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Old 09-11-13, 00:51
Adey Baker's Avatar
Adey Baker Adey Baker is offline  
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Hinckley, Leics., UK
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I'll open the batting then by declaring ownership of an Olympus OM-D E-M5 together with 3 Olympus and 1 Panasonic lenses.

First point - CSC sort of implies a camera for a compact system, though it could just be the camera that's small. A number of mirrorless cameras are indeed small and light but still need larger lenses to cover their respective sensor sizes.

Returning to my Canon 40D after using the E-M5 for even a relatively short time comes as quite a shock to the hand! The Oly body is much thinner. I wouldn't want it to be any smaller - mainly to prevent the controls such as the function buttons from being too 'cramped.' The recently-introduced E-M1 seems to have a better-designed layout in this respect, but it's also getting a bit larger and heavier (as is the new 12-40mm lens to go with it) and Olympus need to watch this if they're to avoid going down the route of the original 4/3rds sytem, where the smaller size of the sensor didn't produce dramatically smaller cameras and lenses.

I'm not getting any younger and my main reason for going down the M4/3rds route is to cut down on the size and weight of my equipment when going on holidays, etc. Also, my favourite (but long-obsolete) Sigma 400mm Apo/Macro lens as developed a fault, so it was probably time to update anyway. The Panasonic lens that I have - the 100-300mm zoom - focuses quite close and is not a million miles behind the Sigma in getting decent-sized images of butterflies, etc, but it's not really up to it overall. I'm having to work harder and am getting fewer 'keepers,' though I need to give myself longer to thoroughly get used to it. It's certainly not a bad lens and it will do until someone brings out a longer prime lens that's matched to the system.

Two of my Olympus lenses - the 12-50mm kit lens and the 60mm macro are weather-sealed and are thus internal-focus models and are, therefore, not that compact for transportation like some of the 'collapsible' models (such as the 9-18mm), but they're very lightweight.

My other lens is the 45mm F1.8 which is very small and light. It's also got a reputation for being much better than its size and price might suggest (mine came free!) and I really like the images from this lens. It's one that you'd be happy to have on your camera all day long, assuming that the 90mm-equivalent focal length isn't too 'tight' for your purposes.

Without going into 'pixel-peeping' mode, I have no problems regarding image quality in general (notwithstanding my earlier comments regarding the Panasonic v Sigma lenses at the macro end). Of course, my 40D is an older model now and there are many newer DSLRs around that provide stiffer competition, but even so the benefits of reduced size and especially weight can't be ignored - the Olympus body plus all four lenses weigh only a few grammes more than my Sigma lens alone!
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