Any regrets after switching from DSLR to full M4/3 system?

[Agetan]

Thanks for all the valuable inputs. with regards to my shooting style now, it has shifted drastically for being a landscape/streets/events photography down to my family casual shoots/babies. I do miss the speed and af of what dslr can give and an the bokeh it can produce using the 1.4 primes (btw, i'm more of a prime user between 1.4-1.8 lenses). However, after-some time, i realized i haven't been using my dslr for many months because of lost of time going outside, heavy and lazy..

However, being an avid photographer, i do miss having an slr but if i were to buy a new system, perhaps not as serious setup i used to have (i.e. 7D, primes 1.4, 1.8, 17-55, flashes, etc) and just thinking on getting the lighter Nikon D5200 and build few cheap primes such as the 35mm and /50/85 1.8...

I've been doing my own reading about m43 and was indeed impressed with the quality images and portability of epl5, omd, and some of its variants. However, a part of me still asking myself whether if it's a good move to get m43 or dslr with a limited budget. My thought process is if i were to buy a m43 system at around $1K, would the price justifies the quality of the images, features, versatility from what I can get when considering a mid-range dslr such as the Nikon D5100/5200 or equivalent... it's still 50-50 at this stage...

My interest in images (limited to aps-c, m43) : decent bokeh, rich tones, sharpness, good noise handling
Types of shooting: babies, candid portraits, casual street
My interest in gear: light setup, i don't mind using primes,

Based on what you want, get a second hand body and decide if 35mm or 50mm is better for you and keep it to one body and one lens solution. You can do more with less gear if what you do now is concentrate on your child and some casual portrait.

Buy second hand gear keeps the cost low.

This is just tool to help you. As some have mentioned, it is also the photographer behind it. So don't get to hang up on the details of the equipment.

It is better to have a sharp vision on what you want to create than sharp lens without any vision.

If unsure, go and rent one, got for test drive and see if it fits you.

Regards,

Hart

 

[As7eroidS]

i have both and use them for different purposes. most of the time i use my OMD

 

[ageha]

most of the time i use my OMD

That gives me hope in human kind, you're a wise man.

 

[reflecto]

I'm initially using E500, then the E510. But switched to E-PL1, and now E-PL5. No regrets as the m4/3 is much much lighter, which means I take them out more often, rather than leaving them at home.
Of cos, I do also carry the tough series for these times when i need to get wet. lol

 

[ttmmfast]

My 2 cents worth:

You are looking at a budget of $1k and you seems to be a hobbist before since you had the 7D.
To start with DSLR or m4/3 your will eventually overrun your budget; maybe that was the hidden agenda

OMD is great but >> $1k and as you know, just do not compare; my 12-60 in cabinet since I got the 25mm panny, then the 75mm then the 12mm. It is drugs.
DSLR or m4/3 you will be opening a can of worms.

And if you have no intention of displaying beyond your 15" notebook or 55"FHD LED TV, for all intended purposes, a good P&S works wonders. LX7, XZ-2, RX100 and even the TR150 (no joke, it is a prime 21mm where the girls love but it gives great IQ). If your kids are still crawling the TR-150 will get you to ground level and also great for taking together with the hand wave function. P&S with face tracking, FHD video etc, makes life easier with kids running around; to get proper sound on OMD cost you $400++ (Olympus + Sennheiser).
If you purist, then get one of those 28mm or 35mm Ricoh P&S or a GXR system which is going very cheap used.
Or back to film but that is really not practical, E6 is $10 for developing a roll of 120 film :'(

Some DSLR or m4/3 can be had for about $1k, but eventually you will end up trying to realize the full potential and it becomes costly.
Like they say, the best camera is the one you have with you when you need it.

 

[keithwee]

I find the quality of crop sensors compared with m43 is quite close, the deciding factor would be the weight and size despite the similar prices. Using my Nikon with the 2.8 trinity, compared with my E-3, 7-14, 14-54, 50-200, the 43 system is really a lot lighter. So much lighter that my bag could actually last longer, but since I switched to my Nikon system, carrying 2 lens, my bag's D ring snapped (I've grown to like that bag though I initially hated it) hahaha

Brought out my 12-35mm with ep3 today for a trip to the RWS oceanarium and I gotta say that I was able to capture photos the way I wanted them to be.

(Though I think 90% of pple there were using bad ass DSLRs la) haha. Got one guy from China was using such a huge camera setup it looked like he was carrying a sawed off shotgun.

Think the undisputed 2 points shared by many bros (and sisters?) here is that:

(1) quality wise ya, there is still a difference but this difference can be covered by the user's skill
But this shouldn't really matter unless u r a professional ( by that I mean you earn income from photography )

(2) your shooting preferences matters most; personally I will never lug along a FF DSLR with a huge lens for a trip ; the weight alone will kill any enthusiasm for walking around.

Sure u will make the right choice ; and yes , ask around for help to try out the cameras

 

[Blitzkriegh]

My 2 cents worth:

You are looking at a budget of $1k and you seems to be a hobbist before since you had the 7D.
To start with DSLR or m4/3 your will eventually overrun your budget; maybe that was the hidden agenda

OMD is great but >> $1k and as you know, just do not compare; my 12-60 in cabinet since I got the 25mm panny, then the 75mm then the 12mm. It is drugs.
DSLR or m4/3 you will be opening a can of worms.

And if you have no intention of displaying beyond your 15" notebook or 55"FHD LED TV, for all intended purposes, a good P&S works wonders. LX7, XZ-2, RX100 and even the TR150 (no joke, it is a prime 21mm where the girls love but it gives great IQ). If your kids are still crawling the TR-150 will get you to ground level and also great for taking together with the hand wave function. P&S with face tracking, FHD video etc, makes life easier with kids running around; to get proper sound on OMD cost you $400++ (Olympus + Sennheiser).
If you purist, then get one of those 28mm or 35mm Ricoh P&S or a GXR system which is going very cheap used.
Or back to film but that is really not practical, E6 is $10 for developing a roll of 120 film :'(

Some DSLR or m4/3 can be had for about $1k, but eventually you will end up trying to realize the full potential and it becomes costly.
Like they say, the best camera is the one you have with you when you need it.

thank you for inputs. I'm a photo hobbyist and wants more than what a P&S can do. I really like interchangeable lenses be it a M43 or mid-range dSLR. i'm well aware of the budget and the possibility of going over. i've been there before, was impulsive, etc.

been poisoned with a lot of threads boasting the epl5 and omd capabilities such as these images 500px / Search

it's jaw dropping and just simply amazed. tomorrow, i'll go check the stores to hold it and compare with Nikon D5200.

 

[ageha]

thank you for inputs. I'm a photo hobbyist and wants more than what a P&S can do. I really like interchangeable lenses be it a M43 or mid-range dSLR. i'm well aware of the budget and the possibility of going over. i've been there before, was impulsive, etc.

been poisoned with a lot of threads boasting the epl5 and omd capabilities such as these images 500px / Search

it's jaw dropping and just simply amazed. tomorrow, i'll go check the stores to hold it and compare with Nikon D5200.

Remember, the photos aren't nice because they were made with a PEN Lite 5.

 

[spidey89]

Brought out my 12-35mm with ep3 today for a trip to the RWS oceanarium and I gotta say that I was able to capture photos the way I wanted them to be.

(Though I think 90% of pple there were using bad ass DSLRs la) haha. Got one guy from China was using such a huge camera setup it looked like he was carrying a sawed off shotgun.

Think the undisputed 2 points shared by many bros (and sisters?) here is that:

(1) quality wise ya, there is still a difference but this difference can be covered by the user's skill
But this shouldn't really matter unless u r a professional ( by that I mean you earn income from photography )

(2) your shooting preferences matters most; personally I will never lug along a FF DSLR with a huge lens for a trip ; the weight alone will kill any enthusiasm for walking around.

Sure u will make the right choice ; and yes , ask around for help to try out the cameras

Even as a professional, still depends on what you're shooting, if I'm shooting someone in the studio for like, family portrait or similar, and they're print A4 max, I'd take out my E-1 for nostalgic feeling only hahaha. But if they're print bigger, I'd take E-P1. so basically. I've asked many people before, seeing 2 pictures, which came from which, they're surprised to know that a picture from E-1 (5mp) is comparable to my current D3. If you shoot within the limits and don't put it side by side with the idea "I'm gonna compare the 2 images", no one will really notice the quality unless the difference is huge, like shooting at ISO3200 on my E-1 and D3.

I agree with your second point, lugging my D3 with the trinity lens is a pain in the rear. If going overseas, I'll bring everything with me, but depending on what I'm gonna do during the day, I'll take the relevant lenses.

But contrary to what you see, I see quite a lot of people carrying mirrorless cameras now rather than DSLR. But I still hear many people wanting to buy DSLRs which is confusing to me, but as I've told some people, I'm getting tired of listening and explaining and talking to the my friends about some thing so I usually just give them what they want to hear rather than what I think hahaha.

Anyway, to TS, since you've said you're a photo hobbyist, probably a mirrorless camera would suit you best. A second hand E-P2? Couple with 2 or 3 lenses should do fine. So many choices now, no worries, still got so many places to rent. Can't imagine in the film days, want to try something before buying, how to rent and borrow hahaha

 

[Blitzkriegh]

Remember, the photos aren't nice because they were made with a PEN Lite 5.

Completely agree with this. It's the person behind the camera and the equipment will just be secondary but a major factor In helping you achieve good IQ images, etc...

 

[Blitzkriegh]

Even as a professional, still depends on what you're shooting, if I'm shooting someone in the studio for like, family portrait or similar, and they're print A4 max, I'd take out my E-1 for nostalgic feeling only hahaha. But if they're print bigger, I'd take E-P1. so basically. I've asked many people before, seeing 2 pictures, which came from which, they're surprised to know that a picture from E-1 (5mp) is comparable to my current D3. If you shoot within the limits and don't put it side by side with the idea "I'm gonna compare the 2 images", no one will really notice the quality unless the difference is huge, like shooting at ISO3200 on my E-1 and D3.

I agree with your second point, lugging my D3 with the trinity lens is a pain in the rear. If going overseas, I'll bring everything with me, but depending on what I'm gonna do during the day, I'll take the relevant lenses.

But contrary to what you see, I see quite a lot of people carrying mirrorless cameras now rather than DSLR. But I still hear many people wanting to buy DSLRs which is confusing to me, but as I've told some people, I'm getting tired of listening and explaining and talking to the my friends about some thing so I usually just give them what they want to hear rather than what I think hahaha.

Anyway, to TS, since you've said you're a photo hobbyist, probably a mirrorless camera would suit you best. A second hand E-P2? Couple with 2 or 3 lenses should do fine. So many choices now, no worries, still got so many places to rent. Can't imagine in the film days, want to try something before buying, how to rent and borrow hahaha

Thanks. With all my researches and your collective inputs, there's a hi chance ill likely go for mirror-less/m43. I remember the days I have my dslr (d300s, d90, 60d, 7D) I tried doing project365/apad but wasn't able to finish because there were times I've been lazy due to its weight...

Been using my Samsung S3 all this while or sometimes my old Sony p&s T100 but over time, I'm a bit limited to the output of the pictures and IQ. Now, I'll go back and check the epl5 again and compare. I'll take a peek of the highly OMD too

 

[keithwee]

eh.. actually can rent n test.. not that expensive either. Camera Rental Centre - Camera / DSLR / Lens / Video / Studio Rental Service in Singapore

one chiding my dad gave which stayed with me so many years:

'In my time, we worked our way across the limitations of our cameras. not like u all young kids nowadays (referring to me -.- ) , buying and dumping your gear once something new is released.'

this is the one phrase that shook me up and what is holding me back from switching to the OMD, and of course; my personal rule of selling 1 similar item whenever i buy 1.

 

[Agrivar]

eh.. actually can rent n test.. not that expensive either. Camera Rental Centre - Camera / DSLR / Lens / Video / Studio Rental Service in Singapore

one chiding my dad gave which stayed with me so many years:

'In my time, we worked our way across the limitations of our cameras. not like u all young kids nowadays (referring to me -.- ) , buying and dumping your gear once something new is released.'

this is the one phrase that shook me up and what is holding me back from switching to the OMD, and of course; my personal rule of selling 1 similar item whenever i buy 1.

Bro.. Sell EP3 and buyEM5!!

 

[spidey89]

Bro.. Sell EP3 and buyEM5!!

Wah lao, don't tell him that la, grab him and pull him to the shop to buy first, then he die die have to sell one, hahahah

 

[Agrivar]

Wah lao, don't tell him that la, grab him and pull him to the shop to buy first, then he die die have to sell one, hahahah

Lol. Ya. Poison him then find cure!

 

[ricohflex]

eh.. actually can rent n test.. not that expensive either. Camera Rental Centre - Camera / DSLR / Lens / Video / Studio Rental Service in Singapore

one chiding my dad gave which stayed with me so many years:

'In my time, we worked our way across the limitations of our cameras. not like u all young kids nowadays (referring to me -.- ) , buying and dumping your gear once something new is released.'

this is the one phrase that shook me up and what is holding me back from switching to the OMD, and of course; my personal rule of selling 1 similar item whenever i buy 1.

In previous decades, camera manufacturers took a long time to introduce new models. It can be many years.
Now the new model cycle is much shorter. Technological change is rapid.
What was acceptable once suddenly became lousy, backward and obsolete. Accelerated rate of change is the new normal.

 

[Agrivar]

In previous decades, camera manufacturers took a long time to introduce new models. It can be many years.
Now the new model cycle is much shorter. Technological change is rapid.
What was acceptable once suddenly became lousy, backward and obsolete. Accelerated rate of change is the new normal.

Camera bodies are now miniature computers. Electronics is the name of the game. We have one year cycles from most manufacturers, exp Oly Panny and Sony.

 

[fabiaN__]

I switched from DSLR to my current m43 setup in 2011. Main reason for switching is due to the compactness and efficacy of the system. With only a small camera bag, I can fit my E-P3 with 20mm f/1.7 lens mounted, 45mm f/1.8 lens, blower, and wallet.

No doubt, a DSLR probably yields better IQ. But in terms of normal usage or as an enthusiast, owning an m43 system will suffice. I must admit, though, that I have thoughts of buying a DSLR again; but then... the weight bogs me down (pun unintended). External flash/UWA lens/fast zoom lens/prime lens/tripod... very heavy leh.

 

[spidey89]

Put it this way, m43 quality is the same or even better than 43, some professionals earn from using 43 DSLRs, so one is not really losing out except in the area of form factor or "my stick is bigger than yours" area.

A complete set for m43 compared to a DSLR is most likely cheaper and lighter.

OMD/GH3(any other cameras), 7-14, 14-35,35-100, probably a FL36r? Can be placed inside a small bag, compared to my D3, 14-24, 24-70,70-200, SB900 placed in a Lowepro Stealth Reporter 600, its like comparing a lorry to a mini

 

[N-user]

.......... But I still hear many people wanting to buy DSLRs which is confusing to me.............

errrr..... I'm confused why I still itch for a FF DSLR...... kena too deep a poison from CS?? :embrass:.....