amount of B&W film (Tri-X) in Pentax and Canon cameras.

That leads me to the thing that really has my attention with the OM-3, the mode dial. I've played with the Art filters before but the B&W is just one setting of many. On the OM-3 there are multiple mono modes and they can be customized. For a while now I've been thinking of renting a Pentax K-III monochrome. There of course you get raw files in B&W and not just jpegs. But that camera is expensive, and while I could mount my old M42 Pentax lenses on it with the adapter, I'd need to at least get the 11-18 2.8 for it to have a true wide angle. I've also been shooting a lot in the rain with Olympus, when the old film cameras have to stay home, so I know I can trust the weather sealing on it. I'm not so sure about Pentax. Thus, even though the price is high, for me at least, the OM-3 might be a better option. It even has the same grip as my Pentax H3 (i.e. none at all!)
Click to expand...
I was intrigued by an article that talked about the OM3"preset MF" that supposedly improves zone focusing that I do often while walking about town ... Not sure what it is even from their discussion or how it is better than just setting MF and the lens to the distance I want to start with for DOF .. BTW for the M1.2 mono can be customized a bit in post as OV3, and I assume WS, allows me to rethink the picture by adding a filter or adjusting tonality in the Raw development ...

I'm going to read more reviews and think about this for a while and may still order one I just won't hurry ... As to that LCD I've often looked at Fuji but then continue to back off on that too as I think about opening that Pandora's box of collecting more lenses ...

The machinations on the introduction of a new camera ....

WhyNot
 
Last edited:
Paul Hoppe said:
  • the weird left dial for stills, video, and some other weird mode. Why not reduce the custom modes on the PASM dial to three and add video there. The left dial could be another control dial or a marked ISO dial
Click to expand...
 
v07a said:
Paul Hoppe said:
  • the weird left dial for stills, video, and some other weird mode. Why not reduce the custom modes on the PASM dial to three and add video there. The left dial could be another control dial or a marked ISO dial
Click to expand...
The left side in general are designed like in AI. Without any thoughts. Its as good as empty. If there is only 3 option chose why make full size dial? Put some roller type like on MJu-Mini and call it a day. Why not put some buttons in same place like menu and LV where they are on OM-1. Could put other buttons of course.

Also the on/off switch looks kinda a small.

Could any other dial... Something merged with CP mode or something... Even joystic would be like lot better.

Any one who holded OM-5 and/or OM-1 for one month could design left side better. Most probably when OM-3 Mk2 will came out everyone will be WOW its lot better controls. Same BS as everytime that manufacturers make cameras half ready.
Click to expand...
Rep told me the interest is for more, rather than fewer C modes which was enabled by the second mode dial.

Suppose it could be at the cost of losing the Pen F ISO dial, given there's only so much real estate to divvy up.

Lacking the complexity and clutter of cutting edge cameras like the OM-1 with its copious buttons, I felt as though it will be a fast camera to learn all the controls by touch. And for folks who like the main dials on top rather than tucked into the shell, it has that, too.

Rick
 
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