OMD EM1 vs EM5 MKII vs EM10 MKIII?

[Nakaya]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

 

[JaKing]

Nakaya, I assume that by "E1", you actually mean "E-M1"?

Both my E-1 and E-M1 MkI still work very well. See my gear list.

 

[Nakaya]

Nakaya, I assume that by "E1", you actually mean "E-M1"?

Both my E-1 and E-M1 MkI still work very well. See my gear list.

--
br, john, from you know where
My gear list and sordid past are here: https://www.dpreview.com/members/1558378718/overview
Gallery: https://www.canopuscomputing.com.au/zen2/page/gallery/

Yes...there are way too many letters and hyphens "OM-D E-M1 Mark 1". I like that the E-M1 is a bit older in that it has depreciated such that if I bought one today and they come up with a great new set of bodies in March or April I wont take such a big hit compared with a new E-M5.

That said looking at the samples the newer Olympus cameras do produce more pleasing JPEGs.

 

[Nakaya]

Also which lenses would you recommend. I want something that can do close focus under a foot. I don't need 1:1 macro. I was thinking of the 12-40mm f2.8. Or would I be better off with prime lenses?

 

[greg 123]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

That's the reason I bought a used EM1, but then found it was worth keeping even after buying an EM1ii.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

The EM5ii is nice for a bit smaller setup, but I don't use it as much as the EM1s. For really small I prefer the Panasonic GM5, which is no longer sold.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

I use the EM1 and EM1ii interchangeably. Most of the time I will grab whichever one has the lens on it that I need. The EM1ii improves on AF for action shots, but that's not the majority of my photography.

 

[Denis de Gannes]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

The OMD EM-1 and EM-1 MkII series is the premium Olympus product both in build quality and Pro features.

The OMD EM-5 and EM-5 MKII series is a step down in terms of build quality and Pro features.

The OMD EM-10, EM-10 MKII and EM-10 MKIII is another step down in terms of build quality and PRO features.

The progression of Olympus Pro line products is as follows.

E-10 Aug2000- Fixed zoom lens

E-20 Sep 2001- Fixed zoom lens

E-1 June 2003- Four thirds mount.

E-3 Oct 2007- Four thirds mount.

E-5 Sep 2010- Four thirds mount.

OMD EM-1 Sep 2013- Mini Four thirds mount.

OmD EM-1 MkII Sept 2016- Mini Four thirds mount.

--
Denis de Gannes

 

[greg 123]

Regarding lenses. My most often used zoom lens is the 12-40 2.8. However, today the new 12-100 might be an even better all around choice if you don't mind the larger size. Virtually nothing is lost with the longer zoom.

While these zoom lenses cover many of the popular primes I still like to use a prime on at least one camera body. I like all of my primes PL 15 1.7, PL 20 1.7 (slower AF but sharp), Oly 25 1.8, Oly 45 1.8, Oly 60 2.8 macro, Oly 75 1.8 (one of the best M43 for portraits) and the 300 f4. I guess they tend to quickly become a collection. Surprisingly in the normal focal length range I find the least expensive pancake PL 20 1.7 as one of my most frequently used prime lenses.

 

[tomhongkong]

I chose EM1.1 (I have two).

I found the EM5 and the EM10ii too small to hold comfortably without a grip.

EM1 'feels' to me more solid and better built. The EM1 and EM5 have a good reputation for being Water Resistant. The EM10 is not.

However be aware that there are some people who have had rear wheel failure, and/or strap lugs pulling out with EM1. I would recommend a decent guarantee if you get one (on one of mine I have 5 years, I took a risk on the other. It was from ebay with 500 clicks and no guarantee) I don't really know how much of a problem this is, obviously the people who have problems are pretty vocal about it and we don't know what percentage of bodies have problems

EM1 has more controls, and I can just about set it up so I never have to go into the menus. I don't think I could do this with the other two. The Olympus menu system is, shall we say, comprehensive, rather that easy to use!

EM1 has some focusing speed advantages, especially with CAF which can use PDAF (not available on the others) 4/3 lenses are useable on EM1 but too slow on the others

There are other feature benefits on both sides of an EM1.1/EM5ii debate, none of which features I use so that is a wash for me

The EM10 iii is viewed as a cheaper made, dumbed down version of the EM10ii, but I have no personal experience of this. Just worth checking for yourself. The EM10ii should be obtainable much cheaper than the others you are looking at and might be an option

Make sure you are comparing em1 including its version 4 upgrade. It really made it a much more up to date camera than the original and beings the features in line with EM5 (as I said, both cameras have a few special tweaks which I don't use) I think all reviews you will find are of the original camera which doesn't give a proper picture. Getting advice on using the 'new' EM1.1 needs a bit of research as most of the guides are for earlier firmware versions

I have seen no evidence of better JPEGS from the EM5 or EM10. I don't shoot JPEG, and anyway the JPEG settings are very customisable on all these cameras so you should be able to get what you want.

I forgot to mention IBIS. I suspect that they are all pretty much the same, and variations between them are less than that of having an extra cup of coffee in the morning (for shaky hands) ! Anyway, although IBIS gets a lot of attention from specification readers, I suspect it is much less important than proper technique in real life.

A decent alternative is also G80/G85 which matches EM1 quite closely (some + some - of course)

Anyway, enjoy whatever you choose

tom

 

[Denjw]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

Really depends on what type of shooting you do and the ergonomics of each camera. If you are used to a DSLR the E-M1 would probably be a better fit.

The E-M10II may be a better option than the III.

Use the side-by side camera comparison on this site to compare specs.

https://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=oly_em10iii&products=oly_em1&products=oly_em5ii&products=oly_em10ii&sortDir=ascending

I kept my E-M1 for use with my 12-40mm and 75mm as my general purpose camera after upgrading to the E-M1MkII.

 

[Eric Nepean]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

I have the E-M1 original version and I'm quite happy with it. (Except I wish it had the Panasonic menu system :-D not gonna happen - lots of folks prefer the Olympus menu system )

Whether it's a good camera for you or not, and what is the best lens depends on the kind of photography you do. That being said, a few years past it was Olympus's flagship camera, so it should do most things reasonably well. For landscape and portrait I prefer my GX7.

I bought, and keep, the E-M1 because I am starting on some bird and wildlife photography. At the time I bought it was the best M43 camera for "action" photography. It still ranks pretty high in that category, but the E-M1 mkii is of course a better camera (at a much higher price)

The E-M1 also works very well with the old 4/3 lenses, used 4/3 lenses are available for very good prices. I've picked up a used Zuiko 50-200 F2.8/3.5 for about $400 US, and a used Zuiko 50mm F2 macro lens for a ridiculously low price.

The E-M1 also works well with my Panasonic M43 lenses, and with my Canon FD legacy manual lenses.

--
Cheers
Eric

 

[Nakaya]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

I have the E-M1 original version and I'm quite happy with it. (Except I wish it had the Panasonic menu system :-D not gonna happen - lots of folks prefer the Olympus menu system )

Whether it's a good camera for you or not, and what is the best lens depends on the kind of photography you do. That being said, a few years past it was Olympus's flagship camera, so it should do most things reasonably well. For landscape and portrait I prefer my GX7.

I bought, and keep, the E-M1 because I am starting on some bird and wildlife photography. At the time I bought it was the best M43 camera for "action" photography. It still ranks pretty high in that category, but the E-M1 mkii is of course a better camera (at a much higher price)

The E-M1 also works very well with the old 4/3 lenses, used 4/3 lenses are available for very good prices. I've picked up a used Zuiko 50-200 F2.8/3.5 for about $400 US, and a used Zuiko 50mm F2 macro lens for a ridiculously low price.

The E-M1 also works well with my Panasonic M43 lenses, and with my Canon FD legacy manual lenses.

 

[greg 123]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

I have the E-M1 original version and I'm quite happy with it. (Except I wish it had the Panasonic menu system :-D not gonna happen - lots of folks prefer the Olympus menu system )

Whether it's a good camera for you or not, and what is the best lens depends on the kind of photography you do. That being said, a few years past it was Olympus's flagship camera, so it should do most things reasonably well. For landscape and portrait I prefer my GX7.

I bought, and keep, the E-M1 because I am starting on some bird and wildlife photography. At the time I bought it was the best M43 camera for "action" photography. It still ranks pretty high in that category, but the E-M1 mkii is of course a better camera (at a much higher price)

The E-M1 also works very well with the old 4/3 lenses, used 4/3 lenses are available for very good prices. I've picked up a used Zuiko 50-200 F2.8/3.5 for about $400 US, and a used Zuiko 50mm F2 macro lens for a ridiculously low price.

The E-M1 also works well with my Panasonic M43 lenses, and with my Canon FD legacy manual lenses.

--
Cheers
Eric

For the size of the E-M1 you could have a bigger sensor SLR. The SLR will be slightly larger.

I go back and fourth. I really like the Olympus camera system but I could have a larger sensor camera for the same money. I don't need the extra resolution but all camera reviews surround the importance of IQ.

For what reason do you chose Olympus over say a similarly priced Nikon or Pentax camera?

The big advantage to any of the mirrorless cameras with CDAF is better focus accuracy and getting their expected exposure without chimping to the rear screen. DSLRs suffer from front or back focus accuracy due to their PDAF focus system. Lighter camera and lenses are a big advantage especially when hiking. Many people find that they get improved results when switching to mirrorless cameras due to AF accuracy and initial exposure accuracy. I found that my M43 cameras were so good there was no reason to keep my D810 and pro Nikon lenses. Of course these were quite a bit more expensive than my M43 gear.

The K-70 or K-3II from Pentax should be equally rugged as the E-M1. The optics are slightly bigger but the image quality is higher.

This is a matter of preference. Practically it's doubtful that someone would notice any significant difference in results.

 

[Nakaya]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

I have the E-M1 original version and I'm quite happy with it. (Except I wish it had the Panasonic menu system :-D not gonna happen - lots of folks prefer the Olympus menu system )

Whether it's a good camera for you or not, and what is the best lens depends on the kind of photography you do. That being said, a few years past it was Olympus's flagship camera, so it should do most things reasonably well. For landscape and portrait I prefer my GX7.

I bought, and keep, the E-M1 because I am starting on some bird and wildlife photography. At the time I bought it was the best M43 camera for "action" photography. It still ranks pretty high in that category, but the E-M1 mkii is of course a better camera (at a much higher price)

The E-M1 also works very well with the old 4/3 lenses, used 4/3 lenses are available for very good prices. I've picked up a used Zuiko 50-200 F2.8/3.5 for about $400 US, and a used Zuiko 50mm F2 macro lens for a ridiculously low price.

The E-M1 also works well with my Panasonic M43 lenses, and with my Canon FD legacy manual lenses.

 

[JaKing]

I have printed an environmental portrait at A2 size (17x22") from my 5 MPx E-1. Every single hair on the subject's head is visible ...

If I were you, I would stop worrying about resolution with any modern ILC.

 

[Michael Meissner]

Also which lenses would you recommend. I want something that can do close focus under a foot. I don't need 1:1 macro. I was thinking of the 12-40mm f2.8. Or would I be better off with prime lenses?

Note, the E-m1 mark I and II have a special focus stacking mode that takes several pictures and combines them together into one picture to give you much more depth of field for static subjects. The E-m1 mark I got it with version 4.0 of the firmware:

• http://cameras.olympus.com/stack/en/
• http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/focus_stacking
• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/58266769
• http://www.amateurphotographer.co.u...ing-focus-stacking-and-bracketing-modes-86642

Focus stacking only supports several of the lenses:

• Olympus 12-40mm pro f/2.8
• Olympus 40-150mm pro f/2.8
• Olympus 60mm macro f/2.8
• Olympus 30mm macro f/3.5
• Olympus 7-14mm pro f/2.8
• Olympus 8mm pro fisheye f/1.8
• Olympus 300mm pro f/4

Note, the 12-100mm pro f/4 is NOT supported for focus stacking.

There is another mode called focused bracketing where the camera takes lots of pictures at slightly different focus points, and then you combine them manually in post processing. I believe any micro 4/3rds auto focus lens works with focus stacking.

So I imagine if macro is your thing, the 60mm might be your first choice. But for an overall lens, the 12-40mm is probably the lens to go for.

Lets see, in terms of specs, the 12-40mm can focus up to 0.2m (7.9"). The 60mm can focus slightly closer (0.19m or 7.5").

 

[Eric Nepean]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

I have the E-M1 original version and I'm quite happy with it. (Except I wish it had the Panasonic menu system :-D not gonna happen - lots of folks prefer the Olympus menu system )

Whether it's a good camera for you or not, and what is the best lens depends on the kind of photography you do. That being said, a few years past it was Olympus's flagship camera, so it should do most things reasonably well. For landscape and portrait I prefer my GX7.

I bought, and keep, the E-M1 because I am starting on some bird and wildlife photography. At the time I bought it was the best M43 camera for "action" photography. It still ranks pretty high in that category, but the E-M1 mkii is of course a better camera (at a much higher price)

The E-M1 also works very well with the old 4/3 lenses, used 4/3 lenses are available for very good prices. I've picked up a used Zuiko 50-200 F2.8/3.5 for about $400 US, and a used Zuiko 50mm F2 macro lens for a ridiculously low price.

The E-M1 also works well with my Panasonic M43 lenses, and with my Canon FD legacy manual lenses.

 

[Donald B]

I would like to see if the Olympus camera system is right for me and I would like to buy one camera and a couple of lenses to use for 6 month - year before upgrading if necessary.

I am tempted to buy the original E1 because it has depreciated nicely and has all the features I am used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

The OMD E5 MKII is too old to buy new but the used prices aren't very good either and the OMD E10 MKIII I would buy new. The downside with the MKIII is that it has a watered down IBIS system and a lesser finder.

How is the autofocus, IBIS, JPEG quality, and general ease of use of the E1 compared with the others?

The OMD EM-1 and EM-1 MkII series is the premium Olympus product both in build quality and Pro features.

The OMD EM-5 and EM-5 MKII series is a step down in terms of build quality and Pro features.

that's funny as ,because I shot pro work and stream live hdmi to a large monitor which the em1 cant ;-)

The OMD EM-10, EM-10 MKII and EM-10 MKIII is another step down in terms of build quality and PRO features.

The progression of Olympus Pro line products is as follows.

E-10 Aug2000- Fixed zoom lens

E-20 Sep 2001- Fixed zoom lens

E-1 June 2003- Four thirds mount.

E-3 Oct 2007- Four thirds mount.

E-5 Sep 2010- Four thirds mount.

OMD EM-1 Sep 2013- Mini Four thirds mount.

OmD EM-1 MkII Sept 2016- Mini Four thirds mount.

 

[Mystic38]

Also which lenses would you recommend. I want something that can do close focus under a foot. I don't need 1:1 macro. I was thinking of the 12-40mm f2.8. Or would I be better off with prime lenses?

The em 1 mk i with 12-40 f2.8 would be a great option.. some dealers have this as a package for about $1050 iirc ( may be refurbished perhaps) .. but will give you a mini dslr feel and outstanding iq

 

[Dostoy]

A big "Plus 1" to Tom's comments!

 

[Dostoy]

The EM10 Mark 2 has a huge number of features for the price, with full twin-dial control and deeply customisable menus. I think most people would say there's no need to go to Mark 3.

--

Dostoy, from Oz
(Oz = Australia)