Much love for the E-M1 or .....

[Bl0at3r]

For me the whole M43 scene was about reasonable prices - 'bang for buck' - as well as portability and weight.

I've revelled in the fact that my £199 20mm f1.7 is awesome and sharper than many DSLR lenses I've owned. I also enjoyed using the gear whilst feeling smug that the whole bag of stuff cost less than one of my DSLR bodies did in the past.

Currently have a GX1 and a selection of 'standard' lenses and am considering upgrading the body - I haven't yet felt comfortable spending even more on any of the 2.8 'pro' lenses, so typical spend on each of my m43 items has been £200-300 a time.

I have owned (and subsequently sold) an E-M5 in the past, so I guess I have spent a larger amount on that item - but now I'm having a real hard time self-justifying the cost of the EM-1 and 12-40 kit.

I have the available funds, but my mind is telling me that is almost FF DSLR money.

Has the original cost/performance ethos of the m43 gear got out of hand - £1850 for m43 kit seems a lot !

Should I....

Stick with the cheaper bodies - pickup another superb E-M5 for example
Just buy the EM-1 and 12-40 and not look back
Or keep the m43 kit I have and look into buying a FF DSLR too

 

[garryf]

The EM-1 kit in uk seems very over priced considering the same kit from hong kong can be had for uk price of body alone. If buying UK stock then the GH4 seems much better buy for tracking auto focus at this point

If you don't need the tracking auto focus then second hand E-P5 with vf4 is almost identical in performance (superior to E-M5 & E-M10) Or look at the GX7

The same old rule applies, lenses will keep their value for years, bodies will drop like a stone

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

I have the available funds, but my mind is telling me that is almost FF DSLR money.

How much exactly does a full-frame dSLR body + full-frame 24-80/f2.8 cost, and even if you could get it for the same price, what benefit does it provide?

Has the original cost/performance ethos of the m43 gear got out of hand - £1850 for m43 kit seems a lot !

No. First, m43 was never really about being cheap (just look at the introduction prices of some of the MFT lenses, right back to the early days with the Lumix 7-14/f4). I suspect you'll find that many of the folk here got into the system not because of it's price, but because of its balance.

Second, as you've mentioned with the kit you have, the low-mid price range is still there, but now you have the option of high-end gear too.

Should I....

Stick with the cheaper bodies - pickup another superb E-M5 for example
Just buy the EM-1 and 12-40 and not look back
Or keep the m43 kit I have and look into buying a FF DSLR too

Pointless to answer until you tell us what you want to do with said gear :smile:

 

[Growltiger]

I paid far less than that in the UK. You can buy the E-M1 with the 12-40 for £1260 at the moment, I bought mine here: http://www.cotswoldcameras.co.uk/

I love mine, well worth it.

Primary reason for me was reducing weight by a half, while retaining high quality results.

 

[Ian.]

I too am E-M1 tempted. But the silly money is stopping me. I'm sure I'm going to cave in and get one when something happens.

Something happens? Like I find some excuse to treat myself. E.G. There is a big price reduction or I get a tax rebate or something.

 

[garryf]

I paid far less than that in the UK. You can buy the E-M1 with the 12-40 for £1260 at the moment, I bought mine here: http://www.cotswoldcameras.co.uk/

That won't be a UK camera, proper uk stock is over £1800 http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Olympus/Olympus-PEN-System-Cameras/Olympus-OM-D-E-M1-with-12-40mm-Lens


For what it's worth I paid same as you for mine and fantastic piece of kit for that price

 

[Growltiger]

No it may not be a "proper UK camera". But it is a proper camera (and lens)!
I didn't feel it was worth paying £500+ more for a local warranty, and it sounds like you made the same decision.

UK prices often seem a huge scam.
Example. Genuine Olympus battery charger in UK: £53. In US: $34.

 

[pdk42]

Yea, the E-M1 is certainly at the top of the u43 size and price scale. However, it's a fantastic camera and provides the build, features and handling of "pro" FF cameras in a smaller package with 95%+ of their IQ.

High quality 24-70 f2.8 equiv lenses aren't cheap in whatever system. You don't need to buy them if you don't feel you need them. Should u43 have high-end lenses like it? - absolutely, it's all part of delivering a complete system covering a wide range of user types and needs.

 

[Bl0at3r]

thanks for the responses - I don;t know what I am waffling about really - I paid £1149 for the EM-5 and kit lens a while back so getting the EM1 and 12-40 at another 100 on top is not really any different !!!

 

[Zee]

I got my EM-1 at a great price, and love the capabilities of a premium body with premium lenses.

Sometimes, it's a personal enjoyment thing. Using the EM-1 has been super enjoyable, and that is something that will last long after the credit card bill is forgotten.

Z...

 

[nstelemark]

I have the E-M1 and the E-PM1, and I have owned the E-M5. In some ways they feel like they are two different systems, but they just happen to share a lens mount .

The E-M1 is a no brainer if you want to shoot action, use bigger lenses or want to use some of the superb 4/3 glass.

The E-M5 is the all rounder. It can be light and compact without a grip and a good companion for the P20. With a grip you can use larger lenses, just not the 4/3 glass and tracking is so-so. One thing to keep in mind if you intend to use the HLD-6 horizontal grip regularly, the E-M1 is actually smaller and lighter than an E-M5 with the horizontal grip.

If I want to wander around the street and take some pictures, I use the E-PM1, if I want to shoot a lot of frames or I am traveling I take the E-M1.

 

[Robstar1963]

Hi Alan
The other option is to buy a near new barely used example of the 12-40 EM1 kit on eBay with a transferable 2 year UK warranty
They go for around £1200.00
Like any new product a new camera will quickly become 'used' once you've had it in your hands for a while so buying near new saves you a pot of money for no real loss
At least that way you will have full official warranty back up if anything goes wrong
Olympus will honour the original Warranty in this country so long as you have the original sales receipt which most sellers would have or a genuine UK purchase of this amount
Regards
Rob

 

[jnewell]

I never thought m4/3 was about price or value - for me, it's about high IQ and reduced weight. The m4/3 ecosphere does provide a great deal of range in terms of size, cost, features, etc., so lower cost (and lower volume and weight) are available within the m4/3 system - but the high end lenses and bodies are not cheap.

 

[Deleted member 20897]

A person's purchasing choice should be a very personal decision, so it can be about whatever it is that made sense to the buyer at the time.

I thought for sure that I would love the Fuji X system - owned an X10 and X-E1 + lenses for a year. Traded them all up for a Nikon Df. Later handled the m43 Olympus OMD EM1/EM5 and really liked the fact that I could get the performance I wanted in a smaller camera body and the m43 system addressed all my dislikes and "couldn't live with" problems with the Fuji system.

IQ, size and price were all factors for me.

 

[Tor]

Have used the EM-1 for about 4 weeks and love it. Still have the E-5, but my wife has started using it. Price was a little stiff with the 12-40.

 

[tyrphoto]

I don't agree that m43 is about reasonable prices or bang for the buck. For me, it's a nice combination of good quality images, provided ISO is kept in check as well as having smaller and lighter bodies and more importantly, small and lightweight lenses. If you look at the various bodies and lenses in general, they're not any cheaper than APS-C camera systems, and in some cases, even more money. To me, the premium paid is about size/weight reduction while still maintaining good image quality.

With that said, I bought an EM1 two months ago and absolutely love it and have no regrets about spending the extra money over an EM5 or EM10. As for the 12-40/2.8, it's not of high interest to me since I bought into the m43 system with the mindset of using primes only.

 

[Steven]

Good question. I am sort of in the same boat. Sticking with GX1 for now. Wouldn't mind the 12-35mm zoom if I come across a super deal. Have you looked at GX7? I don't personally like the its looks, handling or the smallish EVF, but its price is going down probably faster than EM1.
I am still hoping for a remake of EM5 with larger VF4 - type viewfinder.
I guess it all depends on what you most use your camera for and whether you need the capability from newer bodies or pricier lenses.

 

[deweyb]

I love my E-M1 and 12-40 but I do think that the price in the UK is very steep.

 

[orfeo]

M43 is about whatever you like in that system, no rules, freedom!
I like it because you have stunning video, legacy lens adaptibility, great size/weight... All in all that is all we like about hybrid photography!
If you don't feel like caving two grands for the bodey and zoom, then don't. It's pretty simple. You will get stunning shot from you existing camera already.
If shelling out the money is hard on your mind, don't hurt yourself.

 

[Bl0at3r]

Thanks so much for the contributions - in the end I went for..........













......E-M5


Having bought an E-M5 when they 1st came out, selling it, buying another one 6 months later, selling it and more recently using my trusty GX1 for a while.....

...I've just bought another one today :thumbs:

Amazon selling black body only for £527 with free grip. So brand new uk body for approx £350

Considered the E-M1 seriously but couldn't justify it right now.

Will be picking up a 12-40 soon too though.