Great Colors, sharp lenses and why i love my OM-D E-M1 II
Ive had this camera for almost a year now. its a great camera with great colors and the lenses are as sharp as youll ever need.
anyone else here like olympus m43 cameras?
whats your fav lenses?
Here! 😉
At the moment my day-to-day favourite Olympus cameras are the E-M10II and the first E-M1 - for the sake of "old" cameras and in case of the E-M1 there is the Accessories Port (the later E-M1 models don't have it any more). And second hand they were fairly inexpensive for what they provide.
For travel my favourite camera is the E-M1II, because it is even more capable than the E-M1. After the OM-1 came on the market, the prices for second hand E-M1II dropped, so I could not resist.
My favourite lenses are the Olympus 12-50/3.5-6.3 because it is so versatile, especially with the macro capability at 43mm, the 40-150/4-5.6, because it delivers remarkable image quality, especially when we consider the price and the Panasonic 25/1.7 as a fast standard prime - also inexpensive and optically very good. But when I go on a bike ride these days, I put the Olympus 14-150 on the E-M10II, because it has the widest focal range and delivers "good enough" image quality on the E-M10II.
What are your favourite lenses?
E.
My favourite lenses are the aforementioned 25mm f/1.7 and the olympus 17mm 1.8 in terms of primes, and the 12-40 2.8 pro as my favourite zoom. the 42.5mm 1.7 is my rarely ever used portrait lens, as i tend to take portraits at 17 or 25mm.
My smaller on the go camera is the Panasonic Lumix GX80, which i have on me all the time. (with either the 17 or 25mm, the latter currently)
When i look back at images that i took on my travels to switzerland this year, i am glad i brought the E-M1II, the SOOC jpegs are as close to real what it looked in real life as it gets.
I really love the EM10 MKII and EP3. Both are amazing value for money, and both take good photos and are enjoyable to use. The EM10 II would be perfect if it had phase detect autofocus. This would be helpful for four thirds lenses.
I'm tempted to get the EM1 II as I have a large collection of four thirds lenses however, I need to sell all my Nikon gear first.
My favourite lenses are my 60mm F2.8 macro. It truly allows you to see the world differently. I also really like the four thirds 50mm F2.0 macro for the same reasons. The colours from the 50mm F2.0 lense are stunning.
Quote from Estelon_Agarwaen on September 13, 2022, 11:27 amthe 12-40 2.8 pro as my favourite zoom
That's a great zoom lens and it suits the E-M1II perfectly.
Unfortunately my copy is decentred and has to go to the service when the next pay check arrives.
Quote from Lim on September 13, 2022, 11:55 amI'm tempted to get the EM1 II as I have a large collection of four thirds lenses however, I need to sell all my Nikon gear first.
You won't regret it.
The E-M10II is a fine camera, no doubt - but if size and weight don't matter so much, then the E-M1II is noticeable more capable: better ergonomics due to the "real" handle, better EVF, "link AF target and metering" functionality, depth of field preview etc.
E.
Great to read all these good reviews of the E-M1 Mark II. I've been looking at one since trying an E-M10, which was great in many ways; it felt good, was feature-rich, had all the great buttons and dials you'd hope for, and I liked the image quality. But it was missing something crucial for me: being able to set a minimum shutter speed when using Auto ISO. Luckily, it seems the E-M1 Mark II has that feature! Phew! AND, it sounds like it has what I'm used to from Fuji, interlocking the focus point and the metering, something else I like a whole lot.
Here are a couple photos from my brief time with the E-M10, and the Panasonic 20mm f1.7. Now to keep an eye out for an E-M1 Mark II!
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Quote from denniscrommett on September 16, 2022, 4:06 amBut it was missing something crucial for me: being able to set a minimum shutter speed when using Auto ISO. Luckily, it seems the E-M1 Mark II has that feature!
At least with firmware 3.5 that feature definitely the feature is there: menu E1, "ISO Auto" (user manual (English, ver. 3.2) p. 117).
AND, it sounds like it has what I'm used to from Fuji, interlocking the focus point and the metering, something else I like a whole lot.
All my "actual" Pentax cameras - even the K10D from 2006 - have that feature, so I was some kind of astonished that Olympus introduced it for the first time in the E-M1II. Neither the E-M10II nor the E-M5II nor the E-M1 do have that.
The feature is in menu E3, "Spot Metering" (user manual p. 118).
Here are a couple photos from my brief time with the E-M10, and the Panasonic 20mm f1.7.
Well done!
The 20/1.7 delivers very good image quality - after a while. The slowness of the AF drives me crazy. Due to the long throw of the "focus by wire" focus ring MF is just different, but not faster. Probably I'll sell that lens...
The alternative (OM System 20/1.4 PRO) seems to have much faster AF. But what several people noticed is that this lens isn't on PRO level regarding sharpness across the frame and remarkable CA. And it's much more expensive than the 20/1.7. Anyway, that is a very first world luxury issue - and the real problem is behind the viewfinder. 😉
Fingers crossed that you'll find an E-M1II in good condition with low shutter count at a reasonable price. Good luck!
E.
Phew, you guys had me over here with 20 tabs open shopping for 4 or 5 lenses at the same time. Got a little carried away there!! I was about to pull the trigger on a 12-50 because it is weather resistant and has macro and I found a silver copy for a good price. I thought it would be a great walkabout for my wife who loves macro most of all. But it seems you need a good copy so I was able to resist for now. 😅
I don't have much Oly experience but of the lenses my wife has the 60mm macro seems to be out of this world good. I am just constantly amazed at what it can do, especially for the price it can be found for. Now I have never used a proper macro lens on anything before (I plan to get the Pentax DFA 100mm someday) so I may just be easy to impress, I dunno. The feel of the thing is superb, also. Really good build quality. It's all she ever wants to use lol.
The other one I really like is the 75-300 ii, which I compared side-by-side to my 55-300 PLM at 300mm. I thought the Oly was maybe a bit sharper. I consider my copy of the PLM to be outstandingly sharp for a consumer zoom so my mind was a bit blown by the performance of the Oly 300. 🤯
Edit: Forgot to answer the main question! Yes, I LOVE Oly cameras and lenses. I am over the moon with them, TBH. But my wife says I'm a Pentaxian and I need to stay in my lane haha. She's right, I have enough gear and it is nice to have your own thing even with a shared hobby. But I think someday I'll be sneaky and get a Panasonic. 😇
Quote from JBP on September 16, 2022, 2:54 pmBut I think someday I'll be sneaky and get a Panasonic.
If you like the colours in the images taken with Pentax and Olympus gear, you might be a bit surprised what you get from Panasonic. The Panasonic colours are visible different: in my opinion (based on experiences with a LX100 and a GX8) noticeably cooler and a tad off. Try to borrow a copy of your preferred model before you purchase it.
Additionally: download the user manual and search for the functions that are important for you. I didn't do that for the GX8 and had to find out afterwards that in A mode the front and rear dial can NOT be customised to have different functionality permanently, eg. "changing aperture" on the rear dial and "changing ISO" on the front dial: only "changing aperture" on both dials and you have to push a button to temporarily (!) change the functionality of the dials. The Panasonic control concept is very different to Pentax and Olympus cameras - so be aware.
E.
Quote from EckyH on September 16, 2022, 4:56 pmQuote from JBP on September 16, 2022, 2:54 pmBut I think someday I'll be sneaky and get a Panasonic.
If you like the colours in the images taken with Pentax and Olympus gear, you might be a bit surprised what you get from Panasonic. The Panasonic colours are visible different: in my opinion (based on experiences with a LX100 and a GX8) noticeably cooler and a tad off. Try to borrow a copy of your preferred model before you purchase it.
Additionally: download the user manual and search for the functions that are important for you. I didn't do that for the GX8 and had to find out afterwards that in A mode the front and rear dial can NOT be customised to have different functionality permanently, eg. "changing aperture" on the rear dial and "changing ISO" on the front dial: only "changing aperture" on both dials and you have to push a button to temporarily (!) change the functionality of the dials. The Panasonic control concept is very different to Pentax and Olympus cameras - so be aware.E.
Thank you for telling me that. I had no idea, and those are all things I would have not been happy to learn the hard way. I may have realized all that before purchasing, but maybe not... I can be impulsive and not do my research beforehand. 🙃
