I am going to purchase one of these as an upgrade to my trusty EPL-1. But, for some reason, it's a harder decision that typical. Perhaps because they both have features I like. So, as a typical nerd, I hit a bunch of sites, spend time with Google, and basically get confused. In the past I have had everything from 4x6 to a pro 35 mm (not logical at all) then back to more practical options. My best trip photos ever were from my old Canon P&S--because, as you guessed it, it was the one I had with me.

So I scour the web for wow-images with both, which naturally leads me back to this site. No shortage of "wow" images with the OMD here. But the wow-image hunt can only go so far.

Anyway anyone have experience with these two nice options? Or trade one for the other?

My typical use would be travel photography. Landscape, architecture, memories . . . probably no sports and little if any wildlife. No large prints.

Specifications - Fujifilm X-E1 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5

If you already have a E-PL1 you probably already have some m4/3 lenses. I don't know your budge situation but I would probably stay unless the other side have significant advantages.

Fuji's X system is great, but the advantages aren't significant enough for me to change systems.

There are threads on seroiuscompacts.com that discuss this exact choice. Have a look there.

If you're not making big prints then I see little advantage to the Fuji apart from its handling which is a personal preference.

Gordon

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Flash is completely mirrorless.

There's no shortage of "wow" images taken with the E-PL1 here either: Ecuador

Add a VF-2 viewfinder to the E-PL1 and you've got a OM-D-like landscape camera that is actually a wee bit sharper than the OM-D, although it blows out bright white cumulus clouds a little more easily than the OM-D.

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E-PL1, E-M5, 14-42, 40-150

Thanks for the tips!

I would go with the E-M5 at this time because the Fuji X system needs a couple more years to mature, both cameras and lenses. If Fuji keeps doing things "right" I could be tempted to switch a few years down the road. But they could flub it too, hard to say at this poing. In the meantime, with the limited glass and the cameras that still need some work to reach the top of their game the E-M5 is the way to go.

I've got the X-E1 in addition to my m4/3 kit (no OM-D though, I'm a GH3 and GX1 user). I really enjoy the X-E1 and I'll be hanging onto it, but if I could only afford to keep one system it'd be m4/3. It's more reliable in a number of important areas when it comes to getting a shot. My m4/3 focuses faster, more accurately, and I have access to a really wide variety of excellent lenses for it.

In short, when I'm going somewhere and really don't want to miss a shot, I'm going to bring my GH3 and lenses. If I'm going somewhere and bringing a camera "just because", the Fuji is great.

Here's some random notes on the Fuji after having used it a little while, if it helps any:

Good
- I like the controls a lot, something about the simple shutter speed & exposure comp dials with an aperture ring on the lens just works for me. Buttons and switches are all easy to use and provide good feedback.

- Lenses. I've got the 18-55 zoom and 35mm lenses but the 35mm might as well be a fixed lens at this point... just a fantastic combo optically, and I can't wait to try the 35mm equivalent lens Fuji has coming later this year. The Fuji lenses are few in number, but they don't seem to be cutting any corners in that department.

- Fuji JPEGs. I shoot RAW, but the JPGs on the Fuji are really good, especially because you get to use the film simulations. I really like the Velvia and B&W modes, and shot an entire party in B&W just becuase I could That brings up another cool point, you can choose how to display the shooting view and have it either show the JPG style or actual conditions when shooting RAW+JPG which is cool if you wanted to shoot everything in RAW & B&W JPG simultaneously, for example.

- X-trans sensor. The slightly more shallow DoF is nice for some things but also can make it harder to shoot in low light without having too narrow a field of focus. The ISO 6400 is really pretty clean even in RAW and I've no issues with using it all the way to 6400. I put it in a similar league as the OM-D and GH3, maybe a slight edge for noise performance. Overall I'm just really pleased with the look of the images that I get with the X-E1.


Not-So-Good
- Autofocus. Overall it's usable but don't be expecting to get action shots, and it will hunt in low light. In addition, even when the Fuji claims it's locked focus I've gotten some blurry shots, which is frustrating reviewing images later. The 18-55 lens is a little faster than the older 35mm but regardless at a recent holiday party I did find it difficult to get shots of moving people due to AF hunting. I also had a lot of trouble using the Fuji to take holiday pictures for our Christmas card and ended up switching to the GH3 to get it done reliably. This isn't a deal breaker for me personally but it's one reason why I always want an m4/3 system around - or at least something with fast, reliable AF.

- Simplified menus. This is mostly a plus, but they also removed some options in the process, as far as I can tell. One of the things on the X100 that appealed to me was the configuration flexibility, such as auto-ISO's configurable minimum shutter speed. That's gone on the X-E1 as far as I can tell. There's other items like this I can't think off offhand but I've noticed being less configurable than the X100's menu system.

- The Q menu and other parts of the UI is kind of annoying and unintuitive, you have to use the selector pad to choose the item you want then the scroll wheel on the back to cycle through setting options. You can get used to it but I find much of the Fuji's on-screen UI is like that; a little less intuitive than I'd like but so far nothing egregious I can't live with. Again, not a deal breaker.

- SD card is a pain to get out, they recessed it in a way that makes it really hard to get in and out with the battery in - seems unnecessarily awkward but again, not a huge deal since I don't change cards constantly.

- I hate the lens release button on the body. It's on the wrong side of the lens, so I can't do a one-hand lens change with the Fuji without readjusting my grip. This is actually kind of a big pain in the field, for such a minor change.

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I would lean toward m4/3 for now. My thoughts are that so far, m4/3 is the only pretty complete mirror less system. The lens choices are top notch and will suit almost everyone from super zoom user to only exotic prime user.

The number and type of bodies make it easy to find a camera geared to what you want. Gh3 for video. Omd for serious stills. G5 for all around. Gf5 for compact camera like size.

As much as I would love to have an X-E1, the whole system just doesn't feel complete enough for me and feels geared toward only the 1 body type. I love the look, but would wait to see what else they do with the system.

Just a hobbyist.

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OMD E-M5, P14mm, PL25mm, Oly 45mm, Oly 14-150mm, P45-200mm, Rokkor 100mm f/2.5, FL-300r, FL-600r
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Rent one first. I did, and it left me cold. It's quirky, and it may or may not appeal to you.

Again, thanks for your useful responses. I was afraid that I would get flamed as I know this question has been asked often. Heading off to a camera store again tomorrow to handle both. To me, the OMD is clearly the system it you want to start a system for a full range of use. My typical use, however, is really travel scenes, gardens, forests, buildings etc. So the XE1 is also pretty appealing. While I do have Photoshop, Lightroom, NX2, etc., I really like nice OOC jpegs when available, and go into the RAW version when I really need to.