The prodigal returns...

Although not a large poster on this forum, I have followed this site for a number of years. Late last year I jumped on board the M4/3 bandwagon, and earlier this year I sold off my Canon gear (except for the 24-105 lens) and went to Olympus lock, stock and three smoking...sensors.

Anyhoo, after a year in the wilderness, I have come to realize that, although the OM-D is a sensational camera, it's not FF, and the image quality doesn't even come close to a 5Dii. I have ordered a 5Dii last night and will return to the fold!

I'm still keeping my little Fuji X10 as travel camera. It is sensational.

Happy new year all!

Welcome back to the fold

different tools for different jobs.
Welcome back.

Ozimax wrote in post #15424245
Although not a large poster on this forum, I have followed this site for a number of years. Late last year I jumped on board the M4/3 bandwagon, and earlier this year I sold off my Canon gear (except for the 24-105 lens) and went to Olympus lock, stock and three smoking...sensors.

Anyhoo, after a year in the wilderness, I have come to realize that, although the OM-D is a sensational camera, it's not FF, and the image quality doesn't even come close to a 5Dii. I have ordered a 5Dii last night and will return to the fold!

I'm still keeping my little Fuji X10 as travel camera. It is sensational.

Happy new year all!

You know, I've been hankering after a smaller travel camera for a while and have worked myself up into getting either a Fuji X-E1 or a NEX 6. However, there's a nagging doubt in the back of my mind that to make the most of either of these cameras, I'm into buying a number of lenses and I'll just end up back in the same boat as with my 5dii - carrying a bag of kit around. Now, if the bag is smaller and lighter, then I can just sell off my Canon gear and move on. But, your tale of disillusionment with the OM-D is telling me that maybe the allure of these mirrorless cameras is perhaps not all it's cracked up to be.

Maybe I should just live with the weight of the FF gear and get a 'super P+S' for travel - something like an X10 or the Sony RX100. You say that you love the X10 - why? Is the IQ good enough from such a small sensor? Do you have any samples that you care to share?

Thanks,

A buddy of mine got a Sony RX 100 recently and holy cow is it amazing.
the low light ability is phenomenal and its so small that it fits in your pocket.
No chance of building a kit around it too as its not detachable lens.
I think its a perfect walkaround camera if you dont need more than 135mm.

paulkaye wrote in post #15424809
, your tale of disillusionment with the OM-D is telling me that maybe the allure of these mirrorless cameras is perhaps not all it's cracked up to be.

Definitely not disillusioned with M4/3 at all. The OM-D is a revolutionary camera with wonderful image quality, but it's still not a FF camera. Maybe in 2-3 years there will be a FF sensor or similar in M4/3 cameras.

paulkaye wrote in post #15424809
Is the IQ good enough from such a small sensor?

The X10 is amazing. I purchased an RX100. It too is excellent but it is too tiny for my hands, plus the aperture changes VERY quickly when zooming. The X10 sports a fast F2 lens and is built like the proverbial tank. All quality.

I have just had printed some very nice 18x12 enlargements from the X10. I believe I could easily do 30x20 inch. Oroughly recommended.

Cheers.

Ozimax wrote in post #15424245
Although not a large poster on this forum, I have followed this site for a number of years. Late last year I jumped on board the M4/3 bandwagon, and earlier this year I sold off my Canon gear (except for the 24-105 lens) and went to Olympus lock, stock and three smoking...sensors.

Anyhoo, after a year in the wilderness, I have come to realize that, although the OM-D is a sensational camera, it's not FF, and the image quality doesn't even come close to a 5Dii. I have ordered a 5Dii last night and will return to the fold!

I'm still keeping my little Fuji X10 as travel camera. It is sensational.

Happy new year all!

Thank you so much for this post...the Olympus OM-D has been tempting me since the minute it was announced!!! Today I found one brand spanking new for $1,400...including the 12-50 lens, the two-piece grip and an extra genuine Oly battery...soooo tempting.

However...I think I'll just keep on keepin' on with my 5D2 kit...and possibly get an OM-D when they'll be all over the used forums (say, in 6 months when the v2 comes out? haha)

EDIT: Do you shoot wide much? X10s are starting to pop up cheap (around $300-350 used around here)...I've been considering it as a travel alternative, but 28mm is awfully constricting for a guy who usually shoots 16mm....even if it was 24mm, I'd be more interested...

Welcome back Ozimax, and thanks for sharing your thoughts around your move to the OMD.

I've been considering a similar path - unloading my heavy and bulky FF gear and purchasing an OMD E-M5 kit. Even Scott Bourne has gone this path recently, dropping all of his current Canon equipment in favor of the smaller, lighter, cheaper Olympus kit.

What keeps me from making the move?

While I have no doubts that the IQ and performance of the OMD are amazing for a m43 camera, I'm skeptical how well it can hold up to FF DSLR IQ, especially when pushing files in post. I don't want to feel like I'm sacrificing quality - but expect that is the trade-off for smaller size/weight.

Secondly, I'm skeptical that I'm not simply lusting after the camera and trying to rationalize it. Would I really carry an OMD kit more than my Canon kit? If it is smaller and lighter, but still requires a bag and carrying multiple lenses/accessories I'm not sure it would truly get more use than my FF setup - which would defeat the main purpose for me - carrying it with me more, and taking more pictures.

I've been using a Fuji X10 for the past 14 months or so - it has been a much more constant companion than my DSLR and provides excellent results for what it is, an advanced point + shoot. In good light and with proper exposure the files look great, and they print well too. Fuji has great color.

Every time I get the desire for something smaller and more portable, I get out my wife's SX260HS and try some ISO 800 shots, or chase my 3-year old grandson around the house with it. That usually sends me back to my 60D with a strong appreciation for 0.059s shutter lag and the noise profile of an APS-c sensor. Sometimes I would like an un-gripped Rebel, but it really isn't that much smaller, and I still need lenses.

I checked new FujiFilm x-e1 pictures on Flickr. Few days ago. I really like the colors, they are film like, not the Canon like. Fujinon 35 1.4 looks sharp at 1.4.
But I'm keeping my 5Dc and thinking of 50L instead of spending 1K$+ for camera which looks like film RF, but not close to it in street performance.
I'll play with film RFs few more years, for times I want pretty small camera with me.
Where are some nice 1.6 crops in mirrorless bodies now, I believe it is just transitional time for affordable 35mm mirrorless cameras with interchangeable glass. I'm waiting for something like this to be compatible with М mount, not Canon M of course.

You do realize that prodigal means wasteful and irresponsible? It would seem that you are neither, from your approach

The fact that the prodigal son returned home later is coincidental to his fiscal recklessness....

AJSJones wrote in post #15431089
You do realize that prodigal means wasteful and irresponsible? It would seem that you are neither, from your approach

The fact that the prodigal son returned home later is coincidental to his fiscal recklessness....

I learn something everytime I open these fora. Thanks.

I have a GH2 and got some fine images with the 7-14 and Summicron 25/1.4 but it was as a lightweight travel kit rather than a replacement for all my Canon stuff - which still includes the 5D2 and T/S and Zeiss lenses. They stay

AJSJones wrote in post #15431089
You do realize that prodigal means wasteful and irresponsible? It would seem that you are neither, from your approach

The fact that the prodigal son returned home later is coincidental to his fiscal recklessness....

Have no clue about prodigal, his son and the rest of the family.
For me fiscal recklessness would be to sell my 5Dc, 500D and L, Zeiss glass to get some 1K$+ cute looking mirrorless cropper with AF tracking performance close to dead.

kf095 wrote in post #15431323


Have no clue about prodigal, his son and the rest of the family.
For me fiscal recklessness would be to sell my 5Dc, 500D and L, Zeiss glass to get some 1K$+ cute looking mirrorless cropper with AF tracking performance close to dead.

That would be prodigal behaviour indeed - whether you came home again later or not!
Now, if you were suddenly only able to carry 4 lb of gear and never needed AF tracking, your view on choice of compact kit might change slightly.
Ansel is rumoured to have characterized 35mm as a nice miniature format