A Photo Journey - OLYMPUS E-PL5 *New Photos Added 29 Oct 12*

[Dream Merchant]

Olympus PEN E-PL5

Thanks to Ed for the quick and wonderful introduction of the Olympus E-PL5 and his quick reference and observations of what's new in the E-PL5 :

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/reviews/1162081-olympus-e-pl5-review-images.html


As there are already reviews of this camera, including comparisons, I won't bore you with all the tech Jargon ... except perhaps for a few snippets along the way.

As with many of our reviews, we prefer to show photos taken with the equipment, in everyday circumstances. This lends a unique local angle to our reviews (or in the case of other reviews, mostly South East Asian, but the list might expand).

Hence, the very recent Mid-Autumn Festival, or the Lantern Festival here.

The Mid-autumn Festival dates back over 3,000 years, to moon worshipping in the Shang Dynasty. Ancient Chinese emperors worshiped the moon in the autumn, as they believed that the practice would bring them another harvest year. The word “mid-autumn” first appeared in the Zhou Dynasty.

During that time, worshipping the moon on the 15th night of the eighth month had spread to high officials and rich families. The practice entailed placing a large table in the middle of the yard under the moon, and they put offerings such as fruits and snacks on the table. However, not until the early Tang Dynasty was the day officially celebrated as a traditional festival. It then became an established festival during the Song Dynasty, and has become as popular as the Spring Festival since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. - abstract from History and Origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival

Locally, children and adults generally think of only one thing during this season - Mooncakes and Lanterns! And what better way to kick of this Photo Journey than photos of people having fun!

Please note that photos taken of the Mid-Autumn Festival was with the Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO 35-100mm / F2.8 / POWER O.I.S.

The E-PL5 will also be reviewed with other lenses, including some exotic or unique lenses along the way!

E-PL5 Specifications can be found here: E-PL5 Specs

 

[Dream Merchant]

Taken this past Sunday at Hong Lim Park, students dreamed up some of the most creative lantern designs made with recycled materials!

Note that the E-PL5 was set from ISO 4000 up to 10,000 with standard or default noise reduction. Just like the OM-D, whose sensor the E-PL5 inherited, noise control, colours and rendition was quite stunning!

 

[Dream Merchant]

And what would a Mid-Autumn Festival be without people happily celebrating?

This shot was in the dark field furthest away from the stage area and in shadows.

This kid was a real firecracker! Full of joy and running around with her lantern, she was actually dancing most of the time she was there!

Again, this shot was taken along a pathway in deep shadows. It's also a testament to the E-PL5's auto-focusing speed!

I'll post up more photos later on.

 

[Dream Merchant]

Remember the lantern shaped like a HDB block? It was actually 3D, including the living/dining area,
and many people could not resist peeking into the 'flats'!

Never to young to play!

 

[Dream Merchant]

Very heavily cropped.

​

 

[Dream Merchant]

Moving over to Central and Clark Quay, the area there was much more congested but provided for different shots.

A display of dolls inside Central. Shot at f2/8

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[Dream Merchant]

At the carnival area of Clark Quay.

INTENSITY!

FOCUS!

MESMERIZED!

She ain't heavy, she's my sister.

This concludes the intro with photos of the recent Mid-Autumn Festival where the E-PL5 and the 35-100 f/2.8 performed quite brilliantly!

 

[tecnica]

the high ISO performance is good!

 

[Dream Merchant]

I agree tecnica!

The E-PL5 uses the same sensor as the OM-D and image processor, so it's not surprising at all.

Here's what most readers would want to see:

REAL-LIFE ISO TESTS

Totally non-scientific. Very slight camera shake at ISO 200, please pardon. The CROPS will follow-on later. These were taken at night, with the 14-42 II Kit lens. Noise reduction was 'Standard', which is the default mode.

 

[Dream Merchant]

 

[Dream Merchant]

THE CROPS

 

[Dream Merchant]

Do note that different folks have different tolerances for noise, and hopefully, they put the issue of noise in a proper context.

Personally, my cut-off point would be ISO 12800 or thereabouts, and I'll comfortably do ISO 16000 with + 1 sharpness and some post noise reduction not unless I want the noise, for example, to do Black & White conversions! Would I shoot with ISO 25600? Not unless I have to, but even at ISO 16000 - 25600, it's not too bad. Visually, early sub-3MP cameras at ISO 400 - 1000 could do much worse!

I would say that the E-PL5 at ISO 25600 is really quite impressive! It reminds me of the first generation of Kodacolour VR 1000 (135mm) colour negative film!

 

[Dream Merchant]

My apologies. I've not updated this thread. Been very busy recently, but I did have a chance to sneak out and shoot some Chinese Opera just at the tail end of the Mid-Autumn festivities!

It was nice being right at the front of the stage as I could photography the actors' and actresses' expressions very well!

Most of the stage shots were at ISO 1600 - 3200, with some audience shots up to 6400.

I used the Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO 35-100mm / F2.8 / POWER O.I.S lens for this.


CHINESE OPERA

Chinese opera is deeply ingrained in Chinese culture, going back as far as the Song Dynasty in 960. This traditional art form was brought to Singapore by the massive waves of Chinese immigrants who came here over the past 150 years.

Chinese opera is an extravagant display of song and dance, utilising vibrant costumes, showy make-up, beguiling poetry and martial arts to produce a riveting performance.

Different forms of Chinese opera exist. Peking opera is popular among the older generation of Chinese. Sung in the Mandarin dialect, Peking opera can be classified into the civil or martial-arts performances, or sometimes a combination of both.

The painted faces are perhaps one of the more fascinating aspects of Chinese opera. Each colour typically has a specific meaning, with the colour red symbolising courage and loyalty, black representing boldness and impartiality, blue standing for cruelty, while white usually connotes wickedness. - Unofficial Singapore! Chinese Opera

 

[Dream Merchant]

 

[Dream Merchant]

Details

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This is the end of the Chinese Opera segment.

I'm really starting to like the way the sensor and TruePic VI image processor handles the images! Crisp, stunning details captured without apparent over-sharpening of artifacts, but there was previous discussions about in-cam sharpening and smoothening being too aggressive for previous models. I didn't feel this was the case in the E-PL5, but again, different folks will have different needs, and also perceive visual input differently. In-camera sharpness was set to '0', and noise reduction was set to Default Standard.

 

[Dream Merchant]

Hopping over to Bugis and some streets, I was thankful for the high ISO performance of the E-PL5!

Wonder what happens when the tablet is gone ... LUMIX G VARIO 35-100 f/2.8

LUMIX G VARIO 35-100 f/2.8

Confused identities. The startling sharpness and contrast of the Olympus 14-42 f/3.5 - f/5.6 II kit lens

LUMIX G VARIO 35-100 f/2.8

A Little Taiwan in Bugis. LUMIX G VARIO 35-100 f/2.8

 

[Dream Merchant]

LUMIX G VARIO 35-100 f/2.8

Micro-Nikkor 85mm PC

Micro-Nikkor 85mm PC

Do note that the Micro-Nikkor was twice-adapted. When used off-hand, there could be some misalignment even though this does not happen when mounted on a tripod.




Coming up in a few days would be more street action, and my usual test standards around the Marina area, which should serve as a useful comparison against other cameras and lenses.

CHEERS!

 

[cinner]

Any idea if the E-PL5 is out for sale already?

 

[ed9119]

not yet

before X'mas tho'

 

[thedaniel]

Some says Oct and some says Nov. Now is before X'mas.
It's already available in Japan and also ebay shipping from Hong Kong.
Will it really take so long to be available here?