E5 or K5

[Adam Lucas]

Hello Olympians,

I have recently held an Olympus E5 and fell in love with its feel. I also know the 12-60 to be an absolutely top class lens.

I currently have a Pentax K5 and 16-50 D* F2.8 lens.

Has anybody had experience with both systems ( Olympus and PENTAX ) , as I wish to "jump" ship to Olympus.

Is the E5 image quality going to be at least as good as the Pentax ?

I am attracted to Olympus 4/3 due to its lens and focal length advantages.

Your comments please.

Thank you v much.

Adam.

 

[Oly Bot]

I currently shot the E3 with 12-60 lens. When I got my 12-60 lens, it didn't rotate very well. So, I contacted Olympus and they had be send it in for service. They made it rotate much smoother and the lens is terrific...solid glass. I've shot Oly since 2002 and Pentax before that on film. I still miss my K1000 at times, but Oly equipment is solid all around. You'll find some camera systems whose resolution is slightly better, but not for the price and the build quality. My thoughts, good luck!
--
Oly Bot

 

[jl_smith]

I went through this. I can only tell you my thoughts on the matter, as the decision is rather personal

I started with Pentax 3 years ago, have shot Canon, Nikon, Sony, and now Olympus (I still own a 1/2 Nikon system).

When I was purchasing the E-5 and lenses, I had to really struggle with the decision to instead get a K-5. The camera looks awesome, has amazing DR and great noise performance. The posts on the Pentax thread where people were pulling up almost 10 stops of shadow noise were incredible.

The thing that kept me from returning my Olympus stuff? The lenses. Pentax has a decent lineup, but I just like the Olympus lineup better.

With Olympus, I got myself the 14-54 II and the 50-200 SWD lenses. Both are excellent optics, have 0.5x macro performance, and both are weather-sealed. Both take my 1.4x TC nicely, giving me more reach for birds or a bit more macro magnification.

I think both are great systems - I love Pentax, and maybe one day I will get myself another Pentax camera. But for me, at least, Olympus won (especially since I plan on getting longer glass one day - Olympus makes longer equivalent glass, Pentax stops at the 300mm f/4 and doesn't even make a 1st party TC).

If you're just considering E-5 with 12-60 vs K-5 with a lens (maybe their 17-70?), I would strongly look at the pros and cons of the entire system.

Personally if I was just considering the above combos, I would go with Pentax. Besides the flip LCD of the Olympus and better AF-microadjustment, there really isn't much of an advantage over Pentax when looking at just these combos, especially if you keep with the weather-sealed lenses of the Pentax lineup (DA* and WR lenses should be sealed).

A K-5 and a DA* 17-50 or whatever it is would make an awesome all-around combo.

Hello Olympians,

I have recently held an Olympus E5 and fell in love with its feel. I also know the 12-60 to be an absolutely top class lens.

I currently have a Pentax K5 and 16-50 D* F2.8 lens.

Has anybody had experience with both systems ( Olympus and PENTAX ) , as I wish to "jump" ship to Olympus.

Is the E5 image quality going to be at least as good as the Pentax ?

I am attracted to Olympus 4/3 due to its lens and focal length advantages.

Your comments please.

Thank you v much.

Adam.

--
JL Smith
http://jl-smith.smugmug.com

 

[Marioly]

Pentax or Olympus, sweet dilemma ..... I have the E-5 and it is an excellent camera, I prefer the Olympus Zuiko Digital Lens, 4 / 3 aspect ratio and the truest color reproduction.

 

[sderdiarian]

Wish I had that kind of money to burn, both clearly being great cameras.

K5: smaller body (akin to the E-620), lighter body, better for low light, Pentax primes

E-5: Apparently superb JPEG's with "Olympus colors", Olympus zooms (7-14, 9-18, 14-54 Mk II, 12-60, 50-200 and the economy 70-300, all excellent) and 35 and 50 macros.

Both are weathersealed and built well with similar prices, so all being equal its down to big vs small body, low light vs JPEG quality and the lens system. My take from what I've read.

Have fun and love to see your take on the E-5 vs the K5 in actual use with quality lenses. Unless you decide to keep both!
--
Sailin' Steve

 

[Michael S.]

For about the same price what the E-5 body costs you almost get a D700,
or - for exactly the same money you can get:

a) D7000 + 18-200mm VR II

b) D7000 + 18-105mm VR plus 70-300mm VR

I think you should consider that too - and you do get,
as shown now by dpreview, better high iso performance starting
with iso1600.

just my 2 cents,
--
Michael S.
Austria/EUROPE; dpreview since 2001
NIKON NPS Member
(check equipment via profile)

http://www.pbase.com/bountyhunter

 

[sderdiarian]

To really confuse you, Nikon is running rebates on all their lenses if purchased with one of their bodies. Amazon is currently selling the D300s for $1,450 and their better lenses have $300-400 rebates (16-35 f4 $809 after rebate, 10-24 f3.5-4.5 $600 after rebate).

There's an article on 1001 Noisy Cameras.
http://www.1001noisycameras.com/

I still like Olympus lens selection better, not as many but all excellent for their classes.

Then there's the pro-quality Olympus mFT body rumored to be coming in the first half of 2011. Purported to be weathersealed, hi-res and EVF, and using a new (GH2 likely) Panasonic sensor, this is intriguing for those who prefer OM sized bodies over the E-5 (yours truly).

http://www.43rumors.com/ft4-olympus-will-go-pro-within-the-first-half-of-2011/
--
Sailin' Steve

 

[JoopN]

I have recently held an Olympus E5 and fell in love with its feel. I also know the 12-60 to be an absolutely top class lens.

I currently have a Pentax K5 and 16-50 D* F2.8 lens.

Has anybody had experience with both systems ( Olympus and PENTAX ) , as I wish to "jump" ship to Olympus.

no

Is the E5 image quality going to be at least as good as the Pentax ?

I think E-5 will be better, but this opinion is based on what I've seen with the K-7. K-5 still difficult to get here.

I am attracted to Olympus 4/3 due to its lens and focal length advantages.

Your comments please.

As said before, you have to evaluate to complete system. Bodies only doesn't make sense. The problem with the K-5 is the SD card, if you want speed you have to go deep in your wallet. CF is much cheaper. The total layout of the K-5 is less compared to the E-5. The monitor is fixed in the body and don't have the advantages from the E-5. The K-mount might give troubles with conditions found in bare nature. I don't know what all those contacts will do in the bayonet. What will happen if some mud or dirt get between the contacts and the bayonet? The E-5 has a better system for shaking off durt on the sensor, all contacts in body. Both systems weather sealed, both systems metal housing. Power choices are limited with the K-5. With the E-5 you have with body alone the rechargeable and an adapter for 123 batteries. Though decision.

Next the glass. Pentax does have a really nice lineup with the 16-50 and the 50-135. Now there is also a 100mm macro. The other weatherproof lenses are or big (for me) or less quality. No converters 1.4 or 2, no extension tubes, not a weather proof 8-16 or so, not a tele 135-270 or so with handsome dimensions. If you have enough with the 16(24) to 135(205) than I think it will be a nice system. If you want more options you have to go to Olympus. Due to the tele converter and extension tube you can assemble a set which is small, lightweight and still give a wide usage from 7(14) to 280(560mm) with only three lenses and a 1.4 tele converter, or just two when 14(28) to 280(560) will do with the tele converter. The advantage of the 14-54 and the 50-200 is that they share the same filter dimensions which can be handy There is also the excellent 12(24)-60(120) lens which seems to be a little better than the 14(28)-54(108), but it does have an other filter dimension.

Now the above is all with weather sealed as a must in mind, if this doesn't matter the choice will be much more difficult I think.

 

[jl_smith]

It could be that the OP likes the ergonomics of the Pentax / Oly cameras better, or other "intangibles" or even some things not mentioned.

Since I'm also a Nikon shooter, I could give you a few reasons against your suggestions (just to play devil's advocate)

The D700 is a very nice camera, but you'd still need a quality lens to stick on the camera. Since the OP is looking at the 12-60, Nikon's closest match is the 24-120 F4 VR, which is about $1200. I'm not sure which lens is sharper. No doubt the D700 and 24-120 are a great walk-around combo, but they're considerably more expensive.

For the D7000 combo - sorry, but neither the 18-200 nor the 18-105 are going to hold a candle to the 12-60 for IQ - they're going to get stomped. Yes, I actually own the 18-105 (I bought it as a separate lens even!), and it's a great little walkaround lens, but even my 14-54 II spanks it for IQ. The 12-60 will equal or beat my 14-54 II, meaning it's going to beat the 18-105.

Then you start looking at other things.

The D7000 combo isn't going to be as weather sealed as the K5 or E5 combos (unsure about the D700).

Colors A big one. Sorry, but Olympus has better colors than Nikon, and I say that as a current D90 owner and former D700 and D300 owner - I just can't extract the same satisfying colors from the camera as I can with my E-5, especially greens and skin tones.

Of course I could make a lot of arguments for Nikon as well, but since the OP didn't ask about Nikon, I won't bother

For about the same price what the E-5 body costs you almost get a D700,
or - for exactly the same money you can get:

a) D7000 + 18-200mm VR II

b) D7000 + 18-105mm VR plus 70-300mm VR

I think you should consider that too - and you do get,
as shown now by dpreview, better high iso performance starting
with iso1600.

just my 2 cents,
--
Michael S.
Austria/EUROPE; dpreview since 2001
NIKON NPS Member
(check equipment via profile)

http://www.pbase.com/bountyhunter

--
JL Smith
http://jl-smith.smugmug.com

 

[JoopN]

Then there's the pro-quality Olympus mFT body rumored to be coming in the first half of 2011. Purported to be weathersealed, hi-res and EVF, and using a new (GH2 likely) Panasonic sensor, this is intriguing for those who prefer OM sized bodies over the E-5 (yours truly).

http://www.43rumors.com/ft4-olympus-will-go-pro-within-the-first-half-of-2011/
--

Pro? With what? All the glass is entry level, pro(sumer) user probably want same quality as found with their pro lineup, ie f2.8-f4.0 and weather sealed. None of the mFT glass is weather sealed or are f2.8-f4.0. If they want to give pro with mFT than they have to lauch many lenses next year including a weather sealed body. And even then I think that due to ergonomics the E-5 will prevail.

 

[Bluephotons]

Can you get your hands on that E-5 / 12-60 combo and slip a cf card, snap some jpgs and go check the images at home? If you can do that you'll have most of your homework done.
--
Bluephotons
Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now. Bob Dylan

 

[nalax]

If you like the K5/16-50 combo is the E5/12-60 going to give you better pictures?

Take the time to learn to use the camera to it's capabilities unless you just happen to dislike the camera and it's ergos, functions, etc. If the E5/12-60 fits you to a T, get it. If not, you might just keep on camera shopping and miss the picture taking.

 

[Greytop]

Hi Adam,

I returned to Olympus from Pentax earlier this year.

My Pentax gear at the time comprised of the K-7, Grip, DA* 16-50 f/2.8, DA* 60-250 f/4,

FA 50 f/1.4, FA 28 f/2.8, DFA 100 f/2.8 Macro, DA 35 f/2.8 LTD. I have a great respect for Pentax, the K-7 is a fantastic body and by all accounts the K-5 is a nice improvement but having come from Olympus prior to using Pentax I just missed my Oly zooms too much.

If zooms are your preference I say without hesitation Olympus has Pentax licked. If you prefer primes the Pentax Ltd range is stunning and very hard to ignore.

Taking the DA* 16-50 as example for a moment, it's very nicely built, weather sealed, fast at f/2.8 and can produce sharp images from around f/5 to f/10 or so.

In my experience, on the negative side it's quite soft wide open, especially at the long end, soft at the short end in the corners. Focus speed is lethargic at best and questionable solidity from the SDM motor implementation. So moving to the Oly 12-60 from the DA* 16-50 is really like a breath of fresh air, no need to go into details because you can read the detailed review on this site.

The comparison is similar between the DA* 60-250 and 50-200 but to be honest that lens is a closer match but still NOT a match.

So I ended up switching back (at not inconsiderable expense) and starting of with the E-30, 12-60 and 50-200. More recently I've added the 7-14, EC-14, 50 f/2 and a Sigma 150 f/2.8. A couple of weeks ago I also got the E-5. I'm very happy I did. I hope that helps.

 

[sderdiarian]

Then there's the pro-quality Olympus mFT body rumored to be coming in the first half of 2011. Purported to be weathersealed, hi-res and EVF, and using a new (GH2 likely) Panasonic sensor, this is intriguing for those who prefer OM sized bodies over the E-5 (yours truly).

http://www.43rumors.com/ft4-olympus-will-go-pro-within-the-first-half-of-2011/
--

Pro? With what? All the glass is entry level, pro(sumer) user probably want same quality as found with their pro lineup, ie f2.8-f4.0 and weather sealed. None of the mFT glass is weather sealed or are f2.8-f4.0. If they want to give pro with mFT than they have to lauch many lenses next year including a weather sealed body. And even then I think that due to ergonomics the E-5 will prevail.

Still just a rumor at this point, so who really knows.

I would hope with all the time Olympus has taken to develop this long overdue camera their target would be an OM4Ti inspired pro mFT body (similar size, likely less weight) that is fully compliant with 4/3's (CDAF unless they have something up their sleeve) and mFT lenses. On the latter, the consumer grade line being largely complete, they now appear ready to focus on HG mFT lenses (same link).

Olympus users who cut their teeth on OM's and had no use for larger Canikon bodies in the SLR age have been enjoying use of the E-5xx and E-6xx series while also living with their shortcomings (tunnel OVF's, no weathersealing, not pro-build in general). My case, going from an OM-2S to an E-510 and E-620 (both dimensionally larger than the K-5, BTW).

If this rumor is correct, Olympus would be responding to demand for a pro-build camera in this size range that takes advantage of latest technology in hi-res EVF's, flip LCD's, sensor design (the GH2 sensor rumor), processors (Truepic VI?) and weight management.

Provided it accepts 4/3's and mFT lenses with full AF capability (a big if, I agree), this would be a revolutionary camera, a return to Olympus' roots as builders of giant-slayer superbly built IL cameras.

The E-5? Perhaps an overdue doffing of their hat to loyal users of a format their migrating away from, but who knows. Olympus, ever a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
--
Sailin' Steve

 

[Entropius]

The D7000 is a great camera, but the lenses mentioned here are not.

The 70-300 is quite good for what it is -- my Nikon friend really wants one. But it is not as good as the Olympus 50-200, just because it's a stop and a half slower, optics aside.

Don't know all that much about the 18-105 except that it's slower.

If you want to go Nikon, then you'll want faster lenses than these.

 

[Raist3d]

you have a great camera and you want to switch to the E-5.

You have to ask yourself why, what do you dislike about the Pentax so much and what you like about the Olympus so much.

The Pentax to me looks like a great camera.

--
Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'

 

[Raist3d]

--
Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'

 

[zigi_S]

you have a great camera and you want to switch to the E-5.

You have to ask yourself why, what do you dislike about the Pentax so much and what you like about the Olympus so much.

The Pentax to me looks like a great camera.

And the E-5 isn't a nice camera?

--
Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeegee/

 

[JoopN]

Please read first before you make a comment, reading seems to be an art in itself. So I can't place your comment on my message.

 

[raven900sx]

if you take a look at the pentax forum the k5 seems to have a few teething issues, flash exposure problem, glue stuff on some sensors, image/shutter blur not completey eliminated, focus issues under some light colour temperatures. perhaps he has just a bad example and wants to jump to oly?

K5 will be a great cam once its teething issues are sorted