Switch or upgrade body?

Hi folks. So im looking at getting an Olympus Pen E-P5 due to size and functionality desires. Currently I have a Canon t2i with a few lenses. Found a good deal on the Olympus, so I can get that plus 2 lenses for the same price as a Canon t2i body. And having a smaller camera would be preferable. Also considering Fujifilm x100s or x100t

We need to have wi-fi capabilities because we are going on tour with a band. The camera is going to be used for taking shots along the way, as well as in venues/at concerts. The venues will be smaller clubs, around 200-300 rooms, and a few larger festivals. Will have all access.

Im confident the Olympus will suit our daytime needs. But Im wondering if it will do well in the venues at night. The ISO on the Canon t2i is pretty meh in my opinion. Do you think the Olympus could actually perform better in this setting than the t2i?

And if I decide to upgrade the t2i to a t6i instead, do you think i will notice a big difference in ISO , low light performance? Basically, will 1600 ISO look the same on both cameras, or do newer models look way better?

Thanks for the tips

for night events, have you considered the Canon 80D or say a 2nd hand Canon 6D?

"Meh"? It isn't going to be any better with two you have mentioned. Why? Because you need to be not afraid of high ISO. ISO 1600 is not high ISO at all. Your t2i is capable of usable ISO3200/6400 shots. All you have to do is to "keep it to the right" at exposure scale in VF with ISO3200/6400 instead of underexposing it at ISO1600.

Wi-Fi in cameras still limited. You could get mobile phone which reads micro memory cards with LR in it for quick, but much more sufficient editing and much more advanced sharing with micro memory card adapter for camera. If you are on the trip, the laptop is still better option. And if you are photographer by the skills, not by assignment, you could get instant shot with mobile phone and share it instantly if it is in the assignment requirements.

I'd suggest looking at the 80d for a smaller dslr body. This gives you the capabilities of excellent face tracking/target points in video. Also the high iso performance is very good that would destroy the Olympus M43 sensor. Another consideration is the EOS M5 which is basically an 80d with a smaller mirrorless body. Yes there is less selection on the Eos M series but you can adapt pretty much any canon lens with an adapter with no autofocus issues.

I wouldn't really suggest a fuji 16mp body for your dark club application unless you buy bare minimum an EF-42 flash or the latest EF-X500 ttl/hss flash $$$. If the band has great light on stage the fuji X-T1, X-e2 (s) or X-T10 will do a great job. The 80d in low light is incredibly responsive and any canon flash with AF assist beam will be killer awesome in low light flash photography. However the fuji 18-55 puts a canon 18-55 kit lens to shame.

The 16mp fuji bodies AF is no where near a Canon 80D. I will say the fuji 16MP high iso is quite comparable to the 80d. This is a good thing!! The 80D is a massive jump in performance compared to a T2i.

Sony A6000 and A5100 can aloso be options: they have one of the best APSC sensors in the market and they are quite compact. AF however may not be that great in low light for which you would have to move up to A7s in the Sony realm (which is in another price league though). A7s is perhaps the best low light camera if 12mp is enough for the user.

I would second for Canon 6d for the high iso performance.

Your experience is different than mine. I don't like to shoot over 400 ISO on my T4i. I don't think twice about shooting 2000-4000 ISO on my 6D.

I would absolutely pick up an E-P5 over any Canon 1.6x.

First, you can pick up a low shutter actuation E-P5 for around $300.

And at iso 3200, jpeg rendering of olympus is just as good or better than 80D. With money saved, get you a few low light lenses...17mm 1.8, 25mm 1.4, or 12-40mm 2.8.

Canon vs. Oly

Here's the link to u43 photo sharing thread: Musical Performance Photos

Heya,

A used Sony A7S for your needs.

Otherwise, the Olympus or a Fuji, definitely, over an older Rebel for what you're doing. And the comment about using higher ISO is very valid, you can get a lot more out of the ISO performance with different exposure techniques.

Very best,

Do yourself a favour and just get a 6D as your familiar with Canon bodies. It'll do exactly what you need it to do.

Honestly if your wanting high iso performance you really cannot put M43 in the same league to modern day 1.6/1.5 crop sensor or full frame.

jpg processing is different in every camera manufacturer. You can always tweak how jpgs process in camera.

Also when your discussing high ISO you should be looking at the shutter speed of the image at the "tested" aperture between camera's. There can be non challenging light at iso 3200 or very challenging light at iso 3200. This makes a huge difference in how noise may become acceptable to "good".

I know my previous 16mp fuji sensor and 80D sensor was a noticeable difference in lower noise than my previous Oly E-m5 or GH3. My M43 sensor produce Raw files that completely fell apart while my 16mp fuji or 80D is very clean and usable.

No buyers remorse or question you would do much better with a 6d or MalVeauX suggested Sony A7S for no flash available light shooting.

I know as a fact that I've NEVER missed a beat with the fast AF of the 80D on even extremely fast spinning amusement rides. 80D is just like my 5dmk3 in how AF performs. Just think the 5dmk4 is a big step up from there$$$$ The 6D center focus will be blazing fast too.

I'd imagine you can pull shadows with the sony A7s effortlessly. The 80D is excellent considering it's a new designed canon sensor.

Used 6D is still around $1,000. In addition to that, a low light canon lenses (unless picking up a tamron 28-75mm f2.8 or nifty fifty) aren't cheap.
Used e-P5 pricing has bottomed out. This post is somewhat old.. more than a month, and if I had to guess, I don't imagine OP is using f2.8 L glass or wide aperture lenses. And if so, he has EF-S lenses, he will need new lenses for 6D.

Here are comparisons between 6D, 80D, e-P5 @ iso 3200, and T6i @ iso 400. Can you guess which belong to which?

In good light my M43 was fantastic. However what I noticed was that in real life shooting my Fuji crop sensor produced a more rich file very much like full frame. I never got that impression with my M43 with pro lenses. After selling off all of my m43 and moving my secondary system to Fuji I have almost zero excuses in producing bad images due to hardware limitations. The E-m5 did not even come close in the performance I needed for a universal body.

What I find in the M43 forums is that there is great emphasis on image stabilization. What I require is high iso with manageable shutter speeds to stop action. This is where many discussions on M43 speak of image stabilization but this does NOT stop action. Only IS will help if low light shots are not moving or if there is plenty of light to easily provide faster shutter speeds.