I bought this camera to "upgrade" my Olympus E-3. Like the E-3 (and the E-1 and E-20 before it), this camera with grip is a substantial piece of equipment. I'm not a shooter who wants small & light in my hands & prefer using the OVF rather than the LCD panel. It's buttons & dials are relatively familiar in operation. It's image quality seems to be improved over that of the E-3, which I found was quite good, so I'm pleased with the output. I haven't really tested the higher ISO settings; I tend to use flash for low-light situations, but I have shot some early morning sunrise photos and liked the overall lack of noise in the image. This was a used camera and its technology is now two years old, but I am quite satisfied with this purchase. That said, I would recommend it to others, but with a caveat. Olympus may or may not have abandoned the 4/3 standard, which is what the E-5 uses, so unless a potential customer already has 4/3 lenses (like me), it might not be the best choice. Newer model cameras from competitors in the same price range might make more sense to purchase; those who want a smaller camera might well consider Olympus's OMD-5, which I understand produces top-notch images and is an advance in technological improvements over the E-5. On the other hand, 4/3 lenses are still widely available and the E-5 has an advertised lifespan of over 100,000 shutter activations, so it is still a camera that I find far better than simply "good 'nuf."