Micro four thirds

[Clymber]

I have discovered micro four thirds is a love it or hate it camera. I have recently been looking at the OM Systems and wondering if anyone has swapped from full frame to micro four thirds. Do you wish you stayed do you love it. I love the compact size and think ot would be great for bikepacking, hiking etc. Unfortunately I am not in the place where I would be able to get a new setup and keep the old. Any info would be great

 

[deserteagle56]

I went to Micro four thirds several years ago but I went with Panasonic. First the GH2, then a G9. I liked the G9 so much that I bought another one so I'm not changing lenses so much. It is a big camera for Micro four thirds but the ergonomics to me are so good that I love handling it. It fits my hand so well that I find myself just carrying it in my hand a lot - thereby taking a lot more photos as I'm not having to pull it out of a case. Panasonic just introduced a Version II of the G9 which improves the focusing in certain situations but since I don't shoot sports that doesn't matter to me.

Over on DPreview they really like the Olympus OM-1. Some good information here: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/1041

 

[deserteagle56]

For biking/hiking you might consider the Sony RX100 VI or the newest VII. Tiny camera but wonderful image quality, with a superb zoom lens. It's what I keep in my pocket most times when hiking.

 

[epyonxero]

I went the other direction. Years ago I wanted a compact but high IQ camera for hiking and traveling and owned a few Panasonics (GF3, GF5, LX7, LX100). They were all good cameras but I was never satisfied with the image quality. I thought about getting something higher end like the GH or OM series but you really lose most of the size disadvantages vs full-frame mirrorless and the IQ isnt even close. For example the Panasonic G9 II body is actually bigger than the Sony A7 IV. M43 does have smaller lenses so depending on what you shoot with they can still be a decent size difference. I ended up going with Sony full-frame mirrorless and never looked back.

 

[Sparse Gray Hackle]

I have an acquaintance who went from full frame Canon to the Olympus system. He is very happy with OM.

 

[Roger M.]

Something like 90+% of folks view photos on their phones, tablets, or computer screens.
99% of those photos viewed are in a heavily compressed format.
Micro four thirds, full frame, or iPhone … it will make zero difference to the viewer.
All to say … use any camera that feels good in your hands, suits your budget, and has a lens selection that works with your needs.
Micro four thirds in the new OM system is a fantastic handling camera … you literally can’t go wrong with whatever choice you make.

 

[deserteagle56]

Something like 90+% of folks view photos on their phones, tablets, or computer screens.
99% of those photos viewed are in a heavily compressed format.
Micro four thirds, full frame, or iPhone … it will make zero difference to the viewer.
All to say … use any camera that feels good in your hands, suits your budget, and has a lens selection that works with your needs.
Micro four thirds in the new OM system is a fantastic handling camera … you literally can’t go wrong with whatever choice you make.

^This!

 

[Herbie]

Having just come back from our eclipse-viewing trip, I can say I'm still very enthusiastic about M43 (after years spent shooting Nikon).

My key likes are:

• Portability - I flew to Texas with only carry-on bags and was able to bring my EM-5 ii, 3 lenses, a tripod, and the whole kit of filters, and acoutrement.
• Dust/Weather Sealing - let's face it, this site is about adventure, so one of the main drivers for me choosing the M43 system was being able to get a weather-sealed body and several lenses. While I can use a lot of legacy glass when needed, I'm careful to only pack the sealed lenses when going to the dusty places, for example.
• Image Stabilization - my EM-5 has 5-axis stabilization in-body - which means I reap some degree of benefit even when shooting legacy glass (like the 500mm catadioptric F-mount lens in my eclipse rig below). I get a MASSIVE benefit when combined with matching stabilized glass. I have successfully handheld 2+ second exposures with the EM-5ii and the Olympus 12-40mm F2.8 Pro combo, for example.

This was my eclipse rig:

• Amazon tripod that just fits into a 22" hardside carryon spinner
• Olympus EM-5 mkII body
• Tamron F-mount 500mm Catadioptric macro lens with Viltrox (cheap) 0.71x speedbooster/adapter)
• Solomark Baader Solar Filter
• Pholsy (Amazon) intervalometer/remote control setup to shoot bracketing bursts
• Old Mountainsmith "Tour" lumbar bag with a cheap camera-bag insert added

I'm haven't yet begun processing my images, but here's a jpg straight from the camera:

 

[TripLeader]

I've been shooting Panasonic m43 since 2011. The size is just right for me.

 

[Clymber]

Just took all of my full frame gear in to the shop to see what trade in value will be. Shockingly my wife is on board with this decision.

Now I am deep in the rabbit hole of picking lenses currently on list

14-42 3.5/5.6 pancake. Not sure on OM or Lumix
12-60 2.8/4 Lumix
7-14 2.8 OM

And anything other than that will rent for trips until I figure out what it needed


Thanks everyone for the input

 

[TripLeader]

My favorite lens is the Lumix 14-140mm. Second is the Lumix 20mm.

 

[Mccaf]

Went from Nikon DSLR to the OM system, and then switched to Nikon Z Mirrorless after 5 yrs. Yes the M43 is lightweight, handy and OM has excellent glass. Also loved the 2x crop, in good light. It is not great for high ISO however imo. When Olympus sold off the imaging division- that was the final straw for us, we sold all of our glass and bodies on the secondhand market but I kept the 5D MII and a 12-40. It sits on the shelf with the epl7 for pocket cameras. We switched to Nikon Z7II /Z8 and couldn’t be happier, ISOs up to 12,800 are totally manageable.

 

[Herbie]

Just took all of my full frame gear in to the shop to see what trade in value will be. Shockingly my wife is on board with this decision.

Now I am deep in the rabbit hole of picking lenses currently on list

14-42 3.5/5.6 pancake. Not sure on OM or Lumix
12-60 2.8/4 Lumix
7-14 2.8 OM

And anything other than that will rent for trips until I figure out what it needed


Thanks everyone for the input

I opted for the Lumix in the 12-42 pancake because it includes a manual focus lever (motor driven), whereas the OM has to be focused from the camera. That said, the OM is probably slightly sharper, and oh-so cute and compact on a small body.

For a wide-angle lens, I opted for the Lumix 8-18mm f2.8/4 because it will take filters. (The OM 7-14 has a pronounced fisheye front element and requires some kind of external filter mount - if that matters to you.)



Here's a surprising one to just get and throw in the bag: The OM 40-150mm F4/5.6 is shockingly good for how compact and inexpensive it is. Yes, it is not the fastest glass out there, but in regular daylight, I have had really good results.
Here's one at 135mm f/5.5 1/250s shot on a cloudy day: (The IBS, etc. is doing its job here, which helps at this speed)

 

[deserteagle56]

My favorite lens is the Lumix 14-140mm.

Mine too! I have both the original and the newest version; this new version (at least my copy) is impressively sharp. For my type of photography (mostly landscape) it is the best. Rarely have to switch lenses.

 

[Koenbro]

After years of Nikon 35 mm, 4x5 LF and a Nikon DSLR, I moved into the Fuji X system in around 2011 and couldn’t be happier.

Currently use an XT-2 and an X-Pro2 (still have an X-T1 and X100) and have about 6-8 lenses.

When I need to go small, either body plus a 28/2.8 mm pancake are perfect.

Other fave lenses are 35/1.4 and 14/2.8. I prefer primes.

Fuji ergonomics are perfect, the lenses flawless and love the film simulations.


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