Micro Four Thirds
The reasons for changing camera systems and still being able to use your best lenses from
the past, that's a big part of why I do like the M43 System.
Last Edited : Tuesday May 7th 2024.
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The change from Canon's APSC (1.6x) crop sensor to the Micro Four Thirds (2.0x) sensor was a decision that took me nearly two or more years to decide. I had invested in the Canon EOS mount system, bought and sold all kinds of lenses and accessories and enjoyed using it. There came a point though that carrying all this gear was getting a bit too much and my Nikon P600 was getting more usage.
I did try the M43 system when I found a Panasonic Lumix G5 (body only) for less than £50.00. I also purchased a cheap non-AF EOS to M43 adapter so I could at least take a few shots without buying lenses that wouldn't fit my main Canon system. The first few shots I took really impressed me, but not enough to convince me that M43 was the way forward.
I took a few pictures using my Canon lenses attached and was quite pleased with the results, one test shot was the one below, actually it was the first ever photograph I took using a Micro Four Thirds camera body:
Taken with the Lumix DMC-G5, 1/8th second, f3.5, ISO 1600 using the Canon 18-55mm kit lens and processed in SilkyPix Developer Studio 8.
The above photograph was taken at around 18:10 on November 4th so it was quite dark and the only light was from the street lamps. This was a SOC (Straight Out of Camera) JPEG and the version I uploaded to the web was just a cropped version which removed a lot of the cloudy sky and telephone cables above the mountains.
I eventually got myself a Lumix 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 ASPH with image stabilisation which the Panasonic Lumix cameras at the time didn't have any built into the bodies, for less than £40.00. When the lens arrived I unpacked it and thought it looked like a toy even though it looked as though it hadn't been used much, it's the version with the 46mm filter thread and it is really tiny and weighs next to nothing. I wondered why I paid so much for this "plastic fantastic" lens. As it was November there weren't too many opportunities to try out the lens on the camera outdoors, but the results I got were favourable but no match for my Canon gear.
The Lumix 14-42mm lens did seem to make a difference the more I used it and the more experience I gained using the very quirky SilkyPix Developer Studio. I think getting used to the 2x crop factor was a hurdle that wasn't helped by all the "Experts" on the internet introducing all kinds of BS into your picture taking, I ignored all of it anyway as I'm the one with the camera and I do what I want with it. Internet photography experts are, well, everywhere, the worst advice I have seen is that to become a great photographer you must use "Manual Mode", yeah, OK.
Taken with the Lumix DMC-G5, 1/25th sec at f5.6, ISO 1600 at 42mm with the Lumix 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 ASPH.
Taken with the Lumix DMC-G5, 1/80th sec at f5.6, ISO 500 at 42mm with the Lumix 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 ASPH.
Taken with the Lumix DMC-G5, 1/80th sec at f8.0, ISO 400 at 42mm with the Lumix 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 ASPH.
The combination of the M43 body and the M43 specific lens impressed me, so as the G5 was an older camera I kept my eyes out on a newer system because I was now more than interested in the Micro Four Thirds (M43) system. Whilst checking out various reviews online I came across one for the Olympus OM-D E-M10 and set my radar to focus on this camera model. I did see quite a few reviews that raved about the Olympus OM-D E-M5, which was an older version OM-D, but the price was way out of my league and I kind of ignored that model and kept an eye out for a reasonably priced E-M10, which I eventually found one and it was on sale at a lower price than I would have normally expected. The reason for the lower price was that the left button on the 4 Way selector misbehaved occasionally where it needed a good press to activate it and I took the chance and bought it.
I wasn't disappointed with the camera, it was clean, and looked as though it was hardly used at all. The built-in 3 axis stabilisation meant I could use any of my older manual lenses from aeons ago with the correct adapter to take photographs. The E-M10 was so customisable, it had WiFi, which I was used to with my Nikon Coolpix P600, it did not have an articulating screen though but it produced some absolutely stunning images full of colour and contrast.
I enjoyed using the E-M10, so I got myself the Lumix 45-150mm f4.0-5.6 ASPH OIS, and because I like to use "Super Zooms" I also got myself a Lumix 14-140mm G-VARIO f4.5-5.8 HD ASPH IOS lens a few months later. This was the beginning of the end of my affair with the Canon system.
All these goodies were bought using funds I had made by buying, trying, and selling online. I eventually used the E-M10 more and more, the Canon 600D was just left in my backpack with nothing to do. I then made a decision to sell all my Canon gear which didn't take long. I set my sights on the M43 camera I always wanted, the Olympus OM-D E-M5.
An E-M5 came my way and I went for it, it's a beautiful piece of gear and felt so good in my hands, it's not as new as the E-M10 but they look so similar when placed side by side. The E-M5 created some stunning results, the 5 axis image stabilisation worked with every lens I had. I like battery grips and have had one for every DSLR camera I have owned and searched the internet and got one for the E-M5. I was stunned by the costs of these grips for the Olympus OM-D cameras, the one for the E-M5 originally was nearly £300.00 new. I did find one for less than a quarter of the new price and when it arrived I added it to my E-M5.
This is where things started to go downhill regarding this great looking camera, the grip was in great condition, it was an ex-display model, everything worked on the grip, the dials on the landscape and portrait grips worked flawlessly, The only problem was the shutter buttons didn't work, regardless of which grip I used I couldn't take a picture using the shutter button on either grip. My first reaction was to contact the seller, they gave me all kinds of advice over the phone but it eventually ended up with me having to send it back to them.
Anyway, to cut a long story short I actually got another grip, this didn't work either, the same faults as the first grip (which annoyingly, was tested and found to be faulty), it turned out that the E-M5 was faulty, the battery would run down even with the camera switched off, the date and time needed re-entering each time the camera was switched on, the camera needed re-setting after taking a video, while taking a video it would randomly switch off then back on again, in other words, the camera was broken. The strangest thing is the faults were all mainly to do with the shutter, adding a remote release didn't fire the shutter, the only button that fired the shutter was the one on the camera. There were a couple of times where the camera wouldn't start, or when it did the screen and EVF displayed nothing but black, turning off, removing the battery and the lens and waiting for 5 or more minutes before putting it all back together again cured the problem. After discussing the problems with the seller who was very professional in handling the problem and after receiving the refund I went about looking for another E-M5.
It didn't take long, I found an E-M5 Mark II and read up about the differences between each model, well this list of differences, 57 in all, and after reading this review made my next second-hand purchase the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. It was the best decision I have ever made when getting a new, to me, camera. I always buy used cameras, especially cameras and lenses that I dreamt of owning but could never imagine paying the amount of money asked at the time, I have only had a few problems where things couldn't be solved and rectified and I'm always satisfied with my purchases.
The camera arrived well packed, it was in the original box, the FL-LM3 supplied flashgun was still wrapped in its original plastic covering, there were no cables with it but the seller included a new charger and two batteries, all in all, it was a great bargain and to me, money well spent. The camera had a low shutter count of 4760 shots, I don't worry about how many times the shutter has been fired as this camera has a silent electronic shutter so the number of pictures taken with it could be a lot more. The camera itself was in great condition, the firmware had never been updated, it looked as though it had never been used to a great extent and as the camera's firmware hadn't been updated I guessed that the shutter count was more or less accurate. Once I had the camera in my hands I knew this was the camera I always dreamed about, the only thing wrong with it was that it was the Silver version and not the black one which I preferred. It reminded me of my Olympus OM10 which I had for years but slowly stopped using due to the costs and quality of the film processing at the time, 1980's and above was a time for me when I didn't find any joy in photography and gave it up for many years. Then while working away installing a business networking system I was asked to take a photograph of some of the office staff, it was a digital camera, I can't remember what make or model but had to ask the owner why the display went all black and I couldn't see what I was taking a photograph of, it turned out that the battery saving feature had kicked in and turned the screen off.
After the job was finished I went out of my way to find a reasonably priced digital camera, I ended up buying the Olympus Camedia C100. The rest is history, as this website proves it, see the beginning of my digital journey if you haven't .already
I absolutely enjoy this technology, it does everything I want, it probably does stuff I don't know about but have yet to find out. I finally ended up with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, the images of the actual camera below were taken, as all my product images are, with a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ20 which was given to me by my neighbour as it was so old and he couldn't get it to work. After replacing the battery and charging it in my "Universal" charger I have never had a problem with it. It's a great little camera and takes some stunning pictures and I use it on a daily basis when small sharp images are required. I always forget to mention this bridge camera in my ramblings, I may even do a page about it, it's a great little piece of digital history from 2004.
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II camera body along with some micro four thirds specific gear.
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