Oly OM-DE-M5 with PT-EPO8 bundle

[sooke]

I have a E-PL5 in the PT-EP10 and am very happy with it .....BUT....I keep getting seduced by those ads for a OM-DE-M5 and PT-EPO8 housing bundle. Decisions decisions. It is now a three year old camera and maybe I might wait just wait for something new and more advanced next year. Anyone have had problems with this camera and housing?

 

[EskilJ]

Maybe missing focus peaking is the biggest disadvantage of the camera?
Also, if you like to have continuous autofocus for macro photography (or movies), the e-m1 would be much better.
I believe there is no monocular for the viewfinder, some people prefer a viewfinder. (especially those diving where there is a lot of light, or being used to SLR's - some also claim better shaking-stability when the camera touch the mask.)

 

[Peter Guy]

sooke -- I have a very similar problem but with older camera. I want to upgrade but can't find any solid reason to do so. What, in fact, will improve in my photography by jumping generations? How much better image are the cameras actually going to produce?

For me, the biggest drawback is the eye behind the lens -- not the gear!

 

[Ardy]

Peter a great photographer with a p&s will outdo 99% of amateurs with a top of the line rig. As a pro told me once, the difference between a good pro and a talented amateur is about 1,000,000 shots.

The EM5 is a great camera I have one and I am very happy with it and my 60mm macro lens. BUT I love macro and this rig suits me. Comparing my shots to the E520 I had before there is a noticeable improvement in sharpness and definition. The auto-focus is faster as well. The downside is the need to do bigfish/littlefish setting to make the flash work whilst in the down position, something fixed in the firmware of EM1 and EM5II.

I also love being able to compose with the camera up to my eye. I find I hold it steadier and compose better.

Not sure what the deal is now BUT when I bought a couple of years ago there was +$1000 for the Nauticam housing and port/s. I do think it is a better housing but I only do about 40 dives a year now and this port works fine for me.

There is another consideration - cameras (therefore housings) are obsolete after 3 years so I cannot see any reason to put a huge amount into something that is obsolete after a short time. There again the money may not interest you as it does me.....regards

 

[Peter Guy]

Arty -- I love to have the camera to my eye when on land which meant I bought the add-on view finder for my poor old E-PL1 (of which I now have three bodies -- two are housed, one isn't). But UW I prefer the "live view" due to my poor old eyes!

The reality is that I've been slowly upgrading my lenses and I think that may, in the end, make more sense than upgrading the body and housing.

 

[chris196]

I don't see much reason to invest in the em5 over the epl5. They have the same sensor.
I just made a jump from epl2 to epl7. Part of my reasoning is I wanted the next generation sensor. Now in the process of tyring to sell an epl2 and housing. No bites yet even at $350 for the combo.

Peter, I'll let you know how much a difference there is.

Before getting the epl7, I seriously thought about housing my em5. The current deal is great, but I already owned the camera.
In the end I went epl7 because I love my one port solution on my epl2. I've moved that port to epl7 housing and will use the 9-18 & 60 there. I am planning on adding the 8mm FE to my current setup, so I won't be one port any more. We'll see how I like that in practice.

Do you currently own the 60mm? If not you should spend your money on that first.
What lens are you using? Definitely spend money on lens & ports for the epl5 before spending money to get an em5.

In the end I went epl7 mainly for size reasons. I really like the ergonomics and setup of my epl2 and the epl7 drops right into my current tray and strobe setup and feels the same.

Note that I haven't actually used the epl7 underwater yet.

 

[sooke]

chris196
I currently use Oly lenses. The 9-18mm zoom, the 14-74 kit lens, and the 60mm Macro (I love this lens) I shoot all of the lenses in the Zen WA-100 Pen Dome with results that keep me satisfied. I can use the lenses and dome port on the PT-EP08 with the use of a adaptor. What I want to do is keep the E-PL5/PT-EP10 as a spare/backup. I had a battered fleet of Nikonos I, II, III, and V's over the years. They were sold to a uw photo museum a few years back and I feel nervous with no second camera now the Canon G-10 has reached the end of it's life. (6 years land use and over 256 photo dives) I appreciate everyone's in put on this thread. The OM-DE-M5 has some quirks like the flash down issue sequence but every camera I took underwater had quirks to deal with too.

 

[chris196]

ok, didn't realize you wanted as a second camera.
It's a fantastic deal for sure.

Or buy my epl2 as a really cheap backup.