OMD-EM5 - I'm having second thoughts

[Ardy]

I could not resist it and bought an OMD to replace my E520 with the fixed idea of buying a nautica housing with the 12-50 port. NOw I am not so sure...

Comparing the 2 camera's I find I prefer the glass over the EVF and although there is some more detail in the images produced and it focusses faster it doesn't seem to be the major improvement that I expected. I use the 50mm macro lens mostly and the 14-42 for larger stuff (20% of dives).

It is obviously a fine piece of engineering and I will keep it but, will I buy a housing and sell my E-520 and Olympus housing? Well I ain't sure what I would gain and I might have trouble using the EVF as I do not like to use the screen to focus with. Any thoughts about making the jump worthwhile?

 

[jetlife2]

Maybe you can find a place to rent either a housing or an entire setup, so you can try before committing to the expense of the housing. I have always been happiest underwater with a live view screen, vs a viewfinder, but this is a very personal issue so I understand. I also think that the E520 is a fine camera and so your experience may be different from that of others who have made bigger steps.

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

I have shot with both cameras extensively and with both housings this is a no brained to me, the EM5 wins hands down in every area but total cost. Having said that the E520/620 and 50 macro is still a very nice system.

some are always going to prefer an OVF to an EVF but for me it would need to be a full frame 35 OVF and i would still be able to argue a case for the EVF.

Phil Rudin

 

[Ardy]

Thanks guys - what is it like to look through the viewfinder of the OMD? I would hate to buy the whole thing then find I need an add on external viewfinder. I don't need one on the E520...

 

[girellator]

An external viewfinder is ( for me ) a must have with the EFV of the OMD in Nauticam housing , but once you get it it's like looking at the TV directly
Notice that I was able to use the old Inon viewfinder of my Nikon D90 , that Backscatter converted to a Nauticam mount .
I will not come back to DSLR , for many reasons including weight of course and also because the OMD is one of the best camera I have ever used underwater .

 

[Ardy]

An external viewfinder is ( for me ) a must have with the EFV of the OMD in Nauticam housing , but once you get it it's like looking at the TV directly
Notice that I was able to use the old Inon viewfinder of my Nikon D90 , that Backscatter converted to a Nauticam mount .
I will not come back to DSLR , for many reasons including weight of course and also because the OMD is one of the best camera I have ever used underwater .

Great idea but it is still over a grand with shipping. Not exactly the perfect solution to fix what should have been workable initially, at least for a 40 dives a year photographer.

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

Ardy,

The EM5 EVF gives a much larger view than your E-520 and the Nauticam housing comes with a pickup finder which is at least as good as the one that came with your Olympus housing. Most of the people I see shooting the EM5 have not added the additional viewfinder just as most have not added one to their DSLR housings. Apples to apples the EM5 is still a huge step forward over the E-520.

The E-M1 coming next month will have an even larger EVF and a higher cost, bottom line is how much we are willing to spend. I would highly recommended the EM5/Nauticam to anyone wanting to keep a system for five years or more. The EM5 housing is one of the least expensive mirrorless housings at that quality level.

Phil Rudin

 

[Ardy]

Phil - I don't doubt it is a fine system and if I do it this will be my last purchase as I am not sure how much beyond 70 (4 years away) I will be diving, which is a thought that I hate as I love it down there. Still you never know do you?

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Ardy,

I bought an OM-D system last year and cannot recommend it enough. The camera is a joy to shoot and travel with (for me). It is even better underwater, because the housing and ports are so compact and streamlined. Image quality is very good and I can say that, for the foreseeable future, I do not intend to house my d800e in the huge, bulky, housings that are necessary for that camera.

If you expect about 4 years or so of underwater photography, I don't see any need to wait. The new upcoming OMD camera looks nice, but no big deal increase in image quality or resolution, and it will take several months for the housings to follow and who knows how much they will cost? So, the current OM-D with its established selection of housings and ports should be very close to state of the art for a few years more and the prices are right.

Set yourself up with the 12-50 port/gears and enjoy the most versatile underwater lens going, bar none, in any format. Talk about a feat of fine engineering!! Now, when you are shooting tiny shrimps with that lens' excellent macro function, and a turtle swims by, no problem! In three seconds you can be shooting semi-wide angle.

As for the EVF, after using both the OMD and my 35mm system, have come to prefer the EVF in many respects, but I absolutely prefer it in my underwater shooting. The view is bright, shows you instantly your exposure adjustments, focus point, etc. You get immediate image review without taking your eye from the viewfinder to instantly verify focus, exposure, and flash functioning. This is something an OVF will never give you. Compared to my D800e it is worlds faster than shoot, look at the screen, adjust, shoot again. Forget it for any fast moving subject. As for visibility of the EVF, I first tried the system using Phil's housing, which only had the regular viewfinder window. I did not have trouble seeing the EVF and found it easy to work with. It was "workable initially" and there is no reason to be concerned that it is not just fine the way the housing comes standard. There is no corner-cutting here. It was just as easy to look through as the standard window on dslr housings I have used, except the EVF makes the view even better. Just wait till you see it on twilight or night dives.

Because I shoot a lot of macro and wanted to stay off the bottom, I got the 45 degree magnified finder with mine. Yes, this is a $1K investment, but this is something no one can reasonabley expect be engineered into the basic housing at the very low cost they charge. It makes the view huge, gorgeous and detailed, at any angle. I don't regret one penny of that expenditure, even with my 40-60 dives per year status. However, it was a luxury, not a necessity (although now I am so spoiled I that I "NEED" it).

I have not been disappointed for even one moment with my OMD/Nauti system, and I don't think you will be, either if you get one.

 

[Ardy]

Guy - This report of yours gets my juices going, thank you very much. I will see how it all pans out and what I can get for my E520 system. Stuck it on ebay a few days ago so will see what happens.