Micro 4/3 So what other camera alternatives are there to the OM5?

How does the fujifilm 15-45mm kit lens rate? Is the 16-80 worth an extra $500 aud?
No idea about the 15-45. The 16-80 is a competent lens, maybe not quite as good as Canon's RF 24-105 f/4 L or Sony's 24-105 f/4 G, but nevertheless a good general purpose workhorse. Nice colour reproduction, OK contrast throughout the range, slightly soft at the longest end. That's it. I'd buy the 16-80 f/4 again were I to return to the Fuji X-system.
 
How does the fujifilm 15-45mm kit lens rate? Is the 16-80 worth an extra $500 aud?
One additional option you could consider is the Fujifilm 18-55mm f/2.8-4, one of the older premium kit lens options, which is somewhere in the middle in terms of price. Due to such a large number of them entering circulation with kits, there's a surplus of them on the used market, and they go for a lot less used or de-kitted than MSRP would suggest.
 
I'm being tempted by a second hand a7c at a pretty reasonable price. (less then the release price of om5)

there's also a fe 35 1.8 available as well, how does this lens rate?
 
I'm being tempted by a second hand a7c at a pretty reasonable price. (less then the release price of om5)

there's also a fe 35 1.8 available as well, how does this lens rate?
The FE 1.8/35 is considered by many slightly overpriced when new. No idea of the used prices at your part of the woods. In general it's very, very sharp in the middle even wide open, but does need stopping down for the corners to sharpen up. Also the vignetting never clears completely even when stopped down. The rendering, OTOH, at least to my eyes is on the more pleasing side of things, but this is a completely personal opinion. Compared to say the Canon RF 35/1.8 Macro it has a more analogue feel to its rendering, while remaining sharp at the same time. The canon looks a bit rough in comparison.

Otherwise build quality is good, but that's what you should be expecting given the exorbitant asking price. Autofocus is fast and accurate in my experience. But it's in a class where there are other good options, such as the Samyang tiny-series 35/1.8 and Sigma's Contemporary-series 35/2. And they're all great lenses...
 
The FE 1.8/35 is considered by many slightly overpriced when new. No idea of the used prices at your part of the woods. In general it's very, very sharp in the middle even wide open, but does need stopping down for the corners to sharpen up. Also the vignetting never clears completely even when stopped down. The rendering, OTOH, at least to my eyes is on the more pleasing side of things, but this is a completely personal opinion. Compared to say the Canon RF 35/1.8 Macro it has a more analogue feel to its rendering, while remaining sharp at the same time. The canon looks a bit rough in comparison.

Otherwise build quality is good, but that's what you should be expecting given the exorbitant asking price. Autofocus is fast and accurate in my experience. But it's in a class where there are other good options, such as the Samyang tiny-series 35/1.8 and Sigma's Contemporary-series 35/2. And they're all great lenses...
I can get it for $650 aud, around 30% less then rrp
 
I can get it for $650 aud, around 30% less then rrp
That's a fair price, very fair if new. It's 749€ list here in Finland. At least you probably wouldn't lose much anything if you ended up not liking it. Unlikely, but possible...

Lenstip has reviewed both the Samyang and the Sony, and there's little between the two. This just for consideration. The Sony is - however - better built. The FE 1.8/35 has a metal shell whereas the tiny-Sammies are made out of plasticky-plastic, ie. they don't feel fragile, but neither do they convey a sense of quality. But for the price all the tiny-Sammies are still absolute steals. There's also reviews of both from Dustin Abbott and Christopher Frost (what is it with men of cloth and camera reviews?).

I'm not making this any easier, am I...
 
Thanks for all the help guys!

Have been tossing up between fuji xs10, sony a7c and staying within the m43 format. Found a good deal on an used a7c and 35mm 1.8, so have finally made the leap!

I'll still be keeping most my m43 gear for now. Will keep an eye out for a decent used kit lens to go with the a7c, and that will probably do me for a little bit.
 
Thanks for all the help guys!

Have been tossing up between fuji xs10, sony a7c and staying within the m43 format. Found a good deal on an used a7c and 35mm 1.8, so have finally made the leap!

I'll still be keeping most my m43 gear for now. Will keep an eye out for a decent used kit lens to go with the a7c, and that will probably do me for a little bit.
Congrats on that purchase! Keep an eye for a deal on the Tamron 28-200 for an all-round standard zoom. It's better than you'd expect, even if your expectations are set at "good".
 
Our expectations for lenses are so much higher these days. Computer design allows for lenses that can be sharp corner to corner. Of course, they weigh a couple of kilos and cost $1500. I find it really interesting that the pancake XF 27 2.8 is one of the lenses approved for Fuji's new 40 MP sensor. I wonder what the amateur/pro differences are for lenses? How many pros even use primes anymore for work? Weight and size are definitely high on my list of criteria for a lens. I'm also fascinated that many pros own a very different camera for personal use, and those cameras tend to be the same ones I buy.
 
Well, just to add to this thread.

I felt somewhat uninspired with my Olympus EM1 mark 3. I always ended up taking my pen f out with me instead.

That is getting a little dated now, so I was looking at trading the EM1 with the new OM5.

After the release, I was a little disappointed and unimpressed. I’m sure it’s still a great camera, but I ended up trading the EM1 for the new Fuji XT5. It’s not a lot bigger than the OM5, so still a compact option at only 5mm more in W and H, albeit with a deeper grip.

Very different cameras, but the Fuji suits my needs and style of photography more. And similar to the PenF, the retro feel and tactile body actually makes me want to take it with me when I leave the house.

All being said, it appears the OP has already gone and bought the Sony anyway, but thought I’d comment all the same.

Enjoy your new camera!
 
Thanks for all the help guys!

Have been tossing up between fuji xs10, sony a7c and staying within the m43 format. Found a good deal on an used a7c and 35mm 1.8, so have finally made the leap!

I'll still be keeping most my m43 gear for now. Will keep an eye out for a decent used kit lens to go with the a7c, and that will probably do me for a little bit.
As ES said, the Tamron 28-200 is very good. I would definitely get one but you should also consider the kit 28-60. It is very compact and quite good, especially with good light. I sold my A7C but kept the 28-60 for my A1. I just did not gel with the A7C but that is why we have choices! Congratulations on the new camera but yes, keep your MFT gear for now. I like Sony, but I use my Olympus gear a lot more.
 
As ES said, the Tamron 28-200 is very good. I would definitely get one but you should also consider the kit 28-60. It is very compact and quite good, especially with good light. I sold my A7C but kept the 28-60 for my A1. I just did not gel with the A7C but that is why we have choices! Congratulations on the new camera but yes, keep your MFT gear for now. I like Sony, but I use my Olympus gear a lot more.
Yeah definitely keeping my eyes out for a 28-60. I still prefer the smaller sized lenses
 
Thanks for all the help guys!

Have been tossing up between fuji xs10, sony a7c and staying within the m43 format. Found a good deal on an used a7c and 35mm 1.8, so have finally made the leap!

I'll still be keeping most my m43 gear for now. Will keep an eye out for a decent used kit lens to go with the a7c, and that will probably do me for a little bit.


Congrats. As a MFT user, I'm looking forward to hearing how you go with the 7c .
 
Congrats. As a MFT user, I'm looking forward to hearing how you go with the 7c .
Yeah, will keep you updated as I get used to the camera. So far getting to know the menus and functions.

The A7c feels a bit more chunky/thicker than my m43 cameras, and the grip doesn't feel that comfortable, but will see how I adjust to it with time.

I guess one of the major reasons why I ended up going for the a7c over the OM5, was that it just seemed a better deal. The a7c brings a full sized sensor, better autofocus, better high ISO performance. The used a7c was ~$1600AUD, vs the RRP of the newly released OM5 of ~$1900AUD. Even the Fuji xs-10 was only $1300AUD brand new including kit lens. The OM5 seems a bit overpriced atm, but obviously will drop in price with time and as the second hand market matures. I may consider picking up a copy with time as the price drops, or if they release a OM5 mk2 that excites me.

At this stage I still see a role for m4/3. I like the f1.7/1.8 range of lenses with a smaller body.
 
Yeah, will keep you updated as I get used to the camera. So far getting to know the menus and functions.

The A7c feels a bit more chunky/thicker than my m43 cameras, and the grip doesn't feel that comfortable, but will see how I adjust to it with time.

I guess one of the major reasons why I ended up going for the a7c over the OM5, was that it just seemed a better deal. The a7c brings a full sized sensor, better autofocus, better high ISO performance. The used a7c was ~$1600AUD, vs the RRP of the newly released OM5 of ~$1900AUD. Even the Fuji xs-10 was only $1300AUD brand new including kit lens. The OM5 seems a bit overpriced atm, but obviously will drop in price with time and as the second hand market matures. I may consider picking up a copy with time as the price drops, or if they release a OM5 mk2 that excites me.

At this stage I still see a role for m4/3. I like the f1.7/1.8 range of lenses with a smaller body.


Yep, I guess the only thing offsetting the value bit is a new lens mount to purchase. Depending on what you need.

I'm also constantly evaluating FF options, but so far haven't jumped (other than older Dslr's with a lens or two).
 
Well, the GX8 is notably larger than the a7C. They traded more size to get a better viewfinder magnification. The resolution is roughly the same. Also, including the front dial would have required either larger sized body, smaller battery or having the dial as a ring around the shutter button, which would have given the C a different control paradigm compared to other a7 cameras. Anyhow, the body already has two back dials and a dedicated exposure compensation dial, so it's not such a big deal in the end.

On this I can agree. I mean, for how long have the other manufacturers had lossless compression on their bodies? With Sony, compression is lossy. And if you think that 47 MB is a bit steep, try shooting the R-bodies... Well, at least now they've gotten their act together and found out about lossless compression, but that's in the a7 IV and later. I felt so clever shooting bursts of birds flying in to a scene with the a7R III, and realizing every second is about a gigabyte of hard drive space...

Well, every camera manufacturer has their quirks and idiosyncracies. And we'll just have to live with them... I see people complain about the most expensive of pro bodies, just because they don't cater to every single one of their whims and suc.. make them coffee while at it (I was going to use a more inappropriate reference here...). Maybe we just have too high expectations sometimes...
The A1, A74, and A7R5 have lossless compressed. Expect everything going forward to have it as well.

I was also disappointed to see there was no in-camera focus stacking on the new camera, but someone pointed out that it can take up to 299 images with preset focus intervals. Asking a camera to stack hundreds of 60MP images may be a bit much. It would be nice though if there were a limited version available in-camera.
 
The E-M5.3 is a camera I keep coming back to. It does a lot right, so what they've done with the OM-5 is not at all offensive to me. It's actually everything I wished the E-M5.3 was. Price is a barrier, but I feel that's a introductory/temporary issue. Keep in mind I shot an X-T3 for a few months this year. While I loved the 35 f2, I wasn't as big of a fan of the 55-200 or 70-300. I expected a bit more sharpness from the Fuji setup with those extra MPs, and sometimes I'd get it, but it wasn't consistent. There's something to be said for being consistently surprised by the output in a good way, and that's something the E-M5.3 and 75-300ii has delivered time an again. The 25mm and 45mm 1.8s are small and fantastic, and the 9-18 is about as small a UWA zoom as you'll find on an ILC. The PL25mm 1.4 is also fantastic for a bit more money. There are lots of good M43 lenses, IMO. It really helps prop up the format considerably, even with an older sensor. That 20MP sensor isn't really as bad as people often comment, despite its age. Use DxO PureRAW and you'll really be happy.
I agree with you that "what they've done with the OM-5 is not at all offensive to me. It's actually everything I wished the E-M5.3 was." It scratches every itch I had with the E-M5.3 (except lack of tethering, and the infamous C mode dial). So I am almost certainly going to hold my nose and the get the OM-5. I say "hold my nose" because like others, I am somewhat disappointed that they didn't put the OM-1 sensor in it.

So I think we have a unique situation (as I have mentioned elsewhere), where the OM-1, which got a new sensor and some serious improvements over the E-M1.3 is not at all interesting to me because the E-M1.3 is so good that I don't feel the need to improve it much, whereas the OM-5, which is getting very little of an upgrade, is much more interesting to me because it was far from perfect and the OM-5 fixes most of its shortcomings.

On top of that, even though the OM-5 is not a cheap camera, it is the same price (at $1200) that the E-M5.3 was upon introduction 3 years ago. I think the OM-5 is kind of a bargain, and I probably will wait till it comes down maybe $200.

I was (and still am) VERY tempted by the Fuji X-T5, but going to another system is just too damn expensive, especially if I wanted to come close to matching the FLs and IQ I have with my Oly equipment. So I will soldier on with Oly - er - OMDS.
 
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