Two new Olympus E-5 reviews and Panasonic GH2 tested at Diwa-labs
Image courtesy: Quesabesde
Quesabesde published a complete Olympus E-5 review. They posted many RAW images you can download and analyze for yourself. Conclusion: “The E-5 is a good camera, but if all the hype mounted on the future of the system were not enough, the launch price is one of its main problems. Those 1,700 euros seem simply misplaced.”
Also the japanese website DC.watch.impress tested the new E-5. They published a huge ammount of image samples.
Olympus Japan confirmed the E-5 worldwide launch date. It’s October the 29th.
Baikal (dpreview forum) posted few pics taken with the new Olympus 40-140 lens: “My first impressions are that the lens can focus easily 2 to 3 times faster than the kit lens.”
Olympus E-5 preorders at: Amazon US
Olympus 40-140mm lens is in Stock at Amazon
Panasonic GH2:
Diwa-awards tested the new Panasonic GH2. You can see the Lab-results here: www.diwa-awards.net. Compared with the GH1 lab results the GH2 shows a less noice and higher dynamic range. Color fidelity is about the same with the GH1.
Panasonic GH2 preorders at: Amazon US
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Recent comments
Comment from Jason: Thanks Rocky, yeah I think the flash is ...
Comment from Rocky: Your pictures look great. You will alway...
Comment from cL: Lighting is lighting.... I don't think ...- Comment from Jason: I shot both of these without a flash (th...
Tobias W.
2 years ago |Conclusion: “The E-5 is a good camera, but if all the hype mounted on the future of the system were not enough, the launch price is one of its main problems. Those 1,700 euros seem simply misplaced.”
—–
Actually, many online dealers in Germany list it at 2,000 Euro without any lens included.
I expect (and hope) its prize to fall to 1,200 Euro/US Dollar by January 2011. I’d be willing to pay that amount in US Dollars. The Euro price will then be still too high.
Ken Aisin
2 years ago |The US price is really unrealistic for $1699 when compared to the competition. This price is for Olympus to gouge as much as possible from the pros and the rich enthusiasts. Everyone else will likely wait for the price to drop to a more reasonable level.
sispecho
2 years ago |Tow?
George
2 years ago |sell all your Olympus gear before it is too late. With that marketing strategy, with this 2 years old sensor, with this ISO performance in combination with this price tag…. each of them are nails to Olympus coffin
Dummy00001
2 years ago |> sell all your Olympus gear before it is too late.
Yes, folks, come on. I call on everybody to start dumping their 43 gear on eBay!! The 43 system is dead but it is still impossible to pick the 50-200 for say 300€ or 14-35 for less than a grand. What’s up with that? Didn’t ya got the memo??
)
Jesper
2 years ago |hehe was hoping to get some cheap secondhand 4/3 gears as well. BUT FOUND NONE!
what happend?
CR102
2 years ago |Yes, the E-5 is pricey, but it is not made to compete with other brands. It is made for the miserable bastards (myself included) who got themselves trapped in the realm of the finer Zuiko glass and are not willing to put everything on Ebay. Part of the explanation to the high price could be the realistic expectation that this camera won’t sell at high volumes. At least I am going to do everything in my powers to fulfill Oly’s expectations until the price is right. I’m very impressed with the image quality of the E-5. There is NOTHING wrong with it.
Stig
2 years ago |Yes there is – the price! This is now a near universal criticism and assessment.
Brad
2 years ago |The GH2 test data is interesting. It beats the GH1 in most respects, but only *very, very slightly*.
The thing to keep in mind when comparing them is that the GH2 now overstates their ISO’s, whereas the GH1 understated them. So now it is more accurate to compare ISO 200 on GH1 to ISO 400 on GH2, etc. They have similar real sensitivities. The GH2 still slightly wins out even accounting for this, but not as much as it would seem if all you did was look at the stated ISO’s.
kesztió
2 years ago |Don’t forget the slightly bigger resolution.
frosti7
2 years ago |The ISO trick is somewhat of a letdown, i guess the sensor is not that better then GH1′s,
Its just a tiny improved version w/o banding thou
david
2 years ago |SNR and DR plotted vs. measured saturation ISO for GH1 and GH2
http://www.davidlong.org/snr.png
http://www.davidlong.org/dr.png
Jason
2 years ago |Ok, so now Olympus will release the E-5 at the very end of October, hopefully the price will drop by Christmas time. I’ll pay $1,400 or $1,500 for the E-5 – but anymore and it will be hard to resist the new Nikon D7000 ($1,299). Either way, I’ll never buy a Canon – hahahahaha…..
Amanda
2 years ago |Image quality seems to be an upgrade from E3 but the price is much to high (1700 euro in the Netherlands).
I was also looking for Nikon d7000, but….. the lenses are a downgrade from oly lenses and will the d7000 really beat the E5 image quality? I think not!
I read the d7000 body is not so tough, the E5 will be!
Now lets hope the E5 will focus with the 14-35…….
Jason
2 years ago |Agreed Olympus has the best glass… Olympus Jpegs make life so easy, I would hate to spend lots of time post processing with a Nikon setup. I am tired of carrying around my flash to make my Zuiko 50mm f2.0 work inside though. I wish I had the E-5 now, because I think the additional ISO sensitivity will allow me to shoot without a flash at maybe 800-1600, unlike my E-620…. The E-620 can go without a flash occasionally, but it is very risky when shooting macro photos indoors….
Dana Curtis Kincaid
2 years ago |“sell all your Olympus gear before it is too late. With that marketing strategy, with this 2 years old sensor, with this ISO performance in combination with this price tag…. each of them are nails to Olympus coffin”
Whatever.
Dana Curtis Kincaid
2 years ago |“Agreed Olympus has the best glass… Olympus Jpegs make life so easy, I would hate to spend lots of time post processing with a Nikon setup. I am tired of carrying around my flash to make my Zuiko 50mm f2.0 work inside though”
If you can’t make an F2 lens work indoors without a flash you are doing something wrong.
Perhaps Jesus can help.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/angrytoyrobot/3624232682/sizes/l/in/set-72157619922895578/
Jason
2 years ago |@DCK – It works inside, of course, but what I mean is the images get too grainy and dark with the E-620, unless I use a flash, or a tripod.
The E-5 or even the E-PL1 should allow me to shoot handheld, without a flash. The problem with the E-PL1 is the lack of an optical viewfinder and a native fourthirds mount, although I may consider the E-PL1 to save money, or I may consider both. But then again, I’m not sure I can get high enough quality results without an optical viewfinder, as I’ve always used one. And once again you would really need to know what I was shooting in order to understand.
Miroslav
2 years ago |With E-PL1 you’ve got bounce flash on camera. Not suitable for very high ceilings, but it should work for flats. There’s also a certain Panasonic 20mm F1.7 lens
.
Jason
2 years ago |I have considered the flash on the E-PL1, which might work, but I would still need to use the 50mm due to sharpness and magnification. The 20mm 1.7 is a great lens no doubt though.
cL
2 years ago |If it’s already too grainy with f2.0… then turning up the ISO is NOT the solution. Use a tripod if allowed. If not, lean on the wall or put your camera on a stable place, turn on IS if not already. Always use base ISO (ISO 200 is the lowest usable ISO for current sensor used in Olympus cams without sacrificing quality) when using a tripod for best quality.
Using high ISO should be the last resource for curing camera shakes…, even if you owned a camera that could do high ISOs….
Now I read you have an E-PL1, I think you mean everything looks grainy on your LCD screen when shooting. That’s the LiveView technology problem, not because the aperture is not big enough. Your photos will turn out okay when you bring them home (if you shot them right). Not having an OVF is a bummer when shooting indoor.
What’s the shutter speed, by the way when you used f2 to shoot whatever you were doing? 1/60 is the slowest shutter speed usable when handheld.
Graininess has nothing to do with aperture…. When we shoot night scene with long exposure, we tend to use f8 or smaller… (ISO 200 with a tripod, obviously. Set up is very important).
KJS
2 years ago |I think that it depends on who’s hand is holding the camera… I took this handheld with the with the e-510, 1/45sec. I’ve had good results down to 1/20sec, usually depends on my blood sugar level though…
http://kjsdesign.smugmug.com/Photography/Artsy/14099571_ybWv5#1039618518_gnx4o-A-LB
I agree that 1/60 is probably safer and whatever you can do to get your shutter up there would help. With doing that sort of photography, have you tried softboxes or extra lighting with diffusers? If you’re happy with your camera, A bit of lighting gear could save you money.
Jason
2 years ago |Yeah I have studio lighting and softboxes, but indoors at the shows I cannot carry these around and flash diffusers are fine, but I just use the flash as is. I don’t have a problem using a bounce flash, I just hate carrying it around at shows…
Bottom line, is the a camera more powerful and newer than the E-620 should help a lot…
Dana Curtis Kincaid
2 years ago |“Agreed Olympus has the best glass…”
The Sony Zeiss lenses would be at least on par.
Amanda
2 years ago |F2 indoors is not a lot, you better get the panasonic 25 1.4
Jason
2 years ago |@Amanda – I really, really like the Summilux 25mm 1.4, but I need more magnification…. The 50mm is equal or greater in sharpness to the Summilux, but the additional magnification of the Zuiko is a must. Plus the 50 mm is much lighter. I’m hoping to lower the weight of my equipment, which sometimes I have to carry around for 9+ hours a day over a 3-5 day period.
And if I move to the E-PL1 (less likely, although extremely light and affordable) or the E-5, I should be able to leave the FL-36R in my bag, as well as my E-620 battery grip – this will save a lot of weight. Plus the additional IQ and the new screen, oh and HD video wouldn’t hurt. And I might be tempted to use the grainy film and dramatic tone filter once in a while for fun…. That is if I go with the E-5. I’m not a pro though, so an E-PL1 might work, but I’ve gotten so accustomed to a true DSLR mainly the speed, optical viewfinder and ease of use. I’m not even sure I can properly focus every time without an optical viewfinder. Although, the new screen on the E-5 might be acceptable for focusing in macro.
Maybe Olympus will put a better screen in some of their little cameras, and/or an optical viewfinder, and Dramatic Tone filter, and 4-5 stops of IS, and bigger grip….. oh and how about a native mount… but please keep the V+ chip and no AA filter so images look awesome like those I’ve seen from the E-5 so far… or maybe they will just make an E-50
Jimson
2 years ago |LOL @ Dana!
If Jesus won’t answer your prayers Buddha might =)
http://www.badcatphotography.com/Things/Things/P7265258/404338560_MuGgb-L-3.jpg
scott
2 years ago |People are not comparing apples to apples. You cant judge the price of a toy to the price of a fully weather sealed tool. come on guys 1700 for a weather sealed camera is worth that
Amanda
2 years ago |The E5 is:
E3(now ~1100 euro) + E-PL1(400 euro) = E5(1500 euro but costs 1700)
KJS
2 years ago |The price is no more rediculous than the e-1 or e-3 was when it was released, they both started out as $1699usd. So really, nothing has changed. Olympus has decided that it is worthy of that price tag and preliminary tests have shown that it is a worthy competitor with cameras in it’s price bracket. It’s just a matter of time before the price is lowered for all you complainers… You just get to be patient for a while longer
Rocky
2 years ago |In Canada, the Pentax K-5 is listed at $1600, the Nikon D300s $1500, Canon 7d $1600 (On special regular $1800). The list price for the E-5 is $1700… The review is right Oly should drop the price to make it at least competitive against the D300s. Anyway saw a bunch of used E-3s on Ebay but no lens. Looks like people are switching to the E-5 anyway regardless price or gossip…
KJS
2 years ago |The release price on the d300s was $1799. 7D was and still is $1699. K-5 is $1599. The price on the D300s dropped because it’s a year old. wait till the E-5 is the same age. With time it will go down like every other olympus body. $1699 looks like competitive pricing to me, its right in the middle.
Rocky
2 years ago |Agreed!
Scott
2 years ago |I wouldnt complain if the price was 2300
Jason
2 years ago |I’m not disappointment with my results, just wish I could get the same or better results without a flash. Shooting wristwatches is not easy in any way. You have the crystal (which reflects light), you have the metal (which reflects light) and then you have the fact that your are shooting at short telephoto distances, so everything must be perfect. The problem with a tripod, is that getting the angles right becomes a problem, same with viewfinder, best solution is always the OVF, because you can see the angles best this way. Here is a shot I took with the 50mm f2.0, handheld with the FL-36R firing off to the side or ceiling, set to macro mode, with little or no EV adjustments.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/professionalwatches/4730215995/in/set-72157624212366519/
(I also shoot in aperture priority, depending on the situation.)
cL
2 years ago |The result is not bad.
Are you using the jpeg straight out of the camera? If so, try shoot RAW. Those color noises can be eliminated quite easily with Lightroom or Camera RAW. There is nothing you can do about those noise. Even with good lighting, they’re there…. Not an aperture problem.
Jason
2 years ago |Haha, I’m not sure what color noise you are referring to (or even what that is), but I am happy with the photo such as the one attached (above), and yes you are correct is a JPEG, with some cloning and maybe a small white balance /brightness adjustment.
My problem is to get a shot this clear, and accurate, I need a flash indoors (if I’m using a lightbox or if I near windows on a bright day there is no issue). But in semi-dark situations I have to whip out the flash – always… However, don’t you think the E-5 might eliminate the need for the flash?
cL
2 years ago |Lighting is lighting…. I don’t think E-5 (or any camera) can eliminate the need of good lighting…. They can offer better high ISO performance though.
I hate flash, so I rarely use it. Yeah, I think I can understand your frustration when shooting indoor…. Tripod set up is cumbersome, but it’s better than using high ISO. So if you don’t want to use a flash, get a tripod that can do horizontal position (then you’d have to figure out a way NOT to cast a shadow on your watches).
Well…, if you’re not seeing color noise, then ignore I’ve mentioned that. Once you’re aware of it, it’s just one more thing to process…. Those who switched to Canon would have to learn how to deal with it. Canon’s color noise is quite a lot more.
I typically shoot outdoor, so I prefer shooting RAW, since sometimes it’s hard to tell if my photo is in correct color or not with LCD screen under the sun. When shooting RAW, it’s easier to adjust for white balance and exposure and other fine tuning. I tag all my photos with Lightroom and upload them in batches even if I don’t need to doing any adjustment, so I don’t mind shooting RAW.
Nice photos, by the way.
Jason
2 years ago |Here is another one I shot with a flash, handheld: http://www.flickr.com/photos/professionalwatches/4793904230/in/set-72157624474569266/ this shot is what I’m looking for, but once again I would prefer not to use a flash…..
And I here you regarding RAW, but that take so much more time and I’m pretty sure I cannot stand RAW especially if I’m only publishing online anyways….
Jason
2 years ago |I shot both of these without a flash (the same watch different cameras):
E-620/50mm f2.0 macro aperture priority f2.0 IS1000
http://www.flickr.com/photos/professionalwatches/5056124157/in/set-72157623792578147/
LX5 (24mm wide in auto macro mode/ auto f2.9 IS800
http://www.flickr.com/photos/professionalwatches/4984554196/in/set-72157624752932773/lightbox/
Don’t you think the image will improve significantly if I switch to the E-5 and shoot around IS800 or so….
Rocky
2 years ago |Your pictures look great. You will always need light…
Jason
2 years ago |Thanks Rocky, yeah I think the flash is a must…..