Hip Coyote

Bill, let me amend my earlier thoughts. Probably like you I get neophyte photographers who ask me what camera they should buy. That is a very short question and a very long answer. Usually by the time I get done their eyes are rolled into the backs of their heads.

I advise (people who ask me)that if size of gear is not an issue such as carrying larger equipment around for travel etc , and one is willing to purchase the more expensive gear such as good lenses, and one wants top quality images, I’d go full frame. As I said earlier the m43 stuff is a completely different ecosystem that requires careful though before jumping in. It works for me but I know it’s limitations and live with them.

You and I are in total agreement. But for travel, size it is a wonderful system. And there is a certain fun factor to being an evil genius who uses m43.

Could we shoot your excellent bifs? Probably not

Jacqui Burke Loc: Perkiomenville, PA

I just got the M-1 Mark III and the 100-400 mm lens. So far really enjoying it. Read Joe McDonald’s guides to using the Olympus features at hoothollow.com.

Jacqui Burke Loc: Perkiomenville, PA

Could we shoot your excellent bifs Probably not[/quote]

The ProCapture feature of the Olympus system is actually very helpful in photographing birds leaving their perches, as it can capture up to 35 frames taken BEFORE the shutter is fully depressed.

Hip Coyote

The ProCapture feature of the Olympus system is actually very helpful in photographing birds leaving their perches, as it can capture up to 35 frames taken BEFORE the shutter is fully depressed.[/quote]
Good catch! I almost never use it but when I have it is a very good feature.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

Wonderful shots regardless of the format!
These shots make me . . . .
Smile,
JimmyT Sends
Bravo Zulu

fjo Loc: Georgetown Texas

I switched from the canon system to Olympus. Never regretted the switch. Smaller, lighter camera and lens. Quality images with a ton of features. Be informed that OM digital bought Olympus’ photography. OMD is going to announce a new camera release on Feb 15. I am anxiously awaiting that event because I have the Omd mark ii. I want to see if there will be a successor to the mark iii. Good luck with your choice.

Hip Coyote

Thanks

AntonioReyna Loc: Los Angeles, California

If you want the best image quality, go full frame, which Olympus system is not. I have a Canon RP and love its size, flexibility and image quality. You can use al Canon EF, EF-s, and RF lenses on it. As well as others with adapters.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

It’s always a trade off between size/weight and low light/high ISO noise performance. If you leave 1” sensors out of the discussion, micro 4/3 cameras at the bottom in terms of weight and noise, full frame are at the top, and APS-C in the middle, with in general, about 1 stop difference in high ISO performance between each size, everything else being equal. I find High ISO noise to be acceptable up to and including ISO 12,800 on full frame, and 6400 on APS-C, so I’d assume (users correct me if I’m wrong) about 3200 on micro 4/3. The OP will need to decide where on that compromise continuum best suits his needs.

grcolts

I have an Olympus om d m5iii which I use for shooting astrophotography and wildlife, especially birds. It is quite capable for shooting macro and landscapes as well. I like this outfit as it is on the smaller side and is easy to carry afield. Check Olympus website for refurbished lens/cameras as sometimes you can get a real deal. Good luck.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

I'm not going to tell you whether you should or not.... that's your decision to make.
I've got both the OM-D E-M1 and the OM-D E-M1 Mark III.
I love them both. When we travel I have both in the car, one with a short lens and one with a long lens.
Saves switching lenses on the road and especially nice when the weather is bad: rain, snow, wind...

When I got the Mark III, I also bought Tony Phillips' book for that camera. I printed it out on letter-size paper, and before putting the spiral in, I inserted blank pages between each chapter.

When the TV programming is 'blah', I sit on the couch with camera and book, or when the weather is nice, on the patio with camera and book, find something in the book that seems interesting and then do whatever that is, with the camera. Or, if there is something specific I want to do, I find it in the book also to see how to do that.
I make notes on the blank pages, or in the margins of the printed pages.
Next thing I will be "digging into" is the 60 frames per second setting (right after the Olympics are finished).

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

As always, I recommend reading as many reviews and comparisons as you can. I recently saw a favorable review of the OM-1 on YouTube. I didn't watch it because I'm not shopping.

photoman43

As others have stated this is a "system" change. Make sure you download the camera manual for the body you think you want and see if you can understand it and if it will allow you to remember how to set up the things you need on the camera to take pictures that meet your needs. I have seen Olympus users struggle with menus etc in trying to set what they need.

Lagoonguy Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

I like M43 photo gear for travel and occasional stationary bird shots. I use my Nikon D500 & Nikon 500 PF lens for most of my bird photography along with a Tamron 100-400 for a lightweight outfit on a D7100. Regarding M43 gear, I use mostly Panasonic Leica lenses with a G9 and find them excellent for travel, even for interior low light shots. My wife loves her Oly 12-100 f/4 lens on her G9 and has had no problem mixing the two brands. Both Panasonic & OM are announcing new cameras on the 15th & 23rd of February, I would wait to see if they are worthy of their higher price point. Buy the OM over the Panasonic for strictly wildlife because it has both phase detect and contrast auto focus as opposed to Panasonic’s contrast only and that will be better for BIF. I don’t have any idea if Panasonic’s new GH6 will change their autofocus. I may buy one of the two new cameras for my wife and I’ll keep her G9 as a spare. Panasonic & OM have wonderful stabilization systems. So far, OM has a better selection of long lenses for wildlife and therefore OM may be an excellent choice for you. Good luck!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Know that the system is supported by TWO major camera brands, OM Digital Systems and Panasonic Lumix. Panasonic gets a little help from Leica with their lenses. I use Panasonic gear, which offers better video, but for stills, would be happy to use Olympus.

Lens selection is amazing. You have over 110 native mount lenses available from at least seven manufacturers. Micro 4/3 cameras can be adapted to telescopes, microscopes, most SLR lenses, most dSLR lenses, and many ciné lenses. So finding a lens for your purpose is not likely to be an issue.

The chief beef many people have with the m43/MFT/mu43/Micro 4/3/Micro Four Thirds format is the sensor size. At 17.3mm by 13mm, it is roughly one quarter the surface area and one half the diagonal dimension of full frame. This means that less light falls on every sensor element, so the signal to noise ratio and dynamic range is a couple of stops less than full frame, and about one stop less than APS-C, for a sensor of the same megapixel count and age. If you photograph in available darkness all the time, that may be a drawback for you.

As another consequence of the smaller sensor size, shorter lenses are used to photograph the same field of view. For instance, at any distance, a 25mm lens on Micro 4/3 will have the same field of view as a 50mm lens on a full frame body. But it will have two stops greater depth of field! For the same depth of field at the same distance on each camera, you could set the Micro 4/3 lens to f/2.8 and the full frame lens would need to be at f/5.6. If the exposure is just enough for f/2.8, the full frame is at an exposure disadvantage if you need deeper depth of field. The Micro 4/3 is at a disadvantage if you need shallower depth of field.

So which is better depends on your use of the camera. This can be a hindrance or an advantage on EITHER platform. When you need more depth of field, Micro 4/3 is helpful. When you need less depth of field, full frame is helpful.

Although body sizes vary (newer full frame bodies can be about the same size and weight as Micro 4/3 bodies), LENSES are much smaller and lighter for the same field of view. A 12-40mm f/2.8 OM Systems zoom is tiny compared to a 24-70mm f/2.8 full frame Canon or Nikon zoom. It costs a lot less, too! Yet the coverage (field of view) is the same. This matters if you backpack or carry a kit all day when traveling. You can carry more functionality with less weight with Micro 4/3.

Lens ranges tend to be more practical with Micro 4/3. Leica makes an identically sized pair of zooms for Micro 4/3, a 10mm to 25mm f/1.7, and a 25mm to 50mm f/1.7. With just two lenses, this gives you the full frame field of view equivalence of 20mm to 100mm, or very wide angle to "portrait range" short telephoto! The pair is $3600, but effectively replaces six fast primes that, in the full frame world, would cost far more. Other interesting lenses are the $1600 Leica f/4-6.3 and $1400 M. Zuiko f/5-6.3 100-400mm zooms. These are affordable substitutes for full frame 200-800mm range telephotos!

The Micro 4/3 cameras top out at 20MP sensor density (typically 5184 x 3888 pixels). That will easily print 21.6 x 16.2 inch prints at 240 PPI with no upsizing required. Most subject matter can be printed to 40x30 inches if viewed from the diagonal dimension of the 40x30, which is 50 inches, and will look fine.

Honestly, though, if you photograph sports action, birds in flight, wildlife action, or landscapes, and intend to sell huge prints, you might want to consider full frame. The autofocus tracking systems are generally better on Sony, Canon and the latest Nikon models. And you can get more than 20 real megapixels IF you need to crop a lot.

That said, even if those are your genres, I would wait for the new bodies from both OM Systems and Lumix to be released by the end of this month, and for the first reviews to show up. These new cameras will use a new Sony sensor that is rumored to improve many aspects of Micro 4/3 imaging.

The fact remains that there is no one best camera for everything. There is only the best choice for most of your needs. If you take a long, hard look at what you want to do, and then look at what is available within your budget, you'll know what to do. It's hard to buy a BAD camera in 2022.