burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Well, that would be a rather pointless exercise... ALL of these companies are making some rather incredible glass. Fuji and Sony have been slow to release their lenses, but what they have are all very fine indeed.

Olympus and Panasonic have a much wider range of optics, from point-and-shoot quality lenses up to the finest pro caliber glass available. For the full list of what will fit BOTH Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four/Thirds cameras, go here:

http://hazeghi.org/mft-lenses.html

Since I use a LUMIX GH4, I'll mention some great optics from that list:

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 and 35-100mm f/2.8 G X-Vario zooms
Panasonic Leica 15mm f/1.7, 25mm f/1.4, and 42.5mm primes
Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 Macro
Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f/4-f/6.3 super zoom

Olympus 75mm f/1.8 prime
Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro zoom
Olympus 30-150mm f/2.8 Pro zoom
Olympus 300mm f/4 prime

I think you'll find users on UHH who have these and love them, along with users of other great m43 lenses. Fuji and Sony users will tell you about their favorites for those cameras.

I have friends and acquaintances in the industry who use all four mirrorless camera brands you mentioned — professionally — for different reasons — and love them. Some have given up their full frame and APS-C dSLRs, either in part, or entirely, in favor of mirrorless systems. I don't know any high-end sports photographers using mirrorless gear yet, but as cameras improve, we will see that eventually.

WayneL Loc: Baltimore Md

Fuji, next Olympus.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

i do have to disagree with your statement. when buying any film camera or digital imaging device body with interchangeable lenses, you are buying a system of lenses and accessories. the body alone does not comprise, in and of itself, the most valuable part of the purchase. if you want mediocre lenses, the market abounds with them. if you want lenses of planar, distagon and sonnar element design, with excellent glass, then you will want a system offering those items. and believe me, it does pay off to buy the very best you can afford. now, i understand we are a throwaway society, but in any craft, those who truly care about the end results will have the correct and very best tools to accomplish that end result. and yes, it is the "gear" as you put it, that will often make the difference in the hands of a skilled user, between an end result that is merely "good enough" and one that is exceptional.

Beemerboy

Noted that every lens (glass) mentioned is either Japanese or German. Someone once said that if Japan and Germany won WWll, that the streets of America would be filled with Mercedes and Toyotas and that all camera bags would be filled with Nikons, Canons and Leicas

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

I'm a fan of Nikon lenses. I have sold all my Nikon cameras and have purchased a Sony a6000 and a Sony a6300 along with three lenses. The cameras are way better than either Canon or Nikon mirrorless offerings. But the lenses are definitely second tier. Fortunately they sell adapters that let you use Nikon lenses on the Sony. That gives me the best of both.

I should add that I am not a fan of Sony. I've done some broadcast work over the years and now produce a webinar. Sony microphones, and other audio equipment, are third-rate. But they are head and shoulders above the pack in the MILC area. Fuji comes closest.

I was very disappointed in Nikon and Canon who have produced a very weak MILC line. And the use of the so-called "1 inch" sensor is inexcusable. (And an industry lie.)

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Does it actually matter?

If adapters exist that provide full functionality for different lens types, why do the lenses have to be made / sold under the camera body brand?

Just curious, not trying to disrupt the original question...

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Sony's array of lenses is 2nd tier for now because they were producing two types of lens mounts. The A-mount and the E-mount still have new cameras. Sony has now made E-mount its priority. The popularity of mirrorless manufactured cameras is the reason.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

There's usually a difference between full functionality and functionality as good as native lenses.

EM1 users see this between native m4/3 and the old 4/3 lenses on our cameras. The old 4/3 glass works fairly well, but no where near a good as the native m4/3 glass, when it comes to AF speed, focus points and accuracy. It's one reason why I sold all of my 4/3 glass...I got too used to fast AF.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Totally valid comments, but the MILC, EVIL, MILF (acronym of choice) for this format of camera is still young and evolving. I wouldn't count either Nikon or Canon out of this market for another year or two, they may just be letting the early market play out prior to making a bigger play. That happens a lot in the tech industry and many early movers (the so called early mover advantage) often withers on the vine.

Lenses are the biggest investment that many photographers make, and last a long time. So long as viable adapters exist it is easy to replace the body. I think that your Sony body / Nikkor glass is a very sensible strategy at this stage of the market if you want a mirror-less camera system that has longevity.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

I would tend to agree, which is why I asked the question. There is a tendency on forums such as this to over simplify things. Thank you for making the kind of response I was soliciting.

stan0301 Loc: Colorado

I would put Leica and Zeiss at the top (Questar is good too)--but in normal use they are
way closer than using your camera without a shutter release, a good lens shade, and
good tripod is going to make up for
Stan

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Adapters are fine if you like to focus manually, set the diaphragm manually, etc. A few expensive ones do maintain auto functions for certain brands of lenses on certain mirrorless cameras, but the cheap ones ($20 to $100) don't.

Full frame lenses on m43 can crop so much that the 2X magnification deteriorates resolution. That's what MetaBones fixes with their SpeedBooster adapters.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Thank you. That is why I asked...

fishone0 Loc: Kingman AZ

I shot Olympus mirror less and love it--both Panasonic and Olympus share the same mount--I have heard the Nikon mirror less is not that great-- I shoot with both Panasonic and Olympus on my Olympus camera--if you want light weight I would suggest either lenses for Olympus mirror less cameras