choosing a mirrorless camera
John wrote to me yesterday and asked me for some advice about choosing a Mirrorless camera. I started writing back to him, and thought I should turn this into a blog post about my current thoughts on which cameras to consider when going mirrorless.
Wabi Sabi - Hopewell, New Zealand, Olympus OM-D EM-1, Voitlander 25mm f0.95 lens © Len Metcalf 2016
On Friday, 11 March 2016, <john> wrote:
Hi Len
My name is John and I live in Abbotsford Sydney.
I have and am enjoying your photography. Your images are wonderful.
A question that you must be asked by so many, but please forgive the question again.
I know that the most important ingredient to capturing an image is the person behind the camera and the available light. I have been looking to purchase a mirror less camera and the choice is quite bewildering. So many different opinions. I am enjoying your images and am wondering if you can give me some advice re this choice. I would appreciate any help that you could send my way.
Kind Regards
John
Dear John,
The first question you need to ask yourself is what sort of photographs you would like to take? If tracking of sports athletes is a high priority then Mirrorless may not be the right choice. Would you like a range of zoom lenses or a set of primes. Is weight and size your highest priority?
The second question is how big will you print? As this can sway your choice with the number of mega pixels becoming important. If you never plan to print larger than A2 with the majority of your prints at A3 then 16 mega pixels is more than sufficient. Actually ten was more than enough for my work.
Personally I am very biased towards Micro Four Thirds because it is an open mount. Meaning that any manufacturer is welcome to join and make cameras or lenses. I think this is admirable in a world where competitors try to keep you tied into their brand by forcing you to lock into their system. Because of this you have the widest range of cameras and lenses of any other mirror less system. For ethical reasons alone Micro Four Thirds is a sound choice. I find the lenses and bodies a lovely compromise between size, sharpness and quality. I always hoped some other camera manufacturers would come on board such as Fuji, Leica and Sony or lens makers like Zeiss, but alas they have chosen their own paths.
The Micro Four Thirds system clearly has the best and most comprehensive lens choice in any of the Mirrorless systems with around 70-100 lenses to choose from. I must admit I don't know how many there are. I started counting and stopped at fifty and still wasn't close. There is a list on this page here.
I am also biased towards in camera image stabilisation. It works very very well and it can be used on any lens. I can hand hold at half a second and get a reasonable photograph. It is just so fantastic for people that have trouble hand-holding.
Olympus is by far my favourite mirror less camera manufacturer. My love affair with their cameras started with my OM-1, my first slr. My first camera I loved. It was the first compact slr and it is no coincidence that its dimensions closely matched the Leica M3 as it is also a lovely camera to hold and use.
In Micro For Thirds their cameras are a firm favourite for still photography. The sensor based image stabilisation system is outstanding and for that alone their cameras lead the pack. Some of the cameras are too small and benefit from extra grips. I always buy the Really Right Stuff camera plates and add them to the camera. The EM-5's handling substantially improves with their extra grip. The EM-1 with the Really Right Stuff base plate extends the camera body just enough to get my little finger around it which makes the camera very comfortable in my large hands. For all day use the EM-1 is my preferred camera, and for walking where every ounce counts I like the EM-5 mk2, which is also my preferred camera for videoing as it has a headphone jack in the extra grip so I can monitor my audio input levels.
The Panasonic cameras are well known for their beautiful colour renditions and their high quality video. One of their latest models now includes sensor based image stabilisation. A huge improvement which I hope to see on all their future cameras. I can't comment on their use as I have never used one. You tend to find that Micro Four Thirds users are either in the Olympus or Panasonic camps and won't consider the other. A few members of my family have Panasonic cameras who aren't very serious photographers so they shoot in jpg and print or share their work. The colours and photographs from the Panasonic cameras is always outstanding. So I have no reason to doubt their quality. It was that the image stabilisation system they initially developed didn't work with my favourite lenses.
Fuji has a solid range of mirror less cameras. They are renowned for their beautiful colour rendition and and lovely lenses. They use a very different sensor array. The colours are layer out differently and therefore many third party image processing engines used to struggle with processing their raw files. So make sure you check this out before going ahead with Fuji. Some may find their lens choice limiting while others say it sufficient. Fuji cameras are very popular among street shooters as there are a few models that have hybrid viewfinders that allow for either electronic or optical and both mixed together. A feature that isn't seen in any other manufacturers cameras.
Sony's latest mirror less offerings now have sensor based image stabilisation. They apparently work equally as well as the Olympus ones. My theory is that they bought half of the company just to get this technology then sold it on latter once they had it. There are few lenses to choose from and the lenses are much larger than Micro Four Thirds. So you may find you end up with a heavier kit. Many of my students went to a shop to buy an Olympus and came back with a Sony. I think the full frame and large mega pixel count is an easy up sell (the camera store makes more money when you buy a more expensive system). You will be spending 2 - 3 times as much money as you would on an equivalent Micro Four Thirds kit when you consider the lenses. It would end up being nearly twice as heavy overall too. Mind you these students who have gone with the Sony love them dearly and haven't ever looked back. There is plenty of room if you want to crop. They also make an amazing low light camera that has great high ISO capabilities. The Sony system has limited lens choice so consider if they have the lenses you want before committing to it.
I haven't looked at the Canon or Nikon offerings in Mirrorless much as they seem to be very limited with lenses.
The new Sigma Quatro looks interesting, though only a few lenses might be limiting. The Samsung Mirrorless System didn't pass the economic test of time.
The only other Mirror less camera I would consider is the Alpa / Phase One A-Series combination which I actually lust over. When I can afford the price of it yes I would love to use it, but alas for now the plus price tags put it firmly in the 'Len you're dreaming' category.
When buying a new camera I now start with the lenses, for the most interesting and desirable camera in the world is useless to me unless I can find an as equally desirable lens. I have written an article on my thoughts for Micro Four Thirds lens choices, which you can read here.
I have another article brewing in my head comparing full frame with micro four thirds, with the advantages going to micro four thirds. After the last nine months with a full frame DSLR, my conclusion is that it is not worth the pain it causes. ;)
I wish you well in your search and purchases
Kindest regards
Len
Micro Four Thirds, Len's favorites
These days there is a bewildering amount of Micro Four Thirds lenses to choose from. Here I discuss my favorites and a couple of my recommendations.
Breaking mist above the Fish River, The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. © Leonard Metcalf 2015 - This photograph was one of the very first taken during my first full day with my Voitlander 25mm f0.95 lens, my firm favorite go to lens. It was with this photograph that my love for digital photography blossomed.
Micro four thirds lenses now come from a plethora of manufacturers in a bewildering range of focal lengths. I get regularly asked which lenses should I buy for my micro four thirds camera. Rather than go through the whole gamut of choices, I will outline my favorites, illustrate with examples from them and finish up with a few recommendations that are still on my wish list. I have listed them in my own preferential order, starting my my favorites and moving through to my wish list. This is not really a lens review, but just the musings of what seems to work for me.
Voitlander 25mm f0.95
This is the lens that changed my perception of what is possible with digital cameras. Before this lens landed in my hands, my digital photographs were lack lustre. The kit zoom on my Olympus E-3 was a 12 - 60mm pro series lens, yet the images just didn't sing. When the opportunity arose to move away from this camera and lens combination I was quick to dump it.
Sands, Lake Mungo National Park. Voitlander 25mm f 0.95 © Leonard Metcalf 2014
My first photographs with a micro four thirds camera were similar. In many ways it was the auto focus that caught me out. A manual focus lens took me back to my roots as a photographer. It gave me back my choice and decision making. In turn it led to better images. When I scan back through my Lightroom catalogue, there is a clear and abrupt improvement of my digital photography the moment I picked up this lens. Even today it is my go to lens. I don't leave home without it. It lives on my camera. Part of this obsession with this lens is the normal focal length which is the one I seem to prefer to see with. You might like to read further about the benefits of the "Nifty Fifty" in my previous article.
This lens is not for the faint of heart. It is slow to use. It is heavy with its all metal construction. The lens shade and matching lens cap are to die for. Actually the system is so good that I stop to wonder why others don't use it. It is slow to use, because I can only focus it wide open, and the aperture is manual. This means that I have to manually open it up, focus the lens and then close it down again to shoot. This lens does not have any electrical contacts and makes no communication with the camera. For this reason I tend to shoot with it on aperture priority. Manual doesn't work for me, as I close the lens down by feel. A couple of clicks if I want something reasonably sharp, and a few more when I want depth of field. It is impossible for me to recall what f stop I have been using. I could if I wrote them down, but I don't.
Slowing me down, making my own decisions equals better images. In my mind it is a simple choice. This lens wins nearly every time for me.
Highland Golden Moths Orchid ( Diuris monticola) Snowy Mountains. - Voitlander 25mm f0.95 Copyright © Leonard Metcalf 2014
It is a beautifully sharp lens. Even wide open I am more than happy with the look it gives, despite its paper thin plane of focus. Yes it falls off dramatically when wide open, but that really isn't the point of using it wide open is it. It is about beautiful out of focus areas. It appears dreamy when used wide open. I must admit I do prefer it stopped down a couple of clicks, when the depth of field thickens slightly, and the sharpness clearly improves. by f 2.0 it is amazingly pin sharp. At f 2.8 it has peaked, usable at 5.6 and by f 8 it is starting to fail again. So I rarely go past f 5.6.
This lens gets me amazingly close to my subjects. While not a macro by any stretch of my imagination, it does let me get close enough to photograph the stunning tiny Australian Orchids that I so love to find and play with.
At f 5.6 the depth of field is stunning. So good in fact that I don't really miss the tilts and swings of my large format view camera, even when doing the near foreground and distance shots that I loved doing utilising the scheimpflug rules I learnt at art school and obsessively used for twenty years.
When I stop this lens down to 2.8 it is amazingly sharp. When I use it with a tripod I am easily able to enlarge my 16 megapixel images to 24 x 30 inches using perfect resize for stunning results. The prints from this lens are stunning.
My only criticism of this lens is that the bokeh at some apertures can be rather disconcerting. Even unpleasant to my eye. Bokeh is stunning wide open, but something happens as it is stopped down. Then again if I am shooting for beautiful bokeh then I am shooting wide open or just stopped down a stop or two, so this is something that only concerns me on rare occasions. On these occasions I bracket my apertures and pick the best image at full size on my gorgeous large monitor at home.
Olympus 25mm f 1.8
For price, convenience and size this is my first auto focus lens recommendation. This is the first lens I recommend to all of my students, who wish to push themselves with the discipline that a nifty fifty requires. I carry one of these small beauties with me just in case my Voitlander 25mm is damaged or lost.
Lochlies Pylon, The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Olympus 25mm f 1.8 © Leonard Metcalf 2015
It is as almost equally as sharp as the Voitlander. Sharpness with this lens peaks at f 4.0
It is light and small, and cheap. I keep it on my spare body, and often take it with me on excursions when I wish to leave my favorite heavier camera and lens combination at home.
Being auto focus, I can use it with the near eye focusing for stunning portraits. If I wasn't in love with the Voitalnder this would be my other choice of go to lens. As you can already tell, I have a very strong preference for prime lenses, and this article reinforces this preference.
Olympus 75mm f 1.8 ED
This lens is my other lover. It is my second most favored lens in my kit. The 150mm equivalent focal length is just stunning to work with. It reaches in. It allows me to keep my distance from the subject. It has beautiful Bokeh when used wide open.
Salt bush, Broken Hill Olympus 75 mm f 1.8 © Leonard Metcalf 2015
It is a heavy large lens. Well, when I compare it with the Olympus 25 mm or the 45 mm. It is also pricey. But well worth it. Particularly if you are fond of shooting portraits, or animals.
It doesn't come with a lens hood. I bought a cheap one from China, which has turned out to be rather useless. Even the Olympus one has a tightening screw on it. A method of attaching lens hoods left over from the seventies and eighties. Definitely not my preference for use. I would love Olympus to have included one of those sliding lens hoods that came with my Zuiko 200mm f 2.0 telephoto I was in love with in my teenage years, or the very sexy and practical one on the latest Olympus 40-150 f2.8 Pro lens. Oh for an aftermarket lens hood based on the Voitlander design. Now there is an opportunity for a manufacturer, aftermarket bespoke lens hoods with matching lens caps. I suppose my creative mind is day dreaming yet again.
Cockatoo - The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Olympus 75mm f 1.8 lens © Leonard Metcalf 2015
This lens focuses very quickly on my modern Micro Four Thirds bodies. With eye detect on, it is a breeze to use.
This lens peaks in sharpness at f 4.0 and is quite stunning by f 2.8. I do love the bokeh this lens produces wide open. It is my go to lens for portraiture and figure work. I am tempted to buy a second body of my main camera, so I can use this lens and my Voitlander 25 mm without the need to change lenses. My current second camera is a different model, and quiet frankly it quickly gives me this shits changing between the two cameras.
Olympus 45 mm f 1.8
Mist burning off at Cradle Mountain Olympus 45 mm f 1.8 © Leonard Metcalf 2015 - The spiders webs in this shot print out beautifully crisp.
This lens was my previous second lover. With it I have taken more photographs than the 75 mm by virtue of the length of time that I have owned it. It is light weight, and cheap, with just stunning results. If you're on a budget this is next lens on your list.
Just like the other Olympus lenses it is a stunning performer. Perhaps let down in build quality with a plastic feel to it. The feel is much better than the Olympus plastic kit lenses though. Nethertheless is performs, and the weight saving is appreciated particularly on my long walks into the bush.
This lens gives you some beautiful reach, and it really comes into its own as a portrait lens. With the auto focus I have taken some stunning portraits with this lens and the near eye focus detect. It makes portraiture a breeze at a very affordable price, with the most stunning results.
This lens peaks for sharpness at f 2.8 and wide open has a lovely bokeh.
The lens hood that you can get for this lens works, despite being an over priced piece of plastic. Why it isn't included with the lens is a mystery to me, at least Olympus has started to listen to the complaints and is starting to include lens hoods with its newer release lenses such as the 25mm f 1.8.
I have created stunning 20 inch prints from images captured with this lens, amazingly sharp and capable despite its demure appearance.
Panasonic G 20 mm f 1.7 ASPH
This is an amazing lens for its price and size. It makes my micro four thirds cameras seem pocketable. It is a beautiful performer, and is sharp for a wider range of apertures than the other lenses in my recommended list. It peaks at f 4.0 and is sharp from f 2.0 through to f 5.6.
I don't use this lens very often, and it is on the list of lenses that I need to get to know better. Many find this lens the perfect focal length for their walk around lens. It suits street photography very well. Though I currently find it a little wide for my taste.
This lens comes in two versions, and I have the first version, and it hasn't seen much use yet.
Panasonic G 14 mm f 2.5 ASPH
Eurobdalla Coast, Panasonic 14mm f 2.5 lens © Leonard Metcalf 2015
Another stunning yet amazingly cheap lens. This lens is often bundled in kits with some Panasonic cameras, which means you can pick up an un-boxed new version rather easily and well below the list prices. It is tiny, and is the smallest lens I own. When I am after a light weight wide angle this is the one that I pack. I even picked up a lovely aluminum lens hood for it, that has a Leica feel to it.
This lens is sharp from wide open at f 2.5 through to 5.6. Again this lens comes in two versions, and I have the first version.
Samyung 7.5 mm f 3.5 UMC FishEye
I personally find the fisheye lens more of a toy and a game to play with rather than a serious contender in my camera bag. This assumption is seriously flawed as this is another stunning cheap lens that just performs amazingly well. I put it on, and focus by using hyper-focal focusing. Set my aperture to f 4.0 or 5.6 and just shoot away on aperture priority. The results are amazing. The included image here, prints up beautifully, and at my last open day at the studio was the first image to sell.
Paulownia plantation, Samyang 7.5 mm f 3.5 lens © Leonard Metcalf 2015
This lens has a manual aperture ring, and manual focus. It is a pain in the neck to focus through the viewfinder as the depth of field is huge. This is the sort of lens you need if you want that butterfly up close and in focus and the mountain forest in the background to be sharp enough to read.
Wide open this lens performs well, and by f 5.6 the sharpness is falling off. I won't use it at f 8.0
You may need to do your homework on hyperfocal focusing to get the most of this lens. I use this lens set at f 5.6 and put the infinity focus mark on the f 4.0 mark for my hyperfocal distance.
This lens distorts, and does it in a huge way. You can't easily put a filter on this lens as the front element protrudes out the front. It has a built in lens shade and a lens cap that goes right over the lens shade.
This lens is also available branded as Rokinon and Bower.
Great fun, and for the price you can't go wrong.
Olympus 60 mm f 2.8 ED Macro
The last lens in my kit is the Olympus 60 mm f 2.8 ED Macro. This is a true macro lens that allows you to take images 1:1 or at life size (the same actual size as the sensor). This lens is also water sealed, which makes it ideal for use in wet weather. The lens comes with a focus limiting switch which reduces the distances it focuses on. This is a fantastic option to have with macro, as it stops much of the annoying hunting when the camera searches for focus by going to the extremes of focus. This can take time, so by limiting it, you get faster focus. You can also switch the lens to 1:1, which is very handy as you can go straight to the closest focus.
Unidentified native flower - Olympus 60 mm f 2.8 ED Macro lens © Leonard Metcalf 2015
This lens is sharp, very sharp. It rivals the Olympus 75 mm 1.8 and the Voitlander 25 mm f 0.95 in tests. So for its price it is the cheapest sharp lens available for micro four thirds.
It is small and light weight, and still comes in at a very good price. It is made of plastic, and does have that feel to it.
This lens can be used for portraiture as well, though you won't get the creamy bokeh you get with the 75 mm.
For the price, and its quality, this lens is definitely on my must have list, for the images it is capable of producing is well worth the small outlay.
Wish List
The following list is the lenses that are on my shopping list. Perhaps it is better to say they are on my wish list. I am not sure if I really need them. I would like the 12 - 40 mm f 2.8 as it is weather sealed, and as I shoot so often in the rain it would bring peace of mind to my photographic practice. The wide angle zoom may be fun, while the longer zooms will give me greater reach with wildlife.
Olympus 12 mm f 2.0 ED
Olympus 12 - 40 mm f 2.8 ED PRO
Olympus 40 - 150 mm f 2.8 ED PRO
Olympus 7 - 14 mm f 2.8 ED PRO (yet to be released)
Olympus 300 mm f 4.0 ED Pro (yet to be released)
While I am on my wish list Olympus, how about a Pro series weatherproof fast aperture metal construction 25mm. One that allows me to get reasonably close, like my a Voitlander does. A lens like this would soon become my number one favourite and would see more use than any other lens. Photographing in the rain and mist is where my best photographs are created. I really don't understand why the 75mm lens isn't weather sealed, while I can easily Judith it with the cheaper primes they make.
Recommended
I would recommend these lenses based on reviews and images I have seen taken with them, but I don't need them as I already have other lenses that perform adequately in their focal length. I tend to prefer Olympus lenses as they don't have image stabilization built into them, for the stabilization is built into my camera.
Panasonic Vario 12 - 35 mm f2.8 ASPH P.I.O.S.
Panasonic Vario 7 - 14 mm f 4.0 ASPH
Leica DG Summilux 25 mm f/1.4 ASPH.
Leica DG Nocticron 42.5 mm f 1.2 ASPH P.I.O.S.
Voitlander Nokton 42.5 mm f 0.95
Don't bother
These are the lenses I have used and I don't like. I see a noticeable lack of clarity when using them as they are no where near as sharp as the recommended lenses. I can clearly see the difference with these lenses on my small 10 inch prints (30 cm), let alone when doing larger enlargements. I have some of these, and will happily give them to anyone who would use them.
Olympus 12 - 50 mm
Olympus 14 - 42 mm
Olympus 75 - 300 mm