Micro 4/3 Some thoughts on the OMD EM5/Olympus Travel Lens Kit combo

Jock Elliott

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Troy, NY
The Travel Lens Pack, which contains the Olympus 14-150mm zoom and the 17mm f/1.8 prime, has had the effect of transforming my opinion of the OMD EM5.

Don’t get me wrong: the OMD EM5 is a fine camera. I picked one up as a factory refurb with the 12-50 internally zooming weatherproof lens with the twin thoughts that I would use it in inclement weather and that it would never suck up an image-ruining dust particle as my FZ200 had. (The camera that I carry most often is the Sony HX400V because of its enormous zoom range and the punchy images that it delivers.) But until recently, I hadn’t used the OMD EM5 all that much.

When my FZ200 picked up a dust particle and so did my LX100 (with these fixed lens cameras, getting rid of the dust particle requires an expensive trip to the camera repair shop), I got rid of them. But now I had no low light camera (the HX400V does many things well, but low light is not one of them), so I began casting about for one.

It seemed reasonable to look for a fast wide angle prime for the OMD EM5, and a 14mm f/2 caught my eye, but at almost the same time, I noticed that I could purchase the Olympus Travel Lens combo for exactly the same price. I decided to give it a try.

The 14-150 zoom has been a revelation, covering 28mm e to 300mm e with a twist of the zoom ring and up to 600mm e if you are willing to kick in the digital zoom. The autofocus seems to be very fast at all focal lengths. I had some problems getting it to focus on small objects at a distance until I updated to the firmware that provides small focusing areas. In head to head comparisons with the kit lenses for the Canon SL1, I found the Canon lenses to be a hair sharper at 100% (although they require changing lenses in the middle of the zoom range), but the 14-150 is plenty sharp enough for all practical purposes. What’s more, the 14-150 is also weather resistant, which is a plus, although in a bona fide monsoon, I would probably revert to the 12-50. I’ll be covering an event tomorrow and the 14-150 will go with me.

The 17mm f/1.8, though, has shocked me with how much fun it is. But first there was a glitch. When I first mounted it on the OMD EM5, I couldn’t get it to autofocus. The focus square wouldn’t appear, although the focus ring worked just fine. In desperation (remember: Real Men don’t read manuals), I read the manual. The focus ring, it turns out, slides back and forth on the lens barrel. In one position, it is manual focus only, and – street shooters will love this – a depth of field scaled is exposed so you can zone focus. In the second position, autofocus is enabled and you can still manually focus with the focus ring.

HX400V OMD with 17mm lens 002-001.JPG
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The autofocus seems to be instantaneously quick in virtually all conditions . . . press the shutter button, and the AF is locked on so quick it’s like telepathy. It falters only in very, very dark conditions (an unlit room with moonlight bleeding in through a window), at which point the shooter can provide some help with the focus ring. Bottom line: with the Olympus 17mm f/1.8, if you can see it, you can take a picture of it.

Frankly, I am so pleased with the OMD/Travel Lens combo that if someone were to ask me for an m4/3 recommendation, I would say: “Get an Olympus body and the Travel Lens Kit, and, well, enjoy!”

Cheers, Jock
 
One glitch with the E-M10 - the 5 may be different - relates to focus peaking and it's one of the little things that made me decide to sell the camera. I had focus peaking turned on in the MF assist menu, and by default I had AF+MF set so I could fine tune focus. Then as soon as I touched the focus ring I saw focus peaking. However after engaging MF (via pulling back the focus ring on the 17mm or via the SCP for other lenses) peaking didn't appear unless I pressed a button assigned to that function. Which meant that I had one less function button for other useful stuff.

I could never figure out the rationale for that.
 
Jock, after your long period with advanced compacts and bridge cameras, I see you slowly and cautiously moving up the food chain of cameras these days. Glad you're enjoying your Oly kit. Unless you decide you need to shoot high-action sports for a living, I suspect you now have all you need. Keep the images coming.

BTW, I also have the original E-M5, the 14-150 II (with WR) and the 17mm f/1.8... all purchased refurbished from the Olympus maybe three years ago. All were like new and continue to work perfectly. Good stuff.
 
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The E-M5 is a great camera. I think it represents the point at which m43 peaked. It was a big step ahead of what came before it, and the further bodies that came out didn't add much (to me, anyways).
 
I have two of those puppies! While I have other equipment that may best their IQ a bit, they do a lot of things well and are very intuitive for me. I don't know if you have played around with the touch focus and shoot feature on the screen but it works very well.
 
I have the original E-M5, 12mm f/2, and the 17mm f/1.8, all purchased used in like new condition, well below the original selling prices. I may like to buy "new" gear from time to time, but I'm cheap and always look for the best deals on gently used gear. My MFT gear works very well for me.
 
EM5 must be amongst the best values to be had these days... Sensor-wise very little meaningful difference to current/much pricier bodies. And a joy to use (one of the only cameras that I bought new and very close after it's release because I liked it so much)
When I got a refurbished EM1 I saw no reason to get rid of the EM5 and I use both interchangeably (whatever has the right lens on it at the moment or is more convenient)

Here's one from last night taken with the EM5 and the Oly 75mm.

30920936961_64fcd25477_c.jpg
perigee full moon (not quite)
by tilman paulin, on Flickr
 
That 75mm lens would be one to lust after, IF, I really wanted to expand my equipment list.

it's a unique lens for sure, but to be honest it's one of my lesser used lenses. More of a 'special situation' lens...
So unless you know that you'll be fine with the 75mm focal length, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unconditionally (certainly not at full price). :)
 
Jock, after your long period with advanced compacts and bridge cameras, I see you slowly and cautiously moving up the food chain of cameras these days. Glad you're enjoying your Oly kit. Unless you decide you need to shoot high-action sports for a living, I suspect you now have all you need. Keep the images coming.

BTW, I also have the original E-M5, the 14-150 II (with WR) and the 17mm f/1.8... all purchased refurbished from the Olympus maybe three years ago. All were like new and continue to work perfectly. Good stuff.

Biro,

First, thanks for the encouragement. For really long-range stuff, a superzoom is unbeatable. 1200mm, handheld? Doable.

But when I shot the kettle kickoff for the Salvation Army here in Troy, NY, yesterday -- Some shots from today's assignment -- I brought both the Sony HX400V and the OMD EM5 with the 14-150 (the 17mm f/1.8 was in my bag, but never used). When I started, I took 11 shots with Sony, then switched to the Olympus and never looked back. With the Olympus and the 14-150, it was easier to see, get autofocus, and just plain more fun to shoot. In the end, I took 127 shots with the OMD.

And here's the kicker: last year, I shot the same event with the FZ200 and the LX100. My wife looked at some of the Olympus images from this year and said, "I really like these photos; I think they are a step up from last year."

Cheers, Jock
 
I've had two EM-5 for some time but missed the focus peaking, aperture rings and preferred the output from my APS-C cameras, especially in low-light. On top of that I don't need a fourth camera but anytime I see one I feel an urge to give it another try - can't help it.
 
Jock: I can relate to your experience with the E-M5 and 14-150mm - the lens might not be the best in Olympus' lineup, but it's an astonishingly competent lens in absolute terms, and lots of fun to use and shoot. The 14-150mm/17mm combo was my travel setup for some time, though the 17mm was replaced by the Olympus 25mm because that lens is even more versatile and delivers even better images. But when on the road, the 14-150mm stays on the camera most of the time because it's all I need. I now pair the lenses with the somewhat more compact GX80 - but I do recall the E-M10/14-150mm with fondness.

The upcoming 12-100mm f/4 will be spectacular, but also three times the price and twice the weight; I'll keep the 14-150mm - and I think I'll even keep it should I ever seriously consider buying the 12-100mm ...

M.
 
I've had two EM-5 for some time but missed the focus peaking, aperture rings and preferred the output from my APS-C cameras, especially in low-light. On top of that I don't need a fourth camera but anytime I see one I feel an urge to give it another try - can't help it.
I've been thinking along the same lines, Ken. I like my E-M5, 17mm, and 12mm a lot, but I miss good focus peaking in an APS-C package. The peaking is decent on my Fuji X-30. Too bad Olympus never implemented it as a firmware upgrade for the E-M5. I use the Key Line Art Filter workaround, but it's not the same.
 
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