So finally saying goodbye to m4/3 (sad)

The Mann Clann wrote:

I think I'm soon going to be in a similar position. Which FF did you choose?

I'll send you a PM.

Tom Caldwell wrote:

I have not quite said goodbye to my Canon EF dslr bodies even though I still have a lot of EF lenses.

My Ricoh cameras are still considered both friends and acquaintances.

Even my NEX6 and I are still talking. My A7R is a bit of a ruffian but although we don’t speak much these days - I have not said goodbye.

Even my Samsung NX10 still gets it batteries topped up from time to time.

Of course my M4/3 gear and I am best friends, but they all understand that I am not about to replace them with my new friend the S1.

In all I am quite stupid and I will have soon to add-a-room to accommodate such a lot of friends.

It is this that I was afraid of.

Not too long ago, a local well-known photographer passed. In his wake, there were many condolences, some saddened workshop attendees who will understandably not be able to learn from him, and an estate sale that went on over a few weeks (on the weekends). Signed autographed copies of his books, piles and piles of camera gear, film, lenses, and prints. There was even a complete darkroom for sale with enlargers and so forth (with the exception of the physical room of course). In the end I picked up a copy of his book, a couple of wigs and manikin heads, and some mat boards. But what struck me was the really enormous collection of gear he left behind - how much can a man use in one lifetime? I am not close to using all the gear I bought. I have no idea why I even buy some of the things I did. I have a macro ring flash which I have never  used and probably never will because honestly it is a bit of niche item. I'm not even a macro photographer, but  yet I have one. And I am one of the weird people that relate each photograph to the gear I shot it with. There is this photo of my wife in a thunderstorm out near a canyon range, and the first thought that comes to mind whenever is see that is that it was shot with a Samsung NX300 and natural light. Some people practicing Kung Fu at a local fair? That was my Rebel SL1 and the kit lens. And all those difficult-to-edit images of my kids in the flower fields? Yep, Olympus

MinAZ wrote:

Tom Caldwell wrote:

I have not quite said goodbye to my Canon EF dslr bodies even though I still have a lot of EF lenses.

My Ricoh cameras are still considered both friends and acquaintances.

Even my NEX6 and I are still talking. My A7R is a bit of a ruffian but although we don’t speak much these days - I have not said goodbye.

Even my Samsung NX10 still gets it batteries topped up from time to time.

Of course my M4/3 gear and I am best friends, but they all understand that I am not about to replace them with my new friend the S1.

In all I am quite stupid and I will have soon to add-a-room to accommodate such a lot of friends.

It is this that I was afraid of.

Not too long ago, a local well-known photographer passed. In his wake, there were many condolences, some saddened workshop attendees who will understandably not be able to learn from him, and an estate sale that went on over a few weeks (on the weekends). Signed autographed copies of his books, piles and piles of camera gear, film, lenses, and prints. There was even a complete darkroom for sale with enlargers and so forth (with the exception of the physical room of course). In the end I picked up a copy of his book, a couple of wigs and manikin heads, and some mat boards. But what struck me was the really enormous collection of gear he left behind - how much can a man use in one lifetime? I am not close to using all the gear I bought. I have no idea why I even buy some of the things I did. I have a macro ring flash which I have never used and probably never will because honestly it is a bit of niche item. I'm not even a macro photographer, but yet I have one. And I am one of the weird people that relate each photograph to the gear I shot it with. There is this photo of my wife in a thunderstorm out near a canyon range, and the first thought that comes to mind whenever is see that is that it was shot with a Samsung NX300 and natural light. Some people practicing Kung Fu at a local fair? That was my Rebel SL1 and the kit lens. And all those difficult-to-edit images of my kids in the flower fields? Yep, Olympus

And before some more demands of proof, please note last sentence was tongue-in-cheek. It is only HALF true.

UppercanadianAcadian wrote:

Camera equipment are just tools for us to use.

Equipment comes and goes, and it is important to not get tangled into the mentality of belonging to a tribe.

i use Olympus because of the size, price, and familiarity.

The corporation of Olympus doesn’t give a tinker’s damn about me.

Too true. They're only little computers with a little glass window on the front. You're not married to them, or bound by any sort of loyalty to them. Shoot whatever you enjoy shooting with, and go try them all. Choose by experimentation, not from reading interwebz forums. Hands on experience wins

Okapi001 wrote:

glassoholic wrote:

DXO PL 2 + PRIME for RAW m43 files should be on your radar... try it... you may be very pleasantly surprised.

Discovering that he made a mistake by selling all that m4/3 gear can hardly be described as pleasant.

True!

MinAZ wrote:

Tom Caldwell wrote:

I have not quite said goodbye to my Canon EF dslr bodies even though I still have a lot of EF lenses.

My Ricoh cameras are still considered both friends and acquaintances.

Even my NEX6 and I are still talking. My A7R is a bit of a ruffian but although we don’t speak much these days - I have not said goodbye.

Even my Samsung NX10 still gets it batteries topped up from time to time.

Of course my M4/3 gear and I am best friends, but they all understand that I am not about to replace them with my new friend the S1.

In all I am quite stupid and I will have soon to add-a-room to accommodate such a lot of friends.

It is this that I was afraid of.

Not too long ago, a local well-known photographer passed. In his wake, there were many condolences, some saddened workshop attendees who will understandably not be able to learn from him, and an estate sale that went on over a few weeks (on the weekends). Signed autographed copies of his books, piles and piles of camera gear, film, lenses, and prints. There was even a complete darkroom for sale with enlargers and so forth (with the exception of the physical room of course). In the end I picked up a copy of his book, a couple of wigs and manikin heads, and some mat boards. But what struck me was the really enormous collection of gear he left behind - how much can a man use in one lifetime? I am not close to using all the gear I bought. I have no idea why I even buy some of the things I did. I have a macro ring flash which I have never used and probably never will because honestly it is a bit of niche item. I'm not even a macro photographer, but yet I have one. And I am one of the weird people that relate each photograph to the gear I shot it with. There is this photo of my wife in a thunderstorm out near a canyon range, and the first thought that comes to mind whenever is see that is that it was shot with a Samsung NX300 and natural light. Some people practicing Kung Fu at a local fair? That was my Rebel SL1 and the kit lens. And all those difficult-to-edit images of my kids in the flower fields? Yep, Olympus

Thanks for the story.  I have just one photograph I took of my family many years ago with a 300mm f5.6 mirror lens.  Not a great photograph, not a great lens.  Just resonated with me.

I really like that lens for that one photograph - I still have it and I am well aware just how poor a lens it is - but it was worth it.

I went to the deceased estate sale many years ago of a “collector” of gear.  In this case it was tools - mainly woodworking tools - the auction was in his beautifully stocked workshop - obviously his executors could not sell it all off quickly enough.  I am not a woodworker but one thing stood out - it was a beautiful very large collection of wooden planes.  Every shape and type imaginable - large, small, offset, rebate, etc - and they were being auctioned off to various bidders one at a time.  One might of imagined that such a glorious collection should really have been kept together in the hands of another collector who would have properly appreciated them.

The OP says he is keeping much of his M43 equipment because of its size, weight and lens performance.  Not exactly saying goodbye!

Each system has its strengths and weaknesses.  And I suspect that for most on this forum, M43's size, weight, and cost outshine any perceived FF advantage when editing raw files.  And I have to wonder how many M43 users actually edit raw files.

Sounds like this will work better for you with the quality of the raw file you want.

yes it’s okay to own more then one system.

I sold years of my Nikon DSLR years ago and went to Olympus. 4/3..physically I can’t look back, and am pleased with the quality.

enjoy your new system...

Mike, I edit raw files...shoot mainly raw with manual controls...

MikeB2000 wrote:

The OP says he is keeping much of his M43 equipment because of its size, weight and lens performance. Not exactly saying goodbye!

Each system has its strengths and weaknesses. And I suspect that for most on this forum, M43's size, weight, and cost outshine any perceived FF advantage when editing raw files. And I have to wonder how many M43 users actually edit raw files.

MinAZ wrote:

It's been a long journey, from 4/3 to m4/3 and owning various cameras and lenses from both manufacturers, and now finally, it is time to say goodbye. In the end, I will say this: I got many great images from m4/3, it is a very decent system for those whose needs it fits, and Olympus in particular has some very nice glass. There are a few advantages unique to m4/3. But ultimately, shooting m4/3 and full frame side by side for several years, I can no longer deny that I feel more confident with the full frame system. Its not that I usually can't take the photo with Olympus, but that, let's face it, the files coming out from the full frame are just easier to edit (this was the smoking gun in the end).

So I have sold all my gear except for a few things that I am keeping just for fun/travel/wildlife photography: the OMD-EM1 Mark II (still like this one for the IBIS, and high-res mode), the PEN E-PL6 (for fun and when I travel), a couple of pro lenses for wildlife and travel, a bunch of the fun lenses, and I decided to keep the speedlites because you really don't get that much for selling them. But I've gotten rid of all the rest.

So did I make the right decision? I don't know for sure. But I have been using both systems extensively, and as the age of Full Frame mirrorless is ascendant (and the bodies become almost as compact as the EM1 line), I just cannot justify owning both anymore.

What you are keeping, sounds like a very competent system in its own right (two bodies and a couple of PRO lenses)...

Where and how did you sell the rest?

(I am still very happy with µFT but there are a number of FT items that I should really try to sell, because they are gathering dust, however much I used to enjoy using them.)

I think more than you think (retouching raw files)
One of my compromises in keeping a lightweight system is knowing that i'll likely have to spend a decent amount of time processing files to my taste. With smaller sensor cameras I typically have to spend more time squeezing/slowly massaging the file to the quality that I want.

With FF cameras the files are a lot more forgivable and you can push and pull without the rest of your images suffering as much so you can just go for it rather than tip-toe around it even then you hit that wall much sooner.
Pick your poison - weight or flexibility/iq
That's the question I ask myself before putting a kit in the bag