Olympus OM-D

[Apurva Madia]

<p>Olympus is trying to fall back on its OM legacy after several "failed" attempts to regain it old film days glory. Its DSLRs were never the success that Nikon and canon were able to achieve. Olympus should have continued its OM value right at the start of the digital era. Small compact but incredible accomplished bodies with stellar lenses. Olympus strayed its course and now its too late. The brand is reduced now to compact mirrorless amateur market.</p>

[Mike Howard]

<p>Too late? Really? Olympus has no real intention of competing in the pro market, and the MFT market is doing quite well, especially in Asia. 99% of all photographers are "amateur". Why would anyone outside of Canikon be trying to break into the "pro" market? There is a small segment of people who have the money and inclination to buy full frame, top end equipment. Canikon owns that market, but it is very small. The real money over the next few years is going to be in compact system photography. Olympus is very well positioned, along with Panasonic, to do well in this segment. Sony is as well. Canikon are trying to get into this segment, hence their latest offerings. MFT has a HUGE lead in system lenses and accessories. Pentax is also a player here, but they are taking a slightly different path, one that I think is very interesting and promising.</p>

<p>I am VERY excited about the OM-D. So much so, that I am considering abandoning Pentax completely. I was all-in in 4/3's, and I loved it. I got out because of my love of film photography, and wanted to take a different path. I am regretting that path now. As soon as I can get my hands on an OM-D, I will.</p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>Small cameras are much better for what i shoot (casual portraits, events and street/travel photography) and how I shoot. I'm more excited by the Nex 7/5n, fuji Xpro-1 and OM-D than, say, the d800.</p>

[johnfarrar]

<p>For landscape, an FX camera is ideal - providing you can carry it plus lenses to the places you want to photograph. M43 is a really smart answer to the weight problem, and as sensors continue to improve it will become steadily smarter. So I - and I suspect others - will have FX for stuff a few miles from a road, and M43 for long long hill days (and multi-day trips). The OM D is exciting because the weather sealing and integral evf make it a better landscape tool then the Pens, and if (if!) the dynamic range is better on the new sensor, it'll fulfill a real niche and need. So I'm with Olympus on this one, and am so, so tempted...</p>

[eric merrill]

<p>The OM-D is interesting. I'm trying to figure out how it's better than the Sony NEX 7 or the Panasonic G3.</p>

[leslie_cheung]

<blockquote>

<p>The OM-D is interesting. I'm trying to figure out how it's better than the Sony NEX 7</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Well, imo it has better native lenses, jpegs, AF system, touch OLED screen, art filters, Live Time/Bulb, weather sealed body, battery grips, and IBIS. I'm probably missing a couple things. Don't get me wrong, the sony has a few cool things too...</p>

[dan_b.4]

<p>I don't get why Olympus would put what appears to be a pentaprism on the camera if it isn't an SLR. Reminds me of the cheesy fake "scoops" Detroit put on cars in the 1960s and '70s.</p>

[Greg M]

<p>And the OP is reduced to maybe the most clueless commentary of the month.....</p>

[porter]

<p>@ Dan: Fake scoops didn't induct any air and were useless. The OM-D's hump, that you think should be a pentaprism for an SLR, doesn't just sit there looking cool- it houses the viewfinder and the accessory port. If you put your eye to it, you will see an image, similar to that old SLR, so I'm not sure but it seems your comment was just made out of ignorance.</p>

[Apurva Madia]

<p>Thanks Greg!</p>

<p>I think Nikon should also come out with an FM2-D.</p>

[ronhartman]

<p>There's been a lot of discussion about the size of the hump on the OM-D. One report is that there are also 4 motion sensors located in there, need for the more sophisticated IBIS that the camera has.</p>

[songtsen]

<p>"...it houses the viewfinder and the accessory port..."</p>

<p>I'm probably missing something but couldn't the accessory port have been placed somewhere else instead of right on top of the EVF?</p>

 

[ronhartman]

<p>The accessory port has to be located below the hot shoe, for the accessories to mount on the camera. The evf could be located to the left, like the Sony Nex-7. Maybe the next OM-D will be a different design, with a flat top, like the Olympus Pen F film cameras. That would be nostalgic.</p>

[bruce_rubenstein]

<p>Someone who isn't a jock sniffer: http://soundimageplus.blogspot.com/</p>

<p> </p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>I'd be most interested in the OM-D at its price, but I already own a wonderful<strong> Lumix GH2</strong>, also micro 4/3 and mirrorless, - a winner for my still and video shooting. I never owned an OM, so I do not have the OM mystique in mind. (I was a Canon film user, still like them.) Nonetheless I appreciate my Zuiko HG ED lenses as top notch performers. Apurva is entitled to an opinion about the company and its future, free country and all. To me,and a few others around here, Olympus is an innovative design outfit and still has a few 'prairie dogs' to pull out of its hat. Like the <strong>OM-D</strong>. Praise be. Not on life support. Ready for the London Olympics even! A first. Micro small mirrorless camera ready for rough usage in a small package. Along with lenses and new flash, and more... Shooters have a real choice of brands. So Like 'Good.' I share no angst about having bought Olympus product but that is well established. Perfectly happy,no. Satisfied is good enough in the day of electronics which jumps in quantum leaps too fast for me to follow some time.<br>

Yes, this OP is another of those elegiac commentaries, stir the embers items, with nothing original or substantial to offer but opinion. Not even appropriate 'funerary" music. ...<br /> I dislike that word "hump" by the way. It is a "housing" you know, for a viewfinder and an accessory shoe-- Call it a "conning tower" -like on the OM and EOS series which housed a finder and pentaprism. No biggee. " <em>What</em> hump?"asks Igor :-)</p>

[matthew_newton]

<p>Yeah to me the price is a winner. Now, don't get me wrong, I wish it was less...however here was my original plan.</p>

<p>I own 2 OM-1 and an OM-1n as well as a couple of parts bodies. I have a Sigma 14/3.5, 28/1.8, 70-210/2.8, 50/2.8 macro and 400/5.6, Tamron 28/2.5 and Zuiko 24/2.8, 35/2.8, 50/1.8 (several), 50/1.4, 85/2, 100/2.8 and 135/3.5 and Vivitar Series 1 70-210/3.5. As well as tripod, monopod, flashes, etc.<br />I planned on going digital by getting a good condition used Canon 5d or 5dMkII depending on the price roughly around my 30th birthday (next May). I figured the cost would be at least $1,000, but I could reuse all my old glass, and it would be glorious!<br />With the OM-D coming out at $999 body only and my wife having an EP-L1 it got me thinking. I looked at the lens line up, and I'd have to buy a few new lenses to cover anything short of telephoto basically because of the crop factor. However, the line-up is finally decent enough that I could do it. A pany 7-14 or Zuiko 8-16mm, Pany 14/2.5, 20/1.7 and Zuiko 14-42/3.5-5.6 II and 45/1.8 would basically cover 95% of my regular photographic needs. Throw in a couple of my old manual focus lenses (such as 85/2, 100/2.8 and 70-210/2.8) and I'd have a complete kit without too much outlay. Sure with body that comes up on $3,000 when all is said and done and I don't have that kind of money right now.<br>

I love film, and I will probably still shoot some on occasion, if nothing else I am not likely to have shoot through all of the film in my freezer when I go digital, and probably will be hybrid shooting for a year or two until I can fill in my wider angle lens line up. However, with two young children and a third on the way I just don't have time. Its 30 minutes out of a week to drop off and pickup a roll of film for processing. It is about 2-3hrs to scan an entire roll of 36exp and do quick editing. Processing isn't much, $.99 at my local target for next day development only, but that is $.99 plus at least $2.50 for a roll up to $6 for a roll of film. Even at a piddly 15 rolls a year I am probably averaging now (because of little time to scan/develop) that is maybe $75 a year I'd save. Digital would mean I can shoot a lot more, no worries about dropping off for processing, no costs for film, etc, etc, ad nauseum.<br>

So anyway now the OM-D with kit 14-42/3.5-5.6 II and getting either the pany 14/2.5 or 20/1.7 initially (probably used) would do me for about 70% of my photography and I could make do with shooting some film, or just dealing with "not wide enough" or "fast enough" lenses while I slowly buy up the other lenses (maybe 1 a year?).<br />That and some of the bigger 3rd party lens makers finally announcing support for micro 4/3rds was icing. Hopefully they'll release some specific lenses for micro 4/3rds, and not just mount compatible.<br />That and I hope Pany and Oly can come up with some more primes. That 60 macro sounds really sweet, but I'd like to see some affordable primes on the wide end and even standards. They don't have to be super fast, but a 10, 11 or 12mm f/2.8 that ran under $400 would be really nice (preferably under $300). The 12/2 is a beaut and I am sure an excellent performer, but way too expensive for me to afford any year soon. A $300 12/2.8 (or 2.5 or whatever, or 10 or 11mm) I'd be buying WITH the camera if Olympus or someone else came out with one, so long as it was still resonably small.<br />It would also be nice to see maybe a 90 or 100mm f/2.8 at an inexpensive price (the 75/1.8 looks really nice though, but a touch too much again to buy any year soon).<br />Just some hopes/dreams, but I finally decided that I can make micro 4/3rds work for me based on what the OM-D offers with improved EVF (and built in! YES!), better image stablization, decent price, improved ISO/Dynamic range/MP, weather sealing (well, okay that is just a plus, I don't need it) and compact size...oh and beautiful to look at. That and improved lens line up, mostly resonable prices on most of the lenses I NEED for my normal use (a fast/medium fast wide, a fast "standard" and a fast portrait lens as well as a zoom or prime that can cover the ultra wide angle to wide angle range).</p>

<p>Makes me happy that I can buy that from Olympus. I guess I just love my OM-1s and all my zuiko lenses (they are my favorite, bar none. I like my Sigma 28/1.8 and 70-210/2.8...but my zuikos are just special).<br />I'll be keeping my eye on Black Friday/Christmas deals this year and refurbs pushing next May if there aren't any great deals before then (maybe I can convince my wife for an OM-D with 14-42 and used 14/2.5 as a Christmas gift AND early 30th birthday gift if there is a good deal).</p>