Olympus e-m10 tough enough for cargo pants pocket?

[CDBayy]

I'm in the market for a fairly light weight, large-sensor carry-everywhere camera to keep in my cargo pants side pocket. It will get jostled around a lot and be subject to lint and dust, so I want a sturdy camera with compact pancake lens options. I'm considering Panny GM1, Fuji x100s, and Oly E-M10 or E-M5ii with pancake zoom and 20mm/1.7. But I'm open to other options.
Will all the buttons and knobs on the E-M10 get hung up, moved around, or jostled in my pocket? Or are they sturdy enough to hold up well?
Cargo pants side pocket can hold some volume, but for easy pocket pull-out and put-in the narrower the better.
I am a casual shooter and mostly just photograph my friends and family and travel. People picture are most important subject to me. I want good skin tones and some bokeh where possible. Im a stickler for sharpness. I only shoot JPEG.
Thoughts?
--
Chris in St. Louis

 

[JohnLock]

Personally, I wouldn't use that method of carry for the EM10 (I have 2 of them). As you noted, they have protruding parts-- dials, knobs, flash etc, and I wouldn't think it would be good for a lens either. I would be uncomfortable jostling around a good camera and lens that way, and think I'd only do that with one of the rugged waterproof P&S cameras.

I'd suggest and small belt pouch if used with a pancake zoom or small prime. I use a quite small shoulder bag w/ either the 12-32 (really tiny) or 14-140. The bag is really needed to accommodate the 14-140. Good Luck.

JL

 

[tgutgu]

I would never ever carry a camera in a cargo pants pocket.

There are better solutions like ThinkTankPhoto Digital Holster 10.

--

Thomas

 

[RaymondR]

love my E-m10 and my E-pl2 before it, and love my Panny 20 but those combos are not for your cargo pants pocket in my view. I used tocarry my old Canon G11 wrapped in an OpTech neoprene wrap in cargo pants pockets and do carry my Oly XZ-2 there (in a Think Tank Little Stuff it or a MegaDeal leather case), but not the interchangeable lens cameras.

If you must carry in cargo pants, of your options you are better off with the Fuji and a leather or neoprene case if they exist.

--
RaymondR

 

[pcb_dpr]

A casual shooter who wants a small-sensor camera with multiple lenses, very sharp images with bokeh, that will fit in/out of a cargo pants pocket easily? Sounds like some compromise might be necessary.

The GM1 would be a great pocket camera. EM10 and X100S are a bit big/heavy for cargo pockets.

GM1 can't take an EVF, if you need one the GM1 won't work.

"Bokeh qty" is a factor of lens focal length and aperture, the easier the lens fits in a pocket, the less bokeh. X100S loses here since you can't change lenses.

GM1 with the 16-50 pancake zoom and 20/1.7 would be a great pocket kit, as long as you can live without an EVF.

...fairly light weight, large-sensor carry-everywhere camera to keep in my cargo pants side pocket...I want a sturdy camera with compact pancake lens options. I'm considering Panny GM1, Fuji x100s, and Oly E-M10 or E-M5ii with pancake zoom and 20mm/1.7...for easy pocket pull-out and put-in the narrower the better.
I am a casual shooter...People picture are most important subject to me. I want good skin tones and some bokeh where possible. Im a stickler for sharpness. I only shoot JPEG.

 

[LMNCT]

The GM1 would fit, but the lint and dust would be asking for disaster with any of the M4/3 cameras. The weather proofed units are larger and heavier so those would not do well in your cargo pants pocket either. I second the vote for one of the waterproof P&S cameras. At least that camera would have a chance of survival.

 

[JohnKS1]

If you really must carry in pocket, I think the EP5 would be the better option than the EM10

 

[tcubed]

Will all the buttons and knobs on the E-M10 get hung up, moved around, or jostled in my pocket? Or are they sturdy enough to hold up well?

--
Chris in St. Louis

Hi Chris-

I am new to the E-M10, too. As it happens, I ran just this experiment yesterday. My findings:

1. Yes, you can do it. The E-M10 has one tough body.

2. The camera is pretty small in-hand. I feel that the optional hand grip makes a big difference in overall utility. But it perforce worsens the pocket storage problem.

3. The viewfinder protrudes substantially, and it has an angular aspect to it that invites snags.

4. A hand strap would aid deployment. I found that reaching down into cargo pocket territory, undoing velcro flaps, and grabbing the camera, was a bit awkward, especially doing it one-handed. I have a robust strap on order; I'll repeat the experiment soon.

5. The lens cap is certain to be lost sometime during the deployment sequence ==> high risk of lens damage.

My opinion: if you have to have the E-M10 at cargo pocket level, some kind of sleeve or holster, maybe attached to the cargo pocket seam, would be superior in lots of ways to just plopping the camera into your pocket. It's not a delicate thing by any means, but exposing it to a typical pocket environment (coins, keys, lint, etc.) would be pretty harsh.

Hope this helps.

 

[Glen Barrington]

I'm in the market for a fairly light weight, large-sensor carry-everywhere camera to keep in my cargo pants side pocket. It will get jostled around a lot and be subject to lint and dust, so I want a sturdy camera with compact pancake lens options. I'm considering Panny GM1, Fuji x100s, and Oly E-M10 or E-M5ii with pancake zoom and 20mm/1.7. But I'm open to other options.
Will all the buttons and knobs on the E-M10 get hung up, moved around, or jostled in my pocket? Or are they sturdy enough to hold up well?
Cargo pants side pocket can hold some volume, but for easy pocket pull-out and put-in the narrower the better.
I am a casual shooter and mostly just photograph my friends and family and travel. People picture are most important subject to me. I want good skin tones and some bokeh where possible. Im a stickler for sharpness. I only shoot JPEG.
Thoughts?
--
Chris in St. Louis

You want a toughened Point and shoot. There are some good ones.

 

[borgel]

Unfortunately I can't comment on the E-M10 itself, though I can speak to the GM1.

I got my GM1 fairly recently as an upgrade from an RX100II. The absolute highest priority for me was size, so there really weren't many (any?) other options. So far it's been great! I've been carrying it every day for a few months in the pocket of my cargo shorts, originally with a Panny 20 or Olly 45, but more recently an Olly 17. The kit 12-35 is also tiny and versatile, though I like bokeh too much and don't carry it very often.

Ultimately the tiny size and versatility are a solid win in my book. Occasionally I even break out a Panny 45-200 (which looks bizarre on the tiny body) to shoot far off things. It's worth noting that large lenses (like that tele) handle poorly on such a small frame, especially without an EVF to balance against your face.

I certainly wish it had more physical knobs, IBIS, and an EVF sometimes, but I'm still confident that I made the right choice for me. Eventually I'll get another body and balance between the two.

If you get one, I strongly recommend one of Richard Franiec's stick on aluminium grips (http://www.kleptography.com/rf/#camera_lumixgm1).

Holler if you have any questions about it!

 

[tcubed]

... but for easy pocket pull-out and put-in the narrower the better.
...
Thoughts?
--
Chris in St. Louis

OK, the results are in.

Observations:

1. A wrist strap is a must. With one attached, you can dispense with the otherwise desirable hand grip, thereby losing some storage volume. Lacking either, you are faced with the problem of grabbing a small, slippery, object and bringing it to shooting position.

2. The camera is no lightweight. Stick it into a cargo pocket, and you get a noticeable sag on one side of your pants.

3. Even with a casual stride, you experience a thigh slap from the swinging weight in your pocket. Irritating.

4. The electronic viewfinder protrudes. Carry the camera EVF in, or EVF out; either it hits your leg, or it snags on your pocket as you deploy the camera.

Conclusions:

1. With some ingenuity, the E-M10 can be carried in a (large) pocket.

2. Pocket carry in practice suffers from operational limitations, and somewhat higher risk to camera damage from normal pocket environment and during deployment.

3. I really did not like the pendulum effect of a mass low on my body. I would recommend carrying the E-M10 higher-up: e.g. belt, bag, or sling carry.

Summary:

You can put it in your pocket, but it is not really a pocket camera.

Hope this helps.