Really recommended - Stepped up from E-PL5

Having owned the E-PL5 for a while now with the 14-42mm and 40-150mm I felt that it was time to step up a little. I recently bought the VF-4 for my E-PL5 for a very good price (debundled) and I liked that a lot already.

However my attention was drawn to the new PEN-F which I immediately liked but the price....hmhmh..too much for me at the moment. Even I knew the PEN E-P5 was already an older horse in the staple it still had a lot going for it and so I purchased the body alone new for around 400 Euros which seemed ok for me.

I also added the 12-50mm lens (previously bundled with the E-M5) which I got new for only 100 Euros. I like this lens as it offers either electronic zoom or manual zoom and has a nice Macro function. Surely not a light monster but still usable for the price. Plus I must have gotten a good copy as I am totally satisifed.

Back to the E-P5. After having updated to latest FW 1.7 I was ready to go and together with the VF-4 I really appreciate this combo. It is fast & responsive. It delivers good quality (sufficient for me) and it has (Olympus) nice colors straight out of the box.

I wish I could adjust the VF-4 on the E-P5 in terms of brightness/contrast/color but think it is not possible. Only the viewfinder can be adjusted. Maybe I am just to blind to find the setting.

The dual control wheels on the E-P5 are just a godsend and extremely usable. That in conjunction with the 2 way lever one can control 4 parameters (e.g. speed/aperture/ISO/WB) in a very quick way without having to go down to any menu or sub-sub menu.

Plus the solid feel of it is very nice. Very substantial. And yes that 5-axis image stabilizer makes me feel now the E-PL5 never had a stabilizer at all ;-). This is truly amazing. Some quick video sessions really showed its effectiveness. Sure video could be better on the E-P5 in terms of bitrates and e.g. EU scanrates of 25 or 50. But then I am not a video maker and for the occasional use it is sufficient for me. Also welcome is the recently added (via FW) zero second antishock.

All in all full satisfaction would be my statement.

I briefly thought about a Sony A-6000 and even looked at the new A-6300 but then again as a previous user of a Sony NEX and A57 (which I licked a lot) I never really got away with the need for the massive lenses one needs for any given APS-C format. Plus I was never so fond of the Sony menu. Just a personal preference I reckon. This is not to say that the Olympus has an easy menu system. In fact it is very complicated but allows massive customisation. Important for an Oly is the number of external controls so not to dive daily into the menu system. And there the E-P5 really shines for me. Not so the E-PLx series. Even not the E-PL7.

I might along the line even step up to the professional line of Olympus lenses though they are quite expensive. But then again a good lense costs always more than the camera.

I could have gotten an OMD EM 10 or the MkII version of it but not for the price. And I like that I can detach the VF-4 if not needed plus the built in flash of the E-P5. Only thing really missing is a MIC port (though one can add a special MIC there via the Oly port but then can no longer use the VF-4...hmhm cannot have all.

That Panasonic alternative never occured to me. Had previous Pana's incl. the G6 but never really got to licke them as much to be a keeper. They all had their qualities for sure but I feel the E-P5 even today is still a very nice workhorse and delivers consistent results.

WendelWLU wrote:

I briefly thought about a Sony A-6000 and even looked at the new A-6300 but then again as a previous user of a Sony NEX and A57 (which I licked a lot)

I hope you can still edit your post, because the A57 wasn't that tasty

WendelWLU wrote:

Thanks Jim,

indeed better glas it deserves. I'll first see what my preference over some time to come will be and then will decide what lenses to obtain. I am not really a lens collector and given some prices for good glas a decision with some solid usage data I will make.

I grabbed an EP-5 recently as part of the closeout, and at this point looks like it's going to replace my E-M10. Yay?

So far, the lens I've used the most with it is the Panny 20mm/1.7 vII, and I'm happy with the results:

Might just be me, but I can't help feeling the vII is a little crisper than the original 20mm:

The Lumix 25mm/1.7 isn't bad either, especially at the $99 I stole it at:

I've even been pleasantly surprised with one of those $80 Wesley 34mm/1.7 lenses off of eBay:

#2 is a nice shot, who's the old guy in #1?

I have a PL-5 and waiting to upgrade, but haven't decided which camera? Been enjoying the lighter weight of the 4/3's gear. I used to lug around a DSLR Fuji and a XZ-1 Olympus for a back up, I like the little XZ-1 for quick shots and it did a better job than the Fuji.

My choices right now are GX8, OMD-5II or cheaper price wise is the OMD-10II. Meanwhile I'll keep reading the posts and plan on buying this spring.

I also have the 12-50 Oly lens, couldn't afford the 12-40 Oly lens, and the 12-50 does real good on landscapes. My opinion.

Gary

Pueblo, CO

WendelWLU wrote:

KTClown wrote:

#2 is a nice shot, who's the old guy in #1?

I have a PL-5 and waiting to upgrade, but haven't decided which camera? Been enjoying the lighter weight of the 4/3's gear. I used to lug around a DSLR Fuji and a XZ-1 Olympus for a back up, I like the little XZ-1 for quick shots and it did a better job than the Fuji.

My choices right now are GX8, OMD-5II or cheaper price wise is the OMD-10II. Meanwhile I'll keep reading the posts and plan on buying this spring.

I also have the 12-50 Oly lens, couldn't afford the 12-40 Oly lens, and the 12-50 does real good on landscapes. My opinion.

Gary

Pueblo, CO

Yep I feel #2 is a shot I made quite nicely. The later afternoon hours in Sweden were the sun sets quite early.

#1: That "old guy" is me damn it! Don't worry you'll get there too one day Besides that was a Selfie done with my smartphone...

Do you mean you have the E-PL5? In htat case I ould really advise to get the E-P5. It truly comes like a revelation. A complete different handling thus way better control whilst shooting and maybe in the end better composition (at least that's what I need the VF-4 for - as I am old my eyes aren't that sharp any loner and looking at a small screen too much distance I need - Even with sliding view glases).

I also thought about the OMD-10II but then I really liked that I do not always need the VF-4 pernanently mounted. And oh yes indeed for more to street level photography and waist level photography I really like the 90° tilt of the VF-4.

The 12-50mm is in my view some reasonable glass. However it defies a bit the purpose of compactness as it is quite long. It's just I like its selectable E-Zoom and M-Zoom and Macro mode. Plus it really runs a smooth e-zoom for Video. However this is not a pro lens and I know that.

I look at it this way. The E-PL5 (still have it) is very light weight and compact ... but ...I have been shooting recently whilst donig a small work tour in Sweden. It is really cold here and gloves are a must. I could not have handled the E-PL5 like that. But it was very well possible with the E-P5. In the end go and try out your Olympus model you wish to buy. Handle it and see how it fits your hand. We are all a bit different and certainly have different preferences.

But if you can find an E-P5 body nicely priced go get it. You will not regret it. Always can step up later to e-m5 II etc....

Thanks for the reply, I'm already here; retired and soon to be 69. Lots of choices in cameras these days. I'm in no rush, you have a good day.