Thoughts about Full Frame and Micro Four Thirds/Cropped Sensor Cameras

When I published my post regarding my full frame, Sony A7 camera versus the Olympus OMD E-M1 (a cropped sensor, m43 camera), I knew it would gain some traction, but I didn't realize how much of a response it would elicit. Many have been asking me follow up questions like what I prefer and if I could only buy one which one would I get. While the quick answer is the Olympus OMD E-M1, I believe this requires a qualified response since I have been gearing my business towards more studio and portrait work with off camera lighting. 

A studio headshot taken with the OMD E-M1 - Oly 75mm @ f/5.6

Let's get the technical stuff out of the way first. The Olympus OMD and other micro four thirds cameras have a crop factor of 2. Let's assume I am using a Canon 5D Mark II (a full frame camera I had used this past weekend) with a 50mm prime lens. If I decide to mount a Canon lens on my OMD, the field of view will change to  ~100mm. The crop factor also applies to the depth of field (not light gathering potential). While you will hear a lot of people saying that the strength of full frame cameras is being able to capture an image with a shallow depth of field, I say the strength of m43 cameras is the fact that it has such a great depth of field. Imagine shooting at f/2 on a m43, that's equal to a depth of field similar to f/4 on a full frame camera. 

When shooting groups this extra depth of field truly comes in handy. Not only will I be able to shoot at a lower aperture and still ensure that all people are sharp and in focus, I can as a result bump down my ISO for a cleaner image and/or raise the shutter speed to prevent shutter shock/motion blur. This becomes especially helpful in low light conditions like events and or weddings.

While not really a group shot, the extra depth of field I got when shooting at f/1.4 with the Panasonic 25mm and OMD really helped bring context to this image. 

This is another shot taken from the Rise of the Jack O Lanterns at the Descanso Gardens. Both shots were taken at ISO 800 below 1/30th of a second (hand held).

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.    

A weekend with the Sony A7 and the Olympus OM 50mm f1/.4 - Breathing new life to an old lens

Features

• All metal construction weighing in at 230g (per my research)
• 49mm filter thread
• Close focuses down to 0.45m or 1.47 feet. 
• 180 degree focus ring throw
• Manual aperture adjustments in full stop increments from f/1.4 to f/16
• Optical construction of 7 elements in 6 groups
• Cat eye bokeh wide open with hexagonal shapes closed down

Pros

• Sharp at the center even wide open
• Inexpensive to adapt to most mirrorless cameras
• Light weight, all metal construction that maintains heft and appearance of quality
• Covers a full frame sensor
• Focus ring has just the right amount of throw from near focus to infinity
• You can get fairly up close and personal with your subjects

Cons

• Noticeable vignetting at f/1.4
• Soft along the edges. Improves at around f/2.8
• Manual focus only (I don't know if I can qualify that as a con, but I understand it may be to some)
• Back lighting or direct sunlight into lens occasionally yield soft, washed out images. 

A very quick snap of the Olympus 50mm  f/1.4 on a battle tested Olympus OM 40 film camera. For a fast 50, it is quite a small lens. 

The search for a new camera - deciding between the Fuji XT-1 and Sony Alpha A7

This camera had to go to justify purchasing my new toy. Which one did I get? Read on

The desire to purchase a new camera usually boils down to one or a combination of the following: GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), status symbol, the need for better image quality and/or to fill the hole in a lens system. As for me, image quality is further down the list of reasons why I wanted to "invest" in a new camera. In fact, there isn't a camera out there that will make me want to sell my OMD E-M1. So why the heck am I in the market for a new system. Simply put, I just want it. 

So here's my oversimplified criteria for a new camera:

• You can adjust the exposure triangle (ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture) without taking your eyes away from the EVF. 
• A huge plus if you can change the focus points without taking your eyes away from the EVF
• APSC or larger sensor
• Must be mirrorless interchangeable lens system - so it boils down to Sony or Fuji (sorry Leica, you're out of my league)
• The available glass must fill a hole in my current system

Countless days of research, consultation with friends and physically holding cameras at brick and mortar shops led to two cameras that seem to fit my needs: the Sony A7 and the Fuji X-T1. In Fuji's favor is their lens line up. In my opinion, Fuji rivals the micro four thirds system in the prime glass department, but not so much in the zoom department largely due to the variable aperture aspect. Sony's existing line up of primes and the newly released 70-200mm constant f/4 G lens had me drooling. Not only are the sample pictures found online incredibly impressive, it's also white like Canon's =). All jokes aside, the 70-200mm lens will fill 90% of my photographic needs and WILL be an immediate purchase if I go the Alpha route. 

As far as the body goes, the XT-1 feels most like the E-M1, which to me is an ergonomic dream. My biggest gripe is the dial placement and button feel. For my taste, I would have switched the ISO dial with the exposure compensation dial and made the directional pad more tactile and less squishy. Changing the aperture on the lens is neat and all, but not my preferred method. Overall, good, but not OMD good. With the Sony A7, I was initially taken aback at how unconventional the grip and feel was especially with the vertical battery pack. My finger placement for the shutter release was a lot more forward with other cameras, while the A7 was pushed back towards the top of the body. Holding the camera in front of you to compose with the rear screen contorted my wrist in a strange way, but as soon as you bring the camera to your eye, it felt right. It seemed the engineers designed the camera to be held this way. If I could design the A7, I would have raised the Custom 1 button as I found it difficult to feel for, place the front dial flush with the front grip and made the control wheel have more resistance. Other than that, the A7 strangely felt very familiar. It's so easy to nitpick at the smallest things, but at the end of the day both cameras are functionally/ergonomically sound and I could easily learn to adapt to each body with enough practice.

The tipping point that eventually made me purchase the A7, besides meeting the above criteria, was price. Believe or not, B&H's trade in promotional deal specifically for Sony was too appealing [trade in your camera and receive 15% off of the A7(r/s) and accessories/lenses, plus the value of your camera]. At the sacrifice of my Pen E-P5, I was able to purchase the A7 & vertical grip for well under $900. I couldn't believe I essentially purchased a full frame camera for a price point lower than my E-M1. I look forward to spending some quality time with my new toy and reporting my findings to you all.  

Who do I run excitedly to with my new camera...of course my fellow photographer
and brother. This was taken with the 70-200mm f/4 g lens @100mm. BOKEHLICIOUS

So say we all,
Dino