Wait! Wait!… Before anyone starts typing furiously “How dare you compare these two systems…” or “Yet another pointless comparison…” or “someone should really moderate trolls outta this forum…” ….
Some forum members expressed interest in this possible comparison and asked for me to share results if I ever had the opportunity to compare the two systems/lenses listed. Finding this sort of comparison fun and interesting, being in the fortunate position to do so, and as I search for the best camera system for my personal use cases, I happily obliged and present you with the following narrative (albeit long), photos along the way to (hopefully) keep interest, and questions for (hopefully polite & friendly) conversation!
Olympus E-M1.3 w/ Oly 100-400
Some history: About a year ago, I switched camera systems from my Olympus E-M1.3 and OLY PRO glass to Canon mirrorless full-frame. I saw that my Olympus PRO gear was about the same size/weight as the R5 and equivalent lenses…, very long story short, I was thinking the time had come to return to FF with the advancements in FF mirrorless size/weight/tech.…(especially since the R5 now had excellent IBIS and a lot of the Canon RF lens offerings seemed to be competing with the appeal of Olympus PRO system size/weight). (Just to be clear: I started photography in the darkroom with 35mm, 120mm, and 4x5 film - moved to digital with the Nikon D90 and D700 w/ HEAVY lenses, all before switching to a lighter system with Olympus E-M1 for my personal use).
- Also before anyone posts about the potential for smaller/lighter m4/3’s setups - I personally was never interested in these lenses or bodies. Nothing against them, I just never found them appealing or intriguing enough for my liking and/or use.-
Olympus E-M1.3 w/ OLY 12-100 PRO (I believe)
In short, I was extremely torn in my desire to switch for the prospect of potentially more quality. I understood that both systems had amazing features. I personally found there was no clear “winner” and that if I did switch/stay I would be making some sacrifices with my decision either way. However, I still wanted to see the differences first hand, rather than just read about them in forums and reviews.
Anyways, during all this research the OLY 150-400 PRO was announced and I submitted my order form a few months later. I assumed, it would be years until I even had a chance to order this lens. By then, with the then unknown outcome of the OLY sale and how fast the advancement of tech was occurring, I suspected other systems would be highly competitive and I would politely refuse to purchase the lens. Put simply, from my perspective, Sony/Canon looked to be in the best position to make the most advancements. I found the ergo, design, and RF system in general to be equivalent with Olympus… lacking, however, in cool, fun, and intriguing computational photography features. (Which I figured I could achieve with good “old-fashioned” camera techniques and know-how).
Canon R5 w/ RF 100-500 L
Fast Forward a little: During my year or two with the R5, I had fun with the Canon and got some great shots! However, I always missed aspects of and abilities inherit with my Olympus gear. Due to my continued longing for the Olympus system, I pre-ordered the OM-1 when it was announced. I wanted to make sure I was choosing the best system for me and, obviously, my reSEARCH was continuing longer than expected. I figured if the OM-1 lived up the hype, it could be a great tool for my use cases and replace a lot of my desires for FF.
To my luck (or demise), within the same week of the OM-1 preorder, I received a notification that the OLY 150-400 PRO that I expressed interest in about 2-years-ago was ready to order and in my cart. Knowing this is, literally, a dream lens - a lens one could easily build a wildlife photography system around - I wanted to, at least, see what the “buzz” was all about. And that lens paired with the OM-1’s features would be fun to try out regardless!!! Luckily, I was in a financial position to complete the purchase of both the OM camera and OLY lens.
Ultimately, I do not want to own two different systems. However, with the gracious month return policy from OM-System, my ~2 year experience thus far of the R5/RF glass, my history with Olympus, and previous tests surrounding LIVE ND quality, etc. (Live ND comparison here: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65422571) I figured I could make an educated guess on what system was right for me by the end of the month.
Canon R5 w/ RF 14-35
Still reading? Cool. Thanks for sticking around! Maybe, I’ve bored away some of those who would blast me with offensive remarks about the reasoning for this thread... (Reason: It’s fun and interesting to me and I’m assuming there are others who share similar interest)…..Now to the fun and interesting stuff!
Cost, weight, Image Quality, ergo, and enjoyment (getting into the moment/image) are all important qualities in my search for the right system.
Total cost/weight of the OM-1 w/ Oly 150-400 PRO (up to 1000mm FL):
$10,025/ ~5.3 lbs
Total cost/weight of the R5 w/ RF 100-500 L w/ RF 2x Extender (up to 1000mm FL):
$7,400/~5.25 lbs
Here is a photo of each camera with respective lenses attached:
The Canon RF 100-500 only retracts to 300mm with the 2x Extender. Surprisingly, it makes the lens zoom throw similar between the two lenses. Without the 2x Extender, the RF 100-500 L has a longer throw, requiring a couple turns to extend to 500mm. The zoom throw of the OLY 150-400 PRO is short and smooth!
Below are some simple photo comparisons I took to see if I could easily see a difference between the two systems. (First, however, a couple disclaimers: The only editing done to these photos were to match color temps and to crop the FF image to 4:3 ratio. I also resized certain images to match each other. In some pairs, the R5 image was sized down to the OM-1 image size. In other cases, I resized the OM-1 up to the R5 image size. No noise reduction, no exposure comp, etc. All post work described above done in Lightroom and Photoshop):
Left: R5 @ ~1000mm (cropped equiv. FL); 1/100th; f7.1 —- Right: OM-1 @ 500mm, 1/100th, f5.6 (Both ISO 200)
View attachment 1c9fd034824447ec9628790f1145cb26.jpg
Left: R5 @ 500mm; 1/100th; f7.1 —- Right: OM-1 @ 250mm; 1/250th; f4.5 (Both ISO 200)
Left: R5 @ 500mm (1.6x in camera crop to 800mm equiv.), 1/100th, f7.1, ISO 400: —- Right: OM-1 @ 400mm; 1/80th; f4.5; ISO 200
Left: R5 @ 300mm; 1/80th; f5.6; ISO 6400 —- Right: OM-1 @ 150mm; 1/60th; f4.5; ISO 5000
Left: R5 @ 300mm; 1/30th; f5.6; ISO 200 —- Right: OM-1 @ 150mm; 1/50th; f4.5; ISO 200
Left: R5 @ 1000mm (w/ 2x Extender); 1/800th; f14; ISO 3200 (I could have used a slower shutter here, which would have reduced the ISO to 1250 range) —- Right: OM-1 @ 500mm; 1/400th; f5.6; ISO 400
Left: R5 @ 300mm; 1/100th; f5.6; ISO 5000 —— Right: OM-1 @ 150mm; 1/100th; f4.5; ISO 6400
OM-1 @ 150mm; 1/25th; f4.5; ISO 25600 (While this is a high ISO, I think the OM-1 handles most noise relatively well…reminds me of film grain)
R5 @ 106mm; 1/13th; f4.5; ISO 10000 (I personally find the way the R5 handles noise to be less appealing than the OM…Doesn’t have as much of a film grain look).
Now, one could look at these results and interpret them in many different ways. Ignoring any possible “equivalency war” discussions that may follow, here are my initial thoughts:
Quite frankly, and simply, I’m impressed that a m4/3 sensor is on-par and sometimes (to my eyes) out-performing the Canon R5! In some images, I personally found the OM-1 colors, sharpness, detail, etc. to be better than the R5’s comparable image. Additionally, on a separate shot, I handheld with the OLY 150-400 PRO at 400mm (800mm equiv. FL) at 1/40th of a second easily!!! I was getting more keepers at slow shutter speeds with the OLY than with the R5. (However, I was getting keepers with the R5, I just had to control my breath more). To my eyes and without extensive, unnecessary pixel peeping, with OLY PRO lenses, the Image quality gap between the two systems is significantly reduced.
On the other hand, the Canon setup is not that far behind and sometimes out-performed the OM/Oly setup. I did find myself liking some of the Canon images better (though it was very close and with some further post-processing I could easily edit either to taste). Additionally, the Canon setup is ~ $3000 cheaper. (That’s the cost of a photography vacation!)….It also has the option to be more compact, especially if I don’t use the extender.
With that said though, the OM-1 provides some awesome features that literally makes photography these days so much fun! Some of these features allow me to get shots that I wouldn’t take otherwise and are what I missed after my approximate 2-year, continuing, tryst with Canon.
Olympus E-M1.3 w/ 12-100 (I believe) Hand-held couple second exposure, Starry sky AF
Again, I know these tests are not pushing the respective capabilities of these two cameras AT ALL. But to see how they render images very comparatively is interesting and cool. I believe the RF 100-500 L is a great, sharp lens…it’s not the best Canon FF wildlife lens out there, but it’s the best FF Canon super telephoto zoom I am willing to purchase. In my understanding, the OLY 150-400 PRO is the best m4/3 super telephoto zoom out there currently (and the most I’ve ever spent, and will ever spend, on a lens)!
I have about 2 more weeks before I ultimately decide on which system to keep. I’ll either be sending the OM-1/OLY lens back to OM-System within the allotted return period, or I will be selling my Canon R5 and lenses.
Oly E-M1.3 w/ 12-100 (I think)
Question for anyone who has read this far and willing to engage: Within reason, is there any other test(s) I could do to see the benefits of either system with these super tele-photo zooms and cameras?
(Obviously, in low-light the FF would fair better…but surprisingly I haven’t seen too much improvement in noise. Also, with the advancement of noise reduction software, I think noise has become, relatively speaking, a non-issue for my use cases). From what I’ve seen thus far and with past tests I’ve done. I suspect any test will result in very similar images. (Which again, is saying something for the m4/3 sensor)! But I’m excited to try and put both through their paces (if I’m able) and share some results.
Importantly, these tests prove to me that, overall, camera comparisons like this only seem to yield definitive differences in the minute details. Outside of doing these tests to find the right camera system for me, I’m not interested in spending my time pixel-peeping or worrying about equivalencies. Importantly, I fully understand and respect that each person’s camera system choice is personal. Nothing in this post is trying to convince anyone to challenge their choices or say your choice is wrong/right.
Overall, my years-long reSEARCH for the best camera system for me has been a blessing, a privilege, super fun, informative, and enlightening. It’s also given me a good break from the stressors and traumas currently happening in the world around us all. I hope you have enjoyed the photos and enjoyed a break from whatever stressor(s) may be impacting you currently as well.
Thank you for reading and engaging in a (hopefully) polite and friendly conversation!
Canon R5 w/ 24-105 f4
Stay safe, peaceful, and healthy out there!
Some forum members expressed interest in this possible comparison and asked for me to share results if I ever had the opportunity to compare the two systems/lenses listed. Finding this sort of comparison fun and interesting, being in the fortunate position to do so, and as I search for the best camera system for my personal use cases, I happily obliged and present you with the following narrative (albeit long), photos along the way to (hopefully) keep interest, and questions for (hopefully polite & friendly) conversation!
Olympus E-M1.3 w/ Oly 100-400
Some history: About a year ago, I switched camera systems from my Olympus E-M1.3 and OLY PRO glass to Canon mirrorless full-frame. I saw that my Olympus PRO gear was about the same size/weight as the R5 and equivalent lenses…, very long story short, I was thinking the time had come to return to FF with the advancements in FF mirrorless size/weight/tech.…(especially since the R5 now had excellent IBIS and a lot of the Canon RF lens offerings seemed to be competing with the appeal of Olympus PRO system size/weight). (Just to be clear: I started photography in the darkroom with 35mm, 120mm, and 4x5 film - moved to digital with the Nikon D90 and D700 w/ HEAVY lenses, all before switching to a lighter system with Olympus E-M1 for my personal use).
- Also before anyone posts about the potential for smaller/lighter m4/3’s setups - I personally was never interested in these lenses or bodies. Nothing against them, I just never found them appealing or intriguing enough for my liking and/or use.-
Olympus E-M1.3 w/ OLY 12-100 PRO (I believe)
In short, I was extremely torn in my desire to switch for the prospect of potentially more quality. I understood that both systems had amazing features. I personally found there was no clear “winner” and that if I did switch/stay I would be making some sacrifices with my decision either way. However, I still wanted to see the differences first hand, rather than just read about them in forums and reviews.
Anyways, during all this research the OLY 150-400 PRO was announced and I submitted my order form a few months later. I assumed, it would be years until I even had a chance to order this lens. By then, with the then unknown outcome of the OLY sale and how fast the advancement of tech was occurring, I suspected other systems would be highly competitive and I would politely refuse to purchase the lens. Put simply, from my perspective, Sony/Canon looked to be in the best position to make the most advancements. I found the ergo, design, and RF system in general to be equivalent with Olympus… lacking, however, in cool, fun, and intriguing computational photography features. (Which I figured I could achieve with good “old-fashioned” camera techniques and know-how).
Canon R5 w/ RF 100-500 L
Fast Forward a little: During my year or two with the R5, I had fun with the Canon and got some great shots! However, I always missed aspects of and abilities inherit with my Olympus gear. Due to my continued longing for the Olympus system, I pre-ordered the OM-1 when it was announced. I wanted to make sure I was choosing the best system for me and, obviously, my reSEARCH was continuing longer than expected. I figured if the OM-1 lived up the hype, it could be a great tool for my use cases and replace a lot of my desires for FF.
To my luck (or demise), within the same week of the OM-1 preorder, I received a notification that the OLY 150-400 PRO that I expressed interest in about 2-years-ago was ready to order and in my cart. Knowing this is, literally, a dream lens - a lens one could easily build a wildlife photography system around - I wanted to, at least, see what the “buzz” was all about. And that lens paired with the OM-1’s features would be fun to try out regardless!!! Luckily, I was in a financial position to complete the purchase of both the OM camera and OLY lens.
Ultimately, I do not want to own two different systems. However, with the gracious month return policy from OM-System, my ~2 year experience thus far of the R5/RF glass, my history with Olympus, and previous tests surrounding LIVE ND quality, etc. (Live ND comparison here: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65422571) I figured I could make an educated guess on what system was right for me by the end of the month.
Canon R5 w/ RF 14-35
Still reading? Cool. Thanks for sticking around! Maybe, I’ve bored away some of those who would blast me with offensive remarks about the reasoning for this thread... (Reason: It’s fun and interesting to me and I’m assuming there are others who share similar interest)…..Now to the fun and interesting stuff!
Cost, weight, Image Quality, ergo, and enjoyment (getting into the moment/image) are all important qualities in my search for the right system.
Total cost/weight of the OM-1 w/ Oly 150-400 PRO (up to 1000mm FL):
$10,025/ ~5.3 lbs
Total cost/weight of the R5 w/ RF 100-500 L w/ RF 2x Extender (up to 1000mm FL):
$7,400/~5.25 lbs
Here is a photo of each camera with respective lenses attached:
The Canon RF 100-500 only retracts to 300mm with the 2x Extender. Surprisingly, it makes the lens zoom throw similar between the two lenses. Without the 2x Extender, the RF 100-500 L has a longer throw, requiring a couple turns to extend to 500mm. The zoom throw of the OLY 150-400 PRO is short and smooth!
Below are some simple photo comparisons I took to see if I could easily see a difference between the two systems. (First, however, a couple disclaimers: The only editing done to these photos were to match color temps and to crop the FF image to 4:3 ratio. I also resized certain images to match each other. In some pairs, the R5 image was sized down to the OM-1 image size. In other cases, I resized the OM-1 up to the R5 image size. No noise reduction, no exposure comp, etc. All post work described above done in Lightroom and Photoshop):
Left: R5 @ ~1000mm (cropped equiv. FL); 1/100th; f7.1 —- Right: OM-1 @ 500mm, 1/100th, f5.6 (Both ISO 200)
View attachment 1c9fd034824447ec9628790f1145cb26.jpg
Left: R5 @ 500mm; 1/100th; f7.1 —- Right: OM-1 @ 250mm; 1/250th; f4.5 (Both ISO 200)
Left: R5 @ 500mm (1.6x in camera crop to 800mm equiv.), 1/100th, f7.1, ISO 400: —- Right: OM-1 @ 400mm; 1/80th; f4.5; ISO 200
Left: R5 @ 300mm; 1/80th; f5.6; ISO 6400 —- Right: OM-1 @ 150mm; 1/60th; f4.5; ISO 5000
Left: R5 @ 300mm; 1/30th; f5.6; ISO 200 —- Right: OM-1 @ 150mm; 1/50th; f4.5; ISO 200
Left: R5 @ 1000mm (w/ 2x Extender); 1/800th; f14; ISO 3200 (I could have used a slower shutter here, which would have reduced the ISO to 1250 range) —- Right: OM-1 @ 500mm; 1/400th; f5.6; ISO 400
Left: R5 @ 300mm; 1/100th; f5.6; ISO 5000 —— Right: OM-1 @ 150mm; 1/100th; f4.5; ISO 6400
OM-1 @ 150mm; 1/25th; f4.5; ISO 25600 (While this is a high ISO, I think the OM-1 handles most noise relatively well…reminds me of film grain)
R5 @ 106mm; 1/13th; f4.5; ISO 10000 (I personally find the way the R5 handles noise to be less appealing than the OM…Doesn’t have as much of a film grain look).
Now, one could look at these results and interpret them in many different ways. Ignoring any possible “equivalency war” discussions that may follow, here are my initial thoughts:
Quite frankly, and simply, I’m impressed that a m4/3 sensor is on-par and sometimes (to my eyes) out-performing the Canon R5! In some images, I personally found the OM-1 colors, sharpness, detail, etc. to be better than the R5’s comparable image. Additionally, on a separate shot, I handheld with the OLY 150-400 PRO at 400mm (800mm equiv. FL) at 1/40th of a second easily!!! I was getting more keepers at slow shutter speeds with the OLY than with the R5. (However, I was getting keepers with the R5, I just had to control my breath more). To my eyes and without extensive, unnecessary pixel peeping, with OLY PRO lenses, the Image quality gap between the two systems is significantly reduced.
On the other hand, the Canon setup is not that far behind and sometimes out-performed the OM/Oly setup. I did find myself liking some of the Canon images better (though it was very close and with some further post-processing I could easily edit either to taste). Additionally, the Canon setup is ~ $3000 cheaper. (That’s the cost of a photography vacation!)….It also has the option to be more compact, especially if I don’t use the extender.
With that said though, the OM-1 provides some awesome features that literally makes photography these days so much fun! Some of these features allow me to get shots that I wouldn’t take otherwise and are what I missed after my approximate 2-year, continuing, tryst with Canon.
Olympus E-M1.3 w/ 12-100 (I believe) Hand-held couple second exposure, Starry sky AF
Again, I know these tests are not pushing the respective capabilities of these two cameras AT ALL. But to see how they render images very comparatively is interesting and cool. I believe the RF 100-500 L is a great, sharp lens…it’s not the best Canon FF wildlife lens out there, but it’s the best FF Canon super telephoto zoom I am willing to purchase. In my understanding, the OLY 150-400 PRO is the best m4/3 super telephoto zoom out there currently (and the most I’ve ever spent, and will ever spend, on a lens)!
I have about 2 more weeks before I ultimately decide on which system to keep. I’ll either be sending the OM-1/OLY lens back to OM-System within the allotted return period, or I will be selling my Canon R5 and lenses.
Oly E-M1.3 w/ 12-100 (I think)
Question for anyone who has read this far and willing to engage: Within reason, is there any other test(s) I could do to see the benefits of either system with these super tele-photo zooms and cameras?
(Obviously, in low-light the FF would fair better…but surprisingly I haven’t seen too much improvement in noise. Also, with the advancement of noise reduction software, I think noise has become, relatively speaking, a non-issue for my use cases). From what I’ve seen thus far and with past tests I’ve done. I suspect any test will result in very similar images. (Which again, is saying something for the m4/3 sensor)! But I’m excited to try and put both through their paces (if I’m able) and share some results.
Importantly, these tests prove to me that, overall, camera comparisons like this only seem to yield definitive differences in the minute details. Outside of doing these tests to find the right camera system for me, I’m not interested in spending my time pixel-peeping or worrying about equivalencies. Importantly, I fully understand and respect that each person’s camera system choice is personal. Nothing in this post is trying to convince anyone to challenge their choices or say your choice is wrong/right.
Overall, my years-long reSEARCH for the best camera system for me has been a blessing, a privilege, super fun, informative, and enlightening. It’s also given me a good break from the stressors and traumas currently happening in the world around us all. I hope you have enjoyed the photos and enjoyed a break from whatever stressor(s) may be impacting you currently as well.
Thank you for reading and engaging in a (hopefully) polite and friendly conversation!
Canon R5 w/ 24-105 f4
Stay safe, peaceful, and healthy out there!
and also keep dreaming that maybe Canon will revive their L 28-300 OR release an L 28-200 f/5.6 then I can call it a day.
