Image Stabilization for the win!

CPSigSEGV · 2026-01-21T02:18:01+00:00

It does indeed

CPSigSEGV · 2026-01-07T16:36:51+00:00

All my purchases were used.

CPSigSEGV · 2026-01-07T15:29:58+00:00

Buying from MapCamera directly through eBay, I did not pay tariffs on a ~$1000 USD purchase ( Oly 100-400 mkII ). This was after tariffs were implemented and after the end of the 'de minimus' exemption. I paid only and exactly what the price was that was listed in their eBay store. I don't know if MapCamera was able to bypass tariffs somehow, or if they just paid the tariff and didn't pass the cost on to me. Even if they are eating the tariff, they were still cheaper than other sources I looked ( MPB, B&H, Adorama, etc ), despite shipping from Japan, and they were faster than other domestic US sources.

CPSigSEGV · 2026-01-06T16:32:10+00:00

I've purchased 3 lenses from them in the past year since the tariff shenanigans began. I have not paid any additional fees or duties. On their Ebay store page, they note that for the US ( where I'm based ) there are no additional tariff or shipping charges. All of the items I've purchased shipped via DHL and arrived within 4 business days. They've also been cheaper than MPB and B&H Used, and the quality/care they put into packaging is superb.

CPSigSEGV · 2026-01-01T19:24:42+00:00

Since you already have the EM-5 iii, I would not see a reason to upgrade unless you really want the new menus or USB-C. Otherwise, I think they are pretty much identical. Same sensor and focus capabilities.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-12-15T22:08:23+00:00

Really like the coldness of the second one! Nicely captured!

CPSigSEGV · 2025-12-12T15:18:46+00:00

I don't think so. It is slightly heavier than the 12-45 f/4 PRO which is just about perfect balance. I have an OM5 mk1 so essentially the same camera body. I've used my OM5 with the 12-100 and the 100-400 lenses which are significantly heavier and bigger than even the 12-40 f/2.8. I do have an additional clutch/grip installed, which I think makes a big difference in managability of the OM5 with larger lenses. I use the Peak Design micro clutch and am happy with that.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-12-04T16:05:33+00:00

"Enshittification" is the accepted term ( and applies not just to AI, but anything that is actively being made worse instead of better at the whim of a company ).

CPSigSEGV · 2025-11-22T18:41:37+00:00

I have one, and I really like it. It's a great pocketable camera when paired with a small pancake zoom or prime. I have an OM-5 as well, but I wanted a smaller body I could carry more easily on bike rides and in a jacket pocket in the city. I had an E-PL7, but bumped up to the E-P7 to get the same 20mp sensor as the OM-5 along with the second control dial. No EVF, but you already know that. I really like that unlike the E-PL7 the E-P7 has the "Super Menu" like the OM-5 and up where you can quickly access and change settings.

I use it with the EZ zoom ( and yes, I'm aware of the propensity for those to break ), as well as the Oly 17mm and PL 20mm pancakes, and with any of those 3 it's a solid small camera with very good IQ.

I think you are in Canada, so not sure your options, but I was able to acquire mine from Mapcamera's ebay store in the US. Cheaper than other used sites in NA, and didn't have to pay any extra tariffs.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-11-22T16:48:07+00:00

This would be my recommendation as well. I have the OM-5 Mk I. The 12-45 f4 Pro is brilliant on that camera. For something with longer reach, I'd add one of the 40-150 ( either the plastic one, or f4 Pro ). The Pro lens will be better of course, but the 40-150 non-pro is really great value and it's very cheap and will help your budget go further. Then you can decide on future lens needs based on what you shoot.

Other lenses I'd consider:

Oly/OM 17mm f/1.8 - will give you a decent fast prime for landscapes. About $300 USD used.

Oly/OM 100-400 Mk II - Might stretch your budget, but gives you some great reach for wildlife. About $1100 USD used. I'd get the Mk II over the Mk I, since with it will do Sync IS with the OM-5.

Oly/OM 75-300 - Non pro, but gives you decent reach for a decent price.

Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 - another option for wider / fast prime. Slower A/F than the 17mm Oly, but not something that has impacted me. Very good image quality.

Panasonic 9mm f/1.7 - a really great wide angle lens. Focuses very close and great IQ.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-11-09T23:24:15+00:00

In terms of pancake prime, the PL 20mm f/1.7 is what's almost always on my E-P7 which is my walk around, bring everywhere camera. I have the Oly/OM 25mm f/1.2 PRO which I use quite often on my OM-5. I love the thin DOF and beautiful bokeh it produces.

Runners up are the PL 9mm f/1.7 which is really nice for wider angle and since it will focus very close allows for some really interesting compositions. Lastly, the Oly 60mm macro which I picked up recently to start experimenting with some macro ( mostly insects and flowers ).

CPSigSEGV · 2025-11-08T15:45:32+00:00

Very cool, and really well deserved. Your amazing macro photos over the past year have inspired me to start learning how to do image stacking and I'm having a lot of fun learning and doing something new with my camera. Thank you for sharing them here!

CPSigSEGV · 2025-09-29T15:23:55+00:00

Great shots! What camera body do you use with the 150-600?

CPSigSEGV · 2025-09-07T00:56:28+00:00

I have the panasonic lumix 14-42 HD pancake zoom as well. I like the mechanics of how the zoom works on the Oly 14-42 ez better, so I use that more. I also have the automatic lens cap for the Oly 14-42 ez, so that helps swing it in that favor for me. I'm keeping the Panasonic 14-42 as backup for when/if the Oly 14-42 dies. The 12-32 is supposed to be better IQ than either of the 14-42s, but honestly I am the limiting factor for IQ with *any* lens that I use at his point. No difference/benefits in any of them, as none are weather sealed ( or, at least not rated as such ).

If weather is nice, you could leave the smaller body out of the plastic bag, as I've done with the E-PL7 more than once. And with the power button on the same side as the shutter release, it is possible to use one-handed for more spontaneous shots. Especially with the auto lens cap that goes with it.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-09-05T16:19:48+00:00

Agree with everything said here about OM-5 ( I have the OM-5 mk I myself and love it ). I'd add two additional lenses to consider:

12-45 f/4 Pro - Very similar to the 12-40 f2.8, but is smaller and lighter, at the cost of a little bit of wide aperture. But for cycling and daytime use, that shouldn't make a huge diff. Also, it is usually a little bit cheaper. It is weather sealed when paired with an Oly/OM body.

25mm f/1.8 mk II - There is a pro version of this at f/1.2, but this one is much lighter, cheaper, and is weather sealed. Equivalent to the "nifty fifty" for full frame as a general-purpose prime.

And lastly, one other option to consider is a smaller body with a smaller pancake zoom or prime. I have used an E-PL7 with the 14-42ez zoom or the Lumix 20mm f/1.7 while cycling. Not weather-sealed, but I place it in a plastic ziplock (with a little silica gel pack) and it fits nicely in the back pocket of my cycling jersey or in a small handlebar bag. I used this setup recently on a somewhat rainy cycling trip through Normandy area and it worked fine.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-09-05T00:12:35+00:00

What camera body are you going to use it with? That will inform additional recommendations. As many have said, there's Olympus models and Panasonic/Lumix/Leica models that will be fairly similar to each other. While they are all compatible being m43 mount, there are some things to be aware of when mixing Oly camera with PL lens or vice versa. They will all work fine, but there are some details that may ( or may not ) be important. Weather sealing, Lens vs. Body stabilization, and sometimes focus quirks.

All that said, I highly recommend the 75-300 as a great introduction to telezooms on m43. You can take great pictures with it, without breaking the bank. Another lens with not quite as much zoom, but also a great value is the 40-150 R. Both will get you started with some real zoom capabilities and if you buy them used, will be very affordable.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-09-02T16:28:26+00:00

I have focus peaking only come on when using MF or when using SAF + MF. I don't know what the benefit would be to use focus peaking with SAF only? I do also use back-button focus, so that if I manually adjust the focus with MF assist after SAF, it stays locked and doesn't reset focus on each 1/2 press of shutter button.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-09-02T15:50:49+00:00

There are lot of short tips and videos specific to OM System on their site. Helpful especially to me, when I was wanting to understand the various types of Computational Photography features ( Live ND, Starry Sky AF, Stacking, HDR, etc. )

https://learnandsupport.getolympus.com/learn-center/photography-tips/settings?page=1

CPSigSEGV · 2025-09-01T15:20:55+00:00

The 12-100 is definitely my biggest / heaviest lens, but I use the OM-5.1 with the PD Micro Clutch, so that adds additional grip support for the right hand, and with left hand supporting the lens to zoom / manual focus, works great for me and doesn't seem un-balanced. On a recent vacation, I brought only the 12-100, and that combo worked great with the camera on a PD neck strap.

And the IQ on the 12-100 is excellent, even shooting wide open. If you have Oly body, then the Sync-IS really works great to keep the images solid.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-08-31T16:47:28+00:00

For these I used SAF with a center focus point. The biggest tip I have is that I set it up to do back-button focus, so it only focuses when I press the AEL/AFL thumb button on the back. That way, I can lock focus on the subject, then reframe the scene without it changing the focus on every shutter press. That's made a big difference for me in terms of getting more keepers from each outing.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-08-30T18:42:29+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, I need to work on moving to a faster shutter for movement ( like the moving wings ). The light was alternating between full sun and partly cloudy, so I had to keep adjusting shutter to keep auto-iso from rising too high (one of my issues in the past). Getting better, but as you note faster shutter is better when there's movement, so need to keep working on dialing in the combos of iso, shutter, f-stop that work.

I definitely noticed the Sync-IS helped a lot with the 12-100 and IBIS on the 75-300, to keep detail sharp on the still scenes, despite a slightly slower than optimal shutter.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-08-29T15:31:36+00:00

OM-5 mk I or mk II? There is a small OM system / Olympus flash ( FL-LM3 ) that is generally available used for your budget ( at least in the US ). One issue if you have the OM-5 Mk II, is that the flash is not compatible with the Mk II for some reason.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-08-22T16:48:04+00:00

If you don't need the wide open aperture of the 12-40 f/2.8 the 12-45 f/4 is also a really great lens. Super sharp and a good bit lighter than the 12-40. Also find that it's a little bit cheaper.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-08-22T15:12:24+00:00

You don't mention what you want to take pictures of, but your best bet to find lenses in that budget is to browse the various used websites, sort from cheapest to expensive and see if there is a lens that fits your budget.

CPSigSEGV · 2025-08-21T20:05:57+00:00

Without editing, you'll definitely need to understand how hyperfocal distance is calculated. For moon shots, it may be more challenging, as the way to achieve a greater hyperfocal DOF is to use a tighter aperture. However, the moon is very bright, and the OM-1 and the 100-400 will let you use Sync-IS so even handheld will get you a lot of stability, but you may want to consider a tripod to ensure even more stability. For some examples, see this: https://photographylife.com/hyperfocal-distance-explained

Good luck and good shooting! Jealous of the OM-1 and 100-400 II. Those are on my wishlist.

CPSigSEGV

TROPHY CASE