Micro four thirds isn't going away then?

[roundg]

I recently upgraded my G1 to an Olympus EP2. While I love the camera, I still think it's a suffer of using my leica glasses with an adapter on it. I'd better stick with the lovely RD1.

[kuzano]

Olympus seems married to both the 4/3-Micro 4/3 sensor (which are the same-only the mounts differ) and mirrorless. I don't expect them to do any other sensor for a long time. They can live quite well off the income stream from the micro lines. I would not be surprised, and rather expect them to never do another mirrored DSLR.

The real economic question is this. Why would a company that is so creative, and innovative choose to devolve their product line when they are having so much success going in these new directions. Anything other than what they are doing would be counterproductive.

Screw what the market wants... They are pioneering and creating new markets. All the other mirrorless offerings fall short of the lead that Olympus/Panasonic have in the EVIL market place.

I have been shooting OLY 4/3 since the Evolt E-300 and have been happy with the evolution. My new lust list has the OM-d EM-5 with the grip at the top. Number 2 on that list is Jessica Alba...

[Keith]

I need to stop thinking about cameras and get out more ... I just had to google Jessica Alba!

[coelacanth]

Originally Posted by Keith

I need to stop thinking about cameras and get out more ... I just had to google Jessica Alba!

I don't know if that would help me get out the door...

[kuzano]

Originally Posted by Keith

I need to stop thinking about cameras and get out more ... I just had to google Jessica Alba!

If I hadn't been addicted to the TV show Dark Angel, in which she was the lead role (post apocalyptic Seattle USA, and her part of a secret superhuman government experiment), I would've had to google her as well, rather than Ogle her on the internet.

[Keith]

I do worry a little about the fact that there aren't that many players involved in M43 and Olympus's involvement with it seems fairly committed. If it did disappear down a mineshaft they may follow it ... I realise I shouldn't be having thoughts like this!

[kbg32]

Don't forget about Panasonic Keith. Olympus and Panasonic both seem to be very committed. New lenses and bodies arrive at least 2x a year.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by kbg32

Don't forget about Panasonic Keith. Olympus and Panasonic both seem to be very committed. New lenses and bodies arrive at least 2x a year.

That's true ... and Panasonic are huge I gather.

Do Panasonic have a slush fund set up in the Cayman Islands yet?

[shadowfox]

Originally Posted by Keith

I do worry a little about the fact that there aren't that many players involved in M43 and Olympus's involvement with it seems fairly committed. If it did disappear down a mineshaft they may follow it ... I realise I shouldn't be having thoughts like this!

Just be glad that you're not a proponent of the Samsung NX line then.

I believe that once some of those NEX users get over the APS-C "bigger-must-be-better" mentality, they will also see the light and switch to m4/3rd. I've seen some chatter to this effect already.

m4/3rd is here to stay.
Even if not, I'll wait for the next innovation from Olympus.

[mep]

For nice & easy digital shots, M43 is your friend. Embrace it, tightly. (Then lick its lobe).

[dasuess]

Late to this thread, but gotta add my $.02. I have been shooting with my EP-2 for about 2 years and love it. I started with the Oly 17/2.8 and added the 45/1.8. As when I was using my Nikon F outfit, 95% of my shooting is done with the wide angle. I also bought an adapter to use my Nikkors on the EP-2, but abandoned that very quickly - just too fiddly for my taste. I have made 12x16 color prints from a cropped image that are fantastic. As was said earlier, as soon as the EM-5 comes down a bit, I will be picking one up (assuming my CFO approves the purchase ;-)

[kuzano]

And I have outshot every APS-x Canon Rebel that has come out with my corresponding 4/3 and m4/3. In fact, I even purchase the XSi and the T2i kits, kept and compared them to my Olympus' for three months and sold them. I lost less than rent would have cost for those three month periods.

I suspect full well, that the resisters to the 4/3 sensor have never even picked up and held an Olympus 4/3 or micro, let alone shot some images.

I even bought a 5D and kept it for 3 months (used of course) and except for the ability to print larger, feel the Olympus' kept up with the 5D full frame, and the bonus was eliminating the weight drag of the 5D. And that's considering the 5D is about the smallest FF camera one could purchase at the time.

Been shooting Olympus consistently since the E-300 and film since the 60's. Don't understand the "logic without looking" hate for 4/3. After over a dozen Oly DSLR and PEN models, I have never had a problem with one. I have tried and abandoned the use of legacy lenses as too fiddly, just as I would on any camera on which it could be done with adaptors. With Olympus, the advantage is the superiority of "native" glass that is fully automated and light weight.

But hey, keep on keeping on "haters". It keeps the used prices down, although I have purchased new about half the time.

Stacking up my change on the dresser for the OM-D EM5, but the E500 and the PEN E-PL1 are doing just fine in the meantime.

[Jamie Pillers]

Originally Posted by kuzano

And I have outshot every APS-x Canon Rebel that has come out with my corresponding 4/3 and m4/3. In fact, I even purchase the XSi and the T2i kits, kept and compared them to my Olympus' for three months and sold them. I lost less than rent would have cost for those three month periods.

I suspect full well, that the resisters to the 4/3 sensor have never even picked up and held an Olympus 4/3 or micro, let alone shot some images.

I even bought a 5D and kept it for 3 months (used of course) and except for the ability to print larger, feel the Olympus' kept up with the 5D full frame, and the bonus was eliminating the weight drag of the 5D. And that's considering the 5D is about the smallest FF camera one could purchase at the time.

Been shooting Olympus consistently since the E-300 and film since the 60's. Don't understand the "logic without looking" hate for 4/3. After over a dozen Oly DSLR and PEN models, I have never had a problem with one. I have tried and abandoned the use of legacy lenses as too fiddly, just as I would on any camera on which it could be done with adaptors. With Olympus, the advantage is the superiority of "native" glass that is fully automated and light weight.

But hey, keep on keeping on "haters". It keeps the used prices down, although I have purchased new about half the time.

Stacking up my change on the dresser for the OM-D EM5, but the E500 and the PEN E-PL1 are doing just fine in the meantime.

Kuzano, I'm totally in agreement with you. I recently sold my E-P3 in order to buy the Fuji X100. Now I've just sold the X100 so that I can go back to m4/3 gear. I miss the interchangeable lens capability, and I don't feel like I give up much in image quality. I can't tell the difference in X100 or m4/3 images when printed at normal sizes, so it really comes down to ergonomics and convenience for me. The one thing I will miss about the X100 is the optical viewfinder. But it doesn't seem that the m4/3 manufacturers are going to go in that direction. And I guess I do have to admit that its pretty cool to look through an EVF and be able to see directly an approximation of what the final image will look like. Things like exposure compensation or filters get applied in real time in the EVF.

[Bingley]

Jamie, I've been happily using my CV viewfinders on my E-PL1 when I don't want to use the EVF. I set the camera to autofocus and face recognition, frame w/ the brightline finder, and shoot. It's not a true OVF, true, but it works pretty well for me.

[DougFord]

I'd say micro-four thirds is definitely here to stay. The availability of high quality lenses has strong appeal, combined with the image quality like we're seeing from the OMD. The format is leveraging its size advantages as well. I think they're looking to make the knock-out punch here as of late.

[Archiver]

Yesterday I had the chance to play with the OM-D at the Olympus stand at the Melbourne PMA Digital Show. I was not expecting such an impressive camera! The operational speed on this thing is practically jaw-dropping for something that is not a mid-high end DSLR. In terms of speed of operation and AF it slays the Fuji X-Pro 1. It feels disturbingly like a very well-specced DSLR in terms of ability to focus and rep out the shots.

The touchscreen LCD is amazing. You can touch the screen just about anywhere in the scene and the camera near-instantly focuses and takes the shot. Burst mode is scary-fast, too. The week before I spent a good half hour at my dealer, playing with the X-Pro 1, and I figured that when I had the money I would buy it. Now that I have played with the OM-D I am shelving those plans. It makes the Ricoh GXR feel like a team of tiny snails take the message from the shutter button and relay it to the shutter somewhere on the other side of the building.

The Oly 12/2 lens is so nice. It feels like a very well-built lens, and the snap ring for manual focus works very nicely. It gave me the same feel as a manual focus lens, even though it was focus by wire.

The grip and battery grip are very nice, too. The combination results in a relatively heavy camera, but the overall package is visually and ergonomically very appealing.

I did get a chance to play with the 12-50 zoom, and I'm of two minds about it. It doesn't feel that solid, and the zoom ring feels more like a motorized zoom than mechanical. It has a strange sense of slippage, unlike the Fuji X10's mechanical zoom, which I really like.

As far as depth of field goes, I think that the combination of the 12/2 and the OM-D's autofocus would make for a very potent street camera. One of my current favourite combinations is the Ricoh GXR-M with the LTM Voigtlander 15/4.5. The depth of field is very long as it starts at f4.5, and when you zone focus it is a very nice point and shoot. But there are times when you want more to shoot in lower light and and don't have the spare second to refocus, and that would be where the OM-D could shine.

I still need to have a good look at the images from the OM-D, but I could give up a little bit of image quality compared with the Ricoh GXR if it has this kind of operational speed.

[gavinlg]

Originally Posted by Keith

I do worry a little about the fact that there aren't that many players involved in M43 and Olympus's involvement with it seems fairly committed. If it did disappear down a mineshaft they may follow it ... I realise I shouldn't be having thoughts like this!

Hmmm... Something tells me you haven't seen the official partner list for m4/3, or you've missed the various announcements!

[Keith]

Originally Posted by gavinlg

Hmmm... Something tells me you haven't seen the official partner list for m4/3, or you've missed the various announcements!

Yes well ... there are a couple of names there I recognise!

[Atto]

Nowadays my main cameras are:
Mamiya M7ii + 65mm + 150mm
Gf1 + lumix 20mm + zuiko 45mm

6:7 and 4:3 easily are my favourite aspects. I really love the Gf1 with the pancake, so portable and deliver fantastic images (of course images needs to be judged printed in correct manner).

m4/3 is a fantastic system and by far the only mirrorless with a vaste offer in terms of lenses.

[silverbullet]

My E-P2 is my 'streetmachine' for digital colour work.

The new OM-D will be much better in terms of speed, DR etc...... but the small body of the EP suits my style


coffee in paradise von deandare06 auf Flickr


Small business - made in China von deandare06 auf Flickr


Everything is 'To Go'..... von deandare06 auf Flickr

[dreilly]

Silverbullet, have you held or seen the OMD in person. It's wickedly small and might do you fine for discrete shooting (nice shots by the way).

I think m43 is about as here to stay as you can mean those words these days. There's an awfully deep lens set from Oly and Panny and more lenses from some of those other standard members on the way. No way to tell how long any of this stuff will be here. Will somebody be using the OMD when it's as old as my M3? Probably not. Times are not thus anymore. But for the near term/next 15 years I'm pretty comfortable with my m43 investment.

[Trius]

Originally Posted by gavinlg

Hmmm... Something tells me you haven't seen the official partner list for m4/3, or you've missed the various announcements!

Well, how many of those are actually producing m4/3 products? And given Kodak's prospects, their presence on the list is sorta moot.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Trius

Well, how many of those are actually producing m4/3 products? And given Kodak's prospects, their presence on the list is sorta moot.

Kodak are working on a secret micro four thirds film camera Earl .... they're currently trying to remember where they left the patents!

[Eric T]

I like the Panasonic G3. It's sensor does fairly well in low light. And I believe it is a bargain for the price. I am mostly using a Fuji X-Pro1 these days but a not-too-distant second in terms of use is the G3. The Panasonic lenses are great: 20f1.7, 25f1.4, the 7-14mm zoom, and I use the Panaleica 14-150mm with the four-thirds mount.
My M8 and Canon 5D mark II are collecting dust. Too bad...

[Trius]

Originally Posted by Keith

Kodak are working on a secret micro four thirds film camera Earl .... they're currently trying to remember where they left the patents!

Ha! I guess I will have to skulk around and find their secret development lab, then post an EXCLUSIVE STORY here on RFF! With pictures, of course, but you'll have to wait until I process and scan ...