Micro 4/3 I think the time has come to let go

For those wanting/needing a full compact system with good enough performance and IQ and a native mount lens range from equivalent 14mm - 600mm, what options other than mft does one have in 2013 and probably a number of years to come, if DSLRs are not in the running? An OMD still is the Swiss army knife champ of ILCs, with no real weakness, but one or two areas in which it outshines competing makes. I prefer mft with selected lenses (man is this 75mm Oly a masterpiece of a lens) combined with an outstanding fixed lens camera such as RX1, Sigma DPM, Coolpix A, Ricoh GR any day over a NEX or Fuji ILC. The NEX are about pumping out slightly modified versions of the same every couple of quarters with the NEX 7 still being the most convincing interpretation of the NEX line. The Fujis (Pro and XE-1) remind me of Alfa Romeo, looking so much better than they actually are and disappointing in too many areas in real life use with early adopters being used as beta testers.
 
For those wanting/needing a full compact system with good enough performance and IQ and a native mount lens range from equivalent 14mm - 600mm, what options other than mft does one have in 2013 and probably a number of years to come, if DSLRs are not in the running? An OMD still is the Swiss army knife champ of ILCs, with no real weakness, but one or two areas in which it outshines competing makes. I prefer mft with selected lenses (man is this 75mm Oly a masterpiece of a lens) combined with an outstanding fixed lens camera such as RX1, Sigma DPM, Coolpix A, Ricoh GR any day over a NEX or Fuji ILC. The NEX are about pumping out slightly modified versions of the same every couple of quarters with the NEX 7 still being the most convincing interpretation of the NEX line. The Fujis (Pro and XE-1) remind me of Alfa Romeo, looking so much better than they actually are and disappointing in too many areas in real life use with early adopters being used as beta testers.

I sincerely doubt that many people actually NEED lenses from 14mm to 600mm in full-frame terms. But I still agree that Micro 4/3 still has no alternatives:

1) extremely fast operation, great AF performance

2) great lens line-up

3) lenses are generally very good to excellent

4) flash system is simply the best among mirrorless cameras, nothing even comes close

In my opinion, the closest competitor in terms of available lenses and general 'feel' of the system is Samsung NX, but its future right now is kind of uncertain.
 
For those wanting/needing a full compact system with good enough performance and IQ and a native mount lens range from equivalent 14mm - 600mm, what options other than mft does one have in 2013 and probably a number of years to come, if DSLRs are not in the running? An OMD still is the Swiss army knife champ of ILCs, with no real weakness, but one or two areas in which it outshines competing makes. I prefer mft with selected lenses (man is this 75mm Oly a masterpiece of a lens) combined with an outstanding fixed lens camera such as RX1, Sigma DPM, Coolpix A, Ricoh GR any day over a NEX or Fuji ILC. The NEX are about pumping out slightly modified versions of the same every couple of quarters with the NEX 7 still being the most convincing interpretation of the NEX line. The Fujis (Pro and XE-1) remind me of Alfa Romeo, looking so much better than they actually are and disappointing in too many areas in real life use with early adopters being used as beta testers.

I will agree that on paper the M4/3 systems make the most sense, but for after many years of trying I just never really connected with the cameras. And contrary to your thoughts on the Fuji's I love them, love the feel, love the IQ, love their lenses, and even love them for being just like Ricoh in there desire to improve their cameras that much more with continuing firmware updates.
 
The last of M4/3 stuff went up for sale today, found a good job for my X10, taking the photos of stuff I am selling. May have to start selling some bags now with nothing to put in them
 
iIt is getting very close to the end, all OMDs gone, just two lenses left to sell and my time with m4/3 format will be done. Now the decision is do I spend the sale proceeds on more Fuji lenses, wait to see what else comes up next or blow it on car mods(mid-pipe and tune) for the GTR:D
 
iIt is getting very close to the end, all OMDs gone, just two lenses left to sell and my time with m4/3 format will be done. Now the decision is do I spend the sale proceeds on more Fuji lenses, wait to see what else comes up next or blow it on car mods(mid-pipe and tune) for the GTR:D

Well, you're pretty into the Fuji system and you like the wide stuff, so I'd say hold onto enough to buy the 10-24 when it's released - you're definitely gonna want that along with the 14mm. Other than that, I can't imagine which Fuji lenses you might want, is I have no further recommendations.... Sounds like car mods...

-Ray
 
Ray, I already have a 55-200 on order to see what that is like, but am looking forward to the 10-24 and the 56, then I might let go of the 60 and 18.
Happily or sadly I am sure I will piss away money on my car no matter what I do, like 560hp is not enough:clap2:
 
Ray, I already have a 55-200 on order to see what that is like, but am looking forward to the 10-24 and the 56, then I might let go of the 60 and 18.
Happily or sadly I am sure I will piss away money on my car no matter what I do, like 560hp is not enough:clap2:

I just got the 55-200mm earlier and I think it's as big as the Nikon 70-300mm VRII. I like it a lot though :D
 
I let go too but now it's coming back! Sold my EM5 but the guy returned it. He discovered the hairline bezel cracks that I had never noticed and didn't like it's fiddly buttons or it's output compared with full frame! Guess I will get it repaired and try to sell it again :rolleyes:
 
I let go too but now it's coming back! Sold my EM5 but the guy returned it. He discovered the hairline bezel cracks that I had never noticed and didn't like it's fiddly buttons or it's output compared with full frame! Guess I will get it repaired and try to sell it again :rolleyes:

Obviously it doesn't want to be separated from you :)
 
I'm m43-less too, but every once and a while I visit mu-43 and 43rumors. The angst and bitterness over that system continues unabated. It's one of the things that killed the joy for me. The constant troll posts of "this other system is superior" followed by the hand-wringing "is m43 gonna die" Looking at the GH3 and newly announced EM1 + 12-40/2.8, I think it's headed in a different direction than I would go in, anyway. I still think Oly and Panny deserve a massive tip of the hat for kicking mirrorless into gear. Regardless of who's around in the years to come, the EP1 and GF1 should go down into camera history.
 
I'm m43-less too, but every once and a while I visit mu-43 and 43rumors. The angst and bitterness over that system continues unabated. It's one of the things that killed the joy for me. The constant troll posts of "this other system is superior" followed by the hand-wringing "is m43 gonna die" Looking at the GH3 and newly announced EM1 + 12-40/2.8, I think it's headed in a different direction than I would go in, anyway. I still think Oly and Panny deserve a massive tip of the hat for kicking mirrorless into gear. Regardless of who's around in the years to come, the EP1 and GF1 should go down into camera history.

And I think the OMD for taking it mainstream in a way no other camera had before. But its funny, I think at least a PART of the angst and bitterness that always seems to come out in m43 forums, DPR and even MU-43.com (to a lesser extent) is the inter-family squabbling that seems inevitable when there are TWO different brands competing within the same system, with lots of compatibility, but also plenty of IN-compatibility. Some of the anti-Oly on the part of Pany folks and anti-Pany on the part of Oly folks is among the nastiest crap I've run into on camera forums. It's almost funny how someone can show up on the m43 forum on DPR and ask about possibly bailing on m43 and moving to Fuji or Nex or a compact, or even a DSLR, and you can get a fair amount of fairly rational discussion of pros and cons and there are no bad choices but it comes down to what you like, with maybe a few flames included, but its usually not bad. But WITHIN m43, if someone starts asking about which brand is better, its like the Crusades broke out again with burnt villages and headless corpses scattered all over the place. But with TWO marauding armies instead of one!

In terms of the system itself, I think its like any other system, just its own particular bundle of tradeoffs. I personally like it, but I've come to like some of the APS and now full frame fixed lens cameras more for some of the main purposes I used to put my m43 and Fuji system gear for. So I've greatly downsized both my m43 and Fuji gear to very limited use at the edges of my shooting, rather than have both systems sort of at the heart of it. But that's just my preferences, not a reflection on either system. If someone somehow came down and told me that I could only own once camera, it would still be an OMD and a handful of lenses... But it seems unlikely that anyone is going to make me choose such a thing, so I'm happy to have it as a marginal part of my gear...

-Ray
 
And I think the OMD for taking it mainstream in a way no other camera had before. But its funny, I think at least a PART of the angst and bitterness that always seems to come out in m43 forums, DPR and even MU-43.com (to a lesser extent) is the inter-family squabbling that seems inevitable when there are TWO different brands competing within the same system, with lots of compatibility, but also plenty of IN-compatibility. Some of the anti-Oly on the part of Pany folks and anti-Pany on the part of Oly folks is among the nastiest crap I've run into on camera forums. It's almost funny how someone can show up on the m43 forum on DPR and ask about possibly bailing on m43 and moving to Fuji or Nex or a compact, or even a DSLR, and you can get a fair amount of fairly rational discussion of pros and cons and there are no bad choices but it comes down to what you like, with maybe a few flames included, but its usually not bad. But WITHIN m43, if someone starts asking about which brand is better, its like the Crusades broke out again with burnt villages and headless corpses scattered all over the place. But with TWO marauding armies instead of one!

In terms of the system itself, I think its like any other system, just its own particular bundle of tradeoffs. I personally like it, but I've come to like some of the APS and now full frame fixed lens cameras more for some of the main purposes I used to put my m43 and Fuji system gear for. So I've greatly downsized both my m43 and Fuji gear to very limited use at the edges of my shooting, rather than have both systems sort of at the heart of it. But that's just my preferences, not a reflection on either system. If someone somehow came down and told me that I could only own once camera, it would still be an OMD and a handful of lenses... But it seems unlikely that anyone is going to make me choose such a thing, so I'm happy to have it as a marginal part of my gear...

-Ray

There's a lot of truth there...and I have never understood the m4/3 angst. Two competing manufacturers with different emphases in body design and different lens lines should be, and in my view is, a huge strength, not a cause for anxiety.
 
I think it's headed in a different direction than I would go in, anyway. I still think Oly and Panny deserve a massive tip of the hat for kicking mirrorless into gear. Regardless of who's around in the years to come, the EP1 and GF1 should go down into camera history.

Absolutely
 
Even though the M 4/3 systems did not work out for me I still think there are some great cameras and lens in the system.
The problem I find in many of posters the M/43 forums is the personal identity they attach to the "their system". At the end of the day it is just one of many camera solutions for recording and creating images, if it works for you great, if not fine, no system is perfect. Whatever camera you use or own is not a statement about who you are, it is just a camera you bought, nothing more nothing less.
 
I'm m43-less too, but every once and a while I visit mu-43 and 43rumors. The angst and bitterness over that system continues unabated. It's one of the things that killed the joy for me. The constant troll posts of "this other system is superior" followed by the hand-wringing "is m43 gonna die" Looking at the GH3 and newly announced EM1 + 12-40/2.8, I think it's headed in a different direction than I would go in, anyway. I still think Oly and Panny deserve a massive tip of the hat for kicking mirrorless into gear. Regardless of who's around in the years to come, the EP1 and GF1 should go down into camera history.


I've never let the forums dictate what or how I enjoy my photography. What a camera system is to me is much more than the banter on the forums, any forums for any system. Its apart of many hobbies, not just camera forums. It is sad though that people on those forums can't just let others enjoy the system they choose and the photography. Mu-43.com is still tame compared to 43rumors and dpreview which have gotten nasty.
 
Even though the M 4/3 systems did not work out for me I still think there are some great cameras and lens in the system.
The problem I find in many of posters the M/43 forums is the personal identity they attach to the "their system". At the end of the day it is just one of many camera solutions for recording and creating images, if it works for you great, if not fine, no system is perfect. Whatever camera you use or own is not a statement about who you are, it is just a camera you bought, nothing more nothing less.

Its not just the various 43 forums. Lots of haterade in Sony, canon, and Nikon forums. This forum IMHO is the absolute exception. I remember just 5 or 6 years ago all the Panasonic vs canon banter over super zooms.
 
iIt is getting very close to the end, all OMDs gone, just two lenses left to sell and my time with m4/3 format will be done. Now the decision is do I spend the sale proceeds on more Fuji lenses, wait to see what else comes up next or blow it on car mods(mid-pipe and tune) for the GTR:D

Car mods.. spread the passion!
 
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