I know there is a "buying" forum, but most comments there will be Buy Canon, Buy Nikon, etc.
I have been lucky with camera gear. In all cases, I have sold for more than I have purchased it for. Maybe it is timing, maybe it is when I buy it at huge discounts. I am not sure.
I went to a local camera store. Never thought of going m43 before. I told them why I got rid of my old gear (bulky and heavy) and what I am planning on using it for. They showed me a Olympus m5 Mk ii. Its on "sale" with a 14-150mm lens for $1,000. That is in line with what I am looking to spend.
This is basically a family and travel camera. I am no longer shooting my daughter playing sports. Just a general, lighter, smaller camera to carry around. The other option I saw was a Panny GX85 for $600 and a G9 that is a little bit out of my range. I was not able to see the Panny cameras other than online.
Anyone have any advice to go m43 or should I be looking at Fuji and Sony (won't go Nikon or Canon)?
My own view is that mFT is tops as a carry-around system camera, It has great compactness and quality. However, you do pay something for the compactness, and the real question is whether that is of importance to you. If you don't do shallow DOF work, you're not too concerned with low-light performance and you don't want the ultimate in 'creamy smooth' tonality, mFT is very attractive. Since you want a 'family and travel' system, I'd think it would fit you to a T. I think as a system it's the best crop system around (though Fuji fans might disagree).
spoken like a true amateur.
Care to elaborate, or was that just a gratuitous insult for the sake of it?
My bad, ff does have creamier images
em12 D5
Now you've just descended into inanity. If you had a sensible point, you'd be making it. It seems that you haven't.
'Creamy', BTW is not my term, it's NCV's. It's how he described the results from his D700 compared to his E-M5. I would have talked about SNR, but I though that was a littel esoteric for most. Seems that I didn't aim low enough.
I like the term "creamy". It gives the idea of what I see when I look at the images from this camera. SNR I am sure is more technically correct, but it does not give the idea of what you see when you look at these images.
Which is why I though it was a good term to use without going into the detail of SNR, even more difficult now that there is widespread confusion between DR and SNR (it's SNR that matters here). After all, that 'creaminess' is why some people shell out for MF kit. If it wasn't offering anything, no-one would be spending the money.
On the other hand, if you're on a lactose-free, low-fat diet, it's likely not what you want.
if your up to the challenge and post the best skin tone texture detail from FF im sure I will post one from a Samsung sensor that will blow it away.
Don
If
you're up to the challenge of having a sensible discussion that might be informative for people, rather than engaging in gratuitous insults and silly stunts, then it might be worthwhile. It's not straightforward, though, because capturing good 'skin tone texture detail' is dependent on all kinds of thing as well as equipment properties. There's a whole load of technique, lighting (I find that really critical), DOF choice, focus, lens quality, processing, etc, etc. So, to be sure one has 'the best skin tone texture detail' takes a bit of time and effort.
So, if you want, you start with the Samsung sensor image, and let's discuss. Rather than 'blow it away', I'll come back with a critical appraisal, and an honest assessment, with, hopefully, examples, of where my particular FF might or might not surpass it (other people might be more capable with their FF or have better FF). Also, please do ensure full EXIF is left on, because apart from the obvious, that also details all the processing and post-processing steps done. Not a lot of people know that, but it's a good way to spot fakery.