HI Everyone.
Last summer I got a used OMD EM1 mk1 .
with Zuiko 14-150 4.5 -5.6 ..
extremely disappointing with this camera .
Menu is very confusing .
Low light auto focus is rubbish
Battery Life ( even with new battery ) is about 60 shots .
Yet this camera had extremely good reviews ( and still has )

Was thinking of getting another mft camera maybe the OMD EM1 later versions are better ?
Or do I forget MFT and stick to proper DSLR ?

I use also a D300s which is marvelous and was thinking of getting a D7200 as well as I have nikon lenses.
I did like the OMD for it's compact size etc which is why I got it .

So question is are the newer MFT cameras better ?
Or should I stick to tried and tested Nikon DSlR

My photo interests are Street Life / Protests , demonstrations / Night club shots ( so low light capability is important )

Cheers

To answer your question in two words, HECK YES!!!

In 2015, I needed a single camera for both stills and video. dSLRs were clunky. So I took Will Crockett's advice about Micro 4/3. He loaned me a Lumix G3 and a few lenses for a couple of weeks, and I knew it was close to what I needed. But it wasn't enough.

I tried that original OM-D E-M1 (now known as Mark 1) and I found it to suck mightily for what I do. The thing doesn't fit my hands, the controls are in weird places, or worse yet, buried in menus that are annoying. The video was mediocre, and I needed a well-balanced hybrid (stills plus video) system.

I bought another Micro 4/3 camera, the Lumix GH4, instead. I have loved it ever since, although not for sports or wildlife, since it has CDAF with DFD (Panasonic's "contrast detect autofocus with depth from defocus"). For what I do, documentation, portraits, events, street, copy photography, camera scanning film, and especially video, it is great. The Lumix GH6 was tempting, but after Panasonic introduced their full frame S5 Mark II L-Mount camera with Hybrid Phase Detect Auto Focus, I'm deliberately holding out for a GH camera with PDAF.

Meanwhile, both Olympus/OM Systems and Panasonic have released a lot of Micro 4/3 gear that is dramatically better than the OM-D E-M1.

From Olympus, the OM-D E-M1 Mark II and Mark III are substantially better. The OM-D E-M1X is a sports and wildlife camera. The new OM Systems OM-1 is an evolution of all of those, and gets rave reviews from both die-hard Olympus fans and new users alike. Ergonomics, speed, handling, AF, IBIS, and so many other features are all way beyond what you have.

From Panasonic, the Lumix G9 is a bit old at this point, but is a match in many respects for the OM-D E-M1 Mark II and III. It's a great camera for just about anything but action, since it has CDAF. A recent firmware update brought many of the Lumix GH5's video features to the G9.

The current Lumix GH5 II and GH6 are both true hybrid cameras, about equally adept at both stills and video. The GH6 is arguably the most advanced video camera you can buy for under $2500 (New, it's now priced about $1700).

If I had to buy a Micro 4/3 camera today, for anything involving action, it would be the OM Systems OM-1. But since I record both stills and video, it would be the GH6.

There are tons of independent review videos on YouTube, and if you can jump on DPReview.com before April 10 when they shut down, you can find detailed reviews of all Micro 4/3 models there.

Check out used gear at KEH.com, MPB.com, UsedPhotoPro.com, and of course, B&H and Adorama. There are great prices on most models.

You should use whatever camera you like. You don't mention what you like to photograph.


I have 2 MFT cameras - Olympus PENF and EM1 mk III. I love both of these cameras. I also have a D7200 it is a good camera but I must say that I like the Olympus Cameras. I think the images the on the Olympus cameras are a bit better than the Nikon and these cameras have have the articulated screen. The articulated screen is essential for macro and close up work. I take this type of photos often. IBIS on Olympus cameras is super and allows hand holding shots a remarkably slow shutter speeds. I hand held a shot at 1/2 sec with a wide angle lens.

Olympus cameras have a number of computational modes. Live time is useful for long exposures you can see your image "develop" over time and stop when pleased. Live Composite mode just adds new light to an image. One can capture multiple fireworks of lightning bursts in one exposure without over exposing the background. I made a photo containing all the flashes of fireflies over a 1/2 hour period. High resolution mode allows up to 80 MP images. I have used this mode for copy (slides and art works) work. There are many other cool possibilities. None of these is available on my D7200.

It is true that focusing in the later models is better. You may be more satisfied with with an EM-1 Mk iii or the latest OMD-1 camera.

The menu system is different from that used by Nikon. You need to get used to it. (RFM) The super control panel allow for the most common adjustments.

They have to. If you watched the video of the presentation of the S5 II to the various YouTube influencers and reviewers who went to Japan in December, 2021, you saw the whole room erupt in loud cheering and clapping when the marketing guy said, "We did it! Hybrid Phase Detect AF!"

https://www.dpreview.com/interviews/3463104493/panasonic-s-director-of-imaging-talks-s5-ii-micro-four-thirds-and-the-need-for-small-cameras

There were probably 50 English language review videos on YouTube during the week after the S5 II was officially announced, as Lumix had seeded pre-release camera bodies and sets of four prime lenses to the reviewers who went to Tokyo. (Eventually, they had to return those kits.) Very few S5 II reviewers found anything to complain about, and a LOT to like. The new PDAF system just works. It will get better with firmware updates and with each subsequent iteration of the hardware.

If I read between the tea leaves, I see a PDAF Micro 4/3 Lumix camera in the future. GH6 II? G10? who knows.

HI Everyone.
Last summer I got a used OMD EM1 mk1 .
with Zuiko 14-150 4.5 -5.6 ..
extremely disappointing with this camera .
Menu is very confusing .
Low light auto focus is rubbish
Battery Life ( even with new battery ) is about 60 shots .
Yet this camera had extremely good reviews ( and still has )

Was thinking of getting another mft camera maybe the OMD EM1 later versions are better ?
Or do I forget MFT and stick to proper DSLR ?

I use also a D300s which is marvelous and was thinking of getting a D7200 as well as I have nikon lenses.
I did like the OMD for it's compact size etc which is why I got it .

So question is are the newer MFT cameras better ?
Or should I stick to tried and tested Nikon DSlR

My photo interests are Street Life / Protests , demonstrations / Night club shots ( so low light capability is important )

Cheers