lindmike

Hi, Burkphoto,t
My question to you isn't about this post. Last week there was a discussion regarding smartphones vs DSLR. you listed several of the capabilities of smartphone one of which is the GPS. Did you mean a GPS feature on the phone when purchased or a GPS app? I have an Iphone 13 Pro.

Thank you,


Lindmike

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

A pound of luck isn't worth half as much as a full-frame camera.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Full frame image quality beats ALL smaller formats - let's get that out of the way

The question then becomes can you afford the cost of FF and manage the weight/size of the lenses !

If you are only printing to 16X20 the image quality differences will be quite SMALL.......
.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The iPhone by itself has a great Maps app. But for a few bucks, you can add Google Maps and Mapquest and Waze, if you are a real map nerd. Sometimes one of those takes a better approach. They all work well with the GPS receiver in the phone.

You can turn on geotagging for your iPhone photos, and know forever where you photographed something. It came in handy for us, recently, on trips to Europe and Mexico. We know just where we were when we photographed anything with our phones.

kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA

One time I forgot my camera to a architectural photo shoot of a college campus. Used my LX3 p&s. Clients did not know the difference.

I now use a emd 10 with 100_300 lens.
And 12-35f2.8

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

An amateur will tend to believe hard work is what brings good luck and success. Professional photographers know the secret is a full-frame camera.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

The comparison in this topic is between FF and MFT - does this mean that crop SLR is now just history?
If so - MFT is perhaps as good as it gets up to A3 - and if prints to A3 are all you need, then cannot you save mega $$$$ by staying MFT only?

lindmike

Thank you

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

For those on this side of the pond, A3 is an international standard paper size of 11.7 x 16.5 inches. In the US, the closest standard size is 11x17.

Every time one of our UHHers outside the USA mentions A2, A3, A4... I have to look it up again! That standard is based on the number of folds of a full size press sheet of paper. The graphic below is from Adobe.

(Download)

RolandDieter

Since you are unsure whether or not to add FF, I feel that you don't really have a need to do so. So save the money and enjoy not having to haul more bulk and weight. Myself, and this applies specifically to me, I use both, and each format has its own role. Travel: I go small and light, 4/3. Grandkids Sports: Size and weight are not factors and I have only the very few fast full frame lenses that are most appropriate for the sports they play and where I can sit. I use a Sony a7c for lighter FF weight and usually use a Sigma 50-100 f/1.8 lens (APS, but only vignettes near 50mm and even then very little). If you are into wide angle you can generally get wider lenses for full frame, but an accelerator adapter and one wide FF lens and you will get the width on your 4/3, although my preference pair a Sony a7c with the APS Sony 10-18 which won't vignette from about 12mm and up. In the menu turn off the APS crop option and you will have full frame 12-18 coverage.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Bill at Burkphoto is correct. I have the E-M1 mkII and mkIII. The mkII is slower and not as advanced as the mkIII. The mkIII I can use for birding while the mkII has become my wife's camera (and my backup in case something goes wrong with the mkIII). And the OM-1 is a different and better beast than either the mkII or mkIII. Rent or buy an OM-1 before spending your hard earned cash for full frame.

And Bill is right with the full frame too. The "L" mount allows you the choice of three brands, lower cost to expensive cost, along with more quality options.

I would try the OM-1 before anything else. My guess is that if you do, you will buy the OM-1 and keep your E-M1 mkII as backup.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yep. First thing to try before buying into another platform.

That said, many good cameras are available. Only the best survive in the post-smartphone era. We are fortunate still to be able to choose from Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, OM Systems, Panasonic, Leica, Sigma, Hasselblad, and even Pentax.

What matters is not so much the brand, but the model that fits your needs, budget, applications, and hands.

bkwaters

I have used both the A7R5 and the OM-1 and the A7R5 has vastly superior tracking. It also has less noise, but that doesn’t matter much. If you need long telephoto lenses and don’t care about tracking, M43 is probably the way to go. If tracking or very shallow DOF is important then Nikon, Canon or Sony FF are better choices. Otherwise, they are all great.

Josephakraig

Your question is a tough one these days. Several years ago there was no question about it, if you wanted a great picture you needed a great camera, mostly FF. Today the 4/3rds are as good as full frame just a few years ago.

I have tried 4/3rds, in more than one brand in the past. Once I moved to Nikon FF I simply could not go back. Yes, the big Nikons are big but the quality is just unbelievable. I have to admit with newer processing applications, you can do a lot to clean up a poor shot if you shot raw. I never show a picture with noise any more. But, all the above being said my phone camera (Samsung S22 Ultra) shoots raw and the developed images are amazing. Yes, they take a little more time in post than my D850 but todays programs like Photoshop with the raw filter are simply wonderful. While it is very hard to beat the low light performance of a FF todays newer cameras try pretty hard and have substantial success. So, my take is if you like carrying a little camera and don't mind a little post processing then carry it. It's cheaper and the lenses are cheaper too. Once having tasted the FF however I don't see myself ever going small. They say the best camera is the one you have. My little Samsung phone is often the best.

gwilliams6

https://digital-photography-school.com/camera-sensors-explained/

https://expertphotography.com/camera-sensor-size/

There is no ONE format size that is best for every photographer. What you shoot, how you shoot, under what conditions you shoot, what image quality do you need and/or prefer, your budget, preferred size and weight , camera and lens features all have an important part in your decision which format works best for your needs.

There are excellent, quality systems in all formats.

Cheers and best to you all.