[Blacknight659]

Hello All...

The allure of the m4/3 system is still strong with this one. I personally think it would make one hell of a secondary system for me, and I keep waiting for the right time to strike. I don't need to "Best" but I want similar performance to my K-5iis and some really nice glass.

I am looking at these lenses

Start with...
40-150mm PRO 2.8
12-40mm PRO 2.8

Later on...
25mm 1.8
77mm 1.8
17mm 1.8

Do any of you have experience with Olympus or Panasonic M4/3 cameras and which do you feel have a similar Raw file to the K-5iis as far as pushing the exposure while maintaining color and contrast.

Thank you!

[awscreo]

I enjoyed the hell out of my previous EM1. Had a nice little collection of primes, if I haven't decided to shoot more landscapes (and astro in summer) I'd probably still use m43, it's fine for almost anything. I have a ton of m43 shots at my Flickr if you're interested.

Oly 45 1.8 us a gem, tiny, sharp and pretty cheap.
Panaleica 25 1.4 is a great all around lens, used it most of the time.
Samyang 12mm is amazing wide option imo, sharp, not too expensive, pretty small.

[johnmflores]

I jumped back into M43 with a pair of Lumx GX85s last year. Its 16 megapickle sensor reminds me of the 12 megapickle sensor in the K-x with pretty good highlight recovery and decent exposure range. But it's a step behind the 16 megapickle sensor in your K-5 ii. AF and optical image stabilization is great, better than Pentax I'd say. And Pentax has nothing close to Lumix's 4k video and "4k photo" modes.

Check out the Micro Four Thirds Club for photos. Many of my most recent ones there are ISO 1600 and ISO 3200 in tough lighting conditions.

Yes, there are times where I miss the extra performance of contemporary Pentax APS-C sensors. But size and video are very important to me and I'm certain that M43 sensors will continue to evolve.

[caliscouser]

Do any of you have experience with Olympus or Panasonic M4/3 cameras and which do you feel have a similar Raw file to the K-5iis as far as pushing the exposure while maintaining color and contrast.

I'd think you have to go for EM1 ii to get close to that level of sensor performance. But that is 2 grand and it's almost as big as a K-5.
The others are K-x/K-r level sensor performance in terms of ISO and dynamic range. Which is to say, good, maybe good enough, just not K-5iis level.

[mecrox]

Hello All...

The allure of the m4/3 system is still strong with this one. I personally think it would make one hell of a secondary system for me, and I keep waiting for the right time to strike. I don't need to "Best" but I want similar performance to my K-5iis and some really nice glass.

I am looking at these lenses

Start with...
40-150mm PRO 2.8
12-40mm PRO 2.8

Later on...
25mm 1.8
77mm 1.8
17mm 1.8

Do any of you have experience with Olympus or Panasonic M4/3 cameras and which do you feel have a similar Raw file to the K-5iis as far as pushing the exposure while maintaining color and contrast.

Thank you!

Check out the E-M1 and the E-M5 Mark II, both with 16 mpx sensors which seem nearly the same though maybe they are different generations.The E-M1 has better ergonomics imho (hand grip e.g.) and on-sensor PDAF. The E-M5 Mark II is more recent and has some features the first camera doesn't have such as high-res mode. So research needed before choosing model. Different ergonomics (budget for a hand grip for the E-M5 Mark II). There are also the baby one, the E-M10 Mark II which has the same 16 mpx sensor, and the more costly Pen F and E-M1 Mark II models with newer 20 mpx sensors (not the same one, folks.say).

Sensor performance is not quite up to APS-C and care with exposure is needed, but not very far behind either. In practice, it is not so much different for me. In good light no problems, in low light OK up to 1600 ISO in my view. DxO Optics Pro does a better job than Lightroom with High ISO RAW files because of its ace Prime denoising engine. There is not so much latitude pulling up dark shadows or underexposed images as on larger formats. No free lunch. Not for pixel peepers, perhaps, but if you hit the target the quality is excellent. No complaints here, though clearly a small sensor is not going to provide identical performance to a larger sensor.

I have three of the lenses you mention. They are all excellent. So are many of the Panasonic M43 lenses and plenty consider the best of them superior and use them on their Olympus camera.

Panasonic have just released a new 12-60mm lens and Olympus a 12-100mm lens. Both should be on a list of quality walkaround come all-purpose zooms. Stick to quality glass - a smaller sensor needs it, imho.

I like M43 for its small size, modernity and plentiful choice of equipment. There is also a whole range of Panasonic equipment and it tends to have better video. A capable and very adaptable system.

Where I live Olympus do a test-and-wow offer - borrow and test out for a day.

There are tons of reviews and M43 websites out there if you Google around. Two I like from working photogs are from Sylvain Duford and Tony Ventouris. Quite a few photogs seem to use M43 for higher-end stuff such as fashion, top real estate imagery, travel mags, etc so in the right hands it can deliver the goods.

[bobbotron]

I think the real fun is having multiple systems... In film I have 4x5 large format, the Pentax 645 and 35mm K mount, digital K mount and a few m43. It's nice to be able to grab the a good camera for the outing. Go for it! If I were getting a new m43 camera, I'd probably get either the em10, em5 (mark one or two, mark one is a classic), or one of the cheaper ones.

[rob1234]

I bought an OM-D E-M5 as a secondary system... and ended up basically getting rid of my K-5 system (now on long term loan to my father).

It's a fantastically capable little camera - about 85% of the IQ for about 2/3rds of the system size I reckon: the Panasonic 12-32 on the E-M5 is pocketable. Oly 25/1.8 is my most used lens, and am looking forward to getting the 45.

The CDAF is lightning fast, and deadly accurate in my opinion - which coupled with the sharp lenses mean I have found you get great results.

I would say if you buy the 40-150 Pro, whilst undoubtedly a great lens, you are starting to erode the benefits of having a small system though... but what do I know, I've just bought a 50-200/3.5!

[UncleVanya]

Hello All...

The allure of the m4/3 system is still strong with this one. I personally think it would make one hell of a secondary system for me, and I keep waiting for the right time to strike. I don't need to "Best" but I want similar performance to my K-5iis and some really nice glass.

I am looking at these lenses

Start with...
40-150mm PRO 2.8
12-40mm PRO 2.8

Later on...
25mm 1.8
77mm 1.8
17mm 1.8

Do any of you have experience with Olympus or Panasonic M4/3 cameras and which do you feel have a similar Raw file to the K-5iis as far as pushing the exposure while maintaining color and contrast.

Thank you!

I owned the Panasonic GX-7 at the same time as my K-3. The K-3 certainly had better dynamic range and resolution (16 vs. 24 and a larger sensor). However on prints it was never easy for anyone to spot at 13x19" which camera was used for which shot. Unlike you I went for daylight and compact performance with native lenses and a K-mount adapter for anything else.

My lenses that I used:

Panasonic 14-42 PZ f/3.5-5.6
Olympus 17mm f/2.8
Sigma 30mm f/2.8
Panasonic 35-100 f/4-5.6
Olympus 9mm Body Cap Fisheye

However my Dad then traded me his K-3 for my GX-7 and my lenses. Later he upgraded his lenses to:

Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8
Panasonic 35-100 f/2.8
Panasonic 42.5 f/1.7

Canon (Adapted):
85mm SSC FD mount f1.8
200mm SSC FD mount f/2.8

He has since decided he doesn't want the adapted mount lenses.

I now own a Panasonic GX-1 (no IBIS) and the original lenses I had plus the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7. I sold the 17mm f/2.8 and an Olympus 40-150 f/4-5.6 I had picked up.

I find that this small light combo (along with an EVF attachment for the GX-1) makes for a great kit to toss in the car or backpack. It's tiny - fitted with the 14-42 I can put it in a small beltpouch. The IQ is as mentioned hard to notice in moderate print sizes. Pixel peeping reveals the differences and the dynamic range and ISO capabilities are not on par. But the delta from APSC is similar to the delta APSC has from FF. It's not a massive drop and it's not impossible to notice. I don't know if that helps.

As for bodies - I prefer Panasonic. Having tried some Olympus cameras I just couldn't love the UI. The IBIS is good but surprising results have come out of Panasonic. The IBIS in the GX-7 is only 3 axis and in some head to head tests has beaten Oly OMD-EM5 and EM5 mk II cameras (and lost in others - so I'd say they are likely in the same ballpark). The IBIS in the GX85/8 are outstanding. This is the one thing that my little GX-1 lacks - along with focus peaking.

As for lenses - the 12-35/35-100 is optically on par with the 12-40/40-150 by most accounts. Some have the Panny's leading and others the Olympus. The dedicated 1.4x teleconverter for the 40-150 is really a nice touch but the lens is huge. The big advantage of the Panny zooms is that they are small and light and that's what you want in a system like this. The 300mm Oly is HEAVIER and larger than the DA* 300 for Pentax. The physical limitations of OIS and f/4 with high grade corrected glass seem to have pushed this lens up too large.

In any case, I hope this rambling post is of some help. Feel free to ask questions.

[surfar]

Start with...40-150mm PRO 2.812-40mm PRO 2.8 Later on...25mm 1.877mm 1.817mm 1.8

Which body do you have in mind?

[kaspy]

I have a K1 and Olympus EM5-ii. I meant to sell the Olympus after buying the Pentax but I couldn't follow through with it; now I use both systems regularly. Typically, I use the K1 if I know I'll want to heavily edit the raw files, and the Oly if I want great looking jpegs immediately.

I bought the K1 for better low light and more flexible raw files for editing. I'm very happy with the K1, but I also realized that I took the quality of the EM5ii for granted (mainly due to taking what I read online about sensor size a little too seriously) and that its low light ability is actually pretty good. Olympus' IBIS is fantastic.

One nice thing about the EM5ii that gets overlooked in reviews is that I think its wifi is more user friendly than some other brands. You still need the clunky app but you can flag photos for sharing on the back of the camera and when you connect and open the app it'll automatically transfer them. Not sure if that is a consideration for you.

[Blacknight659]

There is a lot of gold in here. thank you all for your help!

I am hearing a lot of good things about m4/3 which is reinforcing my thoughts on the system. I love my Pentax 50-135, but I often wish I had extra reach. I have a lot of interest in the 40-150mm. For me, the extra reach in a smaller package is a plus. Also, greater depth of field with a faster aperture is really appealing.

I am still planning my attack. I hear a lot of good things about the e-m5 and e-m5ii here. I do think I need IBIS since I am so used to it with my K-5iis.

I don't know what I am getting yet, but I thank you all for sharing your thoughts!

[awscreo]

I wouldn't get the E-M5 now. The E-M5 II is a better option, with more features and HiRes mode which is pretty awesome for stills and most of landscapes (with no moving subjects). E-M5 haven't received any updates in ages, you'd be missing out on a ton of features introduced in later firmware updates - LiveComp, Focus stacking in camera, better peaking options etc. Just look for good deals on E-M5 II, I see them come up here and there. Hope you'll enjoy your m43 experience (I'm sure you will )

[UncleVanya]

There is a lot of gold in here. thank you all for your help!

I am hearing a lot of good things about m4/3 which is reinforcing my thoughts on the system. I love my Pentax 50-135, but I often wish I had extra reach. I have a lot of interest in the 40-150mm. For me, the extra reach in a smaller package is a plus. Also, greater depth of field with a faster aperture is really appealing.

I am still planning my attack. I hear a lot of good things about the e-m5 and e-m5ii here. I do think I need IBIS since I am so used to it with my K-5iis.

I don't know what I am getting yet, but I thank you all for sharing your thoughts!

The EM5 series is the Olympus I would be interested in if I was not happy with Panasonic. The 40-150 f2.8 is optically stabilized and works equally well on bodies from both companies. The 12-40 relies on IBIS and the modern Panasonics will provide that as well.

The 40-150 is slightly larger and heavier than the 50-135 and with crop offers a field of view on the long end that is about 1/3 longer. Adding the DA HD 1.4x TC to the 50-135 gives similar reach at similar size and the ISO performance gap makes the f4 vs f2.8 a non-factor.

I like m43 and I think you will enjoy it as well. But the path you are charting will not end up all that compact or light. The body delta from an OMD EM5 MK II to a k-3 is about 250g so there is some savings to be had on weight, but the handling suffers with the larger lenses without a grip so be aware of that.

Good luck on the journey, I'm sure you will enjoy whatever you decide on. The worst outcome is that you play with new gear for a while and sell it.

---------- Post added 03-08-17 at 09:14 AM ----------

I wouldn't get the E-M5 now. The E-M5 II is a better option, with more features and HiRes mode which is pretty awesome for stills and most of landscapes (with no moving subjects). E-M5 haven't received any updates in ages, you'd be missing out on a ton of features introduced in later firmware updates - LiveComp, Focus stacking in camera, better peaking options etc. Just look for good deals on E-M5 II, I see them come up here and there. Hope you'll enjoy your m43 experience (I'm sure you will )

I tend to agree. If the EM5 series is your target platform get the version 2 gear.

[wildman]

Do any of you have experience with Olympus or Panasonic M4/3 cameras and which do you feel have a similar Raw file to the K-5iis as far as pushing the exposure while maintaining color and contrast.

I won't bore you, or myself, with tech talk. A couple of high iso raw shots taken with my modest E-M10 with adapted lens's - See EXIF for details.
It gets the job done to my satisfaction.

[bobbotron]

I won't bore you, or myself, with tech talk. A couple of high iso raw shots taken with my modest E-M10 with adapted lens's - See EXIF for details.
It gets the job done to my satisfaction.

I think the EM10 is the best sleeper camera of the Olympus lineup. Everyone gravitates to the EM5 or EM1, but the EM10 has a great sensor, is tiny and has an EVF. Very nice travel camera!