Are people leaving micro four thirds?

I am using the EM-5 Mark I in the Nauticam housing so, I have the all the ports and lens (Pany 7-14 mm, Oly 12-50 mm, Pany 60 mm macro) I want for underwater. The pany 100-300 mm (200-600 FF) is sweet for wild life shots here in Colorado. Soooo much lighter and smaller than my Nikon 200 and 80-200 mm rig.

Regards,

Huck

I put this up in September they are sticking with the same as the PT-EP11.

I've missed this announcement.

So that's more than great. Tthe adapter PAD-EP08 can be still used for all the E domes on the market. Good, that OIy decided not to go with the PT-EP13 stupidity.

However they did stick with the stupidity of pricing the EM1 MKII at $2000.

However they did stick with the stupidity of pricing the EM1 MKII at $2000.

haha indeed. But being in the underwater market, you have got used to overpriced toys.

Maybe overpriced toys are part of the game, but I could get a G7x and the housing for the price of this new Olympus body and maybe not be far off the EM1 MKI. Maybe my perspective is off because I got my EM1 MKI for $525 when refurbs went on sale . . . Will wait a while and see how it compares once more get out in wild.

Keep in mind that comparing the price of a refurbished camera that has been on the market for a few years to a not-even-in-the stores-yet new model may be a bit unfair. I don't think that can be the basis of saying the new camera is overpriced. I think they may have price it a couple hundred dollars over what many were expecting but in the photo world, a couple hundred dollars doesn't mean much anymore. A 20mm extension ring from Nauticam costs $200.00

Certainly within a matter of months the new camera will be available in gray market versions for less and will also be part of those numerous sales where Olympus offers 100-200 off. Clearly if one wants a "bargain" approach to the higher-end m43 cameras now, getting one of the closeout E-M1 bodies, or a refurb, and looking for a used housing for it would be the way to go.

Keep in mind that comparing the price of a refurbished camera that has been on the market for a few years to a not-even-in-the stores-yet new model may be a bit unfair. I don't think that can be the basis of saying the new camera is overpriced. I think they may have price it a couple hundred dollars over what many were expecting but in the photo world, a couple hundred dollars doesn't mean much anymore. A 20mm extension ring from Nauticam costs $200.00

 

Certainly within a matter of months the new camera will be available in gray market versions for less and will also be part of those numerous sales where Olympus offers 100-200 off. Clearly if one wants a "bargain" approach to the higher-end m43 cameras now, getting one of the closeout E-M1 bodies, or a refurb, and looking for a used housing for it would be the way to go.

Yes, of course. More importantly and to the point, though I switched over to the E-M1 and Olympus pro lenses for above water photography (gotta say the 40-150 with the 1.4x tele-extender is wonderful), the E-M1 wasn't enough to make me switch over from my Canon 50D for underwater, given the extra cost of swapping housings and the fact that I dive less than I used to. In that regard, the price point of the E-M1 MKII gives me pause. I suppose I get that Olympus is pricing this as a "pro" level camera. If a Nikon D500 is $1500 and a D810 is $2499, why not try to price it between them? As to whether it offers capabilities that lie between them, I don't know. As for underwater, I will probably wait until reports are in on how much better the autofocus is, then figure out what my priorities are.

Apples to apples Mike, the D500/D750 announced at $1997 and the D810 at $3000 with the Canon 7D at $1800. The E-M1 announced at $1400. and the Olympus E-5 the then top "pro" camera announced in 2010 for $1700. Bitching about the price is quite common with many new camera releases. In the EU the E-M1 II with a select new pro lens like the new 12 to 100 F/4 Pro you get an £100.00 ($125.00) discount. A lot of people complained about the price increase of the E-M1 at $1400 over the E-M5 at $1000.00 and the fact (with E-M5) that you had to buy the camera with the 12-50 kit lens if you wanted to get an early release.

The E-M1 II has an excellent set of specs, better than D500 or 7D and most shooters buying the E-M1 II will be shooting the camera both above and below water with lenses like that wonderful 40-150/1.4 tele combo and be able to do it hand held because of the best IBIS in the market.

The bigger issue to me is simple, if I am buying a new U/W system all of the components for E-M1 system will be just as expensive as the components for the E-M1 II so I can have a system with the very latest improvements or a three year old version for a $600 difference if I bought the E-M1 new. The other option is that you can always wait another 3-3 1/2 for the E-M1 III which I am sure will be just as expensive or move to another manufacture like Panasonic GH-4 which cost $1700 at release.

For those of use who are already invested in an Olympus housing system and glass all that will be required is the new body and basic housing, my bet is that some used E-M1 housings and cameras will be coming to the Wetpixel market place soon.

I am pretty sure I will be upgrading to the new model sometime in 2017 and will probably be one of those with an E-M1 housing for sale in the classifieds. I have too much invested in lenses and ports to move to another system unless the E-M1 II (not loving the name, by the way) doesn't live up to the claims and "pro" reviews that I have seen so far.

If the E-M1 MKI was gonna make me jump, I'd already have a used housing for it. I, like you, will be watching to see if the MKII is worth the hype. I will stop my "bitching" now . . .

For me it would come up how the improvements really show in real life.

Noise behaviour, AF-speed etc etc.

If the new version was fitting my Nauticam housing I would probably switch anyways, but I dont think it will fit.

So for me as an exisiting owner it is more a difference if I sell my 2 EM1I lets say for 600 each, and sell the Nauticam housing for 1000 and then buy a new housing and only one EM1II and forget about a backup, I have to spend at least 1500 Euro. If I want a abckup like I have today the difference is 3300 Euro.

And then there is the 1/320 sync time the EM1I offers.

So I will for sure wait and see how big the advantages of the EM1II are in real life.

Fact is mft sensors have not really progressed much. Even the new 20 mp sensor from panasonic does not result in amazing improvements is more about ergonomics. If there is a camera you like that still has a housing there are good options out there

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I don't know what source you are using to compare sensors but that is about as silly as saying that the FF Canon 5D IV sensor has not really progressed much over the 5D sensor or that the $2000.00 Nikon D500 has not progressed much over the $1000.00 D100. I have been shooting with the Sony A7R II for a year and a half now but regardless of image quality which is clearly high by any standard the Olympus system is still makes a better underwater system overall.

For most people, the current sensors are more than adequate. And if you want a big step up, you can always go to FF. I'm more interested in improvements in mirrorless autofocus, C-AF, in particular. A bump up in the ability to track moving subjects would be appreciated. We will see what the MKII can do.

As one moves towards the top end of any system I think there can be issues of diminishing returns. That is even more true with the "newest & bestest" camera in a line. From the standpoint of picture quality, I am not able to fully utilize the capabilities of the current cameras...my camera is not the weakest link in my photographic efforts. I doubt that a small increase in sensor pixels will have a dramatic effect on my pictures and have no interest in dealing with the weight and size and cost issues in going to full frame. But, at times there are certain concrete improvements or changes, like fixing "shutter shock" or improving C-AF speed or tracking abilities or more autofocus points or better flash sync speeds, improved battery life or ergonomics or other features that can make a product upgrade compelling beyond the simple question of whether it has a better or bigger sensor. That is my interest in the new Oly camera; it has some features that I think I would enjoy using and may make it easier for me to get the shots I want. That it has an improved sensor is also nice.

I have no illusions that a new camera will make me a better photographer, but it might increase the fun for me. Given what I have to spend to go on each dive trip, it is hard to get too worked up about the price of a particular camera or lens that should last me at least a few years.

I was purely referring to micro four thirds. The improvements seem to be in ergonomics and other features like auto focus etc on the new model. So if you are currently struggling with those issues there is a good reason to look for upgrades. If you have somehow got around those quirks upgrading to a newer model may provide benefits to image quality that depend on your starting point. For example having been on a boat with people with olympus omd-em5/10/1 the differences are minimal. I have friends that have done the jump from panasonic gx7 to gx8 with zero improvement to their images.

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I am not really sure what you are saying in the post above, but if you are responding to my post, I was making general comments about making equipment upgrades to improve one's photography, and about price and performance variables between the top models and the lower tier models in any particular camera product line. I am not struggling with my E-M1 although I certainly recognize its limitations. I actually enjoy using it and find it mostly meets my needs. I think I would enjoy the features of the new camera, especially in regards to improvements in focus speed and tracking and I would like the increased battery life if that pans out. I also find the pro-capture feature interesting, though not necessarily underwater.

I am fortunate that I can afford the new camera and a new Nauticam housing (unless they go crazy with pricing) and I will probably upgrade because I would like to...not because I think it will make me a better photographer. If I get better results from the camera then great, if not, that is fine, too.

I am not surprised that your friends have not seen an improvement in their photography by upgrading to a newer camera. As I have said before, for most of us, the camera is not the weakest link in the chain. If you can't get the results you want from last year's model, it is unlikely you will get them with this year's model.

Sorry draq it was not for you

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Sorry draq it was not for you

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