Originally posted by Winder For DR the OMD EM1 Mark III has 12.8EV while my A9 shows 13.3. So on paper the Sony A9 wins, but does it win in real world output?
In terms of real world output, the difference is greater, rather than less. The Dx0mark tests tend to exaggerate m43 performance. M43 files tend to demonstrate finer grain than files from larger sensors, but the colors don't hold up as well. There's at least a stop and a half difference in DR performance between the E-M1X and the Pentax KP, for instance, and probably around a stop difference between the Olympus flagship and the Sony A9 (although that's harder to determine because A99 files are blotchy but the colors are much better).
Originally posted by Serkevan The EM1X is no doubt a great camera, and it is actually not expensive *at all* compared to the likes of the D5, 1D mark whatever, or A9 (which are the high-speed sport competitors) but... those 3 all have noticeably* better performance at higher ISO levels by virtue of the sensor alone, and they are part of established systems that have been catering to serious sports shooters for a long time, with all the glass required.
That's all true, except for one consideration. While the EM1X is technically a "sports camera," I doubt that more than a very small percentage of those who buy the camera will primarily be shooting sports with it (other than maybe car racing). Even cameras like the D5 and 1DX are probably not primarily used for sports. How many professional sports photographers are there, in any case? My suspicion is that sports cameras are more used to photograph wildlife, and there's every reason that this will be even more true of EM1X. Olympus has a 300 f4 lens that for wildlife photography, especially involving plane trips to places, say, in Africa, makes a huge amount of sense. The Oly 300 f4 provides 600mm FF equivalent in a much small package. It's sharper than any 300mm lens that's ever been seen the light of day, and so what you lose in terms of sensor size, you gain back, at least to some extent, due to the sharpness of the lens. In terms of resolution per ounce, nothing beats this combination for wildlife shooting. It's eminently handholdable, and since both the lens and the camera have stabilization that works in concert, you can easily use the combination without a tripod. In short, for many deep pocket photographers, the EM1X along with the Oly 300 f4 is an ideal wildlife kit for traveling around the world and taking photos of critters. In terms of size and cost, it's a lot more practical than a 1DX combined with a 600 f4 FF lens.