At 8/9/2021 04:53 PM, Ag Schnozz wrote:
>Three weeks ago I picked up a used EM-5 Mk2 camera and have wanted to
>give it a little bit of time before I mouthed off too much about it.
>Sadly, the camera is so complex that I'm still struggling quite a bit
>with it, but at least I can spout off about a few things:
>
>1. Controls setup. Yeah, that's an adventure. What does that button
>mean this time? Seriously? OK, I don't remember doing that...
>Whatever.
>
>2. The dynamic range is stilted as it is in almost all Olympus cameras
>with very awkward transitions to white. Highlight recovery is
>definitely a bad thing, like it is in the E-1, but the shadow blocks
>up pretty aggressively too. That said, it is amazing how very E-1 like
>the camera is in color and tone. The skintones are absolutely lovely
>and the colors are near perfect for Alaska skies. The GX85 still
>produces a better B&W conversion and seems better off in the
>highlights, but the colors of the EM-5 are very much to my liking.
>High-ISO performance is a wow.
>
>3. Image sharpness. Wow!!!! Identical pictures taken with the GX85,
>with the same lenses, are night-and-day different. It doesn't matter
>if it's at base-ISO or boosted, the EM-5 out-performs the GX85 in
>sharpness. The legacy 12-60 SWD and 50-200 SWD lenses are bloody
>sharp.
>
>4. Focus with Lumix G lenses. The GX85 is definitely faster at
>acquiring focus, but I think the EM-5 gets a more accurate and less
>consistent focus. The Four-Thirds lenses are pretty slow at focus, but
>not nearly as horribly slow as on Panasonic bodies. The EM-5 has
>better "lens correction" than the GX85 and doesn't muck up the details
>as much.
>
>5. Viewfinder. The EVF is certainly better in bright light than either
>my GX85 or A7ii. I rather like the EVF, however, it is impossible to
>use with polarizing sunglasses. Overall, the EVF is pretty
>comfortable. I really dislike the level-gauge implementation, though.
>The Sony and Panasonic are much superior in that regard.
>
>6. Handling. Astonishingly bad. The body shape is just off. However,
>with the Fotodiox metal grip thingy, it's bearable. That said, the
>weight/size/shape of the camera is completely awkward to my hands and
>I've dropped the camera more than once. Once in a while I've
>encountered a camera like this that just ends up slipping out of my
>hands, and this camera is one of them.
>
>7. Ruggedness. First outing with the camera and I sent it tumbling 45
>feet down a mountain slope. New scratches and dings in the Fotodiox
>metal thingy. The shape of the camera with a m43 lens just makes it
>roll, and roll, and roll, and roll... Between that, and dropping the
>camera a couple of times, I'm sufficiently impressed with the
>ruggedness of the camera.
>
>8. The pleasure factor. Honestly, I'm having fun with the camera. It's
>frustrating to get the controls setup right, but the camera is a
>pleasure to use and I WANT to use it. (unlike the Sony which is great
>at taking pictures but is not a pleasure to use).
>
>The price was good, and the camera answers a need I had. The images
>straight-out-of-camera are 100% old-school Olympus. It's a win.
Thanks for the AG review.
Other than the way lenses are adapted to different sensor stacks, I can't see
how image sharpness can be different, unless there is some image sharpening
going on in the camera firmware?
Curious, how well does the PL 12-60 and 100-400 lenses work on an OM-D vs the
GX9, optically, other than IBIS features? Is there some difference in sensor
stack that makes a difference? Focus speed? sharpness?
A good EVF is important to me as I use it 95% of the time. Not having used an
OM-D I can't comment on how it compares to an A7x. However...
What I do notice is the Sonie flattens the color in the EVF a lot, as do most
EVFs. It is the eye point of 27mm that stands out as great for the E-M5ii. The
GX9 is 17.5mm and Sonnie 23mm. The optics in the Oly (E-M5 iii) viewfinder look
impressive:
https://asia.olympus-imaging.com/product/dslr/em5mk3/feature4.html
I don't use the GX9 as much because the viewfinder is not to my liking. Everyne
talks about the OLED resolution, but to me the optics in the viewfinder make
more of a difference.
My A7's have never slipped out of my hands. You know, they do make camera
straps you can attach. They go around your neck. Although you never see them on
cameras in the commercials, or photogs that need to look cool.
The used GX9 I got came with a DMW-HGR2 Panasonic handle. It makes swapping the
battery a pain, but greatly improves the grip.
Number 8 is really the one that ultimately matters, whether you like using the
camera. I like the A7s I have. The lenses also contribute greatly to the
pleasure factor. Who likes shooting with a crappy lens, unless you are going
for a certain "look".
WayneS
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