Subjective camera preferences.....

TrapperJohn wrote:

Is there really that much difference between them, or is it just handling differences that you notice because you have so many bodies that you can use?

Up until this current generation, there were very noticeable IQ differences between the various cameras (or rather, between cameras with the different generations of sensors).  Within sensor generation (for instance, the 12MP one used on both the earlier Panasonics and Olys), the differences came down to the native color rendition and which side of the detail/NR compendium that the manufacturers emphasized (which, as I have said, is different in Panasonic and Oly bodies; less so in RAW but still there).

In this current generation, the differences are much more subtle.  They are there, but with small amounts of tweaking in PP, I can get the files from the EM1, GX7, and GM1 to be remarkably similar to each other.  There are some things that the Olys still do, however, with very fine detail, that make me kind of nuts, and they are not invisible in the subjects that I shoot a lot of (flowers, for instance, and high detail landscapes).  These are mostly pixel peeping level complaints, mind you, but when you are doing detailed macro work, that's the level you DO work on, so even small differences matter.

I think the handling differences are a big part of the equation.  As I said in the first post, the GX7, in the short time I have had it, becomes invisible in my hands when I use it.  It gets out of the way of the shot, and that is something that I think adds to the quality of the final images.  The EM1 still feels like I have to think about it as I am shooting, so it interrupts the creative flow, as it were.  I suspect it's probably just the UI differences that are responsible for this, but who knows....

For the most part, body upgrades never got me that much. The lone exception was the EM5 - it really was head and shoulders above its contemporaries in terms of sensor and IS performance. Otherwise, body upgrades are a bit better here, a bit better there, but they don't really didn't improve the photograph much over an existing body.

As I said, with the current generation of sensors, the differences are far more subtle.  Prior to this, however, each new generation of sensor technology brought really quite visible improvements to the output.

Lens additions, on the other hand, are where I've seen the greatest improvements in capability. A 7-14 will capture images that no other lens can get, regardless of which body it is used on. Same for the ZD 50-200 - no other lens quite matches its combination of sharpness, aperture, focal length range, and size. My old 4/3 PL25, used in the optimal conditions, produces lovely bokeh that no other 4/3 or M43 lens can quite match. Maybe the PL42.5, if you can handle the price.

I agree with you.  It does, however, depend a lot on what you shoot....The PL42.5 is a lens I am most curious about, as it really renders some gorgeous images from what I have seen posted from it.  However, it's definitely not in the budget, and I don't do portraiture, so I can't justify getting it to photograph my pets... .  I did buy the PL 45mm f2.8 this year, and I am absolutely loving it....at that focal length, I automatically try and get in really close to my subjects, so it being a macro makes it FAR more useful to me than the Oly 45mm f1.8 (which I had, and never used, so ended up selling it).  I just wish they would come out with a higher quality long lens (300mm) or updated 100-300mm which is very sharp at 300mm....That would be a definite investment I would use quite frequently, no matter what the body.

There is one other advantage to putting your major money into glass: it doesn't really depreciate much, while bodies depreciate like crazy.

I wish I had the money to add a GH4, a GX7, and a GM1. But, at least in my opinion, I'd be better off sticking with the EM1 or EM5, and adding a PL42.5 1.2, or maybe a Panny 35-100, maybe the MZD 40-150 F2.8 when it comes out. I really think I'll get better capability.

I'm not disagreeing with you.  The differences between all of these cameras are quite small in terms of final output.  The thing is, the one that hits the sweet spot in terms of size, handling, UI, and output is the one that you will use the most...and I was simply shocked that I ended up enjoying using the GX7 more than the EM1 after working with them both.  I honestly thought the EM1 would be the one I preferred, with the GX7 making a brief stay at my house before I moved on from it.  But, I'm just enjoying using the GX7 more, so it will stay, and the EM1 will go. (I don't keep all of those bodies around, BTW....I do sell them when I decide it's time to move on.  THAT much disposable income I do not have...  ).

-J