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When Olympus Ruled Mirrorless –E-M1 Was The Best!
When Olympus Ruled Mirrorless –E-M1 Was The Best!
#Olympus #Ruled #Mirrorless #EM1
“Matti Sulanto”
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Although I am a Sony user (A7R4), I am starting to look around for a smaller setup for travel and photo walks. Thank you for this very informative video. Different topic — between about 2:15 and 3:15, you were standing in front of a mural with some trees on it. Off and on, your shoulder bag strap lined up nearly perfectly with one of the tree trunks. Was that planned or accidental? Either way, nice effect.
It has the best grip of any camera I have ever held. Sony still has a bit to learn there, their cameras never feel quite right in the hand.
Thanks for your reflections. I do macro and close-up tele photography, where MFT gives me the greatest DoF.
The selling point of micro four thirds was supposed to be the compact form factor but both panasonic and olympus strangely chose to focus on bigger sized bodies. We haven’t seen a new GX from panasonic, and OM systems’ OM-5 was a big disappointment, basically just being the same as the EM-5 III in nearly all specs.
Ironically, the full frame companies have managed to make compact bodies like Sony’s A7C and now Nikon’s Zf.
Canon became 2nd mirrorless player in 2017 and first mirrorless player in 2018 with sales from EOS M only, while all the others were producing more performant&mature systems. In 2018 Sony with its performant FF cameras was just on the 3rd place. I don't think good sales are only related to performance of cameras or senzor size. It's marketing, it's brand loyalty, trends, it's the trust in the future of a brand. Olympus never had a big market share and missed the oportunity to increase it when it was the best moment. Then it was the brand name change which did not helped at all, then all those negative rumours.
I just hit the "submit order" button for a Black Friday $899 Olympus EM1 Miii and $699 OM System 40-150 F4 Pro lens before watching this video. I'm not shaken. I want the portability of this compact long telephoto.
I still have mine that I bought new when it came out. I added a used full spectrum converted E-M1. The E-M1 is a REAL bargain nowadays for what it is. Seriously underrated at its current price point.
Very cool perspective on the rise of micro four thirds and then its downfall. I wasn't camera savvy during those times so it's news to me! I wish I knew more about the timeline and reaction at the time.
I recently purchased the 2nd one. I also gifted my EM5.
The 1 is built like a tank. Even though old the IBIS is still amazing. I love the saturation of the colors that come straight out of this body. The body isn’t small but it is powerful. At some point one has to ask how much am I willing to spend on a body. Does the newest body give me value for my money?
I am glad I purchased this body and 12-40mm pro lens. When doing street photography I live in the 12-40mm M43 range. I’m not sure about the OM commitment to producing great bodies anymore.
Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)
Thanks for this history lesson and personal sharing of your experience with the EM-1. Sadly, you are absolutely right about how M4/3 and especially Olympus has lost the lead in the camera race. Enjoy uour time in KL 🙂
Recently completed an event coverage job at Miri using the EM1 Mk 1. Pretty good for an old pro body, and way lighter so I can bring a few lenses as carry-on luggage.
You forgot also another benefit of M43 which is pricing. I got the camera for less than 200 usd with a low SC.
great video Matti nice to see the old gear out enjoy the far east , Andrew
Hey Matti!! Hope you are doing well in KL.
Regarding your video, well… As you well know, for my personal work I am mostly an Olympus user, and I have to say I love the m43 system in general. The compactness of my EM10 iii or my EM5 iii paired with the ez kit lens or any pancake lens are perfect for me to take everywhere I go. I could argue m43 was the best system, but as you also know… For my more professional work I choose to shoot Fujifilm, exactly because of the fact its a bit better image quality, and in my particular case, also Fujifilm was the choice for me since it delivers me a JPEG that is almost 95% of my final photo. Nevertheless, I think I have shot some of my favourite photos ever with my Olympus cameras with the kit lens. I never had a problem with image quality over my printed shots and I print a lot of them. I truly do think m43 is still a very solid and good system, even for professionals, but with all options available nowadays, for all income size, it really comes out to choosing the tool that best serves your purposes. For me personally, the biggest strenght for m43 will allways be its compactness, without compromise to image quality.
All the best my friend!! Talk to you later!
It's nice for me, that you was in Krakow in 2014 (6'). If you plan return to this time, please write to me – I'll guide you 🙂
One good thing about the E-M1 is that it accepts the electronic viewfinder VF-4 for vertical viewing which the Mark 2 and 3 do not.
It is a nice camera; like many older ones that can deliver great results in the right hands. I just saw an email from OM…they are selling new EM 1 mkiii for BF sale@ $999 US (same sale price as the sale price of the OM5). More camera than I need, but very tempting…was considering OM 5 largely due to size, but some of the Sony APSCs are so close in size, as are some of their lenses on the wide end. I don’t think however they have nearly the same IBIS or weatherproofing, but it seems to work for many.
Whenever I hear those thoughts of professionals about the fear that customers might want something that their system might not be able to deliver, or the need for AF speed because of “serious” photography I feel sorry for you guys that you have chosen to be financially dependent in a field where my creative freedom is everything for me. I shot old Mft and older Pentax Cams. The only criteria I obey when buying gear is how much fun I can have using it. I absolutely don’t care anymore if a system is popular, or currently the best on the market or the manfacturer might go out of business tomorrow. So Matti, thanks for your video which made me thinking about these things again and left me with a smile.
I had an Olympus OM-D E-M1 for one month in October 2014. I then replaced it with a Canon 5D Mk 3. The time was not yet ripe for the destruction of the whole system. I had a mirrorless October, I took more than 4000 photos with it, from wedding photos to children's photos.
I think you might be selling Micro 4/3 a bit short; It’s still a popular option in 2023.
I feel like every mention of OM System is kinda like I'm at a wake.
Even the Full Frame guys who never gave m43 a chance (not talking about Matti of course) are only complimenting m43 out of pity and courtesy, like it's rude to speak ill of the dead now.
I'm saying this as a m43 guy, truely sad, because all the m43 alternatives still seem too big and heavy for me at this point.
I'm going to ride my current olympus gear until it dies, but when it does I'm not sure there will be much of an OM System around to replace it.
Different strokes for different folks… As an amateur who shoots all genres, including sports in particular, Micro four thirds is the best for me. I use an OM-1 for sports or when I want to do something a bit more serious, but I also have a tiny Lumix GF-10 which I can stick in my pocket for taking snaps with one of the 1.7 or 1.8 primes. I also enjoy borrowing my father's Nikon DSLR for fun, but when comparing price/size/performance MFT is still my favourite. I hope the system survives as photography will be worse off if it dies.
Interesting video Matti. I still love my EM5 mk iii as a hobbyist, but am appreciating some benefits of my a6500, particularly the increased dynamic range.
I still use mine. It‘s great for streetphotography. Good IBIS, splashproof, small but still with a grip and usable EVF. Flipup-screen, fast AF.
Yeah, I have the problem with the thumbwheel.
Hi,
I think MFT nowday has an advantage for tele photos lens if you want to unnoticeable small and on the way like the new Leica Pana combo for wildlife 100-400 with G9ii…
Had the first E-M5 back in the day…loved it for the size and although you just got jpegs I never had any complaints. And even today those M1 cameras have some proper weather sealing unlike many others.
Wish i would have gotten that camera repaired instead of selling. It was small and had a flippy screen. Then they went with a bigger body so i went with the EM5 series instead.
E-M1 indeed was at the peak of what Olympus accomplished, it was ahead of its time! Let's hope they can return to similar form some day soon.
The m43 isn't at the bottom, it's at the top, but it's a tool like any other. What the m43 wins on is still the total weight of the system you carry with you. I see you have an E-M1 with Pana/Leica 15/1.7, the exact same lens I use for that camera and for my Pen-F. Have both Nikon F digital and Canon 5D as tools and probably soon also GFX, but there will always be an m43 camera with me.