I am an advanced amateur nature photographer who shoots a number of bird flight/action photos. Using my Olympus family of lenses I consistently get good quality photos, So even though this model is a bit dated it remains very functional and serves my needs well. Its a value buy for a reliable established brand. With limited practice, its easy to use. I plan to use it for many years ahead. Its quick auto focus is most appreciated. It tolerates some low lighting will but to obtain decent print enlargements its best to keep the IOS below 1600.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I purchased the Olympus e5 as an upgrade to my Olympus e510. As a pet photographer, I needed a camera that would do better in low light conditions when photographing indoors. My e510 would have an extremely difficult time focusing in even marginal low light and I was missing too many shots. The e5, however, has no problem whatsoever. The focus is sharp and locks in quickly. That alone was worth to price to me. However, having used the e510 for several years I can honestly say the e5 far out-performs in every area. Picture quality is top notch. I also purchased the 50-200mm SWD lens for outdoor shots. This amazing lens and camera combination is hard to beat.
There are many reviews of the E5, so I can just refer to my personal impression: -extremely rugged -Combined with the 12-60mm, ultrafast AF -Best JPEGS in the industry -Very good Image Stabilization -You can adapt many heritage lenses to the E5 -Video as a plus I put lenses first and shoot the E5 because of the 12-60mm 2.8-4 Zuiko, which translates to 24-120mm in 35mm terms. There is no other manufacturer who has a lens starting at 24mm offering 2.8 with a reach to 120mm. A real Reporter Camera! This camera is an extremely robust DSLR. There are better cameras out for low noise capabilities
I have owned the Oly 510, still own the E-620, E-30 and now the E-5. Because of the previous cams, learning this one wasn't too difiicult. I won't write about the glass, because that is just exellent and the main reason that we all bought Oly, and STAY with Oly. (40-140, 50, 12-60, 50-150 and 7-14, also 1.4 ET, and FL-50R.) The E-30 is a super camera, and ordinarily an E-30 owner would find little reason to upgrad L. I debated about just buying a second copy, so happy was I with it, and that would remain my advice for any E-30 owner. The clear advantage of the E-5 (just for me, since I don't plan to use any of my cameras in the rain) boil down to: A) use of an SD card--FINALLY! B) increased heft and apparent durability C) slightly (very) increased IQ at ISO 600 and below. D) slightly improved user interface in most--not all--ways Cons: the discontinuance of the mode wheel at the top of the cam, the increased sheer weight (though that isn't THAT hard to get used to), the change in placement and retirement of some buttons, the cost premium. Bottom line: I am happy I bought it.Read full review
I bought this camera to "upgrade" my Olympus E-3. Like the E-3 (and the E-1 and E-20 before it), this camera with grip is a substantial piece of equipment. I'm not a shooter who wants small & light in my hands & prefer using the OVF rather than the LCD panel. It's buttons & dials are relatively familiar in operation. It's image quality seems to be improved over that of the E-3, which I found was quite good, so I'm pleased with the output. I haven't really tested the higher ISO settings; I tend to use flash for low-light situations, but I have shot some early morning sunrise photos and liked the overall lack of noise in the image. This was a used camera and its technology is now two years old, but I am quite satisfied with this purchase. That said, I would recommend it to others, but with a caveat. Olympus may or may not have abandoned the 4/3 standard, which is what the E-5 uses, so unless a potential customer already has 4/3 lenses (like me), it might not be the best choice. Newer model cameras from competitors in the same price range might make more sense to purchase; those who want a smaller camera might well consider Olympus's OMD-5, which I understand produces top-notch images and is an advance in technological improvements over the E-5. On the other hand, 4/3 lenses are still widely available and the E-5 has an advertised lifespan of over 100,000 shutter activations, so it is still a camera that I find far better than simply "good 'nuf."Read full review
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