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Thread: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

  1. #1

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    Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    I was very much impressed by the Nex 7 and thought of buying it...but now that Olympus released their new micro four-third camera ...I'm in a dilemma...So guys please help me out...I am interested in portraits and light photography and at the moment I have no professional camera

  2. #2
    herbert's Avatar
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    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    Hi Krishna,

    The Olympus has only just been announced. I do not think there are any reviews of it yet. I follow the Kirk Tuck blog and he has done a lot of experimenting over the last fews years with mirroless compact cameras. His latest post indicates that the new Olympus might be very good:

    http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com...Science+Lab%29

    However you will have to wait to find out if the reviews are good.

    It is clear is that there are some good lenses for the Olympus system. When choosing a camera system you should be aware of the lenses that are available and whether they will suit your shooting needs. I am not sure if there as many good lens for the Sony system (I have read this a few times that the cameras are amazing but the lenses are lacking).

    Unfortunately I do not know too much about micro 4/3 cameras but others on this site should be able to advise.

    Regards,

    Alex

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    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    From what I understand - most of the NEX guys like to use older Zeiss or Leica lens that have been converted to fit the Sony. Mostly MF but these old lens render amazing pictures.

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    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    Quote Originally Posted by herbert View Post

    However you will have to wait to find out if the reviews are good.

    It is clear is that there are some good lenses for the Olympus system. When choosing a camera system you should be aware of the lenses that are available and whether they will suit your shooting needs. I am not sure if there as many good lens for the Sony system (I have read this a few times that the cameras are amazing but the lenses are lacking).

    Unfortunately I do not know too much about micro 4/3 cameras but others on this site should be able to advise.

    Regards,

    Alex
    Thanks for the advice!

  5. #5
    inkista's Avatar
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    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    What's your priority? Larger sensor? Or more lenses in the native mount?

    If you have a ton of manual focus legacy glass, particularly rangefinder lenses, you want to adapt, then the NEX makes more sense, as the APS-C sized sensor is bigger than the four-thirds one, and the crop factor isn't as extreme, making wide angle less of a PITA to acquire.

    OTOH, if you have no legacy glass at all, and are building a system from the ground up, micro four-thirds (at this time) makes more sense, because of the larger number of lenses that are available from the system being two years older and having two different companies contributing to the pool (Olympus and Panasonic).

    In a few years, the lens availability difference might not be so great, especially as the 3rd party lens manufacturers kick in, but Sony hasn't had such a great track record of creating lenses for the Alpha system. And at present, the NEX e-mount system only has seven lenses in it, of which only five are readily available.

    Lenses are the other half of your camera, and arguably, the one that you will spend the most money on, and that will stay with you the longest. Bodies come and go. Your glass can last you decades.

    I've done a ton of manual lens adapting on my Canon EOS cameras, and I enjoy it, but I'm getting older, my eyesight's not as good as it used to be, and autofocus is just that much more convenient. I got a used Panasonic G3 kit for US$450. Used micro four-thirds bodies are cheap. As in they can be found in the $250-$300 range if you just want to try one.

    I will add one small caution, though: I was surprised to find that the sync speed on my G3 was 1/160s. This seems to be pretty standard across both NEX and mft bodies.

    I would also caution you to really consider whether you want a mirrorless compact, or if a dSLR might be a better choice. When it comes to things like lighting gear, going with one of the Big Two (Canon/Nikon) is likely to give you better 3rd-party support for things like TTL-capable PocketWizards.
    Last edited by inkista; 8th February 2012 at 07:46 PM.

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    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    Quote Originally Posted by inkista View Post
    What's your priority? Larger sensor? Or more lenses in the native mount?

    If you have a ton of manual focus legacy glass, particularly rangefinder lenses, you want to adapt, then the NEX makes more sense, as the APS-C sized sensor is bigger than the four-thirds one, and the crop factor isn't as extreme, making wide angle less of a PITA to acquire.

    OTOH, if you have no legacy glass at all, and are building a system from the ground up, micro four-thirds (at this time) makes more sense, because of the larger number of lenses that are available from the system being two years older and having two different companies contributing to the pool (Olympus and Panasonic).

    In a few years, the lens availability difference might not be so great, especially as the 3rd party lens manufacturers kick in, but Sony hasn't had such a great track record of creating lenses for the Alpha system. And at present, the NEX e-mount system only has seven lenses in it, of which only five are readily available.

    Lenses are the other half of your camera, and arguably, the one that you will spend the most money on, and that will stay with you the longest. Bodies come and go. Your glass can last you decades.

    I've done a ton of manual lens adapting on my Canon EOS cameras, and I enjoy it, but I'm getting older, my eyesight's not as good as it used to be, and autofocus is just that much more convenient. I got a used Panasonic G3 kit for US$450. Used micro four-thirds bodies are cheap. As in they can be found in the $250-$300 range if you just want to try one.

    I will add one small caution, though: I was surprised to find that the sync speed on my G3 was 1/160s. This seems to be pretty standard across both NEX and mft bodies.

    I would also caution you to really consider whether you want a mirrorless compact, or if a dSLR might be a better choice. When it comes to things like lighting gear, going with one of the Big Two (Canon/Nikon) is likely to give you better 3rd-party support for things like TTL-capable PocketWizards.
    I am building from the ground up..I still am a teenager so I want a compact body as it would be easy for me to carry my camera ...But I really liked the Nex 7 and also the Olympus...but I guess all it comes down to the reviews for me so wait till a proper review is out! But as u said the lens collection is very good for Olympus! So I think I'll be going for the Olympus!
    Last edited by boyyocool; 9th February 2012 at 08:48 AM.

  7. #7

    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    I found a comparison of these two that I mostly agree:

    http://www.dslrpassion.com/reviews/6...omparison.html

    I still prefer Om-D due to its wide range of lens option thanks Panasonic and Olympus...
    Last edited by thorondor; 12th February 2012 at 03:26 PM.

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    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    That's a tough one. Based on the fact that you are starting from scratch, my recommendation would be to wait on the Olympus reviews before you decide. The OMD could be one heck of a camera. There are new flash options and some nice M4/3 glass on the market. As a long time Canon shooter (dSLRs), I find myself interested in the Oly OMD and Sony NEX cameras too.

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    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    Quote Originally Posted by Eric M View Post
    That's a tough one. Based on the fact that you are starting from scratch, my recommendation would be to wait on the Olympus reviews before you decide. The OMD could be one heck of a camera. There are new flash options and some nice M4/3 glass on the market. As a long time Canon shooter (dSLRs), I find myself interested in the Oly OMD and Sony NEX cameras too.
    Yup! It could Be one heck of a camera..but Im waiting for the reviews to come out!

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    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    3th option maybe the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 instead of Sony or olympus?
    Looks very promising.

  11. #11
    inkista's Avatar
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    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    Quote Originally Posted by Hansm View Post
    3th option maybe the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 instead of Sony or olympus?
    Looks very promising.
    Yes, but will be pricier, and has even fewer lenses than Sony. Unless you know for certain what you really really really want is a poor man's M9 and 35/50/90 'cron set , may not be the system for you. Still, yes, super-sexy camera with very nice viewfinder tech.

  12. #12

    Re: Sony Nex 7 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 ...Which one to buy?

    X-Pro 1 is a great camera for sure, but it is too big compared to NEX-7 and E-M5, even bigger than the Leica M9. Video capabilities are average and has only 3 lenses so far, and neither camera nor the lenses are released. AF is reported to be slow also...

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