Gh5

Jorgen Udvang said:

I use the GM5 when I need very small, and since it's so tiny, it always comes along with the two others. Since I have 3 batteries for it, I rarely bring the charger for the GM5 when I travel. The GX8 and G85 share batteries and charger.

I'm actually quite happy with the AA filter on the GX8. With good lenses, the detail rendering is great. With the G85, there's moiré occasionally.

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Did you get the GX8 recently or before the GX8? (last question, don't want to de-rail the thread).

- Ricardo

raist3d said:

In the meantime you are completely ignoring video quality

- Ricardo

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Ricardo,

IMHO video quality from the EM1.2 and XT2 is outstanding - both 1k as well as 4k.

I am not arguing that the GH5 is a bad camera at all, I only say for the moment their video AF is not anywhere where it should be.

So let's hope they fix it soon - BUT - I will not adopt this camera anyway as I am such a happy camper in Olympus and Fuji land already. But well - I am definitely no Pro - and I am very happy that I do not need to earn money with photography or videography - when I do it I do it for my own fun! And that allows a lot of freedom you know?!

All the best,

Peter

raist3d said:

Did you get the GX8 recently or before the GX8? (last question, don't want to de-rail the thread).

- Ricardo

Click to expand...

I bought the GX8 a year or so ago and the G85 now. The first was almost a year old, while the G85 was "open box, lens removed" new at a discount. Although basic ergonomics are pretty similar, I'm surprised how different they function. I'm not finished setting up the G85 yet though. Great combo, and I paid a total of 2/3 of the price for a GH5

Finally went and auditioned a GH5 today to see what it felt like in the hand.

I was really surprised at how good it felt to handle and also how light it was. In fact, I assumed it was a body without the battery but I opened the compartment and there it was. Ergonomically, I liked it a lot, which surprised me. Controls are very nicely laid out. This is a well designed piece of kit with a lot of thought about button placement etc.

The store also let me compare it to an Olympus EM1-mkII. I liked the feel of that as much. Very difficult to chose between the two in heft and feel. I did feel in some ways the buttons on the Olympus were a bit cramped and fussy. My only concern with owning an EM1-mkII is that all my glass except the 7-14/2.8 is Panasonic. Even the sales guy thought that with all the Panasonic glass I have my best option would be the GH5.

On the other hand I am also very interested in the 300/4. I could see that being a very good (but expensive) birding rig.

Not in a hurry to make a decision but it does reaffirm my connection to m43rds - these are much more to my liking as cameras than the Canon 7DMkII I also played with a couple of weeks ago. Too big and the eye relief I thought was very poor, even in comparison to my GX80 (which has a tiny viewfinder).

Just my two cents.

LouisB

biglouis said:

Finally went and auditioned a GH5 today to see what it felt like in the hand.

I was really surprised at how good it felt to handle and also how light it was. In fact, I assumed it was a body without the battery but I opened the compartment and there it was. Ergonomically, I liked it a lot, which surprised me. Controls are very nicely laid out. This is a well designed piece of kit with a lot of thought about button placement etc.

The store also let me compare it to an Olympus EM1-mkII. I liked the feel of that as much. Very difficult to chose between the two in heft and feel. I did feel in some ways the buttons on the Olympus were a bit cramped and fussy. My only concern with owning an EM1-mkII is that all my glass except the 7-14/2.8 is Panasonic. Even the sales guy thought that with all the Panasonic glass I have my best option would be the GH5.

On the other hand I am also very interested in the 300/4. I could see that being a very good (but expensive) birding rig.

Not in a hurry to make a decision but it does reaffirm my connection to m43rds - these are much more to my liking as cameras than the Canon 7DMkII I also played with a couple of weeks ago. Too big and the eye relief I thought was very poor, even in comparison to my GX80 (which has a tiny viewfinder).

Just my two cents.

LouisB

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Louis,

with the background on what you already own on cameras and lenses it would also be very difficult for me to choose either EM1.2 or GH5.

I would argue if you already own and work with lot of Panasonic gear the GH5 would definitely be the camera of choice. I would not buy it is I ant to add the 3/400 with full dual IS functionality of course. But with what you already own, especially the 100-400 I would rather tend to go the GH5 route.

Just my 5c

Peter

ptomsu said:

I would argue if you already own and work with lot of Panasonic gear the GH5 would definitely be the camera of choice. I would not buy it is I ant to add the 3/400 with full dual IS functionality of course. But with what you already own, especially the 100-400 I would rather tend to go the GH5 route.

Just my 5c

Peter

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The GH5 has internal IBIS and uses the lens stabilization of the 300 F4 .... only the function button on the Oly lenses is inoperative on the Panasonic.

Bob

docmoore said:

The GH5 has internal IBIS and uses the lens stabilization of the 300 F4 .... only the function button on the Oly lenses is inoperative on the Panasonic.

Bob

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I am not sure if it really can use the lens stabilization of the 4/300 in combination with IBIS. As far as I understood this only works with certain Olympus bodies like the EM1.2. But maybe I am wrong?

May I refer you to this comparison ... he has used the Olympus 300 F 4 and commented that the OIS stays active and might drain the battery on a GH5 .... but that is a simple FW fix ... or pull the battery when you
are not shooting.

Seems like it does work on the Panasonic ...should as all of the Olympus lenses with OIS work on mine.

http://naturalexposures.com/mirrorless-telephoto-comparison-leica-fuji-nikon-olympus/

Bob

ptomsu said:

Ricardo,

IMHO video quality from the EM1.2 and XT2 is outstanding - both 1k as well as 4k.

Click to expand...

Yes, they are good. Point is, the GH5 has even better video quality. And has the feature set to deal with it. Color grading and all that in-camera. Would cost much more.

I am not arguing that the GH5 is a bad camera at all, I only say for the moment their video AF is not anywhere where it should be.

Click to expand...

That's fine, but when I read this it would seem that the GH5 s*cks or something. At least the way it is written.

So let's hope they fix it soon - BUT - I will not adopt this camera anyway as I am such a happy camper in Olympus and Fuji land already. But well - I am definitely no Pro - and I am very happy that I do not need to earn money with photography or videography - when I do it I do it for my own fun! And that allows a lot of freedom you know?!

All the best,

Peter

Click to expand...

Certainly. And all the three cameras are outstanding. I honestly don't see why have several of top tier models honestly.

- Ricardo

biglouis said:

Finally went and auditioned a GH5 today to see what it felt like in the hand.

I was really surprised at how good it felt to handle and also how light it was. In fact, I assumed it was a body without the battery but I opened the compartment and there it was. Ergonomically, I liked it a lot, which surprised me. Controls are very nicely laid out. This is a well designed piece of kit with a lot of thought about button placement etc.

The store also let me compare it to an Olympus EM1-mkII. I liked the feel of that as much. Very difficult to chose between the two in heft and feel. I did feel in some ways the buttons on the Olympus were a bit cramped and fussy. My only concern with owning an EM1-mkII is that all my glass except the 7-14/2.8 is Panasonic. Even the sales guy thought that with all the Panasonic glass I have my best option would be the GH5.

On the other hand I am also very interested in the 300/4. I could see that being a very good (but expensive) birding rig.

Not in a hurry to make a decision but it does reaffirm my connection to m43rds - these are much more to my liking as cameras than the Canon 7DMkII I also played with a couple of weeks ago. Too big and the eye relief I thought was very poor, even in comparison to my GX80 (which has a tiny viewfinder).

Just my two cents.

LouisB

Click to expand...

The thing that Olympus has completely messed up right now is the UI/workflows for using it. The grip and all feel great. But good lord they are so obviously behind UI usability.

This is the reason why I have a strong hate/love relationship with the PenF. Beautiful files. But focus is not so good but worse is the usability of it. Why can't for god's sake Olympus put a clear square where the camera is going to focus before it does like Panasonic/Pentax/Fuji.etc are doing.

This isn't much of an issue with the EVF (though still is). But the grid lines you can put on are single pixel alpha blended black with no outline to make them stand out.

Then Olympus does have the re-sizable green square UI, which is completely exclusively modal with the Super Control Panel bring-up so you have to get kicked out of that mode, shares the focus magnification with MF and spot focus. So annoying.

I have not tried the EM1 MKII to see if they changed this but I am not holding my breath. (the EM1 MKII is not the type of camera I would use anyway because size for me - just like XT2/Panny GX8/GH5).

I really wish Olympus would wake up here. Something like the PenF has the feature but it makes me miss shots.

- Ricardo

Hi Ricardo,
IMHO there is a lot of BS in your post regarding the UI of the E-M1.2. :facesmack:
The more I use it the more I like it. :grin:

biglouis said:

Finally went and auditioned a GH5 today to see what it felt like in the hand.

I was really surprised at how good it felt to handle and also how light it was. In fact, I assumed it was a body without the battery but I opened the compartment and there it was. Ergonomically, I liked it a lot, which surprised me. Controls are very nicely laid out. This is a well designed piece of kit with a lot of thought about button placement etc.

The store also let me compare it to an Olympus EM1-mkII. I liked the feel of that as much. Very difficult to chose between the two in heft and feel. I did feel in some ways the buttons on the Olympus were a bit cramped and fussy. My only concern with owning an EM1-mkII is that all my glass except the 7-14/2.8 is Panasonic. Even the sales guy thought that with all the Panasonic glass I have my best option would be the GH5.

On the other hand I am also very interested in the 300/4. I could see that being a very good (but expensive) birding rig.

Not in a hurry to make a decision but it does reaffirm my connection to m43rds - these are much more to my liking as cameras than the Canon 7DMkII I also played with a couple of weeks ago. Too big and the eye relief I thought was very poor, even in comparison to my GX80 (which has a tiny viewfinder).

Just my two cents.

LouisB

Click to expand...

There seems to be a simple but somewhat costly solution, get an GH5 and an E-M1.2 + 300/4.0 Pro. I have a similar but opposite problem. I have all the Olympus OM-D cameras, lots of Olympus FT and mFT lenses and the PL Nocticron 42.5/1.2, a gem of a lens, one of my favorites. Too bad the aperture ring doesn't work on an Olympus camera, neither does dual IS. So am I crazy thinking of getting an GH5 just for that lens? No doubt, if I got an GH5 more PL lenses magically would find their way into my lens collection. :banghead:

BTW, the older Olympus FT super high grade lenses, the tunas 300/2.8, 90-250/2.8, and 150/2.0 play in a somewhat higher league than the mFT lenses 300/4.0 PRO and 40-150/2.8 PRO. The bokeh of the latter is somewhat rough as compared to that of the former. However, the bulk and weight of the FT lenses would probably be unacceptable to you. I have those tunas and love using them on a tripod. :grin:

k-hawinkler said:

Hi Ricardo,
IMHO there is a lot of BS in your post regarding the UI of the E-M1.2. :facesmack:
The more I use it the more I like it. :grin:

Click to expand...

This is highly individual. People have different mindsets and different backgrounds. I had the E-M1. The more I used it, the more I disliked it.

k-hawinkler said:

There seems to be a simple but somewhat costly solution, get an GH5 and an E-M1.2 + 300/4.0 Pro. I have a similar but opposite problem. I have all the Olympus OM-D cameras, lots of Olympus FT and mFT lenses and the PL Nocticron 42.5/1.2, a gem of a lens, one of my favorites. Too bad the aperture ring doesn't work on an Olympus camera, neither does dual IS. So am I crazy thinking of getting an GH5 just for that lens? No doubt, if I got an GH5 more PL lenses magically would find their way into my lens collection. :banghead:

BTW, the older Olympus FT super high grade lenses, the tunas 300/2.8, 90-250/2.8, and 150/2.0 play in a somewhat higher league than the mFT lenses 300/4.0 PRO and 40-150/2.8 PRO. The bokeh of the latter is somewhat rough as compared to that of the former. However, the bulk and weight of the FT lenses would probably be unacceptable to you. I have those tunas and love using them on a tripod. :grin:

Click to expand...

It might be an idea for you to get a Panasonic body for the Noctitron, but there are other alternatives than the GH5. The GX8 is an excellent camera, although with less advanced IBIS that doesn't work with video.

I agree fully when it comes to 4/3 vs. m4/3 lenses. The bokeh was one of the reasons why I sold the 40-150mm f/2.8 and the E-M1 with it. I might however buy an E-M1 II later, preferably second hand, to use with 4/3 lenses. I have the Zuiko 9-18mm and PL 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 still. Adding the 150mm f/2 would make it complete for me (I think), unless I chose to swap the PL for the Zuiko 150mm.

k-hawinkler said:

Hi Ricardo,
IMHO there is a lot of BS in your post regarding the UI of the E-M1.2. :facesmack:
The more I use it the more I like it. :grin:

Click to expand...

I am glad you do. But almost universally every single new Olympus review has for at least 2 years in a row now mentioned that the UI has gotten pretty bad (that's just for reference, I have observed this mess myself).

If it works for you, cheers and be happy, sure. But there are some rather obvious UI design problems with what Olympus has gotten into. A lot of it is opinion, but there are some factual UI mistakes when looked at it from UI design domain.

I hope Olympus considers one day to re-do at least some of the obvious issues they have. Info button to get an explanation on what the heck something does is a bandaid.

- Ricardo

Jorgen Udvang said:

This is highly individual. People have different mindsets and different backgrounds. I had the E-M1. The more I used it, the more I disliked it.

Click to expand...

I have gone in a complete circle of love/hate with the PenF several times. Love the files but I find myself after some longer use, in that same position of dislike you mention. I am giving it yet another round after some rare out of my way customization with some of the buttons and see how it feels- yet there's the issues I mentioned with modality with focus square mode and all that.

(Note again, haven't used the EM1 MKII so don't know if they changed that).

- Ricardo

raist3d said:

I am glad you do. But almost universally every single new Olympus review has for at least 2 years in a row now mentioned that the UI has gotten pretty bad (that's just for reference, I have observed this mess myself).

If it works for you, cheers and be happy, sure. But there are some rather obvious UI design problems with what Olympus has gotten into. A lot of it is opinion, but there are some factual UI mistakes when looked at it from UI design domain.

I hope Olympus considers one day to re-do at least some of the obvious issues they have. Info button to get an explanation on what the heck something does is a bandaid.

- Ricardo

Click to expand...

Thanks Ricardo for your kind reply.
Of course you are entitled to your opinion as I am entitled to mine.
Yes some"reviewers" seem to share criticism without ever getting into a camera.
I tend to form my opinions primarily with my own hands on experiences.
Obviously camera makers have quite different ideas what an UI should look like.
So I try to develop an understanding within the constraints of a particular UI.

Olympus has a certain complex interplay of the menu, info, and okay button.
Once understanding that and their super control panel I find it easy to use.
Also knowing how to switch on and off short explanations is very helpful.
In the E-M1.2 Olympus is using an additional directory layer/structure.
It enables switching menu sub panels without going into them.
As this layer is appropriately labeled it"s easy to find the way thru the menu.

Of course, as in any UI system there are some bugs in Olympus' one as well.
So far, I have not had a problem finding easy workarounds.

I use my OM-D cameras with their Power Battery Holders that also repeat the functional buttons. Seems to work for me.

i am also similarly familiar with the UI of various Nikon and Sony cameras and the Leica M9. Whenever I use a camera, that I have not used for awhile, it helps to briefly reflect on that particular UI and mentally go thru its menus.

So far I have never used a Panasonic camera but I am convinced that with dedication and some effort and time I would get used to its idiosyncrasies as well and learn how to use it efficiently and develop the necessary muscle memory for its effortless use.

Can all those different UIs be improved? Sure they can, but I am not holding my breath for that to happen right away.

k-hawinkler said:

BTW, the older Olympus FT super high grade lenses, the tunas 300/2.8, 90-250/2.8, and 150/2.0 play in a somewhat higher league than the mFT lenses 300/4.0 PRO and 40-150/2.8 PRO. The bokeh of the latter is somewhat rough as compared to that of the former. However, the bulk and weight of the FT lenses would probably be unacceptable to you. I have those tunas and love using them on a tripod. :grin:

Click to expand...

:OT: I hate tuna, but I love my tuna ... :loco:

Knorp said:

:OT: I hate tuna, but I love my tuna ... :loco:

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Thanks Bart. I love all kinds of tuna - yellow, blue fin, you name it - but in particular my 3 tuna lenses. :grin:
I made up zoom tuna for the 90-250/2.8 to fit in with the other 2. :facesmack:
But do you or anybody else know when the community came up with little 150/2.0 and big 300/2.8 tuna?
Or in what context? Inquiring minds would like to know for such a strange name for a lens. :banghead: