The Good:
- It now has an SD card instead of an XD card
- It has a bigger high resolution LCD screen
- It kept the weather sealing and rugged build
- It kept the big bright 100% viewfinder
- they simplified the button layout, but kept the main parts the same
- they added video (had to do it)
The Bad:
- It is hinging itself on the fact that it has a True Pic V+ image processor. Otherwise it is basically an EPL-1
This isn't going to cut it. I'll wait for the final camera reviews to start trickling in before I pass any further judgement, but if this doesn't finally signal the end of four thirds then I don't know what does. I'll pass final judgement when I own one.
Own one? Yup. This camera will not sustain its initial pricing. It can't. When it drops in price I'll grab one to get a couple of more years use out of my Olympus equipment. I might even buy some SHG lenses as they get cleared out if the price is right. This is all a disappointment, but there is no sense getting in a huff over it. For that, go to Dpreview's Olympus forum where the sky is definitely falling.
This is definitely the end of my professional use of Olympus products. In fact I just bought my third Canon lens today, the 20mm f2.8 prime. Looking forward to using it and taking advantage of the full frame's natural wide angle of view. I found it hardly used from someone local that bought it but never got around to using it. The new 70-200 f2.8 is next.
All good things must come to an end.
As for the winner of the lens bag in this blog's first ever giveaway, well DaveG, you never contacted me so I'm picking a new winner. Sorry friend. Tyler Rogers, assuming you live in Canada or the USA, please email me and I'll get your loot on the way. Congrats!
5 comments:
I'm a bit baffled by this. The E-PL1 is getting praised to the heavens for its IQ. Even by Canikon-wielding "pros" (you can't be a "pro" without a Canikon, I know). The E-5 should have even better IQ, sensible resolution, full weather proofing, good handling with fast and long focal length glass. And a fantastic screen.
Not quite sure what else you want from it. Or why you'd pay so much money when you could sell off your lenses right now at a good price and buy some more lovely Canon stuff :-)
I've got no issue with Canon stuff, or any other, by the way, but for me the E-5 solves pretty much all the issues I have with the E-3 - well apart from the fact it doesn't use an E-1 body - better than switching to any other system would.
And the sky isn't falling over at DPR. Opinions are certainly divided, but by no means all negative.
The reviews will be the true judge of this one. I know most e-3 shooters are a bit raw over the fact that it's such a transparent re-use of the E-3 body and EPL sensor. After 3 years we expected a bit more. The sensor on the E-3 was always top of the heap, even the 'new' E-30 wasn't quite as good as the older E-3. I think we all wanted something that was 'head and shoulders' above the EPL line. Not the same thing.
If the E-5 turns out to be something better than the specs lead us to believe, i'll be happy to eat my words.
I've always been happy with my E-3 and I still am. I shoot a lot of weddings with a fellow photographer, touting a 5dII and a 7D. If the E5 can pull ISO noise down to be competitive with the 7D i'll be happy.
12MP is sufficient and the physics of the 4/3 sensor just isn't built for huge resolution. the photosites become too small and image quality tanks. I knew that going in to the 4/3 system.
The lenses have always been the jewel and the reason I stay. let's hope the new AA filter and the new processor deliver on sharpness and image quality.
If they do, i'll still be happy to have that Olympus strap around my neck.
David
For me it just seems odd that the new 'pro' model is pretty much the equal to the half point and shoot half dslr $550 budget micro four thirds camera. I understand we are benefitting from the weather sealing and such but this camera could have and should have been released in 2009 and I would have been a bit more excited. I'm just underwhelmed. To me it isn't a professional camera, it is a very good enthusiast camera and that disappoints me because I sincerely like Olympus as you can probably tell by how much I write about it.
It isn't that to be a pro you have to have 'Canikon' as you suggest, it is just that the big two companies are there developing products consistently for people relying on their gear to make money. Olympus unfortunately doesn't seem to understand the need for their gear to evolve and keep up at a faster pace, which is cool, they beat to their own drummer.
Tyler,
You are right, the reviews will mean a lot on this camera. If the picture quality is that much better because of the True Pic V engine then I'll happily eat my words.
The 12 megapixels doesn't bother me at all. In fact I just turned my Canon 5D mkII to SRAW to save myself editing headaches and hard drive space and that is only about 10 megapixels. We own a 7D and it is a nice camera, but this E5 should I hope be as good at high ISO as it is. It isn't a high ISO buster the 7D, it's OK, but nothing special.
Like I said, I'll be buying an E5. Eventually. And when I do I'll judge for myself whether it is a great camera, but my first instinct is that it seems so 2009 and the fact that I'm not alone in that judgement is not going to help sales. Olympus must know that. Of course if they want me to review one, I'll do it happily! :)
Thanks Neil. You have some interesting perspectives given your context. I'm not sure I see the E5 as a professional camera - pros have explicit needs and most that I know simply want a camera/tool that gets the job done as efficiently as possible, and frankly Canon or Nikon probably do it better. But I know a lot of serious amateurs and semi-professionals who love their E3s and the E5 seems like a natural evolutionary upgrade to the E3. And so much of it is about the glass and I love the Olympus glass (keep us posted on your 14-35mm experience).
Nonetheless, I don't share your disappointment. I was considering the E3 anyway, and honestly, the EP2 has been a little bit of a letdown, so even though the E5 has some of the EPL1 innards it is so much more than that.
But also, this kind of sounds to me like the E5 may be the last "pro" Olympus DSLR. But by the time an E6/7 comes about we could be in a whole new world, so who really knows.
Coming up, Olympus could ratchet up the mFT line with a durable, more serious mFT camera, but they would need the glass to go along with it.
andrewt:
This is part of what bugs me. It seems like the TruePic V is the big selling feature and we all know it will appear in the next micro four thirds camera for a lot less money.
You are right, it isn't a pro camera in any way except build quality. Not that it and a lot of lesser cameras can't be used for pro work, but the Olympus products just aren't really appealing to a lot of people doing it for money.
I'm still buying it though, and I was Wrong! I didn't even think Olympus would announce a new camera at all.
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