Micro 4/3 Picked up my Olympus E-PL5 today

Dewi Sant

Veteran
Location
Lancashire, England
Name
Guess?
Hey guys :) As suggested last week, I decided to go for the E-PL5 after much searching and finally getting the short list down to two cameras - the Sony Nex 6 and the Oly Pen Lite. I eventually found a camera shop not too far way from here that had both in stock so was able to compare them side by side for feel etc. The Sony felt ok, but a bit lacking in character I thought, but it has got the ASP-C sensor which almost swung it for me. It was my son who commented after trying both that the Pen is a camera you could grow to love - the Sony isn't, and for once I had to agree with him so paid the money and walked out woth the Pen.

I've been sat here for about two hours now going through the very convoluted menu system. It's large - no HUGE! But, with the help of a couple of very informative You Tube videos I'm slowly beginning to work it all out .... and finding that some of the default settings are a bit puzzling. I've not shot a proper photo yet, just a few bits in my office here but already I'm starting to like the feel of this camera, it's a pleasure to use and once the settngs are sorted for the bits I'll use a lot it's going to be a stunner I think. It's like having a blank canvas and starting from scratch - this thing is just so customizable (is that a word?). I can't wait to get out and about and fire off some shots, I can fell a long dog walk coming off tomorrow :) I don't get attached to cameras usually but this one seems lik eit could get under my skin

After my Canon, which isn't a particularly large DSLR the Pen feels miniscule so for my travel photography it's going to be a Godsend. I'll post some pics up here when I've taken them, meanwhile have a pic of Olly, our new family member - handsome little devil isn't he?

D

Looking kinda tiny by the side of the Canon
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Thanks guys. The Canon will definitely be staying in my arsenal as I shoot a fair bit of motorsport and for that I wouldn't be without it, but it just seems ridiculous carting it about when there are now cameras better suited to travel photography. "Horses for courses" as they say. I tried the waist level lcd out in the shop, it brought back memories of shooting weddings with my Mamiyas - but the image is now the right way up! Little things like that are what give a camera character.

Still wading throught the menu - it's in no logical order whatsoever and I'm having a ball, if I'd brought the Sony home it would now be in it's bag and I'd be down in the living room with my feet up watching TV. I have got a nice drop of Glenmorangie double matured single malt here though for company :)
 
I last setup the settings on an Olympus camera back in May 2012 when I bought my E-M5, and then only just recently had to do it again when I got my E-M5 back from a warranty repair (it had been reset), when I bought an E-P5, and even two E-M1s that I handled at a launch event. Even after an 18 month hiatus it wasn't hard to find and change the things that I wanted. I don't think that there is such thing as a "logical" camera menu system; just comprehensive and not-so-comprehensive ones. The term logical is often just how we describe something that we are familiar with. At least on an Olympus you actually get some descriptive subheadings so you can find what you want quickly. It's a bit like having File, Edit, View, Window, Help, etc, subheadings...hasn't anyone else used computers all that much over the last few decades?
 
Maybe I'm just so used to Canon menus. LP. It just seemed a bit odd that things like "warm tone" should be asigned to the AWB in default which gives a horrid magenta cast, and the comprehensive custom menu is hidden away in the bowels of the camera somewhere and has to be activated. I'm still strugglng trying to get RAW files from the camera to load into Adobe Photoshop, The Digital Photo Pro I got with the Canon was a breeze but the enclosed Olympus software is definitely not very user friendly. But then again, I'm not a techno kinda guy - I actually run on clockwork and steam.

D
 
Guess which brand camera system I came from as well? :) I currently have Olympus, Samsung, Canon, and Panasonic cameras, have used Sony, Ricoh and Nikon as well. After all those, the Olympus version is just another menu, however it seems that I can find what I want more easily through deduction than simply through memory because of the submenus. I don't know if the order of the submenus makes sense but their names do (to me anyway). Turning off warm colours from the auto WB logic is one of my first ports of call.

I can't really comment the Olympus Viewer 3 software. Those who I know that use it do so mostly because they can still get "Olympus colours" within a raw workflow.
 
I got an EPL5 fairly recently too, and I really like it. I came from a Lumix GX1, which has a fantastic interface in my opinion. So I was a little put off by the Oly UI initially. But it really wasn't that bad in the end. Perhaps you learned this already but the best tip I gleaned from the boards, youtube etc. is saving a Myset to a position on the mode dial. So for example, let's say you normally shoot A priority for your everyday shooting. Set up the camera as you like it, then create a myset with those settings, and assign that myset to the A button on the mode dial. So now A is always ready to go. I also use M and P, so I set them up as well. With the SuperDuper Control Panel activated, the camera become a breeze to operate, though I still prefer a few aspects of the GX1.
 
Just starting to get my head around both camera and Olympus Viewer a bit after hours of fiddling. New Years day after a night on the lash with a few biker mates probably isn't the best time to choose though :)

D
 
Some shots taken today with the little Oly. I took a walk over one of my dog walkling routes - sans dogs. Just me and the Oly & I was amazed at how easy it is to carry and use after the DSLR Canon. I still took my camera rucksack - it's part of me now that old thing, but it was a lot lighter than it used to be. Got to say I love this camera - in spades.

Not the best photos, they were just rattled off to try a few different settings etc and there are still a few adjustments to be made, but we're getting there. If anyone is on the fence about gettng one of these superb little cameras, then don't think about it, just do it.

Criticisms so far? Big hands would probably find it a bit fiddly for sure, but I've got little stubby fat fingers and I managed ok. The image stablisation isn't the best but I remember shooting film cameras that had none at all and got some great shots with them, I've just got lazy and need to brush up on my camera holding techniques - that's not the fault of the Oly. I'm not sure I like the way the lens has to be wound out before the camera can be turned on - seems a little pointless to me. Only a minor niggle but it could mean the difference between grabbing a quick shot and missing one. I'm going to lose the lens cap - it's tiny. Best get a supply in then! Finally, the kit lens is ok for what it is but I feel that there's a lot more potential locked up in this camera when a better (prime?) lens is fitted. I'm waiting on a 17mm f2.8 to arrive which was a freebie from Olympus, but my next camera expenditure will be on some better lenses so I'll get researching what's out there.

All these minor gripes became irrelevent though when I saw the images - these are photoshopped from RAWs, I shot in JPEG as well and the camera needs a few adjustments making to get the best out of those. I've not done to much to these, a couple fo minutes in each just adding a bit of contrast etc and giving a slight Smart Sharpen. No doubt I'd spend longer on serious images. But - yes I'm a convert to M43 - oh, and I never missed the viewfinder once, it performed superbly even the bright low sun we had here today.

Pics from today here: Again, sorry for posting a link rather than the actual shots but when I tried putting them on Photobucket earlier it was trying to get me to download something that looked suspiciously like a virus, so I gave it a miss just to be safe. :) http://www.dewisant-photography.net/Dewi_Sant_Photography_Misc_Temp_Images.htm

D
 
I came from a Lumix GX1, which has a fantastic interface in my opinion. .

Perfect example of how we are all different :) I loathe, positively loathe the interface on the GX1, and indeed like virtually nothing about it - so much so that I have, tonight, offered it up in part ex against a fuji X-10.

The EPL-5 looks an intriguing camera ... auto focus , at least the one I played with tonight, seems about as fast as a tortoise that's had three of it's legs broken though - I was quite shocked how slow and poor it was - don't think I've ever seen ANY camera be so poor in focussing :(
 
Perfect example of how we are all different :) I loathe, positively loathe the interface on the GX1, and indeed like virtually nothing about it - so much so that I have, tonight, offered it up in part ex against a fuji X-10.

The EPL-5 looks an intriguing camera ... auto focus , at least the one I played with tonight, seems about as fast as a tortoise that's had three of it's legs broken though - I was quite shocked how slow and poor it was - don't think I've ever seen ANY camera be so poor in focussing :(

You must be doing something wrong.. what are you smoking? LOL.. or you must just like bashing Olympus?
 
You must be doing something wrong.. what are you smoking? LOL.. or you must just like bashing Olympus?

I have never smoked in my life and never will but thanks for checking :)

Doing something wrong ? .... like what exactly ?

You hold metal box up / you look at little green square on screen / you place said square on thing you'd quite like to be in focus / you press button.

Now as I am able to operate a computer and post semi literate , intelligible sentences in a forum I propose to you that I can manage the above too.

When one does the above steps one of several things often happens:

a) the camera focuses, does so confidently and swiftly
b) the camera tries to focus, hunts back and forth a little , then settles and attains focus
c) the camera tries to focus, struggles and then gives up with an indication that it couldn't get focus
d) the camera tries to focus, indicates it has, but the image on the viewfinder is clearly out of focus by a noticeable amount.

Now then... the EPL I played with last night in a large currys store.

Did a) a reasonable amount of the time
did b) a few times
did c) a fair bit
did d) quite a bit

subject being focussed on varied from price labels / other cameras / boxes / people / fixtures and fittings / walls etc, etc

I also had plays with a few other cameras - most noticeably Samsung NX 300 and Samsung NX30 - both of which rather impressed - snapping to instant (almost telepathic) focus pretty much 99 % of the time.

bashing Olympus ? ... to what end ?

If you look at my sig you will see I use cameras from 4 different manufacturers - whilst being quite a canon fan , I am no f@nb0y and will buy and use the tools I feel do a good job and fit for me.

so my original assessment of that particular epl-5 stands.
 
I have never smoked in my life and never will but thanks for checking :)

Doing something wrong ? .... like what exactly ?

You hold metal box up / you look at little green square on screen / you place said square on thing you'd quite like to be in focus / you press button.

Now as I am able to operate a computer and post semi literate , intelligible sentences in a forum I propose to you that I can manage the above too.

When one does the above steps one of several things often happens:

a) the camera focuses, does so confidently and swiftly
b) the camera tries to focus, hunts back and forth a little , then settles and attains focus
c) the camera tries to focus, struggles and then gives up with an indication that it couldn't get focus
d) the camera tries to focus, indicates it has, but the image on the viewfinder is clearly out of focus by a noticeable amount.

Now then... the EPL I played with last night in a large currys store.

Did a) a reasonable amount of the time
did b) a few times
did c) a fair bit
did d) quite a bit

subject being focussed on varied from price labels / other cameras / boxes / people / fixtures and fittings / walls etc, etc

I also had plays with a few other cameras - most noticeably Samsung NX 300 and Samsung NX30 - both of which rather impressed - snapping to instant (almost telepathic) focus pretty much 99 % of the time.

bashing Olympus ? ... to what end ?

If you look at my sig you will see I use cameras from 4 different manufacturers - whilst being quite a canon fan , I am no f@nb0y and will buy and use the tools I feel do a good job and fit for me.

so my original assessment of that particular epl-5 stands.
Hey, I was just joking around... no harm intended.. :)
 
ha ha Doug.

That's cool.

tbh i was shocked and disappointed as I'm vaguely interested in the EPL-5, despite having more than enough cameras and tonight sealing the deal to swap my gx-1 for an X-10 (something else I'm sure many will find an odd move lol)

I believe, correct me if I'm wrong peeps, that Panasonic and olympus have the reputation for having the fastest focussing mirrorless cameras so not sure what was going on. Can't have been the subjects or lighting as the samsungs focussed like turbo boosted, greased lightning.

I have not discounted the EPL-5 ... not the two samsungs I played with :)
 
I have had an E-PL5 for about 7 months.

In good light:

oly 14-42 mk II: very fast focus
Panny 12-32 pancake: very very fast focus
Oly 40-150: very fast
Panny 20mm: reasonable to fast. Faster than it was on my e-pl2

Bad light:
oly 14-42: reasonable
panny 12-32 pancake: reasonable
40-150: reasonable to slow
panny 20mm: Sometimes reasonable, other times its hunting season.

C-AF/Tracking just doesn't work at all very well.
 
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