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EM5 III, A mistake! (1 Viewer)

flossiepip

Well-known member
Sure this is a brilliant camera but can't but think Olympus have made a big mistake.
Its fabulous to see a much improved AF system but for birds using a big heavy lens has to be an issue, I felt my 5 II was to small for the Panasonic 100/400 lens and this is smaller and lighter. So ok there will be an add on grip with battery, so more cost too and this is an expensive camera. There is now a big gap from the 10 to the new 5, its not so far behind the EM1 II. Not only that but its a new battery too and that's a real pain when you already have the 5 and 5 II.
But its really the high cost that I think is going to be the big problem for the 5 III. Although I am a huge fan and user of Olympus kit it will now realistically open the door for me to move away and look at Sony, Canon or Fuji. I can get a Sony a6400 and lens and save a lot of dollars and of cause have a bigger sensor. Maybe this will be the camera that kills micro 4/3! Most of the people I know and meet are using phone cameras and getting great results in what they need. Just a thought as a big fan of Olympus and some one that use's their product.
 
There's been a lot of criticism of Olympus for bringing out several recent items that seem to go against the m4/3 ethos of small and light - the E-M1X and a number of 'PRO' lenses come to mind - so you can't complain when they return to a smaller body with the E-M5 MkIII. The introdutory price of every new camera comes in for comment when compared to models that have been out for some time - just wait until the early-adopters have bought the first batch and let the camera find its own level in the market, after all, changing over to an entirely different system will cost a lot more than one body.

To be honest, the 5-series is never going to be the first choice if telephoto use is your main interest. I bought the original E-M5 together with the Panasonic 100-300mm and found it to be as big as I could comfortably use. I found the E-M1 series to be much easier to handle, especially after adding the 300mm Zuiko.

Not long ago you could have bought a new 1 MkII for £100 more than the new 5Mk III - unfortunately, they've put it up again to over £1300 (though they still include a free 30mm macro lens!).

As far as I'm aware, the 'grip' for the new model doesn't have a battery compartment to it - it's just made to handle larger lenses better.
 
The EM5 III seems to be a great little camera - just what is needed.

Olympus now needs to upgrade the EM1 III back into a suitable lead. AF in particular needs to be the equal or better of anything (of any format or size) on the market. The PRO 150-400 f4.5 lens has got my attention if it comes in light enough.

I want to upgrade IQ /AF in a lighter weight rig, and it seems I'm waiting on a few manufacturers to see who steps up to the plate first. I think I've effectively given up on Canon's 600 f4 DO anytime soon. That leaves Nikon's similar 600 f5.6 PF which was meant to be here by now ...... or an Olympus EM1 III /150-400 f4.5 combo, though I'm far more confident of Nikon's longevity in the imaging game than I am with Olympus ......

And ..... Honestly, I'm not even going to try and understand the EM1X.

flossiepip ....... what about the new Nikon Z50 and PF 500 f5.6 via FTZ adapter ..... ? :cat:




Chosun :gh:
 
I think the 150-450mm will be a stunning lens if the 300mm is anything to go by.

It's going to be quite a price, though - having added both a 1.4x converter and a new EM1 II to my kit this year, I'm not worried about this as it'll be out of my range whatever it is! I could just about sneak through a 2x converter at some stage, though they seem to be as hard to get hold of as Nikon's 500mm PF lenses are at the moment.
 
Olympus now needs to upgrade the EM1 III back into a suitable lead. AF in particular needs to be the equal or better of anything (of any format or size) on the market.


I think the firmware upgrades to the EM1 II already make it the equal of the usual DSLRs for autofocus on birds in flight. Just my opinion.
 
Yes, the Nikon Z50 doe's seem to be a more interesting alternative to the 5 III if you can get over the thought of moving to a new system. My main thought on the 5 III is that it brings more alternatives in to play now! And its very small size paired with a big heavy birding lens will be a pain. Other wise when it comes to my main focus for photography macro it would be wonderful no doubt but then I don't need super AF!
 
The reason why Olympus has survived over the years is because they have produced small, practical bodies with a large range of excellent lightweight lenses, so you can carry everything in a manageable sized bag.

Folks who wanted bigger bodies and lenses and who either needed fewer lenses or had more muscle bough Nikon etc.

I don't think the M5 III is a mistake as I am sure that an M5 sized camera makes more sense to their typical users and if they don't find a way of encouraging them to spend more cash, then Olympuses chances of survival will be minimal. Its use of the existing PEN/M10 sized battery might make it easier to get a few PEN/M10 people to upgrade and the increased performance will encourage a proportion of existing M5 users to also upgrade.

If you are fitting a heavier lens - then the OMD EM1 series, preferably with a grip if you don't have the X, is what I do - and one reason why they were introduced.

So, I don't think that Olympus had a lot of choice. The trouble is that does it provide anything that existing users of the PEN/M5 market place will actually part with cash for.
 
On the whole I am only saying mistake when linking the camera to action/birding photography as then the chances being you will put a large heavy lens or at least by micro 4/3 standards on the camera. I have been with Olympus for a long time and use the 5 and 5 II now but if I am going to spend that sort of money then I will look also at Sony, Nikon and others, its no longer a done Olympus deal.
 
I never had a problem using a small camera and large lens, i often used my V2 with the Sigma 50-500 or 150-600, its on a tripod so i could take the picture i used it handheld.
 

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Yeah, why are people unhappy with small cameras and bog lenses? If anything a big lens makes the body make less of a difference, not more, as you will be holding the setup by the lens anyway.
 
Amazon are showing two MC20s in stock at the moment if you want to get sneaking.

Ron

It's amazing how well-known dealers such as Wex can't seem to get them. They could, of course, be fulfilling a backlog of customers' orders which out-number their allocations of the converters, hence the continuing 'awaiting stock' notice.

Anyway, I've got to 're-stock' my bank balance, so hopefully, there'll be plenty around when I'm ready to sneak in!
 
Small cameras and big lens are fine if the small camera has a good sized grip. My 5 II always felt in need of one but when I used a Panasonic GX 85 it was just fine with the 100/400.
 
Flossie, one comment you did not reply to was the fact that you would have to purchase new lenses if going to a new system. Secondly, what is wrong with your current cameras that you cannot sit tight a little longer?

Niels
 
Niels in part I answered that in post one and these days I generally only use one lens! My 5 II is just fine but would love that better AF now on the MK III if I ever go back to bird Photography! What I am saying is that now in that event I would have more choice than just stick with Olympus as the price gives the camera much more competition.
 
I never had a problem using a small camera and large lens, i often used my V2 with the Sigma 50-500 or 150-600, its on a tripod so i could take the picture i used it handheld.

Ha! Just what I do. I use my E-M5ii on my nikon 800mm f/5.6 11lb (5kg) monster! Gives me a 1600mm field of view.

Really, with heavier lenses like the 100-400 or 300/4, you need to hold the system by the lens, not the camera. Likewise, your camera strap needs to attach to then lens, not the camera. You'll start to deform the lens mount otherwise.

Marc
 
Really, with heavier lenses like the 100-400 or 300/4, you need to hold the system by the lens, not the camera. Likewise, your camera strap needs to attach to then lens, not the camera. You'll start to deform the lens mount otherwise.

Hmmm. I've been using my EM-1ii with those lenses (mostly 100-400) for 2 and a half years always carrying with strap attached to camera. No problems yet.
 
Hmmm. I've been using my EM-1ii with those lenses (mostly 100-400) for 2 and a half years always carrying with strap attached to camera. No problems yet.

My rule of thumb is that if the lens comes with a tripod foot, you should carry it by the lens, especially if you're walking around with it for a long time. The EM-1ii is a well-built camera, but the EM5 likely has more plastic around the lens mount. The 100-400 is only 2.2lb/1kg, so that's not too much, especialy if you walk around with the zoom retracted. The 300/4 is quite a bit heavier.

Lens mount deformations might not be noticeable unless you try doing technical shooting, like flat surfaces or things with regular patterns that might become deformed from asymmetric alignment.

Marc
 
The main reason for the heavier camera with a larger lens is that I was able to follow a faster moving object more smoothly and accurately with a bigger inertial mass at my end. The larger grips also helped.

There always used to be someone who had ripped his lens mount off due to not holding the lens properly, but I havn't heard of a case for some years - perhaps camera mounts are better attached these days.
 
Actually ripping the lens mount off or twisting it so the lens no longer works in it is not such much my concern nowadays. Bodies are magnesium, lens mounts are strong, and unless you are using a very heavy lens that does not seem to be an issue.

What is an issue is that high-resolution sensors (or equivalently small pitch pixels) are very flat and very sensitive to misalignment. Small micro bends in the mount can cause asymmetric focus or blurry areas. My understanding is that lens mounts are calibrated to within a few microns.

Anyway, I personally prefer sling straps that are easy to attach to a lens foot as easily as a camera, so I always go that route.

Marc
 
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