The launch of the new Olympus O-MD E-M1 Mark III has reminded the world that micro four-thirds is not dead, and right now, it’s almost exactly the same price as the Sony a7 III. If you were in the market, which would you buy?
Over on B&H Photo right now, there’s a dollar difference in price between these two cameras, though if you opt for the Olympus, you are buying a camera with a much, much longer name. That said, in a world when full-frame offers so much, why would you ever want the smaller sensor? This entertaining video from Vistek makes a compelling case for the Olympus, and clearly it’s a tool that definitely fits well under certain circumstances.
Certainly, if I were about to head off for the Sahara, the Sony a7 III would be quite far down my list of cameras when it came to choosing what to take with me. It’s not just weather-sealing, however: if you’re shooting wildlife and wanting to travel light, the Olympus is a much smarter option. But there are a couple of other good reasons, too, as outlined in this video.
Which would you opt for? Is Olympus lampooning us by giving this camera such a long name? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
I've been a Nikon user since 1970. I'm older and retired airline pilot. Cost wasn't a factor, but size and portability is. This is the reason I dumped most of my studio and Nikon gear for the Olympus M1X, and the EM1-M3 - - The image is good enough for me. Bokeh, depth of field is in my opinion, a bit over-rated. Unless, of course you’re a pixel peeper. The vast majority of photographers are not ever going to be anything but self-published in social media. I don’t think having full-frame makes much of a difference anymore to most photographers. The all the new gear is just so good we only needed to ask, “what gear is good enough?” The M4/3s I bought exceeds that “good enough” for the majority of photographers needs. And the total cost is easily ⅓ less than my Nikon gear.
I’m a retired fighter pilot, and we had a saying: “Hamburger is still hamburger no matter how you package it. For instance, If you take an average to below average pilot and stick him in a F-22, etc., he’s still an average to below average pilot, because in the end, it’s still the pilot that make the difference. It’s the same with photo gear/photography. Expensive gear helps some, but it’s still the photographer that makes most of the difference. The Olympus M1X/EM1-M3 gives me what I need to still produce high quality photos and prints.
I’ve read the negative fanboy reviews of M4/3 systems, and for now, I’ll still keep the D850, but I’ve burned my ships and I'll make the M4/3s work for me.
I haven't had this much fun with cameras since I first started in photography. My wife doesn't agree with me about M4/3. So, I told her to think of the M1X as Viagra for my photographic brain. She just smiles...