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Micro Four Thirds system
see also:
introduction
The Micro Four Thirds system is a revolutionary digital hybrid camera system which combines compact size, ease of use and movie mode functionality of the digital point and shoots with the larger sensor (and thus higher image quality and shallower depth of field) and interchangable lens capability of digital SLRs.
It achieves this by removing the mirror of the SLRs, and is only possible with the rapid technologic changes that have dramatically improved contrast detect AF functionality on par with entry level dSLR AF speed, while electronic viewfinder technology has also improved.
It’s short lens flange to sensor distance (20mm compared with 40mm on Olympus Four Thirds dSLR system) means that super wide angle lenses can be made much smaller (see the 7-14mm zooms here) and one can adapt almost ANY lens every made on it, including Leica M, Leica R, Olympus Pen, Olympus OM, Canon FD, Nikon F, Minolta, Pentax K, Hasselblad, Pentax 6×7, and even Canon EOS (although at present only at wide open aperture as EOS lenses do not have aperture rings).
The system is thus THE MOST ADAPTABLE camera system available in terms of lenses – however, they will generally only be able to be used in manual focus, and in 35mm terms, the sensor gives a 2x crop factor so that the angle of view of a 50mm lens will be similar to that of a 100mm on a 35mm film camera.
The Panasonic G series have the most functional visual manual focus assist system I have seen – it is automatically activated with most MFT or FT lenses by rotating the MF ring, but for other lenses just press the AF button on rear of camera. This makes MF accurate even in bright daylight or low light conditions.
The mirrorless digital cameras are really challenging the entry level dSLR market as they offer similar image quality and versatility in a smaller size (and in the case of Micro Four Thirds, much smaller lenses).
Until this generation of Micro Four Thirds cameras, the main complaint has been auto-focus speed – this has now been addressed at least for relatively stationary subjects to the point that Olympus claim their new E-P3 has the FASTEST AF of any camera with 3x kit lens to this point when going from a subject at 1m to a subject at infinity using their new lenses.
Indeed, the many changes Olympus has made with the E-P3 makes it a much more usable camera than any of its PEN predecessors and perhaps the first I personally would consider buying.
I personally own the older Panasonic GH-1 and this has now become my only camera I take on international travels (my Canon 1D Mark III dSLR and its heavy lenses are just too big to carry on flights) and it provides me with all I need. These new cameras have even better image quality and faster AF so should be adequate for most general photography needs if you choose the lenses to suit your needs.
The Micro Four Thirds cameras, although having smaller sensors than other mirrorless cameras such as the Sony NEX and Samsung, have sufficient image quality for most people while allowing smaller lenses, and indeed,have a much wider range of autofocus lenses and camera bodies available to choose from, with significantly better HD video (with the GH-2) and functionality.
A recent post in August 2011 by Mark Dubovoy on his 1st experience of using a GH-2 on an African safari along with a Leica S2 kit:
“I was surprised by how well thought out this camera is. Far superior to anything Canon or Nikon or Sony or Fuji have to offer. As complicated and feature laden as the camera is, the locations of the controls and the ergonomics (other than the traditional film type shape of the camera which is all wrong, but no manufacturer seems to want to deviate from) are excellent.”
He does not like an EVF nor the plastic feel but that’s part of the price to pay for this type of camera.
“The biggest advantage of the camera is that it is so light and small and the autofocus is very fast Image stabilization is also excellent and seems to be much better than the 35 mm crowd I have used 35 mm rigs in Africa before, and frankly, I did not miss them. As I mentioned above, the pro level bodies and lenses have gotten so big and so heavy that they have become quite a chore to use.”
He mainly used it as a telephoto using 14-140mm and 100-300mm lenses as the longest focal length on his Leica S2 is only 130mm in 35mm terms.
my current preferred BASIC kit for most people
- a kit zoom lens for daytime outdoors use (your choice 10x zoom or 3x zoom lenses but some may very reasonably decide to save money and not get a zoom lens!)
- Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens ($340) for parties, indoors, night street photos, etc
- Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens ($399) for portraits, indoor use, art galleries, etc
- Olympus FL-600R flash (or the cheaper FL-36R but slower recycle time) for nice party candid shots by using bounce flash off a wall or ceiling - if you don't get flash like this, indoor party shots will be difficult to achieve nice results.
- circular polarising filter for each lens for nice blue skies, forest and waterfall shots.
- UV protection filter for each lens
- Cokin A ND gradient filter if you want nice moody landscape shots
- compact but sturdy and light tripod for flowing water shots eg. waterfalls, beach at dusk, etc
advanced options
- if you can afford it and you like to shoot wide angle in low light, the Olympus 12mm f/2.0 is a great lens but will cost about $700+ in the US.
- the high quality SLR Magic (Noktor) 12 f/1.6 offers similar low light wide angle but is manual focus only, larger and heavier but can be bought for $499.
- consider a Hoya R72 infrared filter for the 20mm or 12mm lens if you want to try something completely different
- if you want a telephoto with shallow depth of field (DOF) and lovely smooth blurry backgrounds and can cope with manual focus only, the cheap but fantastic Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 is the go at under $300 brand new from Amazon.com (you will need a cheap adapter from Ebay), or Olympus will have a m.ZD 75mm f/1.8 which is a great prime lens!
which camera to buy
which lenses to buy
- this comes down to personal needs and budget, the following are my suggestions for most people - for a more complete list, see Micro Four Thirds lenses
AF kit zoom lenses
- as a travel, walkaround lens, I love my Panasonic 14-140mm OIS HD 10x zoom lens, but it is a touch big and heavy.
- for a compact system, check out Panasonic's new premium 3x zoom lenses - see here
- for the budget minded:
- Panasonic's twin lens kit 14-42mm and 45-200mm
- Olympus' collapsible 14-42mm lens but no OIS so don't get it for a Panasonic body
- Olympus 14-150mm 10x zoom but no OIS so don't get it for a Panasonic body
- Panasonic are also bringing out constant f/2.8 high end pro quality lenses (12-35mm and 35-100mm) in late 2012 but will probably cost $1200.
special purpose lenses
- the kit lenses are great when you don't know what you will be taking photos of, and only want to carry one lens, but they are not so good when light gets low or you are indoors, and they are not great if you really want to blur the background.
- the Micro Four Thirds cameras really perform when you use a nice wide aperture lens, as not only do you get some background blurring, but you don't have to resort to high ISO and noisy images.
my must have lenses
- Olympus 45mm f/1.8
- relatively inexpensive portrait and low light lens
- Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 pancake, or preferably, the more expensive Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 lens:
- these are great for low light conditions, environmental portraits, etc
if you have the money
- Olympus 75mm f/1.8
- fantastic shallow depth of field medium telephoto, great for portraits, fashion, still life, sports, concerts, etc.
- Olympus 12mm f/2.0:
- a beautiful lens with great manual focus control and low light capability, great for street photography, landscapes, travel, etc
- Panasonic Leica-D 25mm f/1.4 for MFT:
- a much smaller, lighter version compared to the fantastic Four Thirds version although no aperture ring.
- a macro lens:
- Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro
- this awesome lens makes macro work almost fun!
- see some examples by Danny Young of what can be achieved by adding a Raynox DCR-250 onto a Panasonic Lumix 45-200mm kit zoom on a Micro Four Thirds system - not bad at all!
- Panasonic 7-14mm:
- if ultrawide creative imagery is your thing, then this is a very nice, albeit expensive lens.
if you don't mind manual focus, these are my favorite extra lenses on a budget
- Rokinon 85mm f/1.4:
- I love this lens on my GH-1 and at under $US300 on Amazon.com, it is a bargain for what you are getting!
- gives almost identical imagery as my Canon 135mm f/2.0L lens on my Canon 1D Mark III but at a quarter of the price and weight!
- preferably get the Nikon mount version, as then it can be adapted to nearly any camera, and if you use it on a Canon dSLR with an AF-confirm adapter, you get AF confirmation.
- Olympus OM 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8:
- nice compact lens giving a very usable, bright 100mm portrait and low light lens
- a reasonable compromise if you can't afford the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 Micro Four Thirds lens.
- pick one up on Ebay for about $50
- Olympus OM 50mm f/3.5 macro:
- nice macro lens giving great 1:1 macro at a bargain price
- pick one up on Ebay for $100-200
- Olympus OM 100mm f/2.8:
- nice compact lens giving a very usable, bright 200mm telephoto
- you probably won't use this one if you get the Rokinon 85mm f/1.4
- pick one up on Ebay for $100-200
- Olympus OM 135mm f/2.8:
- nice compact lens giving a very usable, bright 270mm telephoto - perhaps the longest I would like to try to manually focus hand held on these cameras
- pick one up on Ebay for $100-200
Micro Four Thirds video cameras
- Panasonic in addition to their GH series of cameras, have produced cameras primarily designed for high quality HD video.
- AstroDesign have signed up with Micro Four Thirds and this offers the system a 4K 60p high end video camera
- Black Magic Cinema have a 4K RAW video camera in Micro Four Thirds mount but currently no AF or IS
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