Micro 4/3 Olympus E-M10 - The new GF1 !!

Location
London UK
Name
Andy
After playing with the Olympus E-M10 a lot lately I came to the conclusion that it reminds me SO much of the Panasonic GF1. Although I have the E-M5 and like it a lot, the E-M10 is a little honey! The size and handling just feels so right just as the GF1 did/does. When something feels right, it just feels right and the E-M10 feels brilliant. The bonus is also having a great view finder, 16MPs Flip screen and better low light performance plus all the other modern gubbins! Brilliant!!!

Yes! for me the E-M10 is the new GF1 :D

Panasonic_Lumix_DMC-GF1.png
 
I have now got the E-M10 as I was so impressed with it at work. I have sold the E-M5 to get the E-M1..........or the E-M5mk2................or perhaps full frame but I would rather stick to 1 system.

The E-M10 is just ..... well....fun! I do need the grip for when I use my Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 which I will get soon.
 
I feel that at its price point, the E-M10 is very hard to beat in today's market - though the Sony A6000 does smoke it in terms of IQ, it doesn't (by some margin) in terms of handling and overall usage. I use it with the grip and the 12-40mm most of the time - while not as small as it can be (I tried a whole month with the 17mm - it was fun, too), this is an extremely capable combo that handles very nicely. It actually competes with the LX100 for a permanent(!) space in my day bag. The LX100 has a lot going for it (it's a very compelling package, and well worth having, period), but the E-M10 has superior image quality, is far faster in almost every respect, and its controls just fall under my fingers.

I actually got a GF1 out of interest and a funny bout of nostalgia, and while this still is quite a capable camera, neither IQ nor feature set nor speed are anywhere near a modern body. But it's nicer to handle than my nifty E-PM1, it's got a bigger screen and better controls (by far). It also handles one of my favourite lenses, the Panasonic 20mm, clearly better than the E-PM1, with better AF speed and accuracy. In fact, the GF1 and that lens are a near perfect match, so I'm looking for a new default prime on my E-PM1 ... The RAW files out of the GF1 are as good as the ones out of the E-PM1, if not a bit better in low light. The JPEGs, on the other hand, are quite murky ... so it's not a camera for running and gunning in order to extract a couple of shots for (online) publication. The E-PM1 does deliver on that front - and of course, so does the much more competent E-M10.

M.
 
Smoked might be a little strong. But handling is where it truly shines, I love how it handles. Better than my Nikon FX system.

I actually have the 14mm Panasonic mounted on my E-M10 most of the time, that's small.
 
I have now got the E-M10 as I was so impressed with it at work. I have sold the E-M5 to get the E-M1..........or the E-M5mk2................or perhaps full frame but I would rather stick to 1 system.

The E-M10 is just ..... well....fun! I do need the grip for when I use my Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 which I will get soon.

Buy them all!!!!!!
 
Buy them all!!!!!!

If only!!! :D

I really can't decide between the E-M1 and the E-M5mk2. I have yet to handle the new 5 and I may not like it. I was never keen on the feel of the original 5 but the grip made it a much better camera to hold. The E-M1 feels really nice and even better with the vertical battery grip.
 
I have now got the E-M10 as I was so impressed with it at work. I have sold the E-M5 to get the E-M1..........or the E-M5mk2................or perhaps full frame but I would rather stick to 1 system.

The E-M10 is just ..... well....fun! I do need the grip for when I use my Panasonic 12-35 f2.8 which I will get soon.

I had an E-P5 and E-M1. I had thought about using the E-M1 for my event work. In the end I decided to keep my m4/3 setup for everything but work. Sold both the E-P5 and E-M1, replaced them with the E-M10 and it's all the camera I need for what I do with it. It actually makes the separation easier. Everything in my Pro kit is there for work, for a specific reason / backup / etc. If I want to play, try something, or just get a new toy it's for m4/3.
 
Smoked might be a little strong. But handling is where it truly shines, I love how it handles. Better than my Nikon FX system.

I actually have the 14mm Panasonic mounted on my E-M10 most of the time, that's small.

I may have exaggerated, but I'm actually pretty sure that in a purely technical comparison, that'd be the case. However, I absolutely love the images coming from the E-M10 and don't have any desire to get an A6000. But I've seen results of actual scenes from both cameras side by side (actually, dpreview.com and dkamera.de do offer that, too), and it was pretty obvious how much better the A6000 RAW files were *in absolute terms*, i.e. in every technical aspect, resolution, contrast, dynamic range, noise, whatever. Does this mean that the IQ of the E-M10 is bad? Not at all - it's actually pretty amazing, considering the size of the sensor. It's just that the Sony 24Mpix sensor is really, really good - and not marginally, but clearly better than the E-M10's. But the Olympus' RAW files offer a lot of latitude, too, and the JPEGs are nice, too. I'm more than happy with that - and as I've said, in terms of handling, the E-M10 beats the A6000 for me hands down. And yes, the E-M10 handles better than my Nikon D90, too - though not as clearly as compared to the Sony ...

M.
 
I may have exaggerated, but I'm actually pretty sure that in a purely technical comparison, that'd be the case. However, I absolutely love the images coming from the E-M10 and don't have any desire to get an A6000. But I've seen results of actual scenes from both cameras side by side (actually, dpreview.com and dkamera.de do offer that, too), and it was pretty obvious how much better the A6000 RAW files were *in absolute terms*, i.e. in every technical aspect, resolution, contrast, dynamic range, noise, whatever. Does this mean that the IQ of the E-M10 is bad? Not at all - it's actually pretty amazing, considering the size of the sensor. It's just that the Sony 24Mpix sensor is really, really good - and not marginally, but clearly better than the E-M10's. But the Olympus' RAW files offer a lot of latitude, too, and the JPEGs are nice, too. I'm more than happy with that - and as I've said, in terms of handling, the E-M10 beats the A6000 for me hands down. And yes, the E-M10 handles better than my Nikon D90, too - though not as clearly as compared to the Sony ...

M.

Well dkamera.de is of no use to me since I didn't notice a convert to English on the site :redface:.

But the images on DPreview (in the studio tests) seems to favor the Olympus at higher ISO. At least to my eyes the Sony seemed to have more Chroma noise compared to the Olympus has Luminance noise. Their chart for dynamic range also favors the Olympus.

Which of course is directly the opposite of what the number on DXO show, DXO's numbers are probably closer to reality. Don't get me wrong I am a fan of Sony sensors, or at least I better be since my Pro stuff is all Nikon with Sony sensors (or at least I believe the D750 is the Sony sensor as well).
 
can you guys ease up on who is smoking whom and other verbose vitriol. I love m43 cams for their wide range of quality lenses, but I prefer APS-C (and by definition Sony) for the superior IQ of the larger sensor. So there may be some absolute smoking going on, but there is no one supreme camera.....just a few dozen super awesome cameras that offer compromises that may favor one kind of shooter over another.
 
can you guys ease up on who is smoking whom and other verbose vitriol. I love m43 cams for their wide range of quality lenses, but I prefer APS-C (and by definition Sony) for the superior IQ of the larger sensor. So there may be some absolute smoking going on, but there is no one supreme camera.....just a few dozen super awesome cameras that offer compromises that may favor one kind of shooter over another.

Luke, I think you're see fire from smoke where there isn't any. ;) Or at least not from my end.
 
Luke: I didn't take any offense and just hope I didn't cause any. I'm ready to agree that I shouldn't have tried to defend a camera I actually don't own and have no intention of getting. I just wanted to prevent people from getting carried away (this is certainly not directed at David, because he wasn't) and may have tried to do so using unhelpful means. In this case, I apologise, it wasn't what I was up to. I'm not vitriolic in any way, I can assure you of that.

Bottom line? I love my E-M10 even though it might not be the best camera ever - which it most certainly isn't; but it's still my most used camera and mounts some of my favourite lenses :)

M.
 
If only!!! :D

I really can't decide between the E-M1 and the E-M5mk2. I have yet to handle the new 5 and I may not like it. I was never keen on the feel of the original 5 but the grip made it a much better camera to hold. The E-M1 feels really nice and even better with the vertical battery grip.

The E-M1 is a very comfortable camera to hold and shoot with, but ultimately I find that I prefer the form of the original E-M5. Even though the size difference probably isn't all that great it just feels much smaller and more discrete.
 
Luke: I didn't take any offense and just hope I didn't cause any. I'm ready to agree that I shouldn't have tried to defend a camera I actually don't own and have no intention of getting. I just wanted to prevent people from getting carried away (this is certainly not directed at David, because he wasn't) and may have tried to do so using unhelpful means. In this case, I apologise, it wasn't what I was up to. I'm not vitriolic in any way, I can assure you of that.

Bottom line? I love my E-M10 even though it might not be the best camera ever - which it most certainly isn't; but it's still my most used camera and mounts some of my favourite lenses :)

M.

Non meant or taken. Since I separated my work from fun setup the E-M10 is the first camera I can really see myself keeping for some time. It's simply a pleasure to use.

The E-M1 is a very comfortable camera to hold and shoot with, but ultimately I find that I prefer the form of the original E-M5. Even though the size difference probably isn't all that great it just feels much smaller and more discrete.

Between the E-M1 and E-M10 for me it's really close, I'm not sure I'd call one better than the other for the way I use it, just different. I definitely like the ability to use the E-M10 with or without the grip. The E-M10 without the grip and the Panasonic 14mm is great. The size difference between the E-M1 and E-M5 is definitely noticeable, at least until you add the E-M5 grip.

Camera Size Compare
 
I definitely like the ability to use the E-M10 with or without the grip.

Exactly - I usually go with the 12-40mm f/2.8 and the grip, but the small primes don't demand the grip, so I usually take it off.

The E-M10 without the grip and the Panasonic 14mm is great.

With the 14mm, the E-M10 should definitely be coat-pocketable; I wonder if the AF is as fast as with the Olympus primes - is it?

That said, as much as I love pancakes in general, especially the Panasonic 20mm, I actually prefer the Olympus 17mm f/18 on the E-M10 (sans grip) - a very handy combo, and extremely snappy in use. That lens, while probably not everybody's favourite (for super-crisp, you have to look elsewhere), renders very nicely and is a solid general purpose lens. Plus I actually like the fact that it offers a bit more grip space than the 20mm - so it fits the SLR-ish gestalt of the E-M10 even better. For me, this illustrates the fact that the E-M10 marries the best features of mirrorless cameras with the most helpful ones of (D)SLRs ...

btw. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to keep the 17mm after shooting with it excessively during the Single in January challenge - but I'd miss it too much, so it'll stay ...

M.
 
Exactly - I usually go with the 12-40mm f/2.8 and the grip, but the small primes don't demand the grip, so I usually take it off.



With the 14mm, the E-M10 should definitely be coat-pocketable; I wonder if the AF is as fast as with the Olympus primes - is it?

That said, as much as I love pancakes in general, especially the Panasonic 20mm, I actually prefer the Olympus 17mm f/18 on the E-M10 (sans grip) - a very handy combo, and extremely snappy in use. That lens, while probably not everybody's favourite (for super-crisp, you have to look elsewhere), renders very nicely and is a solid general purpose lens. Plus I actually like the fact that it offers a bit more grip space than the 20mm - so it fits the SLR-ish gestalt of the E-M10 even better. For me, this illustrates the fact that the E-M10 marries the best features of mirrorless cameras with the most helpful ones of (D)SLRs ...

btw. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to keep the 17mm after shooting with it excessively during the Single in January challenge - but I'd miss it too much, so it'll stay ...

M.

The 14mm is a little slower focusing than the 17mm head to head. But I believe still faster than the 20mm (from what I've read, I've never used one). When I decided to keep my pro and fun kits separated I set a $200 price limit on lenses. So only one lens in my current collect cost me over $175. Gone are: Oly f/1.8 17mm, 45mm, & 75mm, as well as the Pan 35-100 f/2.8. All great glass, but I was trying to control the spend. Now what I have cost me just under $1000 in total. They are: Pan 14mm & 45-175mm, Sigma 30mm & 60mm, Oly 12-50 & 9mm BCL. And it all fits into a ThinkTank Retrospective 5.

At some point I'll probably break down and add back something faster. I could add the 20mm f/1.7 or 45mm f/1.8, but if I went for either of the 25mm options I'd probably sell off the 30mm.

Edit: I should add that keeping to this limit might be a little easier for me since I do have a full FX kit in including 24-200mm f/2.8 and 16-200mm f/4.0 zooms. So I do have faster glass if needed.
 
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