Thinking of Moving from APSC to M43

kierenlon wrote:

I'm a hobby shooter and currently use a Nikon D7000 (DSLR) and Coolpix A (Compact, fixed 28mm equiv. lens) which supposedly have the same sensor, the later without AA.
Since buying the coolpix, I have really liked the size and weight saving. It can be something that goes in a bag, rather than requiring it's own bag.
The largest combination I carry is a 80-200 F2.8 lens and the D7000 to shoot my running club at races. That is an old heavy lens bought for £280 which fits my budget. Even with lens adjustment it back focuses and the screw motor in the D7000 is slow to move the glass to focus. That means I tend to shoot widest at F3.5 to get photos I am happy with:

These shots are from 'parkun' a global, weekly free 5K race run in local parks. At the moment I am injured with an achilles injury so took pics instead of running. Over 200 runners and about 200- 300 photos taken that day, mostly at F3.5 and between 80mm and 140mm, (60 - 105 in M43 I think)

Had decent light here. F3.5 or F4 gives me more keepers as the glass is not the fastest moving and I can miss at F2.8

I was too close for this runner but she wanted a picture

Reading the M43 forums aver the last week has been informative. I found an forum post that said to convert depth of field equivalence, divide APSC by 1.31 which would make my lens requirements roughly sit with the Olympus 40-150 F2.8, with the brighter F2.8 hopefully helping me keep the ISO down (under trees I can be over 4000 ISO). Aside from that specialist lens, I think I'd be happy with a kit zoom and lens adapter for some of my manual focus nikon lenses.

ISO4000 & out of focus but acceptable. Lighting levels typical as we head into winter.

M43 camera body and lenses add up to significantly more cost than my Nikon set up when factoring new and used equipment which made me realise that you get to choose 2 out of 3 when to comes to quality, size, budget.
The size and weight seems like it is worth paying for. The extra features mirrorless offers, like IBIS, & focus assistance of old manual focus lenses, live view on bulb mode are all appealing, along with video options and decent wifi / phone tethering apps.
I do struggle a bit in comparing the M43 cameras. I was wondering if anyone knows of a resource that compares them in table format? Things I would like to know are:
1. Can it use back button focus / AF-ON

2. Continuous autofocus / view when shooting?
2. Flash sync speed
3. Microphone jack
4. Weight
As the Olympus F2.8 lens is quite expensive, I reckon I might be able to be happy for a while with body only and a lens adapter for the Nikon lenses. I assume most M43 bodys have the option to release the shutter only on focus? That way, I can set up a focus trap which should work quite well.
Aside from runners, most other shots are typical of a point & shoot user. I take holiday pictures and portraits for friends and family consumption. I like to use off camera flash but not to a high level. I occasionally print 8x10 and try to print a photobook each year to recap the year. I don't really care about ultimate image quality but do like something that is quick to focus and quick to use with either manual controls or saved user settings
I would be interested to hear advice from you, like things to look out for, like big pros or potential cons. Things to look out for etc. As a starter system, budget is probably £1500 to £2000 although the purchases would be something I need to do in stages and not say out loud very often. If there are suggestions that come way under budget, I am all ears. I'm fine with buying used or grey kit
I'm not in any rush to buy, probably March next year but I have a holiday planned to Japan in December so would like to have my needs and wants clarified incase I see a bargain at duty free or in Japan.

Running (both cross-country and track/athletics) is near & dear to me. As a high school coach I love to be able to show my athletes the fruits of their labor and take as many pictures as I can of them. I started my foray into this realm with the old four-thirds Olympus Evolt-300 (around 2004) and progressed up to the E-30. I crossed over to micro four-thirds with the EPL 5 (about 3 1/2 yrs ago) and still use it along with my lovely OMD EM10 II. So, along the way I've learned to deal with the shortcomings of the system but have been rewarded tremendously with some of the shots I've gotten. I have not ventured into the "pro" level lenses as I'm strictly doing this as a hobby and the kit lenses are sufficient enough for my purpose. The kit 40-150 is a truly superb piece of glass and the workhorse for me all these years (the 4/3 version is great as well). I bought a slightly used 45mm last year and keep it in the bag for when the occasion warrants it. Everything fits in a small bag no bigger than my wife's purse and my neck & shoulders aren't tired and sore at the end of a long day at a track meet. Feel free to peruse and see for yourself some examples of the possibilities of micro-four thirds...

My Flickr Photostream

EPL-5   45mm   3.5F   1/1000   ISO 200

The kid in the maroon uniform is my son and he runs for me.

OMD EM 10 II   40-150mm @ 40mm   5.6F   1/400   ISO 200

EPL-5   45mm   4.0F   1/2000   ISO 200

My other son runs for me as well...we are a running family!

Good luck with your decision...

-Eddie