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Maybe its the water in Ithaca ;-)

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

If your daughter decides on Olympus, I would suggest she choose the newer OM-1 ($2200) over the E-M1 mkIII ($1500). The OM-1 menu is much easier than the previous menu, the ISO is comparable to full frame, and image stabilization is about one stop better than the E-M1 mkIII.

If she wants to start with just one lens, the 12-100 f4 Pro IS ($1400) is the best. It is one of the sharpest lens available in any format, easily handholdable to 1 second, and can produce 1/2 lifesize images. It is the "go to" lens for most of us Olympus users for general purpose and travel.

If your daughter likes wildlife, then she can choose between the Olympus 100-400 f5/6.3 ($1400) or Panasonic 100-400 f4/6.3 ($1400) lenses. The Olympus is a little sharper at the 400 end and the Panasonic is a little faster at the 100 end. Choosing one of the two lenses would produce a two lens system. My preference would be the Olympus for the sharper imaging at 400 for wildlife.

If your daughter wanted to expand to a three lens system, she could add either the Olympus 7-14 f2.8 Pro lens ($1300) or the Panasonic 7-14 f4 lens ($800). The Olympus is sharper, rectilinear, and faster but bigger and heavier than the Panasonic. Hopefully, if she has enough experience by this time, she will know which one she would want.

Olympus has been sold with Olympus having only 10% in the OMDS company. OMDS has produced one new body and 3 new lenses since then. They are selling very well in Japan, the land of cameras. There are differences between Sony full frame and Olympus 4/3rds. But if it comes down to size, weight, and cost, an Olympus/OMDS system will beat a Sony system without that much difference in image quality. As long as OMDS stays innovative and Panasonic 4/3rds still/video cameras continue to exist, OMDS is not likely to disappear anytime soon.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

Just this past Tuesday we had a presentation from OM SYSTEMS and got hands on experience with the 4/3 system.
The presentation was made by an OM representative and a Camera retailer who is also a Professional Photographer.

The prints he showed were astounding in sharpness and clarity (mainly macro). He had swapped from a Nikon for his professional work - and people who knew him from within the club would have previously said the chances of Hell freezing over were more likely than him changing brand.

Their stabilisation system claims up to 7 stops effectiveness and even up to 8 with certain lenses,. I shot a few frames at 1.2 seconds handheld and only looked at the rear screen (14x) but there was no apparent shake visible.

I use a CANON 6D mkII with a 4 different lenses and am considering going down the RF route as I'm finding it more of a burden to carry around. But I might wait a little longer and go 4/3rd's.

I was very impressed, and would definitely recommend taking a good look at this option.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

If I had to issue a vote on this it would go to the OM system. The Sony system is an outstanding one, nobody will deny that but it comes at a cost. It is too expensive, specially for the novice.
I own two old Olympus bodies and they usually come with me when I travel. Many times I reach for one of them instead of my dSLR cameras since they are lighter and easy to carry all day. Image quality is excellent as has already been stated.

Since she is a novice she has a lot to learn and could be intimidated by a camera wich so much technology like modern cameras of today. If her husband helps her and I am sure he will, then her learning curve will be tolerable. Keep in mind nobody learns photography in 24 hours although thse cameras when properly set are great learning tools. When we were shooting film we never thought we would be able to look at the results before actual shooting. Look at the rear monitor of any of these mirrorless camera to see the changes we make to the exposure. To me that is a bonus.

Your recommendation of going to the OM system is in my humble opinion a wise one. If she goes to the OM-1 she will have the top of the line and I have heard it is excellent for wildlife. The optics could be expensive too, not as much as those for Sony. A good start could be the Zuiko 12-40 f2.8 Pro or the 12-45 f4 Pro. I do not like to see a novice starting with a professional camera but that is me.

Best of luck to her.

Jeffcs Loc: Myrtle Beach South Carolina

Sony is a great system
Getting Sony FF isn’t lighter than canon DSLR due to FF lenses be it for mirror or mirrorless
Getting the Olympus system is small lighter and most compatible for all types of photography
I run both systems
If I’m going to work I grab Sony as the yearbook company requires FF images
I’m a Nikon DSLR convert and my Sony gear isn’t lighter
If I’m birding or vacationing or any other personal shooting I grab my Olympus
All that said
I am involved with a good size photo club and often place in the top three on competition nights
So she should seriously look at Olympus
My wife love her Olympus gear it’s light and very portable

ELNikkor

Olympus OM-1 and build...

BebuLamar

I think the problem with the OM-1 is that they are back order right now.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

That's worldwide. We (U.K.) were told the same at the club presentation the other night. About 12 weeks I think they said.

tcthome Loc: NJ

I would suggest her going to a camera store To hold the camera & lenses she needs/wants from each for the size & weight. Maybe the sales person their will have enough knowledge of both brands to show the benefits of both brands. There are some OLY vids on you tube that show some shooting options that I believe are specific only to OLY. Here is a link for a search on you tube. DP Review & others probably have some good articles also.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=OLYMPUS+CAMERAS

stevetassi

Are there any camera stores in their area? I would suggest she and her husband go there and have her try different camera models to see what she’s most comfortable with before purchasing.

moonhawk Loc: Land of Enchantment

I haven't gone through all five pages, but Oly wins hands down in size, weight, and price. Also in weather sealing, if she likes shooting outdoors, whiuch it sounds like she does.

As far as quality goes, i defy anyone to look at an image printed of on screen and tell me whether it was made with a micro 4/3 of a full frame.

If she's interested in used, I have an Oly 100-400 for sale, a P/L 100-400 that has a cracked mount but works perfectly (cheap!!), an EM1 mkIII, and an EM1X. Only because the OM-1 is such an imorovement and I have the 150-400.

GLSmith Loc: Tampa, Fl

If your daughter is comfortable with what she sees, she might consider renting one for a week, set aside dedicated time each day if possible to cover different genres of the type of photography she is interested in, befor buying. Also several firms, B&H, KEH, Adorama & MBP offer used cameras in varying degrees of quality i.e. (1-10) etc at reduced prices....If she takes care of it (doesnt drop or get wet) it should pretty much last her for a long time to come.I still have my Nikon EM from the 70s...still takes amazing shots.

gwilliams6

No worry about lens cost for E-mount , it is the most widely manufactured and used lens mount in the world with excellent lenses at all price ranges from Sony, Sigma, Tamron, Samyang/Rokinon, Zeiss, Meike, Viltrox and others. there are literally 200 E-mount lenses on the market. Sony makes many affordable lenses. not all are expensive.

Here is SAB test results on over 150 E-mount lenses (tested on the 61mp Sony A7RIV);
https://sonyalpha.blog/2019/11/10/which-lenses-to-maximise-the-potential-of-the-sony-a7riv/

That being said the Sony A7IV is a superb camera with many great features to use and grow with. It has a fullframe 33mp sensor

The OM-1 system is micro four-thirds and is the best of that smaller format. For least weight yes the OM-1, but for best image quality, fullframe will have advantages over micro four-thirds and APS-C formats.


The OM-1 will take excellent shots but your daughter needs to do a bit of research about the advantages/disadvantages of micro four-thirds sensors. That will help her make the right decision for her.
https://digital-photography-school.com/camera-sensors-explained/

BurkPhoto here in UHH is a longtime Olympus user and can give his experiences using that gear.

I moved from pro Nikon and Canon gear (forty years using both) and now use fullframe Sony gear and love it. I have used APS-C Sony A6500; and fullframe A7RII, A7RIII, A7III, A9, and currently have A1, A7RIV and A7SIII.

I have currently 13 E-mount lenses from 10mm to 600mm from Sony, Sigma and Tamron, and I kept one Canon lens, the Canon TS 17mm f4 Tilt-shift lens which I use on my Sony bodies with the excellent MC-11 adapter.

From Nikon guy Matt Granger: his video on Sony A7IV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIWPaegaZ5A

DPReview on the OM-1:
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/om-system-om-1-review

Cheers

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I think it is commendable that so many want to put her on the right track with a final camera system solution. But I also think that in doing so, we take away a lot of her freedom to find out what she wants to do. And we've presumed that a teaching/learning relationship with her husband will work. That's not true for all married couples.

My suggestion is to get her shooting SOMETHING, perhaps a used camera similar to what she thinks that she wants, so that she can see what she wants to do and what is important to her. Then she can look intelligently for herself and make her own choice what she wants to do for her "final" system. SHe (and by inclusion everyone around her) will be MUCH happier in the long run.