Why Do I Stick With Micro4/3? One More Reason

Shouldn’t someone be sitting here enjoying the autumn day?
It’s a terrible thing to waste a perfectly good bench.
Om-1 Mark II, 12-100mm f/4 lens
(Click to enlarge)

“Micro4/3 is the fruitcake of the photography world.”

                                                         Dennis Mook

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post for this blog about Micro4/3 gear and why I continue to be a fan and use it when I also own APS-C and full frame gear.  But I’m starting to wonder.  Am I being foolish for sticking with Micro4/3 gear?  After all, it seems everywhere I turn I’m being told by those who proclaim to be reviewers, experts, accomplished photographers, bloggers and YouTubers that Micro4/3 is a fool’s errand.  The standard is now full frame and everyone is going full frame.  Well, that being said, I wanted to add one more comment as to why I continue to stick with a Micro4/3 system.   Before reading this post, I would suggest you read that other post I just mentioned.  You can find it here.

(If you want to read a couple of other recent and informative posts I’ve written about Micro4/3 gear and use, you can find them here and here.)

The additional reason why I stick with a Micro4/3 system, primarily the Olympus and OM cameras (there is absolutely nothing wrong with LUMIX gear.  I’ve owned three LUMIX cameras and several lenses and the capability, quality, operation and images they produce are as good as Olympus/OM.  I prefer OM because I’m used to the dials, buttons and menus.  I just wanted to be clear about this), is because my Micro4/3 cameras can do just about everything I’ll ever need a camera to do.  True.  The Olympus and OM cameras are amazing photographic tools.  They are able to accomplish just about every task, most of them in-camera, where other more popular brands require you to use additional software to accomplish the same tasks. Also, I find there is no need to carry a whole bag full of accessories. Let me give you some examples.

With 8 1/2 stops of image stabilization using Sync IS, I almost never need to carry a tripod.  I’ve never liked using tripods but I was held captive by them for decades.  No more.  I rarely have to use a tripod when using my Micro4/3 gear.

Because the OM cameras have built-in neutral density filters up to an amazing seven stops (OM-1 Mark II), I have no need to carry a pouch full of neutral density filters.  Oh!  I can also preview the effect of a long shutter speed on water before making the exposure to see exactly what the blurred water will look like before I press the shutter button.  That allows me to adjust the ND strength beforehand.  This feature literally amazes me.

Also because the OM-1 Mark II camera has the built-in feature that allows one to apply a graduated neutral density filter, move it up and down, left and right as well as rotating it, I have no need to carry several graduated neutral density filters in a pouch—or waste time getting out one with the right strength, futzing with it to see if it gives me the right amount of filtration and light falloff.  The graduated ND filters come in one, two and three stops each with a soft, medium and hard transition.  Outstanding!

The camera has a frame rate up to 120 frames per second. At 60 frames per second, the camera will focus in between every exposure.  I may never need 120fps or 60fps, but some of you might. 

Along with those amazing frame rates, the camera allows me to shoot “blackout-free” at 12.5fps, 16.7fps, 25fps or 50fps.  If you are a mirrorless camera user and have not experienced viewfinder blackout-free shooting, you are definitely missing a great feature.

I never miss the peak action because the camera has a feature called Pro Capture. With a half-press of the shutter button Pro Capture will continually buffer images before any peak action occurs.  As soon as I detect peak action and fully press the shutter, everything before and after peak action is captured.  I never miss peak action anymore.  Olympus introduced this feature in 2016 with the E-M1 Mark II.  2016!  Panasonic followed suit and included it in 2017.  Didn’t Sony just add this feature in the Spring of THIS year to their $6000 A9 Mark III this year?  Did I mention in raw?  (Nikon only does this in JPEG) My camera will continually focus between exposures as well.  I can shoot sequentially at 5-120fps and the camera allows me to set the specific number of frames I want to record before fully pressing the shutter up to 99 frames.  I typically have mine set to capture between a full second and a half second before the shutter is fully pressed, depending upon the circumstances.  After I fully press the shutter, a limit to the number of frames exposed can be set but I leave mine at ‘no limit.’

If I am making night photos, I can switch the camera to Live Time. This allows me to press the shutter and watch my exposure ‘build’ on my LCD screen. There is no trial and error. When the brightness of my images is as I desire and all details can be seen, I end the exposure.  That results in perfectly exposed images.  No trial and error making images over and over again until I get it right.

Also, I can set the camera to use its Live Composite mode.  I make a basic night exposure and then the camera only adds bright lights, such as passing headlights, to the frame.  Then there is Starry Sky mode if I want to do some Astro photography.  Never sit and wait minutes (or longer) for your Milky Way shot to complete only to see camera wasn’t focused at infinity.

Using the Handheld High Resolution feature, not only can I create an image with 50 megapixels of resolution, but that also gives me two additional stops of dynamic range and, as a bonus, less digital noise.  The camera automatically records an original 20 megapixel image, as well as an in camera-generated 50 megapixel image. There is no having to use separate software afterward to make the high resolution image file like I have to do with both my Fujifilm and Nikon cameras.  If I have that pesky tripod handy, i can mount the camera on it and get an 80mp file.

The autofocus is very fast and sure. Autofocus locks on very quickly—about as quick as any digital camera I’ve owned at any price.  My camera has 1053 cross-type phase detect AF points and 1053 contrast detect AF points.  Not only is the autofocus excellent, but the camera also has really good subject detection. It can detect humans, faces and eyes, birds, mammals, airplanes, trains, cars and motorcycles.  The subject detection may not be absolutely the industry’s best, but it is right up there among the best.  Also, you’re not paying $6500 or $4500 for this level of performance.  Right now you get this capability for $1800 US.  It works very well.  One thing i like about the subject detection is that if there are multiple subjects and you want to focus one a specific subject, you can program a button, rotate a dial and the Af subject detection will move and remain with the subject of your choice.  Nice!

If I have to photograph tall buildings, I can correct the vertical perspective in-camera.  I can also correct horizontally skewed perspective.  I don’t know of another camera on the market today that can do that.

Not only does the camera allow you to automatically bracket your focus distance to composite several exposures to increase your depth of field, but it also can do that in-camera—a feature OM calls Focus Stacking.  No need to mount your camera on a tripod as you can watch the exposures being made, the focus being changed and then the images composited in-camera.  But that isn’t all.  The camera also allows you to Focus Bracket and combine your exposures later in separate software if you so choose. 

Do you ever photograph in bad weather.  As far as I know OM and previously Olympus are the only companies actually giving you an IP rating to certify the level of dust and water resistance.  In this case IP53.  Freeze proof too!

Speaking of dust, I’ve been shooting with Olympus/OM cameras since 2012.  I’ve NEVER have had to have my sensor cleaned.  Absolutely true.  I don’t know what kind of magic ultrasonic system they use, but I wish Nikon would use it.  I’m regularly cleaning the sensors of dust.  

Battery life is excellent.  I only need to carry one spare battery but even after shooting a thousand or more bird images in a day, I’ve never had to go to a second battery.

I could continue to go on and on with this camera’s features.  But you get my point.  My OM-1 can do just about everything, much more than most any other camera as well as take advantage is some of the very best lenses available today.  In my opinion, there isn’t anything I would ask of my camera that it couldn’t do and do well.

Oh!  One really important point.  I didn’t mention image quality.  I have no complaints.  I have written many blog posts over the past 11 1/2 years touting just how good Micro4/3 image quality is—contrary to what the naysayers will tell you.  It has sufficient dynamic range.  Its noise levels are very low and there is enough resolution that you won’t tell the difference unless you enlarge an image in terms of feet wide, not inches.  As far as shallow depth of fields, if you know what you are doing, that isn’t a big issue either.  I’ve shot with ISOs as high as 25,600 and with the use of an AI plug-in such as DXO PureRaw4 or Topaz Photo AI, the results are remarkable.  When photographing birds and wildlife, I regularly use ISO 6400 with no worries.  Check out some of Andy Rouse’s YouTube videos of his work at extremely high ISOs.  You’ll be amazed.

So, am I being foolish?  I don’t believe so.  In fact, using a Micro4/3 system, in my opinion, can be a smarter way to go than spending twice, three times or more money for marginal improvements which only are apparent in circumstances that are at the extremes of photographic situations.  In short, the Olympus, OM and Panasonic Micro4/3 cameras and lenses are incredible values in today’s world of high priced full featured systems.  Yes, I’m going to stick with Micro4/3.  When I decide to scale back my photography due to age, infirmity of otherwise, Micro4/3 will be the small, lightweight, extremely capable system that I’ll still carry.  I know it can everything I want a camera system to do and do well.

...and there ain’t nuttin wrong wit fruitcake! It’s delicious! 😁

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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