Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

Trade in your current kit and buy an Olympus EM1 mark II + Oly 12 - 100mm f4 PRO. I have both and they are brilliant. I also have a Nikon D500 and, stunning though it is, if I had to choose between the two I would choose the EM1 mark II. If you want to see some images taken with the EM1 mark II + 12 - 100mm f4 take a look at the Olympus E_M1II Facebook site.

HallowedHill Loc: Chattanooga, TN

I have been using a Nikon D 50 for 10 years with two zoom lens that cover the 24 -300 range. I am in the process of upgrading due to a couple of factors: technology advances in cameras over the 10 years and I am now 67 and growing tired of lung the weight around. I have considered the Nikon D 500 and D 750 as well as the Olympus OM-D E-M1 MarkII as serious choices. I have over researched and over analysed both the cameras and the associated lens. I am close to pulling the trigger on the Mark II as I don't print anything larger than what you have indicated you print and with a 20 MPG sensor I am convinced the difference in image quality is negligible except for low light situations. I don't shoot in low light and accordingly don't often go above ISO 1600, so I think I'll be good. Factors that I have considered and that bring me to this conclusion are the reduced weight from the Nikon cameras and lens to the 4/3 system, the good quality of the Panasonic and Olympus lens offerings, the in camera image stabilization of the Mark II (I looked at the Fuji offerings and although the color was great there is no stabilization) and the now available 20 MPG sensor. I am holding back to see the initial images of the GH5 just released, but Panasonic seems more aimed at video than stills while Olympus seems just the reverse. From what I have seen and read, you need to pixel peep to see any real difference in the finished product given the uses you seem to be interested in. So why change systems unless you are dissatisfied with what you are producing now. The MarkII larger higher pixeled sensor seems to offer roughly an increase in image quality as going from 4/3 to APSC. Just my thoughts FWIW.

A question for you: I love the Nikon color pallet. Did you notice any appreciable difference in color when going from the D 300 to the 5MII's?

moonhawk Loc: Land of Enchantment

I just read up on the GH5. It seems native ISO is 400. You can go down to 200, but Panasonic says you will lose 1 stop DR. Kind of a bummer, as I would consider a 2nd body to use with my PL 100-400.Here's the link:

https://fstoppers.com/originals/everything-you-might-not-know-about-gh5-162773

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Why don't you keep your compact Oly camera and lenses for street shooting and complement it with a full frame camera with one lens for landscapes?

That would give you the best of both worlds. If you buy the FF specifically for landscape, you might only need a single, good quality, wide zoom for it.

Yes, APS-C would give you slightly better large prints than the Four/Thirds camera... but not a whole lot. FF is a much bigger "step up", when making big prints.

I usually hesitate to recommend FF... APS-C is plenty for most peoples' actual use. In fact, if you search my previous posts you'll find I often discourage people from buying full frame.

But you specifically stated that you do some large prints... much bigger than most people ever do. Because of that, FF would be a better option.

As to which full frame, I leave that up to you... there are now very good FF choices from Nikon, Sony, Canon, Pentax and even Leica.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Sounds like GAS to me. You ar e well equipped already.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

You can't have cake (low ISO) and eat it, too (Max DR). However, the better news flipside is that you GAIN a stop of DR at higher ISOs. So if you liked a GH4 at ISO 800, the GH5 will look the same or better at 1600. The early testers such as Griffin Hammond have confirmed this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoYbqSxPWrA is a film he recorded with the GH5. And here he is, talking about making that film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hCyiMhuRmk

The higher ISO performance improvement is for several reasons. They removed the AA filter for better color, contrast, and sharpness. They bumped resolution to 20.3 MP. They put all new color science into the camera, that does better demosaicing of the images. They incorporated a more efficient and lower noise sensor. The Venus Engine 10 processor is an order of magnitude faster.

All that means that cinematographers and videographers have more speed to play with, along with 4:2:2 video, anamorphic support, "open gate" video support, vLog L with monitor LUTs ($100 extra), full size HDMI port, USB-C port for SUPER FAST file transfers, a new audio input accessory with phantom power, 96 KHz 24-bit sampling, ALC on-off, two low cut filters, input level pads, mic/line switching, lots better 4K performance, higher slo-mo rates, and on and on... .

PhotoJoseph interviewed Sean Robinson, Associate Marketing Manager for LUMIX at Panasonic, on YouTube recently. They spent over 75 minutes talking about all this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68JJgDgML1g

For all the buzz about the camera's video capability, though, it is also a very solid *stills* camera!

The new high resolution EVF is recognized by DPReview as the best viewfinder on the market.

There's a new AF point selector rocker switch on the back of the camera, AND you can still tap the OLED screen to focus, AND you get 225 AF points instead of the previous 49! Focus tracking has been greatly improved.

There's a new battery grip with all the right controls in the right places for vertical grip.

It's splash-proof, dust-proof, freeze-proof to –10°C.

It can do 18 MP '6K' stills at high speed.

With the firmware updates planned and announced already, we will get really great, fast computer tethering at last.

The menu system has been simplified and updated. (It was already great, compared to its competition!)

Five new and updated lenses were announced at CES. They all support the new Dual IS II system that is present in the G85. Included is the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS which is a 24-120mm FF field of view equivalent. This is the pro complement to Panasonic's 12-60mm f/3.5-f/5.6, which costs less than half of the Leica design, and can be had for $100 when bundled with a G85. They updated the 100-300mm, the 35-100mm f/2.8, the 45-200mm, and the 12-35mm f/2.8 to include Dual IS II, better aperture blade design, and weather, dust, and freeze resistance features.

Panasonic also announced firmware updates for most older Panasonic lenses that have OIS, to make them compatible with Dual IS II.

This camera is a head turner for thousands of studio photographers and videographers and filmmakers. Panasonic has REALLY listened to the professional community over the last decade, and is including and developing features at an insane rate. I bought the GH4 for still photography AND videography, each of which is of equal importance to me. I'll eventually upgrade to the GH5 for the same reasons I got the GH4.

Jerry Coupe Loc: Kent, WA

I just purchased an Olympus OM-D EM1 Mark II. Although I have not used it yet, I know there is a feature where in-camera the MK II will take 8 shots and combine them into one image that is stated to be 50 MB. Obviously this means using a tripod and by necessity a still subject, as much as is possible. Again I have not had a chance to try this out yet, but I suspect it will yield a file that could be printed in large sizes.

This would give you the plus of keeping the glass you have as well as maintaining the lighter weight that you were after originally. I purchased the new 12-100 mm and it is very good. I also purchased the Panasonic 100-400 mm and loved shooting some ducks with it yesterday. The extra reach was amazing.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but supposedly if the scene is not fast action, it can be handheld. On the E-M5mrII it took up to as much as .8 seconds for it to produce a hi res shot from what I have read. It is supposed to be faster on the E-M1mrII but I have not read how much faster.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

It still needs a tripod.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Thats good to know since I haven't had much time to get into the testing on my E-M1mrII.

Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

The D500 is stunning and I kept the weight down on mine by purchasing the Nikkor 300mm f4 PF VR + 1.4 TC III. You would still need a zoom to cover your current focal range, though. I also have an Olympus EM 1 mark II + 12 - 100mm f4 PRO and and 300mm f4 PRO + 1.4 TC. If you consider buying the EM1.2 and wish to keep the weight down, the PanaLeica 100 - 400mm f4/6.3 is an excellent option (I've just sold mine). It is much lighter than the Oly 300mm and far more versatile and coupled with the 12 - 100mm would provide you with more coverage than you have now. The PanaLeica is not as sharp as the Oly 300 but it is still a top lens.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Keep in mind Olympus is supposed to be (rumor) announcing this year some faster longer focal lengths. I'm hoping for a weather sealed 75mm that works with the emc-14, as well as a 200mm f2 (ish) that would work with an emc-20 (not yet designed) giving a 400mm f4 (ish).
http://www.43rumors.com/ft4-long-fast-primes-will-be-launched-by-olympus-in-2017/

streetshot Loc: Los Angeles, California

I really want to thank everyone for their intelligent and thoughtful responses. All good suggestions. I got back some 14 x 18 black and white prints for a gallery showing and they were so good one of the salesmen thought I had take the picture with a Leica Monochrome. So I may go to the new Em 1...will test it out. Or just lie down and wait for the urge to pass before I spend money needlessly. Thanks again to everyone. I love the group contributions.

streetshot Loc: Los Angeles, California

I really want to thank everyone for their intelligent and thoughtful responses. All good suggestions. I got back some 14 x 18 black and white prints for a gallery showing and they were so good one of the salesmen thought I had take the picture with a Leica Monochrome. So I may go to the new Em 1...will test it out. Or just lie down and wait for the urge to pass before I spend money needlessly. Thanks again to everyone. I love the group contributions.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

With what Olympus and Panasonic have done or will have done to their flagship cameras, it is not spending money "needlessly". They are offering a lot in a camera that the big names offer in their much more expensive cameras. It only comes down to if you can use the new features and/or is it time to upgrade from what you have.

I had a grandson that needed a weatherproof camera for Alaska and my wife suggested sending him my older E-M5 (not mrII) as a Christmas present. If I did that, she would let me upgrade my "Christmas" present to the E-M1mrII. I realize that your two E-M5mrII are not as old as my E-M5, but maybe you can find a relative that needs a good "used" camera and upgrade one of your camera bodies.