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Some questions on Olympus EP-3 and lenses

pegelli

Well-known member
A friend gave me an Olympus EP-3 with a 45/1.8 lens. I especially like the small form factor and image quality seems fine as long as you stay at the lower iso's.
So it might become a camera to take with me when I want to travel very light.

I have no MFT experience, so hereby a few questions from a complete noob in that system

1)
45 mm on MFT is a bit long for just walk-around, any suggestions for getting something wider on a tight budget (don't want to spend serious money before I decide to like it). I think I would prefer primes, but cheap zooms can be considered.

2)
Olympus has in-body IS, so how does it work when you use panasonic MFT lenses with OIS. Don't think you can use both combined, but which can you switch off and how do you do that?

3)
Any tips/recommendations for how to configure an EP-3 (programmable buttons etc)

4) Anything else you think might be of use for someone new to MFT

Thanks in advance for your insights :clap:
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
A friend gave me an Olympus EP-3 with a 45/1.8 lens. I especially like the small form factor and image quality seems fine as long as you stay at the lower iso's.
So it might become a camera to take with me when I want to travel very light.

I have no MFT experience, so hereby a few questions from a complete noob in that system

1)
45 mm on MFT is a bit long for just walk-around, any suggestions for getting something wider on a tight budget (don't want to spend serious money before I decide to like it). I think I would prefer primes, but cheap zooms can be considered.

2)
Olympus has in-body IS, so how does it work when you use panasonic MFT lenses with OIS. Don't think you can use both combined, but which can you switch off and how do you do that?

3)
Any tips/recommendations for how to configure an EP-3 (programmable buttons etc)

4) Anything else you think might be of use for someone new to MFT

Thanks in advance for your insights :clap:
Most people like the Panasonic 20/1.7 and Sigma also makes some lenses that are less expensive. I think Olympus has a 17/1.8 that would probably mate good with the 45/1.8.

https://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/dn-for-mirrorless?sigma_mount=12067

No tips for Olympus setting up systems... it’s been years since I’ve owned one and the last one I tried was the EM1 camera. It was reasonably responsive but I wasn’t used to their menu system as I’m most familiar with Panasonic, Leica, and Sony menus now... Fuji menu was relatively easy to get around and wasn’t too different than the Sony menu to me.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
A friend gave me an Olympus EP-3 with a 45/1.8 lens. I especially like the small form factor and image quality seems fine as long as you stay at the lower iso's.
So it might become a camera to take with me when I want to travel very light.

I have no MFT experience, so hereby a few questions from a complete noob in that system

1)
45 mm on MFT is a bit long for just walk-around, any suggestions for getting something wider on a tight budget (don't want to spend serious money before I decide to like it). I think I would prefer primes, but cheap zooms can be considered.

2)
Olympus has in-body IS, so how does it work when you use panasonic MFT lenses with OIS. Don't think you can use both combined, but which can you switch off and how do you do that?

3)
Any tips/recommendations for how to configure an EP-3 (programmable buttons etc)

4) Anything else you think might be of use for someone new to MFT

Thanks in advance for your insights :clap:
1) The Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 and Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 are decent "normal" lenses. I paid less than $200 for my Panasonic. The Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens is also good, possibly better, but mostly sells for higher prices. The Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 is dirt cheap second hand and a decent lens. If you want to invst a bit more or buy second hand, the Zuiko 12mm f/2, PL 15mm f/1.7 and PL 25mm f/1.4 are all fantastic lenses. My combo of choice would be Zuiko 12mm, PL 25mm and the 45mm that you already have.

2) OIS on Panasonic/PL lenses must be turned off if you use IBIS. None of the above mentioned lenses have OIS. The Panasonic 30mm f/2.8 Macro is the shortst one that has that.

3) No idea.

4) Have fun!
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
A must have lens is the Olympus 1.8/17 - this is one of their best lenses, fully metal, easy MF with clutch ring on lens very fast and quiet and razor sharp IMO. It should pair well with the EP-3 and is reasonably cheap.

A "normal" lens would be the 1.8/25, very cheap, very sharp, fast and quiet, but lot of plastic.

The 2.8/60 is a stellar macro lens and works very well as portrait lens also, it is very compact.

Other than that I have only experience with PRO lenses and I would say these would definitely work on the EP-3 but IMO kind of a mismatch size and prize wise.

You definitely should look on the used market as especially the cheaper lenses are pretty often to have in great condition for reasonable prizes.

Have fun!
 

Shashin

Well-known member
I really enjoyed my Panasonic 20mm, F/1.8. It was sharp and rendered well. It is a 40mm equivalent, which is actually something I like. It is also compact. The Olympus 17mm, F/2.8 is smaller and is a nice lens, but I did not quite gel with it as much. I used these with the E-P1 and they are not as fast as the AF on most cameras today, but still usable--and enjoyable.
 

PerThorup

Member
Hi

I have the E-P3 as my car/casual/holliday camera. I have a Lumix 14mm F/2,5 pancake lense which never leaves the camera. I am very satisfied with the results from this very portable combo.



Regards/Per
 

PerThorup

Member
I have my camera configured like this:

Fn1 - AEL/AFL (spot meetering)
Fn2 - Focuspoint home position
Rec - Rec
Thumbwhell:
P/A/S: Exposure +/-
M - Shuttertime

Backwheel:
P - Ps
A - F.nr
S - Shuttertime
M - F.nr

Auto ISO set to 200-1600

OK button - Super Control Panel

Thats it :) Per
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
I got the E-P2 and VF-2, in anticipation to use the VF-2 on the Leica M240 (wasn’t that the name of the Leica M following the M9). As the M240 wasn’t available yet back then, I needed a camera to use the VF-2 on. So I got the E-P2 pretty cheaply.

In the end I gave up on the Leica M240 - after waiting for it for a year after ordering it - and moved on to the OM-D E-M5, the first Olympus MFT camera with a modern sensor and 5-axis IBIS. IIRC the VF-2 also works on the E-P3 and I used it on the E-M5.

I still have the E-P2, VF-2, M9, E-M5 and occasionally use them to demonstrate to myself the rapid progress the industry has made during the past decade. IMHO the IQ of the E-M5 is similar to the one of the latest Olympus cameras, but the E-M5’s AF speed is not and tends to focus hunt for fast moving birds and such.

However, for non-action shots the E-M5 works just fine and delivers the goodies.
 

drofnad

Member
2) OIS on Panasonic/PL lenses must be turned off if you use IBIS.
OTOH, in some cases, one might prefer to use the
lens's vs. camera's stabilization, and so turn off
the latter's. E.g., it seems to me that Pana's 35-100/2.8
does better with its own stabilization than w/E-M5.1's.

(-;
 

pegelli

Well-known member
Thanks for all the good advice. Went out hunting for second hand deals to several shops the last few days but no luck, no short primes to find. I guess everybody likes them so they don't get sold :facesmack:

But I found a very cheap and still nice looking Olympus 14-42 "pancake" kit lens so decided to get that to get me going (just a 45 prime is too limiting to bother taking the camera out). Hopefully I'll score some primes over the coming weeks but until then the zoom will have to do.

I'll post my first results in the "fun with" thread, but for a kit lens it's rather fine.

I've also ordered two adapters to use my OM Zuiko and Leica M lenses on the camera, so for the long end I think I'll be fully covered once they arrive, it's more the wide angle section that needs a bit more strengthening.


Last question: any experience with the VF-2 external viewfinder? There's still a lot of them to be found on ebay, but are they worth it?
 
Last edited:

Godfrey

Well-known member
I still have the Olympus E-PL7 with 'normal zoom' and 'tele zoom' lenses (can't remember which ones, frankly; been too long since I used it!) and it's a fine performer. The Oly 17/1.8 is a fine lens, the Pana-Leica 25/1.4 is superb. The cheap Pana 14/2.8 fitted with their wide converter is astonishingly good and pretty darn cheap for a 21mm eqFOV.

Usually, with OIS lenses from Panasonic, I just turn the OIS off. Easy, simple. You can't use both OIS and IBIS at the same time except with specific Olympus lenses designed to integrate them together.

Settings I can't tell you because I don't remember off-hand. I'd have to re-learn my own camera... :)

BTW, when I was shooting with the Pana G2 and Oly E-M1 nearly all the time, the lens most often on my camera was the Pana-Leica Macro-Elmarit-DG 45 mm f/2.8. It's just such a great lens I couldn't stop using it... :D

G
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
BTW, when I was shooting with the Pana G2 and Oly E-M1 nearly all the time, the lens most often on my camera was the Pana-Leica Macro-Elmarit-DG 45 mm f/2.8. It's just such a great lens I couldn't stop using it... :D

G
+1 to that. It's a remarkable lens by any standard.
 
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