Why Olympus or M43 users should keep their gear?

[Blu-By-U]

I am not leaving Olympus. I will hold on till the last Olympus equipment I have bites the dust. Most likely by then I will no longer carry a interchangable lens camera.

Have been an Oly user for so long that those old timers that I know have moved on and I am still sitting pretty here. My prayer is that the New company manages to find a reasonable suitor for it. and We will not see an end to OM line of cameras. If those who have used the Oly cameras long enough, you know they announced the death of the 4/3 then and till today, there are still many carrying that E series around. and yes, miserable 5MP sensor but it's getting what is required.

Those who know me may remember me moaning and groaning about the camera's short comings. And believe me, it started from day 1 of buying into Oly. I could have moved to so many out there but I stick around because I see innovation and I see the short work flow in delivery of photos.

Back to the current day, there is a 7kg limitation in budget air travel and I think that is going to change for the worst. 1 camera body, 4 lenses (14mm to 600mm FOV), 2 batteries, a tripod, a day's change of clothes. I think that's about all you can carry. Not to forget that you have to take into consideration the weight of that trolley bag or backpack or sling or whatever. I seriously miss travelling, visiting places and photography.

Just a question, Do you use the Auto Gradation feature in Olympus cameras?

 

[Pitachu]

I personally do not use the Auto Gradation feature on the camera, even though it is flexible enough to be set before or after capture.
This is because I only shoot raw in difficult lighting conditions and usually the shots have to be post processed.
Software on a PC offer a lot more options and adjustments and also much easier to see the effects.

 

[Blu-By-U]

Should give it a try. The technology have come a long way since it was introduced in the E-600 series. Back then turning it OFF was the norm. BTW, It does give a 2/3 stop increase in DR.

 

[iguoh]

They all forgot something.

The problem for MFT is that it has a close neighbour named APS-C, that will eat its lunch.

It all depends on what kind of photos you take. For me, I did try APS-C and it didn't give me any benefits so I were to leave m43, I would just go to FF.

 

[Pitachu]

For M43 users who are tempted to move to APS or Full Frame because of higher resolution,
let me share with you why I did not. I have owned a Minilab machine that print photos.

For photos of size, to get very good quality
4R, you only need 2.16 Megapixel
5R, you only need 3.15 Megapixel
6R, you only need 6.32 Megapixel
8R, you only need 7.2 Megapixel
10R, you only need 10.8 Megapixel
12R, you only need 19.4 Megapixel

Above is based on 300dpi.

It is not common for me and most users to print photos above 12R size (12" x 18")
unless your work or clients require them. Although I do post processing, I don't zoom
in to pixel peep to look at very fine details on my 29" monitor although I know some
photographers enjoy doing that.

My main applications for my photos are usually for sharing on websites, social media and creating printed photo books.

Also, I tend to reduce the size of my photos when I archive my photos (Google offer unlimited
storage for photos 12mp and below). I do archive my favorite 5star rated photos in my paid
Dropbox (less than 5% of my photos).

Anyway, there are rumors that a higher resolution M43 cameras are on the way from Sharp and Panasonic So hold on to your gears!

 

[ricohflex]

Similarly I reduce the record shot sizes when archiving. But not to cloud.

A small sensor achieving higher resolution due to technology advance.
Well, that same technology advance would be applicable to APS-C, full frame sensors and medium format sensors.
Hence the gaps in performance between MFT and other sensors would remain.

"Good enough" is a mental state at a particular point in time.
The 1½ MP Kodak DCS 420 cost US$12,000 in 1994 and at that time, 1½ MP was "good enough".

In the past, some 3.2 MP camera owners may label people who buy 8MP cameras as "pixel peepers" - a derogatory term reflecting the jealousy of the lower MP camera owners.

Now 16MP or 20MP camera owners label people who buy 45MP or 61MP cameras, as "pixel peepers". Jealousy is a constant.

You get used to higher megapixel count when it becomes the norm from manufacturers and provided it is affordable by the masses.

Affordability is important.

Those at cutting edge of high MP tend to charge more.
Leica S3 is 64MP with a 30 x 45mm CMOS sensor. Cost US$19,000. Most people cannot afford.
So-called "medium format". There is room for improvement in future.

 

[Pitachu]

Jealousy? Where did that come from.

I am not sure why you felt lower MP users are constantly jealous unless you felt that way.

What is so high and nightly owning a very high resolution camera eg. Sony A7 iv?

There is also nothing derogatory or wrong about pixel peeping
I just don't do it as my final output are photos, photobooks and social media,
and not a large monitor for my friends to gather around to view the photos.

I used the term pixel peeping for those who zoom in and scrutinize their photos to be technically perfect
They are perfectionist and there is no intention to degrade them or be jealous of their equipment.

Many photographers, including those with 20mp cameras have spent much more on lenses
and overseas trips. They can definitely afford a higher resolution camera body if they want but
they buy something which they prefer, that they think will better meet their needs. There is nothing
to be jealous about.

Similarly I reduce the record shot sizes when archiving. But not to cloud.

A small sensor achieving higher resolution due to technology advance.
Well, that same technology advance would be applicable to APS-C, full frame sensors and medium format sensors.
Hence the gaps in performance between MFT and other sensors would remain.

"Good enough" is a mental state at a particular point in time.
The 1½ MP Kodak DCS 420 cost US$12,000 in 1994 and at that time, 1½ MP was "good enough".

In the past, some 3.2 MP camera owners may label people who buy 8MP cameras as "pixel peepers" - a derogatory term reflecting the jealousy of the lower MP camera owners.

Now 16MP or 20MP camera owners label people who buy 45MP or 61MP cameras, as "pixel peepers". Jealousy is a constant.

You get used to higher megapixel count when it becomes the norm from manufacturers and provided it is affordable by the masses.

Affordability is important.

Those at cutting edge of high MP tend to charge more.
Leica S3 is 64MP with a 30 x 45mm CMOS sensor. Cost US$19,000. Most people cannot afford.
So-called "medium format". There is room for improvement in future.

 

[Blu-By-U]

Why do you reduce the record size when archiving? The cost of mass storage is not that high, so why compromise? I keep my ORF and dump my JPGs.

 

[Pitachu]

Portable HDD, although cheap, tends to fail after 3 years. I have more than a couple that has failed so I stopped using them and put everything on crowd they will do the backup for me, maybe across 3 continents

I reduce to 12mp for not so important and casual photos eg. makan sessions with friends, family outings.
And then I put them in Google Photos, to easy share with anyone and at 12mp, they can be converted to
photobooks anytime if I want to write up of happy moments together with the family member or group of
friends.

12mp is because it is unlimited qty in Google Photo (yeah a little cheap skate)
But I do keep Original Files for photos which like a lot

By the way, are you using any cloud storage service?
Which one do you use, which is cheap and good?

Why do you reduce the record size when archiving? The cost of mass storage is not that high, so why compromise? I keep my ORF and dump my JPGs.

 

[Blu-By-U]

I am still on my 2nd 5Tb HDD.

3 years life on HDDs? I did not know that. Think I am not that a heavy photographer. Most of my photos that I want to display are already in my flickr. Yes, it's expensive. But so far, I can load all full size JPG there. I only store the ORFs in my external HDDs and my 5TB desktop. I have tried Google photo but I can't get use to it and have I have stayed with flickr.

Another reason I am sticking is that 20mp is not that large a file.

 

[ricohflex]

Do appreciate those who buy big MP cameras 45MP to 61MP and beyond.
They help to encourage camera manufacturers to make big MP cameras.
This pushes the envelope and consumers see progress.

It would be a failure if a manufacturer made cameras that 98% of the market refuses to buy. Which is the story of Olympus.

The owner of a big MP camera can choose to shoot at lower MP for record shots.
But for important events or landscape he can photo using the full big MP resolution.

Anyway, 45 to 61 MP camera is considered big MP in 2020.
But by 2030, 45 to 61 MP camera may be the New Normal that almost everyone owns.
Then maybe people who own 45 to 61 MP camera will call those who wish to buy 100 to 130 MP camera as "pixel peeper".

This is a state of mind at a particular point in time.
People adjust their expectations and idea of what is normal, over time.

Digital photography is relatively young compared to the film era.
There will be extraordinary improvements in future, some of which we could not imagine today.

 

[Blu-By-U]

Do you own any Oly stuff? Are you selling your Oly stuff?

Do appreciate those who buy big MP cameras 45MP to 61MP and beyond.
They help to encourage camera manufacturers to make big MP cameras.
This pushes the envelope and consumers see progress.

It would be a failure if a manufacturer made cameras that 98% of the market refuses to buy. Which is the story of Olympus.

The owner of a big MP camera can choose to shoot at lower MP for record shots.
But for important events or landscape he can photo using the full big MP resolution.

Anyway, 45 to 61 MP camera is considered big MP in 2020.
But by 2030, 45 to 61 MP camera may be the New Normal that almost everyone owns.
Then maybe people who own 45 to 61 MP camera will call those who wish to buy 100 to 130 MP camera as "pixel peeper".

This is a state of mind at a particular point in time.
People adjust their expectations and idea of what is normal, over time.

Digital photography is relatively young compared to the film era.
There will be extraordinary improvements in future, some of which we could not imagine today.

 

[JW73]

BTW what mega pixel of camera and powerful lens do you owned? If you are a Pro, I am sure your clients will appreciate your world’s most powerful setup. I think the manufacturers should do research with you for the future camera business

Do appreciate those who buy big MP cameras 45MP to 61MP and beyond.
They help to encourage camera manufacturers to make big MP cameras.
This pushes the envelope and consumers see progress.

It would be a failure if a manufacturer made cameras that 98% of the market refuses to buy. Which is the story of Olympus.

The owner of a big MP camera can choose to shoot at lower MP for record shots.
But for important events or landscape he can photo using the full big MP resolution.

Anyway, 45 to 61 MP camera is considered big MP in 2020.
But by 2030, 45 to 61 MP camera may be the New Normal that almost everyone owns.
Then maybe people who own 45 to 61 MP camera will call those who wish to buy 100 to 130 MP camera as "pixel peeper".

This is a state of mind at a particular point in time.
People adjust their expectations and idea of what is normal, over time.

Digital photography is relatively young compared to the film era.
There will be extraordinary improvements in future, some of which we could not imagine today.

 

[Pitachu]

That is the reason why the warranty was reduced from 5 years to 3 years to 2 years.
Warranty is useless. Usually they would just return me a probably HDD, which is blank inside.
Recovery is $600 to $1000 so it is not worth it.
If you are a light user, maybe can last longer. But HDD do fail. You need to at least back up
on 2 HDD if you are not on cloud storage.

I am still on my 2nd 5Tb HDD.

3 years life on HDDs? I did not know that. Think I am not that a heavy photographer. Most of my photos that I want to display are already in my flickr. Yes, it's expensive. But so far, I can load all full size JPG there. I only store the ORFs in my external HDDs and my 5TB desktop. I have tried Google photo but I can't get use to it and have I have stayed with flickr.

Another reason I am sticking is that 20mp is not that large a file.

 

[Castor Troy]

I am not leaving Olympus. I will hold on till the last Olympus equipment I have bites the dust. Most likely by then I will no longer carry a interchangable lens camera.

Have been an Oly user for so long that those old timers that I know have moved on and I am still sitting pretty here. My prayer is that the New company manages to find a reasonable suitor for it. and We will not see an end to OM line of cameras. If those who have used the Oly cameras long enough, you know they announced the death of the 4/3 then and till today, there are still many carrying that E series around. and yes, miserable 5MP sensor but it's getting what is required.

Those who know me may remember me moaning and groaning about the camera's short comings. And believe me, it started from day 1 of buying into Oly. I could have moved to so many out there but I stick around because I see innovation and I see the short work flow in delivery of photos.

Back to the current day, there is a 7kg limitation in budget air travel and I think that is going to change for the worst. 1 camera body, 4 lenses (14mm to 600mm FOV), 2 batteries, a tripod, a day's change of clothes. I think that's about all you can carry. Not to forget that you have to take into consideration the weight of that trolley bag or backpack or sling or whatever. I seriously miss travelling, visiting places and photography.

Just a question, Do you use the Auto Gradation feature in Olympus cameras?

I just buy check-in luggage.
And front row seats which are more likely to be empty.
7kg exclusively for my camera bag and lens kit.
I sometimes load up to 9kg.
They don’t really care as I already have purchased 20kg.
Peanuts compared to how much my camera kit costs.
Hokkien saying, “want cheap, want fresh, want big b00b$”

 

[Pitachu]

Quite a good analysis until it comes to the last part of Panasonic, Olympus and Fuji.
1. Olympus Imaging Division is not dead. Being sold to another company is different from closing down.
In fact, Olympus has continued to release new bodies, lenses and firmware update on its bodies and lenses.
For the time being, it looks like they are working with JIP to continue the business.

2. Panasonic will not abandon M43 soon. It has just released the GX100 for vlogging and low end budget users and
rumored to leased the GH6 which is supposed to carry a higher resolution sensor. Both models uses M43 Lenses.

3. Fuji is right to remain in APS-C and Medium Format as it has already established a firm foot hold in these 2 niche.
Full Frame format is a Red Ocean now. How do Fuji and Panasonic position themselves in the Full Frame market?
Will customers choose them instead of Sony or Canon?

The years 2019 + 2020 are Covid-19 affected. Many businesses closed. Many retrenched.

Many have no extra money to spend on hobbies like photography.
Expensive cameras and lenses are a luxury. More so in Covid-19 season.

At least one camera division/company has collapsed. Due to Covid-19, Olympics 2020 was postponed.
If Covid-19 does not recede by July 2021, Olympics will be scrapped.

I think OM-D E-M1X was made for Olympics. (Hence the craziness of the big and heavy body)
If OM-D E-M1X proved popular during Olympics, then it may have been the saving grace to bail out Olympus.
Unfortunately Covid-19 took away this last chance for survival.

Olympus paid a fatal price for generally lousy video capability.

In the light of the bad financial situation, camera manufacturers now introduce cameras that are
CHEAP
entry level into their respective systems.

Sony A5 (full frame) is rumored to be less that US$1K. Never mind if it does not have bells and whistles.

Nikon Z50 (APS-C) and Z5 full frame.

Canon R6 (still expensive). Which suggests that Canon may introduce something CHEAP with RF mount.
(Assuming Canon will quietly cease producing the RP and R models).

Canon APS-C EOS M50 is popular and sells very well.
It has hit the sweet spot of CHEAP + small + light + features that people want.
Especially for video bloggers.

Leica is in another price bracket and has its own supporters who seem immune to financial downturn.
Leica has TL2 and CL (both expensive) to bring users into the L mount.
A few of my friends have gone this route and recently bought the Leica SL2 (ouch - expensive).

Which brings us to Panasonic and Fuji.

Panasonic needs to consider dropping the semi-orphaned MFT (one parent dead) and moving on to APS-C and Full Frame.

Fuji needs to consider whether to go full frame in addition to their current APS-C and medium format.
Now the big players (and even Pentax) got full frame.
Which kind of leaves Fuji out in the cold.

 

[Blu-By-U]

Going FF is not an option now. especially for small players. Leave the 3 big boys to fight it out. MF is still not saturated and that could generate some low volume and high returns. Panny going FF , to me is a mistake. BUT their supply to Leica do generate some funds.

Hate to say this but Oly do not seems to be interested in the Cheap game. EM10iv is not cheap enough for mass adoption.

The 100-400 is also not cheap but that could be the pricing strategy for the 150-400/4.5. Why 2 lenses in the same category is way out of my comprehension

 

[ricohflex]

100 - 400 has been described by reviewer as "could be sharper" meaning not sharp.
It is variable aperture from 5 to 6.3.
It does have 4 ED elements but the lens name never mentioned ED.
It does not have built in teleconverter.
It has focus range delimiter.
Appearance wise it is black.
Closest focus distance is 1.3m

150 - 400 is a lens made for Olympics - which was postponed.
The name says ED.
It is fixed aperture 4.5.
It does have built in teleconverter.
It has focus range delimiter.
Barrel is white in colour - suggesting a "pro" spec.
Closest focus distance is 1.3m

 

[Pitachu]

One of the strengths of M43 is the 2x crop factor and obviously, the application is for Long Telephoto lenses.
The Olympus 300mm F4 lenses is equal to a 600mm F4 lenses on a FF system.
A 600mm F4 lenes on Nikon, Canon and Sony costs more than US$12,000 on B&H website!
I know a few Olympus users went into M43 system because of the Olympus 300mm F4 lenses.

M43 users who need beyond 300mm has to go for the PanaLeica 100-400, which is another decent lenses.
Olympus probably saw the need to introduce a similar lenses as many Olympus Telephoto shooters
has the Olympus 1.4x and 2x Teleconverters which may not work on the PanaLeica Lenses.

Yes, the Olympus 100-400 is a "stop-gap" lenses selling for about US$1500, targeted at users
who only need such a range occassionally.

For birding Die-hards, many are waiting for the coming 150-400 Pro lenses and are prepared
to pay twice the price US$3000 (my guess) for the extra quality and built in TC.

 

[Blu-By-U]

@ricohflex, Where are you reading your stuff? 100-400 "could be sharper" ?

Olympus 100-400mm vs Panasonic 100-400mm - The complete comparison - Mirrorless Comparison

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Panasonic-Leica 100-400mm f/4-6.3 vs Olympus 300mm f/4 (short user review): Micro Four Thirds Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

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www.dpreview.com

Does not say so.

I am also curious on the "Made for Olympus" Where did you dig that up?

Many of the companies contract out the lens manufacturing. So I am not surprise that it is made FOR. It's like our glasses frame, only a handful of actual manufacturers while there are thousands of brands. Hence MADE FOR is not important.

100 - 400 has been described by reviewer as "could be sharper" meaning not sharp.
It is variable aperture from 5 to 6.3.
It does have 4 ED elements but the lens name never mentioned ED.
It does not have built in teleconverter.
It has focus range delimiter.
Appearance wise it is black.
Closest focus distance is 1.3m

150 - 400 is a lens made for Olympics - which was postponed.
The name says ED.
It is fixed aperture 4.5.
It does have built in teleconverter.
It has focus range delimiter.
Barrel is white in colour - suggesting a "pro" spec.
Closest focus distance is 1.3m