cyclespeed Loc: Calgary, Alberta Canada

Have you thought of a donation to a worthy cause?

pdsdville Loc: Midlothian, Tx

I agree with Mark Sturtevant. Pick it up, shoot with it, in a number of situations. Carry it all day. Ask yourself if it is comfortable to hold and operate. If you have to make accommodations to shoot with it, it's the wrong camera for you. Sure you spend a little money on rentals but it's better than spending a lot on something that's just not right for you. That's how I chose my first nice camera and I've been happy with every purchase since. Oh by the way, good luck.

wetreed

You should consider the Nikon D500 and a Tamron 18-400 lens. It will solve all your problems and will be the only set up you will need.

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

neillaubenthal

Since small is the key feature you’re looking for…the Olympus is a nice fit there…just make sure that you are aware of and OK with the limitations of the smaller sensor in both MP and noise. Today’s NR software is pretty good and for any screen output the sensor is fine…for prints there will be a smaller max acceptable size print than a DX or FX sensor…but I don’t print so can tell you what that size is. I would go with the 2 zoom combo though…12-200 is such a zoom range that optically it isn’t going to be as good as the pair of zooms… ut then there’s a heavier kit and lens changes, but that’s what I would go with. Alternatively…and I haven’t compared size and weight…stepping up to the Nikon Z50 2 lens kit or whatever Sony or Canon gear it competes with gives you a bigger sensor with the gains that provides and it will easily fit in a waist pack…that’s what my wife carries.

And…in todays tech environment…essentially the DSLR is end of life tech and likely will see few to no real improvements going forward…they still take great images of course and are all most really need…but to some extent you’re buying outdated tech compared to mirrorless. The latter have some advantages due to the lack of a mirror…EVF and frame rates and such…but most of the improvement in mirrorless is because of newer and better sensors, processors, and algorithms…mirrorless just happened at the same time and added additional benefits. I won’t say don’t buy a DSLR in 2023…just make sure you know what you are not going to get and that you’re ok with that choice. The suggestion to pixk a couple candidates and rent them for a trip to see what feels good is spot on…I don’t like the way some brands fit in my hand and don’t like the way some brands menus work but a lot of the latter is because 8 use another brand rather than a fault…if I used a different brand then I would naturally prefer their menu system…but ergonomic differences may or may not be a big deal for you.

rcarol

The 75-300mm is a good lens but does tend to be soft beyond 250mm.

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

Have you looked at the offerings from Panasonic?

gwilliams6

If going smaller is very important for you, then Yes go OM-1 system and micro 4/3rds over the 1 inch sensor in your Sony RX10 IV. You will lose the advantages of that stacked sensor in the SonyRX10 Iv, but that might not matter that much to you.

Larger sensors do generally have advantages in low light capabilities, and shallower depth of field when you want that effect.

The OM-1 system is well thought out and offers an excellent selection of lenses.

I personally have shot with mirrorless micro 4/3rds, APS-C and fullframe cameras . And for my professional and personal work I prefer fullframe mirrorless. I wont go into all the reasons but simply I love ultimate image quality, resolution and detail.

But I will not try to persuade you to go fullframe, as that would be much heavier and bigger than either your current Sony RX10 IV or an OM-1 micro 4/3rds system.

I think for you the OM-1 system is a better fit that ANY brand APS-C or fullframe system.

Cheers and best to you.

moonhawk Loc: Land of Enchantment

OM-1 has a stacked sensor, too.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

Seems to me that you are comparing 2 cameras of about 20 MP each. Given adequate light the detail of each should be similar. So the question is what does M4/3 give you over 1".

No one has mentioned eye tracking, focus stacking, or any of the latest techy features you indicated was the reason for your discontent.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

As someone that shoots both the RX10MIV and the OM-1 I can say there’s a definitive difference. I use the Sony as my kayak camera, mainly because it gives me a 24-600mm equivalent range in a package I can handle easily in a kayak. I’ve also used my OM-1 with the 40-150 f/2.8 Pro lens and 2x TC in a kayak and it was also easy to handle and got me to the 600mm equivalent but it was tough for closer shots being at 160mm on the short end. That being said, while I’m generally happy with the Sony shots I am limited towards dusk and dawn by the ISO on that 1” sensor. I also find tho Olympus raw files easier to deal with in post. I don’t have the 12-100 but I’ve heard good things about it. And I’m sure the 12-200 is a fine lens but not in the league of the pro lenses. On my hiking trip to Scotland last year I almost exclusively used the 12-40 and it was fine. The one day our hike was along the shores of Loch Leven I switched to the longer setup because if the potential for wildlife, which ended up being a lone grey heron and a multitude of sheep. I also don’t worry about changing lenses in the field. I’ve had the camera since the initial release and never needed to even blow off the sensor. I am careful about pointing it down when changing but it has the best auto sensor cleaning there is. And I also love the “computational photography” features. I’ve used both Live ND and Live Composite fairly often. And Pro Capture is a game changer for wildlife or action.
I’ve included some shots using those features.

Live ND - Ricketts Glen

(Download)

Live ND - Ricketts Glen

(Download)

Live ND - Ricketts Glen

(Download)

Live Composite - The Squinty Bridge - Glasgow

(Download)

Live Composite - The OVO Hydro - Glasgow

(Download)

Live Composite - The OVO Hydro - Glasgow

(Download)

Live Composite - Broad Street in Philly

(Download)

neillaubenthal

Still though…that gives good coverage out to 500mm field of view which for a small/light rig is pretty nice. I don't have a M4/3 rig, but am guessing that the current noise reduction and sharpening software will help with the softness a bit. I'm not really interested in another system though…for casual walking around an iPhone or current Android phone is a pretty good camera on its own as long as longer reach isn't needed. And for my bride and I the next step up would be either the Z50 2 lens kit or my Z7II and a short to mid range zoom for walking around before going up to the big boys.

To be fair…I just checked the size and weight of the OM-1, Z50, and Z7II…the 3 bodies are pretty comparable in size and weight. So…depending on what OPs needs are, going to either DX or FX isn't that much of a weight penalty over the M4/3.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I have the RX10MIV and the OM-1 and the OM-1 beats the Sony hands down.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

You should probably just stay under that rock you crawled out from.

neillaubenthal

There's no reason to be a jerk…much better to play nice.