What Olympus OM-D E-M5 body should I buy?

[mark_stephan2]

<p>I'm currently using a Panasonic G-1 m4/3 body. I'm looking to upgrade to a Olympus EM-5 and there are to many bodies to choose from. If you were buying a Oly body today which one would you choose? I'm considering the E-M5 Elite kit for $429 but would consider other E-M5 kits. My lenses are the Oly 9 and 15 BC lenses and Panasonic 14-45 OIS and 45-200 OIS lenses with a Panasonic 25 f/1.7 back ordered at B$H. BTW, I want a camera that shoots a minimum of 1080P video. It would also be used for urban landscapes and people photography.</p>

[Ken Katz]

It seems to me that if you want an E-M5 then all you need is the body and a spare battery. I would look for the least

expensive legitimate price for that since you really don't need any additional kit lenses or anything else. You may want to

look at an E-M5 II or E-M10 II which have a better EVF and improved IBIS plus other features, but at a higher cost.

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>You need an EM 5 mk II if you want 1080p video. The original EM 5 is 1080i only.</p>

<p>I think the EM 10 mk II and EM-1 are 1080p.</p>

[jamie_robertson2]

<blockquote>

<p> I'm looking to upgrade to a Olympus EM-5 and there are to many bodies to choose from.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>There are only two to choose from... the OMD E-M5 and the OMD E-M5 MkII.</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>yyeah, I'm thinkin' he meant different KITS.<br /><br />But if 1080p is a must, there is only the EM-5 mk II, which, imho, is THE µ43 camera to buy unless you need/want 4K video.</p>

[Sanford]

<p>I had a brief affair with the Elite kit but had to return if because of a faulty shutter. Instead of a replacement I used the credit toward a Fuji XT10. I used the Olympus with some of the of the same Panasonic lenses you use. I gotta say, looking back at the those few photo from the OMD EM5, that camera is capable of producing some great results. The autofocus is way beyond anything in my experience. The Elite has better or sturdier dials and a different finish but you have to take the zoom lens which you won't need. The chrome version is $379 for body only today. Oly menus are a little crazy.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

Hi Mark. I still have and even enjoy for slide duplicating my first Panasonic model, a red Lumix DMC G-1, a good mirrorless camera for then and a pace setting design. I have an Olympus EM-1 now, close to the state or the art which has lots of goodies I like. But not one I rather miss... I want you to consider one item before you decide which EM-5 you go after. If I read the EM 5 series I and II specs right,the LCD on the back will rotate up and down but not fully articulated to side like the G-1. Some do not care, but I do... I kind of miss that functionality myself...even just folding close the LCD. If that is important to you, you might have a look at the G-7 or the GX 8. Even to monitor video shooting it is nice to have a fully articulated finder IMO.

 

Yes, there are many choices out there. Any one is a big step from the early DMC G-1. Good shopping. There are deals out there..if you like built in to body little flash that is also something to consider.

[harveysteeves]

<p>EM5ii back screen is on a hinge and will close. Actually prefer the old up-down one on the EM5 but that may not work as well for video.</p>

 

[roypanos]

<p>Well, this probably isn't what you want to hear but... <br>

I've had an EM5 since they were first released. I have no interest in using still cameras for video, having, in a previous existence, shot video professionally using dedicated broadcast standard cameras. So that aspect's a mystery to me.<br>

However I will say that the EM5 makes for a small system, which I like, and the files it produces are remarkably good for a sensor this size. The ergonomics of the camera however are simply abominable. Just about everything is poor. Firstly the firmware which is an exercise in bad design to a degree that one would have thought nearly impossible. Then there are the buttons. I have small hands but they are too small, and too numb - particularly the "joystick set". Just moving the focus box around the VF is an exercise in frustration. I've never encountered any similar consumer device that's in an unwanted mode almost every time I pick it up - it's just too easy to accidentally disturb a control.<br>

The af is pretty terrible too, at least for anyone who has experience mostly with DSLRs. Not surprising really but when using (in my case) the Panasonic 100-300 lens you're likely to miss far more shots than you get. A wiildlife system it isn't.<br>

I'm stuck with it as I have jumped off the continual "upgrade" merry-go-round a couple of years ago. I won't be getting back on any time soon as I no longer earn a living with any kind of camera. The delusion that new equipment will turn our efforts into works of art is a delusion assiduously cultivated by the industry. I tend to find that what I point the camera at is the prime determinant of the result.</p>