Anyone Use MFT Cameras? EM10 vs EM5?

[GooseInTheCaboose]

Curious if any of you use micro four thirds cameras and which model you use?

I'm considering an EM10 and an EM5 as my next camera (upgrading from an ancient canon t2i)

Not sure which would be better. Im interested in telephoto small or distant bird and animal/wildlife photography (using the oly 300mm perhaps) and macro photography for insects and snowflakes and leaf veins (perhaps using the oly 60mm macro). Also want to explore astro landscapes but have no idea which lens I'd get for that.

Camera and lens suggestions would be appreciated.

Curious if anyone also uses a studio display for editing and viewing and how you like it, and which mac/how much ram you need? (I have a 14" on order with 32GB RAM and 2TB, ...it is super delayed and I'm wondering if its overkill)

 

[mollyc]

@Darmok N Jalad I think uses (or used) MFT.

I just got a 64GB/2TB Max and this thing flies....it is definitely overkill but it was in stock so I snagged it up and I love it. I've had it less than a week but it is so much faster than my old iMac.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I have used quite a few M43 cameras over the years. Have an E-M5 mark iii currently. I certainly recommend it over the EM10, as you get a hybrid AF system, which helps with CAF. The Olympus 75-300ii is a fantastic little lens, and punches well above its price and size, IMO. The 60mm 2.8 is a great macro lens and I have seen many a good shot from that lens. As far as Astro, there are some options there, both fisheye and rectilinear, prime and zoom. Feel free to ask away.

I actually tried Fuji for awhile, but the difference was not enough to justify the extra size, so the E-M5iii is my current go-to.

 

[GooseInTheCaboose]

I have used quite a few M43 cameras over the years. Have an E-M5 mark iii currently. I certainly recommend it over the EM10, as you get a hybrid AF system, which helps with CAF. The Olympus 75-300ii is a fantastic little lens, and punches well above its price and size, IMO. The 60mm 2.8 is a great macro lens and I have seen many a good shot from that lens. As far as Astro, there are some options there, both fisheye and rectilinear, prime and zoom. Feel free to ask away.

I actually tried Fuji for awhile, but the difference was not enough to justify the extra size, so the E-M5iii is my current go-to.

Goad to hear you like them! Are there any specific lenses youd recommend for astro landscapes?

And are there better macros or telephotos youd recommend at similar price points to the oly 75-300 and 60mm?

What lenses do you use?

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Goad to hear you like them! Are there any specific lenses youd recommend for astro landscapes?

And are there better macros or telephotos youd recommend at similar price points to the oly 75-300 and 60mm?

What lenses do you use?

Currently the 9-18, 25mm 1.8, and the 75-300ii. Another option around the same price for is the Panasonic 100-300, which is a little faster across the range, but a little bigger. If you want high end, then there’s the 100-400 or the 300 f4, but you’re spending a good amount more there.

For Astro, I don’t know that the 9-18 is a great option since it starts at f4, but there is the 7-14 2.8 and the PL8-18, which are more expensive. Panasonic just launched the 9mm 1.7, which should do really well. There are also a couple 8mm fisheyes, and various manual focus primes, but I can’t speak for those.

The p12-60 and pl12-60 do a halfway decent job at macro, even though they are zooms. There is also the 30mm macro, but I have no experience with it.

 

[stillcrazyman]

I had an EM5 Mk2 for a while. Loved the image quality and the compactness of all of it. I only had issues with the fiddle screen and no stick to move the focus point around. I sold the lot to get into Fuji ?

 

[robgendreau]

I've had and have several Olympus and Panasonic M43 cameras going back to the E-PL1.

I've currently got an E-M10iv, and I still think it's one of the best value cameras out there. Has a lot of higher end features at a great value price. The E-M5iii is better, but you pay for that. A used 5ii might be a great deal, or one of OM's refurbs; they're a great deal too.

One of my favorite lenses on any platform is the Oly 60mm macro. Great for macro, but also for some critters, portraits, and even some landscape.

These days, for astro I might look at the Laowa 7.5 f2. I like mine a lot, small and very handy for wide landscape. Manual focus. Some examples (not me) here: https://www.mu-43.com/threads/the-laowa-7-5-as-an-astro-lens.103561/

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

What Canon LENSES do you currently have?

Have you taken a good look at the just-released Canon R7?

With the RF/EF adapter, many, most or all of your existing Canon EF/EF-s lenses will work as well (or BETTER) on the R7...

 

[thettareddast]

Curious if any of you use micro four thirds cameras and which model you use?

I'm considering an EM10 and an EM5 as my next camera (upgrading from an ancient canon t2i)

Not sure which would be better. Im interested in telephoto small or distant bird and animal/wildlife photography (using the oly 300mm perhaps) and macro photography for insects and snowflakes and leaf veins (perhaps using the oly 60mm macro). Also want to explore astro landscapes but have no idea which lens I'd get for that.

Camera and lens suggestions would be appreciated.

Curious if anyone also uses a studio display for editing and viewing and how you like it, and which mac/how much ram you need? (I have a 14" on order with 32GB RAM and 2TB, ...it is super delayed and I'm wondering if its overkill)

And are there better macros or telephotos youd recommend at similar price points to the oly 75-300 and 60mm?

I've had EM5 and have used the hell out of EM1. I much prefer the EM1 due to its ergonomics/handling (perfect grip, better placed dials, etc). The sensor and technical imaging capabilities are all the same.

The 60mm is a technically superb macro lens and there isn't better. (There isn't a comparable one either given the focal length). It's one of the main reasons I kept the M43 system despite having lots of other cameras at the moment.

The 75-300 is extremely good value for focal reach, and its lightweight. But for active bird-in-flight it is a slow lens... there are lots of Olympus Pro lens for that effort. For static objects its a great lens.

The sensor is only 16MP so the files are extremely easy to handle. I used to run Lightroom/Photoshop on RAW files going back to 2nd gen Macbook Air and all the subsequent smallest Apple laptops. No issues at all, even for HDR composites, image stitching, etc.

All of the Apple displays are extremely well calibrated out of the box (for consumer laptops!). You can buy a Studio Display... but you dont have to. If you want to make prints, keep in mind that the color management pipeline is so much more than just a good display.

 

[ian87w]

I had an E-P5. It was quite compact for its days, but moving forward, low-light is piss poor and size-wise, Sony APS-C mirrorless is getting more compact as well (with larger sensor to boot).

I don't think there are any significant improvements in MFT bodies over the past decade, so any that you an afford will be just fine. I would consider Panasonic models though. Not sure about the recent models, buy my Olympus E-P5 suffers from shutter shock, and it can be highly annoying.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I had an E-P5. It was quite compact for its days, but moving forward, low-light is piss poor and size-wise, Sony APS-C mirrorless is getting more compact as well (with larger sensor to boot).

I don't think there are any significant improvements in MFT bodies over the past decade, so any that you an afford will be just fine. I would consider Panasonic models though. Not sure about the recent models, buy my Olympus E-P5 suffers from shutter shock, and it can be highly annoying.

Most of the 20MP bodies are comparable in output. The Olympus models have phase detect and the Panasonics have DFD. Having just tried Fuji, I didn’t find the bump in either MP or ISO performance to be that noticeable, TBH. What M43 really has going for it is compactness. Yes, others are close, but it’s really hard to find lenses as small and light. M43 is not without its trade offs, but it really is a fun bit of kit to work with, and I’ve come to be quite comfortable with using it and the output it gets me.

 

[ian87w]

Most of the 20MP bodies are comparable in output. The Olympus models have phase detect and the Panasonics have DFD. Having just tried Fuji, I didn’t find the bump in either MP or ISO performance to be that noticeable, TBH. What M43 really has going for it is compactness. Yes, others are close, but it’s really hard to find lenses as small and light. M43 is not without its trade offs, but it really is a fun bit of kit to work with, and I’ve come to be quite comfortable with using it and the output it gets me.

Good point on the lens size. That's where MFT still has an advantage.

Daylight photography is not an issue, but on low light, MFT just cannot compete with APS-C, even with a fast lens. This is why I dropped my EP5 as my photos were all unusable when I tried it for indoor event photography. I do miss its compact prime lenses though. ?

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Good point on the lens size. That's where MFT still has an advantage.

Daylight photography is not an issue, but on low light, MFT just cannot compete with APS-C, even with a fast lens. This is why I dropped my EP5 as my photos were all unusable when I tried it for indoor event photography. I do miss its compact prime lenses though. ?

The f1.4 and 1.2 lenses really help there. Though they aren’t as small and light.

 

[lcubed]

Good point on the lens size. That's where MFT still has an advantage.

Daylight photography is not an issue, but on low light, MFT just cannot compete with APS-C, even with a fast lens. This is why I dropped my EP5 as my photos were all unusable when I tried it for indoor event photography. I do miss its compact prime lenses though. ?

if you shot RAW, try reprocessing with the PhotoLab5 deepPrime NR. i used the 30 day trial on some of old Panasonic G1 RAWs from 12 years ago that i thought were unusable and it did a good enough job that i actually bought PL5 elite.

 

[Fishrrman]

Again I'll mention...

OP seems to be coming from Canon system (he's using a t2i now).
OP is interested in wildlife photography (why I asked previously what Canon lenses he has NOW).

So...
A Canon APS-c system -- modernized -- might be the best way forward, as he can keep using his current lenses.

And... the just-introduced mirrorless Canon R7 might suit his needs perfectly.

 

[GooseInTheCaboose]

Again I'll mention...

OP seems to be coming from Canon system (he's using a t2i now).
OP is interested in wildlife photography (why I asked previously what Canon lenses he has NOW).

So...
A Canon APS-c system -- modernized -- might be the best way forward, as he can keep using his current lenses.

And... the just-introduced mirrorless Canon R7 might suit his needs perfectly.

I jus have the kit anda tamron 18-275, which im unhappy with the reach, which is why i was interested in the oly 600mm ff equivalent (75-300), so i dont have too much to lose. Ill prolly keep the old cam and lens as a secondary camera and not sell, it is a good beater

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Again I'll mention...

OP seems to be coming from Canon system (he's using a t2i now).
OP is interested in wildlife photography (why I asked previously what Canon lenses he has NOW).

So...
A Canon APS-c system -- modernized -- might be the best way forward, as he can keep using his current lenses.

And... the just-introduced mirrorless Canon R7 might suit his needs perfectly.

Yes, the R7 plus an adapter would be a good choice.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

OP is looking for more reach, which is easiest to attain in M43 in terms of size and weight. The 75-300 is super light and compact, so while it requires decent lighting to get results, it’s an affordable and easy carry. It’s actually a fast focuser in decent lighting. No, for BIF it is not the best, but that’s one of the toughest genres of photography, or at least one that requires some beefy kit to get a hood success rate.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd suggest an R7 with one of the following:
- RF 100-400 (new or from Canon-refurbished)
- EF 100-400 "L" IS II (either Canon-refurbished or used) (also needs RF/EF adapter)
- EF 1.4x tele-extender (for use with the EF 100-400, won't work with RF lenses).

This will give the equivalent of 160-640mm FF.
With the 1.4 tele-extender added, that jumps to 224-896.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I'd suggest an R7 with one of the following:
- RF 100-400 (new or from Canon-refurbished)
- EF 100-400 "L" IS II (either Canon-refurbished or used) (also needs RF/EF adapter)
- EF 1.4x tele-extender (for use with the EF 100-400, won't work with RF lenses).

This will give the equivalent of 160-640mm FF.
With the 1.4 tele-extender added, that jumps to 224-896.

…it’s also 4x more heavy and 6-7x more expensive. For that price, OP can get the 300mm F4, which is an excellent lens, and can also use 1.4 and 2.0 TCs to get well beyond 600mm. Budget hasn’t been mentioned, but there’s a huge difference between the 75-300 and that 100-400.

 

[InlawBiker]

I've used lots of M43, owned both those cameras. They're good, the E-M5 mark 1 and 2 are not very good at autofocus. I'd get the mark 3 or the E-M1 mark 2 (or 3). Otherwise they're good compact cameras with good compact lenses. Panasonic G9 is another great choice, kinda big for the system tho. I switched to Sony A7c, same size as the E-M5 but full frame.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I've used lots of M43, owned both those cameras. They're good, the E-M5 mark 1 and 2 are not very good at autofocus. I'd get the mark 3 or the E-M1 mark 2 (or 3). Otherwise they're good compact cameras with good compact lenses. Panasonic G9 is another great choice, kinda big for the system tho. I switched to Sony A7c, same size as the E-M5 but full frame.

The G9 does take some criticism for size for M43, but it’s not intended to be small, but rather very comfortable for a gripped body, with an excellent layout and EVF. It’s very solidly built, and is an excellent value, IMO. The E-M1 (or OM1) is about as small as you can go with a gripped body, IMO. Once you go smaller than that, then you’re kinda missing the purpose of the gripped body. When smaller size matters, the E-M5iii is about as small as it gets without surrendering advanced functionality.

All that aside, the size of the body only tells half the story. The lenses are where you can get some big differences. FF has indeed closed some of that gap in the short focal lengths, but the longer you go, the more noticeable the savings (weight and cost) for M43. OP hasn’t specified budget, or pack weight, but if the desire is to get close to wildlife without huge costs, the E-M5iii (or E-M1ii) and 75-300 is pretty affordable and light on the back. If cost is no object, then the OM1 and 300 f4 is a fantastic combo. Or the 100-400. OP started with the E-M10 and E-M5, which suggests it might be a more budget-conscious decision.

 

[GooseInTheCaboose]

The G9 does take some criticism for size for M43, but it’s not intended to be small, but rather very comfortable for a gripped body, with an excellent layout and EVF. It’s very solidly built, and is an excellent value, IMO. The E-M1 (or OM1) is about as small as you can go with a gripped body, IMO. Once you go smaller than that, then you’re kinda missing the purpose of the gripped body. When smaller size matters, the E-M5iii is about as small as it gets without surrendering advanced functionality.

All that aside, the size of the body only tells half the story. The lenses are where you can get some big differences. FF has indeed closed some of that gap in the short focal lengths, but the longer you go, the more noticeable the savings (weight and cost) for M43. OP hasn’t specified budget, or pack weight, but if the desire is to get close to wildlife without huge costs, the E-M5iii (or E-M1ii) and 75-300 is pretty affordable and light on the back. If cost is no object, then the OM1 and 300 f4 is a fantastic combo. Or the 100-400. OP started with the E-M10 and E-M5, which suggests it might be a more budget-conscious decision.

Yeah weight and bulk savings is the main motivator. The om or em1 have a lot of features id like but I think their bodies are a little bulky for what I want.

And yeah photography is not a business for me, just a hobby, so im not looking to aoend $3000 on a lens. The oly 75-300 is great value there.

I can’t decide between the em10 and em5 tho. While I like the water resistance and the feature is a major draw for me, with the 75-300 i wont be able to use it, and I anticipate that that is the lens I will likely use a lot in places where it could get wet. Besides that im not sure what I get with the em5? I believe it also is a few grams heavier/a few mm bigger than the em10, but probably not enough for it to be a factor?

The EZ pancake zoom kit with the em10 looks useful too, I think I’ll get that whichever body I go with so I can take the camera around as a travel cam. Otoh aperture sucks on that lens iirc. I dunno, im stuck between those bodies.

I wear glasses, not sure if one evf is drastically superior for that?

 

[lcubed]

depending on what you ended up deciding for your kit, checking out KEH and adorama might be a good idea for used gear. half of my MFT lenses were sourced from them.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Yeah weight and bulk savings is the main motivator. The om or em1 have a lot of features id like but I think their bodies are a little bulky for what I want.

And yeah photography is not a business for me, just a hobby, so im not looking to aoend $3000 on a lens. The oly 75-300 is great value there.

I can’t decide between the em10 and em5 tho. While I like the water resistance and the feature is a major draw for me, with the 75-300 i wont be able to use it, and I anticipate that that is the lens I will likely use a lot in places where it could get wet. Besides that im not sure what I get with the em5? I believe it also is a few grams heavier/a few mm bigger than the em10, but probably not enough for it to be a factor?

The EZ pancake zoom kit with the em10 looks useful too, I think I’ll get that whichever body I go with so I can take the camera around as a travel cam. Otoh aperture sucks on that lens iirc. I dunno, im stuck between those bodies.

I wear glasses, not sure if one evf is drastically superior for that?

The em5iii has a better EVF, and I believe it has a better setback for glasses wearers. It’s also an incredibly light body. No, the 75-300 isn’t waterproof, but there are a few other options where you might still enjoy that feature. The new 40-150 f4 is one example. I haven’t used the em10, but the em5 does have the phase detect sensor, which should make it faster to acquire focus in more situations as well.

Right now the em5 is running a good sale price. It’s as cheap as it ever has been right now.