On 8/9/2021 4:53 PM, Ken Norton 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:
This is like picking up an interesting looking book, only to find I've already read it.
😁
1. Controls setup. Yeah, that's an adventure. What does that button
mean this time? Seriously? OK, I don't remember doing that...
Whatever.
Map Mysets to Fn keys. One touch and everything is in a known condition. Second touch and it's back where it was; touch
a different key, and it's set up for different situations. I Loved this!
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.
Are you sure? This seems highly unlikely; sensors from the same foundry, etc. Plus, of course, I used a cheap Gx85 combo
deal to evaluate whether to go GX9s to replace E-M5 IIs. Had the GX85 been worse, I wouldn't have done that.
Has the Adobe hidden assumptions/defaults trap got you? With every new camera, ACR and LR, independently, assume you
want their default idea of capture sharpening, until you turn it off.
The two bodies, one lens, sharper than either sensor and Tom Jefferson.
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/tech/E-M52vsGX85/E-M52vsGX85.htm>
Both equal.
The legacy 12-60 SWD and 50-200 SWD lenses are bloody sharp.
Always were, still are, regardless of sensor.
4. Focus with Lumix G lenses. The GX85 is definitely faster at
acquiring focus,
That's Panny's Depth from Defocus AF. Slick, accurate, except when it insists that something closer is the subject.
Occasional, annoying.
but I think the EM-5 gets a more accurate and less consistent focus.
Brains fart? typo? Fool a Moose?
Detail focus is a tricky business. I was coming to the opinion long ago that focus and/or IBIS on my GX7 was better than
on E-M5 I. Tripod, deep, complex subject, careful shots.
Results were slightly different, both accurate, just selected slightly
different focal planes within the subject.
The Four-Thirds lenses are pretty slow at focus, but
not nearly as horribly slow as on Panasonic bodies.
Shoulda got an E-M1 II. Really fast focus with those lenses. Got a buddy using
all his legacy lenses on one - very happy.
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.
We've always had different hand ergonomics. Only thing off for me is the On-off
switch location.
Deja Vu Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|