As a recent convert from an E-520 I know how you feel. Olympus are really letting down many of their loyalest supporters.
I wanted to upgrade, because I wanted a video function, but the E-5 just wasn't up to job when you compared it with the K5 which was almost half the price. And as for the K5ii

I am now a full Pentax convert, although I still have a 2x converter and flash to sell on the E-group forum,and very happy with the change.

Slightly off the main topic but it reminds me of a little story I heard about a Brain Surgeon and a Road Digger.

The Brain Surgeon left his house, in Norfolk, to go to work and noticed a Road Digger carefully marking the road with yellow paint.
When he returned later that day he noticed that the whole in the ground matched the yellow paint marks and that the Road Digger was standing having a cup of tea.
Aiming to be sociable he approached the worker and started a conversation:
"You know, you and I are a lot alike" said the Surgeon.
Looking at the mans tailored designers suit and convertible mercedes the Road Digger replied with a frown:
"Ow's that then?"
"Well as a Brain Surgeon I have to carefully measure everything before I start work and I have to work to very fine tolerances of factions of a millimeter" said the Surgeon.
Thinking for a minute the Worker replied:
"Nah, thas nuffin like oi, when oi dig a rud oi ave to be SPOT ON"

Heavy wouldn't be a problem as it will mainly be used in the garden.

I can live in hope

A little bit late to the party but I am in a similar position to Amama.

Although weight isn't a big concern (as I will be travelling in a Land Rover most of the time) size is. Having searched all the previous posts on here and other forums I have virtually settled on one of these:

link

Mainly because of how small it can fold (less than 15"). The maximum height isn't too much of a problem because it will only be used occasionally and I'm happy to bend. I already have a Giottos full height tripod for times when I want to use it more extensively at home.

There is a demo video of it in use here:

link

I say "virtually settled" because I am always open to other suggestions if someone knows better .

Amama maybe this would be ideal for you?

Thanks for all the comments, links and information.

I shall now start a new 'saved search' on ebay and see what pops up.

A nice long lens for garden birds is the first on the list. I currently have the 60-250 so I'll keep my eyes open for something 400+.

Who knows something might just crop up when the wife is out and the money's in the bank

Wow. Looks like I opened a floodgate there!

Thanks far all the replies.

I will certainly keep a look out for some 'interesting' lenses now.

The manual focusing element did make me concerned as I often find it difficult with modern viewfinders. However once Jonathan-Mac mentioned the Kats eye split screen I started to feel much better about the whole idea. I had seen these before but had forgotten all about them. I have checked and there is a version for the K5 and so one of these has now been added to my, ever growing, list of thing to buy. However I shall try more manual focus with the current VF before I commit. Does anyone know if there is a UK supplier or do you have to order direct?

I do intend to add the DA 12-24 to my normal kit list but might think about some older lenses for the longer focal lengths. I occasionally like to go out in search of wildlife. Can anyone recommend a good, old, lens to look for?

Are there any K mount lenses that won't work with the K5? There seems to be a plethora of abbreviations used; DA, A, SMC, FA, AF, WR, etc, etc, I know what many if them mean but are there any that are better options than others?

I have been using a DSLR for several years and as an Olympus E-system user the choice of old lenses was pretty restricted without resorting to adapters. As such I never bothered.
However, having recently 'converted' to Pentax, the choice of 'old glass' is now much wider.
For my normal use of the camera, travel photos, I shall stick to the WR modern lenses but I am interested in what I can gain from 'playing' with older lenses when I'm at home.

What are the advantages or old lenses? Is it just that they are cheap, are they better optically, is it just for the challenge?

So, as the title says, why use 'old' glass?

Managed to have a little play today as the weather was nice, before the fog set in.

Taken while my Granddaughter was feeding the ducks. It was a quick twiddle. point and press. This is not the most artistic nor technically very good but what amazed me is the background detail.

The picture was taken at Stokesby Ferry, in Norfolk, looking south west across the marshes. 1/800, f/22, ISO 400 with the 16-50 DA* lens.




A 100% crop shows the A47 in the background. You can clearly see the cars on the road and the telegraph lines and the road is over a mile away! The crop hasn't been modified in anyway.




Now I don't know if the K5ii (non S) would have given the same result but I don't really care. I'm happy )

Hopefully I will add some slightly more inspiring images in the future.

Cheers
Ralph

Thanks guys. I shall upload some pictures once I have figured out what button does what

And so, the deed is done

Although I intended to wait, once I handled the toys I knew that I wouldn't leave to shop empty handed

I visited SRS Microsystems and spent at least 30 minutes with Chris who could not have been more helpful if he tried. It was so nice to visit a 'proper' camera shop. The windows are full of secondhand kit and there was a even a £5 bits and bobs box on the floor full of old film cameras and lenses. It felt like I'd entered a toy shop for grown-ups

Unfortunately he didn't have an E-5 as he only now orders them when a customer requests one and he hasn't sold one for months. However I was able to handle an E-3 with a 12-60 lens so at least I could get an idea of the size, weight and layout of the E-5 which is not that much different.

I wasn't keen on the lack of mode dial although I did find the viewfinder to be brighter than the Pentax.

For Huw's (Greytop) benefit I also tried the OM-D but it felt too small and I wasn't that taken by the EVF. It may be the future but I think I'll stay in the past a bit longer.

The Pentax felt good and significantly lighter even though it's meant to be only a few grams. It tried it with the DA* 16-50 lens and it felt well balanced and comfortable. I liked the viewfinder display, especially in manual mode and I found the menu system quite intuitive.
The lens focused quickly and was completely silent. I also tried the DA* 60-250 which also felt comfortable and well balanced.

Chris was a mine of information even giving rough secondhand values for my E-system kit.

So the upshot is; I am now the proud owner of a brand new Pentax K5iis and DA* 60-250 lens as well as an ex-demo DA* 16-50. I ended up buying both lenses so that I could claim back the VAT on purchases over £2k. As such I ended up with a few 'goodies' thrown in by Chris and £500 back from HMRC

In the end it came down to these key points:

1. Questionable longer term support for 4/3 system by Olympus meant that any investment now may not be worth anything/much in future and the current camera was already 2 years behind the available technology (even within their own systems).

2. E-5 cost was unreasonably high compared to what else was on the market i.e. it was just not good value for money.

3. E-5 video capability was not as good as the pentax both in specification 720 vs 1080p but also viewing some of the examples on youtube it seemed to suffer from 'rolling shutter' effect far more than the Pentax.

4. Handling; I found the pentax to be just that bit more comfortable and I preferred the control layout.

5. Although IMHO the Zuiko glass is superior I found many online examples, taken by amateurs and professionals alike, using the camera and lens combination I wanted which demonstrated excellent IQ. I read many reviews, both positive and not so positive, and the 'average' seemed to indicate that the DA* lenses will probably perform better than my ability.

I am sad to break my decades long (OM2n from 1980!) connection with Olympus but as some one on this or the other forum wrote; "a camera is just a tool so get the right tool for the job".

I shall be advertising my E-system stuff once I check what boxes I still have and shutter actuations etc.

For those eagle-eyed among you, you may have noticed that I have gone for the K5iis. I have read the long and entertaining threads on here about the differences and whether it's worth the extra, but this review linkcontained sample, real world photos where I could clearly see a difference in detail between the two. Especially in the shadows.

As such I felt it was worth the extra.

Thanks for all your input into this thread and I hope it will help anyone else who finds themselves in the same predicament even if they come to a different conclusion.