Craigdca Loc: California

I’m about to invest in my next camera setup to replace my Canon T2i. I’m not attached to the lenses which are the old 17-55 and 55/250 kit lenses that probably came with it, older 1998? Tokina EF 80-400mm and also really old Tamron EF 70-200? Lens.

So it’s a new start. Check out my portfolio to see the types of photos I like to shoot: closeup flowers, landscape (prefer details), moon and astro, animals, birds, and wanting to do more portraits.

Do any of have the Olympus and lenses? Are you happy or do you wish you went with the new Canon R6 or other camera?

I’m very close to making a purchase so your personal experience means a lot to me.

BebuLamar

Hip Coyote

You are not asking about buying a new camera, you are asking about getting into a whole new ecosystem of photography. You rent cameras but marry lenses.

I have and love the Oly system....but you need to get very very familiar with the system, what it is about, its limitations and benefits. Off hand, you should just look on recent threads on this forum about Oly's upcoming (its actually OM these days because imaging was sold to JIP) unveiling of their new "wow" camera in the next few weeks. That will make the Omd Em1 miii cheaper. There is some concern about long term viability of the brand...I think it is safe, but not certain.

Switching to the micro 43 world is a whole long discussion...new glass, smaller sensor, more noise, but amazing ibis, smaller, ultra high fps, and the list goes on. It does change how you shoot...such as loong handheld shots that would normally take a tripod. And you need to be efficient in post, use things like Topaz DeNoise, etc.

FWIIW, I have shot similar shots as you and feel that I do ok.

Take a look a the mu43 dot com site as well....lots of oly news there. I will upload a few pics to show a few shots.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I don't know, should you?

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Superlative shots 🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Genessi Loc: SoCal

I can only speak for me! I have the R5 a great camera. I don't think I really needed 45 mp. The R6 is a great camera and with a $100 adaptor you can use EF lenses. I love BIF so I have the RF100-500mm. I purchased a Canon EF 100 Macro which I can use with the adaptor. I will wait tell I can afford RF lenses and use my Lumix G9 with other small lenses for different focal length.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

I have the Olympus EM 1 mk iii and I’m quite happy with it. I’ve used Oly m43 cameras since the first EM5. My walkabout lens is the 12-40 but I have an array of inexpensive lightweight lenses including a few primes that make up a diverse kit that seldom weighs more than 5 lbs fully loaded. There are excellent lenses in the top tier and decent affordable lenses all through the range. I thoroughly enjoy the tech tricks in the camera like hand held high resolution, pro capture and live time which are more than magic, easy night sky controls, focus stacking etc. my only gripe is that there’s more noise to contend with but a good noise management software solves much of that. My large prints are fine. I commonly print at 16x20 but sometimes larger. I suggest you handle any camera you want to buy before you commit to see how it fits in your hands and how natural the button array seems.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

I started using Olympus (OMD) cameras in the summer of 2019. Before that, I was using a Sony A6300 with a few lens. Loved the pictures from it but didn't like the ergonomics of the body (missed a control dial on the back). I rented the E-M1ii, the Fuji XT-3 and the Panasonic G9 and tried them out over the summer. Each camera and system has its strengths and weaknesses but I liked the feel of the E-M1ii in my hands. Got a 24 hour deal from Olympus through B&H for a E-M1ii and the 14-150 lens. I sold the lens to get something wider and bought the 12-40 PRO which I later sold for the 12-100 PRO. Later picked up the E-M1iii body, 300 f/2.8 PRO, 40-150 PRO and 60mm macro, all used. Just bought the 8-25 and use it for my main lens. If possible when buying long lens, get the Olympus ones; the Panasonic Lumix lens are good but don't work together with the Olympus body stabilization.
I find the E-M1iii has better auto focussing than the E-M1ii so I use it for learning to shoot birds in flight.

I shoot a range of interests similar to yours and find that I can photograph well with the Olympus / OMD system. The only shortcoming I have come across is shooting in low light or dark interiors. You can push the ISO up but then noise may become unacceptable. There are programs out there to reduce the noise, but they don't always work for me. The Olympus bodies have superior stabilization and on some lenses, the lens VR will work with the body VR (Sync IS). This allows you to use a lower ISO with a longer shutter speed, although this doesn't work when the grandkids are in the basement running around like banshees. For these types of situations, I bought a used Sony A7R3 and Tamron 17-28.

As someone mentioned in a previous post, OMD is coming out with their "WOW" body soon (announcement is next Tuesday). This may be out of your price range (and maybe mine), but may have some features that may make this body a better choice than the E-M1iii. I'm interested in an improved AF system for birds and other fast moving objects.

I don't regret switching to the micro 4/3 system.

bikerguy

I switched from a cropped sensor Canon (77D) to the Olympus EM1 M2 in June 2019. Best camera decision I ever made. The body weighs about the same as any other mirrorless body. However the lenses are much lighter and smaller and very sharp. My walk around lens is the 14-150. My complete lens line up is 9-18, 14-150, 75-300 and 100-400. I never carry all of it, the complete kit with the body weighs under 6.5 pounds.

I print up to 13x19 without any issues.

The smaller senor does result in more noise at high ISO, so I use Topaz DeNoise AI.

There is no way that I would return to either a 1.6 cropped or full frame system.

Additionally, Olympus has some very nice features for long exposure such as live composite and live bulb and Pro capture to help you capture the decisive moment.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I have shot every kind of camera and find FULL FRAME camera's the most versatile, sharpest, and easiest to use in post.

LLC Loc: Ontario, Canada

I do not have personal experience with Olympus.
But wait a bit since new OM-1 is going to be released soon.

https://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/the-full-om-1-spec-list-got-leaked-and-indeed-it-uses-the-new-20mp-sony-quad-pixel-sensor/

https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/leaked-images-of-the-new-om-1-camera-that-uses-the-new-sony-quad-pixel-sensor/

Ksocha Loc: Bethesda, MD

I sold my Canon equipment and got a great price. The Oly and Panasonic equipment enables me to go out with my camera much more often because of the smaller size and weight. I’m not a professional, but I have over 70,000 photos in my library. I doubt I could detect any fall off in quality. The IS is very good.

Abo

No way.

Any Fujifilm X-Trans camera will obliterate an OM-D EM-1 Mk III.
and many X-Trans cameras cost heaps less and many have a smaller
and lighter form. It's a no brainer imho.

Peteso Loc: Blacks Hills

I have had Olympus cameras and Pro lenses since the release of the EM-1 mk II. Consider the EM1X primarily because it has the bird tracking feature and balances better with long lenses, although you can’t go wrong with the EM-1 mk III either. It’s really hard to beat Olympus for bird and wildlife photography because of the pro capture features. I use a Sony A7R IV for landscape photography, so I’m not touting the Olympus just because I own it. If you do get an Olympus, try to stick with the pro lenses to mitigate the image quality compromises with the M43 platform.