Any thoughts pro or con about the Olympus 1s versus Fujifilm S series S1

[JBW]

I am slowly narrowing the options down. Basically either one of these will do good for me. The Fujifilm is water and dust resistant with a better lens and more options than my S4200. The Olympus has a larger sensor, a telephoto ring, more shooting options and a better lens than my 4200. Both are within the budget and shoot in RAW+JPEG and while apparently neither is available in the Philippines B&H does ship.

[Ndukes]

For what it's worth, Brian, I have the Olympus Stylus 1 (upgraded to 1S by firmware update). My main camera is a full frame Nikon Df and I wanted a lighter (secret weapon) camera for when I don't want to carry the Nikon around but want to be prepared for those pictures that jump out at you. The check list was simple:-
Must fit in a jacket pocket.
Should look and feel like a DSLR and have most of the functionality including eye level view finder.
Zoom range at least 28-300 mm equivalent.
Must have macro capability.
Minimum 12 megapixel.
Must shoot RAW and JPEG.
The Stylus ticks all of these boxes very well and the image quality is consistently good in my experience.

Possible downsides are:-
Menu options for the camera are very comprehensive and I struggled initially with some of these. Still do sometimes.
Your current software applications might not fully support the Olympus Raw files. Even Photoshop CS6 omits some functionality for the Stylus 1S. The Olympus packaged RAW converter software is a version of Silkypix which works well once you get used to the clunkyness of it. You could use it to initially convert your RAW files to TIFF and then open them in whatever you are currently familiar with.

The versatile monitor setup would probably work well for your style of work.

I have no knowledge of the Fujifilm model so unable to offer a comparison view but I feel the Stylus 1 should not disappoint.

[Ndukes]

Just after I posted the previous message I took my Stylus 1 out to my garden and took some random shots including some flowers just to give you some idea of 'quick' results with the camera. Nothing fancy, just random quick ones.





And a tight crop of the above:-


And just a general non-macro (Nice day in South-East Ireland right now).


Hope this helps.

[JBW]

Trust me this helps. I asked my wife to come in and look at your shots and her reaction was OH WOW! My one concern is with the humidity and dust here in the Philippines. In slightly less than 2 years my fujifilm S4200 has started to develop mold/fungus on the interior of the LCD. My stereotypical way of thinking about Ireland is beautiful but wet. How does the Olympus stand the humidity?

[Ndukes]

Trust me this helps. I asked my wife to come in and look at your shots and her reaction was OH WOW! My one concern is with the humidity and dust here in the Philippines. In slightly less than 2 years my fujifilm S4200 has started to develop mold/fungus on the interior of the LCD. My stereotypical way of thinking about Ireland is beautiful but wet. How does the Olympus stand the humidity?

Firstly, Brian, my thanks to your wife for her comment.

As regards comparative weather between Ireland and the Philippines, I am at a similar loss to you as I have no experience of tropical humidity. From here-say, I understand that the humidity is somewhat different here. We can get prolonged rainy spells, generally cold with it. But it never really seems to be a problem for cameras provided they are protected reasonably during use and stored indoors in a dry warm atmosphere. I am told that the warm humidity you experience is somewhat different as it gets everywhere. Is this the case?
I honestly think you should not be deterred however. After all the Stylus 1 is a fixed lens camera and therefore not exposed to the dampness and dust risks associated with lens changes. It is very small, but seems to be built like a tank which for me is reminiscent of Olympus film SLR's of which I owned several over the years. The main body material is Magnesium, I think?

Have a look at this very comprehensive review by the Imaging Resource team. It's pretty well balanced.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...-stylus-1A.HTM

Also three more considered samples which I took last year with the Stylus 1.


University of East Anglia campus, Norwich, UK


The sea at Southwold, Suffolk, UK with Sizewell nuclear power station in the distance.


Late Autumn afternoon, Courtown, Wexford, Ireland (where I walk my dog.)

[deetheturk]

B, Ireland is very much like my native Scotland, and as I used to say I love summer in Scotland, it's my favorite day of the year

[Ndukes]

B, Ireland is very much like my native Scotland, and as I used to say I love summer in Scotland, it's my favorite day of the year

We had Summer three weeks ago but I missed it. Was in making a cup of tea at the time.

[inkista]

My one concern is with the humidity and dust here in the Philippines....

Have you thought about building a dry box (basically a plastic airtight container with some form of dessicant--rice, silicate gel packs, or whatever inside) to store the camera in when not in use?

[Ndukes]

Have you thought about building a dry box (basically a plastic airtight container with some form of dessicant--rice, silicate gel packs, or whatever inside) to store the camera in when not in use?

I believe rice absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. Simple solution worth a try perhaps.

[Manfred M]

Brian - comparing the humidity of Scotland / Ireland versus the Philippines misses out on one important factor; heat.

I remember years ago where we were experiencing production issues on a product in Canada. That was also being produced in a facility in Scotland and another in the Philippines. The Philippine plant had serious issues with mould growth on some of the raw materials, whereas the plant in Scotland had no issues and the problems we were having ended up being a result of the extremely dry air in winter that dried out the material...

I would not put a lot of stock in the weather resistance claims as it only takes a single grain of grit to render a seal ineffectual and allow moisture in (personal experience here). Claims of "weather sealed" are marketing claims; if moisture gets in, it will be your fault and the manufacturer is unlikely to honour the warranty (personal experience again).

A dry box with desiccant is really the safest route for you to take to protect your gear. The best kind is the type that changes colours when it becomes saturated with moisture, signaling you to dry it out in the oven.

[JBW]

Firstly, Brian, my thanks to your wife for her comment.

As regards comparative weather between Ireland and the Philippines, I am at a similar loss to you as I have no experience of tropical humidity. From here-say, I understand that the humidity is somewhat different here. We can get prolonged rainy spells, generally cold with it. But it never really seems to be a problem for cameras provided they are protected reasonably during use and stored indoors in a dry warm atmosphere. I am told that the warm humidity you experience is somewhat different as it gets everywhere. Is this the case?
I honestly think you should not be deterred however. After all the Stylus 1 is a fixed lens camera and therefore not exposed to the dampness and dust risks associated with lens changes. It is very small, but seems to be built like a tank which for me is reminiscent of Olympus film SLR's of which I owned several over the years. The main body material is Magnesium, I think?

Have a look at this very comprehensive review by the Imaging Resource team. It's pretty well balanced.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...-stylus-1A.HTM

Also three more considered samples which I took last year with the Stylus 1.


Late Autumn afternoon, Courtown, Wexford, Ireland (where I walk my dog.)

This shot just tugs at memories from my time on the west coast of Canada. You have one lucky dog.

Humidity here is different than non tropical areas. This is the only place where I have had the innards of a desktop computer rust out. I have been a deckhand on a coastal ship, a lighthouse keeper, a pastor in a small village on the coast and have spent the last 15 years on the side of a sleepy volcano in the Philippines and this is tops in humidity.

That being said the Olympus is rated to 90% humidity while the Fujifilm is only rated to 80 even with the weatherproofing.

My wife will occasionally show off what she thinks of as my better shots in her office. The usual reaction is 'oh you must have a very good camera'. This reaction I find a little annoying. But with my skills where they are I could never get the shots you have posted with my S4200. I am also sure that it will take me some time to get the level of your shots when (not so much if anymore) we purchase the Olympus.

I say when because we have our anniversary, my birthday and Christmas coming and somewhere in there I am convinced SWMBO will be surprising me with a new camera. And one that is built like a tank will come in handy for someone as clumsy as I am.

Thanks very much for your reply.

[JBW]

Have you thought about building a dry box (basically a plastic airtight container with some form of dessicant--rice, silicate gel packs, or whatever inside) to store the camera in when not in use?

that is on the list of things to do before we get the new camera. What makes it bad here is that we built at elevation for a cooler temperature so we do not have air con. We simply live in and with the ambient humidity. It will be a silicate/gel pack whatever because the rice would attract too many beasties.

[JBW]

Brian - comparing the humidity of Scotland / Ireland versus the Philippines misses out on one important factor; heat.

A dry box with desiccant is really the safest route for you to take to protect your gear. The best kind is the type that changes colours when it becomes saturated with moisture, signaling you to dry it out in the oven.

I used to live in Kitamaat where 40 below and lots of snow was normal in he winters. I Love the fact thatb shorts are sufficient clothing here in January to do garden photography and that the hardest thing about the Polar Bear Plunge is burning your feet on the hot sand.

Definitely going to be building a dry box for the Olympus.

Manfred, while I have your attention the Olympus has a larger sensor than the Fujifilm. A 1/1.7" BSI CMOS Sensor versus a 1/2.3" CMOS Sensor for the Fujifilm.

I did consider what you mentioned about possible future uses and passions. And that is part of the reason for the Olympus with the better sensor. But Myra and I know my weaknesses and if we had gone the DSLR route there would have been an endless 'hmmm maybe this lens would be really good'. I work better trying to get the best out of a good piece of equipment. As an example i got all of the Herschel 110 and half of the 400 in a 4.5" reflector. My final scope purchase was an 8" Lightbridge reflector because it did most things quite well and a few things excellently.

I am simply happier as a generalist rather than a specialist.

Which is not to say that I have not valued your input. It has helped me to clarify things.
Brian
Could you explain to this troglodyte how they measure sensors because to me the numbers indicate that the Fujifilm sensor is bigger.

[Manfred M]

That being said the Olympus is rated to 90% humidity while the Fujifilm is only rated to 80 even with the weatherproofing.

Brian; you are mis-reading this. This is what the manufacturer tells you is that the camera has been designed to work in conditions up to 80% and 90% relative humidity.

If I look at the specs; my Nikon D800 (also weather sealed) will work in conditions from 0°C to 40°C at 85% relative humidty (non-condensing). I have posted pictures on this site that were taken at temperatures below -25°C. As for shooting on days with relative humidity at 100%; I've got lots of those shots too.

All Nikon is telling me is that "I'm on my own", and it is not their fault if the camera does not function outside of the conditions they list. By the way the "non-condensing" is the critical part; if you get condensation inside the camera; there is a pretty good chance it will not work... Been there done that too; bring a camera into the house in mid-winter when it is -25°C out or spending time in an air conditioned room and bringing a camera out into the tropical humidity will do this really quite quickly.

[JBW]

Brian; you are mis-reading this. This is what the manufacturer tells you is that the camera has been designed to work in conditions up to 80% and 90% relative humidity.

If I look at the specs; my Nikon D800 (also weather sealed) will work in conditions from 0°C to 40°C at 85% relative humidty (non-condensing). I have posted pictures on this site that were taken at temperatures below -25°C. As for shooting on days with relative humidity at 100%; I've got lots of those shots too.

All Nikon is telling me is that "I'm on my own", and it is not their fault if the camera does not function outside of the conditions they list. By the way the "non-condensing" is the critical part; if you get condensation inside the camera; there is a pretty good chance it will not work... Been there done that too; bring a camera into the house in mid-winter when it is -25°C out or spending time in an air conditioned room and bringing a camera out into the tropical humidity will do this really quite quickly.

Like the hamburger chain advertising that they use only 100% pure beef. I do need to be more critical in my reading.
B.

[Manfred M]

Could you explain to this troglodyte how they measure sensors because to me the numbers indicate that the Fujifilm sensor is bigger.

I'd say this diagram from Wikipedia does a fairly good job showing the relative difference in sensor sizes.

If I were looking at these two cameras (with their relatively small sensors), I would definitely rank the Olympus ahead of the Fuji.

[inkista]

BTW, if you need some more background material on the "-format usage, and why none of the actual dimensions of the sensor match that format number, dpreview has a good article on how the video tube standard came about and what the numbers represent.

Speaking personally as someone who's used a 1/1.7" format sensor in point and shoots, as well as 1/2.3" format sensors in friends' P&Ses, it's an improvement, but a relatively marginal one. If you really want to bump up in size and performance, a 2/3" or 1" format sensor would probably be more worth the cash, but you may have to give up on superzoom performance for low light performance (e.g., a Canon G7X, Sony RX100, or a lower price tag (Fuji XS1).

[JBW]

BTW, if you need some more background material on the "-format usage, and why none of the actual dimensions of the sensor match that format number, dpreview has a good article on how the video tube standard came about and what the numbers represent.

Speaking personally as someone who's used a 1/1.7" format sensor in point and shoots, as well as 1/2.3" format sensors in friends' P&Ses, it's an improvement, but a relatively marginal one. If you really want to bump up in size and performance, a 2/3" or 1" format sensor would probably be more worth the cash, but you may have to give up on superzoom performance for low light performance (e.g., a Canon G7X, Sony RX100, or a lower price tag (Fuji XS1).

I have been looking and while you are right about the major jump in quality there is also a major jump in price. It is the latter jump that is the killer.

[inkista]

I have been looking and while you are right about the major jump in quality there is also a major jump in price. It is the latter jump that is the killer.

Yup. That last step's a doozy...

[Ndukes]

Whenever I consider buying a new camera (and, being honest, I have been through more than stacks up in logic) I research thoroughly based on a list of features essential to what I shoot and how the financial outlay might improve the scope and quality of my output and add to convenience. Carefully and honestly going through this process determines what model, if any, I wish to buy to achieve my objectives at a price that's acceptable.
Then, invariably I turn the criteria around and take a very broad look at all alternatives, based on the amount I have established that I am prepared to spend, sometimes with surprising results.
I find myself, Brian, going through this process on your behalf, by proxy you might say, given that you do not have the luxury locally of spending time in a good camera store. My apology in advance for throwing this hand grenade into the room as it were but I checked prices in B&H ( who you mentioned will mail a camera to you) and, based on my own excellent experience with Nikon DSLR's, I checked what might be available to suit your needs within the same price as the Stylus 1s.
It seemed to me that all your work is very well considered and planned and you strive for the best image quality possible from your equipment. The Stylus 1 is a very versatile camera but it's real claim to fame is not so much it's versatility but rather what it packs into such a compact package.
There is however no escaping the fact that, although the images from the Stylus 1 are generally clean there is no escaping the fact that it's 1/1.7" sensor really will not compete with Nikon's APS-C sensor as regards noise.
(I hold Manfred responsible for drawing attention to this with his illuminating sensor size diagram.)
As regards price, B&H currently have the Nikon D5200 available with kit 18-55mm lens for $ 50 less than their price for the Stylus 1s. The reason for the low price is that the model has been upgraded twice. I'm not sure that the upgrades would benefit you. I had one of these cameras for a while and found it very satisfactory.
Value for money benefits the consumer greatly in this market segment as dominance is hotly contested by both Canon and Nikon. Minor model upgrades are frequent. We, the consumers, are the winners here.
Incidentally the D5200 has a fold out monitor which I feel is important for you (saves you digging the hole for those ground level plant shots.)
If I understand you correctly, compactness of camera and a very long zoom range are not really important to you.
The down side, as I see it, is that Nikon's kit lens won't do macro but focuses down to 11" which might just do it for you. I don't recommend lens changes at all in your environment.
If this is a direction you might be tempted to consider, a phone call to B&H might be worth while to see if they will supply you with a D5200 with a macro lens in place of the 18-55 kit lens within your budget.
Kathy Li's and Manfred's views on this post might be interesting also.

Sorry for putting a spanner in the works but it's with the best of intentions.