Why this little camera has changed everything...

I'm going to say great choices for the camera AND the glass-- I just returned home from a US Grand Canyon and So. Utah trip using the 7-14 and the Lumix 12-35 2.8 and the 35-100 2.8 combo. I do use the OMD EM1mkIII camera-which has a comparable feature set. You are young and "on your first legs" as they say,,for us older guys who have lost a step--or 3- the lighter weight and size keeps us in the field shooting way past our normal use by date. The stabilization and the exposure flexibility make this an amazing camera for the size-- Thanks for giving MFT a nod!!

Great video Henry. Your enthusiasm is contagious! To answer your final question, I’ve been shooting 4/3 since the E510 (replaced by the E3 and then the E5). Switched to m4/3 since the EP1 came out and never looked back. Tried them all m4/3 bodies since then and now concentrate on the OM-1 and the Pen-f. Recently rediscovered the joy of shooting film so in my outings I combine one digital body with one of my two film cameras (OM4Ti and Pen FV).

I took the OM-5 and the 12-45mm F4 PRO lens all around Japan. It was so nice not to have to worry about big heavy cameras, and know I would still get quality images, as well as not worrying about the weather. Walked around 10 miles a day with that thing, and hardly noticed.

I have many Olympus cameras. I also have Pentax. I have bonded with my EM10 Mark IV. It has become an extension of myself. I cannot explain it but there is a unique kind of intangeable zen shooting with this camera.

BTW - I forgot to use your link, but, I just bought an Olympus Pen E-PL6 on MPB because of your video. Thanks! I am so sorry I forgot about your link.

OM5 is a rocketship, as you say a real pleasure to use and the most fully featured camera relative to its form factor. The weather proofing gives confidence, its tough enough and with a pair of F4 Pro Zooms, you cover all the focal lengths with a packed weight under 1.1kg!

My problem is whether all that equipment is necessary for 4x6 prints that no-one will see but me, my cat and auntie Flo. My iPhone 15 pro will be “good enough” for that and offer ProRes 4K video at 60fps.

I don't do camera brands or mirrorless, but I have always stuck to a certain brand and really its no better than the rest on the market in fact my camera is quite old now, I do have a back up but I only ever travel with one camera, my camera works ok and never lets me down it's light and suits me fine! my back up camera is heavy and is a legend in it's own right that's probably why I keep it! At my age its just nice to go out and take pictures of things that catches my eye, they are by no means prize winners but who cares! thanks for your input on this matter, your channel is always a good watch, and I just wish I could get to some of those places that you visit but those days are gone now I am just a local shooter now. Thank you for sharing it with us!

On my mind there is no sense anymore in this camera when there is Canon R8 which has approximately same price, weight and size but has much better grip and ergonomics and has one of the best FULL FRAME sensors on the market, 40 frames per second speed and the class reading AF. To buy instead a micro four third camera with this very small bad sensor is mindless.

I bought a second hand Olympus E-M1 MkI back in 2020 and it's been one of the best purchases I've ever made. I got it dirt cheap (£225 with veritcal grip) but it's built like a tank, weather sealed, solid in the hand, lots of customisable buttons, really good stabilisation. It's tough enough to take anywhere and cheap enough to risk taking anywhere. It's also got a bunch of advanced functions that I'm still discovering/exploring three and a half years later. It really is the pleasure of the cheap thing that did way more way better than I expected.

Having worked with Nikons for years, I switched to Fuji (X-H2), and I too experience the feeling that it's fun to use. Like you said, it's hard to put a finger on "why".

I do enjoy a day out with my Cannon 200d, it's light weight and the extra zoom I get when using full frame lens is a plus point.

Thanks for another cracking video Henry, I'm currently using a canon 90D , it may be a little out dated and not pro level but I absolutely love it , married with sigma lenses it does just about everything I ask of it .

I have the original Olympus EM-5. It doesn't have all the digital features of recent versions, and that's part of what I like about it. It just does what it says on the tin. And the image stabilisation is amazing. Fun is the perfect word that describes my experience with it.

Henry, awesome shots and video. I love my OM-5 and bought it because of how you raved about it in earlier videos and I totally agree with you. Like you I am a main Nikon camera user but the simpleness of the OM 5 makes it incredibly hard to leave behind.

I changed from the big C brand to the OM-1 best move ever...a real game changer for wildlife...

I shoot with canon.
Nikon
Olympus
They all have there own way

Nice one, I can see you using mpb again mate to sell your Nikon gear off haha

A couple of years ago I moved on from heavy and cumbersome DSLR gear and bought into MFT with the E-M10iv. The handling of a camera with 1.8 prime @500g is liberating. With the other two 1.8s it's 750g in a small shoulder bag. I miss the dynamic range of FF every so often, but this little set-up has re-invigorated my joy in photography.

Nikon Z7ii ..... and Z9 for the more difficult stuff (BIF's and .... grandchildren :-) .... Kind regards, Guy.

I'm all VERY new to photography and looking at taking my photo's to the next level as I'm fed up of taking photos on my phone.
So many tabbs open right now and I'm still unsure what to get on a VERY tight budget. I feel I need to go second hand and looking at the Nikon z50, Canon eos r50 or something similar.

I'm a Nikon shooter mainly and have the Z7II and the ZF. I've had the Z5, as well as a Fuji X-E3, and Sony A6300 recently as well, with other DSLRs prior too. I find the X-E3 and the ZF to be the most fun to shoot because of the manual input they can require. I LOVE the A6300 and miss it, and loved the Z5, but the Z7II and ZF are both amazing. The ZF is with me every day, the Z7II is with me when I know that I'm shooting.

I don't get the same complete enjoyment out of the Z7II until I get home and pixel peep, but the ZF is just flat out enjoyable. I would say the Z7II is a workhorse which makes me happy with the results and the ZF is just always fun to shoot.

I guess I could say I just love shooting, and producing imagery, regardless of camera. The whole process can be enjoyable :D

Nikon is too much... Olympus is too little... Ian knows what's right: Fuji is just perfect. 🙂

New to your channel and I was wondering about that little camera (without a Tripod for long exposures) so I am glad I found this video. I shoot with a Canon 90D which is a Crop Sensor but packed with features so it is kind of a Pro camera. It even has an articulating LCD which I find many Full-Frames in its price range don't have.

Anyway, enough about me. I am liking your energy and enthusiasm! Thanks for sharing on your channel!

Several years ago I bought a EM5 mkII with a 12-40 f2.8 pro, primarily for landscape photography. I moved away from it because of the complications of the menus and user haptics. I don’t shoot that often - I don’t drive so rely on my wife to get me to nice places and she’s busy working! As such, I could never remember which dial I’d set up to do what, what each profile did etc. it’s still in the cupboard somewhere but I moved to a Leica Q2 where the aperture and shutter speed dials are on the camera. I miss the IBIS but I enjoy using much more.

Love my OM-5. I pair it with weather-sealed M.zuiko lenses. The 12-45 mm f/4 and the 20 mm f/1.4 are two of my favorites. The 40-150 mm f/4 is great for capturing macro-like close-focusing with a lightweight mid-range zoom. I can shoot hand-held for almost 2 seconds with the OM-5, and I've used pro-capture to catch raindrops falling from flower petals in the rain. Just a fun camera all-around.

Been wading my way through many OM-5 reviews over the last couple of weeks as OM has it at £699 right now (body) and I've been looking for an excuse to upgrade my E-M10 Mark III. Your catchy joy and enthusiasm at using the OM-5 has swung the deal for me, got OM a sale and got you a new subscriber 😉🤘

My first Digital SLR. The Nikon D50. Still love the camera and still have one that is like new.

I have the original OM-D EM10 and had so much fun with it on a recent OS trip. M4/3 systems provide such a compact travel option. I can only imagine how much more one gets out of any of the successors.

Sounds like a cool camera. Currently I shoot on a Sony A6400 with the new 70-200 f4. My photography is mostly wildlife since I live in Africa 😊. I enjoy seeing a different type of photography that can even help me do the awesome combo of animals with a beautiful background. Thanks for the videos.

I grabbed the Panasonic G1 when it first came out and eventually replaced it with a G85. About 2 years ago, I switched to a Fuji X-T3 and it is the most fun I've had with a camera since the Nikon F3. Absolutely love ditching the PASM dial. I do miss the 7-14 lens I used on the Panasonic, but I've kind of made up for it with the Viltrox 13 1.4. My Fuji 70-300 is so much better than my Panny 45-200. My Fuji 35 F2 is a delight and Christmas comes next week with the arrival of my Fuji 150-600. Love your channel. The OM-5 looks like a dream. I too, am interested in your fanny pack.

I don’t think it has anything to do with the camera. I think it’s all in the photographer. The mindset, enthusiastic, loving what they do, usually outdoors, usually in nature, happy to be breathing the air outside the confines of a cubicle. Most photographers I follow feel like this… free.
Yes, they love their cameras like kids love their Millenium Falcon LEGO set on Christmas morning

Size definitely matters. I switched to an OM-5 after getting tired of hiking with the excellent but big Fuji zooms + the X-T4. The OM 12-45mm f/4 is my main lens; it's superb and only 254g (tho the Panasonic Leica 12-60mm you have is really tempting, heh). I have the PL 9mm as my wide and probably going to grab the equally tiny Panasonic 35-100 as a pocket telephoto. The kit is so small that it's never a bother so I take it everywhere with me. Which means I'm taking more photos than ever.

Shooting with a D3000. That I bought in 2010. Decided to buy a new one. Played with a friends Om10 and was night and day difference. Then google did its listening thing. And I got an ad for the Om5, paid £1000 with lens. Can't wait for it to arrive!

Olympus OM1 Mk2 used Vs OM5 iii?

Love my Pen F

At last someone else who talks about the joy and fun of holding and using a particular camera. I get this pure joy from my Olympus OMD EM5Mkll. I sold my first when I went full on Fujifilm. But bought another one three months ago. It was like being reunited with a love lost love.

The EM5Mkll is like holding a jewel, a piece of absolute brilliance. And then - on top of that - it shoots so well, and the black-and-white output for my street photography is perfect. Better than my Fujifilm X-T1 and X-T2. I've even gone back to the lens I loved using on it too, the Sigma Art Lens 19mm, 38mm on the four-thirds sensor. One of the sexiest lenses I know, slick and black, minimalist design. I also got the 60mm one too. Sexy but not just in looks but in performance too.

Olympus OMD EM5Mkll is a joy. A marvel. A camera that makes me smile.

I’m a Nikon shooter as well but have a bit of a love affair with Olympus. While on holiday a few years back l bought a Pen model then l bought a OMD EM-1 the l bought a 2. Honestly, l refer to them as my street cameras.

I used to shoot M43 (G9, GX8), APSC (Fuji XS-10) and FF (Leica M262 and M10 monochrome).
Frankly speaking, Olympus lenses can easily compete with many other brands.
However, nothing compares to Leica M full manual pleasure to shoot and color rendering.
That's why I only kept my Leica gear. A body, a 50 f:1,4. Period.

I have Nikon DSLRs (D500 and D850) which produce fantastic results. However, I got into MFT last year and bought a ton of lenses and bodies (all used). I love my OM-1, E-M1ii, Pen-F, and E-M5ii. I love shooting with all these cameras because they are capable, small, and well engineered. There is something about the system that appeals to me beyond the Nikon gear (which is very good).

The MFT lens library is fantastic. Smaller, less expensive, and greater reach. I've bought almost all of mine used. Great prices and selection at MPB. I like how you can see photos of each item.

I shoot Nikon, Olympus and Pentax. I'm a diehard Pentax fan for film, and the Pentax K3iiiM was a natural purchase for me to extend my B&W journey, which I love. I see my Nikon gear as the serious end of my hobby, but the Olympus kit - EM1ii and EM10iii - are the fun cameras that have capability beyond their size - and interestingly work well with all my Pentax vintage lenses via an adapter. The new OM's are very interesting, and if I wasn't already so heavily invested in Olly bodies, I'd definitely upgrade to the OL1 or OM5. Your experience with the latter is annoyingly encouraging!

I have the OM-D E-M5 Mark II. I'm definitely agreeing with you on the points, as mine has almost all of them too (no ND and no 4K video). It's such a fun camera to shoot with. Especially when paired with the various pancakes available for the M43 system. Stick on the Panasonic 14/2.5 and it's very much pocketable. Or in the case of lack of pockets (stupid trend for women's clothing!) handbag-able.

The long exposure modes are a brilliant addition to the camera.

And now in hindsight, I'm really happy I picked this one. The value this holds is crazy good. It's a camera from 2015,. The OM-5 was introduced in 2022. I don't see any compelling reasons to upgrade, even now. It's crazy how good this camera still is in 2024.

Very generous of OM System to supply their lenses with a removable focus ring protector.

Micro four thirds sensors are going to keep getting better, sort of moore's law kind of thing and the glass is excellen, small, light and not crazy expensive. What's not to like!

I’m keeping to the EM10 Mkii because of the tilt screen and because it does everything I want in a small and friendly package .

IMHO for landscape, you don't need any latest camera, a 5 YO or even 10YO will do the work. However you do want full frame or even medium format. If you really care about the size: Sony, Canon, Nikon all offer light weight models, mostly only 200 - 300 g more than this little M43. Nikon Z7II would be my first choice, if I do landscape

I also have DSLR from Nikon and entry level Olympus em10.4. Olympus is my first choice for travelling because of small size. It saved my sunrise shot once with handheld exposure bracketing, as I was late on the location and there was no option to set up the tripod and mount Nikon on top... Maybe quality is slightly lower in this case (camera was forced to the edge of performace), but at least I got my photo :)

You should try an OM-1 MkII