E-M5 - Essential accessories?

[Ted]

Hey guys
I just bought an E-M5 with the waterproof kit lens and was wondering what are the 'essential' accessories you guys think every E-M5 owner needs? So far I've ordered a Sandisk 32gb Extreme (45mbps) to replace my old 4gb Lexar class 2 card and a JJC LH-55C lens hood, which looks close enough to the Olympus one to me at a fraction of the price. I will need some ND filters (my old lenses were both 58mm) and a new tripod (sold my old one with the camera), but I was wondering if there were any other must-have accessories that you guys love on this format of camera that I'm not thinking of? I think I would like to get a leather strap at some stage and I guess I'll need some sort of remote also (I don't see a port for this like my old Canon had??) for long exposure, but I'm more referring to the little things I might not think of on my own (or any popular variants of things I've already mentioned). Get me excited!

 

[Ted]

I've already thought of one- a spare battery! This thing EATS them. Is there a generic brand that works with the Oly charger and isn't awful? I'm going away in December (which was part of the justification for this new camera) and won't have access to power every day. That's going to take some getting used to compared to how often I charged my old Canon DSLR!

 

[AussiePhil]

I'll leave the specific EM-5 stuff to others as I have a EM-1 however.

Filters - use your 58's just grab some step up rings. All my old filters are 58 so i just use a 52->58 and for lens like the O45 i have some 37->52 and them use the same 52->58.

SD Cards - ensure you check the WRITE speed, a lot of cards only quote read speeds and they are not always the same.

Remote is done via the multi function usb port.

Tripods: options a plenty and just as many opinions, have a look at these two here in OZ.
http://www.cambuy.com.au/tripods-monopods/
or
http://www.photo-shop-studio.com.au/categories/tripods-ball-heads.html

I have and love my Benro tripod.

Re Battery: slightly more expensive than ebay but have a look at Better Batt (search google).

 

[BigTam]

For me, the handling was much improved by the addition of a grip. Mine is from JB, but I believe they don't have any more. Edit: check this thread:

https://www.mu-43.com/showthread.php?t=69811&p=700914#post700914

I needed at least one spare battery from the beginning, and Olympus ones weren't yet available, so I bought no-name ones complete with charger. No problems at all.

 

[LowTEC]

I think the grip is essential, especially with heavier lenses and a flash, SanDisk 95mb/s also helps a lot clearing up the buffer

 

[Ted]

So much great information on this site! You've already saved me money Phil I was going to give my old filters to a friend, haha! Tough luck to him now :tongue: I take it the cheapest I can find is fine for this since it won't be in the image? Only then I guess the hood won't go on. I think I can live with that to save $60 though!

Had a look at those batteries too, annoying to have to buy another charger but it looks like it can be powered off the cigarette lighter in your car so it'd be useful either way. Will have to pick one up. I'll check out the tripod links tomorrow after work, I definitely want something smaller than what I had before though (but not Gorillapod small).

Looks like grips are the E-M5 essential accessory so far! Does your suggesting a 95mb/s SD card mean the 45 I ordered is a little too slow, LowTEC? I thought I was future proofing with over-kill after my old class 2, haha!

 

[ahinesdesign]

I have a 45mb/s Sandisk card and it clears the buffer very quickly. Faster cards will clear it more quickly if you shoot a lot of burst sequences, but for most of us 45mb/s is plenty fast...

 

[flamingfish]

There's a long thread on the forum on third party batteries, if you want to read further. I've been using Wasabi batteries for a while, and have found them to be satisfactory. They may not last quite as long as Oly batteries (I haven't bothered to check, but other people say so), but the price difference makes it totally worth it to me.

There are advantages to having the extra charger. Not only can you charge two batteries at once, the Wasabi charger, at least, is much more compact than the Oly charger.

Other than SD cards and batteries, the E-M5 doesn't need a lot of toys. One thing that I replaced in a hurry is the OEM strap, which dug into my neck big time.

Chances are what you're really going to want is more lenses (not that the 12-50 is a bad lens), so save your pennies for those.

 

[sammykhalifa]

If you want a shutter release, look for a generic UC-1 on a certain book-selling megasite. I got mine for something like 4 bucks, and after a little operation (the contacts moved and weren't hitting properly, comes apart easily with a screwdriver) works just fine.

 

[HarryS]

A radio controlled remote trigger is only around $20 and makes for a nice toy. A cable trigger is under $5. Both from ebay. Buy a few extra EP-10 eyecups if you are buying something else from a store that carries them because they are bound to get knocked off unless you don't carry the camera on a neck strap. I've lost four of them, and would have lost more but don't have any spares.

Unless you shoot more than 15 frames at a time, you can get away with a slow card. The internal buffer holds about that many RAW files, Then you cannot shoot anything else until the buffer writes a frame to the SD card. WIth my 90MB/sec card, it's taking 2 seconds per frame to do that write speed, so I guess I could shoot indefinitely at 2 seconds per shot after the initial burst

 

[chipbutty]

I think a grip really is a must on the EM5. I bought the JB grip and hated it. I found it extremely uncomfortable to hold. I then bought a second hand HLD-6 for a bargain £60 and it is brilliant. It really transforms the camera and is essential for heavier lenses like the PL25.

 

[mattia]

Honestly, matter of taste. I enjoyed my E-M5 'bare', and while I love the feel of the E-M1's larger grip, I would have no problems using a 'bare' E-M5 with even the larger MFT lenses like the 12-35 and 100-300 (and, in fact, that's exactly what I did until the E-M5, 12-35 and 100-300 were stolen...)

 

[Jfrader]

The Really Right Stuff grip and "L" bracket set is the best money I have spent so far. The camera fits my hand perfectly now, particularly when using longer, heavier lenses such as the 12-40 mm f/2.8 PRO and any of the telephotos.

In addition to the grip, I'd also suggest a circular polarizing filter for outdoor shooting. And, if the new Sandisk card is the only one you have, I think every photographer should have at least one spare. An extra 8 or 16 MB card tucked into the kit bag can save a trip if something happens to the primary card. Oh, and a clear screen protector for the back view screen. They are cheap and good insurance against scratches and smudges - ie: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007EZGOMC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[silver92b]

I think a grip really is a must on the EM5. I bought the JB grip and hated it. I found it extremely uncomfortable to hold. I then bought a second hand HLD-6 for a bargain £60 and it is brilliant. It really transforms the camera and is essential for heavier lenses like the PL25.

Plus 1 on this. The HLD-6 is absolutely the best accessory I've gotten for the E-M5 (and the extra batteries of course). The Wasabi batteries are OK but don't last as long as the new Olympus ones before needing a charge. The Olympus leather hand grip is nice too, but it's a personal preference. The remote shutter via USB is really nice to have. Like someone already said, just get a step up ring for your filters and you are set.

Oh yeah, I got 2 Dolica tripods. They are excellent, well made and light weight. They are also inexpensive. I got mine at Costco for ridiculously low prices (under $70 IIRC)

 

[newbert]

<snip>....In addition to the grip, I'd also suggest a circular polarizing filter for outdoor shooting....<snip> ]

FWIW, a circular polarizer on mirrorless cameras isn't necessary, as linear polarizer works just fine. (Don't ask me why, since I don't know the technicalities.) Save a few bucks and get a linear polarizer instead.

 

[klarity]

I use a mixture of the Oly batteries and DSTE ones. Spare Oly batteries were unavailable in the early days of the E-M5. My DSTE ones have given no problems and hold charge well even when in storage. Down side is carrying 2 chargers.

I also have the two part grip but most often use the camera "bare" Nothing wrong with your choice of hood - I find they work well too.

It is worth picking up a spare eyecup - you know the law - if you don't pick one up then you will lose the original on day 2. If you do pick one up then you will pass it to the next owner as a ready spare!

The accessory that I use most often is my little Domke F-XB. No point in having a small form camera and then just using the the same old big bag.

Also, check out the Sigma prime lenses. I've just spent a couple of week in Spain using the 60mm ART and am very impressed with the results.

….and for the times that I use a tripod (not very often given the built in stability control) I use a Manfrotto monopod or a little Minipod 2 and find a wall or a tree!

 

[phl0wtography]

+1 on the original grip (only landscape part though). Doesn't make the camera much bigger but improves handling sooo much. It's pricey but completely worth it. Best accessory after a spare battery.
I have both 45 and 95 sandisks, and cannot notice a difference, at least not on the E-M5, X100S is a different story. I'm not sure the Olympus' bus is fast enough for 95mb/s

 

[Deleted member 20897]

I'll throw in another vote for the HDL-6 grip.

Batteries wise, I've had good success with the Promaster batteries I've bought from Midwest Photo Exchange.