I suppose switcher isn't quite accurate because i started with an Olympus E-PL1 a number of years back but I had been a Sony/Fuji/adapted lens user for the past few years and never imagined I would ever buy an m43 camera again. Never say ever I suppose...I picked up an E-M10 a month ago and much to my surprise I quite like it. The original idea is that I had wanted a little AF kit and both Fuji and Sony weren't quite what I was looking for. The lenses were a bit out of my budget (Fuji) or I simply didn't like the lenses (Sony). To that end I bought the E-M10, P20/1.7 and later a P14/2.5.
First off I don't find the m43 to be equivalent IQ wise to APS-C cameras. If I'm looking critically I think the larger sensor images look better. I don't think the difference is enormous but I can see it. That said IQ isn't the whole story.
white by kevin dixey, on Flickr
What my little E-M10/P20 combo gives me that neither Fuji or Sony managed to do is a nice compact, fast AF kit that's comfortable to use and allows me to just walk around and make images without thinking about it too much. Sure, the Fuji with the XF35/2 is probably going to have a bit more detail, better OOF and so forth but it's not so much so that I would choose it over the Olympus. I'm not going to go into why this has better A or that has worse B...suffice to say that the Olympus+Panasonic combo does what I want and does it pretty well.
lawn slacker by kevin dixey, on Flickr
What do I not like about the Olympus? Overall there is much to like and not much to dislike. the UI/menu system could be better organized, The grip could be bigger and I'm still on the fence about whether or not to turn off the touch screen. of course no camera is perfect and the key is to learn to work with what you have.
The Soul of a Rattie by kevin dixey, on Flickr
In the end it wasn't fancy new sensors, lack of AA filters, IBIS, EVF's, ISO noise or any other bit of tech in the camera that convinced me to buy the Olympus. It was a set of tiny affordable lenses that happen to have a short minimum focus distance that made all the difference. In fact, two lenses in particular. A camera is a camera is a camera and whether it's a Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus, Sony or something else but they can't do much without a lens. For me the P20/1.7 was the deciding factor. It is sharp wide open, small, reasonably fast to AF (try the Fuji XF35/1.4 and get back to me how the P20 is slooooow) and affordable. I picked up the P20 and P14 for less than the used price of a Fuji 35/1.4 or Sony 35/1.8. I don't know about the rest of you bit I still have to pay rent, buy food and a car payment to think of. Most importantly however the P20/1.7 can close focus to a mere 8 inches (and the P14/2.5 can go to 7 inches) and for me that is huge. I love to get close to things when I make images and that level of flexibility was totally worth it.
I decided on the E-M10 rather than another body because was on sale and I had a gift card.
First off I don't find the m43 to be equivalent IQ wise to APS-C cameras. If I'm looking critically I think the larger sensor images look better. I don't think the difference is enormous but I can see it. That said IQ isn't the whole story.
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white by kevin dixey, on Flickr
What my little E-M10/P20 combo gives me that neither Fuji or Sony managed to do is a nice compact, fast AF kit that's comfortable to use and allows me to just walk around and make images without thinking about it too much. Sure, the Fuji with the XF35/2 is probably going to have a bit more detail, better OOF and so forth but it's not so much so that I would choose it over the Olympus. I'm not going to go into why this has better A or that has worse B...suffice to say that the Olympus+Panasonic combo does what I want and does it pretty well.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
lawn slacker by kevin dixey, on Flickr
What do I not like about the Olympus? Overall there is much to like and not much to dislike. the UI/menu system could be better organized, The grip could be bigger and I'm still on the fence about whether or not to turn off the touch screen. of course no camera is perfect and the key is to learn to work with what you have.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
The Soul of a Rattie by kevin dixey, on Flickr
In the end it wasn't fancy new sensors, lack of AA filters, IBIS, EVF's, ISO noise or any other bit of tech in the camera that convinced me to buy the Olympus. It was a set of tiny affordable lenses that happen to have a short minimum focus distance that made all the difference. In fact, two lenses in particular. A camera is a camera is a camera and whether it's a Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus, Sony or something else but they can't do much without a lens. For me the P20/1.7 was the deciding factor. It is sharp wide open, small, reasonably fast to AF (try the Fuji XF35/1.4 and get back to me how the P20 is slooooow) and affordable. I picked up the P20 and P14 for less than the used price of a Fuji 35/1.4 or Sony 35/1.8. I don't know about the rest of you bit I still have to pay rent, buy food and a car payment to think of. Most importantly however the P20/1.7 can close focus to a mere 8 inches (and the P14/2.5 can go to 7 inches) and for me that is huge. I love to get close to things when I make images and that level of flexibility was totally worth it.
I decided on the E-M10 rather than another body because was on sale and I had a gift card.
