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  1. #1
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    Educate Me On Four Thirds

    I'm getting serious about a DSLR camera purchase. I like the idea of small and light. I also like Olympus cameras. Both the OM-D E-M1 and OM-D E-M10 have my interest. And what's the difference between four thirds and micro four thirds?

  2. #2
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    4/3 are slr's, micro 4/3 are mirrorless

  3. #3
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    I've got the EM-5. I really like it. Its very versatile, I can stick it in a jacket pocket when I've got the panasonic 20mm f1.7 on it, and I can stick the 12-50 kit lens in my other pocket and not look like I've got a lot of gear on me. I carried mine around Chile for two weeks this winter and it was great, never got to be burdensome. The only catch is that it does not do tracking shots very well. I understand that may have improved in the EM-1, not sure about the EM-10. So if you want to shoot sports, keep that in mind. The 20mm panasonic lens is one of my favorites for colors and sunstars, but the autofocus BLOWS. That is just a flaw of the lens though.

    You also run into limited support in lightroom. I usually convert to DNG, but you don't have lens profiles like you get with nikon, canon, tamron.

    When I walk around a city with it, I feel a lot less conspicuous than I do with my canon DSLR.

    Image quality seems pretty good too, but I'm kind of a hack, so keep that in mind. Overall, I really like the camera, I can't think of anything that really drove me nuts, and I shot nearly 2000 images with it between December 29 and January 12. Video isn't all that great, it hunts focus too much. But you didn't ask about that.

    Also, the weather sealing is really nice to have.

  4. #4
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    Thanks for the info. Olympus is having a good sale on their glass if you buy the body, so I need to decide what ranges I think I need.

  5. #5
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    I used an Olympus E500 for several years and now, after making the switch to a newer Canon, I can say that the Olympus was a very good dslr. I got quite a few quality images out of that camera with just plain old kit lenses. Don't get me wrong, I'm a total hack. But the Olympus did well by me. It was fairly affordable as compared to Canon and Nikon and it took nice pics.
    Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
    Cletus: Duly noted.

  6. #6
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    are there any 4/3rds or m4/3rds that will do action shots well? I guess that means fast auto focus & ability to take a decent number of multi burst shots. Seems to be a common complaint re 4/3rd cameras?

  7. #7
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    I hear good things about the zuikio 12mm prime and the 17 mm prime too. If I were buying just one, I'd get the 12-40 f2.8.

    There is a big thread on M4/3 lenses on new school of photography too.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edgnar View Post
    I hear good things about the zuikio 12mm prime and the 17 mm prime too. If I were buying just one, I'd get the 12-40 f2.8.

    There is a big thread on M4/3 lenses on new school of photography too.
    Thanks, I'll look into those lenses. I also registered with NSOP.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by jamesp View Post
    are there any 4/3rds or m4/3rds that will do action shots well? I guess that means fast auto focus & ability to take a decent number of multi burst shots. Seems to be a common complaint re 4/3rd cameras?
    The EM1 is supposed to be pretty good at this, but I haven't tested it out myself. The just announced Panasonic GH4 will likely be even better, but it's not the camera I would recommend to someone who wants a m43 camera for the reasons you do. It's basically small DSLR sized and focused on video.

    I love my GH2. I have the 20mm pancake on it 75% of the time and have carried it all sorts of places. If I were to get another body, I'd go for the EM1, EM5/10 or the Panasonic GX7. All seem like pretty great cameras.

    Edit: Actually if I was getting another body it would be the Panasonic GM1, which is just amazingly small. If I only had one body though, I'd go with one of the above as I prefer to shoot through a viewfinder.

  10. #10
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    the om-d em5 is dope for the money. small, durable, customizable, and lenses aren't expensive n shit for pretty nice stuff. been shooting 17mm 2.5 and 45mm 1.8 (sick) but got it w the 12-50 which is nice. overall a lot of fun, takes great shots, and fits anywhere. which is nice since if you have a fat camera foolz want to jack you. i never liked the size of the dslrs especially for draggin up rock climbs and shot a g11 for years as the bring-along action cam, so this is a great improvement. but you will have to get around that it isn't a 1d hahaha. the viewfinder is nice but lags a bit, maybe this is where the action pix problems come from as the AF is pretty good for most sports, maybe not F1 or DH MTB

  11. #11
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    Micro-4/3 is probably the best mirrorless camera system on the market right now. The combination of image quality, lens selection and value is the best out there. The 4/3 sensor is smaller, so you sacrifice depth of field and some lowlight performance compared to APS-C cameras, but from what I can tell, this is minimal with the latest cameras. On the plus side, the lenses are generally smaller.

    I've been an Olympus user for a while (bought one on sale years ago, bought some really good lenses and now I can't afford to switch to Canikon) and there's elements I love about them and things I hate. Right now I use an E5 and the image quality is definitely lacking at ISO1600 and above. The C-AF also isn't very good. When I shoot sports, I usually compensate by pre-focusing and framing my shots rather than relying on the C-AF to work for me. In good light, the camera is plenty good for what I use it for and all the photos I post on this forum are with that camera. The four-thirds lens lineup is awesome and I'd say they produce the best zooms on the market. It's also pretty much indestructible and I've used it in horrendous weather (rain storms, snow storms, -30C) and it's held up fine.

    I had a chance to play around with EM1 recently. I didn't get a chance to test it for action shots, but the focus was really fast and it felt pretty good in my hands, despite it's small size. All the pictures I've seen online look great and it's half the size of my E5 with better performance. If the weather sealing is just as good, then I'm going to take the plunge and buy one. I want to test it out with some of my 4/3 lenses before I make the purchase.

  12. #12
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    I know dick about 4/3s, but a buddy of mine from HS does and he wrote this: http://blog.prophotosupply.com/2014/...-e-m10-review/
    Quote Originally Posted by Ernest_Hemingway View Post
    I realize there is not much hope for a bullfighting forum. I understand that most of you would prefer to discuss the ingredients of jacket fabrics than the ingredients of a brave man. I know nothing of the former. But the latter is made of courage, and skill, and grace in the presence of the possibility of death. If someone could make a jacket of those three things it would no doubt be the most popular and prized item in all of your closets.

  13. #13
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    Well thanks for all the info. I have an OM-D E-M10 and 3 lenses showing up tomorrow. My last camera with a lens system was an OM-1 that I bought in 76. This should be fun.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by crashtestdummy View Post
    Well thanks for all the info. I have an OM-D E-M10 and 3 lenses showing up tomorrow. My last camera with a lens system was an OM-1 that I bought in 76. This should be fun.
    How did the OM-D EM10 work out for you.
    “THE EDGE, there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” HST

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by gonzo_lives View Post
    How did the OM-D EM10 work out for you.
    It's damn expensive. I now have 8 lenses, including both of the PRO lenses, 2 tripods, a couple of packs, holsters, flashes and other absolutely necessary gear. I do love the camera though.

  16. #16
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    Thank you.I want to keep expenses down ,but feared that I might regret not spending a few hundred more for the em1 or em5
    “THE EDGE, there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” HST

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by gonzo_lives View Post
    Thank you.I want to keep expenses down ,but feared that I might regret not spending a few hundred more for the em1 or em5
    In my opinion, one of the main advantages of the EM1 or EM5 is the weatherproofing. But you also need a weatherproof lens for this to be meaningful. The EM5 is being discontinued, so prices are coming down on it. The yet to be released EM5 II could be a very interesting camera.

  18. #18
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    I've been using an EM1 since the summer and I really like it. Tracking is OK, but I'm using legacy 4/3 lenses, so I imagine it does better with dedicates micro-4/3 lenses. As I said above, the main thing you're giving up with 4/3 is depth-of-field. Otherwise, image quality is great and it takes clean photos up to ISO1600, pretty good ones at 3200, and passable photos at 6400. In terms of features, the camera does everything I need and more. Tracking is decent, it shoots 10 FPS, has built in HDR, focus peeking, and a seemingly endless buffer. I took 40 pictures at 10 FPS in RAW once without reaching the buffer, and only stopped because I got bored.

    One other thing: if video is a priority, you're better off getting a Panasonic.

  19. #19
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    I bought the EM10 with a couple of lenses at the end of the summer. I love the size. I think image quality is great.

  20. #20
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    Buddy of mine just reviewed the OM-D E-M5 Mark II. Not at all in the market, but I enjoyed the review.
    http://blog.prophotosupply.com/2015/...od-vibrations/
    Quote Originally Posted by Ernest_Hemingway View Post
    I realize there is not much hope for a bullfighting forum. I understand that most of you would prefer to discuss the ingredients of jacket fabrics than the ingredients of a brave man. I know nothing of the former. But the latter is made of courage, and skill, and grace in the presence of the possibility of death. If someone could make a jacket of those three things it would no doubt be the most popular and prized item in all of your closets.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by LightRanger View Post
    Buddy of mine just reviewed the OM-D E-M5 Mark II. Not at all in the market, but I enjoyed the review.
    http://blog.prophotosupply.com/2015/...od-vibrations/
    Nice blog, thanks for the link.

  22. #22
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    The original OM-D E-M5 is on sale at B&H for $499 with 14-42 lens. It is the discontinued version. I'm guessing this won't be going on for long.

    http://slickdeals.net/f/7826495-olym...-free-shipping

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...irrorless.html

  23. #23
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    Sweet deal on the E-M5. I wish it was with the splash proof 14-50 lens.

  24. #24
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    ^^^ I have the EM10 and love it. I don't miss carrying around my DSLR. Keep your eyes open for deals on these cameras. Every couple of months their seems to be a different deal. You could have gotten an EM10 (body only) for $409 pretty recently. There was also a sale on lenses.

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