[pcg]

Numbers and equivalence theory aside , I think you can pretty much summarize things as follows: Smaller sensors = smaller lenses (less weight), lower S/N ratio (noisier images), and more DOF (good or bad depending on your application). Very high quality cameras area available with sensor sizes ranging from 1" ($1200 for the Sony RX-100) to medium format cameras costing upwards of $100,000. All of these sensor formats are available in mirrorless cameras. For me, as a landscape photographer who backpacks, it boils down to my tolerance for dealing with noise vs. weight. Fortunately the cameras I cannot afford I would also be unwilling to carry because of size/weight. I'm very happy with m4/3. I wish I had the lower noise of an APS-C or full frame sensor, but I'm not willing to carry the weight of those systems. In the end this becomes a personal choice. Oh, and one more thing I keep telling people. Sharp glass trumps pixel count every day!

[Tom]

[Bosterson]

[Gil]

So many words. So many stats. So many links. No photos. It's almost like you would rather talk about it than take a photograph!

Morning at Newport Beach

[gb]

[neek]

Well, so much for Olympus. And I was seriously looking at the E-M5. https://www.techradar.com/news/olympus-exits-the-camera-business-heres-what-it-means-for-om-d-and-zuiko-fans Guess I'll switch sights to Fujifilm. Don't want to go full frame.

[InFlight]

[Hesman]

Took some sample pictures this morning of some flowers in my yard with my Fujifilm X-E3 and Fujinon 16-55mm f2.8 lens.

[texasbb]

[pcg]

The u4/3 standard is certainly not going away. And perhaps neither is the line of high-end cameras that Olympus developed, at least not anytime soon... "It's not yet clear what the JIP investment fund intends to do with Olympus' imaging arm, but it's not necessarily the end of the road for its much-loved OM-D cameras or Zuiko lenses... ...The fund will apparently "utilize the innovative technology and unique product development capabilities which have been developed within Olympus, and will realize continuous growth of the business by bringing better products and services to the users and customers". In other words, it will take ownership of Olympus' existing models and look to develop new ones, possibly in line with some of the roadmap the company had outlined up to 2023."

[jaysway]

I am skeptical that Olympus Imaging under the ownership of JIP will be doing a whole lot of innovation. If you look at what they did with VAIO (Sony's previous laptop business), they didn't continue innovating, and basically just capitalized on VAIO's brand recognition while eventually shrinking the business to a few core markets like Japan. You can't buy VAIO laptops in the US anymore, even though 10 years ago you would see multiple VAIO models in stores like Best Buy. Long term, I'm not so sure that m43 is going to survive. The ILC market has been in free fall since 2012, and we haven't hit the bottom yet. I'm pessimistic about Olympus's prospects under JIP, and while Panasonic will certainly continue supporting m43 for some time, they now have a FF line of cameras and lenses that are getting a bit more love now from the company. Meanwhile, the size/weight advantage of m43 has started to shrink as 1) m43 brands create big, bulky cameras like the G9 or the E-M1X...heck even the E-M1 III is almost the same size as a Z6/Z6, R, or A7R IV, etc. Also, the FF companies are starting to create slower lenses like the Canon 105 f/4-7.1 or Nikon 24-200 f/4-6.3 that are relatively small, and still superior from a light gathering perspective (i.e., equivalence) than their m43 counterparts. Now, while I don't think m43 looks great from a financial or business standpoint, I think m43 is a fantastic format for lots of people, especially people posting in this forum. In particular, the stabilization of m43 is unrivaled, meaning that many people trying to save weight could forget about the tripod if they had an E-M1 II with a 12-100 (an incredible combo). The weight savings for the format really start to add up for telephoto lenses, so if you're into wildlife, BIF, or telephoto landscapes, m43 deserves close consideration. And, of course, it doesn't matter if Olympus or Panasonic go out of business today...your m43 gear will keep on working for years and years to come .

[trestle]

It's time for everyone to abandon Olympus and sell me your gear at a huge discount.

[gb]

[pula58]

I ended-up purchasing an Olympus OM-D EM-5 III and a Panasonic Lumix G95. It's going to take me a little while to decide which one to keep. The G95 is easier to use wearing fleece gloves, compared to the Em-5 III. This is because the buttons are smaller on the EM-5. But the Olympus seems to get shaper images. I could be due to the lens (Olympus Pro 12-45mm, vs Lumix 12-60mm), or it could possibly be because the Em-5 has phase detect auto focus. Both take very nice photos. The image stabilization in both cameras is amazing (think photos of tents at night lit-up from inside). The only thing I am not completely satisfied with is the aspect ratio of the u4/3 sensor itself. I don't like the 4/3 width/height ratio, much preferring the 3/2 ratio. Yes, I can crop, and I will. Yes, all cameras have their tradeoffs. On the whole, I 'm good for now!

[gb]

You'll be very happy with that set-up. The 12-45 is supposed to be a very nice lens (sharp, great colors, contrast. Most likely the 4/3 will grow on you over time.