Full Frame vs. Micro Four Thirds (m43): Sony A7 vs. the Olympus OMD E-M1

The mirrorless world is full of options and I am happy that it is progressing as quickly as it has. I have been fortunate enough to own both a mirrorless full frame camera from the Sony A7 series and what is arguably the best micro four thirds camera out in the market today, the Olympus OMD E-M1. I wanted to challenge all of my fellow mirrorless shooters to see if they can tell the difference from the two cameras under controlled, studio settings. I will post which camera I used in a couple of days.

I think immediately you will notice the difference in skin tones. I purposefully picked these two wonderful ladies as they share a very similar color (I even posed them similarly). In processing the shots, I made sure to use a similar white balance and hue to demonstrate the rendering of both the Olympus OMD and the Sony A7 files. I will let you decide which you like best, but to my eyes it is hard to tell which is which especially when you have good light.    

Canon 5D Mark II vs. the Olympus OMD E-M1 - It's not a matter of what's the best camera, but what's best for you

Not too long ago, I was recruited by a friend to take some studio style shots for an upcoming jump rope competition. To create a uniformed look, he requested that I shoot with one of his Canons, particularly the 5D MarkII.  A little part of me was really excited at the opportunity of shooting with a full frame camera and another part of me was afraid if this will have an ill effect on my wallet. Long story short, I am not convinced DSLRs are the right camera for me. This post is not an exhaustive comparison of the two cameras in terms of image quality, noise levels or other DPreview test factors, rather an explanation of how it fits or doesn't fit into my workflow and personal preference.  I will qualify my statement by explaining below what I do like about using the Canon 5D Mark II or 5D2 for short.

The tiny yet mighty Olympus OMD E-M1

Let’s start with the things I like. I know one of the selling points of a mirrorless camera is the form factor and size. The battery grip is permanently attached to my E-M1 because it not only improves the functionality of the camera, but also prevents my pinky from awkwardly dangling beneath the body. The 5D2 I am borrowing has the battery grip attached to it and I love how secure it feels in my hand even with the 24-105 f/4 lens attached. The buttons also have an amazing tactile feel to it, something that was definitely missing in the OMD E-M5 (but improved tremendously with the E-M1).  I dedicated all of my time shooting manually with the 5D2, since I will be doing so at the competition and I found changing Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO effortless.  Even more significant was the ability to change said settings including the focus points without having to take my eye away from the viewfinder. Ergonomically and functionally speaking, Canon just hit this camera out of the park.