Which M43 camera should I get if 13 of them have similar Image Quality?

[Guy Parsons]

All very well for an indoors controlled environment.

Next move is to take the same 13 cameras and take street scenes on a dark night and then compare the results. Best to use highest selectable ISO for those tests.

 

[VideoPic]

1 series- bigger grip, balances better with larger lenses. The OM-1 has improved subject tracking, ND filter, other advanced features. Weather sealed body.

5 Series- smaller, smaller grip, better suited for small to mid size lenses. Optional two part grip available, and third party grips also available. 5 series bodies are also weather sealed.

10 Series- smallest of the three. Best suited for smaller lenses, most pocketable, not weather sealed.

PEN-F - rangefinder style, front dial for direct access to art filters, favored by some street shooters.

I'm greatly disappointed with Olympus/OM Systems gate keeping the fully featured Colour Creator to the PEN and E-P7 bodies. And as much as I like the Art Filters, you cannot adjust how strong or weak they are applied.

The Color Creator is available on almost all the OMD and Pen models. Later models of Pen and OMD cameras can adjust some of the ART filters. Workspace adds another layer of creativity to Olympus M43 cameras. It's worth having a closer look at these features...

Both the PEN-F and E-P7 use the TruePic VII processor. You know what else does? The awesome rugged Olympus Tough TG-5! How about the fantastic Olympus OM-D E-M5 II? On a budget, that's right, the original E-M10 has it too! If you're into tilty LCD and a flat top, the E-PL7 is for you!

The EP7 has the TruePic VIII image processor.

I cannot think of a truly reasonable position for Olympus to do this and that's quite unfortunate. :-|

The more I learn, the more interesting it is how Olympus positioned the different cameras...

Best

Siegfried

--
Hobby photographers love taking real pictures with real cameras...
https://myolympusomd.blogspot.com/

 

[VideoPic]

I'm greatly disappointed with Olympus/OM Systems gate keeping the fully featured Colour Creator to the PEN and E-P7 bodies. And as much as I like the Art Filters, you cannot adjust how strong or weak they are applied.

Both the PEN-F and E-P7 use the TruePic VII processor. You know what else does? The awesome rugged Olympus Tough TG-5! How about the fantastic Olympus OM-D E-M5 II? On a budget, that's right, the original E-M10 has it too! If you're into tilty LCD and a flat top, the E-PL7 is for you!

I cannot think of a truly reasonable position for Olympus to do this and that's quite unfortunate. :-|

The cameras with whichever TruePic are listed in my now frozen archived web page, the E-P7 uses TruePic VIII not the VII. https://web.archive.org/web/2023080...g.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/80-Oly-timeline.html

Excellent summary Guy. That must have taken lots of effort. :-D:-D:-D

The situation is that Olympus matched other camera makers and only fitted the available fancier options to the higher priced cameras. In the beginning they made even the humble cameras fully featured, but then changed as obviously the lower priced cameras were eating into their higher priced sales.

I disagree with you on this one Guy. Large competitors happily sold DSLRs when Olympus and Panasonic pioneered the mirrorless market segment. There was NOTHING to copy other than the basic exposure triangle adjustments when Olympus introduced the EM5 I/II, EM10 I/II, and others. For example, the EM1 II (2016) has Pro-Cature... the same thing some are raving about in 2025 with the Sony A1 II...

I think Olympus knew its target markets very well. What they did not account for was the countermarketing they would be facing.

It's interesting to look closer at their product positioning and who they targeted...

I have said all along that the "E-P7" is not what it should be, as it is only the E-PL11 project renamed. Just like the E-P6 project became the Pen-F. That's from my logical thinking, not proven anywhere.

I think you completely underestimate the EP7. For example, I also thought an EVF is a must on a camera. This seems to be not the case for the customer base they targeted. One of my most popular articles discusses the EP7.

I rather think the Pen F was a little too much as it overlapped with the OMD series.

All said, congrats on the excellent info you prepared.

Best

Siegfried

--
Hobby photographers love taking real pictures with real cameras...
https://myolympusomd.blogspot.com/

 

[VideoPic]

You did a lot of effort Michael, thank you.

As others have said, there are other features to consider. I'm going to post a lengthy explanation of some of the differences. For static photos like you posted using a tripod and at base ISO, it probably doesn't matter since at base ISO there are fewer differences.

Let me give a quick and general comment because many seem to stumble over the image examples I posted. There are different kinds of photography and it's not for me or anyone else to decide what is good or useless photography.

The subject of image noise is also difficult to discuss because we need to consider two theories in this forum. One is the oversimplified "bigger is better" or "size and capture" theory and the other is a theoretical approach to image sensors.

But if you dig in, there are several different sensors that have different behaviors when you get to higher ISOs. In addition, since there are different number of pixels recorded, it can affect the picture quality in terms of cropping and resizing.

This I agree with. This matches well with the product positioning Olympus did...

The different sensors include:

Thanks for this, I need to study this a little closer.

• The original 12 megapixel sensor (E-P1, E-P2, E-PL3, etc.)
• The second generation 16 megapixel sensor (E-m5 mark I/II, E-m10 mark I/II/III, etc.).
• The 16 megapixel sensor used in the E-m1 mark I
• The third generation 20 megapixel sensor (E-m10 mark IV)
• I'm not sure if the phase detect auto focus cameras (E-m1 mark II/III, E-m5 mark III, E-m1x, OM-5) have a different sensor than the 20 megapixel cameras without phase detect auto focus.
• The stacked BSI 20 megapixel sensor in the OM-1 mark I/II

In general, you will see better high ISO behavior as you move to newer sensors (i.e. 12 megapixel to 16 megapixel to non-stacked 20 megapixel, and then to the stacked BSI sensor. In general, I tended to limit the max ISO to 3,200 for the 12 megapixel cameras, to 6,400 for the 16/20 megapixel cameras, and 12,800 for the OM-1 mark I.

Correct. Why?

Also note, the 12 megapixel cameras tended to suffer from shutter shock. Starting with the 16 megapixel cameras, Olympus offered an option to combat shutter shock. IIRC, shutter shock happened at specific shutter speeds, but I don't remember the details.

The only M43 body I experienced having shutter shock was the original EM5. I can only imagine what a problem shutter shock was for DLRS at the time...

Newer cameras have the option for using an electronic shutter (called silent shutter in Olympus speak) that has various advantages and disadvantages.

Great feature...

Next you get to camera age. Like a lot of things, things can break down over time. If you buy an old camera, it may work fine, and then break down.

One thing that can break down is the mechanical shutter. I had the mechanical shutter break down on my E-m1 mark I. Fortunately, I had bought the extended warranty for it, and it failed within the warranty period.

Another thing that breaks down is the internal battery or capacitor that keeps the time of day (and in some cameras the settings). If this goes, you will have to re-enter the time of day when you change batteries. I think some cameras do not use non-volatile flash memory to hold the settings, and if you lose the internal battery, you would need to re-enter your settings.

Yes, I have seen this on some of my oldest 2 - 4MP compacts...

Speaking of settings, some of the mid/high end cameras offer you the ability to save and restore your settings. With the others, you would have to reenter the settings manually.

Another part of aging cameras is the availability of batteries for the camera. In particular, the BLN-1 battery (used in the Pen-F, E-m1 mark I, E-m5 mark I/II) seems to have stopped production in 2019. The BLH-1 battery (used in the E-m1 mark II/II and E-m1x cameras) seems to have stopped being produced in 2023 or maybe 2024. You can switch to third party batteries, but if you only consider using original manufacturer batteries, you might not want to buy a camera using discontinued batteries. If you go the third party battery route, I suggest you get a battery charger with the same branding as the battery you are buying. In particular, the BLN-1 batteries seem to have some issues if you use a different brand of charger than the battery.

This is an issue. I haven't found a good alternative battery. Do you have any recommendations?

Some of the cameras you listed have viewfinders, some do not. For macro shots, it may or may not matter if you have a viewfinder. For other types of shooting, it can matter. Note, there are 2 different technologies Olympus used for viewfinders.

The TFT LCD view finder (E-m10 mark I, E-m5 mark I/II, E-m1 mark I/II/III, and E-m1x plus the external viewfinder VF-2/VF-3/VF-4 used in the early Pens) had issues if you wear polarized sunglasses and shoot in horizontal orientation. For most of the cameras, the issues were horizontal bands where one band was clear and the next band was heavily distorted. On these cameras, I could frame a shot by concentrating on the horizontal bands that were clear. On the E-m5 mark II and with the VF-2/VF-3/VF-4 viewfinders, the viewfinder went completely opaque when viewed through polarized sunglasses in horizontal orientation.

I have read the complaints about classes. I don't wear sunglasses much.

The OLED viewfinder (E-m10 mark II/III/IV, Pen-F, E-m5 mark III, OM-5, and OM-1 mark I/II) does not have issues when viewed through polarized sunglasses. However, I find that OLED displays tend to slightly super-saturate the colors, so if you are going for exact color representation, you might need to tweak the levels in post processing.

I generally like the Olympus EVF.

Some of the cameras (E-m1 mark I/II/III, E-m5 mark I/II/III, E-m1x, OM-5, and OM-1 mark I/II) are splash resistant providing you use splash resistant lenses. Obviously if you don't shoot in wet conditions it may not matter, but if you do, it can be helpful.

In terms of macro shooting, some of the newer cameras (E-m5 mark II/III, E-m1 mark II/III, E-m1x, OM-5, and OM-1 mark I/II) have the option of doing focus stacking with specific macro or pro lenses. Focus stacking takes a series of images (typically 8) varying the focus slightly. The camera then combines these images in camera that gives you much more depth of field for the combined JPG image than you would get from an individual shot. These cameras along with some others (like the E-m10 mark II) also have focus bracketing, where the camera takes the multiple shots. With focus bracketing, it does not combine the images in the camera, but you can combine them afterward with various photo editors.

Some of the cameras support high resolution modes. This is like focus stacking, in that multiple pictures are taken. However, unlike focus stacking/bracketing, you don't get more depth of field, but instead the sensor is moved slightly, and you get more megapixels. Some cameras offer two types of high resolution, one meant for tripod work, and the other hand held.

Some of the cameras offer pro capture. Using this mode, when you 1/2 press the shutter, it starts recording images to the internal buffer, but it does not write them to the SD card. When you fully press the shutter button, it writes the last images in the buffer to the SD card. This is useful to capture things where human reflexes are too slow. For example, if you use pro capture to capture somebody diving into a pool, you can more likely capture the exact moment the diver enters the pool for the best image. Of course the downside is you have many more images that are all similar that you have to go through to discard before getting your perfect image.

For macro type work, using a remote shutter control can be useful. The oldest cameras had no method of setting off the shutter remotely. Starting with the E-PM2, cameras got the ability to be controlled via the OIShare phone application. You can either have the image on the screen and use touch to set the focus point and fire the camera. In using this mode, you don't have access to many of the settings, and the controls on the camera are locked. Or there is a remote shutter option that just takes the picture, and you can use all of the normal controls.

Some of the cameras have the option to use a wired shutter release. On the older cameras, the wired shutter release (RM-UC1) used the same port as the USB cable. On the newer cameras with wired shutter releases (E-m1 mark II/III, E-m1x, E-m5 mark III, OM-5, and OM-1 mark I/II), the shutter release cable is a separate cable. The OM cameras also have the option of using the wireless shutter release RM-WR1.

The above features are all valid and targeted at specific photographers. It's also one of the things that differentiated Olympus. It's also true that not all the cameras would have benefitted from something like Pro Capture...

Older cameras used an Olympus special cable to connect the camera via USB. Newer cameras have moved to a standard USB cable (USB micro-B or USB C).

The 4 different batteries used (BLS-50, BLN-1, BLH-1, and BLX-1) have different capacities in terms of power. The way I shoot, I get about 2 hours on cameras using the BLS-50 or BLN-1 batteries, and 4 hours on my OM-1 mark I. From the printed capacities, I would likely get 3 hours of shoot time with the BLH-1 batteries. The OM-1 mark II uses more power than the OM-1 mark I, but I don't know how this affects the performance.

Some cameras support the Olympus/OM lenses (12-100mm f/4, 300mm f/4, 150-400mm f/4.5, 150-600mm f/5-6.3) with stabilization built-in by combining the camera sensor shift stabilization and the lens. The 100-400mm f/5-6.3 has some stabilization, but not to the extent the other lenses had. The older cameras would not work with Panasonic lenses when stabilization was enabled in both the lens and cameras. Starting with the E-PM2, most of the cameras offered an option to use either sensor shift stabilization or lens stabilization. Lenses with stabilization do tend to use more power.

Product positioning..?

Some of the cameras (E-m1 mark II/III, E-m1x, E-m5 mark III, OM-5, and OM- mark I/II) offer phase detect auto focus that can help with continuous focusing, and also helps if you are using classic 4/3rds lenses with an adaptor. The E-m1 mark I had phase detect auto focus, but it was the first version, and there were some 'features' (i.e. bugs) with it.

One of my goals for 2025 is to study the types of autofocus algorithms Olympus used on different cameras and why... Interesting subject...

Newer cameras now will charge the battery in the camera if you connect the camera via its USB cable when the camera is off. Due to European laws, the newer cameras that charge batteries in the camera no longer include an external battery charger.

On the OM-1 mark I/II, you can have a power bank or external A/C USB adapter that supports the USB C-PD protocol power the camera externally. If you use USB C-PD to power the camera, it will also charge the battery in the background. The earlier E-m1 mark III and E-m1x also supported USB C-PD to power the camera, but those cameras would not charge the batteries in the background, and there were some other restrictions on USB C-PD support.

If you need more power, some of the cameras have an external battery grip to allow you to use 2 batteries.

Newer cameras support 4K and C4K video resolutions. Older cameras only supported the smaller 1080p resolution.

The original Pens could only record 7 minutes of 1080p video recording and 14 minutes of 720p recording. Then cameras would allow more video recording, but would stop recording when the file size went to 2GB (or maybe 4GB), which was typically about 24 minutes. Then the cameras would allow more recording by splitting the video into multiple files. The Olympus branded cameras were software limited to 30 minute recordings due to European tariffs at the time those cameras were made. The OM cameras now allow for unlimited video recording (subject to memory size, battery limits, and possibly if the camera shuts down due to overheating).

Some of the cameras (E-m5 mark III, E-m1 mark II/III, E-m1x, OM-5, and OM-1 mark I/II) support adding an external microphone for video work. Some support using separate headphones to monitor the sound (E-m1 mark II/III, E-m1x, OM-1 mark I/II and the E-m5 mark II if you get the extra battery grip).

Some of the cameras support recording via through HDMI, either at 1080p (E-m5 mark II/III, OM-5) or also at 4K/C4K (E-m1 mark II/III, E-m1x, OM-1 mark I/II). IIRC, the OM-1 mark I/II support a special 10 bit video recording mode.

Some cameras have 2 memory card slots (E-m1 mark II/III, E-m1x, OM-1 mark I/II) that you can program either to record RAW and JPG images on separate cards, or have duplicate still photos written to both cards at the same time. Unfortunately, the E-1 mark II/III cameras have one slot that can support high speed UHS-II V90 cards, and the second slot only supports writing cards via the slower UHS-I V30 method. The OM-1 mark I/II and E-m1x have both SD cards be high speed. Not having one card slot be high speed can be an issue if you take lots of photos in sequential mode, and/or shoot 4K/C4K video.

Newer cameras now can act as a web camera.

Some of the cameras (E-m1 mark I/II/III, E-m1x, OM-1 mark I/II) support a deeper hand grip. I find the deeper hand grip to be helpful if I'm shooting with the heavier lenses hand held. On the E-m5 mark I/II, the battery grip also made the grip deeper. On other cameras (E-m10 mark II, E-m5 mark III, and OM-5), there is an add-on grip that makes the grip a bit deeper, and it helps up to a point. However, I find on my E-m5 mark III, that it helps with the 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 lens, but not the heavier 40-150mm f/2.8 or 100-400mm f/5-6.3 lenses.

I think you listed interesting points and I will be revisiting your input as I learn more about the different Olympus cameras.

Thank you very much.

Siegfried

 

[Zeiss4me]

Panasonic G9 if wanting best bang for buck and not caring about shooting BiFs.

OM-1s if mainly wildlife.

GH "what is the latest" for video

GX9 for small/street.

 

[Guy Parsons]

I'm greatly disappointed with Olympus/OM Systems gate keeping the fully featured Colour Creator to the PEN and E-P7 bodies. And as much as I like the Art Filters, you cannot adjust how strong or weak they are applied.

Both the PEN-F and E-P7 use the TruePic VII processor. You know what else does? The awesome rugged Olympus Tough TG-5! How about the fantastic Olympus OM-D E-M5 II? On a budget, that's right, the original E-M10 has it too! If you're into tilty LCD and a flat top, the E-PL7 is for you!

I cannot think of a truly reasonable position for Olympus to do this and that's quite unfortunate. :-|

The cameras with whichever TruePic are listed in my now frozen archived web page, the E-P7 uses TruePic VIII not the VII. https://web.archive.org/web/2023080...g.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/80-Oly-timeline.html

Excellent summary Guy. That must have taken lots of effort. :-D:-D:-D

The situation is that Olympus matched other camera makers and only fitted the available fancier options to the higher priced cameras. In the beginning they made even the humble cameras fully featured, but then changed as obviously the lower priced cameras were eating into their higher priced sales.

I disagree with you on this one Guy. Large competitors happily sold DSLRs when Olympus and Panasonic pioneered the mirrorless market segment. There was NOTHING to copy other than the basic exposure triangle adjustments when Olympus introduced the EM5 I/II, EM10 I/II, and others. For example, the EM1 II (2016) has Pro-Cature... the same thing some are raving about in 2025 with the Sony A1 II...

I laugh about people being amazed by Pro Capture, I had a nice version of that maybe over 10 years back on my Casio compact cameras with a selectable number of images to keep before the shutter full press.

I think Olympus knew its target markets very well. What they did not account for was the countermarketing they would be facing.

It's interesting to look closer at their product positioning and who they targeted...

I have said all along that the "E-P7" is not what it should be, as it is only the E-PL11 project renamed. Just like the E-P6 project became the Pen-F. That's from my logical thinking, not proven anywhere.

I think you completely underestimate the EP7. For example, I also thought an EVF is a must on a camera. This seems to be not the case for the customer base they targeted. One of my most popular articles discusses the EP7.

I argue that the E-P7 is a misnomer, it is not like a proper Pen such as the E-P5, it is really a Pen Lite with a couple more bells and whistles, not a fully featured Pen as the name implies. E-Px were the flagship models, E-PLx were the simpler cheaper ones, and E-PMx were the minimal Pens.

I rather think the Pen F was a little too much as it overlapped with the OMD series.

It was a mistake, just like a crazy hobby project of over-eager ignorant management keen to make a statement. It really should have had a tilt screen and then it may have met their sales targets.

All said, congrats on the excellent info you prepared.

I was collecting info on my pages and then my ISP dumped all my pages and my email access to "save money", so I dumped them for a more reasonable provider and my old pages now only exist in archive form never to be updated. I do not intend to recreate them elsewhere.

On a side note, just now I checked the Art filters available for my E-P5 in my never really used Workspace, the raw file has 21 Art filters available and a tiff file created in Photolab then has 31 Art filters available.

 

[R Liewenberger]

For example, the EM1 II (2016) has Pro-Capture... the same thing some are raving about in 2025 with the Sony A1 II...

Actually a much older Oly feature! First introduced in the year 2000 1.5 MP E-100RS, the faster sister-model to the 2.1 MP C-2100 which I used. And they still called it what it actually is, a pre-capture mode, not some silly name like pro-capture!





What made the RS so special was not only pre-capture but mainly its high speed sequential mode, up to 15 frames per second! No other manufacturer could offer something comparable in those days! But it was also the reason why the RS only offered 1.5 MP and not the full 2.1 MP of the C-2100.



As I really didn't care for something like pre-capture or this high speed mode, I bought the C-2100 with its 2.1 MP and not the 100RS. And the RS was also more expensive than the 'normal' C-2100.

RL

 

[VideoPic]

For example, the EM1 II (2016) has Pro-Capture... the same thing some are raving about in 2025 with the Sony A1 II...

Actually a much older Oly feature! First introduced in the year 2000 1.5 MP E-100RS, the faster sister-model to the 2.1 MP C-2100 which I used. And they still called it what it actually is, a pre-capture mode, not some silly name like pro-capture!





What made the RS so special was not only pre-capture but mainly its high speed sequential mode, up to 15 frames per second! No other manufacturer could offer something comparable in those days! But it was also the reason why the RS only offered 1.5 MP and not the full 2.1 MP of the C-2100.



As I really didn't care for something like pre-capture or this high speed mode, I bought the C-2100 with its 2.1 MP and not the 100RS. And the RS was also more expensive than the 'normal' C-2100.

RL

Thank you for that. I have been on a journey studying older product press releases, tech announcements, and documents from Olympus. What an interesting journey.

Some ask me why I always mention Olympus and counter-marketing in 2024/25. Didn't Olympus stop selling cameras? The answer is simple. The available global stock in the used market remains a huge threat to those who paid high dollars to destroy the M43 format and the Olympus brand. The level of deception and misinformation about Olympus cameras is also off the charts...

All said I am lucky to have a live view of the interest this unique brand enjoys...

Best

Siegfried

--
Hobby photographers love taking real pictures with real cameras...
https://myolympusomd.blogspot.com/

 

[VideoPic]

Based on features that you require! You know what you are going to get as output, so the decision should be on finding a body that meets your needs and helps you capture the image in your head. The right body, and one good lens is a wonderful shooting experience.

I fully agree with you, Glen.

M43s offers a variety of bodies that cater to a variety of shooting needs. Shooting the same photo repeatedly with different bodies doesn't begin to illustrate the system's ability to help you capture what YOU want to capture.

Oh, I agree, but shooting the same image with 13 different cameras illustrates a lot.

For example:

• The image quality differences between these cameras are tiny.
• The EP3 can capture amazing wildlife photos with a bit of luck. ;-)
• Workspace is an amazing equalizer. It's like a free FW upgrade.
• Image quality is NOT an argument for one or the other camera.
• Camera manufacturers target specific clients and segments.
• That means form factor and functionality play a critical role...

I saw the requests for high ISO images or different kinds of images. The thing is they will never accept positive results. It's impossible to illustrate and discuss things like noise or IQ to those worshipping the oversimplified "size and capture" or "bigger is better" theory.

This isn't the system for those chasing test results it's for photo ops.

Fully agree... The thing is true or fake grassroots feedback does make a difference...

Best

Siegfried

--
Hobby photographers love taking real pictures with real cameras...
https://myolympusomd.blogspot.com/

 

[VideoPic]

Panasonic G9 if wanting best bang for buck and not caring about shooting BiFs.

OM-1s if mainly wildlife.

GH "what is the latest" for video

GX9 for small/street.

I agree with all of the above comments but would add the GX8 as an option. A bit bigger than GX9 which I find more comfortable, nicer viewfinder and weather sealed

I also like the GX8. I think it's up there with the best from Panasonic.

 

[Art_P]

Comprehensive comparison!

In my own experience, as far as max ISO goes.

(For night shooting, often at 1 to 2 stops under, for faster shutter speed and so that the results look like night.)

E-500 - ISO 400 was about as far as I could push w/o excessive noise.

E-520 - 800 and long exposure times

E-M5 - 1600 and an f1.8 lens

E-M1/II - now I'm up around 8000 and using the 12-200

OM-1 - easily 16000 or higher

 

[jjbinx]

If these cameras are ones you own then there must have been a reason why you kept buying new models as they were released when the image quality wasn’t improving.

If you can get to that reason, that answer, then perhaps you will have the answer to the question you’ve posed in this thread.

Other than that and without delving into use cases and features I’ve got no answer.

Maybe this is the good reason I have for sticking to just one m4/3 camera - buying more won’t get me any better pictures

jj

 

[silentstorm]

If I have a friend who wants recommendation of m43 camera, I would ask what budget first. And then recommend the newest one in the line-up that budget can afford. Why? Simply because of serviceability, parts need to be available. So newer cameras would be more repairable or can be repaired easily.

If I were to choose from those 13 cameras for myself, my choice would be either the EM1 or the EM1.3. The rest don't show deeper red like the EM1/iii, and a few have a bit pinkish hue rendered for the red, on my monitor.

 

[VideoPic]

If these cameras are ones you own then there must have been a reason why you kept buying new models as they were released when the image quality wasn’t improving.

If you can get to that reason, that answer, then perhaps you will have the answer to the question you’ve posed in this thread.

Other than that and without delving into use cases and features I’ve got no answer.

Maybe this is the good reason I have for sticking to just one m4/3 camera - buying more won’t get me any better pictures

jj

Interesting "bigger is better" kind of reasoning. I am doing my best to follow you. Are you saying that those with more than one camera are unhappy with the older ones? You are also implying that you are so happy with your EM1 III that you will never get an OM1...

Are you not happy with your Canon collection or are only the older ones crap..?

Strange... the first time I am challenged with this reasoning...

Best

Siegfried

--
Hobby photographers love taking real pictures with real cameras...
https://myolympusomd.blogspot.com/

 

[VideoPic]

Comprehensive comparison!

In my own experience, as far as max ISO goes.

(For night shooting, often at 1 to 2 stops under, for faster shutter speed and so that the results look like night.)

E-500 - ISO 400 was about as far as I could push w/o excessive noise.

E-520 - 800 and long exposure times

E-M5 - 1600 and an f1.8 lens

E-M1/II - now I'm up around 8000 and using the 12-200

OM-1 - easily 16000 or higher

Hi Art.

This is an interesting summary. Thank you.

Best

Siegfried

 

[FrankS009]

Your query should be titled,

Which Olympus camera should I get if 13 of them have similar Image Quality?

F.

 

[SeeingSomeThingsMissingMany]

I been kicking myself last few days because I missed out on ebay E-m5 mk2 at £100 !! Fully working local collection in London. I was emailing the seller as well.

As a kind of compensation I got E-pl7 for even less has wonky screen. Fully working. Was still ruing missing out on E-m5 mkii.

Today out in London with E-pl7 just made me smile. Such a pleasure photographing with it. Photographing markets which I love. Market traders smiley seeing sucha dinky thing joking with me. Brought back feelings of E-p1 from over a decade earlier my 1st and my favourite mirrorless. I forgot about E-m5 mkii. Reckon the more serious looking and better E-m5 mkii might have got different reactions.

Pubs in London shall be my next with dinky E-pl7.

If I only did parks nature wildlife then E-m5 mkii any day the week over E-pl7. Returned my G5 to shop has a significant issue in manual modes, also I just didn't take to G5 with its swivel out screen and no IBIS.

I'd say depends where we are photographing the types of things we are photographing and handling preferences.

--
Photography after all is interplay of light alongside perspective.

 

[Ainisru]

You don't get the full colour creator as seen on the PEN-F and E-P7, only tint to one of the colours on the wheel. You know this. This is outside M4/3 discussion which you desire for this thread, but there is a company which people complain about the SOOC JPEGs, but they do have more bodies out there which will let you adjust RGBCMY values individually. Although made for video, it will apply to JPEGs too.



Workspace is not an appropriate substitute for this self-created problem as it adds another step in the process whereas the PEN-F and E-P7 is truly lets your shoot SOOC JPEGs as desired. Besides being slow, my annoyances is that the preview does not match the export.

I don't mind post processing a few pictures, but on a photo walk or trip, i'm going to use my favourite RAW editor, DxO Photolab. It's much faster, has better noise control and sharpening, decent masking tools, and AI noise reduction that doesn't care if you have AMD, Nvidia, or Intel graphics card- you can even run their powerful DeepPRIME on the CPU although it is very slow.

VideoPic, have you tried shooting a 12MP Olympus Camera at high ISO or pushing the shadows? Plenty people and I have, and we know how quickly it breaks up. I had to reassure those who were first entering M4/3 with their older bodies that the 16MP and 20MP bodies are indeed big improvements. Comparing base ISO images is close to useless in the modern era besides seeing how the company is tuning their JPEG engine. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the more chunky noise and less dynamic range the 12MP sensor has for fun photo walks. :-D

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I like cameras, they're fun.

 

[Ainisru]

;-) whoops, thanks for the correction. That said, I find it funny the E-M1 and OM-1series have all the bell and whistles you can think of, except excluding the more powerful JPEG customization.

 

[SeeingSomeThingsMissingMany]

For example, the EM1 II (2016) has Pro-Capture... the same thing some are raving about in 2025 with the Sony A1 II...

Actually a much older Oly feature! First introduced in the year 2000 1.5 MP E-100RS, the faster sister-model to the 2.1 MP C-2100 which I used. And they still called it what it actually is, a pre-capture mode, not some silly name like pro-capture!





What made the RS so special was not only pre-capture but mainly its high speed sequential mode, up to 15 frames per second! No other manufacturer could offer something comparable in those days! But it was also the reason why the RS only offered 1.5 MP and not the full 2.1 MP of the C-2100.



As I really didn't care for something like pre-capture or this high speed mode, I bought the C-2100 with its 2.1 MP and not the 100RS. And the RS was also more expensive than the 'normal' C-2100.

RL

I also had both. Uzi was is gorgeous. Sumptuous photos. Lens over its longer zoom rivalled my Digilux2 lens shorter zoom aka Panasonic Lc1. Perhaps you'd like to start a thread reminiscing Uzi. There must still be several on dpr that photographed with it.

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Photography after all is interplay of light alongside perspective.