I still love MFT, and have no plans to get rid of the system. I would argue though that MFT really need to emphasize its benefits over full frame and APSC by releasing updated versions of cameras like the Pen F and the GX9. A rangefinder style MFT camera with all the features of the OM1 or G9 II, combined with the small primes or zooms would be unique. Focussing on the larger bodies has lost many potential buyers in my opinion.
I wouldn't disagree. I have been talking about PEN-F II and how important it is for OM and M43 in general. We need a camera like that, hopefully with E-M1 III guts or better, with OM-1 techs!
I think they should bring out a OM5mkII as their next camera, with most of the OM-1 squeezed into a OM-5 or slightly larger sized body, iow make it with a proper but small handgrip. For that matter, OM system could probably just enlarge the EM10MkIV housing a bit, it is probably the most comfortable of the small bodies I have worked with. Then they could horse around with the OM-1 and take their time with that. 🙂
Many photographers complain about the m43's "poor dynamic range and noise at higher ISO. Personally, I think this is not a problem. Today's editing software, e.g. Lightroom, allows you to fix both more pixels and reduce noise quickly and easily. Opinions on this?
If I compare bird photos I’ve taken with a Sony A7R4, Canon R5, Fuji X-H2 and my current cameras - an OM-1 and a G9M2 - I can’t see obvious differences in image quality. I have to look at the EXIF data to see which camera I used. The speed of the OM-1 has enabled me to capture swallows swerving in flight, something I wasn’t able to achieve before. The OM-1 is so agile. And I no longer get neck ache after a session in the field!
I totally agree with you: I have been a full frame guy for 15 years with Nikon (analogic before that, and still...). I have bought a micro four thirds OM-D a couple years ago, and this july I decided to switch completely to micro four thirds. I am so happy so far! First thing was the weight: I can carry a camera and four or five lenses all day long without breaking my back like before, and this is a typical situation in what I do as a photographer. Later I realize that, in general terms, micro four thirds has little to envy to full frame in terms of quality, I do large prints now and then and never saw something it could make me regret to have embraced this format. Grain? Not quite: even in low light I usually shoot in a 200 to 400 iso range, We did it in the film days and it worked, so why not now? Please note that I shoot a lot in dance and theatre shows, in low light of course, and no problems at all. I enjoy more my job now, I couldn't be happier.
Best gear advice I have ever heard in 55 years of playing with cameras is: “only when you have found and reached the limitations of your gear should you change gear.” I bought into Olympus Mft because with two lenses I can cover 98% of my needs. I still haven’t found the limit of my kit so no change for me. 😊
For that reason I have rolled back in the equipment. Just for fun I buy old legacy MFT gear and I challenge myself to work with limitation in those. Example, Panasonic GM1 is for many a real jewel. I have one as well, but it was released December 2013, so could be said "early 2014" from technical standpoint. A 16 Mpix sensor, a very nice 12-32mm lens.. And then limited with 1/500 mechanical shutter speed, after that it uses fully electronic shutter to shorter exposure times. My favorite from small ones is Olympus E-PM1, from July 2011. So 2.5 years older body, with 12Mpix sensor. And those who don't know, M stands for Mini, L for Lite in the P as PEN series. E-P E-PL E-PM From largest to smallest. The main difference is that L has a tilting screen since E-PL3, where M has always integrated. The Lite was slimmed version from PEN. The E-PM1 is almost as tiny as GM1... That Panasonic managed to pull very nicely. Sadly Olympus ended E-PM line after E-PM2 that launched same time with E-PL5. It could have become better by shrinking it even more to GM1 class, especially when GM5 was last as well... The E-PM1 is maybe worst camera from Olympus for mFT system, and I love to challenge myself with it. E-PM2 added touchscreen, Fun button and made a dedicated trash button. The lack of touchscreen is challenging, as it would be so easy to do things, like focus or select images or adjust settings. I am hard believer that E-PM and GM should have continued, but made more serious for small purpose. A Micro SD cards instead SD cards. USB-C and USB charging. Bluetooth connection to smartphones, automatic image copying even! Lot of functional art filters, actually fun and useful. Add two Fn buttons more, to front, and add proper two dials capability like E-P series with vertical dial. Offer three optical viewfinders in kit, 12 & 17mm, 25mm and 45mm to be attached to hotshoe, as a suggestion to buy more lenses! I have currently E-PM1 mounted to Olympus 100-400mm f/5-6.3. it works very fine. Fast focusing, accurate, but challenge see screen in direct sunlight hitting screen and not being able tilt it upwards... But that old first gen 12Mpix sensor does fine...!
I'm able to carry two of the largest MFT cameras with me along with a pro level super telephoto prime, macro, and standard zoom all at once. Never giving that up. I have no problem getting a FF if I'm doing super early morning photography on occasional use. My biggest problem is what marketing has done to photography. You get convinced to switch systems all the time and when you get to that system (I especially see this with FF cameras), there's someone telling you that's not good enough either because you don't have the latest and you don't have the 10,000 dollar lens and the $6,000 camera for that system.
My entire camera setup is less than 4k USD with the 20mm pro, 8-25 pro, 12-100 pro and OM5. No other camera system is that capable at that price and for that small of a package.
I have visited the marvels of the new gear and been left cold my all that wonderful specs . Why ? Well , as you made clear, Jimmy ; was the size , lightness and usefulness of MFT . I continue to use an EM 10 Mkii and cannot justify changing it at my age . I have no more neck ache and can fit my entire kit in a Billingham bag and that is a bonus , but usually go out with one prime or the kit zoom . Working with the limitations of the kit I have and I know I can get the pics I am seeking and I get a smile from my photography like I did back in the old film days shooting monochrome . Thanks again Jimmy for this video .
Good one, I am travelling overseas in 2024 for the first time in many years and gear is EM-1 mk 2, 12-45, 40-150 F4.0 Pro lens and 20mm Pro lens. This is my 3 lens set up. Safe travels.
OM system is excellent for traveling and for any other photography. I love 60 mm lens (its size / weight / sharpness) to do a macro, small f1.8 primes or any Pro lens actually, build as a tank. If noise was an issue years ago, now modern m43 sensors are perfect in pair with any better AI denoise software ...
I used a similar setup with em5 body about 10 years ago. These days my phone has replaced this setup. I still use m43 a lot but with different lenses and for different types of shots
Nice. My upcoming trip to Munich, i will be bringing the old Em5 original w 12-45mmpro and the lumix 35-100mmf2.8 wihich is a tiny f2.8 zoom too.OM1 will be staying at home.
My travel setup is the E-M5 III with 12-45mm and 40-150mm-the 8-25mm is way too bulky for my taste, I carry the Laowa 10mm instead. That also offers me some amount of background blur with it’s 2.0 aperture
I switched a lot between systems. Had all the sensor sizes and bodies. MFT is more then sufficient for 95% of the scenarios. Its a great system. One of the best lens selections.
MFT is my choice---Panasonic G9ii--an amazing camera with great AF. I wish the AF system had been put in the GH6, but alas, the G9 is a truly great camera. When you need reach it is , pound for pound, untouchable, and the image clarity and sharpness can't be beat. For video, that's all I do, it's a dream. And it doesn't ruin my 77 year old back!
Sold my m4/3 Olympus system, 1.2 primes and 2.8 zooms, three years ago. Recently needed an ultra light travel system. Now have: OM-5, 20mm f/1.4, 40-150 f/4, 12mm f/2. Could not be happier.
I have the 12-40 f 2.8 pro ii and the 40-150 f 2.8 pro, but I find myself using the 12-100 f4 pro more than the others combined. It's so versatile, and works with Sync IS. It's a great travel lens, especially as I like to hike. I can still zoom in on wildlife, while getting the wide-angle view of 12mm. I realize it's not as wide as I could get, but if I really want a panoramic, I take a series of photos and stitch them together later. If I had to choose just one lens to carry for travel, it would be the 12-100. The weather sealing is also really nice. I don't always end up in the nicest weather, so knowing my equipment won't end up failing me, or even permanently damaged, is reassuring.
MFT has to produce small cameras because that would be the only reason that would separate them from the competition. This is what made them market leaders a few years ago. And the market needs small camera because there is nothing like that these days. Since they make cameras as big as the competition that has FF sensors and the same price, they have absolutely no chance to survive. MFT producers must return to their origins, all MFT lovers are waiting for the sequels to the GM, GX, Pen, OM-D series, small cameras that can be taken anywhere, not huge bodies of the caliber of FF cameras.
I love M4/3 and I just came back to it from Sony a7 series. But the bigger systems are catching up faster then M4/3 is improving. Speaking of travel companions: Tamron 17-50mm f 4 is pretty much the same size and weight as Olympus 8-25mm f 4 PRO. The Tamron 70-300mm f 4.5-6.3 is not that big or heavy either and you have 17-300mm in 2 lenses. The Tamron 50-400mm f 4.5-6.3 gives you even more reach in a 2 lens combo for not much more weight either. Tamron 28-200mm f 2.8-5.6 is much the same size and weight of the Olympus 12-100mm f 4 PRO. Yes, I know they are no PRO moniker or f 4 constant lenses, just the first lenses travel friendly that come into my mind. There are other options like Sony 20-70mm f 4 and the new 70-200mm f 4 Macro. Sigma has the very budget friendly, small and light 16-28mm f 2.8 Cont. and 28-70mm f 2.8 Cont. But has missed the chance on a compact telephoto zoom so far.
Good video - whilst I absolutely love the R&D and quirkiness put into M43, I'm much happier since I moved to Fujifilm 3 years ago. Have not once regretted the jump or ever thought about M43 since.
for now.. i think MFT is no longer like the past, where it was the lightest camera product. Now the best in my opinion is Fujifilm with Viltrox and TT Artisan lens autofocus..
I traveled a lot for work using photos to document building structures & for also pleasure trips. I still use micro 4/3 because of size & capability. My favorite lens is the 12-45 f4 pro.
Oly should have come out with f4 zooms a long time ago, may be mFT would have caught on a lot more. The 12-40mm f2.8 will allow you focus closely to get shallow DOF, can make for interesting foreground or blowing out the back ground, and inside buildings the f2.8 can help. TBH I'm off on my holiday to Sousse m.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro & 25mm f1.4, M10 mk 1 + grip and 3 batteries.
Love ya work Red. I use Nikon full frame gear but when I went to New York I left the 70-200 at home because of its size and weight. Didn't really miss it but my longest focal length was 50mm. But I think that's just me. Even at home I rarely shoot above 50mm The 14-24 is by far my most used lens. Horses for courses. Everything you say is true and I'd love to be able to afford all types of camera, but you know ....if I was a rich man.... lol!
I have included m43 gear in my travel pack since the ep1 and epl1 debut...I have also often included full frame..apsc...and larger formats...nowdays ...at 70yrs young and living in Bangkok...I primarily rely on my m43 gear. ...cheers
The Sony APSC setup of A6600 with 10-18 f4, 18-135 f3.5-5.6, and 70-350 f4.5-6.3 offers similar weight and more versatility with an equivalent full frame focal range of 15-525 vs 16-300 in your example with arguably superior autofocus
The OM-5 paired with the f/4 pro lenses is great. I was skeptical about buying the 12-45mm f/4. But soon I found I took it with me all the time. I added the 40-150mm f/4. The combination of pro series, small size, and price point make these a wonderful choice. I add in the 20mm f/1.4 pro that combines with the other two and the OM-5 for a small sized, all-day walk around travel kit. No worry about bad weather, either. Bad weather = great picture opportunities.
I just came back from a trip to Disney World with the family. In the interests of keeping things light I decided to leave my two M4/3 pro 2.8 zooms at home snd shoot only primes. At the last minute I bought a used 12-200 and threw that in the bag too (longest prime I had was 56mm f1.4 sigma and had a feeling it would be too short). In truth I rarely took the 12-200 off the camera.and was really pleased with the quality of the results. Next trip will be just the 12-200 and my 25mm f1.2 pro!
Just to share my gears for trips: OM-1, Pana 10-25mm f/1.7 + M. Zuiko 45mm f/1.2(Pana for wide landscapes + both for events portraits), M. Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8 + MC1.4/2.0 (for birds). 10mm-300mm (FF eq. 20-600mm), cover almost everything. Weight: around 2.5Kg. Hand carry on flight without any problem at all. FF and APSC are definitely impossible with such focal ranges and weight.
I changed to MFT from full frame half a year ago, and I haven't regretted it for a moment. There are some nagging thoughts every now and then, mostly when having to shoot high ISO or using vintage lenses, but the former rarely happens, only happened once and the people I shot for didn't notice it at all, and the latter really isn't something I'm doing much any more anyway. There's so much to this system that people are not told, and I feel that the "TH-cam reviewers" really need to consider who they're really working for and being honest about it. Full frame is fine and perfect if you're professional and have a studio, or if you have no problems bringing a lot of gear with you easily, but for the every day photographer with not too much money, who would like to be a little more serious about his/her photography, the MFT is in my mind the perfect system. On that, this is also the most flexible system, allowing you to do anything really. With full frame you often have to prioritize, either on what you purchase or what you bring with you.
Hi Jimmy, I agree with you, M43 is great for travelling (but also great for candid portraits, child photography, street photography, etc). Pure for travelling I think possibly the ultimate ' portable set' you can do is the Zuiko 12-200 mm (it;s even weatherproof!) coupled with a few primes (25 1.8/ 45 1.8) or perhaps the 12-40 mm 2.8 for low light shooting/portraits during your travel. Last year I went to Curacao and took with me my EM5iii, the zuiko 12-40 F2.8, panasonic 35-100 F2.8, zuiko 75-300, zuiko 25 F1.8, zuiko 45 F1.8, zuiko 14-42 F3.5-5.6 lenses. It all fitted nicely in my luggage, and I've used them all. A little bit off topic: during that travel I found out again that the zuiko 14-42 kit lens is a much overlooked gem,.
Because it is good enough when you need to go light. As long as there is enough light that is. I would never pick the slow zooms though. Small primes are lighter, sharper and faster. Large zooms make the small sensor light gathering limitations even worse and defeat the compactness argument of the whole system.
OMDS and Panasonic need to make their lenses and bodies fully compatible, no exceptions. OMDS also need to refresh their f/1.8 trio, with weather sealing. The 17mm and 25mm need better optics, too.
I've been interested in getting into micro four-thirds for a while as a compact tele camera. Usually the way I think about it is there is a point of diminishing returns where crop sensors are mostly indistinguishable from full frame - basically after a point bokeh is bokeh and compression is compression, if you get what I mean. I find my 1" point and shoot is great for what I need, it just stops at 105mm. Micro four-thirds can really give me that r e a c h. For me, I'd say stick to full frame for 35mm and wider. Aps-c is fine for 40mm and longer. Micro four-thirds is best at 85mm and up. Not that it's bad to shoot a tiny 17mm on a micro GM1 or PEN, but I don't know if a compact FF with a 35f2.8 pancake is significantly more cumbersome for the benefits it offers in terms of min/max balance. I'd love a new compact PDAF camera from Olympus or Panasonic though. A GM1 with S5II auto focus would be wild. I might even replace my Ricoh GR if it's got a flip up screen. 😂
Thanks Jimmy, great content, wonderful location and colours. The Pen-F, EM-5 II and F1.8 primes are still my favourites, tiny and fun, it would be wonderful to see some updates with the same build quality at some point.
Exactly MFT for me is all about two things. The small 1.8 primes from OM system and the pro telephoto lenses. But I think realistically the small and fast 1.8 primes are the main thing people value about mft. They are fast and super light to a degree that no larger system can emulate. Both OM and Panasonic need to concentrate on those and polish them up for maximum attractiveness. Weathersealing would be a great update for example. I know that’s typically a 1.2 pro thing, but the 1.2 pros are so big you might as well get a sony nowadays, so I think they should take a hit on the pro lenses to make their extremely competitive 1.8 lenses as attractive as possible.
The last time I travelled (Tokyo in May), I have with me a Lumix G95, with a Pana Leica 12-60 and a 17mm f/1.8, just as a standby in case I need something bright at night. So I basically used an even lighter package, albeit with a smaller range of reach. Gosh, I really want a 8-25mm f4 someday.
In the spring I will be on vacation in Aruba, my cameras will be a Olympus OMD 1MKIII and a EM5 MKIII with a few zoom and prime lenses, I photograph the local wildlife,landscapes and street photography in the Palm beach area. I carry a camera with me most of the time as their is photography opportunities from iguanas around the Resort and beach along with Pelicans diving into the ocean for fish. The two camera bodies are great travel cameras, and like you I also have full frame and APSC cameras in addition to my 4/3 cameras. My last addition to my collection of cameras is a Nikon Z6Ii and ZF.
Completed a cruise in UK / Europe last September with ONLY with Olympus EM -1 MK II and the Zuiko 12-100 f4 along the Panasonic 14mm f2.5 … this was one of the best travel kit ever (for me) with a fast and very small prime along the 24-200mm FF equivalent. The entire kit was light and basically all weather sealed! Hard to beat isn’t it?
I only use the first-gen E-M5 and the 12-45 f/4....as far as digital goes, that really is everything I need. The size (and weight) is really lovely! (and the weather sealing, my main reason to even use a digital camera besides colour images (I don't get along with colour film))
Jimmy Thank you !! Enjoy yourself there too ! Yes ,i agree there are pro and con to every system. I use MFT but have Nikion DX and FX cameras / DSLR . I am tbinking of a Sony FF A7ii ..but need to invest in lens .I was looking at Nikon Z50 ,since i have Nikon lenses would work fine w Nikon adspter .However , used market Sony more features v Z50 .Anyway I am fully invested in OM.and Lumix .My ONLY CONCERN the R&D that Nikon ,Canon and upstart Sony can bring to their products .Jimmy lets face it we are more than twenty years into Digital .Back in thd film days ( I used Minolta 9xi , 8000! ,7000i ) Mostly Rail Road photography across USA . The majority of pics were just fine .We had the intevention of electonics ( I purcased a Cannon T90 ).it was fantastic ,but chasing trains on thd High Iron was a wee bit better w/ Auto focused when in motion . In conclusion MTF has a loyal following . Converserly there are laws of physics that may limit a sensor ,but maybe there are tech teeks thsy OM and Panasonic may employ to compete w/ FF frenzy. Just as a side bar OM.Lumix listened to their customer base and addressed firmwares updates ...Just in passing I MAY be wrong but Sony is charging for updates !! Anyway Jimmy thank you for your insight ,time and unbiased advice !! BE WELL !!
I started in MFT when I used a MFT camera in conjunction with two ENG cameras to film live theatre, concerts, and dance shows. Now I have two GH5s, one GH5 ii and a GH6. The deeper depth of field is actually an advantage for me.
M43 definitely offers the best bang for the buck. I rarely need to shoot in high ISO situations with a fast shutter speed in low light. The system works perfectly for me.
I like the same things and added the 20mm 1.4 + 12-45mm this black friday to my om-5 collection. They might replace the leica 12-60mm WS and 25mm 1.4 WS version, but I am not sure yet. Another great thing about mft is the many small and high quality options available, also on the second hand market. My main gripe with the OM5 is for video, and not talking about the 10 bit ommision: they crippled the hdmi output to 1080p mode only, and recording 4k and monitoring 1080p is not possible either..
I can understand that. OM5 is great for what I did in the video, travel videos, but for serious stuff, I would be using bigger cameras, like OM-1 or GH6 (even G9 II). OM-5 is just a pocket rocket.
I like bird photography and the Panasonic 100-400 is the biggest and heaviest lens im prepared to carry. There are so many m43 lenses of high quality that I have or could afford. When I look at other systems the price seems a bit higher , in some cases a lot higher for Olympus quality lenses. Even the affordable Panasonic 14-140 is amazing and one of my favourite lenses.
I have the 2.8 trinity. Especially on the 12-40 I ise 2.8 a lot and find the DOF just right. The 40-150 I use mostly in daylight. I would be happy with f4 here and appreciate the smaller size. ...BUT the 2.8 trinity is around for a while, so the cost almost the same on the used market as the f4. At least at the moment.
My current kit is OM-1, 12-45 f/4 Pro and 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye Pro. This all fits into a very small bag which still has room for extra batteries and even my two-battery charger, which of course stays behind in the hotel. So far, I am happy with the fisheye as my super wide lens, de-fished or not. Eventually I might get the 8-25 f/4 Pro, but then I would need a bigger bag (that's how small my bag is now). Not sure how often I would use the 40-150 f/4 if I had it; I'm happy with digital 2x tele for now, which gets me to 90mm. So yeah, my little 2 lens kit is awesome. People should really take a look at that fisheye lens as a powerful tool!
Agreed Jimmy, my last trip to Europe a few weeks ago I took my OM-5 with the 12-45 f4, 20mm f1.4 and the Panasonic 9mm, next time I will take my 8-25mm and 40-150mm f4s as I found myself changing lenses to much, to be honest I did miss my OM-1 though and would have been happy with the 12-100mm combo
Thank you for your video. I love small and light gears because it is so much easy to carry around, not just in my carry bag, but also while shooting. I would like to think I am more like yourself (except I'm a very casual photo snapper). I have ben thinking real hard to purchase and use these f4 pro lenses. I have been so so temped. Especially the 8-25mm. Now I am even more tempted. e.g. I like the size of my m.uzuiko14-150mm but not at all happy with the photo quality. I have F2.8 pro series, but I hardly use. I mostly carry my OMD EM5iii and EM10iv with f1.8 prime lenses (from 12mm up to 75mm), plus Laowa 7.5mm f2. The reason is not because I don't agree with your choices but my most used cases are at night, often dimly lit places (and often protected from natural elements), and subjects are people, and with no flash, and I love wide angle lenses. F4 is a little too dark for my use cases, e.g. f4 I shoot 1/25, shutter speed, with f2.8 would be 1/35 and with f1.8 1/60. While IBIS helps but people move, so I need a shutter speed higher than 1/60. But I am still sooo tempted to get 8-25mm and 40.150mm for travelling, cityscapes (and when I want to go very light and have decent wide angle, I can very well live with my 9-18mm F4-5.6 lens at night) . Ahhh your video makes my life hard, and potentially harder on my purse. Hahaha.
I've been juggling my kit to bring as little as possible (while still getting the best image quality) when we go on a cruise. I've found that at the end of a cruise, I'm so pooped out at my final port that I can barely stand to carry even my E-M5 Mk III around. I've settled on two options: the 8-25 + Panasonic 35-100 f/2.8, or the 12-100 plus my Rokinon fisheye or Olympus Body Cap fisheye. Maybe also toss in the Laowa 10mm f/2. I'm eyeing the Panasonic 9mm prime, but can't quite justify getting it yet, as I already have the Olympus 9-18.
I hope TTArtisans makes some autofocus micro four thirds lenses. Cheap and good lenses for the money. I shoot mainly the smallest lenses I can get away with for fun shoots. For work, it's the pro zooms of Lumix for me. I do love your Oly set ups.
I was all in on MFT from the very first Olympus E-M10. I had to chase one down in HK when everyone was trying to get me to buy Canon or Nikon. Then I sold it because I thought full frame and APS-C was better. Just bought the E-M10 Mark IV this week because looking back at all the pics I've taken with different cameras all my favourites were on the E-M10!!!!!
Yes, many still don't believe me that I also use APS-C and Full Frame when I make these videos. They all have their positives and negatives and I think M43 is very good at most things and for most people. Chasing maximum ISO numbers or resolutions aren't. photography, only small part of it. Take that away, M43 is as competent as any photographic tools since the beginning of photography.
I've been using m43 for over a decade for both stills and video, and while i also use full frame cameras, I won't ever leave the m43 system. In fact I've recently been picking up some older, second hand m43 cameras, just because i love using them. I really dislike travelling with bulky gear, whereas m43 is diminutive and fun to use. These are big selling points IMO.
Back in 2011 I bought the Olympus PEN E-PL1 with the twin kit lenses (Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 and M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f4-5.6). Back then there were not so many lens choices so I also carried a CCTV lens and a Minolta Rokkor 50mm F1.4 (the Rokkor was probably a little heavy, lol). I took those travelling and it was a lot of fun. Small enough for hand carry luggage too. Before I would bring a small Fuji point and shoot camera for travels. I now have the Olympus E-M5 and E-M5 Mark ii which I like a lot. Not as small as the E-PL1 but it's a big upgrade. I don't have any Pro lenses but I do use the Panasonic pancake lenses (14mm f2.5 and the 20mm f1.7) when I want to keep things minimal. It's true though, once you have kids the backpack quota is taken up with food, drink, clothes, maybe toys/books too.
I treated myself to an E-PL1 almost exactly 14 years ago and was hooked on micro four thirds. I've slowly built up my collection of lenses and updated the bodeis and they make ideal travelling companions, so much so that I hardly take my Nikon APS-C stuff anywhere now and am seriously contemplating selling it or trading it in for more MFT gear. I'm off to Germany for a few days at the weekend for the Christmas Markets and will be taking Olympus and Lumix gear with me. Small enough to fit in a sling bag and light enough to carry around all day and with excellent image quality, I'm going to test its low light performance over the next week. I still dream of getting to Hong Kong one day, it's been on my bucket list for a while but the riots and then Covid stopped me. Now it's a lack of money that gets in the way ! Stay safe everyone, and as Jimmy says, "Peace"
I love the f4 trinity. The lower size, weight and cost for the sake of 1 stop? For me, it's a no-brainer. I also carry an f1.8 prime for low light or differential focus but even then the combined weight and bulk is a winner.
I just bought OM-5 for exactly the same reasons. It's my last try of M43. So far I'm quite happy. I got 9mm F1.7, 17mm F1.8 and got 45mm F1.8 already. But haven't shot many photos yet :D.
Man I was pretty die hard MFT. Moved over to APSC/fuji because of the lack of support for new key cameras. The G9 ii felt like the leftovers of an S5 ii … kinda feel like an MFT body has no business being that large too. I wish OM systems would push a bit harder to pump out awesome small cameras. The EM-5 ii was my favorite camera of all time. The iii was good too just didn’t like that plastic-y feel to it. Hope OM systems would go back to smaller retro styled focused cameras
This is full circle, went to Seoul and Hong Kong in 2012 but only had a Canon IXUS 100 IS with me Photos pretty good but wanted better for next time. Looked at MFT cameras in duty free on the way out. Eventually settled on an E-PM1 kit from Jessops and never looked back. Would love to go back to Hong Kong and see what results I get with my current MFT kit. I would take a fast prime though as took a lot of night street photography and would not want too slow a shutter speed.
The lumix set of 1.8 primes, with the S5ii is hardly back breaking. I had the OM-1 and EM1X with the Pro lenses, but it really comes down to image quality and the advantages of FF. And as a side note, it's all gone very quiet over at OM and it's soon going to be 2 years since the OM-1.
Lumix 1.8 FF are quite a bit bigger than the Lumix 1.7 primes or Olympus 1.8 primes if comparing like for like. I am not discounting the size or weight of S5ii or any small primes. But if you use equivalents, a set of f4 zooms, you can't match what I had in the video. I also have the new Nikon Zf and three small primes, I could have said/used it for this video but they aren't the same. I won't have the reach or versatility of any of these zooms here.
A big reason is when I look at lenses like the z24-120 and realise it's going to cost me a grand I cry. I just can't afford to build a good collection of full frame glass like I can with m43. Ok equivalence and all that but the size, cost and sharpness is still a thing.
Hi Jimmy. Yep I don't think you can beat M43 as a travel setup for portability. All the lenses you have taken are fabulous but I must admit I am not sure why you would take the 8-25 and 12-45 when you have the 9mm Panasonic. Think I would prefer to take the 9mm and 12-45mm, creating an even smaller travel set with the benefits of a fast prime.
If you watched my previous travel vlog, I needed 8mm to match my previous photos I took. Also, I used 9mm for vlog only, 8-25mm for my walk around street photos.
Thank you - someone talking sense about the f4 lenses....I switched my travel gear to the F4 lenses, there are are very few situations where I need anything more than f4 when traveling - I just stick on my 20mm f1.4 at night and I am done.... Having said that - I am eyeing up a switch to Fuji which is the same size of smaller with better performance. The X-T30 ii with some of their f2 lenses is smaller...
The problem with the smaller Fujifilm bodies is that they lack IBIS and the small f2 prime lenses are not stabilized, the XT5 IS a relatively small camera about the size of a Olympus OMD 1MKIII, I have the XT3 and XT5 and XH2, the XT5 is a great travel camera with the right lens.
I’ve recently sold a X-T30 to get an OM-5. I found Fuji’s 35mm F2 prime to be often inaccurate in AF, especially with the eye detection. The WB was always a bit off too. I dislike the plastic body of the OM-5, but otherwise I’m quite happy with the move. I no longer need to think about the WB. For some reason I have less work to do in the post with Olympus files than with Fuji’s. And the IBIS is just phenomenal.
A follow-up to another comment on earlier post. Is there any chance you have done anything with Panasonic Leica 9mm f1.7 DG Summilux on an OM1 using Starry AF? Thanks.
The F4's are really cool, but they didn't exist yet when I got my set of three F2.8 PRO zooms. Plus the MC1.4 tele-extender. I don't think the F4's are *that* much smaller than the F2.8's - especially on the two shorter zooms - to make me wish to switch. Have you used the 40-150 F4 with a tele-extender?
One other thing, I know a lot of people use their camera phone for travel, for me photography is about using a camera, using a phone does not make me feel like I'm using a camera, for me it is the worst photography experience more so than the Canon point and shoot cameras going back 15 years ago when I started digital photography.
Hi, yeah MFT lenses are much smaller and compact specially in télé and middle range...Body are lately the same like the G9ii and S5II. I have both,and for video you get fantastic image from P4K, GH5s and it is really close to FF with fast lenses...P4K has a lot of DR. For photo I will prefer FF but it is personal...
I've travelled all over with different MFT bodies as my primary cameras, right now I use an E-M5.iii and G9. I'm holding out for a possible L-mount APS-C body from Sigma to move to. Panasonic has MFT, and Leica pretty much abandoned the TL/CL line (I have a CL and love it, it holds true to MFT more than a lot of MFT bodies in terms of being compact), yet Sigma keeps releasing APS-C lenses for L-mount. They stopped releasing those in MFT due to there "not being enough demand or audience with MFT", yet there's enough demand for a mount that has literally zero APS-C bodies in production and few FF bodies with enough resolution to still have a decent size image after a crop. The SD Quattro H was my go-to studio camera and the fp is one of my favorite cameras period despite its flaws. My hope is they release an SD Quattro with a cut down flange/mount to match l-mount with a tilt version of the fp's display, the fp's interface/features, and an APS-C sized sensor package from the fp-L for PDAF with the 24 or so MP of the fp and IBIS included (CMOS, not foveon, I'm a Sigma fanboy, but even I hate the processing required and horrific performance of foveon anywhere but midday or a studio, the fp series has a great sensor IQ wise). My Leica CL with the Sigma 90mm f2.8 has served me just about as well as my Oly 75mm f1.8, having Sigma's compact lenses, both APS-C and FF, on an updated body would be enough for me to go back to Sigma. Make it full e-shutter even, hopefully with a smaller and updated sensor package/processor readout wouldn't be as bad for rolling shutter. Or hell, global shutter isn't a new technology, marketing stressing stops of dynamic range have held it back from being a reality on the market for years now because manufacturers were afraid of people being scared of "going backwards" in terms of dynamic range. Lose some dynamic range, still blow foveon away, and have a global e-shutter body to show the market that with modern advancements most of FF's fluff is marketing outside of niche use cases. Sigma fanboy rant aside, I've loved my MFT gear and wouldn't get rid of it even if my dream Sigma camera came out. OM-S is probably done with cameras, they might replace what's left to get rid of the Olympus branding, but the parent company is a vulture just selling off R&D and tooling already developed by Olympus for the most part. They may do a last ditch effort, if that's the case it might be the camera that replaces the E-P7 to get rid of the Olympus branding that also takes over what would be an E-M10 update. Basically an E-P7 with an OVF bump and hardware on par with what would be an OM-10 including the pricing. Would probably sell well to general consumers, but it'll anger Pen-F fans that want something on par with the Pen F. The Pen F will never happen again, the tooling and manufacturing alone basically killed Olympus Imaging with how expensive it was compared to the relative flop sales were. The G9ii is great so far, but it only exists because a massive amount of R&D and tooling was recycled from the S5ii. I'm probably going to get a G9ii down the road, but the updates released for the G9 over the years have made it still a solid camera even with AF for stills (all I shoot, zero video, that's my travel/work partner's job she hates that usually goes to a third person in real jobs).
I find the FF vs MFT debate so funny. They just have different advantages. The thing that irritates me though is the way that MFT is painted as inherently inferior by folks that simply don't require its particular benefits in their shooting style. There are so many advantage to MFT, they are just different to the advantages of full frame. We all shoot differently, in different environments, at different focal lengths, with different budgets. Some people hike for hours to get where they are shooting, other people don't have to carry their gear at all. At this point, if I only wanted to shoot between 20mm and 70mm, I probably wouldn't choose MFT either. There would be enough lightweight FF options to have it all, portability and great low light abilities, still a small sacrifice in stabilization, but that is getting there too on the s5ii. But as soon as we start shooting between 70mm and 200mm (and certainly beyond), I don't want to carry those lenses on my back any distance at all. With MFT I have 18-600mm equivalent in a small shoulder bag, and at a fraction of the cost that the same FF reach would cost. Not everyone wants 600mm on them, just incase they see an owl, but depending on where I am, I do. Do the shots I get with that mediocre lens mft lens look as nice as the ones I used to get on my Sony a7iv with the sigma 100-400? No. But I almost never had that lens with me. And even when I did, I missed many many shots because of the inferior stabilization. Video was nearly impossible hand held at that length on my FF setup, but looks great on MFT. Different strokes for different folks.
Nice clip Jimmy. I can get x2 OM-1 cameras, 150-400mm, 40-150mm f2.8, 90mm macro, a Lumix 12-35mm lenses plus x1.4 & x2.0 TCs together with spare batteries and charger and large B&W headphones etc into a plane under seat hand luggage backpack !!! Nothing I know can compete with this never mind the relatively low weight. Stay cool Peace ✌️✌️😊
Thanks for your comments. How do you rate the 90mm f3.5 for general photography? At f5.6 and at 90mm, how would you compare the image quality of the 40-150mm to the 90mm? Thanks, Peter.
I had really draconian restrictions in my last trip, coming from Europe to Japan and then to Okinawa and Amamioshima. I was only allowed a 10Kg of luggages to and from the islands, so I carried with me a GX9 which I was charging in camera, a 20mm 1.7, a 12-32 f:3.5-5.6 and a 35-100mm f:4-5.6 for a grand total of 800g. I still prefer the look of my FF camera, when I have no limitation, but there is NO WAY I could have taken with me a complete set up with that weight! Unfortunately it was not a weather sealed kit, and it was raining a lot, but there is only so much you can do under those weight limitations
I noticed you used OM-5. I’ve just come back from a Barcelona trip with my Sony a7R4 and it’s been a back breaking experience. Been thinking about getting either a Ricoh GXIII or GXIIIx but I would be limited to fixed lenses, so your point of view is interesting to me, but I’m concerned about the autofocus capabilities of the OM-5. In my old age I am both farsighted and nearsighted, so I rely on the camera’s autofocus… would the OM-1 be better instead?
Everytime I look at my friends FF-System, when I see the 50mm 1.8 or the 100-400mm f4-5.6, I think those are huge. Why is the 35mm Z Mount 1.8 so big ? And the 100-400 so expensive ? No, everytime I compare the systems, I‘m more happy with my OM-1, the 12-45 f4 and my PL 100-400mm and PL 15mm f1.7 lenses.
What about the 12-100 f4 pro, did you not choose that because of weight while handling or because it doesn't have good enough quality compared to the other lenses?
Take GX8 or GX9, put 14-140 (28-280 ff equivalent) and you are good to go. It will cover 90%+ of all situations. Add a fisheye and a fast one and you cover 99% for size and price of single good FF lens. I blame TH-camrs for gear-centric approach. If you can't make modern camera, even cheapest one, work - its on you. Most if not all great Fotos pf all time have been made using mediocre to bad gear from current point of view.
Great video! I can't tell people enough how much I love the system on my channel. But I guess that's why we are OM system ambassadors 😂 love your street photography images. I'm more into natural landscape and what yous ay is tru. I always carry lenses between 7 and 400mm with me and I can shoot everything I see. So why cary around all that heavy stuff right? We should make a video together someday 😂 grt guido
So what if larger-format bodies are getting smaller (I prefer larger bodies anyway)... It's the lenses that matter, which is why I consider MFT the best ILC system not just for travel, but for general use as well. Of course, EFL range depends on what and how you shoot, but the primary reason I went with MFT was that I often "need" longer lenses and the Leica 100-400 (EFL 200-800mm) was why I went with the Lumix G9. No way would I even consider carrying lenses anywhere near that long in any larger format (and it would require two carry-ons and a cooperative travelling companion to even get an "equivalent" larger-format system on a commercial airplane). One LowePro AW450 easily handles all of my MFT gear (six lenses covering 12-800mm EFL, three cameras, battery grip, filters, batteries/chargers, lighting, rarely-used tri-pod, laptop, etc.) and the complete MFT system alone fits in a small sling bag. A reasonable alternative is a 1" bridge camera (I also carry a Lumix FZ1000 in that bag--the Sony RX10 iv is more capable/weatherproof, but much larger) for times when it's impractical to carry an ILC. The Lumix GX85 with the tiny 12-32 and 45-150 is a great compromise when you want to travel light and want a bit better low-light performance than a bridge. Unless the light is really awful, any of these choices will deliver more than enough "IQ" to produce large, gallery-worthy prints if you shoot RAW.
No matter how small FF cameras get I doubt there will be a FF lens as small as the 14/2.5, 20/1.7, 12-32/3.5-5.6, etc., not to mention the 12-35/2.8 or similar from Olympus that are 1/3 the size of FF angle-of-view equivalents. The 12-32 even includes image stabilization! It’s a miniature marvel.
As Robin Wong said it is not the size of other system, but at which size the consumer will find it acceptable to prefer FF before M43 for the same price.
Almost everyone needs to work more physical exercise into everyday life. If you shoot M43 and carry lighter gear, you lose the health value of lugging your hefty telephotos up a mountain. Fortunately, we have the 300mm F4 PRO to add a useful amount of weight to any backpack. Those little F4 zoom lenses are just too light to make a difference.
Some photographers have physical handicaps which you seem to ignore and just assume everyone is lazy and should carry 10kg of gear with them all the time.
I can’t agreed more that m34 is smallest compared with other system. However, after OM-1 released, I expect OM-5 should use new menu system as OM-1. I am so disappointed that OM-5 is such a good backup camera of OM-1 but still use old menu system! Why OM system don’t consider “user experience” and expect user jump between 2 menu system? That’s why I gave up OM system and get into Nikon Z fc. Nikon Z fc is also light weight. 2 kit zoom lens also night weight with extraordinary picture quality. Yes, Z fc is no ibis and weather seal as OM-5 but after Sigma announced 3 Z mount f/1.4 prime lens. This package is definitely a night weight and “upgrade to Full-frame” choice.
Of course the Olympus cameras are light, they’re made of cheap plastic but sold at a premium price. If I’m travelling I want a camera that doesn’t mind travelling too.
that depends on if you are going to do long exposure for light trails or removing people (by motion), if so, it doesn't matter as you may well be stopping down to f6.3 or smaller. But if you want to freeze actions at night, then larger the aperture the better. 1.2 vs 1.8 is significant.
Thanks Jimmy, great video. I cannot believe my luck with the timing of your video! I am planning a 2 month to to Greece, next July. I am taking my OM-5 and 17mm f1.2 & 45mm f1.2. I prefer prime lenses over zoom, and I was thinking about getting the 90mm f3.5 as a longer prime. Having seen your video, I am now thinking about the 40-150mm f4.0. So, I have 2 questions for you: (a) At f5.6 and at 90mm, would the 90mm f3.5 and 40-150mm f4.0 have similar image quality? (b) At 150mm, how do rate the image quality of the 40-150mm lens? Many thanks, Peter.
I never seen other brands put so much quality and weather sealing with their f/4 line up. The exception is the latest 70-200mm from Sony. However the 70-200 w/the 1.4x teleconverter to get up to a 300mm reach will cost you $2,250 a weigh 961g. The 40-150mm f/4 is $900 and 382g. I know someone will say f/4 on MFT is f/8 equivalent. That's fine. Then buy the 40-150mm f/2.8 and it will be about 170g lighter and $750 cheaper than the Sony f/4 with the teleconverter. There are admittedly more controls and features to the Sony 70-200 f/4 that the 40-150 doesn't have. I do think OM-SYSTEM does need a mark II version or a SYNC IS zoom lens at a similar focal range but even without that, the 40-150mm f/2.8 is a very solid lens.
I love m43 but clicks away from moving to Sony APSC (6700@just under 500 g) pretty much same size or smaller cameras and lenses than MFT until you go long end…still not quite the IBIS, but getting close and often much smaller. Sony 11 mm, 1.8 @ 181 grams, Sigma 18-50 2.8 @ 290g, last Sony 70-350 4.5-6.3@ 625 grams. None that expensive and you get a range of 18 to 525 in ff terms. Total kit= under 1.6 kg, or 1.3kg if you go for Sony 55 -210 @345 grams, with less reach (315 equivalent) but only an ok lens. My point is you can’t really sell mft just on size any more (and of course some are now the same size as ff) unless you go for really long telephotos. Thanks for the info on the file size update on OM 5…hard to find that, it is a nice camera and tempting, but suspect Panasonic may soon offer an equal or better choice (small and full featured at least on the video side). Enjoy HK…I quite like visiting there!
It's always a thing about comparison. Yet, everything you mentioned on Sony, none are 'Pro' optics or rated weather sealed. There aren't any pro level stuff that are small in other formats. I could go lighter with 1.8 or 1.7 primes and other kit zooms that are even smaller and lighter. I think Panasonic has something going but wait for my G9 II review as I've found a few things that I haven't heard or seen other reviewers mentioned, and it could be a killing factor for people who may be considering getting it.
@@Red35Photography look forward to the review! About the gear; I think you made my point; all the Sony gear referenced is light, not that expensive and only weather resistant. None of it is Pro gear, on purpose I suspect as over 95% of camera buyers aren’t Pros either. Especially those who only use social media or small prints. Why pay more; both in cost or weight for same output. A great example I saw was a recent birding video by the Northups where they compared OM1 and gear against a R7: result was the OM1 and related lenses was probably a bit better sometimes, but at a much higher cost and heavier as well. I’m just suggesting mft can now often be matched or beaten by APSC in many practical uses, and mft may need to make smaller cameras and lighter lenses where they can. Both for photography and video. Still, quite like my mft gear!
I still love MFT, and have no plans to get rid of the system. I would argue though that MFT really need to emphasize its benefits over full frame and APSC by releasing updated versions of cameras like the Pen F and the GX9. A rangefinder style MFT camera with all the features of the OM1 or G9 II, combined with the small primes or zooms would be unique. Focussing on the larger bodies has lost many potential buyers in my opinion.
I wouldn't disagree. I have been talking about PEN-F II and how important it is for OM and M43 in general. We need a camera like that, hopefully with E-M1 III guts or better, with OM-1 techs!
I think they should bring out a OM5mkII as their next camera, with most of the OM-1 squeezed into a OM-5 or slightly larger sized body, iow make it with a proper but small handgrip. For that matter, OM system could probably just enlarge the EM10MkIV housing a bit, it is probably the most comfortable of the small bodies I have worked with. Then they could horse around with the OM-1 and take their time with that. 🙂
Many photographers complain about the m43's "poor dynamic range and noise at higher ISO. Personally, I think this is not a problem. Today's editing software, e.g. Lightroom, allows you to fix both more pixels and reduce noise quickly and easily. Opinions on this?
I fear that the OM10 will be next. 😢
@@_cyclofob8990beginners on a budget need cameras too
If I compare bird photos I’ve taken with a Sony A7R4, Canon R5, Fuji X-H2 and my current cameras - an OM-1 and a G9M2 - I can’t see obvious differences in image quality. I have to look at the EXIF data to see which camera I used. The speed of the OM-1 has enabled me to capture swallows swerving in flight, something I wasn’t able to achieve before. The OM-1 is so agile. And I no longer get neck ache after a session in the field!
I totally agree with you: I have been a full frame guy for 15 years with Nikon (analogic before that, and still...). I have bought a micro four thirds OM-D a couple years ago, and this july I decided to switch completely to micro four thirds. I am so happy so far! First thing was the weight: I can carry a camera and four or five lenses all day long without breaking my back like before, and this is a typical situation in what I do as a photographer. Later I realize that, in general terms, micro four thirds has little to envy to full frame in terms of quality, I do large prints now and then and never saw something it could make me regret to have embraced this format. Grain? Not quite: even in low light I usually shoot in a 200 to 400 iso range, We did it in the film days and it worked, so why not now? Please note that I shoot a lot in dance and theatre shows, in low light of course, and no problems at all. I enjoy more my job now, I couldn't be happier.
Best gear advice I have ever heard in 55 years of playing with cameras is: “only when you have found and reached the limitations of your gear should you change gear.” I bought into Olympus Mft because with two lenses I can cover 98% of my needs. I still haven’t found the limit of my kit so no change for me. 😊
For that reason I have rolled back in the equipment.
Just for fun I buy old legacy MFT gear and I challenge myself to work with limitation in those.
Example, Panasonic GM1 is for many a real jewel. I have one as well, but it was released December 2013, so could be said "early 2014" from technical standpoint. A 16 Mpix sensor, a very nice 12-32mm lens..
And then limited with 1/500 mechanical shutter speed, after that it uses fully electronic shutter to shorter exposure times.
My favorite from small ones is Olympus E-PM1, from July 2011. So 2.5 years older body, with 12Mpix sensor.
And those who don't know, M stands for Mini, L for Lite in the P as PEN series.
E-P
E-PL
E-PM
From largest to smallest.
The main difference is that L has a tilting screen since E-PL3, where M has always integrated. The Lite was slimmed version from PEN.
The E-PM1 is almost as tiny as GM1... That Panasonic managed to pull very nicely. Sadly Olympus ended E-PM line after E-PM2 that launched same time with E-PL5. It could have become better by shrinking it even more to GM1 class, especially when GM5 was last as well...
The E-PM1 is maybe worst camera from Olympus for mFT system, and I love to challenge myself with it.
E-PM2 added touchscreen, Fun button and made a dedicated trash button.
The lack of touchscreen is challenging, as it would be so easy to do things, like focus or select images or adjust settings.
I am hard believer that E-PM and GM should have continued, but made more serious for small purpose.
A Micro SD cards instead SD cards.
USB-C and USB charging.
Bluetooth connection to smartphones, automatic image copying even!
Lot of functional art filters, actually fun and useful.
Add two Fn buttons more, to front, and add proper two dials capability like E-P series with vertical dial.
Offer three optical viewfinders in kit, 12 & 17mm, 25mm and 45mm to be attached to hotshoe, as a suggestion to buy more lenses!
I have currently E-PM1 mounted to Olympus 100-400mm f/5-6.3. it works very fine. Fast focusing, accurate, but challenge see screen in direct sunlight hitting screen and not being able tilt it upwards...
But that old first gen 12Mpix sensor does fine...!
OM-5 is the best travel weather-sealed camera on the market. Period !
With the 12-45mm F4 Pro. Just great!
I'm able to carry two of the largest MFT cameras with me along with a pro level super telephoto prime, macro, and standard zoom all at once. Never giving that up. I have no problem getting a FF if I'm doing super early morning photography on occasional use. My biggest problem is what marketing has done to photography. You get convinced to switch systems all the time and when you get to that system (I especially see this with FF cameras), there's someone telling you that's not good enough either because you don't have the latest and you don't have the 10,000 dollar lens and the $6,000 camera for that system.
My entire camera setup is less than 4k USD with the 20mm pro, 8-25 pro, 12-100 pro and OM5.
No other camera system is that capable at that price and for that small of a package.
I have visited the marvels of the new gear and been left cold my all that wonderful specs . Why ? Well , as you made clear, Jimmy ; was the size , lightness and usefulness of MFT .
I continue to use an EM 10 Mkii and cannot justify changing it at my age . I have no more neck ache and can fit my entire kit in a Billingham bag and that is a bonus , but usually go out with one prime or the kit zoom . Working with the limitations of the kit I have and I know I can get the pics I am seeking and I get a smile from my photography like I did back in the old film days shooting monochrome .
Thanks again Jimmy for this video .
Wonderful selection of Photographs
Good one, I am travelling overseas in 2024 for the first time in many years and gear is EM-1 mk 2, 12-45, 40-150 F4.0 Pro lens and 20mm Pro lens. This is my 3 lens set up. Safe travels.
I use the same three lens combo with the OM-5. You'll love the lens combo.
OM system is excellent for traveling and for any other photography. I love 60 mm lens (its size / weight / sharpness) to do a macro, small f1.8 primes or any Pro lens actually, build as a tank. If noise was an issue years ago, now modern m43 sensors are perfect in pair with any better AI denoise software ...
I treated myself with a Panasonic 14 mm 2.5 for my Pen F. It is sooo cute. Amazing how pocketable the camera got with this lens attached.
I used a similar setup with em5 body about 10 years ago. These days my phone has replaced this setup. I still use m43 a lot but with different lenses and for different types of shots
try 20mm f1.7 same pancake more detail
Nice. My upcoming trip to Munich, i will be bringing the old Em5 original w 12-45mmpro and the lumix 35-100mmf2.8 wihich is a tiny f2.8 zoom too.OM1 will be staying at home.
My travel setup is the E-M5 III with 12-45mm and 40-150mm-the 8-25mm is way too bulky for my taste, I carry the Laowa 10mm instead. That also offers me some amount of background blur with it’s 2.0 aperture
I switched a lot between systems. Had all the sensor sizes and bodies. MFT is more then sufficient for 95% of the scenarios. Its a great system. One of the best lens selections.
MFT is my choice---Panasonic G9ii--an amazing camera with great AF. I wish the AF system had been put in the GH6, but alas, the G9 is a truly great camera. When you need reach it is , pound for pound, untouchable, and the image clarity and sharpness can't be beat. For video, that's all I do, it's a dream. And it doesn't ruin my 77 year old back!
Sold my m4/3 Olympus system, 1.2 primes and 2.8 zooms, three years ago. Recently needed an ultra light travel system. Now have: OM-5, 20mm f/1.4, 40-150 f/4, 12mm f/2. Could not be happier.
I have the 12-40 f 2.8 pro ii and the 40-150 f 2.8 pro, but I find myself using the 12-100 f4 pro more than the others combined. It's so versatile, and works with Sync IS. It's a great travel lens, especially as I like to hike. I can still zoom in on wildlife, while getting the wide-angle view of 12mm. I realize it's not as wide as I could get, but if I really want a panoramic, I take a series of photos and stitch them together later. If I had to choose just one lens to carry for travel, it would be the 12-100. The weather sealing is also really nice. I don't always end up in the nicest weather, so knowing my equipment won't end up failing me, or even permanently damaged, is reassuring.
MFT has to produce small cameras because that would be the only reason that would separate them from the competition. This is what made them market leaders a few years ago. And the market needs small camera because there is nothing like that these days. Since they make cameras as big as the competition that has FF sensors and the same price, they have absolutely no chance to survive. MFT producers must return to their origins, all MFT lovers are waiting for the sequels to the GM, GX, Pen, OM-D series, small cameras that can be taken anywhere, not huge bodies of the caliber of FF cameras.
I love M4/3 and I just came back to it from Sony a7 series. But the bigger systems are catching up faster then M4/3 is improving. Speaking of travel companions: Tamron 17-50mm f 4 is pretty much the same size and weight as Olympus 8-25mm f 4 PRO. The Tamron 70-300mm f 4.5-6.3 is not that big or heavy either and you have 17-300mm in 2 lenses. The Tamron 50-400mm f 4.5-6.3 gives you even more reach in a 2 lens combo for not much more weight either. Tamron 28-200mm f 2.8-5.6 is much the same size and weight of the Olympus 12-100mm f 4 PRO. Yes, I know they are no PRO moniker or f 4 constant lenses, just the first lenses travel friendly that come into my mind. There are other options like Sony 20-70mm f 4 and the new 70-200mm f 4 Macro. Sigma has the very budget friendly, small and light 16-28mm f 2.8 Cont. and 28-70mm f 2.8 Cont. But has missed the chance on a compact telephoto zoom so far.
Good video - whilst I absolutely love the R&D and quirkiness put into M43, I'm much happier since I moved to Fujifilm 3 years ago. Have not once regretted the jump or ever thought about M43 since.
for now.. i think MFT is no longer like the past, where it was the lightest camera product. Now the best in my opinion is Fujifilm with Viltrox and TT Artisan lens autofocus..
I traveled a lot for work using photos to document building structures & for also pleasure trips. I still use micro 4/3 because of size & capability. My favorite lens is the 12-45 f4 pro.
Love my M43 equipment and can‘t imagine to get rid of it 🥰
Oly should have come out with f4 zooms a long time ago, may be mFT would have caught on a lot more. The 12-40mm f2.8 will allow you focus closely to get shallow DOF, can make for interesting foreground or blowing out the back ground, and inside buildings the f2.8 can help. TBH I'm off on my holiday to Sousse m.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro & 25mm f1.4, M10 mk 1 + grip and 3 batteries.
Love ya work Red. I use Nikon full frame gear but when I went to New York I left the 70-200 at home because of its size and weight. Didn't really miss it but my longest focal length was 50mm. But I think that's just me. Even at home I rarely shoot above 50mm The 14-24 is by far my most used lens. Horses for courses. Everything you say is true and I'd love to be able to afford all types of camera, but you know ....if I was a rich man.... lol!
I have included m43 gear in my travel pack since the ep1 and epl1 debut...I have also often included full frame..apsc...and larger formats...nowdays ...at 70yrs young and living in Bangkok...I primarily rely on my m43 gear. ...cheers
The Sony APSC setup of A6600 with 10-18 f4, 18-135 f3.5-5.6, and 70-350 f4.5-6.3 offers similar weight and more versatility with an equivalent full frame focal range of 15-525 vs 16-300 in your example with arguably superior autofocus
The OM-5 paired with the f/4 pro lenses is great. I was skeptical about buying the 12-45mm f/4. But soon I found I took it with me all the time. I added the 40-150mm f/4. The combination of pro series, small size, and price point make these a wonderful choice. I add in the 20mm f/1.4 pro that combines with the other two and the OM-5 for a small sized, all-day walk around travel kit. No worry about bad weather, either. Bad weather = great picture opportunities.
I just came back from a trip to Disney World with the family. In the interests of keeping things light I decided to leave my two M4/3 pro 2.8 zooms at home snd shoot only primes. At the last minute I bought a used 12-200 and threw that in the bag too (longest prime I had was 56mm f1.4 sigma and had a feeling it would be too short). In truth I rarely took the 12-200 off the camera.and was really pleased with the quality of the results. Next trip will be just the 12-200 and my 25mm f1.2 pro!
Just to share my gears for trips: OM-1, Pana 10-25mm f/1.7 + M. Zuiko 45mm f/1.2(Pana for wide landscapes + both for events portraits), M. Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8 + MC1.4/2.0 (for birds). 10mm-300mm (FF eq. 20-600mm), cover almost everything. Weight: around 2.5Kg. Hand carry on flight without any problem at all. FF and APSC are definitely impossible with such focal ranges and weight.
I changed to MFT from full frame half a year ago, and I haven't regretted it for a moment. There are some nagging thoughts every now and then, mostly when having to shoot high ISO or using vintage lenses, but the former rarely happens, only happened once and the people I shot for didn't notice it at all, and the latter really isn't something I'm doing much any more anyway.
There's so much to this system that people are not told, and I feel that the "TH-cam reviewers" really need to consider who they're really working for and being honest about it. Full frame is fine and perfect if you're professional and have a studio, or if you have no problems bringing a lot of gear with you easily, but for the every day photographer with not too much money, who would like to be a little more serious about his/her photography, the MFT is in my mind the perfect system.
On that, this is also the most flexible system, allowing you to do anything really. With full frame you often have to prioritize, either on what you purchase or what you bring with you.
Hi Jimmy, I agree with you, M43 is great for travelling (but also great for candid portraits, child photography, street photography, etc). Pure for travelling I think possibly the ultimate ' portable set' you can do is the Zuiko 12-200 mm (it;s even weatherproof!) coupled with a few primes (25 1.8/ 45 1.8) or perhaps the 12-40 mm 2.8 for low light shooting/portraits during your travel. Last year I went to Curacao and took with me my EM5iii, the zuiko 12-40 F2.8, panasonic 35-100 F2.8, zuiko 75-300, zuiko 25 F1.8, zuiko 45 F1.8, zuiko 14-42 F3.5-5.6 lenses. It all fitted nicely in my luggage, and I've used them all. A little bit off topic: during that travel I found out again that the zuiko 14-42 kit lens is a much overlooked gem,.
Because it is good enough when you need to go light. As long as there is enough light that is. I would never pick the slow zooms though. Small primes are lighter, sharper and faster. Large zooms make the small sensor light gathering limitations even worse and defeat the compactness argument of the whole system.
I like what you're doing. And your videos are interesting and enjoyable. Keep going and micro4/3 are the best when you travel.
OMDS and Panasonic need to make their lenses and bodies fully compatible, no exceptions.
OMDS also need to refresh their f/1.8 trio, with weather sealing. The 17mm and 25mm need better optics, too.
I've been interested in getting into micro four-thirds for a while as a compact tele camera. Usually the way I think about it is there is a point of diminishing returns where crop sensors are mostly indistinguishable from full frame - basically after a point bokeh is bokeh and compression is compression, if you get what I mean. I find my 1" point and shoot is great for what I need, it just stops at 105mm. Micro four-thirds can really give me that r e a c h.
For me, I'd say stick to full frame for 35mm and wider. Aps-c is fine for 40mm and longer. Micro four-thirds is best at 85mm and up. Not that it's bad to shoot a tiny 17mm on a micro GM1 or PEN, but I don't know if a compact FF with a 35f2.8 pancake is significantly more cumbersome for the benefits it offers in terms of min/max balance.
I'd love a new compact PDAF camera from Olympus or Panasonic though. A GM1 with S5II auto focus would be wild. I might even replace my Ricoh GR if it's got a flip up screen. 😂
Thanks Jimmy, great content, wonderful location and colours. The Pen-F, EM-5 II and F1.8 primes are still my favourites, tiny and fun, it would be wonderful to see some updates with the same build quality at some point.
Exactly MFT for me is all about two things. The small 1.8 primes from OM system and the pro telephoto lenses.
But I think realistically the small and fast 1.8 primes are the main thing people value about mft. They are fast and super light to a degree that no larger system can emulate. Both OM and Panasonic need to concentrate on those and polish them up for maximum attractiveness.
Weathersealing would be a great update for example. I know that’s typically a 1.2 pro thing, but the 1.2 pros are so big you might as well get a sony nowadays, so I think they should take a hit on the pro lenses to make their extremely competitive 1.8 lenses as attractive as possible.
The last time I travelled (Tokyo in May), I have with me a Lumix G95, with a Pana Leica 12-60 and a 17mm f/1.8, just as a standby in case I need something bright at night. So I basically used an even lighter package, albeit with a smaller range of reach.
Gosh, I really want a 8-25mm f4 someday.
In the spring I will be on vacation in Aruba, my cameras will be a Olympus OMD 1MKIII and a EM5 MKIII with a few zoom and prime lenses, I photograph the local wildlife,landscapes and street photography in the Palm beach area. I carry a camera with me most of the time as their is photography opportunities from iguanas around the Resort and beach along with Pelicans diving into the ocean for fish. The two camera bodies are great travel cameras, and like you I also have full frame and APSC cameras in addition to my 4/3 cameras. My last addition to my collection of cameras is a Nikon Z6Ii and ZF.
Completed a cruise in UK / Europe last September with ONLY with Olympus EM -1 MK II and the Zuiko 12-100 f4 along the Panasonic 14mm f2.5 … this was one of the best travel kit ever (for me) with a fast and very small prime along the 24-200mm FF equivalent. The entire kit was light and basically all weather sealed! Hard to beat isn’t it?
Love m43!!!!
I only use the first-gen E-M5 and the 12-45 f/4....as far as digital goes, that really is everything I need. The size (and weight) is really lovely! (and the weather sealing, my main reason to even use a digital camera besides colour images (I don't get along with colour film))
Jimmy Thank you !! Enjoy yourself there too ! Yes ,i agree there are pro and con to every system. I use MFT but have Nikion DX and FX cameras / DSLR . I am tbinking of a Sony FF A7ii ..but need to invest in lens .I was looking at Nikon Z50 ,since i have Nikon lenses would work fine w Nikon adspter .However , used market Sony more features v Z50 .Anyway I am fully invested in OM.and Lumix .My ONLY CONCERN the R&D that Nikon ,Canon and upstart Sony can bring to their products .Jimmy lets face it we are more than twenty years into Digital .Back in thd film days ( I used Minolta 9xi , 8000! ,7000i ) Mostly Rail Road photography across USA . The majority of pics were just fine .We had the intevention of electonics ( I purcased a Cannon T90 ).it was fantastic ,but chasing trains on thd High Iron was a wee bit better w/ Auto focused when in motion . In conclusion MTF has a loyal following . Converserly there are laws of physics that may limit a sensor ,but maybe there are tech teeks thsy OM and Panasonic may employ to compete w/ FF frenzy. Just as a side bar OM.Lumix listened to their customer base and addressed firmwares updates ...Just in passing I MAY be wrong but Sony is charging for updates !! Anyway Jimmy thank you for your insight ,time and unbiased advice !! BE WELL !!
I started in MFT when I used a MFT camera in conjunction with two ENG cameras to film live theatre, concerts, and dance shows. Now I have two GH5s, one GH5 ii and a GH6. The deeper depth of field is actually an advantage for me.
Good to see you in Hong Kong!. I got those 3 f4 lens same as you mention, with my em5 mark iii, great travel combo.
M43 definitely offers the best bang for the buck. I rarely need to shoot in high ISO situations with a fast shutter speed in low light. The system works perfectly for me.
These are the 3 lenses I want to carry. I also have the 17, 25 and 45mm f1.8, for situations where I need a faster lens.
I like the same things and added the 20mm 1.4 + 12-45mm this black friday to my om-5 collection. They might replace the leica 12-60mm WS and 25mm 1.4 WS version, but I am not sure yet. Another great thing about mft is the many small and high quality options available, also on the second hand market.
My main gripe with the OM5 is for video, and not talking about the 10 bit ommision: they crippled the hdmi output to 1080p mode only, and recording 4k and monitoring 1080p is not possible either..
I can understand that. OM5 is great for what I did in the video, travel videos, but for serious stuff, I would be using bigger cameras, like OM-1 or GH6 (even G9 II). OM-5 is just a pocket rocket.
I like bird photography and the Panasonic 100-400 is the biggest and heaviest lens im prepared to carry.
There are so many m43 lenses of high quality that I have or could afford. When I look at other systems the price seems a bit higher , in some cases a lot higher for Olympus quality lenses.
Even the affordable Panasonic 14-140 is amazing and one of my favourite lenses.
I have the 2.8 trinity. Especially on the 12-40 I ise 2.8 a lot and find the DOF just right. The 40-150 I use mostly in daylight. I would be happy with f4 here and appreciate the smaller size. ...BUT the 2.8 trinity is around for a while, so the cost almost the same on the used market as the f4. At least at the moment.
I wish OM Systems would bring about a tiny well spec'd Pen model similar in size to the original Pen Minis or Lumix GM1/GM5.
My current kit is OM-1, 12-45 f/4 Pro and 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye Pro. This all fits into a very small bag which still has room for extra batteries and even my two-battery charger, which of course stays behind in the hotel. So far, I am happy with the fisheye as my super wide lens, de-fished or not. Eventually I might get the 8-25 f/4 Pro, but then I would need a bigger bag (that's how small my bag is now). Not sure how often I would use the 40-150 f/4 if I had it; I'm happy with digital 2x tele for now, which gets me to 90mm. So yeah, my little 2 lens kit is awesome. People should really take a look at that fisheye lens as a powerful tool!
Agreed Jimmy, my last trip to Europe a few weeks ago I took my OM-5 with the 12-45 f4, 20mm f1.4 and the Panasonic 9mm, next time I will take my 8-25mm and 40-150mm f4s as I found myself changing lenses to much, to be honest I did miss my OM-1 though and would have been happy with the 12-100mm combo
Thank you for your video. I love small and light gears because it is so much easy to carry around, not just in my carry bag, but also while shooting. I would like to think I am more like yourself (except I'm a very casual photo snapper). I have ben thinking real hard to purchase and use these f4 pro lenses. I have been so so temped. Especially the 8-25mm. Now I am even more tempted. e.g. I like the size of my m.uzuiko14-150mm but not at all happy with the photo quality. I have F2.8 pro series, but I hardly use. I mostly carry my OMD EM5iii and EM10iv with f1.8 prime lenses (from 12mm up to 75mm), plus Laowa 7.5mm f2. The reason is not because I don't agree with your choices but my most used cases are at night, often dimly lit places (and often protected from natural elements), and subjects are people, and with no flash, and I love wide angle lenses. F4 is a little too dark for my use cases, e.g. f4 I shoot 1/25, shutter speed, with f2.8 would be 1/35 and with f1.8 1/60. While IBIS helps but people move, so I need a shutter speed higher than 1/60. But I am still sooo tempted to get 8-25mm and 40.150mm for travelling, cityscapes (and when I want to go very light and have decent wide angle, I can very well live with my 9-18mm F4-5.6 lens at night) . Ahhh your video makes my life hard, and potentially harder on my purse. Hahaha.
I've been juggling my kit to bring as little as possible (while still getting the best image quality) when we go on a cruise. I've found that at the end of a cruise, I'm so pooped out at my final port that I can barely stand to carry even my E-M5 Mk III around. I've settled on two options: the 8-25 + Panasonic 35-100 f/2.8, or the 12-100 plus my Rokinon fisheye or Olympus Body Cap fisheye. Maybe also toss in the Laowa 10mm f/2. I'm eyeing the Panasonic 9mm prime, but can't quite justify getting it yet, as I already have the Olympus 9-18.
I hope TTArtisans makes some autofocus micro four thirds lenses. Cheap and good lenses for the money. I shoot mainly the smallest lenses I can get away with for fun shoots. For work, it's the pro zooms of Lumix for me. I do love your Oly set ups.
Thanks!! Chinese AF lenses are coming for sure!
@@Red35PhotographyI m still hoping for a laowa 17mm with auto aperture and electronic.
@@matthiasbruns8570Panasonic 15/1.7 is small and fast and has decent AF. Do you really need 17mm?
I was all in on MFT from the very first Olympus E-M10. I had to chase one down in HK when everyone was trying to get me to buy Canon or Nikon. Then I sold it because I thought full frame and APS-C was better. Just bought the E-M10 Mark IV this week because looking back at all the pics I've taken with different cameras all my favourites were on the E-M10!!!!!
Yes, many still don't believe me that I also use APS-C and Full Frame when I make these videos. They all have their positives and negatives and I think M43 is very good at most things and for most people. Chasing maximum ISO numbers or resolutions aren't. photography, only small part of it. Take that away, M43 is as competent as any photographic tools since the beginning of photography.
Welcome to HK
I've been using m43 for over a decade for both stills and video, and while i also use full frame cameras, I won't ever leave the m43 system. In fact I've recently been picking up some older, second hand m43 cameras, just because i love using them. I really dislike travelling with bulky gear, whereas m43 is diminutive and fun to use. These are big selling points IMO.
Back in 2011 I bought the Olympus PEN E-PL1 with the twin kit lenses (Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 and M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f4-5.6). Back then there were not so many lens choices so I also carried a CCTV lens and a Minolta Rokkor 50mm F1.4 (the Rokkor was probably a little heavy, lol).
I took those travelling and it was a lot of fun. Small enough for hand carry luggage too.
Before I would bring a small Fuji point and shoot camera for travels.
I now have the Olympus E-M5 and E-M5 Mark ii which I like a lot. Not as small as the E-PL1 but it's a big upgrade.
I don't have any Pro lenses but I do use the Panasonic pancake lenses (14mm f2.5 and the 20mm f1.7) when I want to keep things minimal.
It's true though, once you have kids the backpack quota is taken up with food, drink, clothes, maybe toys/books too.
I treated myself to an E-PL1 almost exactly 14 years ago and was hooked on micro four thirds. I've slowly built up my collection of lenses and updated the bodeis and they make ideal travelling companions, so much so that I hardly take my Nikon APS-C stuff anywhere now and am seriously contemplating selling it or trading it in for more MFT gear. I'm off to Germany for a few days at the weekend for the Christmas Markets and will be taking Olympus and Lumix gear with me. Small enough to fit in a sling bag and light enough to carry around all day and with excellent image quality, I'm going to test its low light performance over the next week. I still dream of getting to Hong Kong one day, it's been on my bucket list for a while but the riots and then Covid stopped me. Now it's a lack of money that gets in the way ! Stay safe everyone, and as Jimmy says, "Peace"
I love the f4 trinity. The lower size, weight and cost for the sake of 1 stop? For me, it's a no-brainer. I also carry an f1.8 prime for low light or differential focus but even then the combined weight and bulk is a winner.
I still use m4/3, (already use it 13yrs), 2024 was getting tough , om system need an higher megapixel sensor for new camera maybe 24~28mp.
I just bought OM-5 for exactly the same reasons. It's my last try of M43. So far I'm quite happy. I got 9mm F1.7, 17mm F1.8 and got 45mm F1.8 already.
But haven't shot many photos yet :D.
Man I was pretty die hard MFT. Moved over to APSC/fuji because of the lack of support for new key cameras.
The G9 ii felt like the leftovers of an S5 ii … kinda feel like an MFT body has no business being that large too.
I wish OM systems would push a bit harder to pump out awesome small cameras. The EM-5 ii was my favorite camera of all time. The iii was good too just didn’t like that plastic-y feel to it.
Hope OM systems would go back to smaller retro styled focused cameras
Still loving my MFT.
This is full circle, went to Seoul and Hong Kong in 2012 but only had a Canon IXUS 100 IS with me Photos pretty good but wanted better for next time. Looked at MFT cameras in duty free on the way out. Eventually settled on an E-PM1 kit from Jessops and never looked back. Would love to go back to Hong Kong and see what results I get with my current MFT kit. I would take a fast prime though as took a lot of night street photography and would not want too slow a shutter speed.
Panasonic is really good choice, hope to upgrade next year
The lumix set of 1.8 primes, with the S5ii is hardly back breaking.
I had the OM-1 and EM1X with the Pro lenses, but it really comes down to image quality and the advantages of FF.
And as a side note, it's all gone very quiet over at OM and it's soon going to be 2 years since the OM-1.
Lumix 1.8 FF are quite a bit bigger than the Lumix 1.7 primes or Olympus 1.8 primes if comparing like for like. I am not discounting the size or weight of S5ii or any small primes. But if you use equivalents, a set of f4 zooms, you can't match what I had in the video. I also have the new Nikon Zf and three small primes, I could have said/used it for this video but they aren't the same. I won't have the reach or versatility of any of these zooms here.
A big reason is when I look at lenses like the z24-120 and realise it's going to cost me a grand I cry.
I just can't afford to build a good collection of full frame glass like I can with m43.
Ok equivalence and all that but the size, cost and sharpness is still a thing.
Hi Jimmy. Yep I don't think you can beat M43 as a travel setup for portability. All the lenses you have taken are fabulous but I must admit I am not sure why you would take the 8-25 and 12-45 when you have the 9mm Panasonic. Think I would prefer to take the 9mm and 12-45mm, creating an even smaller travel set with the benefits of a fast prime.
If you watched my previous travel vlog, I needed 8mm to match my previous photos I took. Also, I used 9mm for vlog only, 8-25mm for my walk around street photos.
Thanks for the reply Jimmy have a great time
Thank you - someone talking sense about the f4 lenses....I switched my travel gear to the F4 lenses, there are are very few situations where I need anything more than f4 when traveling - I just stick on my 20mm f1.4 at night and I am done....
Having said that - I am eyeing up a switch to Fuji which is the same size of smaller with better performance. The X-T30 ii with some of their f2 lenses is smaller...
Thanks for watching mate. XT30 is a great little camera but like for like, M43's 1.8 or 1.7 primes will be smaller than Fuji's f2 lenses still.
The problem with the smaller Fujifilm bodies is that they lack IBIS and the small f2 prime lenses are not stabilized, the XT5 IS a relatively small camera about the size of a Olympus OMD 1MKIII, I have the XT3 and XT5 and XH2, the XT5 is a great travel camera with the right lens.
Yes but the trade off is that you are getting brighter lenses with a larger sensor, nothing is perfect unfortunately...@@jamesmlodynia8757
I’ve recently sold a X-T30 to get an OM-5. I found Fuji’s 35mm F2 prime to be often inaccurate in AF, especially with the eye detection. The WB was always a bit off too. I dislike the plastic body of the OM-5, but otherwise I’m quite happy with the move. I no longer need to think about the WB. For some reason I have less work to do in the post with Olympus files than with Fuji’s. And the IBIS is just phenomenal.
Do you recommend any lens with power zoom in MFT ?🧐🤔
A follow-up to another comment on earlier post. Is there any chance you have done anything with Panasonic Leica 9mm f1.7 DG Summilux on an OM1 using Starry AF? Thanks.
The F4's are really cool, but they didn't exist yet when I got my set of three F2.8 PRO zooms. Plus the MC1.4 tele-extender. I don't think the F4's are *that* much smaller than the F2.8's - especially on the two shorter zooms - to make me wish to switch. Have you used the 40-150 F4 with a tele-extender?
One other thing, I know a lot of people use their camera phone for travel, for me photography is about using a camera, using a phone does not make me feel like I'm using a camera, for me it is the worst photography experience more so than the Canon point and shoot cameras going back 15 years ago when I started digital photography.
Hi, yeah MFT lenses are much smaller and compact specially in télé and middle range...Body are lately the same like the G9ii and S5II.
I have both,and for video you get fantastic image from P4K, GH5s and it is really close to FF with fast lenses...P4K has a lot of DR. For photo I will prefer FF but it is personal...
I've travelled all over with different MFT bodies as my primary cameras, right now I use an E-M5.iii and G9. I'm holding out for a possible L-mount APS-C body from Sigma to move to. Panasonic has MFT, and Leica pretty much abandoned the TL/CL line (I have a CL and love it, it holds true to MFT more than a lot of MFT bodies in terms of being compact), yet Sigma keeps releasing APS-C lenses for L-mount. They stopped releasing those in MFT due to there "not being enough demand or audience with MFT", yet there's enough demand for a mount that has literally zero APS-C bodies in production and few FF bodies with enough resolution to still have a decent size image after a crop. The SD Quattro H was my go-to studio camera and the fp is one of my favorite cameras period despite its flaws. My hope is they release an SD Quattro with a cut down flange/mount to match l-mount with a tilt version of the fp's display, the fp's interface/features, and an APS-C sized sensor package from the fp-L for PDAF with the 24 or so MP of the fp and IBIS included (CMOS, not foveon, I'm a Sigma fanboy, but even I hate the processing required and horrific performance of foveon anywhere but midday or a studio, the fp series has a great sensor IQ wise). My Leica CL with the Sigma 90mm f2.8 has served me just about as well as my Oly 75mm f1.8, having Sigma's compact lenses, both APS-C and FF, on an updated body would be enough for me to go back to Sigma. Make it full e-shutter even, hopefully with a smaller and updated sensor package/processor readout wouldn't be as bad for rolling shutter. Or hell, global shutter isn't a new technology, marketing stressing stops of dynamic range have held it back from being a reality on the market for years now because manufacturers were afraid of people being scared of "going backwards" in terms of dynamic range. Lose some dynamic range, still blow foveon away, and have a global e-shutter body to show the market that with modern advancements most of FF's fluff is marketing outside of niche use cases.
Sigma fanboy rant aside, I've loved my MFT gear and wouldn't get rid of it even if my dream Sigma camera came out. OM-S is probably done with cameras, they might replace what's left to get rid of the Olympus branding, but the parent company is a vulture just selling off R&D and tooling already developed by Olympus for the most part. They may do a last ditch effort, if that's the case it might be the camera that replaces the E-P7 to get rid of the Olympus branding that also takes over what would be an E-M10 update. Basically an E-P7 with an OVF bump and hardware on par with what would be an OM-10 including the pricing. Would probably sell well to general consumers, but it'll anger Pen-F fans that want something on par with the Pen F. The Pen F will never happen again, the tooling and manufacturing alone basically killed Olympus Imaging with how expensive it was compared to the relative flop sales were. The G9ii is great so far, but it only exists because a massive amount of R&D and tooling was recycled from the S5ii. I'm probably going to get a G9ii down the road, but the updates released for the G9 over the years have made it still a solid camera even with AF for stills (all I shoot, zero video, that's my travel/work partner's job she hates that usually goes to a third person in real jobs).
I find the FF vs MFT debate so funny. They just have different advantages. The thing that irritates me though is the way that MFT is painted as inherently inferior by folks that simply don't require its particular benefits in their shooting style. There are so many advantage to MFT, they are just different to the advantages of full frame. We all shoot differently, in different environments, at different focal lengths, with different budgets. Some people hike for hours to get where they are shooting, other people don't have to carry their gear at all. At this point, if I only wanted to shoot between 20mm and 70mm, I probably wouldn't choose MFT either. There would be enough lightweight FF options to have it all, portability and great low light abilities, still a small sacrifice in stabilization, but that is getting there too on the s5ii. But as soon as we start shooting between 70mm and 200mm (and certainly beyond), I don't want to carry those lenses on my back any distance at all. With MFT I have 18-600mm equivalent in a small shoulder bag, and at a fraction of the cost that the same FF reach would cost. Not everyone wants 600mm on them, just incase they see an owl, but depending on where I am, I do. Do the shots I get with that mediocre lens mft lens look as nice as the ones I used to get on my Sony a7iv with the sigma 100-400? No. But I almost never had that lens with me. And even when I did, I missed many many shots because of the inferior stabilization. Video was nearly impossible hand held at that length on my FF setup, but looks great on MFT. Different strokes for different folks.
Love the Laowa T-shirt
Nice clip Jimmy. I can get x2 OM-1 cameras, 150-400mm, 40-150mm f2.8, 90mm macro, a Lumix 12-35mm lenses plus x1.4 & x2.0 TCs together with spare batteries and charger and large B&W headphones etc into a plane under seat hand luggage backpack !!! Nothing I know can compete with this never mind the relatively low weight. Stay cool Peace ✌️✌️😊
Thanks for your comments. How do you rate the 90mm f3.5 for general photography? At f5.6 and at 90mm, how would you compare the image quality of the 40-150mm to the 90mm? Thanks, Peter.
Nice to see you come to Hong Kong :)
I had really draconian restrictions in my last trip, coming from Europe to Japan and then to Okinawa and Amamioshima. I was only allowed a 10Kg of luggages to and from the islands, so I carried with me a GX9 which I was charging in camera, a 20mm 1.7, a 12-32 f:3.5-5.6 and a 35-100mm f:4-5.6 for a grand total of 800g. I still prefer the look of my FF camera, when I have no limitation, but there is NO WAY I could have taken with me a complete set up with that weight! Unfortunately it was not a weather sealed kit, and it was raining a lot, but there is only so much you can do under those weight limitations
I noticed you used OM-5. I’ve just come back from a Barcelona trip with my Sony a7R4 and it’s been a back breaking experience. Been thinking about getting either a Ricoh GXIII or GXIIIx but I would be limited to fixed lenses, so your point of view is interesting to me, but I’m concerned about the autofocus capabilities of the OM-5. In my old age I am both farsighted and nearsighted, so I rely on the camera’s autofocus… would the OM-1 be better instead?
Everytime I look at my friends FF-System, when I see the 50mm 1.8 or the 100-400mm f4-5.6, I think those are huge. Why is the 35mm Z Mount 1.8 so big ? And the 100-400 so expensive ?
No, everytime I compare the systems, I‘m more happy with my OM-1, the 12-45 f4 and my PL 100-400mm and PL 15mm f1.7 lenses.
What about the 12-100 f4 pro, did you not choose that because of weight while handling or because it doesn't have good enough quality compared to the other lenses?
Take GX8 or GX9, put 14-140 (28-280 ff equivalent) and you are good to go. It will cover 90%+ of all situations. Add a fisheye and a fast one and you cover 99% for size and price of single good FF lens.
I blame TH-camrs for gear-centric approach. If you can't make modern camera, even cheapest one, work - its on you. Most if not all great Fotos pf all time have been made using mediocre to bad gear from current point of view.
Great video! I can't tell people enough how much I love the system on my channel. But I guess that's why we are OM system ambassadors 😂 love your street photography images. I'm more into natural landscape and what yous ay is tru. I always carry lenses between 7 and 400mm with me and I can shoot everything I see. So why cary around all that heavy stuff right? We should make a video together someday 😂 grt guido
So what if larger-format bodies are getting smaller (I prefer larger bodies anyway)... It's the lenses that matter, which is why I consider MFT the best ILC system not just for travel, but for general use as well. Of course, EFL range depends on what and how you shoot, but the primary reason I went with MFT was that I often "need" longer lenses and the Leica 100-400 (EFL 200-800mm) was why I went with the Lumix G9. No way would I even consider carrying lenses anywhere near that long in any larger format (and it would require two carry-ons and a cooperative travelling companion to even get an "equivalent" larger-format system on a commercial airplane). One LowePro AW450 easily handles all of my MFT gear (six lenses covering 12-800mm EFL, three cameras, battery grip, filters, batteries/chargers, lighting, rarely-used tri-pod, laptop, etc.) and the complete MFT system alone fits in a small sling bag. A reasonable alternative is a 1" bridge camera (I also carry a Lumix FZ1000 in that bag--the Sony RX10 iv is more capable/weatherproof, but much larger) for times when it's impractical to carry an ILC. The Lumix GX85 with the tiny 12-32 and 45-150 is a great compromise when you want to travel light and want a bit better low-light performance than a bridge. Unless the light is really awful, any of these choices will deliver more than enough "IQ" to produce large, gallery-worthy prints if you shoot RAW.
No matter how small FF cameras get I doubt there will be a FF lens as small as the 14/2.5, 20/1.7, 12-32/3.5-5.6, etc., not to mention the 12-35/2.8 or similar from Olympus that are 1/3 the size of FF angle-of-view equivalents. The 12-32 even includes image stabilization! It’s a miniature marvel.
As Robin Wong said it is not the size of other system, but at which size the consumer will find it acceptable to prefer FF before M43 for the same price.
Almost everyone needs to work more physical exercise into everyday life. If you shoot M43 and carry lighter gear, you lose the health value of lugging your hefty telephotos up a mountain. Fortunately, we have the 300mm F4 PRO to add a useful amount of weight to any backpack. Those little F4 zoom lenses are just too light to make a difference.
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Some photographers have physical handicaps which you seem to ignore and just assume everyone is lazy and should carry 10kg of gear with them all the time.
I can’t agreed more that m34 is smallest compared with other system. However, after OM-1 released, I expect OM-5 should use new menu system as OM-1. I am so disappointed that OM-5 is such a good backup camera of OM-1 but still use old menu system! Why OM system don’t consider “user experience” and expect user jump between 2 menu system? That’s why I gave up OM system and get into Nikon Z fc. Nikon Z fc is also light weight. 2 kit zoom lens also night weight with extraordinary picture quality. Yes, Z fc is no ibis and weather seal as OM-5 but after Sigma announced 3 Z mount f/1.4 prime lens. This package is definitely a night weight and “upgrade to Full-frame” choice.
How do you find F4 for internal shots inside buildings and do you take a fast prime lens with you too ?
Of course the Olympus cameras are light, they’re made of cheap plastic but sold at a premium price. If I’m travelling I want a camera that doesn’t mind travelling too.
what apertures in prime lens is better for night photography during travel abroad, 1.4, or 1.2 ? 1.8 is not my choice because of the image quality.
that depends on if you are going to do long exposure for light trails or removing people (by motion), if so, it doesn't matter as you may well be stopping down to f6.3 or smaller. But if you want to freeze actions at night, then larger the aperture the better. 1.2 vs 1.8 is significant.
Thanks Jimmy, great video. I cannot believe my luck with the timing of your video! I am planning a 2 month to to Greece, next July. I am taking my OM-5 and 17mm f1.2 & 45mm f1.2. I prefer prime lenses over zoom, and I was thinking about getting the 90mm f3.5 as a longer prime. Having seen your video, I am now thinking about the 40-150mm f4.0. So, I have 2 questions for you: (a) At f5.6 and at 90mm, would the 90mm f3.5 and 40-150mm f4.0 have similar image quality? (b) At 150mm, how do rate the image quality of the 40-150mm lens? Many thanks, Peter.
I never seen other brands put so much quality and weather sealing with their f/4 line up. The exception is the latest 70-200mm from Sony. However the 70-200 w/the 1.4x teleconverter to get up to a 300mm reach will cost you $2,250 a weigh 961g. The 40-150mm f/4 is $900 and 382g.
I know someone will say f/4 on MFT is f/8 equivalent. That's fine. Then buy the 40-150mm f/2.8 and it will be about 170g lighter and $750 cheaper than the Sony f/4 with the teleconverter.
There are admittedly more controls and features to the Sony 70-200 f/4 that the 40-150 doesn't have. I do think OM-SYSTEM does need a mark II version or a SYNC IS zoom lens at a similar focal range but even without that, the 40-150mm f/2.8 is a very solid lens.
Yes, you are right. and 40-150mm both f4 and f2.8 are great lenses.
I have the f2.8 trinity...you are feeding my GAS for the f4 trinity!!!
hahaha. Yeah, that's how I ended up with both f2.8 and f4 versions.
I love m43 but clicks away from moving to Sony APSC (6700@just under 500 g) pretty much same size or smaller cameras and lenses than MFT until you go long end…still not quite the IBIS, but getting close and often much smaller. Sony 11 mm, 1.8 @ 181 grams, Sigma 18-50 2.8 @ 290g, last Sony 70-350 4.5-6.3@ 625 grams. None that expensive and you get a range of 18 to 525 in ff terms. Total kit= under 1.6 kg, or 1.3kg if you go for Sony 55 -210 @345 grams, with less reach (315 equivalent) but only an ok lens. My point is you can’t really sell mft just on size any more (and of course some are now the same size as ff) unless you go for really long telephotos. Thanks for the info on the file size update on OM 5…hard to find that, it is a nice camera and tempting, but suspect Panasonic may soon offer an equal or better choice (small and full featured at least on the video side). Enjoy HK…I quite like visiting there!
It's always a thing about comparison. Yet, everything you mentioned on Sony, none are 'Pro' optics or rated weather sealed. There aren't any pro level stuff that are small in other formats. I could go lighter with 1.8 or 1.7 primes and other kit zooms that are even smaller and lighter. I think Panasonic has something going but wait for my G9 II review as I've found a few things that I haven't heard or seen other reviewers mentioned, and it could be a killing factor for people who may be considering getting it.
@@Red35Photography look forward to the review! About the gear; I think you made my point; all the Sony gear referenced is light, not that expensive and only weather resistant. None of it is Pro gear, on purpose I suspect as over 95% of camera buyers aren’t Pros either. Especially those who only use social media or small prints. Why pay more; both in cost or weight for same output. A great example I saw was a recent birding video by the Northups where they compared OM1 and gear against a R7: result was the OM1 and related lenses was probably a bit better sometimes, but at a much higher cost and heavier as well. I’m just suggesting mft can now often be matched or beaten by APSC in many practical uses, and mft may need to make smaller cameras and lighter lenses where they can. Both for photography and video. Still, quite like my mft gear!
I can give you a few tips for HK, welcome to my home 😁