The absolutely mega Olympus E-M10 III - Oversampled 4.6K no crop 5 axis IBIS for $500!

[hoodlum]

I see that Adorama and BH Photo are including for free the 25mm f1.8 lens when you purchase the E-M10 Mark III.  The E-M10iii deals have officially started now.

[leslie]

i'm almost sold on one of these, however i cant seem to find a remote cable release for it.  From what i have been able to google the older models have provision for it but the e m10 iii doesn't. Am i going to lose much if i go to the older m10 ii or E-M1 II ?

i'd be using it for photos 90% of the time.  I need the remote release to allow an Arduino to control the shutter. had a similar setup with a 60d and i'm wanting to go back down that path. Getting late now so i'll google the m10 ii and m1 ii tomorrow. 

[tupp]

4 hours ago, leslie said:

i'm almost sold on one of these, however i cant seem to find a remote cable release for it.  [snip]  I need the remote release to allow an Arduino to control the shutter.

There is no cable release of which I am aware, but one can release the shutter through the wifi app.  Not sure how one can control the wifi app with an Arduino.

 

4 hours ago, leslie said:

From what i have been able to google the older models have provision for it but the e m10 iii doesn't. Am i going to lose much if i go to the older m10 ii or E-M1 II ?

The E-M10 II can use a cable release, but it's max video resolution is Full HD.  The video is nice quality.

 

Most of the advantages of the E-M10 III involve the uncropped 4.6K and IBIS 4K video, as mentioned in the EOSHD article.

 

I don't know anything about the E-M1 II.

 

You could also get of the less expensive, used/refurb Olympus E-PL models (no built-in EVF) and just use it for your unattended, Arduino stills.

 

[tupp]

By the way, the E-M10 III has a built-in intervalometer.

[ac6000cw]

15 hours ago, leslie said:

Am i going to lose much if i go to the older m10 ii or E-M1 II ?

The EM-1 II has a 20MP sensor, no-crop (full sensor width) 4k video, plus phase-detect autofocus, weather sealing, mic and headphone jacks, bigger battery, better IBIS etc. etc. (it's a professional-level stills camera with very decent video and excellent build quality, basically).

But it's bigger, heavier and somewhat more expensive than the E-M10 III (in the UK at the moment a used EM-1 II is about twice the price of a new E-M10 III)

I seriously thought about buying a new E-M10 III a few months ago, but decided to spend the extra money and get a used EM-1 II instead as I wanted the extra features/weather sealing/build quality.

[leslie]

26 minutes ago, ac6000cw said:

The EM-1 II has a 20MP sensor, no-crop (full sensor width) 4k video, plus phase-detect autofocus, weather sealing, mic and headphone jacks, bigger battery, better IBIS etc. etc. (it's a professional-level stills camera with very decent video and excellent build quality, basically).

But it's bigger, heavier and somewhat more expensive than the E-M10 III (in the UK at the moment a used EM-1 II is about twice the price of a new E-M10 III)

I seriously thought about buying a new E-M10 III a few months ago, but decided to spend the extra money and get a used EM-1 II instead as I wanted the extra features/weather sealing/build quality.

been building sheep yards today no chance to google anything as yet. I would have bought the e-m10 iii in a heartbeat if it had a remote cable release. doing remote triggering over wifi would have a lot of timing issues i suspect, for what i want to try anyway.

any ideas what the slow mo is like on the older e-m10ii or em-1 ii actually is there any slow mo on either ?

[John Matthews]

28 minutes ago, leslie said:

been building sheep yards today no chance to google anything as yet. I would have bought the e-m10 iii in a heartbeat if it had a remote cable release. doing remote triggering over wifi would have a lot of timing issues i suspect, for what i want to try anyway.

any ideas what the slow mo is like on the older e-m10ii or em-1 ii actually is there any slow mo on either ?

I can help you with this. If you want slow mo on any Olympus camera, you might be disappointed. That said both the EM1 ii and EM1x have 60fps in full 20mp raw (or 30 minutes of 1080p 60fps). In the right conditions, it will look really good (take a look at @Andrew Reid video about the EM1 ii. There's ONE BIG caviot to this: you get about 60 frames or 1 second that you can slow down to 40% at 24fps. The EM1x, EM5 iii, and EM1 iii all have 1080p 120fps, but again, it's not the best. I guess it all depends on your quality tolerance.

I currently have the PL9 which has a flippy (down) screen with roughly all the same features as the EM10 iii, but without 5-axis IBIS (it only has 3). It's also smaller.

I also have a EM1 ii that I a found smoking' deal on the French equivalent of Craig's list for 800 euros with the 12-40 PRO lens. That camera is in another league than all the cameras Olympus has except the EM1x and EM1 iii. You can find this camera used for much less than the EM5 iii, which is basically the same camera minus a few features and the 1080p 120fps.

Hope that helps.

[IronFilm]

20 hours ago, ac6000cw said:

The EM-1 II has a 20MP sensor, no-crop (full sensor width) 4k video, plus phase-detect autofocus, weather sealing, mic and headphone jacks, bigger battery, better IBIS etc. etc. (it's a professional-level stills camera with very decent video and excellent build quality, basically).

But it's bigger, heavier and somewhat more expensive than the E-M10 III (in the UK at the moment a used EM-1 II is about twice the price of a new E-M10 III)

I seriously thought about buying a new E-M10 III a few months ago, but decided to spend the extra money and get a used EM-1 II instead as I wanted the extra features/weather sealing/build quality.

That's an interesting alternative I hadn't considered before for my upgrade: the Olympus E-M1 Mark II?

It slots in between as a cheaper alternative to the Panasonic G9, but a bit more expensive than the Panasonic G85

[Marcio Kabke Pinheiro]

On 7/31/2020 at 4:36 PM, tupp said:

There is no cable release of which I am aware, but one can release the shutter through the wifi app.  Not sure how one can control the wifi app with an Arduino.

I think that our house resident genius @BTM_Pix never worked with the Olympus wifi protocols, but I think that he can bring some guidance. Since @leslie is working with Adruino stuff, probably have some programming knowledge to discover a way.

[BTM_Pix]

18 minutes ago, Márcio Kabke Pinheiro said:

I think that our house resident genius @BTM_Pix never worked with the Olympus wifi protocols, but I think that he can bring some guidance. Since @leslie is working with Adruino stuff, probably have some programming knowledge to discover a way.

Well, its funny you should mention shutter release for cameras that don't have them as we have literally just finished creating a one-off custom PBC system to do it mechanically for stop frame animation for a customer for on a Pocket4K.

Unless you are powering the camera from the mains, trying to do it over wifi is going to be problematical over any great length of time due to the battery drain.

Mechanical is definitely more straightforward, providing that, again, you have power for the Arduino or whatever you are running it from.

As long as you can position it correctly and the shutter button stands out from the body, then a simple servo can be used to activate it and an Arduino programmed easily to control it.

There are plenty of options from that basic point to be able to finesse it in terms of how you trigger it so you can have a basic wire and switch attached to the Arduino or add a radio or IR sensor or even a BLE or WiFi module if you want to do it wirelessly.

 

[leslie]

i have seen the servo thing done before with arduino.. The last time i built myself an arduino and cable release that plugged into my 60d  and then i moved. i have it around here somewhere .....  I have nothing against servos i prefer the simplicity of a cable solution. My brother has been visiting   if he comes through with some of the money he owes me i may look at a later model canon to play with just with photos but everything is subject to change.

[Marcio Kabke Pinheiro]

Back to the camera: the E-M10 MK IV was released - so undewhelmed that maybe it do not justifies a separate topic.

Get the E-M10 MK III, put the 20mp sensor, a slightly better grip, a flip down screen (useless when filming handheld with a small tripod), slight better AF and...that is.

[IronFilm]

No Mic Input either 😞

[Defleur]

I am seriously considering buying one of these but I have been looking for a battery grip to go with it & can't find any at the moment. Has anyone bought a battery grip for this camera?

Thanks!

[John Matthews]

48 minutes ago, Defleur said:

I am seriously considering buying one of these but I have been looking for a battery grip to go with it & can't find any at the moment. Has anyone bought a battery grip for this camera?

Thanks!

I don't believe this camera has one, certainly nothing official. Also, getting a grip defeats the purpose of this camera IMO. It's all about being small and lightweight. If you rig it out, you might as well go for the E-M1 II as you can find them dirt-cheap right now (if you're patient). The bonus will be microphone jack, headphone jack, PDAF, better IBIS and battery life.

[Defleur]

4 minutes ago, John Matthews said:

I don't believe this camera has one, certainly nothing official.

Yeah, that is what I feared after looking for a while.

5 minutes ago, John Matthews said:

Also, getting a grip defeats the purpose of this camera IMO. It's all about being small and lightweight. 

I only want it for 4K video filming theatre productions.

6 minutes ago, John Matthews said:

you might as well go for the E-M1 II as you can find them dirt-cheap right now (if you're patient). 

The E-M1 II is twice the price anywhere.

But thanks for the quick reply, even though you bear bad news about the battery grip 😉

[John Matthews]

1 minute ago, Defleur said:

The E-M1 II is twice the price anywhere.

But thanks for the quick reply, even though you bear bad news about the battery grip 😉

If you accept buying used, you'll find E-m1 ii by itself for 600 euros or less in the USA. In Europe, the deal you'll find it for as new will be 1399 Euros with a 17, 25, or 45 mm 1.2 (great lenses that can be resold after).

Personally, I wouldn't pay more than 250 Euros for the E-M10 III (used, body only). If you find it with the kit 14-42, you can resell it for about 80 Euros. Instead of a grip, you could get a cage. If you're after battery life, you can get a USB to 7.2V adapter/dummy batter and you'll have almost unlimited life out of it.

If you're working on a tripod, skip the E-M10 III and go for the PL9. It has the same features, just no viewfinder and only 3-axis IBIS. Hope that helps.

[Defleur]

4 minutes ago, John Matthews said:

If you accept buying used, you'll find E-m1 ii by itself for 600 euros or less in the USA. In Europe, the deal you'll find it for as new will be 1399 Euros with a 17, 25, or 45 mm 1.2 (great lenses that can be resold after).

Personally, I wouldn't pay more than 250 Euros for the E-M10 III (used, body only). If you find it with the kit 14-42, you can resell it for about 80 Euros.

I'm in Ireland (unfortunately) as this means I can't order a camera from Amazon UK, use it for a week to see if I like it, then send it back postage-free for a refund - which also means I'm dealing with UK/Europe prices. I'm using MPB to gauge second-hand prices:
Olympus OM-D E-M10 III £269
Olympus OM-D E-M1 II £679
Olympus Pen E-PL9 £249
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G80 £359

I have Canon primes so I will only buy a camera body.

The reason I'm even considering the OM-D E-M10 III is this forum! Andrew's written an absolutely glowing review of its 4K video capabilities - it's still on the front page of this website after 2 years! So for video, it's perfect for me, but but BUT its the little things about the camera which are holding me back - the SD slot in the battery compartment, only a tilt screen & especially the battery grip!

The crop of the G80 just confuses me otherwise I would just buy one of those, as I could easily seeing myself staying with Panasonic for a long, long time (I'm coming from Canon.) 

32 minutes ago, John Matthews said:

Instead of a grip, you could get a cage. If you're after battery life, you can get a USB to 7.2V adapter/dummy batter and you'll have almost unlimited life out of it.

Now that is something I had never considered before & that really helps! Would you have any recommendation for a dummy battery? Thanks!

[John Matthews]

1 hour ago, Defleur said:

The crop of the G80 just confuses me otherwise I would just buy one of those, as I could easily seeing myself staying with Panasonic for a long, long time (I'm coming from Canon.) 

Given the prices you mentioned, the G80's crop isn't a big deal and you'll probably really appreciate the other features too. I had the Gx80 for over two years and it worked great... I wouldn't worry about the crop too much, especially if you have a speed booster of any sort. If not, you might get murdered by using FF glass on MFT- the only way to get wide will be with native glass (a kit zoom will work). In terms of pure video quality and IBIS, I would agree with Andrew that all the Olympus cameras you mention beat G80, but the edge is only minute. When it comes to Olympus, I go used because many people are getting rid of them, but they're still great cameras.

1 hour ago, Defleur said:

Now that is something I had never considered before & that really helps! Would you have any recommendation for a dummy battery? Thanks!

Again, go cheap; otherwise, get the better/bigger camera. I haven't seen dummy batteries unless they come from China. I have one for the PL9/ E-M10 III and it works great. Go t mine on ALIBABA. 

Judging those cameras above, I'd go with the E-M1 II if AF is a necessity. For you it's not because you're using Canon glass. The E-M10 and PL9 offer the best video quality. The E-M10 III has the best IBIS (not by much). The PL9 has a down-floppy screen (not important to you). For only 90 Pounds more, the G80 is the way to go IMO. The difference in "crop" is only .3 at best, meaning if you put a 14mm on, it'll be 32mm FF, rather than 28mm- not much, but you gain the mic input and flippy-screen. I guess it's up to you as to determine what's the most important. Good luck. They all take great video and have great-decent IBIS.

[Defleur]

22 minutes ago, John Matthews said:

Given the prices you mentioned, the G80's crop isn't a big deal and you'll probably really appreciate the other features too. I had the Gx80 for over two years and it worked great... I wouldn't worry about the crop too much, especially if you have a speed booster of any sort. If not, you might get murdered by using FF glass on MFT- the only way to get wide will be with native glass (a kit zoom will work). In terms of pure video quality and IBIS, I would agree with Andrew that all the Olympus cameras you mention beat G80, but the edge is only minute. When it comes to Olympus, I go used because many people are getting rid of them, but they're still great cameras.

Again, go cheap; otherwise, get the better/bigger camera. I haven't seen dummy batteries unless they come from China. I have one for the PL9/ E-M10 III and it works great. Go t mine on ALIBABA. 

Judging those cameras above, I'd go with the E-M1 II if AF is a necessity. For you it's not because you're using Canon glass. The E-M10 and PL9 offer the best video quality. The E-M10 III has the best IBIS (not by much). The PL9 has a down-floppy screen (not important to you). For only 90 Pounds more, the G80 is the way to go IMO. The difference in "crop" is only .3 at best, meaning if you put a 14mm on, it'll be 32mm FF, rather than 28mm- not much, but you gain the mic input and flippy-screen. I guess it's up to you as to determine what's the most important. Good luck. They all take great video and have great-decent IBIS.

Ah, John, things are becoming a lot clearer for me, thank you! And you're singing my song, as I'm definitely a "buy the cheapest or buy the best (for you)" kind of guy. And at this stage I really think the cheapest is the best option for me since I'm just starting in 4K & it's what I'll feel happiest with after the purchase: otherwise I would just go the full hog & buy a BM4K or GH5 - which I think would just be overkill for me right now. It's another reason why I'm getting the VILTROX EF-M2 II booster instead of the Metabones: yes, I know the Metabones is superior in every way, but I'll feel happier spending £150 rather than £750 (& probably sleep better at night)... 

Oddly enough (for me) AF isn't important (at the moment): I film myself & the reason I am moving up to 4K is to give myself options for reframing & zooming & panning to give a bit of energy to the theatre production. I filmed a play in HD, applied some panning & subtle zooming but then had to render it in 720...

I would absolutely love to get the Panasonic, for the reason I said: to start getting used to them ASAP as I can see myself staying with them. The g80 was recommended to me by someone else too (in another thread on this forum), but all their different models are really confusing. And what confuses me about the crop is how do you know what the camera is actually filming if you can't rely on the screen? Do you put masking tape on it around the borders?

I did a lot of googling for weeks before writing, but reading reviews & comments can only get you so far. It's far better to hear from people here who have actually bought & used these things in the real world. Like I said, I wouldn't even be considering the Olympus were it not for this article, because on paper you would never guess there was anything special about it...

I really appreciate all your help John!