Panasonic GM5 or Olympus E-PL6 or ?

I recently purchased a Panasonic G85 for my wife and have decided to now get my self something. Budget is tight because I have spent about $1700 in the last couple of months on equipement .

I am looking used and small so the 2 cameras mentioned above seem to fit the bill. The GM5 seems to be a well liked camera but have not found it used yet. The E-PL6 is only $160 with 14-42 kit lens refurbished at Olympus but out of stock at the moment. These seem like they would be real pocket cameras with the Panasonic 20mm lens I picked up.

Any other camera fit the bill?

Thanks Ivan

im45us wrote:

I recently purchased a Panasonic G85 for my wife and have decided to now get my self something. Budget is tight because I have spent about $1700 in the last couple of months on equipement .

I am looking used and small so the 2 cameras mentioned above seem to fit the bill. The GM5 seems to be a well liked camera but have not found it used yet. The E-PL6 is only $160 with 14-42 kit lens refurbished at Olympus but out of stock at the moment. These seem like they would be real pocket cameras with the Panasonic 20mm lens I picked up.

Any other camera fit the bill?

Thanks Ivan

Not exactly in the same league, as far as I am concerned, but still a very good camera (not much of a difference, except in manual controls between it and the EPL7/8), readily available, and at 1/3 of the price of the GM5 the EPL6 seems a no-brainer.

im45us wrote:

I recently purchased a Panasonic G85 for my wife and have decided to now get my self something. Budget is tight because I have spent about $1700 in the last couple of months on equipement .

I am looking used and small so the 2 cameras mentioned above seem to fit the bill. The GM5 seems to be a well liked camera but have not found it used yet. The E-PL6 is only $160 with 14-42 kit lens refurbished at Olympus but out of stock at the moment. These seem like they would be real pocket cameras with the Panasonic 20mm lens I picked up.

Any other camera fit the bill?

Thanks Ivan

Well If you already own a camera with IBIS, you probably gonna miss it if the smaller one has not.

That said the GM5 is my companion to the E-M1mk2, but I recently also bought a G85 for video. Some customers want small 4k clips, so the G85 seemed a good place to start.

Must say that it impresses me on the stills.

CAF is rather good as well for stills, much better than E-M5mk2. But it can't hold a candle to the hybrid E-M1mk2.

The GM5 is very fast and good IQ as well, plus it is truely pocketable with the pancake lenses.

Le Frog wrote:

im45us wrote:

I recently purchased a Panasonic G85 for my wife and have decided to now get my self something. Budget is tight because I have spent about $1700 in the last couple of months on equipement .

I am looking used and small so the 2 cameras mentioned above seem to fit the bill. The GM5 seems to be a well liked camera but have not found it used yet. The E-PL6 is only $160 with 14-42 kit lens refurbished at Olympus but out of stock at the moment. These seem like they would be real pocket cameras with the Panasonic 20mm lens I picked up.

Any other camera fit the bill?

Thanks Ivan

Not exactly in the same league, as far as I am concerned, but still a very good camera (not much of a difference, except in manual controls between it and the EPL7/8), readily available, and at 1/3 of the price of the GM5 the EPL6 seems a no-brainer.

Agree, except that Olympus is out of stock and I'm not sure if they will get restock. I can get it for $320 with the 14-42 and 40-150 but I already have the 40-150.

I would get the GM5/12-32.  Excellent IQ plus a usable built-in EVF.  I took it and the little 35-100 collapseable on a 28 day European trip, took 4500 pictures with an amazingly high keeper rate.

dickg1

I have an E-PM2, which is the same thing as an E-PL5 without the tilt screen or the PASM dial. And the E-PL5 is the same thing as the E-PL6, just with slightly older firmware.

All are good cameras. Prior to my E-M1, the E-PM2 was my primary - pack it with the 17/45 and I have a tiny kit to shoot with, alternatively I can mount my 14-54 ii and VF-2 and get a camera that's pretty close to an E-M10 (minus the tilt screen and second control dial).

Haven't used my E-PM2 much recently, but it's definitely a joy to take it out when I want to take pictures, but don't want to carry the E-M1.

Edit:

The GM5 is a fantastic camera - the fiancee has one, and as much as I like the E-PM2, the GM5 is definitely much more nicely built. Runs through batteries like candy though - so if you go in the direction of a GM5 (or GM1, or GF7+), get yourself a spare or seven. It's ok - the batteries aren't much bigger than an Andes mint. Just don't try chomping on one.

Helen wrote:

Le Frog wrote:

im45us wrote:

I recently purchased a Panasonic G85 for my wife and have decided to now get my self something. Budget is tight because I have spent about $1700 in the last couple of months on equipement .

I am looking used and small so the 2 cameras mentioned above seem to fit the bill. The GM5 seems to be a well liked camera but have not found it used yet. The E-PL6 is only $160 with 14-42 kit lens refurbished at Olympus but out of stock at the moment. These seem like they would be real pocket cameras with the Panasonic 20mm lens I picked up.

Any other camera fit the bill?

Thanks Ivan

Not exactly in the same league, as far as I am concerned, but still a very good camera (not much of a difference, except in manual controls between it and the EPL7/8), readily available, and at 1/3 of the price of the GM5 the EPL6 seems a no-brainer.

The key words are of course : at 1/3 of the price. Once you omit them the key words are "not exactly in the same league"

Though it's also worth bearing in mind that the E-PL6 is rather older technology - it's an E-PL5 with a handful of software tweaks, so its IBIS is the old 2-axis mechanical type - not a patch on the 3-axis levitation type of the E-PL7 and E-PL8 (and original E-M10), let alone the 5-axis on the E-P5 and all the current OM-D models (and the OP's GX85). Olympus USA's website used to misleadingly indicate that the E-PL6 had 3-axis IBIS - not sure if they fixed that - it most definitely doesn't (I own one, so am 100% sure). It also lacks silent shutter and even 0-second Anti-Shock (which gives the cameras that have it electronic first curtain shutter operation), so this in combination with the 2-axis IBIS sometimes leads to slightly misregistered double imaged edges in some images, in my experience.

Other than that, it's actually a nice camera, though.

The "other than that" was the $160.

Price is important but size is my main consideration . I really want something small that can use our M43 lenes. I love the G85 but that's the camera my wife uses when we go out.

im45us wrote:

Price is important but size is my main consideration . I really want something small that can use our M43 lenes. I love the G85 but that's the camera my wife uses when we go out.

In that case nothing beats the GM5; and it is soooo good that the G85 may well end up gathering dust.

im45us wrote:

Price is important but size is my main consideration . I really want something small that can use our M43 lenes. I love the G85 but that's the camera my wife uses when we go out.

GM1, GM5, GF7/8, GF9. All are built around the same electronics and shutter, with the GF9 being the newest model with DFD and 4K. The GM series is metal, the GF series is plastic. The GM5 is the only one that has (or can accept) an EVF, it is also the only one without a built in flash.

The E-PM2 is bigger but not gigantic, and is slightly thinner and smaller than its E-PL5/6 relatives. The E-PL5/6 and the E-PL7/8 are about the same size, with the 7/8 gaining 3-axis IBIS. All can accept Olympus' VF-2/3/4 line of EVFs, but if you plan on carrying the EVF, you might as well get an E-M10, which is the same size as the E-PL line once you cut off its viewfinder hump.

im45us wrote:

Price is important but size is my main consideration . I really want something small that can use our M43 lenes. I love the G85 but that's the camera my wife uses when we go out.

The size difference does not look tremendous, but when you hold a GM1 or GM5 in your hand, you will be amazed. They are tiny. If size is your biggest concern, get the GM5.