Micro 4/3 cameras

[rilot]

I'm looking to get myself an X5 in the near future and this has prompted me to consider going "all in" with Micro 4/3.
I currently shoot stills on the ground with a Canon 700D for which I have a few lenses but nothing serious like L glass any more.

I'm looking to get myself a Micro 4/3 body but don't know what to get. I've considered the GH4 but it seems that it's more geared towards video than stills. I don't want to pay the premium for the GH4 if I can get the same quality of stills from a cheaper body.
I'm seriously considering the Olympus E-M10 II as I can get it in a kit with the 14-42mm EZ lens that seem to be pretty versatile on the X5.

Those of you who shoot Micro 4/3, what do you recommend?

I figured I'd post in here as you X5 guys are more likely to have a Micro 4/3 body too.

 

[pixl45]

I'm looking to get myself an X5 in the near future and this has prompted me to consider going "all in" with Micro 4/3.
I currently shoot stills on the ground with a Canon 700D for which I have a few lenses but nothing serious like L glass any more.

I'm looking to get myself a Micro 4/3 body but don't know what to get. I've considered the GH4 but it seems that it's more geared towards video than stills. I don't want to pay the premium for the GH4 if I can get the same quality of stills from a cheaper body.
I'm seriously considering the Olympus E-M10 II as I can get it in a kit with the 14-42mm EZ lens that seem to be pretty versatile on the X5.

Those of you who shoot Micro 4/3, what do you recommend?

I figured I'd post in here as you X5 guys are more likely to have a Micro 4/3 body too.

Having a MFT body around would be handy for retracting the 14-42mm EZ lens.

 

[rapakiri]

- I had EM-5 and now have EM-1 with 7 MFT lenses. moved to MFT 3 years ago and never looked back...

- I believe you can´t go wrong with Oly E-M10 II but if you plan to buy bigger lenses, consider EM-1.

- don´t expect miracles from 14-42mm EZ. it´s ok, but Oly E-M10 II is capable of much, much more with some decent prime.

- the best and most versatile lens for Inspire 1 Pro is Oly 12 mm, but it´s bit overpriced

let me know, if you had some question...

 

[rilot]

I will be buying the 12mm Oly lens for sure as it's so highly rated. It's about £450 so not that pricey when compared to what I've paid for Canon L glass in the past when I was shooting serious stuff with a 1DS.

I'll take a look at the EM-1. It looks to be a very fine body.

 

[rapakiri]

I will be buying the 12mm Oly lens for sure as it's so highly rated. It's about £450 so not that pricey when compared to what I've paid for Canon L glass in the past when I was shooting serious stuff with a 1DS.

I'll take a look at the EM-1. It looks to be a very fine body.

Oly 12 mm is basically must go for Inspire 1 Pro if you are serious about a picture quality.

with EM-1 you`ll loose that unbeatable form factor of EM-10, but what you get is camera with extremely intuitive control layout that fits just perfectly into hand. if I could, I would have both but to choose only one, EM-1 wins for me. if for nothing else, than for much better handling with larger lenses.

 

[rilot]

What about the EM-5 Mk2 as a halfway house?

 

[rapakiri]

What about the EM-5 Mk2 as a halfway house?

That sounds reasonable. The weather sealing and better ergonomic is worth the extra buck. The rest is about what kind of lenses you plan to use and how much you value the ergonomics. EM-1 is a king of ergonomic - at least for me. I can set up everything importat in a second without looking. If you plan to have Oly PRO line of zoom lenses, definitely EM-1. If not, EM-5 won't disappoint you for sure.

 

[rapakiri]

In terms of prime lenses, Pana-Leica 25 mm is my favourite lens of the bunch. it's not Leica, but you can feel the touch there... The second would be Oly 75 mm, sharp as hell. Its IQ is basically flawless.

 

[danneskjold]

I really like my Panasonic G7. It's like $600, 16MP and does 4K video.

 

[Jay Baldwin]

I too have a Lumix G7 with a list of Olympus lenses that go well on the G7 and X5. My earlier days were all about Nikon which now hides in bags at the bottom of the closet.
The G7 does a lot for a very reasonable price. the tipping point between the Lumix and Oly was the 4K video. I was always planning to put the G7 in the air under a S900 or S1000, but the marriage of the gimble with the camera on the X5 is making me thing twice about the larger multi platforms. Their advantage is redundancy.

Anyway, the G7 is a great system. look at the G8 if you want something simpler.
Jay

 

[seanmclean]

I'm thinking about going with the EM-6 for my 'ground camera'. Anyone know if there's any pressing need to get the EM-7 instead (+$150)?

 

[AllanM]

+1 for the EM-5 Mk2. As a 'hobby' / 'walkabout' camera it's absolutely fine in reasonable light and as long as the subject isn't moving at speed.
For the purpose it was bought, there are no real drawbacks...... and one big advantage over it's rivals - the IS is magic, both in still and video modes.
Before you make your mind up, go into a shop (or borrow or whatever) and play with the IS, stills on a long lens, video on a short lens.

 

[rilot]

After spending a fair bit of time trialling various cameras I eventually pulled the trigger on a Panasonic GH4. It just felt so right in the hand.
The Olympus cameras I didn't like the menus or the EVF as much as the one on the GH4. I tried the GX8 too but the lack of a pop-up flash or mini-flash in the box killed it for me (also being the same price as the GH4 in most places too).

So, in the last couple of days I bought myself an X5, Osmo, Oly 12mm f/2, Oly 14-42mm pancake, GH4, Panny 14-140mm. That lot should keep me busy for a while.

 

[pixl45]

After spending a fair bit of time trialling various cameras I eventually pulled the trigger on a Panasonic GH4. It just felt so right in the hand.
The Olympus cameras I didn't like the menus or the EVF as much as the one on the GH4. I tried the GX8 too but the lack of a pop-up flash or mini-flash in the box killed it for me (also being the same price as the GH4 in most places too).

So, in the last couple of days I bought myself an X5, Osmo, Oly 12mm f/2, Oly 14-42mm pancake, GH4, Panny 14-140mm. That lot should keep me busy for a while.

You sound single

 

[rilot]

Nah, happily married with a 2-year-old son. I am afforded a certain autonomy by my wife with what I buy. She doesn't stop me buying stuff like this, I don't stop her from going to the spa.