Micro 4/3 Olympus Pen EP5

sjohnsonjd

New Member
Hello all, I am saving up to buy an Olympus Pen EP5 around Christmas. The price is quite high. I am wondering what is a good place to get used M43 lenses?
 
Dual dials makes a huge difference in the operation of the EP5 vs EPL5. 1/8000 max shutter speed allows for wide open shooting with the faster primes in bright light without using ND filters. Wifi remote operations. Better image stabilization.
 
I own(ed) e-p1,2,3 & e-pl5. For my use, the interchangeable grip is more important. You can change the grip for e-pl5 and it is fixed for e-p5. That kills the advantage of 5 axis IBIS w/ e-p5 for me.
 
I realize your statement was tongue in cheek and I'd like to reply with a silly question.
Is the E-P5 output twice as good?
I think I know what the answer is going to be.
Don't get me wrong, the E-P5 seems like a marvelous camera.

Personally, for what it's worth; I recently purchased an E-PL5, having sold my NEX-5N, LX-7 and GX1 among other gear (always rotating the inventory, if you will). I'm not wealthy but, I can afford any camera I want, money is not a factor really (yes, I'm lucky). My short list included the E-P5 and OMD EM5, both of whom stood at the top of the list. I won't bore you with my criteria as it is extremely subjective however, the E-PL5 stood above the others in value. It's not ever about which camera is "better".

In my less than humble opinion, I would surmise my philosophy in this nutshell:

"Dreaming is fun, doing is funner."

The OP is saving for an E-P5 and wants to buy used glass. ??? I am of the school that good glass trumps good body but, that's me.
In addition, a camera at the level of an E-P5 almost requires expensive glass to maximize it's capabilities.

Cheers.

One minor niggle - used glass does not always mean bad glass. I mean if it's good glass it can probably last years, right?
 
I see that the price of the Epl5 is half of the EP5. However, I am investing in a camera that can last for about a good 4-5 years, and buy lenses that can last about as long. Want the wifi and the image stabilization. When the EP7 or EP8 comes out, I will still be happy with this EP5.
 
Sensor tech is moving pretty fast. I think the e-pl5 is a much better value over the E-P5. Maybe by christmas the price will be lower. Considering the sensor in the E-P5 is starting to get long in the tooth(although still very good), it seems the better value right now are the Pen lites. The E-PL7 should in theory have a new sensor, and my guess will be updated sooner than the E-P5, and be cheaper.
 
The EP5 is solid. The main issue is launch price being high relative to the competition. If you can wait, do so and get the camera you really want.

I have an epm2, which I am happy with, but I also have other cameras to fulfill me needs. If m43 were my main system, I'd definitely consider the EP5, OMD, GX7 or GH3 as a main camera.
 
Old Glass? My main lens, is a 30 odd year old Vivitar. It's so good, that it rarely ever comes off. Yes, I've owned and used some of the latest and highly rated lenses, and they are very good. But for my budget, I can get the same images with an old $30-$60 lens. Yes I will undoubtedly, get a "new" lens eventually. But, Old glass on the latest body makes a lot of sense to me. Best image possible, for least amount of money. It doesn't make everyone happy, but it does me. :)
 
Sensor tech is moving pretty fast. I think the e-pl5 is a much better value over the E-P5. Maybe by christmas the price will be lower. Considering the sensor in the E-P5 is starting to get long in the tooth(although still very good), it seems the better value right now are the Pen lites. The E-PL7 should in theory have a new sensor, and my guess will be updated sooner than the E-P5, and be cheaper.

The EPL5 and the EP5 have the same sensor, first introduced in the OMD in April 2012, less than a year and a half ago. They'd been using the previous Panasonic 12mp since 2008 or 2009, whenever the G1 and EP1 were first introduced. I wouldn't say this sensor is long in the tooth at all. I'd say the EPL5 is significantly less expensive (the EPM2 less still), but whether its a better VALUE depends on how much you value things like the 5-axis stabilization and dual controls. Those things matter quite a bit to me. If I was looking at one of these as a primary body, I'd want the EP5, even at the higher price, and if as a second body, maybe the EPL5. There are other feature differences that will matter more or less to each individual. The dual controls matter to me almost all the time when I'm out shooting. the 5-axis doesn't matter that often, but when it does, its simply amazing. To me, it was the one really revolutionary advance in the original OMD. I wouldn't need that in both bodies in a two body setup, but it would be hard for me to go back to a single control wheel because that really changes the shooting experience on EVERY shot I take.

I think a lot of things are quantifiable, but value is so subjective that I wouldn't rate one above the other except by my criteria...

-Ray
 
Ray,

I have an E-P1 with dual controls and I've been using an E-PL2. Obviously same sensor. For the most part, pretty much the same but I find the larger grip on the E-PL2 so much better than the grip on the E-P1. Early on I didn't like not having dual control, but I find myself rarely needing it. Exposure compensation in A mode is a pretty quick change. In M mode the E-PL2 does become more difficult, but its rare that I use M mode.

At the end of the day they both have the same sensor and for me, I just couldn't spend twice as much on an E-P5. For me, I don't see the IBIS and dual dials adding in twice the value. I think the E-PL2 IBIS is quite adequate for what I do, and more importantly, the advantage for the better IBIS gets reduced with longer lenses if the grip is too small fo rme. I could care less about the 1/8000 shutter speed and the Wifi. To me, the advantage of the E-PL5 now is that it can have the larger grip, and the E-P5 doesn't and looks similar to the E-P1 grip in size. I would have been more inclined to get an E-P5 if the grip was interchangable, but probably not now. I also think the E-PL5 upgrade will be out soon, possibly having a better sensor and still being cheaper than the E-P5.

Since I'm in no hurry right now, I've been playing the wait and see game ever since the E-P5 release. My hope is to get something closer to the holidays where either the E-P5 is a better value or the E-PL5 gets cleared out for the upgrade.
 
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