Olympus: All in on M43, We Will Not Go Full-Frame

[mrbigstuff]

Agree on the fact that 3 closely sized sensors within 3 categories probably won't stay marketable forever. The FX dslr will be the standard until mirrorless takes over completely I would guess (and then there will be a choice of sensor size within that mirrorless category).

[DP]

Well, I'm pretty much all in for Micro 4/3rds. I have written before about it in my shameless plug for a new Museum:

https://forums.macresource.com/read.php?...sg-2610451

I'm here to post some images from that photo shoot to show you the quality of my Panasonic Lumix GX85 mirrorless-which, ladies and gentlemen, is a four-year-old design and is an M43 system. I like the design of the lenses which (basically) bends the light coming into the lens so that it travels perpendicular to the sensor plane, instead of at different angles, greatly reducing flare and chromatic aberration.

Because I have also written that since software is controlling the quality of images now, a full frame sensor or larger format sensors, are only really useful if you're producing larger than 11x14 prints, since 90% of what everyone sees is on a computer screen.

So here are some images I shot recently for this Museum project with the Lumix-which, has a sensor size of 17.3x13mm @ 16mp. These were shot at 400 ISO on a tripod of course and it is also a 4:3 ratio which can be adjusted to 2:3, 16:9, etc.

This first image is a GTO 389 Tri-Power in the engine display. I have it sized for the forum but out of the camera this is 4592x3448 pixels @ 240ppi. I have it rezzed here at 1000px @72ppi:



And here's a crop from the upper left. Notice the detail of the hand soap can, the breather cap, and the print on the spark plug wires.



Here is the extreme upper right corner. You can see the logo of the "Sun' analyzer, thirty feet away, thru a plastic back window, across an aisle behind glass in a separate display!



Next, another display featuring a bazillion oil cans. First, the full oil can image:



Notice also, the lack of nasty flares from the ceiling lamps.

Here's the crop of that image. Look at how much of the printing is legible:



You can read "Ask For" on the Wolf's Head sign and the Castrol can on the floor.

Another of the oil can wall. The whole image:



And the crop:



And, the Lumix shoots 4K video too.

My Canon 6D Mk. II is now my back up camera. I had thought of looking at a mirrorless Canon camera but honestly, some of the reviews for them were, well, meh. I got the Lumix for just under $500 with two lenses. A 12-32mm (24-64mm equiv) and a 45-150 (90-300mm equiv). I ended up needing a shorter lens and got the 8-18 (16-36mm equiv) f2.8-4 Leica DG Vario Elmarit for it. The oil can room pix were shot with that lens. The camera is small and light too, and some people have thought I was carrying around a Leica!

I am not doing anything where I need a Hasselblad but I can do 90% of what's out there with this Lumix.

If I have complaints it's all the automatic stuff. But I use Manual most of the time anyway.

I really think the Micro 4/3rds system and the Lumix mirrorless line is well worth looking into. No, I don't work for Panasonic

[DP]

Oh, and if anyone would like, PM me and I can send a RAW file of an image for your perusal...

[mrbigstuff]

DP, are you using a strobe and which model if so?

[DP]

Nope. Shot with existing light.

[deckeda]

davester wrote:
[quote=deckeda]
I still say that if 24x35mm sensors continue to fall in price APS-C will die a merciful death because it’s just too similar in how it’s marketed, as being “good enough” despite all the “equivalent” focal length talk for lenses. And it’s not as if APS-C has ever had any camera size advantages.

Phones
A few small cameras with whatever.
Full-frame.
MF.

I honestly think we’d be there already if every new camera wasn’t compelled to additionally be a professional video rig. Prices are artificially high as a result.

I disagree completely. Micro 4/3 cameras, and particularly the lenses that go with them are much smaller than "full-frame" cameras. ...
You’re welcome to disagree but I never said smaller cameras weren’t smaller. Being smaller is only true relative to the SLR motif because of the space consumed by the mirror box and pentaprism ... both of which push the focal plane backwards and necessitate a larger lens for a given focal length.

Mirrorless full frame cameras are smaller, as are their lenses, for the same reasons every M43 camera is: the back of the lens is just that much close to the sensor. If this were not the case, every APC-C DSLR would always be smaller than full frame *anything*. I actually think my 6D is smaller than my 50D.

[deckeda]

Z wrote:
[quote=deckeda]
I still say that if 24x35mm sensors continue to fall in price APS-C will die a merciful death because it’s just too similar in how it’s marketed, as being “good enough” despite all the “equivalent” focal length talk for lenses. And it’s not as if APS-C has ever had any camera size advantages.
.

Pentax would like to disagree with you. But most other makers would agree. (shrugs)

Happy with my new to me KP.
I'm an SLR and DSLR owner, so I'm more than comfortable enjoying their advantages. A lot of the time it comes from just being able to hold something I don't need outrigger thumb notches and accessory handles for. All of the size and weight advantages of mirrorless disappear if you have to strap things to them. It's the my-phone-is-too-small-to-use-comfortably issue all over again.

I once compared a Fuji X-T20 and X-T2 in a store. Both fantastic cameras. It wasn't the latter's performance I was drawn to, it was how much better it felt holding it, despite the added size and weight. This aspect is no different than Rebel vs 10-20-30-40-50-60-70-80-90D.

Pentax and Fuji command more awe today with me, as they always have ... because of the truly larger sensors that allow for more control of depth of field. I think that they saw the writing on the wall a long time ago and decided not to chase Canon or Nikon on full frame, K1 notwithstanding.

[Z]

I expect that the K1iii will eventually come out, incorporating many of the advances they've made with the K3iii - with most of the dev cost sunk, if they can translate the pentaprism improvements plus the computing improvements and update to whichever latest sensor, it'll be a great machine. But they work at their own pace and don't chase the latest greatest, so it'll be another year or more before it sees light of day.