frankie c Loc: Lake Havasu CIty, AZ

Does anyone here shoot with a four thirds system? I am interested in the general opinion of four thirds. THANX.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

The only currently active four thirds system is micro four thirds (m43) by Olympus and Panasonic. Both companies produced the standard 4/3 system for about a decade, but discontinued it 4 years ago in favor of the m4/3 (there are still standard 4/3 cameras in use, however, and the old 4/3 lenses work on the newer m4/3 cameras with adapters.)

I am well satisfied with the results of my m4/3 system (Olympus EM1 and EM5 with a variety of lenses). Lots of lenses available, from standard kit to magnificent pro-type glass. You'll sometimes hear other people say you'll have trouble printing, but I have no problems printing (and selling) up to 16x20 though I sometimes use Perfect Resize to print larger than that, especially if I have cropped an image already. I shoot mostly landscapes, with some street, travel, closeup and family stuff mixed in. Click my user name to go to my profile and "topics started" if you care to see some samples of images. I had hauled a larger DSLR for years, had shoulder problems that prevented me from continuing that, and switched to get a smaller kit - I love having a 5 lb travel kit that includes 2 cameras and 5 zoom and prime lenses covering 12-300mm.

There's plenty of info out there. Tell us what you're interested in or ask us questions - there's quite a few of us m43 users on the forum. On DPR there's also a dedicated m43 forum where lots of gear questions can be asked/answered.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Most of the UHHs shoot Nikon, Canon, or Sony. But there are some of us that shoot the two major 4/3rds brand of Panasonic and Olympus. They have professional level cameras and lenses. Size, weight, and cost is much less than full frame cameras and the majority of APS-C cameras. There are times that a full frame or large camera will have an advantage mainly because of pixel size. And if you intent to make between $200K and $500K+, one should probably consider going full frame. But some of us have no intentions going that big late in life. We just want to take great photographs of life without being weighted down by the camera. Are there reasons for choosing 4/3rds over full frame and vice versa? Yes, there are. Are the 4/3rds systems unacceptable in a photographic world? Absolutely not! The Olympus system I shoot with is just as capable of great and professional shots as any camera out there. It just takes a knowledgeable photographer to make use of its abilities.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I shot with m4/3 for 2 seasons. The top of the line has a plethora of controls and image quality is very good, just slightly behind APS-C when using the best lenses.

I liked the 2X crop factor and the long inexpensive tele lenses although they are slow and required bright light. They were easy to carry compared to DX and FX cameras.

I gave up on it because I had too many different cameras and switching back and forth was slowing me down. Additionally all but the very fast lenses tended to hunt in all but the brightest light.

M4/3 beats all the smaller sensor cameras but lags behind the bigger stuff.

Neubee Loc: Wisconsin

I use my E620 Olympus (standard 4/3rds) now and then just to remind me what it was like before my Micro4/3rds..

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

I've shot both. 4/3 and now currently m4/3. Click on my user name to find my personal website.
My current gear is in my signature line, but I use to own some nice 4/3 stuff like the SHG 7-14mm f4 on my E-5.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Wait until you see the new 7-14 f2.8 Olympus zoom. Smaller, faster, and I believe less weight. I believe it is to be out by fall. Once it comes out, the Olympus system will cover 7mm to 150mm at f2.8 in just three lenses, none of which will be over 7 inches long. And these lenses will be some of the sharpest and toughest pro lenses in the market.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

I sold my 7-14 f4 the day they announced the 2.8 m4/3 version. I've been making do with de fishing the 7.5 and the 12-40. I'm hoping it's summer, not fall.

frankie c Loc: Lake Havasu CIty, AZ

Thanks... nice stuff on you site. Gave me some positive thoughts about the micro four thirds system.

frankie c Loc: Lake Havasu CIty, AZ

Thanks for all the input. Kinda looking at the Olympus OM-D M1 with 12-40 f2.8 but still thinking about it. I am almost ready for a new adventure in Photography. Still doing the homework but you all gots my attention. Happy Shooting.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

It's a great combo.

banjonut Loc: Southern Michigan

I have an Olympus OMD 5. Love it. The picture quality is quite good. I have several big Nikons, and depending on what I am wanting to do, the Oly is quite often the choice.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Well - you made your decision - but it was the wrong one. There are VERY few photogs that have returned to APS-C. You may have compared before the later MFT lenses became available. Or do you use $5000 lenses on your APS-C? :)

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Just curios, what body were you using? I ask only because this is far from my experience. I do prefer to use single point small focus, an rarely run into an issue with the em1. One item to note, it does help to if your focus point contrasts from the background. Even when I shoot nighttime sky photos, it's able to lock focus into a distant light or star with less problems than my dslr would have. The touch screen makes it so easy too. Just tap on the screen where I want focus, and bam, it's in focus. This is true with all my lenses (except the manual focus ones, of course).

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

Using an ASP-C sensor, I just shoot and normally crop in frame. Probably from my analog days.

When prepping for a print I look for the best way to display it. If it stays the same ratio, fine. If I crop it to another ratio fine.

Some are 2:3, 4:3, some are 1:1, some are custom sizes. It doesn't matter, just make the image look good.