Help on which new mirrorless micro 4/3 to buy

[CaptJerry51]

I went back 5 pages of posts to June last year to see if the answer to my question was there.  No.

 

I'm 71 and don't take near as many photos as I used to.  The family is grown and they all take the pictures that I used to take with my camera with their phones.  My last (current) camera is an Olympus Pen E-P1 micro 4/3 mirrorless.  Bought it in used in 2012 to go on an Australia / New Zealand cruise.  Got it on the recommendation of the owner at Creve Coeur Camera in St. Louis - no longer there.  Key criteria were - light, small, high quality.  Key thing I dislike about it is the lack of a viewfinder.

 

I want to get a new camera and am sold on mirrorless micro 4/3, so please don't recommend a DSLR - too big and heavy. 

 

Key wants:

- viewfinder as well as flip-out adjustable view screen

- flash (as well as hot shoe for more robust flash), 

- mid range zoom lens - maybe buy separately or as part of the body / lens kit if it is decent - I would like just one "do it all" lens - keep the whole package light, small, simple

- top end on price $1,500 - I don't use it enough to justify more

 

I am not a photography geek, (please don't take offense) although I am a mid-range amateur that started with a Nikkormat in 1975

 

I am currently looking at the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark 4 for $800 with their kit lens.  I may just buy the body for $100 less and get a better lens.  My online research for small/medium mid-price cameras with their usual rankings has not shown much love for this camera, but it looks like it might suit my needs fairly well.

 

I don't do enlargements or anything else - not much postproduction, just save images on my computer to share with family and go back and relive where I was.  So images don't have to be National Geographic quality.

 

In the past, I would have gone to the big camera store where I lived that carried lots of brands and had very helpful staff.  St. Louis - Creve Coeur Camers, Minneapolis - National Camera.  Can't find one of those anywhere near where I now live.  They may only exist in New York or Chicago anymore.

 

I welcome all suggestions or recommendations.  Thank you in advance for your reply.

 

[TheOldBear]

I have the older OMD EM10 mark 2 - and the mark 4 seems to nice successor model. [same tilt screen, OLED viewfinder, battery, popup flash]

 

I have the cheapie 14-42R kit lens, and it is adequate, not spectacular. Your budget will permit an upgrade to the 12-45 f/4 'pro' lens. This lens zooms wider and longer than the kit lens, and is a bit brighter at the long end of the zoom. 

I would pair this with the 'plastic fantastic' - the 40-150R zoom lens. This is sometimes available refurbished for $99. For that matter,  just checked the Olympus outlet store, and a refurb mark 4 body is currently $559 [in either all black or silver and black]

[CaptJerry51]

Thank you TheOldBear, especially for including the link to the reconditioned equipment page.

 

Your suggestion nicely covers the spectrum of situations - really good "pro" glass for near subjects - probably 90% of my shooting, and an OK quality telephoto that won't break the bank like the really good "pro" glass version would at $900.  I don't anticipate using the telephoto nearly as much as the 12-45 f/4 pro lens.

 

What do you think of getting the pro 12-45 f/4 as reconditioned for $140 less than new?

[TheOldBear]

I'm looking at a similar choice - in addition to my EM10 mark 2and its pair of 'R' lenses, I also have a EM 1 mark 2 body that came with a 12-200 travel zoom as the package 'kit' lens.

I am currently evaluating getting a 'pro' grade lens, with four choices [12-45 f/4, 12-40 f/2.8, 12-100 f/4 and Panasonic/Leica 12-60 f/2.8-4] 

I'm tending toward the 12-40 as Amazon currently has the original model at a discount [the recently introduced 'mark 2' is the same optical formula, but has the better antireflection coatings introduced on the 12-45 lens]

This choice is not urgent as the 12-200 is more than a decent performer in the shorter focal length range.

[Victress2007]

I'm a Sony Fan.  I have the 6600 with an 18 - 135 lens which covers the vast majority of what I want to shoot.  If I'm out and about on a photography day I will also carry the 6400 with a second lens, depending on what I am doing.

 

Have fun!

Vic

[eddieg07410]

I had an OMD-1 before I bought my Fuji XT-3. I find the upgrade to the slightly larger sensor well worth. In addition, for us older guys the Fuji XT's feel like the cameras of our former glory. I found the Olympus had too many things embedded in the menu and with the Fuji most everything is just there. The Fuji with its lenses make a great portable travel camera. I have the 16-80 zoom, and the inexpensive but very good optical quality TC 50-220. To fill out my system I am thinking of getting the Viltrox 13mm.

[CaptJerry51]

Original poster here reporting an update.

 

I have been continuing to research on and off since my original post 7/16 but focusing on the Olympus OM-D cameras.  I have decided on the E-M5 instead of the E-M10 for more features, better autofocus, weather sealing.  I can get the body and 12-45 f/4 pro lens as a kit for $1,400.  Add in the 40-150 R (non pro) f/4.0 zoom and I have a very capable and portable, lightweight kit for most situations.  With a couple UV filters, a circular polarizing filter and a memory card and I'm all in at about $1,850.

 

I haven't bought a new camera since 2011 and it is amazing the capabilities in these new cameras!

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, CaptJerry51 said:

Original poster here reporting an update.

 

I have been continuing to research on and off since my original post 7/16 but focusing on the Olympus OM-D cameras.  I have decided on the E-M5 instead of the E-M10 for more features, better autofocus, weather sealing.  I can get the body and 12-45 f/4 pro lens as a kit for $1,400.  Add in the 40-150 R (non pro) f/4.0 zoom and I have a very capable and portable, lightweight kit for most situations.  With a couple UV filters, a circular polarizing filter and a memory card and I'm all in at about $1,850.

 

I haven't bought a new camera since 2011 and it is amazing the capabilities in these new cameras!

As a longtime Olympus user, your plan sounds good to me and you have quite a wide zoom range covered.  Add an extra battery just to be safe and maybe a teleconvertor to reach out to more wildlife.

[CaptJerry51]

Thanks for the tips, Crew News.

 

I made a last-minute decision to not get the long zoom 40-150 f/4.0 R and instead got the prime normal 25 MM f/1.8 instead for the wide aperture.  I may pick up the $200 40-150 mm f/4.0 later after I have used the current kit for a while.

 

[Host Bonjour]

On 7/29/2022 at 2:09 PM, CaptJerry51 said:

I have decided on the E-M5 instead of the E-M10 for more features, better autofocus, weather sealing.  I can get the body and 12-45 f/4 pro lens as a kit for $1,400.  Add in the 40-150 R (non pro) f/4.0 zoom and I have a very capable and portable, lightweight kit for most situations.  With a couple UV filters, a circular polarizing filter and a memory card and I'm all in at about $1,850.

 

 

Congrats on your new Olympus kit, it sounds wonderful. Olympus was one of my most favorite cameras (Ricoh was another) and so this is exciting news. Looking forward to seeing images from your new camera and lenses. 

 

I love to see some of the legacy brands being represented. Was talking to a colleague the other day, a younger person that shoots on film and uses a Yashica. She does beautiful work and I love that it's analog. Love the new ways too, just think there's something to preserving the use of shooting on film, especially knowing the intricacies of light, settings, etc.

 

Lots of luck and enjoy working with the new equipment! 📸