The Mirrorless Thread: Son(y), I Am Disappoint.

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > The Dorkroom > The Mirrorless Thread: Son(y), I Am Disappoint.

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Neilson posted:

I'm thinking of purchasing the Panasonic DMC-GF1 when I find a deal on it, what's the general consensus on it? I've read that the 20mm lens is better than the 14mm found on the DMC-GF2, and I think I would rather have physical button controls. Are there any other options around this price point that have come out more recently?

My uncle recently bought a GF1, although he had a very hard time finding one and the prices are pretty crazy. I'm perfectly happy with my Olympus E-PL2 which is fairly similar, although Olympus is announcing an E-P3 and E-PL3 this week. The Panasonic 20 mm is still the lens to get and it's on sale on Amazon right now.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2011 05:36

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# ¿ May 6, 2024 06:48

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

The Micro 4/3 Panasonic 20mm f1.7 has been dropping in price. It was $399 for basically forever and then went down to $379 when I ordered it a week ago. It's now $359 through a reseller on Amazon. I'll report back when I've had a chance to play with mine a bit.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2011 03:52

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Panasonic GX1 leaked. Looks like a GF1 and has a 16 megapixel sensor, probably the same as the G3. Nothing too earth-shattering, really.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2011 04:36

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Enigma89 posted:

I was thinking of spending around $400 maximum. There are some cameras, like the Samsung where it is possible to buy at that price.

I think a refurbished Olympus E-PL2 kit is around $400 and the E-PL1 should be even less. Sony NEX3 would be a great choice too.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2011 23:54

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Enigma89 posted:

Where are you finding these prices? Can't find any that are less than $500+.. Really only hoping to spend $350-400. This is my first camera.

Refurb E-PL1: http://www.adorama.com/IOMEPL1B14BR.html?utm_term=Other&utm_medium=Shopping%20Site&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=gbase
Refurb E-PL2: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/used/749936/Olympus_262901_E_PL2_Digital_Camera_W_14_42mm.html
NEX-3: http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=215984539&sellerid=16616284

# ¿ Nov 13, 2011 01:55

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Does anybody have the Panasonic 20 mm pancake and the Olympus 17 mm f1.8? I have the Panasonic and recently got an E-M10 and Olympus 45 mm f1.8 bundle on sale. I've loved that Panasonic for the 4 years that I've been using it, but now that I have the Olympus, the Panasonic is frustratingly slow and not nearly as sharp except in bright sunlight. Is the Olympus 17 mm a worthwhile upgrade given my complaints about the 20 mm? The 45 mm is a great lens but too long for my everyday use.

# ¿ Jun 1, 2015 02:42

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Linedance posted:

I don't think the 17mm is bad though, and given that you've got an oly body, it might actually be a better match for you.

I know the aperture ring on the Leica won't work with my body, but is there anything else? I know that Panasonic bodies do some processing when used with their lenses; does that apply to the Leica stuff as well?

Although if I make the jump to the Leica 15 mm, a refurbished Olympus 12 mm is only $40 away. :suicide:

# ¿ Jun 1, 2015 05:20

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

DJExile posted:

that's a super good deal right there

The 12-40 2.8 Pro showed up in the refurb store this morning for me. It's $511 with the discount.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2015 17:29

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

DJExile posted:

Holy poo poo jump on that.

E: Seriously, anyone who doesn't have that lens and wants it, that's a great deal.

I wasn't sure if I wanted it; bought it anyway. I might want it eventually, right?

# ¿ Jun 26, 2015 18:23

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Twenty-Seven posted:

the pana 20 focuses so slowly (on olympus bodies, at least) compared to the newer olympus lenses that i'd only recommend it if that exact focal length or the pocketability was a must. personally.

I still like what I get out of the Panasonic 20 most out of all the moderately priced micro 43 lenses. It's not a good general use lens anymore for me because of the focus speed, but if you're getting the em10 kit lens then you already have an ok general use lens for starting out and the Pana 20 would still be useful to have.

spankmeister posted:

Does the E-M10 have the banding issue with the pana 20?

What were the conditions for this again? I can verify it later. I have the first version of the 20.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2015 21:29

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

spankmeister posted:

Does the E-M10 have the banding issue with the pana 20?

I just took a bunch of pictures between ISO1600-6400 and didn't notice anything. But there's still some people complaining about it, so it might take more specific circumstances than just high ISO.

# ¿ Jul 10, 2015 01:47

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Olympus users, when using the Myset function, does whatever set you are using display on the screen or in the viewfinder somewhere? The manual for my EM10 says it is supposed to, but I don't see it no matter which display configuration I am in for either the viewfinder or the screen.

Also, I played with a Panasonic GM1 today and it's the most :3:

thing.

# ¿ Jul 12, 2015 23:45

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Nameless Dread posted:

Would a mirrorless system be a good fit for a grandmother who isn't good enough with technology for a dslr, but needs something more than a point and shoot? She's an artist that does a lot of portraits and quick photos, so speed and user-friendliness are the main concerns (as well as good colors), and her canon sx160 is slow as poo poo. Or should i just find a better point and shoot? I've been out of the loop and still am not sure where mirrorless cameras fit in.

The Panasonic GF7 has an iA button that puts everything into automatic mode but still has other controls if you want more options. That would be a good option, along with some of the newer high end point and shoots (RX100, etc.).

# ¿ Jul 20, 2015 00:04

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Star War Sex Parrot posted:

The one in Costa Mesa has a large lineup of Canon L-glass, their Nikon counterparts, a full table dedicated to Sony camera and glass, a section for other mirrorless, etc. I'd say they probably have about 100 cameras on display and a surprisingly good selection of glass.

They even have the X100T and X30 on display, which made me realize that the X30 is way bigger than I expected it to be.

This is good to know so that I don't have to go to Samy's down the street from there anymore.

I went into Samy's a couple weeks ago to try the X100T. The guy handed it to me, but it was out of battery. I told him and he says "OK, I'll let them know", takes it from me, and puts it back in the display shelf. :effort:

# ¿ Jul 28, 2015 02:40

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

LiquidRain posted:

Lenses are made in Japan. (the good ones anyway )

None of those lenses is made in Japan. The only Olympus lens I've seen recently that was made in Japan was a 75 mm. Even my 12-40 was made in China.

# ¿ Aug 2, 2015 17:35

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Ropes4u posted:

Replacing the 17 and 45 with a12-40mm that is both bigger and heavier is ~~Tempting~~ stupid right?

Yes, you should keep all three.

# ¿ Aug 3, 2015 04:00

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Ropes4u posted:

How giant does it feel on the camera, and in the camera bag?

Compared to the Olympus 17 and 45 that I usually have on there, it took a couple days to get used to but it's not a huge ordeal. I have one of these straps and was worried about the extra weight being uncomfortable, but it isn't. If you're going to use a neck/shoulder strap and are concerned about this, just get one that's 1.5" width. All in all though, the 12-40 is a great lens and I use it when I need a wider angle or I'm going someplace I'm not as familiar with and need some versatility. The minimum focus distance is also significantly better than the 17 or 45, so it works really well for closeup stuff.

This is the only picture I have of all 3 lenses; hopefully it gives you a sense of the size relative to your current lenses.

As for how everything fits in a bag, it's not too bad. This is a relatively small Domke F5XB. If I have the 17 or 45 on the camera, the 12-40 sits vertically right in the middle of the bag.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2015 02:08

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Alehkhs posted:

I really like the macro function on my 12-50mm kit lens. Right now my next lens purchase is probably gonna be a telephoto for wildlife, but I'm curious if I would still be able to do any macro if I swapped over to the 12-40mm in the future? I saw some macro-ish shots from it somewhere on the web I think, but it doesn't have the dedicated mode that the 12-50mm has, right?

That's right. It's not a true 1:1 macro and it doesn't lock you into a fixed focal length like the macro mode on the 12-50 does.

If you want to see how close it can get compared to the 12-50 macro mode, here's a test shot that I took at 40 mm. I cropped it, but did not resize from the original. http://i.imgur.com/WpGVz4l.jpg

# ¿ Aug 4, 2015 02:51

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

the42ndtourist posted:

I have an Olympus E-P2 and I've loved it for years, but last night I shot some aurora and I'm not loving the all the colour noise that turned up. So maybe it's time to update... I've finally got some good lenses (Panasonic 20mm/1.7 and Olympus 75mm/1.8) so I'd really rather not move away from the M4/3 system.

What body should I be looking at? I really like the size and portability of the E-P2 and would rather not have anything noticeably bigger. The E-P5 seems to be a couple years old now, is there something else that's solidly beaten it? Is there an E-P6 coming soon? If I'm coming from no viewfinder, would I still be disappointed by the small viewfinder on the GM5? Is there a newer/better Panasonic?

It kind of feels like Olympus is abandoning the high end PEN series cameras in favor of the lower end OMD. The E-M10 came out after the E-P5 and is getting replaced at the end of this month.

But the E-P5 isn't really missing anything significant that is in any of the newer Olympus models. It uses the same sensor and stabilization system as the E-M5, and the E-M5 II didn't really upgrade either of those. Also, the E-M10 isn't really that much smaller than the E-P5 and is under $500 now. I don't consider either my E-M10 or E-PL2 to be pocketable, if that's what you meant by portable. Panasonic GX7 is also a good option that is about the same size. Best deal in Micro 4/3 right now though is the E-PL6 which is $299 for a brand new kit.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2015 05:20

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

the42ndtourist posted:

Is there much difference between the M10 and M5 other than "weatherproofing"?

The M10 has a built in flash and WiFi. I use the WiFi more than I thought I would as it turns your phone into a remote. The M10 also had a firmware workaround for a shutter vibration issue that the M5 may have. The issue is probably overblown as the result of internet forum discussion anyway.

The M10 is also slightly smaller since that seems to be a priority for you.

Edit: your old batteries are compatible with the M10, although the battery chargers are supposedly not interchangeable due to an extra contact on the new battery.

TheGoatTrick fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Aug 17, 2015

# ¿ Aug 17, 2015 17:36

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Star War Sex Parrot posted:

Anyone had luck with B&H price matching after the fact? In theory I could return my X-T1 and 23mm and buy it again for $250 less right now.

I've done it through their online chat within the return period. Gave the guy my order number and he did the rest; it was credited back to my card in a week. Took maybe 10 minutes of my time total.

# ¿ Aug 19, 2015 23:37

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

DJExile posted:

KEH is doing an Olympus "Happy Hour" now until 6PM Eastern Time. 20% off used stuff with code "OLYMPUS20"

Thanks, just picked up a 40-150 for $63.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2015 21:58

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

bobfather posted:

Well, Panasonic just announced that their new firmware update for the GH4 will cost $100 to add some extra 4k video quality.

People who would actually use V-Log aren't going to be too bothered by $100; Sony once charged $900 to update one of their video cameras similarly. They might spend more than that on lookup tables to grade their fancy new video anyway.

# ¿ Sep 3, 2015 06:09

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

hand of luke posted:

Hello folks,
I've been doing research for a camera I'm getting before leaving for a trip to Europe next week. At this point I'm leaning toward one of the compact mirrorless cameras: EM-10, X-T10, or a6000. But unfortunately it seems like there's a recall on the EM-10 mark ii's. I played around with the X-T10 and a6000 in a shop today, and I preferred the controls on the X-T10. My big reservation is this: I want a single lens solution for traveling, and for the X-T10 that means the 18-135 WR. But that lens is $750, and since I don't care about WR (and can't take advantage of it anyway since the X-T10 isn't WR), I feel like I'd be overpaying. Given that I want to go with one lens for traveling, is there a better option? I'm bummed about the EM-10 mark ii; should I consider just getting a mark i?

The recall on the E-M10 II is only for certain serial numbers (posted on Olympus' website) and only creates a problem with plastic mount lenses. The original E-M10 (which I have) is still a great camera and I'm sure there are deals out there. For micro four thirds, there are some good Panasonic options out there too, including a G7 kit with a 14-140 lens if you really need a superzoom.

That said, I think the X-T10 and it's 18-55 kit lens is probably a good way to go. It's a decent lens with a little range, and there's enough resolution that you can crop and still get what you need out of it.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2015 19:17

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

MMD3 posted:

I guess I'm just trying to say that I don't like this trend towards giant studio resolution cameras and tiny 4k video resolution cameras. I'd love to see more mirrorless bodies in the middle of the road.

Have you looked at the Panasonic GX8?

# ¿ Sep 15, 2015 17:33

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

bobfather posted:

Let�s talk about firmware updates.

Olympus is pretty good right?

They just announced new firmware for the EM1 and EM5 II. The EM1 gets focus stacking, focus bracketing, more visible focus peaking, full electronic shutter, and better video image stabilization. The EM5 II already has those last three things out of the box, but gets more options for video recording including a "flat" picture profile. All the Pro series lenses are getting a firmware update for smoother aperture changes when video recording.

http://www.olympus-global.com/en/news/2015b/nr150915omde.jsp

# ¿ Sep 16, 2015 04:06

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Linedance posted:

Oh yeah, totally forgot; Olympus does weather resistance, which is nice.

Panasonic's higher end stuff is weather sealed also.

For a 2-3 year old camera, I'd look at a Panasonic GX7 or Olympus EM10. Both were only just recently replaced with newer designs and aren't really much of a step back from their replacements. Ultimate bargain right now though is probably the Panasonic GX1 at around $130 for the body.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2015 06:52

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

DJExile posted:

like Wookums said, the lower end 40-150mm is dirt cheap and really solid for the price.

I used the one I bought a while back for the first time today. It was $63 on KEH and at that price, you can't afford not to have one.

PA050198 by vince_nh, on Flickr

PA050329 by vince_nh, on Flickr

PA050360 by vince_nh, on Flickr

# ¿ Oct 6, 2015 07:23

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Popelmon posted:

I'm wondering if a used E-M5 is the right camera for me.

The EM5 doesn't have focus peaking, so if you are going to be adapting lenses, an EM10 or Panasonic GX7 might be better. But if size/weight is your concern, forget adapting and get some M43 lenses. The EPL6 kit is $299 now. The lens is so-so, but you can always pick up a Panasonic 20mm pancake for a reasonable price too.

TheGoatTrick fucked around with this message at 07:57 on Oct 11, 2015

# ¿ Oct 11, 2015 07:54

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Did you know? The Panasonic GM1 is the smallest camera that has ever been made in the universe.

The lens it comes with is thicker than the body even when collapsed and the Panasonic 20 mm pancake is so big that the camera won't sit flat on a table. I'm thinking of getting one of the Olympus body cap lenses for it; does anybody have experience with the 9 mm one vs. the 15 mm? The 9 mm is wider than anything I own right now so I'm leaning toward that, but not sure how well that focal length will work for a general use pocketable camera.

In the mean time,

# ¿ Oct 14, 2015 04:53

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

spog posted:

I've been quite tempted by that lens.

Normally, I won't even look at anything slower than f2.8, but I can see the use for something like that on a sunny day outside. How do you find it?

It's one of the better micro 4/3 kit lenses. If you think something of that size (it's tiny on anything except a gm series camera) would be of use to you then you should get one. There's a very reasonably priced one in the buy/sell section of mu-43 forums right now.

Linedance is right about the Olympus 17 mm 1.8 being a great fit for the Gm1. As a bonus, pulling the focus ring to manual automatically brings up peaking. It doesn't even do that on Olympus's own cameras.

# ¿ Oct 14, 2015 17:34

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Spedman posted:

like Panasonic and Olympus, as I'd like to be able to shoot decent video.

Panasonic video is better than Olympus and you get more resolution and frame rate options. There are some nice color profile options as well for Panasonic depending on which camera you get.

Olympus stabilization is nice for hand held video, though.

edit: oh yeah, it's a hell of a lot easier to set up your settings on Panasonic cameras. Shutter speed and aperture are configurable from within video mode. Olympus* just lets you select which you want to use of P/S/A/M modes and you have to go to that mode on the dial and make sure that the settings are correct before you go back to the video mode. Panasonic also gets you zebra and peaking while you are recording.

* Unless they made it better on the EM5 II.

TheGoatTrick fucked around with this message at 06:24 on Oct 28, 2015

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 04:53

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Digital Jesus posted:

Basically, read my mind and make it up for me, goons!

Have you looked at the Panasonic GH4? King of the not-full-frame mirrorless cameras for video. The guys who shoot TheCameraStoreTV use it a lot for their videos, example here.

Their actual review of the camera is here if you are interested. Since then, Panasonic has added a flat picture profile, support for anamorphic lenses, and a couple other small things.

TheGoatTrick fucked around with this message at 06:34 on Oct 28, 2015

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 06:32

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Olympus outlet sale again. Use coupon code "BOO" for an additional 15% off to get:

12-40 2.8 pro: $544
40-150 2.8 pro: $1019
EM1: $815
EM10: $305
EPL5 kit: $272

# ¿ Oct 30, 2015 00:00

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

MeruFM posted:

What's usually the problem with reconditioned lens?

Could be anything, but it's always fixed/checked as part of the reconditioning. You get a 90 day warranty. The lens comes in a different box than the original, but has the included hood and everything else. Couldn't be happier with the 12-40 I bought during the last sale.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2015 04:01

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# ¿ May 6, 2024 06:48

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Wengy posted:

Just a quick shout-out to Olympus, they're packing some awesome poo poo into the next E-M1 firmware:
http://www.43rumors.com/jamie-macdonald-has-the-new-v4-0-firmware-on-an-e-m1-and-is-taking-requests-from-users/

Here's a more detailed explanation of the focus stacking/bracketing modes and a rundown of all the other new features: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hSxF3iGnng

Olympus support must've gotten tired of all the calls about autofocus not working from people who didn't realize they had the focus clutch disengaged.

# ¿ Nov 5, 2015 09:08

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > The Dorkroom > The Mirrorless Thread: Son(y), I Am Disappoint.