Weight: system more important than sensor size?

azazel1024 wrote:

I get really tired of equivelance. If you NEED the same depth of field, sure, talk equivelence all you want. If you just want the exact same exposure and field of view, then they are almost directly comparable.

m4/3 25mm f/1.4 @ f/1.4, 1/100s and ISO200 will produce an identical exposure to a D600 50mm f/1.4 @ f/1.4, 1/100s and ISO200.

Yes, the D600 will have somewhat lower noise in the image and a few extra MP for its efforts. However, the field of view and exposure level will be effectively identical. That is what matters to the vast majority of photographers.

Now bringing up the 25/1.4 is probably not a great idea as it is one of the few m4/3 lenses that is roughly the same size and weight as most FF lenses of the same aperture and field of view. Most others are much smaller for m4/3.

I came from using an OM-1/OM-1n and a couple of dozen lenses for the last decade to an OM-D E-M5 and 5 lenses (for now) and I can very much say that the OM-D E-M5 + 14/2.5, 17/2.8, 25/1.4 and 45/1.8 weighs significantly less than even my old OM-1 24/2.8, 35/2.8, 50/1.4 and 85/2 (or 100/2.8, the lenses are effectively identical in dimensions and mass). The m4/3 kit is roughly 2/3rds of the weight and takes up slightly less bag space.

Compared to most FF digital or even APS-c kits (with APS-c lenses, not FF ones) with similar Field of view and aperture lenses, the OM-1 kit weighs a bit less than the lightest of them (exception Leica digital kits).

The m4/3 kit weighs a fair amount lighter than the light weight OM-1 FF kit.

When it comes to image quality, depth of field, etc, in general m4/3 will NEVER match FF (within reason with lens choices and the state of the best m4/3 sensors, the best m4/3 equals or bests just about all APS-c right now with the exception only a couple of APS-c cameras which are only slightly better, not significantly better like a lot of new FF cameras are). However, when it comes to system weight when you compare field of view and exposure equivelence, m4/3 has FF beat, by a huge amount.

The lenses need to cover a much smaller image circle, the lenses also can have a much smaller physical aperture and length due to having half the focal length for the same field of view.