Question on M43

My needs are family (kids - outdoor and indoor portraits), occasional landscapes, street photos. I want to enjoy the photography rather than worrying too much about the large equipment. Image quality is important, but I would not be printing anything more than 20x30 (that itself is very extreme as most of the time I would not be printing anything). M43 caught my attention as it looks to have the right balance of image quality with the equipment size. After all I would like to enjoy the photography as it is not a source of income for me.

I came to m43 about 4 years ago after more than 20 years primarily shooting medium format (6x7) and 35mm film, followed by several years with Pentax APS-C digital.  The drop in size and weight from APS-C was significant and wonderful and I've never regretted the change.

My largest prints are 11x14-ish and my 16mp m43 files are excellent for those.  The largest m43 print I've seen was 20" wide and was made from an early 12mp camera (EP1 I think).  It was a beautiful print, so I'm sure the newer 16mp, and now the 20mp GX-8, can print larger with good results.

2) What about the lenses like Panasonic 15mm, 42.5mm and 25mm (from Olympus and Panasonic)? I might opt for a superzoom also for video and I am thinking of getting Panasonic 14-140 for that.

I have the Lumix 42.5/1.7 and it's an extremely good lens (and comes with a hood).  The Power OIS is outstanding, and it's sharper at every aperture than my Oly 45/1.8.  The 14-140 has a reputation for being Shutter-Shock prone, so be sure and research that before buying one.

Good luck, I hope this helps.

Clayton

Thanks for the reply. Since you came from medium format and APS-c, did you notice any image quality issues with M43?

Regarding the Panasonic 14-140, any other options that you can recommend (either a standard zoom or super zoom)? I am not looking for 12-35mm lens from Panasonic as I am not sure whether it is worth.

Regards,
emzee