Author Topic: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens  (Read 3748 times)

Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« on: 19 January, 2020, 07:52:45 pm »
This camera is in clearance at local Currys. It's a very portable CSC from a company that I always thought did good,  lightweight SLRs popular with outdoor types to record their trips.

Anyone think that is a good buy? I'm no budding photographer but do want more than a mid range smartphone. It's something I could expand on. It has been replaced by the  mark three version but reviews rate it still. Good AF and white balance.

Any views?

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #1 on: 19 January, 2020, 08:42:13 pm »
I have the two lens kit version of this. Its small light and easy to use. I like it a lot. You can just use it on auto or full manual and several in-between options.
It takes better pictures than a phone definitely but you have to think about it a bit more.  Its not fully weather sealed though but most cameras in this bracket arent.

I would highly recommend it.

Note I am not a serious photographer just an occasional dabbler.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #2 on: 19 January, 2020, 08:43:47 pm »
I know nothing of that camera, though I'm a fan of M 4/3, it is IMO the perfect compromise on the size/weight scale.  They loose a little quality to an SLR in terms of the final image and also in focus speed though that's far better than it was.  IMO, if it's the sort of camera you want, that price is a bargain.

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #3 on: 19 January, 2020, 10:32:42 pm »
There's a fujifilm csc for £204 on clearance but it doesn't look as good to me.

Another deal they had was a canon 4000D with two lenses for £349. EFS18-55 and EF 75-300 lenses

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/dslr-cameras/digital-cameras/dslr-and-compact-system-cameras/344_3757_31522_xx_ba00010675-bv00308606/xx-criteria.html?ntid=

Personally I think the Olympus would suit better.

I'm assuming the Olympus has smaller sensor by what a third? It was said a DSLR has a faster AF, but reviews of the OM10 II said it had a good, fast AF. Would the budget DSLR be significantly better than the micro 4/3 camera? I bet I'd not notice and I'm unlikely to print bigger than A4.

If the canon DSLR is better then it comes down to performance benefits of the canon vs the compact,  usability of the olympus. Always a compromise but they both look like a good deal.

Jaded

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Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #4 on: 19 January, 2020, 10:41:32 pm »
Which is the kit lens?
It is simpler than it looks.

Woofage

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  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #5 on: 19 January, 2020, 10:50:05 pm »
I'm a m4/3 user. I chose the system over APSC DSLRs for 2 reasons:
1. It's smaller and lighter and whilst the sensor is a bit smaller this doesn't matter in the majority of situations.
2. Mirrorless cameras are the future. A SLR needed a mirror because it was loaded with film and DSLRs are a bodge to maintain backwards compatibility. If you were starting from scratch, you wouldn't implement a complex mechanism that isn't needed any more.
Pen Pusher

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #6 on: 19 January, 2020, 10:51:35 pm »
Agree that M43 is amazing combination of image quality, capability and lightness. If you like it you might go for a higher spec body later..l
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #7 on: 20 January, 2020, 12:09:45 am »
I'm assuming the Olympus has smaller sensor by what a third? It was said a DSLR has a faster AF, but reviews of the OM10 II said it had a good, fast AF. Would the budget DSLR be significantly better than the micro 4/3 camera? I bet I'd not notice and I'm unlikely to print bigger than A4.

If the canon DSLR is better then it comes down to performance benefits of the canon vs the compact,  usability of the olympus. Always a compromise but they both look like a good deal.
Sensor size:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Sensor_sizes_overlaid_inside.svg/1920px-Sensor_sizes_overlaid_inside.svg.png
Most DSLR's will be APS-C, M 4/3 is around a third smaller, you're more likely to notice the difference in depth of field than image quality.

There's a good range of M4/3 lenses, Panasonic and Olympus are interchangeable and the system has been around long enough for the choice to have developed.
Focusing speed depends partly on the lens, I've had four M 4/3 bodies (Still have two) 1 Olly and three Pannys, none of them have had the same snappy focus of the DSLRs I've tried.  It rarley makes any difference to the photos I take, but if my interest was sports or wildlife it might.

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #8 on: 20 January, 2020, 12:20:23 am »
1. It's smaller and lighter and whilst the sensor is a bit smaller this doesn't matter in the majority of situations.
This, though also worth pointing out that it also applies to lenses, the smaller the sensor the smaller the equivalent lens.
There's also a range on M4/3 body sizes, I have one of the smallest made, a Panasonic GM1 and the big brother a GX80, same sensors, the GM1 is half the size of the 80 which has loads more features, the joy is they share the lenses.

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #9 on: 20 January, 2020, 07:40:51 am »
Another happy m4/3 user here, my favourite combo is the OMD10 with a 17mm pancake lens which is almost Leica-like for street photography. The kit lens is likely to be the 14-42, a capable little lens with an adequately wide end (28mm equiv) , but you may be disappointed at the long end (84mm equiv)

The real question is, what do you want to use it for? If it is just getting used to a potentially complex DSLR camera and producing good photographs, then it is perfect.

If you want a "travel camera" you may be disappointed, in fact you'll be disappointed with any DSLR. The wide range of a single lens those tiny cameras just does not translate into DSLR, because of the sensor size issue referred to.Olympus DOES come closest, with a 28-300 lens, but that will not be everyone's cup of tea.

The lenses are here https://www.olympus.co.uk/site/en/c/lenses/om_d_pen_lenses/index.html#list-3 , as has been said whatever you go for you get compact and lightweight compared to the Canon/Nikon of this world.

Lots of examples of what can be done on these cameras, they tend to breed enthusiasm (ok, so do the others but the unique qualities are appreciated ;) ) and this forum has a showcase of different lens outputs, the kit lens is here

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #10 on: 20 January, 2020, 04:13:15 pm »
Which is the kit lens?
I can't tell you the Olympus lens because I can't remember but the canon 4000D lenses were listed in the link I posted for the deal.

I did see a slightly more expensive Argos 4000D twin lens deal that I think had a standard zoom lens and single focal length lens.  Iirc equivalent to the old film SLR standard zoom 28 to 80 and possibly a 50mm lens too. Possibly a better lens option.
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8366904

Actually cheaper and a 18-55mm plus a 55mm single focal length lens.

Which might be better? The 4000D with two zooms or with zoom and fixed focal length lens. Or three Olympus with a zoom likely equivalent to a film SLR 28-84mm?

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #11 on: 20 January, 2020, 04:34:03 pm »
Which might be better? The 4000D with two zooms or with zoom and fixed focal length lens. Or three Olympus with a zoom likely equivalent to a film SLR 28-84mm?
First decide your format - bodies are relatively cheap, particularly if you stay a model behind the latest.  Good lenses are not, it gets expensive if a few years down the line you've built up a decent collection of lenses and decide to swap format.

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #12 on: 20 January, 2020, 04:40:50 pm »
Tbh I'm not fussed which format. If I go DSLR then there's yeti
Two double lens options. Two zooms covering wide focal length range.  Or a standard zoom with a fixed focal length lens.

If I go for smaller format only one option. I'm more curious about the two canon options.
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8366904

Or this one.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/dslr-cameras/digital-cameras/dslr-and-compact-system-cameras/344_3757_31522_xx_ba00010675-bv00308606/xx-criteria.html?ntid=

Woofage

  • Tofu-eating Wokerati
  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #13 on: 20 January, 2020, 05:38:04 pm »
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/dslr-cameras/digital-cameras/dslr-and-compact-system-cameras/344_3757_31522_xx_ba00010675-bv00308606/xx-criteria.html?ntid=

Much as I'd recommend m4/3 (as it's what I use :P) that is a lot of gear for the money. Kit zooms are generally fantastic VFM. Not the best image or build quality but really very good. Don't know anything about the body but it has all the right buttons in all the right place, plus Canon written on the front so it can't be bad.

The "nifty fifty" in the other deal is a really excellent lens but on APSC it's 80mm equivalent so probably less useful than the tele zoom. You can always pick one up s/h later for £notMuch. FTR, Woofage jnr has one of these and uses it for street and indoor photography.
Pen Pusher

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #14 on: 20 January, 2020, 06:19:55 pm »

Which might be better? The 4000D with two zooms or with zoom and fixed focal length lens. Or three Olympus with a zoom likely equivalent to a film SLR 28-84mm?

Which might be better? £1,000 spent on a drop bar racer or £1,000 spent on a fat bike? Or maybe £1,000 spent on a flat bar bike?

Without saying what it is you want to use it for the answer is as meaningless. They will all take photos, all take good photos, but each has their individual foibles.  Then, you need to handle it to see if the advice you will get (no doubt as conflicting as bike buying advice) has resonance with you. You may not be able to appreciate the finer points of difference, but you may well find that this one is too heavy or that one doesn't suit your eyes.

Re: Olympus omd10 II £285 with kit lens
« Reply #15 on: 06 February, 2020, 07:41:17 am »
I swapped my Nikon DSLR for a OMD-10 some 6-7 years ago and while it didn't really re-kindle my interest for photography, it did ensure that I took the camera with me on trips.  It'll fit in a jacket pocket. Not comfortably, but it'll fit.
It has good stabilization, easy to use and willl go a long way on a full charge. Wide choice of lenses and you can buy converters for others.
Film photography has now more or less completely replaced mine, but I would still recommend it.