The Official Micro 4/3 and EVIL Thread

[hoodlum]

New 35-100mm f2.8 looks quite small.

[ji_howa]

what are you basing that on? a few independent tests? remember the flaws of comparing a 100% crop of different sensor size cameras. m4/3 images require heavy corrections, and u'll never get the same DoF as ASPC and FX. IQ wise you just cannot compare. I am not saying EM5 hasn't improved a lot, but it's not worth 1k. if you buy a cheaper body for $200 then you can easily afford good primes (like the 25mm 1.4), better than 1k body with crappy kit lenses (if we are comparing value and IQ)

I think the EM5 is worth the money, I upgraded my E-PM1 to the EM5 and it is great to shoot with, paired with the 45mm 1.8 or the 20mm 1.7 you get very good DOF, and the silver/black is sexy as hell. The image quality is comparable to an APS-C camera, but the primary reason to go with the m4/3 system is the weight and portability of the equipment, I can carry 3 -4 lenses and body and not feel it for the entire day, can't really do that with an APS-C system.

Of course a $200 dollar body will be fine, but IQ is not a linear scale to cost, marginal improvements cost an disproportionate amount of money, each person has their own sweet spot.

[dkq]

I owned couple m4/3 cameras in the past and sold them due to my need for manual lens focus capability (Sony NEX Peaking is a must for me). However, my beef with the m4/3 image quality is the cleaness of pixel, I have a Sony SLT-A33 14.2M pixel APS-C sensor (similar noise to the acclaimed NEX). I never could compare image quality of my m4/3 to my Sony... so I often ended up cleaning m4/3 pictures with NeatImage.

To each of its own, nobody makes perfect mirrorless camera... Sony NEX has clean sensor and peaking focus but misses viewfinder and body stablization, Panasonic has good video function but still photo (esp. JPeG) is crappy and missing body stablization, all m4/3 sensors are noisy except EM5's is close to APS-C.

If EM5 has a built-in flash I would wait for it ... although I have an Olympus flash FL-36 I am not into carry it with me ... So my route is now on NEX old generation body with a basic zoom lens and use my manual lenses with adapters ... I chose to stay away from Fuji ... I also agree the low light performance of EM5 is comparable to APS-C but not superior as m4/3 fan's claim - since I was a "fan" couple weeks ago :-)

[hoodlum]

At the end of August we will see new PENs with the latest E-M5 sensor. This should help make the better IQ more affordable.

[bosoxfanx1]

hey everyone, I just completed an independent test of some of the older olympus and panasonic m4/3 bodies (EPL1, EPM1, GF1, GF2, GF3 and G10). I don't have anything else to do with all those camera bodies, so if any of the friends here want an inexpensive starter or backup body please send me a private message I have packaging and cables n stuff for these stuff, and ranging from $150 to $250, I'll let them go for cheaper than anyone else. plus, I have a couple of kit lenses plus a 20mm pancake and a 45mm f1.8 lens, so I'll let you mix and match body for lens. please dont ask me to sell the lens on its own though I want to save it for someone who is buying the body.

if any of the friends here have any questions, feel free to ask I'm a professional, so I take really good care of all my stuff

[arclite]

I'm a professional, so I take really good care of all my stuff

sure you are, "Peter"

[bosoxfanx1]

sure you are, "Peter"

lol fine :P

[bosoxfanx1]

anyone else looking for inexpensive m4/3 cameras to start with?

[vrus]

me! gone crazy trying to compare s100 and similar P/S and I think i'm ready to pull the trigger for anything good + the 20mm panny.

[mk5gti]

asking this for a friend of mine, she is looking at the GF2 ($329 from Aden) vs EPL3/EPM1 (cost $100+more) wondering beside faster AF, what do i get from the Olympus.

i always heard people complaining Jpeg from panasonic, is that still ongoing problem from Panasonic, is that more of a personal perference? or actual image quality difference?

Landscape & street is what she will be shooting.

[stupidguy_101]

If you can wait, the E-PM1 goes on sale for $350 sometimes at BB/FS.

[bosoxfanx1]

I cant give any opinions since I shoot raw with these guys, but I am sure these will not be noticable. AF is fast enough for pretty much everything.. its just a marketing gimmek for olympus to boast its autofocusing system, wouldnt make any real-world difference in normal shooting situations. Of course no matter which body you mount the legendary 20mm pancake lens onto, it will always be slow AF lol :P

[bosoxfanx1]

oh I forgot, olympus has some pretty fun art filters :P and it does have in-body stabilization, so it would come in handy for those prime lenses that doesnt have optical-image-stabilization (which is all of em except for the panny-leica 45mm macro)

[mk5gti]

thanks for all the input guys. $350 is surely a deal, will keep an eye out for it!

my friend is just starting, and sure she wont be shooting raw for a while, anybody can give me 1st person experience with the Jpeg from Panasonic vs olympus?

[bosoxfanx1]

thanks for all the input guys. $350 is surely a deal, will keep an eye out for it!

my friend is just starting, and sure she wont be shooting raw for a while, anybody can give me 1st person experience with the Jpeg from Panasonic vs olympus?

$350 plux tax comes to $400. wouldnt you rather have my epm1 and get something other than kit lens?

also if I have time today or tomorrow I will post a couple of JPEG comparison between GF1, GF2 and EPM1 I'll let you guys be the judge

edit: also keep in mind that both systems will offer a few "jpeg" quality, such as "natural", "vibrant", "standard" or whatever, so I think its trivial to compare them base on the jpeg output...