Time to switch camera format?
Discussion
I have owned an Olympus E-410 for the last 8 years. Over this time I have built a collection of admittedly basic lenses, namely the 17.5-45mm and 40-150mm which came with it and over time I have added the 70-300mm, 35mm Macro and the 25mm Pancake. All of these are consumer Zuiko lenses. As some of you may know the E-410 is a four thirds camera and as such is a discontinued format. Lately I have been hankering after a change. I want to enjoy some modern features that are sadly missing from my current kit such as image stabilization, movie capture, WiFi connectivity and the possibility of shooting in ISO higher than 1600. I'd also like to take advantage of the smaller form factor of a mirror-less camera, especially when it comes to lenses
The way I see it at the moment is that I have three options:
Option 1: I sell all of my Olympus gear and switch to another manufacturer, most likely Sony. I like the A6000 and although I like the possibility of upgrading to a full frame A7 variant. I am conscious that many E-mount lenses are designed specifically for APS-C sensor cameras and so if I did upgrade to an A7 then I might need to buy replacement lenses that are designed for full frame, therefore negating the point of investing at the bottom of the range and working my way up.
Option 2: I buy a Micro Four Thirds camera and a four thirds lens to micro four thirds body adapter, therefore enabling me to use my old lenses on a newer, more up to date body with all the features I would like. Using the adapter would mean I won't be stuck with just a kit lens while I save up for other lenses.
Option 3: Maybe I am just in a creative rut and I don't need anything new. Perhaps I should stick with the E-410 and instead of spunking £500.00 or so on a new body, I can put it towards a lens or two of a better quality (My pancake is F2.8 and the rest are F3.5 - F5.6 or slower. I'd like something faster, F2.0 or less, and perhaps a wide angle lens). I can also buy adapters to use Micro Four Thirds lenses or OM lenses among others so lens wise I still have plenty of options.
What do you guys think?
The way I see it at the moment is that I have three options:
Option 1: I sell all of my Olympus gear and switch to another manufacturer, most likely Sony. I like the A6000 and although I like the possibility of upgrading to a full frame A7 variant. I am conscious that many E-mount lenses are designed specifically for APS-C sensor cameras and so if I did upgrade to an A7 then I might need to buy replacement lenses that are designed for full frame, therefore negating the point of investing at the bottom of the range and working my way up.
Option 2: I buy a Micro Four Thirds camera and a four thirds lens to micro four thirds body adapter, therefore enabling me to use my old lenses on a newer, more up to date body with all the features I would like. Using the adapter would mean I won't be stuck with just a kit lens while I save up for other lenses.
Option 3: Maybe I am just in a creative rut and I don't need anything new. Perhaps I should stick with the E-410 and instead of spunking £500.00 or so on a new body, I can put it towards a lens or two of a better quality (My pancake is F2.8 and the rest are F3.5 - F5.6 or slower. I'd like something faster, F2.0 or less, and perhaps a wide angle lens). I can also buy adapters to use Micro Four Thirds lenses or OM lenses among others so lens wise I still have plenty of options.
What do you guys think?
8 years is a bloody long time in sensor technology. If there are genuinely no recent bodies, bite the bullet and move up to the next size sensor. I'd guess it will be 3x better at high ISO for a body from the last two years.
For reference, my 2-3 year old crop Fuji sensor is 1-2x more sensitive than my FF Nikon D700. And I'm quite keen to try the Fuji X-T2 when available. Alll I'd be losing is shallow DOF which I tend not to use.
For reference, my 2-3 year old crop Fuji sensor is 1-2x more sensitive than my FF Nikon D700. And I'm quite keen to try the Fuji X-T2 when available. Alll I'd be losing is shallow DOF which I tend not to use.
What's the budget? The EM-1 was built from the ground up to accept Four Thirds lenses via the adaptor, AF is excellent (I had an E-M1 and Four Thirds glass) and the camera has loads of fantastic features to play around with (such as Live Time and Live Composite) which you won't find anywhere else.
It might be a cheaper option than starting from scratch, as I can't imagine your current gear has much value on the used market.
It might be a cheaper option than starting from scratch, as I can't imagine your current gear has much value on the used market.
I have been tempted by Fuji, the still images I have seen look utterly fantastic but the video performance seems to be lacking somewhat. I think ukaskew makes a good point towards sticking with Olympus and using a converter as then I don't have to start from scratch lens wise. My whole current kit is worth between £200 and £300 on eBay and I can't really buy a lens worth having for that.
My budget is as little as possible but I really don't want to crack £500 which leaves me with new entry level models or I can pick up a second hand mid level camera. I'm heading towards the Olympus OMD EM-10 mkii but I think a visit to the camera shop for a play with all the contenders is in order.
My budget is as little as possible but I really don't want to crack £500 which leaves me with new entry level models or I can pick up a second hand mid level camera. I'm heading towards the Olympus OMD EM-10 mkii but I think a visit to the camera shop for a play with all the contenders is in order.
An 8 year old sensor esp a m43rds is going to be ropey in comparison to modern stuff.
Honestly I dont really get m43rds its not sufficiently smaller than the apsc mirrorless to be worthwhile for the drop in IQ.
Fuji stuff is great, handles nicely and the range of lenses is decent quality, but not cheap (fuji use sony sensors with their own filters on).
Sony seem to have a reasonable if limited range of lenses. I have the a7r and it works for landscapes but I'd hate it as an all rounder - note I use canon lenses so the AF isnt up to anything. The newer others (a7r2, a72 etc) are supposed to be much better.
Canons M5 looks very interesting and should have the best AF of any mirrorless (also for video) ok range of lenses and the 80d sensor is pretty decent.
Not sure where the current m43rds bodies are tbh think there are some new ones out.
Honestly I dont really get m43rds its not sufficiently smaller than the apsc mirrorless to be worthwhile for the drop in IQ.
Fuji stuff is great, handles nicely and the range of lenses is decent quality, but not cheap (fuji use sony sensors with their own filters on).
Sony seem to have a reasonable if limited range of lenses. I have the a7r and it works for landscapes but I'd hate it as an all rounder - note I use canon lenses so the AF isnt up to anything. The newer others (a7r2, a72 etc) are supposed to be much better.
Canons M5 looks very interesting and should have the best AF of any mirrorless (also for video) ok range of lenses and the 80d sensor is pretty decent.
Not sure where the current m43rds bodies are tbh think there are some new ones out.
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