Photography: Saying goodbye to Micro Four Thirds…for now

It has been four and a half years since I proclaimed a switch to Micro Four Thirds platform from always using smaller cameras from Canon like the S90 and G1 platform of the late 2000s. I wanted to expand my photography skills and take better photos but I didn’t have the means to buy an SLR. SLRs were big, bulky, required care and maintenance and most of all, were very expensive. M43 was a camera system that was not only gaining traction but it was also loved by the people using it for its cost, size and flexibility. Over time, the lens selection improved and capability of the small sensor became very close to SLRs in that price range.

Looking at the Canon 5D versus Olympus E-PL2 (both with a 200MM lens attached) is still a good representation of how differently the size and weight contrasts, especially in lens sizes:

I remember very fondly how incredible the photos were that I took while in India a few years ago. A reader of this blog leant her Canon 5D with a 70-200, fisheye and one other lens. I still brought my Olympus along but the photos taken with the 5D, a camera released in 2005, were vastly superior. Looking at photos from the 5D even in 2015, 10 years after introduction and I’m still very impressed by the capabilities of a 9 point AF, 3FPS camera with only 12.8 megapixels. The 5D is archaic by today’s standards.

Yet, these photos:

Maybe I tried harder back then to edit photos and take my time but the 5D was an impressive camera. I wanted to buy a 5D Mark II after that trip but my gosh, the price!!!

Back to the M43 system, I went from E-PL2 to OM-D E-M1 and that was a huge jump considering I could still use all of my lenses. The EM-1 had a lot of pro features mostly in the form factor, design and ability to adjust settings without having to take my face away from the viewfinder. The E-M1 is a great camera. It never wowed me like the 5D but it’s a fantastic camera even professionals can use as long as they’re doing nature, architecture and portraits. The M43 platform uses a very small sensor which has benefits like smaller lenses, 2x crop factor (a 100MM M43 is equivalent to a 200MM Full-Frame). I enjoyed these advantages.

I also feel like the M43 world is contracting instead of growing. No new manufacturers have joined Panasonic / Olympus. Sony would have been an obvious choice and a win for the platform but they did their own thing. Fuji Film has their own format as well. The little guys could have banded together which would have made a huge difference in manufacturer independence. The cameras Sony is putting out really rock but I’m invested with six M43 lenses so jumping ship for 2 years isn’t feasible. The sales aren’t huge for M43, the lenses are just now starting to feel professional with the Olympus PRO line and overall support for the platform is about the same as it was when I bought in.

It just doesn’t feel like a lot of innovation is happening in M43.

SLR Lounge (an obviously biased site) has a late-2013 rundown of SLR versus M43 I have paraphrased below in the ways SLRs beat out M43 cameras

1. Optical viewfinder versus electronic
2. Phase Detect Autofocus which used to be an SLR advantage but the E-M1 has this
3. M43 is lighter so that’s a loss for SLR
4. Lens selection is much greater with SLR but you pay a premium and they’re heavier yet the overall photo quality will be better with a full-frame high-end ‘fast’ lens on SLR
5. Sensor Size, Depth of Field and light are far superior on an SLR.
6. Low Light. Full frame sensors and cameras today are offering low-light performance in insanely high ISOs with little to no noise in RAW images.

Not very flattering AT ALL but this is something I’ve been doing for a while with my E-M1. It’s weatherproof case is very good at fighting off water. I’ve been swimming with it, dropped it in water, used it in a rain-storm and clean it once a month under my sink water with the Olympus PRO lens attached (also weatherproof). Unfortunately, as this photo was taken, a small bubble came out from beside the lens, a little air bubble which I immediately knew that meant a leak has occurred. Sure enough, there was water in the camera.

We shouldn’t debate the fact that my Go Pro Hero 4 Black was sitting beside the pool and was a far better candidate for an underwater shot given the waterproof housing but I made a mistake and now have a dead camera.

The price to repair my water damaged E-M1 will be around $500 which is fine. I’m going to pay it and not complain. It means I’ll have a factory re-manufactured unit that I can sell. For anyone interested, I am taking offers via email. You’ll get the following:

1. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Camera – $999 (factory restored after water damage) and has a screen protector – $15
2. Olympus PRO 12-40MM f/2.8 – $799
3. Panasonic 25MM f/1.4 – $597
4. Panasonic 45-200MM – $269
5. Olympus 20MM f/1.7 pancake – $315
6. Olympus 14-42MM Lens (kit lens) – $299
7. E-M1 HLD-7 Battery Grip – $184
8. Two batteries – $54 each
9. Charger
10. 8MM Fisheye lens / lens cap accessory – $88
11. Olympus FL-600R Flash – $299

All new, these add up to $3957. If you want all of this, let me know and I’ll drop it in the mail. I was thinking around 2 grand for everything once the E-M1 is back from the Olympus repair center.

I’ve certainly invested a lot in the platform over the years and if no offers come forward, I’ll hang on to these and use them when I’m looking for a lighter setup than my new camera.

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I’ve been the last year shopping for an alternative to the E-M1 because I want more out of my photos. Unfortunately, that means changing systems. when the water damage happened, I looked for cameras better than the E-M1 but there is none. It’s the best camera in the M43 system which is another sign that Panasonic / Olympus are simply not doing enough to remain competitive.

I’ve always loved Canon so specifically, last few weeks I began investigating my options. The Rebel line is just not for me and that lineup of cameras doesn’t require EF Lenses which  means I’d probably end up buying non-EF lenses because I tend to cut corners when I can. I also really love full-frame sensors for so many reasons and it’s the format that will allow for the most growth in my hobby. I also wanted to start with a camera that would have some features that would allow me to maybe start making money at this photography thing.

Today I ordered my replacement camera after many weeks of deliberation and over 50 hours of reading reviews, price-shopping and bargain-hunting. I didn’t want to buy used since I know how badly cameras can be beat up. I also wanted to buy from a Canon Authorized reseller since the horror stories of Import models not having warranty support stateside. It turns out, the best deal I found was Canon’s refurbished store.

Here’s what I bought:

1. EOS 5D Mark III Refurbished with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS Refurbished Lens Kit
2. EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Refurbished
3. Neewer Optical Glass LCD Screen Protector for Canon 5D Mark III 
4. SanDisk Extreme PRO 64GB Compact Flash Memory Card UDMA 7
5. Fotodiox Dedicated Bayonet Lens Hood, for Canon EOS EF 50mm f/1.4 USM 
6. Tiffen 58mm UV Protection Filter
7. Tiffen 77mm UV Protection Filter

The 24-105 and 50mm lenses will allow me a very wide focal range with decent lower-light photography and portraits. The 24-105 is an L Series lens. I will eventually get the 50MM F/1.2 L-series but at $1200 new, it’s a huge increase in price over $300 for the non-L F/1.4. The UV Filters are for both lenses. Filters are great and keep the glass from being scratched. Compact Flash is much faster than SD cards on the 5D and the screen protector goes without saying. I get it on all of my cameras. The L-Series lenses come with a lens hood but the 50MM being a non-L does not come with one so I grabbed a hood because I like the extra protection they offer.

Extras like battery grip, extra batteries, a 200MM lens and SpeedLite flash will have to come later as that’ll be another 3 grand. All in all, I spent $3300 today and yes, I’m having a bit of a nervous break-down over here on all of that change being spent with two clicks of my mouse on Canon’s site and Amazon’s.

Why 5D over 6D? More AF Points, better construction and overall most photographers highly recommended the extra money was worth it. The 7D Mark 2 despite not being full frame was top of my list but the 5D still won-out.

Why Canon and not Nikon? I know Canon’s product line, their lenses, their software and I’ve owned 10 Canon cameras in the last 18 years. I’ve owned one Nikon and simply wasn’t a fan of it. I think it was a D60 or D80 back in the day.

Why L lenses? I’d prefer to buy L-Glass whenever I can afford it. The 5D requires EF lenses but L glass is sturdier, well-built and generally faster with a better aperture and consistent fixed aperture throughout the focal length.

Why refurbished? The camera and the two lenses on Amazon new would have cost $3800. On Canon USA, they were $3075 (with shipping). I don’t have tax in New Hampshire and I read a lot about the refurbished and in some cases, they’re better than the retail boxes due to extensive testing performed and in cases where the cameras arrived with issues, Canon gives you plenty of time to return the camera no questions asked for a full refund or to swap out with another camera of your choice. I like that policy and it’ll still have the standard warranty.

How does the 5D compare to my E-M1? Hah, SnapSort pretty much answers that question. Here’s the Canon 5D versus 6D and 5D versus 7D Mark 2.

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I’ll be sure to publish some thoughts on the Canon 5D Mark III once I’ve had it for a while. I’m taking it to Quebec City this weekend and to a few weekend trips over the next 6 weeks to break it in. It’s a lot of camera to become comfortable with. I just hope it fits my needs and allows me room to grow and, at 3 grand, I really hope I don’ t regret the purchase. I’ll utilize Borrow Lenses to try out lenses I’m interested in buying over the next 12 months and while I’m bummed about spending (paid for, not credit card charged because credit cards are evil) so much hard earned cash all at once, I think this is going to be a great evolution in my photography and open up some new opportunities for me.

Thanks for reading. Seriously though, someone buy my old camera :)