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Olympus Air

mazor

New member
The most important difference is that the Olympus Air can be custom programmed if you have that need for a customized use. And I know of no way to remotely control a zoom setting on the GM1 or GM5.

To me, the Air is an inexpensive, highly customizable process camera. It's not a general purpose piece of equipment the way the GM1/GM5 are.

G
Oh did not know that :) So I assume the OA.Central app has far better controls for creativity than the standard Oly Share app for OMD?

Also, did not know that power zoom lenses could be remote controlled with the air. This is a huge bonus.
 

Tim

Active member
I was interested for some video work till I found it had no IBIS.
Perhaps a choice to keep power consumption and costs down.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Oh did not know that :) So I assume the OA.Central app has far better controls for creativity than the standard Oly Share app for OMD?
Also, did not know that power zoom lenses could be remote controlled with the air. This is a huge bonus.
I can't do much with it yet to discover features since I don't have an Air just yet...

G
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
;-)

Well, I ordered one. I have a couple of small projects that it might prove the ideal gizmo to use: a dedicated copy camera for MF negative capture, for use with BCL 15/9mm lenses, video clips with 14-42EZ and 40-150 lenses. I figure it's cheaper than the Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-D I just received... :toocool:

G
 

Tim

Active member
Hmm. My Leica X doesn't have IBIS and I shoot from the hip with it quite a lot of the time with good results... ??

G
In my experience the IBIS made good results a lot better. Unless using a steadycam device or tripod I would only shoot with IBIS, I hate shake.
You don't know what you are missing if you dont have it.
You could use IBIS integrated lenses as a option but thats a bit limited. A used or clearout EM5 is not much more that this thing so still not for me.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
In my experience the IBIS made good results a lot better. Unless using a steadycam device or tripod I would only shoot with IBIS, I hate shake.
You don't know what you are missing if you dont have it.
You could use IBIS integrated lenses as a option but thats a bit limited. A used or clearout EM5 is not much more that this thing so still not for me.
I have both an E-M1 and an E-PL7, with lots of image stabilization. The Air is for different purposes. :)

G
 

Tim

Active member
A used or clearout EM5

Can you drive it from a tablet, Tim?

Tony
Here is where these things turn into my use / your use.
I don't care if it works from a tablet. I actually don't own a tablet so that would be added expense putting it far past other options.
I looked at it purely for a low cost video option from my phone. For ME, no use.
Don't mistake me for someone who is bagging the thing. I think its great.
I even thought about a low cost steady cam rig with it.
If it works for you go for it.

I'm out.
 
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Tim

Active member
Back to my question to you, Tim.

A used or clearout EM5

Can you drive it from a tablet, Tim?

Tony
Can't help you Tony, don't know, Irrelevant question to me
You'll have to look that one up :p

BTW: you can drive a GR II from a tablet. Does that help?
 
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Annna T

Active member
Back to my question to you, Tim.

A used or clearout EM5

Can you drive it from a tablet, Tim?

Tony
The E-M5 unlike the E-M5II offers no wifi connection. You can try to put a wifi SD card in it, like the Flash Air (there us a menu option allowing you to activate and deactivate that card option). I have tried it but it doesn't work as easily as the integrated wifi on the mkII. The connection isn't easy to establish and falls easily.
 
Thanks Anna,

I use Eye-Fi with my E-M5 and find it works well. I also have the three Sigma Merrills and use Eye-Fi with them a lot.

Reading this Air thread has got me interested because I'm getting less supple and felt the device would bring back some flexibility to my camera angles.

I've done the sums on upgrading to the M5 v2 and trading the v1. Compared with the Air they don't make sense if all I want is the wifi to tablet link.

As of today I feel inclined to wait until I can get an Air in the UK.

Thanks for your ideas and your help.

Tony
 

Annna T

Active member
Thanks Anna,

I use Eye-Fi with my E-M5 and find it works well. I also have the three Sigma Merrills and use Eye-Fi with them a lot.

Reading this Air thread has got me interested because I'm getting less supple and felt the device would bring back some flexibility to my camera angles.

I've done the sums on upgrading to the M5 v2 and trading the v1. Compared with the Air they don't make sense if all I want is the wifi to tablet link.

As of today I feel inclined to wait until I can get an Air in the UK.

Thanks for your ideas and your help.

Tony
I'm not sure that you can get more with a flash air card than with the eyefi card : I think that you can transfer pictures, but I don't think you can use the Olympus apps in order to use the E-M5 remotely. The software on the SD cards aren't made by Olympus, unlike the WIFI of the E-M5II. THE Olympus menu just allows you to activate or deactivate the card in order to save battery, at least this is what I understood. I had an eye-Fi card to (the name was escaping me).

However other Olympus bodies offer WIFI (some of the last E-Pl and if I remember correctly the E-M10?)
 
Thanks Anna,

However other Olympus bodies offer WIFI

Indeed and on the DPReview forum they are suggesting that the GM1 might actually be more pocketable than the Air - and cheaper.

I looked at the GM1 and tablet wifi display. What seemed a shame was that the image only covered half the screen - the controls being the other half. I'd not want that. I'd want most of the screen to be the image.

My gut reaction reading these Air posts is that what people like is the fact that the wifi software is almost open source and thus will enable developers to produce variations for people with various needs.

You seriously tempted me to swop my E-M5 for the version 2. But that would simply to get wifi as, for everything else the version 1 does what I want. Now my thoughts are to wait for the Air as I think the software will be smarter and wider ranging.

But thanks for removing my blinkers. That, for me, is what these forums so often can do.

Tony
 
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