The joy of discovering the M43 format, IBIS, tiny lenses...

[BushmanOrig]

We have all been here, what a journey. Each time I see someone discover Olympus or Panasonic its fun to watch them.
I saw this video today and thought wow... look at this guy...

I wrote a short article about the camera market and the significance of the mirrorless format and when Olympus and Panasonic launched this new format in 2008. The question is, how will students see this past 12 years in say 20 years from now. What would the exec summary look like when they did a case study... I know I am perhaps 0.0005% biased but I tried to be as objective as possible... ?

 

[mfturner]

Thanks for the video link, i agree that this guy echoes some of my feelings from last year when i switched over. Learning curve, which system and brand to try, etc. My main driving force at the time was that my wife and i bought a small RV and i really didn't have physical storage space for the Canon gear. I've generally come to appreciate the IQ i can get for the small size and weight even for walks.

 

[Papadoc]

M43 is perfect for me. I can carry all the lenses I need in a small bag that doesn't break my back. And for an old guy who learned prior to electronic cameras it is still amazing to be able to take a hand-held shot with a 400 mm equivalent lens, process it immediately and then organize and share it on the spot.

 

[BushmanOrig]

Thanks for the video link, i agree that this guy echoes some of my feelings from last year when i switched over. Learning curve, which system and brand to try, etc. My main driving force at the time was that my wife and i bought a small RV and i really didn't have physical storage space for the Canon gear. I've generally come to appreciate the IQ i can get for the small size and weight even for walks.

Thank you, I enjoyed your reply. I am also an older guy and have been using M43 cameras for years. They never disappointed me. I have been having so much fun on my photo walks of late. Have fun and enjoy the RV, something my wife and I always dreamed of...
Siegfried

 

[RS86]

We have all been here, what a journey. Each time I see someone discover Olympus or Panasonic its fun to watch them.
I saw this video today and thought wow... look at this guy...

I wrote a short article about the camera market and the significance of the mirrorless format and when Olympus and Panasonic launched this new format in 2008. The question is, how will students see this past 12 years in say 20 years from now. What would the exec summary look like when they did a case study... I know I am perhaps 0.0005% biased but I tried to be as objective as possible... ?

Thanks for the link, seems he hasn't yet ditched Canon, but tests Olympus. Had to subscribe to see what he finds out, not sure if he is Finnish like me, but a Finnish name for sure.

I suggested to him that he could use two systems, each for different situation. We'll see if M43 is enough for his photography. For me it is, but I'm not a professional. But it is enough for some professionals.

It was a bit funny to read the comments and the shock when they found out that he "switched" to Olympus and with his own money.

 

[ac12]

Another old guy here.
As with some of you, I switched because of weight. My Nikon DX kit was getting too heavy to carry for HOURS.
So it was kinda simple, I either reduce the weight of the kit, or stop shooting.
So I switched to m4/3.

As @RS86 said, I shoot two systems. I am still using the APS-C Nikon D7200 + 70-200/4 kit for field games (football, soccer, lacrosse), as NONE of the Olympus pro zooms that I have, have the same easy to use feel that the Nikon lens has.
But for everything else, I am shooting my Olympus EM1.

 

[doady]

It was kind of the opposite experience for me: going from C-7070 to E-M1 II + 12-100mm F4 was almost threefold increase in weight. It was probably weather sealing and image stabilization that were the main draws for me.

 

[Shortsonfire79]

I'm glad I started with M43. Late last year I borrowed my dad's used once Sony a7ii and rented a handful of lenses for birding. Massive massive things. Also stupid expensive too. Really happy that my whole system (two bodies/3 lenses) basically costs as much as the 70-200 G I was thinking of getting. Definitely not switching. Great for backpacking, scuba, wildlife... and I'm sure if I wanted to do street I could get a tiny, pocketable body too.

 

[Glevum Owl]

I re-discovered M43 after almost going Sony FF until I felt their kit's weight and saw the prices.......

Way back in 2011 I moved from a Canon 20D and L lenses to a Panasonic G3 which was a revelation. Reduced weight and bulk = less shoulder strain and more room in the camera bag without too much loss in image quality. The G3's appalling shutter lag drove me to dump it and cross off an item on the bucket list; own a Nikon, a D3300 and a couple of kit lenses just to see what I could do with entry level kit. The answer was 'a lot' but I soon hit barriers and still needed a compact camera (Panasonic LX10/15) and a video camera (Panasonic SD90) to cover all eventualities.

Missing the M43 lenses, I re-invested in the format last year and then upgraded this year. I have no regrets at all; my keeper rate's increased, I've replaced three cameras with one and I'm really enjoying photography for the first time in years.

 

[DaveJP]

Yet another old guy here. Four years ago I had a hernia. Now I doubt very much if it was brought on from lugging heavy camera equipment about but, nevertheless, it made me think about the size and weight of my camera gear. So I started looking at smaller, lighter alternatives to the Canon stuff I was using at the time. I first looked at Fujifilm and then Olympus, but it was at The Photography Show 2017, in Birmingham (U.K.) when I picked up an Olympus 25mm f1.8 and then a 45mm f1.8 that really convinced me. Such beautiful small, light and well made lenses; and it's the lenses, not the cameras, that really make the weight difference. Within a week after that I'd sold my Canon gear and bought Olympus and I haven't looked back (or had another hernia) since!

 

[BushmanOrig]

It was kind of the opposite experience for me: going from C-7070 to E-M1 II + 12-100mm F4 was almost threefold increase in weight. It was probably weather sealing and image stabilization that were the main draws for me.

I can appreciate that. I am super curious about the 12-100mm but for exactly that reason I never bought one. For example, I love the 12-40mm f2.8 and think it's one of the best I ever used. That said I only take it with me when I am in critical situations. I love the f1,8 compacts and even the 12-50mm, probably one of the most underestimated M43 lenses. If you haven't tried it yet, rent a 25mm f1,8 and use it a few days, M43 will get a whole new meaning for you... Same for the 40-150mm f2,8... I can imaging its an amazing lens but for me to big. I bought the 35-100mm f2,8 from Panasonic and love its size, speed and performance...

 

[Glevum Owl]

I can appreciate that. - snip -

Agree about the 24-40, disagree about the 40-150, agree about the f1.8 primes but prefer the 17mm, etc.

Flexibility and choice are two of the attractions of M43. We each can have pretty much exactly what we want within a single system.

It's also nice not having to worry about discarding lenses when moving between systems or 'up' to FF. And the Oly IBIS is just so darned good.

 

[doady]

I can appreciate that. I am super curious about the 12-100mm but for exactly that reason I never bought one. For example, I love the 12-40mm f2.8 and think it's one of the best I ever used. That said I only take it with me when I am in critical situations. I love the f1,8 compacts and even the 12-50mm, probably one of the most underestimated M43 lenses. If you haven't tried it yet, rent a 25mm f1,8 and use it a few days, M43 will get a whole new meaning for you... Same for the 40-150mm f2,8... I can imaging its an amazing lens but for me to big. I bought the 35-100mm f2,8 from Panasonic and love its size, speed and performance...

12-100mm F4 is lighter and cheaper than 12-40mm F2.8 + 40-150mm F2.8, isn't it? But there is no doubt some sacrifice in image quality.

It's always a compromise in IQ when going lighter and cheaper. C-7070 was too much compromise for my needs, so I decided to go heavier and more expensive with m4/3. m4/3 was just the right balance, I didn't need any bigger.

With the IS of m4/3, maybe the image quality is not always sacrificed that much compared to FF and MF. And of course I no longer have to carry tripod around as much as I did with C-7070, so maybe the 12-100mm F4 IS doesn't add as much weight as you might think either.

As I said, weather-sealing was one of the main draws for me, so if I were to get a 25mm prime it would have to be the F1.2 version. If they make a new version of 25mm F1.8 with MF clutch, it would be a good fit with a Pen F for street photography.

m4/3 is very flexible and versatile. That's another one of the main draws of the system. That's why I didn't understand the controversy surrounding E-M1X. The E-M1X isn't for me, but it doesn't have to be.

 

[PakkyT]

That's why I didn't understand the controversy surrounding E-M1X. The E-M1X isn't for me, but it doesn't have to be.

There are some people who like to moan and groan about products not meant for them and they never had any intention of buying in the first place but will make some claim about how these single releases are indicative of the overall health of the company who released it, rather than the catalog of stuff they offer.

 

[RS86]

There are some people who like to moan and groan about products not meant for them and they never had any intention of buying in the first place but will make some claim about how these single releases are indicative of the overall health of the company who released it, rather than the catalog of stuff they offer.

Yeah, heh. Personally: "There is no sense in PEN-F". But eventhough I haven't tried the color knob very much I can tell you I just love the camera, the feel.

Better than GX9 in this regard IMO, different. One of those things hard to quantify.

(And of course I haven't gone against it either, with posting. Just funny how things can surprise one.)

 

[Carbonman]

12-100mm F4 is lighter and cheaper than 12-40mm F2.8 + 40-150mm F2.8, isn't it? But there is no doubt some sacrifice in image quality.

The 12-100mm f4 doesn't give up anything in image quality to any other Olympus lenses. I keep the 12-40mm f2.8 because it's smaller, a stop faster and makes a really good companion to the 40-150mm f2.8. The 12-100 is what I haul around when I'm not planning on shooting anything specific. It's probably not quite as sharp as the 40-150 but is a bit sharper than the 12-40, particularly at the 40mm end. The differences in sharpness between the lenses is more hair splitting than anything else. The dual stabilization is awesome and allows hand held shots of a second or longer.

 

[Levster]

Young (ish) guy here (35-45 age bracket to be vague!) and I’ll openly admit to flirting with other systems. My first serious camera was the Panasonic G1 when it first came out and I was looking for something better to take photos of my eldest, now 10. I really bucked the trend in our office where it was all about DSLRs and mainly Canon. I was eventually ground down and tried a 550D and 50D, but then the Panasonic GX1 came out and I was smitten again.
The thing that keeps tempting me to look around is Eye/Face AF performance. I know for some this feature is a gimmick, but for me it allows me to get photos of my kids in a “street style” whilst out walking with them. My kids don’t pose! You point a camera at them and they’ll grimace or pull some other unattractive face, the best I can do is to be stealthy and that’s where Eye/Face AF comes in:

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For those with kids and trying to capture the moment without having to think too hard, Face/Eye AF is a game changer and should significantly increase the hit rate.
I recently switched to the Nikon Z6 (actually really nice and surprisingly compact if you stick below 100mm, but it failed my restaurant test with its massive prime lenses - I want something that isn’t going to intimidate people) and I then briefly tried an X-T3 (horrible ergonomics) before trying an X-T4 (great camera, let down by 90s lens motors in their faster primes. If I have to stick with f/2 primes to get fast AF performance my thoughts were that I’d just as well stick with mu43).
So... I’m back with a G9 and so far I’m being reminded of why I looked around! The G9 will happily draw a little box around a person / face and then mess with you by focusing on a random tree in the background! I’d say I’m getting a 50% success rate with face AF and then if I use the small AF box it’s closer to 100%. Even with C-AF the face box just won’t jump to the subject that it’s drawing a box around, it’s frustrating.
I’ve now got an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mk III on order because the reviews all look very favourable and I really really want to stick with mu43. I’m more than happy with the image quality I can get and I love that I have a choice of small primes (Oly 17mm f/1.8) or larger primes if I really want the shallow depth of field look (Oly 17mm f/1.2). I also like that the 12-100mm is around the same size as a FF 24-70mm lens and together with a couple of primes I meet all my needs.

 

[dornblaser]

For me, M43 is the perfect system. I love the format factor, the system's competencies in both stills and video, and, it is the perfect travel system. My wife has the E-M10 III and all of our f/1.8 lenses and a couple of zooms, she loves the ability to stick them in whatever bag she is carrying.

 

[BushmanOrig]

Young (ish) guy here (35-45 age bracket to be vague!) and I’ll openly admit to flirting with other systems. My first serious camera was the Panasonic G1 when it first came out and I was looking for something better to take photos of my eldest, now 10. I really bucked the trend in our office where it was all about DSLRs and mainly Canon. I was eventually ground down and tried a 550D and 50D, but then the Panasonic GX1 came out and I was smitten again.
The thing that keeps tempting me to look around is Eye/Face AF performance. I know for some this feature is a gimmick, but for me it allows me to get photos of my kids in a “street style” whilst out walking with them. My kids don’t pose! You point a camera at them and they’ll grimace or pull some other unattractive face, the best I can do is to be stealthy and that’s where Eye/Face AF comes in:

View attachment 829129 For those with kids and trying to capture the moment without having to think too hard, Face/Eye AF is a game changer and should significantly increase the hit rate.
I recently switched to the Nikon Z6 (actually really nice and surprisingly compact if you stick below 100mm, but it failed my restaurant test with its massive prime lenses - I want something that isn’t going to intimidate people) and I then briefly tried an X-T3 (horrible ergonomics) before trying an X-T4 (great camera, let down by 90s lens motors in their faster primes. If I have to stick with f/2 primes to get fast AF performance my thoughts were that I’d just as well stick with mu43).
So... I’m back with a G9 and so far I’m being reminded of why I looked around! The G9 will happily draw a little box around a person / face and then mess with you by focusing on a random tree in the background! I’d say I’m getting a 50% success rate with face AF and then if I use the small AF box it’s closer to 100%. Even with C-AF the face box just won’t jump to the subject that it’s drawing a box around, it’s frustrating.
I’ve now got an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mk III on order because the reviews all look very favourable and I really really want to stick with mu43. I’m more than happy with the image quality I can get and I love that I have a choice of small primes (Oly 17mm f/1.8) or larger primes if I really want the shallow depth of field look (Oly 17mm f/1.2). I also like that the 12-100mm is around the same size as a FF 24-70mm lens and together with a couple of primes I meet all my needs.

Lovely image... I am always a little skeptical on the AF, eye tracking, and more. For years I used a center focus point, now with my EM1.2, I use the 4 points center focus. I even had the A7 III (sold it) and never tried the eye AF thing. My son is a pro and way better than me with his 2 children and people photography. He is also younger and being down low and up high is no issue for him... but he also uses the center focus points - for years. Apart from being my son, I love his work and I think his well known for his work... All said it will be interesting to see your feedback on the EM5 III, best luck...

 

[threeOh]

In the summer of 2012 I received my preordered Nikon D800. I had been shooting Nikon for 35 years. On a lark, I also picked up a Fuji X100. Immediately took them both to Europe for 3 months. Neither had been used up to that point other than to see if they worked. I came back from that trip with 1), one of the best keeper rates I ever experienced. 2), no D800. So new I sold it off at a premium to a European buyer. 3), a Fuji XE1 on pre-order.

My current default carry is a GM1 with either the PL15, O25/1.8 or P12-32. I’m still capturing scenes I would never have taken with cameras sitting at home as they’re too large to carry without a wheelbarrow.

Professional gear certainly has its place. But we sometimes forget having a super easy carry can have a marked influence on our ability to capture scenes that would otherwise be lost. As well as bring smiles to our face when we have the pleasure of enjoying our hobby without the displeasures of GAS and pounds of stuff hanging on our shoulders.