Considering a return to Mu43 - Olympus EM5ii or something else?

[selway89]

Hi All,

It has been a while since I was last here.

As the title suggests I am considering coming back to micro four thirds, mainly for freeing some cash up from my Fuji XT3 setup that is not getting the use I imagined out of it.
But still would like a capable stills camera.

I have in the past had Panasonic bodies, the G3 and a G7 with mostly panasonic lenses.

But there is something about the EM5ii that I really like.
Like how it can be built up with a grip if needed or slimmed down for casual use etc.
Occasionally I shoot still product photos for work so the high res mode is appealing as well as being stablised for adapted lenses I dabble with from time to time.

My main querry is how does the EM5ii and the P20mm f1.7 work together.
I have heard of banding but can't quite tell how serious this is, or was this an EM5i issue only?
I have really grown fond of the 40mm equiv focal length.

Is there any other things I should consider, older tech is not an issue and keeps costs down.

Many thanks

James

 

[mike3996]

I've seen the banding effect on my GX80 + P20. From that I can guess:

If you shoot AF-S it won't be a problem with any camera, even Olympus. The problem is caused by the autofocus motors so when they're active (AF-C or manual) they can cause that noisy interference.

 

[selway89]

I've seen the banding effect on my GX80 + P20. From that I can guess:

If you shoot AF-S it won't be a problem with any camera, even Olympus. The problem is caused by the autofocus motors so when they're active (AF-C or manual) they can cause that noisy interference.

Ah thank you Mike,

Very rarely shoot with AF-C so shouldn't be an issue.

 

[retiredfromlife]

You could consider the Panasonic G85 & P20 for about the same price

 

[Panolyman]

I started with a GX80 and moved up to the G7.
Although I found it much nice to handle and shoot with - good grip and central viewfinder,
it is on the slightly bulky side.
I bought an E-M10 Mk3 as a second camera and fell in love with the whole Olympus ethos.
So much so that I've now got two E-M5 mk2 bodies and have just sold the G7.

I can therefore only recommend you go the same way.

 

[Chris5107]

I had the EM5-mkii for some time and I have had a P20 even longer. I don't use it as much as it deserves but my experience with it has been great and I have never had the banding issue. Perhaps I don't shoot in situations where it is prevalent but that is my 2 cents.

 

[mcgillro]

I started with a GX80 and moved up to the G7.
Although I found it much nice to handle and shoot with - good grip and central viewfinder,
it is on the slightly bulky side.
I bought an E-M10 Mk3 as a second camera and fell in love with the whole Olympus ethos.
So much so that I've now got two E-M5 mk2 bodies and have just sold the G7.

I can therefore only recommend you go the same way.

When I changed to mainly 4/3rds I wanted to M1 MkII, but getting one in my hands wasn't possible in Hastings where I live. So I allowed myself to be talked into the Panasonic G9 even although I felt it was too big for my hands. I liked the features, but as time went on size annoyed me. Recently I saw one well priced and grabbed it - Perfect for me.

I also picked up an M5 cheap, and liked that so much that I upgraded to M5 MkII, and luckily have sold the M5.

I have hardly used the M1 MkII since i had the M5 MkII with Oly 12 -40 f2.8.

 

[Armand Di Meo]

I would go with the EM5 MKiii. The EM5 MKii has a better feel to it in some ways but the EM5 MKiii is lighter and has a better sensor (20MP vs 16MP). There was a EM5 MKii at our local Best Buy store that sat there forever. Right after the announcement of the Olympus sale, I went down to Best Buy. The camera was finally sold! I ended up buying the EM5 MKiii. I think this worked out for the best for me, even though the MKiii cost a few hundred dollars more (even on sale). I later found out that the EM5 MKii used a different battery than my other Olympus bodies. (I have a thing about keeping my batteries uniform.)

 

[jk4u59]

Hi All,

It has been a while since I was last here.

As the title suggests I am considering coming back to micro four thirds, mainly for freeing some cash up from my Fuji XT3 setup that is not getting the use I imagined out of it.
But still would like a capable stills camera.

I have in the past had Panasonic bodies, the G3 and a G7 with mostly panasonic lenses.

But there is something about the EM5ii that I really like.
Like how it can be built up with a grip if needed or slimmed down for casual use etc.
Occasionally I shoot still product photos for work so the high res mode is appealing as well as being stablised for adapted lenses I dabble with from time to time.

My main querry is how does the EM5ii and the P20mm f1.7 work together.
I have heard of banding but can't quite tell how serious this is, or was this an EM5i issue only?
I have really grown fond of the 40mm equiv focal length.

Is there any other things I should consider, older tech is not an issue and keeps costs down.

Many thanks

James

Hi James,

I'm an happy owner of the E-M5 Mk.II and don't want any other body: light but robust, elegant, water sealed... perfect. I already had two Lumix zooms, the 14-42 mm Mega-OIS and the 45-200 Power-OIS, and the camera manages them both perfectly. Unfortunately, I have no experience with the Lumix 20mm you mentioned, so I cannot say anything about its possible issues.

I only warn you in case you are attracted by the internal Focus Stacking feature of this camera (as I was...): take care of the (short) list of the compatible lenses! They must be Zuiko, must be PRO (apart the couple of Zuiko macro lenses), and... only a few ones among those:
I bought the Zuiko 12-45 F4 PRO and I was quite disappointed when I discovered that it's not supported! (note that it instead works fine on the more recent E-M5 Mk.III)

I read there are "unofficial" patches to the Mk.II'srelease that unlock this feature (they can be found and downloaded easily), but I must admit I don't trust to burn them, at least until the camera warranty is valid.

But, apart for this, a great camera indeed!

Regards,
Ivan
(Milan, Italy)

 

[spdavies]

I would go with the EM5 MKiii. The EM5 MKii has a better feel to it in some ways but the EM5 MKiii is lighter and has a better sensor (20MP vs 16MP). There was a EM5 MKii at our local Best Buy store that sat there forever. Right after the announcement of the Olympus sale, I went down to Best Buy. The camera was finally sold! I ended up buying the EM5 MKiii. I think this worked out for the best for me, even though the MKiii cost a few hundred dollars more (even on sale). I later found out that the EM5 MKii used a different battery than my other Olympus bodies. (I have a thing about keeping my batteries uniform.)

The EM5.II uses the same battery as the other main Oly's . . .

 

[PakkyT]

You could consider the Panasonic G85 & P20 for about the same price

If you look at the OP's desired features, the G85 does not have a high resolution mode and does not have the multi level grips I don't believe.

 

[Danny_SWE]

Oh, E-M5 and the 20/1.7, when I first bought in to the system it was with just this combo! Really like it, I did like you mentioned also, bought a grip to it. Then it suddenly feels like a whole other camera and can handle large lenses without problems. I thought the E-M5 was kinda limiting nowadays so I bought myself a Mk III a few months ago, what a difference! It has really become, like someone here wrote "the pinnacle of the system". But the Mk II is not far behind. Great camera this!

 

[comment23]

The EM5.II uses the same battery as the other main Oly's . . .

Not the E-M1 Mark II, Mark III or X which all use a newer higher capacity battery than the E-M5 Mark II.

 

[retiredfromlife]

If you look at the OP's desired features, the G85 does not have a high resolution mode and does not have the multi level grips I don't believe.

You are correct, but I thought another options may have been of help if not already considered. Hard to know when to draw the line sometimes

 

[Armand Di Meo]

The EM5.II uses the same battery as the other main Oly's . . .

I checked this out on Olympus' battery compatibility chart and the EM5 II takes a BLN-1, whereas the EM5 III takes a BLS-50. Most newer Olympus cameras use the BLS-50, except (as noted above) for the EM1 II and III and the EM1x. These higher end cameras use the BLH-1.

 

[11GTCS]

I definitely liked my 5.2 when I had it! The 5.3 would be the only way to go for me since I can’t stand the hates sunglasses EVF that Olympus insisted on putting in this and the other higher end cameras. Otherwise no real gripes. Such a solid little camera. Feels like an original OM film camera!

 

[jk4u59]

...Feels like an original OM film camera!

Yes, I fully subscribe!

I had an Olympus OM-1N and an OM-2SP long time ago (I still have them, but the last film I loaded into could be... 15 years ago?), and the feeling is just that one!

 

[Photon]

I have the EM5 mkii and Panasonic 20mm, which I use frequently. I have never noticed banding issues.

Not saying the issue does not exist, but it must only appear in very specific circumstances.

 

[b_rubenstein]

My main querry is how does the EM5ii and the P20mm f1.7 work together.
Many thanks
James

The P20 /1.7 focuses a little slower on Olympus cameras than it does on a Panasonic cameras. (I did some quick focus speed checks with the latest 20/1.7 version II lens on a GX9 & E-M5II, and it isn't a snappy focusing lens on either camera.) One of the significant things about the E-M5II is that it's very well weather sealed and has a robust build.

 

[Michael Meissner]

The P20 /1.7 focuses a little slower on Olympus cameras than it does on a Panasonic cameras. (I did some quick focus speed checks with the latest 20/1.7 version II lens on a GX9 & E-M5II, and it isn't a snappy focusing lens on either camera.) One of the significant things about the E-M5II is that it's very well weather sealed and has a robust build.

But the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 isn't sealed. Other pro lenses are sealed, but if you are only using the 20mm, being splash proof doesn't matter.