Originally posted by ACG Similarly, if you are not intending to print bigger than a3 and if low light photography is not a major part of your repertoire then you could get similar IQ and a cheaper and more portable solution with the omd, mft lenses and zuiko 4\3 lenses!!
I have an OM-D E-M5, and it's a very slick little system. The responsiveness of it feels like a sports car. (Most DSLRs feel more like SUVs.) I've come to appreciate the EVF too. It's my go-to camera these days.
When it comes to sensor size, I feel like we spend too much time splitting hairs over differences that are not that big. My rule of thumb is: Moving from a small sensor to one 4X the size is a very satisfying step up. 2X is a noticeable but minor improvement. Less than 2X is hardly significant. Keep in mind, I'm talking about linear size here, not surface area or pixel count. So... The difference between M4/3 and APS-C isn't all that significant, nor is the difference between APS-C and FF. If you jump from M4/3 to FF, that's significant -- but still relatively minor. That's about 2X. If you go from M4/3 to 6X7 film, that's about a 4X jump. That's a satisfying step up. That's a visual difference that will pop.
I'm thinking about just running the OM-D and a Fuji GW690 rangefinder here. 6X9 is slightly more than double the height and width of a "full frame" sensor. If you really want to go big, I say don't piddle around. The camera is cheap too, but I'm afraid the film and processing would kill me if I used it too much. That's only getting 8 shots per roll of 120 format film! Better be selective with that.
However, one idea that intrigues me about Pentax FF is. . . Put a Katzeye screen in it, and we'd be able to focus all our manual glass (including those new Samyangs!) the way it was meant to be done. The young whippersnappers who've never used a vintage 35mm SLR with the split-prism and microprism screen don't know what they're missing. In terms of sensor size, it would neatly split the difference between M4/3 and medium format film, too.
I also have been tempted by the thought of a used Sony A7 and adapter. The main thing that held me back was manual focusing. Focus peaking is too sloppy, and the magnifier seems like it would be too slow and awkward. (BTW, the E-M5 doesn't even have focus peaking, no way to manually switch in magnification, and manual focus-by-wire with it sucks big green rocks. It really is hopeless.)