Olympus E-M5 negatives roundup (and Q4 results are worse than expected)

After weeks of so many good Olympus reviews and positive feedbacks I summed three bad news all in one single post:

1) Marketwatch reports that “Olympus will likely post a larger-than-expected loss when it announces results for the fiscal year ended in March later Thursday“.I guess soon we will also know if Olympus will be forced to join a partnership with Fuji or Sony. I hope Olympus will manage it to remain independent!

2) Not all about the E-M5 is sooo great: Karl (at personal view) demonstrates how the GH2 is better than the E-m5 when it comes to analyze the video quality.

3) And it seems the camera has some banding issue too! Read the thread at Dpreview (Click here). UPDATE: It looks like the problem only occurss with the Panasonic 20mm lens!

P.S: Small good news at the end of this article: New XZ-1 firmware update at Olympus Japan (Click here).

 

Change the E-M5 top plate and cover! (Kirk Tuck fells in love with the E-M5!)

[shoplink 30872 ebay][/shoplink]

It’s so difficult to find the E-M5 in Stock I am surprised to see that there are already pieces(!) of E-M5 for sale on eBay! You can buy a new [shoplink 30872 ebay]silver top plate (Click here)[/shoplink] and the [shoplink 30873 ebay]Black cover (Click here)[/shoplink]. You may be able to change the color of your E-M5 depending on your mood :)

But now let’s go back to some new reviews or news. Kirk Tuck (Click here) really tried to resist the E-M5 temptation but than he met his friend at a bar and he had an E-M5: “It has the nicest and quietest sounding shutter I’ve heard since the Olympus e1 camera from 2004.  But it’s even quieter and more refined than that high water mark of shutter elegance.  It may be the perfect camera shutter from a auditory point of view.  The sound of the the shutter is what I imagine the door of a Bentley car feels like when it shuts.  Reason enough to own the camera even if it were only as good in the files as its predecessor…” read the full “in love” report on his website ;)

P.S.: 90mm resolution test at DSLRcheck (Click here). File Notes at Outbackphoto (Click here).

E-M5 (Pre)order links (Click on store name): Amazon, Adorama, B&H, Jessops, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.

Bestseller list. Check the list (changes hourly!):
USA: E-M5 on position 11/12/13 (Click here)
UK: E-M5 is on position 7 (Click here).
Germany: The E-M5 is on position 2/9 (Click here).
France: not available (Click here to see rankings anyway).
Japan: E-M5 on position 3/4 (Click here).

Imatest results via Lensrentals (the 20mm rules!)

[shoplink 14828 ebay][/shoplink] Lensrentals (Click here) just posted their Wide-Angle Micro 4/3 Imatest Results. He measured the resolution at different aperture settings. He really tested ALL wide angle lenses including the new Nokton 17.5mm. And the results are once again a big praise for probably the most sold m43 lens ever…the [shoplink 14796]Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens[/shoplink]! So small, so cheap and so damn good! It really shines at all apertures and it even (easily!) beats the [shoplink 23110]Panasonic-Leica 25mm[/shoplink] lens! Of course Lensrentals only measured the resolution and there are many other aspects to consider when judging the quality of the lens. It has to be said that the Olympus 17mm is pretty dispapointing while the [shoplink 16258]Panasonic 14mm[/shoplink] lens is again doing pretty well!

The Panasonic 20mm lens is one of these lenses that wil be remembered for a long time. And I hope Panasonic will do more of that kind of lenses in future!

For US readers. The super 14mm lens got a disocunt and is in Stock for $299 at Amazon (Click here) and Bhphoto (Click here). And the 20mm is also available at Amazon (Click here) after it went out of Stock for a while. The second most sold lens of the moment is the $199 45-20mm lens at Amazon (Click here to get the lens or here to see the ranking).

E-M5 dynamic range greater than on the GH2 (Admiringlight).

I really tried hard to not write any E-M5 news today but there are some news I absolutely have to report :)
Admiringlight (Click here) compared the dynamic range (in RAW) between the OM-D and the Gh-2. He writes: “the E-M5 has significantly better dynamic range than the GH2 (or any other m4/3 cam I’ve ever used) in both the shadows and the highlights (though the difference in everyday use is bigger in the highlights). In my experience with the E-M5 so far, it’s been very difficult to clip highlights at all…you really have to almost try to do it.” Good news! Let’s see what DxOmark will tell us soon about the E-m5!
Also Digitalcamerareview (Click here) posted the full E-M5 review and gets the “Editor’s choice” mark: “The E-M5 doesn’t start as quickly as a DSLR and doesn’t offer continuous autofocus at its high-speed continuous shooting rate, so while you probably won’t see anybody from Sports Illustrated shooting one on the sidelines, just about anybody else will probably find there is not much this newest little Olympus can’t do.

User reviews
Seeing all these positive reviews posted lately I checked the user reviews on Amazon if there is something negative to report. But I had no luck (LOL) and the 12 review on Amazon US (Click here) are almost all 5 stars. So I crossed the ocean over to Amazon Germany (Click here) were I found one “One star” review that really doesn’t count. The reviewer basically says the Nikon D40 is a better value…maybe a Nikon employee wrote it :)

And here are some messages and links sent to me by readers:
Silver + 12-50 E-M5 pre-order just shipped from B&H (Click here) STOP Black E-M5 body only available in stock in Sweden www.cyberphoto.se STOP $100 discount on that E-M5 on [shoplink 30855 ebay]eBay DE (Click here)[/shoplink] STOP Shooters report at Imaging Resource (Click here) STOP Studio samples at Photographyreview (Click here) STOP Image samples by Clausen (Click here) STOP Customizing the E-M5 by Ramon (in spanish).

Now please send Panasonic send me some GH3 rumor if you don’t want that all 43rumors switch over to Olympus ;)

E-M5 (Pre)order links (Click on store name): Amazon, Adorama, B&H, Jessops, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.

Bestseller list. Check the list (changes hourly!):
USA: E-M5 on position 11/12/13 (Click here)
UK: E-M5 is on position 7 (Click here).
Germany: The E-M5 is on position 2/9 (Click here).
France: not available (Click here to see rankings anyway).
Japan: E-M5 on position 3/4 (Click here).

New E-M5 user guide from Dpreview (shipping at Amazon/E-M5 accessories)

Video on top: I don’t know if that is a common thing under new E-M5 owners but a 43rumors reader tested the E-M5 weather sealed feature by taking  shower with the camera :)

Now it’s time for a short E-M5 news update:
First I have to report that many USA readers are now receiving their E-M5 body only preorders at Amazon (good!). Dpreview (Click here) posted an interesting article about “Getting the most out of the Olympus E-M5“. Definitely worth to read it! Review at Cecilsphotos (Click here), Image samples by Outbackphoto (Click here), Le bal des Martines, Paris, Belleville on vimeo (Click here), Low-light AF speed test youtube (Click here), Primero contacto by Ramon Clemente (Click here).

New E-M5 accessories on eBay:
Original CS-36FBC leather case for the E-M5 on [shoplink 30831 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
The super original Gariz E-M5 case are available on eBay in [shoplink 30624 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 30625 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink].
Three E-M5 batteries with charger for $39,99 ([shoplink 30785 ebay]Click here to see the auction[/shoplink]).
Two E-M5 batteries with charger for $30,99 ([shoplink 30786 ebay]Click here to see the auction[/shoplink]).
One E-M5 battery with charger for $18,99 ([shoplink 30787 ebay]Click here to see the auction[/shoplink]).
A single E-M5 battery without(!) charger for $12,99 ([shoplink 30788 ebay]Click here to see the auction[/shoplink]).

E-M5 (Pre)order links (Click on store name): Amazon, Adorama, B&H, Jessops, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.

Bestseller list. Check the list (changes hourly!):
USA: E-M5 on position 7/19 (Click here)
UK: E-M5 is not a top seller today (Click here).
Germany: The E-M5 is on position 2/12 (Click here).
France: not available (Click here to see rankings anyway).
Japan: E-M5 on position 1/16 (Click here).

New GF5 and GX1 review (with new GH2 cage)

I am not a big cage expert or fan but this one looks pretty good! It’s sold by the korean company Gini and there is one single GH2 cage on auction on [shoplink 30816 ebay]eBay (Click here to check it out)[/shoplink].

Now let’s focus on other two Panasonic cameras:
Panasonic GX1 review at Photographybay (Click here): “In the end, the compact size, speed and image quality deliver enough for most photo enthusiasts.  It’s in the same vein of Sony’s excellent NEX line on all fronts.  Those wanting more out of a camera need to consider stepping up to a larger and more expensive option.
GX1 price check at [shopcountry 26836].
Panasonic GF5 review at Techradar (Click here): “The low price makes the Panasonic GF5 one of the best compromises on the market between compact size and high image quality. It’s one of the only cameras that is truly (jacket) pocketable and portable enough to be carried around on a daily basis, while still managing to offer fantastic image quality and a solid feature set.
GF5 price check at [shopcountry 30485].

Reminder on super m43 USA deals. I order them from the cheapest to the most expensive:
Olympus E-PL1 body for $149 at Amazon (Click here).
Panasonic 45-200mm lens for $199 at Amazon (Click here).
Olympus E-P2 body for $229 at Amazon (Click here).
Olympus E-PL1 with kit lens for $272 at Amazon (Click here). Actually it is also the most sold m43 camera at Amazon (here is the ranking).
Panasonic 45-175mm for $382 at Amazon (Click here).
Panasonic GX1 body for $549 at Amazon (Click here).

Olympus E-M5 review roundup!

I keep finding links about new E-M5 reviews and test. So it’s time for a new roundup:
Steve Huff (Click here) finished his E-M5 review: “To all of those who feared M4/3 in the past, fear no more. The E-M5 is versatile, capable, fun, serious, well built and offers everything we can ask for in a take anywhere camera. BRAVO OLYMPUS!
Full E-M5 review by Pocket-Lint (Click here): “We like it, we like it a lot. But with a taller asking price than the Nikon D7000, and at just £200 shy of a Canon EOS 7D kit, there’s a lot to consider.
New E-M5 review at E-P1.net (Click here).
A bit weird OM design thought at Minimallyminimal (Click here).
Olympus OM-D E-M5: mise au point manuelle at Lepidi (Click here).
E-M5 versus GX1 by Petter Magnusson (Click here).
10 minute video of OMD E-m5 video on a quadrocopter flying around a skate park, showing how good the video is and how well the IBIS works on Vimeo (Click here).
Hungarian E-M5 review by Pixinfo (Click here).
Silkypix RAW quality comparison by DSRLcheck (Click here).
Jérôme:Here’s a fresh video from my OM-D E-M5 using best Zuiko & Panasonic lenses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Mv6j88vPA
And a direct link to download the Full HD movie: http://dl.free.fr/bXvQsUZFK
Vittore:Here you can find ( https://plus.google.com/u/0/105314449991381543946/posts ) a first little impression from a professional photographer with OM-D E-M5 here my portfolio if you want to know who I am: http://photographer.photoshelter.com/

E-M5 (Pre)order links (Click on store name): Amazon, Adorama, B&H, Jessops, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon Japan and Digitalrev.

Bestseller list. Check the list (changes hourly!):
USA: E-M5 on position 10/13/18/19 (Click here)
UK: E-M5 is on position 11 (Click here).
Germany: The E-M5 is on position 4/12 (Click here).
France: not available (Click here to see rankings anyway).
Japan: E-M5 on position 3/6/16 (Click here).