Some shots with E-M1+40-150 & D810+70-200

jim stirling wrote:

JohnLock wrote:

The photos I like best here are those comparing the size of the two systems-- it really is pretty striking and the Nikon only gets to 200mm in FF, though on an APS-C body the focal lengths would be comparable. This is exactly why I left the big Canons-- and have no regrets.

JL

That only works if you ignore the true equivalents same DOF same AOV ,same total light gathered and at the same MP count. It would be wonderful if smaller formats could deliver the same results as larger formats { with similar gen sensors} but alas it isn't so. Here is an example of 100% crops from the Phase ONE IQ180 {TOP } then the Pentax 645z , D810 and finally the EM1. Larger sensors need larger lenses to cover the larger image circle .

Not the same

The wider the size gap between sensors the wider the difference becomes. mFT's natural rival is APS not FF and it would fair better in the comparisons . Here is a final comparison just for fun this is how the EM1 @ 100% compares to the Phase One .

100%

Actual focal length doesn't change just the crop the sensor behind it results in. Mounted on an mFT sensor the Nikon { thanks to the crop factor } would give you the same effective AOV as a 140-400mm on FF. Or go even further when mounted on the Nikon 1" system { the F-T1 focuses FF lenses very well} thanks to the even smaller sensor you can get the same AOV as 189-540mm on FF. A native 37-111mm F/2.8 lens for Nikon CX would give you the same AOV as the Olympus 50-150mm. Sure it would not have as good image quality as the mFT camera but apparently that doesn't matter as long as its smaller

Total amount of light gathered is a bit of a red herring. It is important in order to overcome the floor noise of the electronic circuits. After a certain point it doesn't matter. The difference between the M43 sensor regarding equivalent noise levels as far as I can tell from reading tests on the internet is about 1 f/stop not 2. Equivalence doesn't apply as a strict mathematical formula when it comes to noise levels. There are too many other factors.

http://admiringlight.com/blog/full-frame-equivalence-and-why-it-doesnt-matter/