New Olympus E-5 and E-PL2 reviews (+ XZ-1 image samples)
Trustedreviews tested the Olympus E-5. It’s a eight page long review and conclusions are on page four: “Ultimately, though, if this is the company’s last DSLR outing, at least it has saved the best until last. It’s well built, easy to use and can produce some great results. Unfortunately, that’s the bare minimum for a high-end DSLR and while there are still plenty of lenses and attachments for the Four Thirds system, we couldn’t in all conscience recommend the E-5 as a system camera you might want to get into from scratch”
E-5 direct shop links: Amazon US
Ephotozine publsihed the new Olympus E-PL2 review: “On the one hand we have a small and rather fiddly camera that needs some considerable care in operation. On the other hand we have a very compact unit that can deliver the very highest quality of results, and this must in the end be what counts”
E-PL2 direct shop links: Amazon US, Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon DE, Amazon FR
Focus Numerique tested the ISO performance of the new Olympus XZ-1: “Conventionally, images are crisp 100 to 400 ISO. In this speed range, the pictures are well detailed and grain virtually invisible, even at 100% on screen. Overall, the images lack a little contrast, but nothing dramatic. We may also regret a little dynamic range compared to some competitors, including the LX5. ”
XZ-1 direct shop links: Amazon US, Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon DE, Amazon UK
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Comment from Wife: in case you haven't noticed, quality and...
Dummy00001
2 years ago |“we couldn’t in all conscience recommend the E-5 as a system camera you might want to get into from scratch”
And there are no E-5 kits – sold as body only.
Why sell more, if we can sell less? isn’t it, Olympus?
sneye
2 years ago |That may explain the short supply in Europe. Seriously, every Zuiko owner wants one.
Boooo!
2 years ago |I do want one – but I’m not going to drop two monthly salaries on it, because that’s how much it costs over here.
The realistic price for a camera of E-5′s capabilities these days is 600-700€. Yes, it’s rugged and built like a bloody tank, but dynamic range and high ISO are on the level of 2007-2008 cameras.
It’s a real shame that Olympus has no clue about marketing – they could have sold boatloads of entry-level DSLR’s with at least *some* advertising. But they didn’t have any, anywhere. This is why they’re now as good as dead, and I personally think their imaging division will be bought by Panasonic in a year at most.
Greg
2 years ago |Come on. This camera is obviously solely aimed at Olympus fans who are already equipped with a whole load of lenses and don’t want yet another useless kit zoom…
Paul
2 years ago |Image quality 9/10 but we couldn’t recommend it!
mahler
2 years ago |The verdict simply reflect Olympus’ poor product strategy, leaving the future of 4/3 and therefore the 4/3 Zuiko glasses in uncertainty.
The reviewer needs to be praised that he takes this into account, most other reviewers don’t. Given the product strategy of Olympus, it is quite risky and therefore not recommendable for new customers, to invest into the E-5 and Zuiko glass, because it is not clear, how Olympus will continue here. There are some vague announcements and rumors that they will make Zuiko glasses integrated into the m4/3 concept, but so far we haven’t seen any prototypes of this and no indication what the future body concept of Olympus will look like.
Under these circumstances it will be difficult to convince anybody to invest into the expensive Olympus glass. This in turn may render all future 4/3 activities from Olympus as not economic, which may cause the demise of 4/3 to appear even sooner than later.
Even the latest interviews from Olympus representatives did nothing to give potential buyers enough confidence about the future of 4/3.
In my opinion, in 2 or 3 years, Olympus will be m4/3 only and the original 4/3 lens product line will be history (and possible good sellers in the second hand market).
bilgy_no1
2 years ago |“The reviewer needs to be praised that he takes this into account, most other reviewers don’t. Given the product strategy of Olympus, it is quite risky and therefore not recommendable for new customers, to invest into the E-5 and Zuiko glass, because it is not clear, how Olympus will continue here. There are some vague announcements and rumors that they will make Zuiko glasses integrated into the m4/3 concept, but so far we haven’t seen any prototypes of this and no indication what the future body concept of Olympus will look like.”
What’s vague about the statement: “there will always be an Olympus camera body available – whether a DSLR or another type of camera altogether – to allow users to benefit from current Four Thirds lenses”?
And
“We will continue to do these [Four Thirds cameras] until micro cameras can do what other products can,”
I do think that Olympus should explain their developments better, but the above statements seem pretty solid.
Wife
2 years ago |You’re kidding right? How much in denial can you be?
Have you seen how the 43rd lenses work on m43rd?
Just because there’ll be some bodies to work with those 43rd lenses, that doesn’t mean they’ll work well.
And if the EPL2 is any barometer, focusing m43rd camera and 43rd lenses is still crap.
Reza
2 years ago |“We will continue to do these [Four Thirds cameras] until micro cameras can do what other products can,”
This statement means at the current time they do not believe m43 can do what 43 can. It means that in the near future we will either see m43 improve focusing speed of 43 lenses comparable to 43 bodies, in which case there will be no more 43 bodies, or if they cannot achieve it and there is a new sensor they are playing with they will make a new E-7 43 with that sensor.
They never said what you get with the current m43 products is all you’ll have.
Wife
2 years ago |keep on dreaming, reza.
napalm
2 years ago |trustedreviews is a gadget review site. so they’re reviewing it as a gadget. we all know if you are a good photographer, the E-5 with the zuiko glass can be a good camera that can last you for years. i’ve read a few blogs that proclaimed the E-5 made them jump to 4/3 for the 1st time, maybe only a handful, but it does and will happen i think
but if seen as a gadget, it will be compared to current tech specs and it might not seem a good buy to tech freaks.
Wife
2 years ago |go to amazon, and look at the E-5 sale ranking (right now #2007 in camera catory)
go to bcn and look at the monthly ranking for the japanese market (not even in the top 80 DSLR last month).
Mike
2 years ago |meh…I was expecting better high iso results from the x-z1
Wife
2 years ago |Why would you? It’s not like Olympus is making its own sensor that is somehow better than everyone else.
The best they can do is stick nicer lens on it and/or do better processing.
If you look at the reviews on Olympus compacts in the past on DPR, you can see that they are rarely, if ever, at the top of those reviews.
Oliver
2 years ago |You can find a very detailled review on this website : http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/olympus_epl2_review/ I hope that Olympus can continue the DSLRs and have the same conclusion than E-PL2 : “The E-PL2 offers the same excellent image quality as the E-PL1. Low-light performance up to ISO 3200 is very good, offering comparable quality to an entry-level APS-C DSLR, despite the smaller sensor size.”
Paul
2 years ago |I’m afraid that’s not my understanding of what Olympus said about 4/3rds lenses and I see the reviewers remarks as quite lazy really re the future of 4/3rds. Coincidently if mirror less cameras (all manufacturers)really take off in the next few years and we get sensibly sized cameras with appropriately sized lenses for the pro market what going to happen to all that heavyweight Nikon/Canon glass!!
jak0b
2 years ago |I took a look at the pictures taken with the x-z1 and compared them to the other cameras in the test and I can’t help but thinking that the image taken with x-z1 at iso 800 and above was taken out of focus…
Wife
2 years ago |It’s not like people buy that kind of camera to do manual focus.
Paul
2 years ago |I have an E5, it’s a superb camera, period! I don’t need to look at a ranking table to assess quality as I generally find that actually using a product is the best test! .. and yes I use my 4/3rds lenses on my m4/3rds body and they are perfectly usable and I expect further developments, certainly in the eventual pro area of m4/3rds, will further increase the usability.
Wife
2 years ago |in case you haven’t noticed, quality and success in the marketplace (and therefore survival) aren’t necessarily directly proportionate.
(unless you live in e-5 fantasy land)
dCap
2 years ago |such a shame – and that summarized the situation so well!
I really WANT, and can afford, the E-5 … but I WILL NOT buy it because Olympus (apparently) dumped out of the system, grrrr!
All they need to do is make an E-621 + E-31 with an extra art filter and pretend to develop a new lens (like the mystery new Panasonic m43 fast zoom or their new m43 25/1.4), keep the system alive and give some upgrade paths. Sure dump out of the silly E-400/E-500/E-600 almost the same line-up and go for E-600/E-30/E-5 (grrr again)
still, at least Oly are making new m43 stuff and a smart new compact
mark
2 years ago |What are you talking about? Olympus is NOT getting our of DSLR and 4/3 system! I live 1 mile from the headquarters in the US. They where mistakingly misquoted or mistranslated when the headquarters in Japan said they where focusing on micro 4/3 for current developments. And of course, all the Oly bashers would misinterpret that as thinking they are abandoning everything else for micro 4/3. NOT TRUE. Buy the E-5. It is awesome. Who cares about megapixels and iso specs? What does the photo look like? DO you like HDTV? Did you know that is only 2 megapixels? Get over the megapixel crap and published specs. I bet if Oly got a hot babe to do commercials with the E-5, it would sell like hotcakes.
Paul
2 years ago |Oly will survive, I’ve no doubt about that and in the E5 I have a superb workhorse for many years to come. Why not try saying something positive for a change, or is that beyond you. I’m not sure what fantasy land you live in but I live in the real world where a camera is a tool and one which I choose on merit. I don’t need to be patronised about business models, quality/success and marketing either, I’ve been in business far too long for that.
mark
2 years ago |If I bought my home stereo based on published specs, then I would sure be an idiot. Some people think you do not have to listen to it.
What do the photos look like? What does the camera feel like? Does it inspire you in an artistic way to take better photos? Or do you just want to be part of the “in” crowd of followers and go with canon or nikon because you read somewhere that it was the best. I had nikon for 30 years. I bought an e-5. Do I have money in nikon lenses? Sure, but who cares? That is what ebay is for! The zuiko lenses are beter than any canon L or nikon lens.