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| First Bald Eagle of 2021. Not a good image. This eagle was so far up in a dead tree and behind branches that I had to shoot almost straight up to capture it. (click to enlarge) I'm fortunate I had the relatively lightweight and smallish micro 4/3 gear that day. Olympus E-M1 Mark III; 300mm f/4 PRO lens + MC-14 1.4x tele-converter; 1/1600th sec. @ f/6.3; ISO 500 (~840mm FOV) |
It seems that over the past couple of years there has been a real push to get as many photographers as possible using so-called 'full frame' digital cameras. Features have been added and prices (for bottom of the line) full frame cameras have come down. Add to that the surge in full frame mirrorless cameras and lenses and I think the camera manufacturers are doing a good job of pushing us in this direction. Why? I suspect full frame is more profitable.
That said, do you feel your APS-C or micro4/3 system serves you well, is full featured and provides you with images and opportunities that fully satisfy your needs? Even if that is so, many photographers, I suspect, have that nagging thought that pops up on a regular basis and ask themselves "Should I move to full frame?"
Don't despair. No matter what pressure you are feeling, there are very good reasons to stick with the format of your choice. Unless your camera system no longer provides you with the image files and opportunities that you want and need, moving to full frame might not get you any better photographs. It may only give you psychological satisfaction.
Recently, I came across these two YouTube videos by a couple of professional photographers that may easy your anxiety of whether or not to move to full frame. The first, by UK professional photographer Craig Roberts on his e6 Vlog entitled, "The Full Frame Revolution," (e6 Vlogs) Craig nicely lays out and logically presents his monologue on the reality of smaller sensor cameras versus full frame cameras. He makes some very good points for you to consider.
The second, by south Florida professional wedding photographer Booray Perry talks about how you are thinking about the full frame versus APS-C may be all wrong in his video entitled, "Full Frame sensor vs APS C; WATCH THIS BEFORE YOU DECIDE!"
I found both interesting and thought provoking. If you have some sensor envy or anxiety that you may be missing out by not having full frame gear, these two may help in clarifying your thoughts.
If you think that your 16mp, 20mp, 24mp or 26mp cameras don't have enough pixels, just for fun, watch pro photographer Chris Hau's YouTube video where he challenges other experienced photographers as well as the well known photographer Peter McKinnon to see if any of them can tell the difference between (small and very large) prints made from either a Sony 12mp or a Fujifilm 102mp camera. It's worth watching.
On another short note, everything I'm seeing and reading is reinforcing the notion that micro4/3 is not going away. Both OM Digital Solutions executives as well as Panasonic executives seem to be going out of their way to ensure all of us that they are in the micro 4/3 business for the long haul. When once I was pessimistic, I have now regained my optimism about the format and personally believe that we will see new, better cameras and more excellent lenses over the next two years. Even if both companies closed their doors, my micro4/3 cameras and lenses work as perfectly today as they did yesterday and will do so for many years in the future. But, I don't think we'll have to worry about that.
I will say the same about Nikon. From what I've read and watched (not the ill informed , click bait types of Internet pundits but actual business and industry insiders) I don't see any indication that they are going to close up shop, sell their assets or discontinue their photography gear business. They seem to be doing all the things that need to be done to shore up the company for the future. In fact, they have announced that Nikon will introduce a new flagship camera, the Z9, and the Chief Financial Officer stated they will introduce as many as 12 new lenses in the next 12 months. That doesn't sound like a company cutting back to the bare bones and getting ready to close its doors.
My best advice. Dance with the one you brung! (as the saying goes) Be happy with what you have and don't worry about what you don't have.
UPDATE: Here is another interesting 'practical' comparison of the Panasonic S5 and G9 by UK professional photographer James Popsys.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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Always the voice of reason Dennis. I enjoyed Chris Hau's video the most, and despite all of this, I still haven't buried the idea of buying full frame. LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks again for such informative content.
Thanks, Jim. And....there isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t buy one if you want one. My post is my attempt to tell those who don’t have full frame or can’t afford full frame that what they have and use is just fine. There is no need to feel inferior or that their images aren’t just as good!
DeleteNo question. It's easy to find people in forums who absolutely love the image quality from 1" sensor cameras.
DeleteThough I did once find a forum topic where people were complaining about how heavy the Sony RX100 series of cameras are. :-)
When I compare photos I made with the X-T4 and the photos from my Nikon D850 I usually think I can see better quality in the D850 photos. But . . . . . it might just be the way I use the cameras. The D850 is heavy-ish and usually sits on a tripod when I use it. The X-T4 is light and I usually use it when out for walks or bicycle rides. And I'm not sure how steady my hands are. So I think that's probably where the quality difference lies.
ReplyDeleteMarcus, thank you for your comment. I remember when the Nikon D800 with its 36mp sensor was first introduced. Many ‘experts’ said that much of the increased resolution would be lost if the camera was not solidly mounted on a tripod. Some even said that if you didn’t mount it on a tripod, you would be wasting your money. It is my understanding that the smaller the individual pixels, no matter what format, the more critical it is to have stability. Smaller pixels mean tinier movements can cause loss of resolution. So, you might be right in your assessment.
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