Micro 4/3 is good enough for big prints
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 бер 2019
- Following on from a recent video where I extolled the virtues of Micro 4/3 cameras I decided to go out and shoot a landscape image in order to make a very large print. Rather than just use the excellent Panasonic G9 I opted to take the old Olympus EM5 Mk1, a 16 megapixel model from 2012. In addition I coupled it with some very basic zoom lenses rather than pack the f/2.8 versions.
The results were no surprise to me, the camera is capable of making superb prints up to and beyond 36” wide providing you process them properly.
See the full size image here:
www.flickr.com/photos/silver-...
Equipment used:
Olympus OMD EM5 Mk1
Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6
Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6
Panasonic 45-150mm f/4-5.6
Velbon Rexi L Tripod
Vlogging Equipment:
GoPro Hero 7 Black
Incidental Music by Epidemic Sound:
Immersion
There are photographers who pixel peep, and there are photographers who print. Lovely video.
Like it Carlo. Is that a photographic alternative to 'they can't see the wood for the trees'?
Jìì
I printed a large canvas from a 16mp image from my G80 and my wife kept wiping the canvas because she thought it was dirty. Turns out it was dirt on the zebra that I photographed!!
Blimey, that is sharp. I also love my G80 , especially that incredibly soft shutter action.
@@SteveONions I came from the G7 which wasn't exactly loud but I still thought there was something wrong with the camera when I received it as its so soft and silent! No need for electronic shutter when the mechanical is so quiet!
Yeah the photo was taken with the 100-400 which likely helped :)
I only use the electronic shutter for time lapses to save on wear and tear. I always wanted the GX8 but it had the dreaded shutter shock issue and I had similar problems with the first generation Sony A7. On my EM5 Mk1 I always use the short delay option on first shutter.
@@SteveONions Thats funny as thats all I use it for! Although I did forget the other day and used the manual shutter and cursed loudly afterwards 🤣
I am also partial to the 4k burst function for fast birds in flight like garden birds :₩
Canvas has texture that hides all manner of quality issues.
Cheers. The photography community (well, the world really) needs more of this. We get so caught up in the hardware comparison cycle.... when we should just be out shooting and sharing our art. Thanks!
Totally agree, I have all the image quality I ever need for stills. The video quality has come on in leaps and bounds in recent cameras and the weather sealing is also better but I can see camera phones taking even more of the market in future.
That's correct too much new gear syndrome m43 perfectly good enough
@@SteveONions Let me tell you, you got a hell of a good future vision for 2019... just days ago I slipped a bunch of my phone's photos mixed with a rented Canon R5's, the thing just couldn't get in there to take some of the tight shots... and not a single complaint from the client, I know anything lesser than ideal conditions the quality falls apart, but it's crazy nevertheless.
I think now it's better to stay on full-frame or otherwise go with a good 1-inch bridge or just the phone
This is exactly what I have been saying to my photography mad friends! I have a Nikon D750, Olympus E-M10 Mk ii and a Panasonic GX-80. I have high quality optics for the D750, and literally 'cheap' Pana/Oly/Sigma glasses for the MFT cameras. I cannot tell the difference between the D750 and the MFT cameras unless I magnify the images to 1 metre wide (which I don't). The D750 gives me better tonality and slightly better definition, but that is only for critical work. Indeed, I use my MFT gear 90% of the time now! I carry two bodies and 4 lenses, all in one shoulder bag that weights less than 2 kg.! No way can I do that with my D750. The reason we buy cameras is to go out and enjoy photography, not be smug about what brick you have on your neck!
You’re wrong. Oh. No. Wait. You’re actually empirically quite right. Absolutely fascinating from start to finish 😊👍
Thanks Dave, and I love nothing more than empirical evidence.
This video is a revelation! Thank you so much for taking the time to show us what a 4/3 camera is able to do. I love it!
I really liked your comment about not believing everything you hear on the internet. That's good advice no matter what the subject!
Waaay too many trolls on the internet and rubbishing everything that is not their brand.
Brilliant demonstration. I am glad you also picked a dynamic range challenging scene. m43 is absolutely fantastic. The price of high quality cameras and lenses for m43 is unreal. High end Photography has never been this easy to get into. And to be able to do professional level work with it as well.
Fantastic video. So true that people should stop worrying about equipment and spend more time making photos!
Really good to see someone talking some basic sense on image quality. Most of my best shots were taken on a 6MP Canon SLR from 2002, and they look great up to A3, and still make decent A2 prints. There's far too much gear gatekeeping in photography these days by people who are obsessed with the relatively tiny differences between formats and launch into hyperbole about them.
You’ve just cured my G.A.S. and saved me a lot of money - thanks! :)
Thanks Philip (but I don’t think the camera companies will agree).
What a great demo! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this!! Your video was the final straw that convinced me to purchase the e-m1 mark ii.
My G85 and I thank you for this solid presentation.
Very well done !!! CONGRATS !! YOU ARE EXACT ON POINT !!! thank you soo much for your time !!!
Thanks for the video Steve. It was certainly educational, informative and entertaining. Always enjoyable to view your work and walks. Cheers from Canada.
Thanks Wayne.
Great one Steve! Totally agree with your view about making prints on M4/3! In fact in some ways I think 4/3 sensor has some advantages over larger sensors regarding depth of field. Larger sensors will record greater detail and cleaner images but those differences will only be noticeable when looking at large prints from up close. Secondly most people seldom print bigger than A3 in which case the quality differences are hardly worth discussing. For pro photographers I think the main advantage of high resolution is the ability to make large crops and still maintain enough resolution for the same large prints.
Absolutely Michael, I doubt it would be possible to discern any real differences at A3. Cropping is one area where extra sensor size can help, I find the same with 4x5 shots.
The depth of field advantage is rarely mentioned as a Micro 4/3 plus point but for landscape work it is a huge bonus.
@@SteveONions I think the cropping thing is more about pixel count. Two cameras with the same megapixel count and the same angle of view should print basically the same.
who would have thought that Mads Mikkelsen uses micro 4/3 sensor and print big files.
It’s all been downhill since Casino Royale 😦
Great subject and great editing. Got my attention from beginning to end. Very well done!
Thanks Andrea.
Brilliant, entertaining and effective! you nailed it about the "need" aspect for printing. Well done, great video and a beautiful photo and print.
Thanks Arthur.
GR8 informative video and excellent advert for 4/3 😊👍🏻
Spot on, I have an omd em1 and it's perfect for my needs, and the quality of the prints that come out of it are superb!
Another excellent camera, I really wanted one when they came out.
I have the same. Quality is amazing and I have had many published images...
This should be shared further. Thank you Steve. The videos I have seen from you also seem to have improved over time. Well done, and looking forward to seeing more. 👍
Thanks David. 👍
WOW!!! Steve that was interesting and great photo. Thanks for all the work.
Thanks Michael.
what a fantastic vlog sharing! fluent,professional and gorgeous picture.finally revealed a fact the micro 4/3 is adequate .i totally agree with you.thanks for sharing.
Thank you Joseph.
Steve bostin video. I would now think about adding 4\3 to my collection of formats after watching your video. Thank you Pol.
the olympus have good size and strong IBS
I did find this very informative, educational, entertaining and even inspiring for photographer like myself on a small sensor budget. Thanks and nicely done!
Thanks Bruce.
Nice to see a practical "proof is in the pudding" video on this topic. I liked that you showed the printmaking process all the way from concept to finished print. Well done!
Thanks Joel.
Hi Steve! This video is excellent. A while back, you did a similar video, but instead of a micro 4/3re camera, you used a 35mm camera. Based on that video, I came across a 35mm Olympus Trip, from the Salvation Army Thrift Shop, camera circa 1970 or so, for $10 Canadian. I'm bringing it, and my Canon EOS M2 with me in a trip to Ireland this fall. The Olympus Trip will be loaded with black and white, the EOS M2 will be for colour and video. Based on your video this morning, I'm travelling with a full frame digital (well, after scanning the film,) and all the wonders of a somewhat modern digital as well. Both are amazingly small, and only the Canon requires batteries, as the Trip uses a lens mounted light meter that, magically, makes its own electricity, and (cheekily) is solar powered!
Thanks again for all the videos you post, Steve. They are always both educational and inspiring.
Thanks Shaun. I will also be doing a trip this year where I use Nikon film and digital cameras that share the same lenses. The best of both worlds.
I had the EM5 back in 2013 and found it to print amazing images. Now I have the Pen F and it is even better. My little travel and hiking wonder cameras.
If someone had told me it was 24mpix I would have believed them judging by the image quality. I sold my 24mpix Sony after buying the Olympus.
well done Steve ! amazing video and content!
Very interesting and helpful. Your video makes me see how important it is to get out and explore the world with the time and resources you already have.
Exactly David. We all have the tools we need and must spend our time using them rather than arguing pointlessly about minor technical differences.
Great video Steve, I love my Olympus Em1, will never now go back to the bulky full frame alternatives out there 👍
I will actually be out with a full frame Nikon soon but I have a very good excuse, honest 🙂
You are absolutely correct. Thanks ...
Thanks for making this video - nice to see M43 doing so well for big prints
Thanks Garland.
Great video Steve! It’s educational and you combine technical knowledge with art. And I guess that’s what taking stills has always been about. I never like getting up early for a shot but you made me reconsider 😃 Keep up those great videos!
Thanks, and remember that alarm clock!
Hi Steve, good to see you going big with M4/3 prints. I'm now using a G9 and a GH5 for my paid work after selling most of my Canon gear which I had built up over many years. It gives me all I need for a digital workflow at the moment. I still have my Canon FD gear though and often use these lenses on the Panasonic cameras with a cheap dumb adapter. Works a treat.
I think I'd use M/43 for my job if I were a Pro too, I am sure clients rarely ask what camera you are using. I also had a set of FD lenses I used on a Sony A7 as they were so much smaller and lighter than the huge zooms that seem to overbalance the body.
Steve, really pleasant and informative video. I shoot full frame, I love it but it is a bit of a beast to carry around. I bought my son a Panasonic 16MP m4/3 kit, and he loves it. Great photos for most situations, and OK photos in low light. Ease of carrying means a lot!
Glad you liked it Andrew.
Fast becoming a favorite photography channel of mine.
Lucid, real-world and practical, advocate AGAINST paradigm of more = better.
I enjoy the start-to-finish depiction and the insights along the way: start with describing the plan, cutaways to shots and tips during the shoot, return to studio for post work, and wrap up discussion. Tidy. And the thoughtful narration and editing make +15 min videos an easy watch.
Extremely well-done videos here, thank you very much Steve.
Of course it only all works as long as the end result of the work resonates with the audience. I, for one, am hugely impressed.
Perhaps because I've grown up with photography, dad was a camera enthusiast before digital was an option, I've never found the ultra-clean, grain-free, "silky" sharp look of modern well-processed photography all that compelling: sorta like electronic music with no soul. But put a drum machine and a sampler in the hands of the right person?
There's magic in everything- just takes an original mind to extract it.
Thanks Michael, I am glad you liked the format as it takes quite a lot of effort to put these multi-part videos together (especially when the printer plays up and wastes another 40” of paper) 🙂
Thanks a lot Steve! Great explaining and examples!
Thank you.
Thank you, Steve :) great job. The photograph looks exciting. And I'm surprised - you did it a simple lens gear. This small camera - Oly E-PL5 is a perfect universal tool.
The M43 lenses I’ve used have all been good Vess, it is a lot easier to make small optics than larger ones.
Great video Steve! I've personally made multiple A3 prints from my Olympus Em10 Mark I and I have been more than satisfied with the image quality. Oh and I love the Panasonic 40-150mm! Such a fantastic lens for the price👍
It’s almost a crime how good those lenses are for the price 👍
A crime I'm willing to commit, 😂
Oh, bought one already. Guilty as charged!
Really convincing video, well done 👍
Thank you Steve, such a rational approach
absolutely agree with all of this.
very nice video , i got my em5 makr 2 this year , and saved a lot of money MFT have a lot of features and beats FF in many areas
Thank you for not only showing the capabilities of a smaller sensor, but also the brilliance that kit lens can be.
Thanks Mike
Thanks for this! M43 is really any amazing system and proof that there really aren't any bad cameras any more. Anyone who says your wrong is simply insecure about their own choices. Thanks again, from an EM5 mark 2 user.
Love the EM5 David, truly a revolutionary camera which still works wonders today.
The GX9 is a smaller camera but with the same or similar 20 megapixel sensor. I have the GX80, also a great camera but compact. Great video, it shows the M43 cameras can produce some great photos and prints :-)
Very true Michael. The only real area things are improving in is video which has come on in leaps and bounds. I suspect we are reaching the point with that where extra gains will be hard to spot soon.
You're dead right. I came to that conclusion a while ago, and that is why I switched to m43 system completely. Thanks for the great job.
Thanks Jean, I believe what I can see with my own eyes and not what I’m told by experts.
I have the same Olympus OMD EM5 and am using it for all purpose. I think it is about what suits to our needs.
Thank you for your honest opinion, glad that you have your channel putting an effort to deliver us right content.
Thank you.
That sunrise is amazing!
My E-P5 is still my favorite travel camera.
UA-cam's algorithm recommended your channel to me and as someone who loves micro four thirds and looking to get a system for travel and backpacking, I want to say thanks to you and the algorithm!
Very jealous that you have a printer capable of making such big prints too!
Thank you. I do like the big printer until a cartridge runs out and I need to spend £45 😕
Very convincing! Thanks
Another top honest vlog thanks Steve along with Craig at E6 the best by far 🙏
Thanks Gary 😀
Great test Steve. I agree if you start with a well exposed quality raw file and process it properly you can make nice prints from older, lower MP cameras. The other thing to keep in mind is viewing distance. Yes if you hold prints up to your nose, prints from FF cameras will look better at such close viewing distances, but it would probably be difficult to tell the difference at proper viewing distances.
Absolutely Larry, without a good original capture it wouldn’t be possible hence my selection was based on a very clean and sharp original.
I also find that most people cannot focus close enough to discern real differences in big prints unless they use reading glasses (which sort of defeats the point of making a big print for me).
One of your best videos yet Steve, more please 📷
Thanks Carl.
Excellent video being a four thirds shooter myself I couldn’t agree more. Thankyou for highlighting a much maligned system of late that is still capable of excellent results.
I changed from full frame a few years ago and have never regretted it. I can carry it all day long without really noticing it.
Thanks Alan.
Thanks Steve, I just subscribed and look forward to more interesting videos
Excellent! I have been shooing my 12mp full frame Canon 5d since I bought it new in 2007. My experience exactly mirrors yours - I do have other "better" cameras but 16mp is just fine folks. Its still my go to slr camera for digital.
you might want to alter the second reference to a 5D being 16Mp.
12mp is also just fine.
@@henrym78 yup, as are the 8Mp images that my Canon 20D delivers.
Great video the Panasonic GX80 must be one of the best compact micro four thirds, now use my G9 and my Ricoh GRii for street. I would have kept the GX80 but it's not so pocketable as the GR
Excellent video, thank you
You are welcome 🙂
Great prints and photos!
Thanks Carlos.
A cell phone can print a damned good 8x10...the Micro 4/3 is no better or worse than any other camera system in that the skill of the photographer is 10000x more important than the gear.
Totally agree, I’d rather have a slightly better composition than 10x more pixels.
Cool! I personally have been rocking A3+ (13' x 19") with my 1" sensor FZ2500 Lumix! Very nice results!
I also used to make big prints from the earlier FZ1000, plenty of detail in there.
Hi Steve, wonderful content..... your prints look amazing. well done Olympus Em5 Mk1
regards IanJB
Very interesting and just what I needed to see 👍👌
I love my Olympus EM1 Mark III, used to shoot Nikon.
Or a very small CMOS crop sensor camera, Pentax KP
Very informative video, nicely presented, well done, thanks.
Cheers Alan.
I like your channel very much. Found it a couple of weeks ago when i stumbled over your video why m43 is perfect for landscapes. I always asked myself why I like the look of the results I get from m43 and feel no need to upgrade to a larger sensor. You said it in that video: m43 pictures have an organic look and therefore are more pleasing to the eye. I agree with you. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for commenting. I always believe my own eyes and if something looks good it looks good regardless of what others might say.
I use a Lumix GX85 and a 12-35 f2.8. It has given me some great larger prints
Enjoyed the video Steve, as I do all of them. I'm old school and don't believe the photo is complete until it is printed, matted and framed. I suspect you may be of the same mindset. My camera inventory (film & digital) is pretty similar to yours and I have no issue printing and selling prints up to A1 size with any of them, micro 4/3 up to 6x7 film. I own a G9 and was interested in the 80 MP high res mode, being in the southwest US where tree movement and such is a non issue. Even though the results can be impressive when done right, I found the straight 20 MP files were perfectly fine for what I print, even cropped to 15 MP square format, the format I use 80-90% of the time.
Couldn’t agree more, I also find 20mp fine even though the 80mp option is tempting.
@@SteveONions It is really nice to have access to the larger files of the high res mode but they kill my relatively powerful computer. 16 mpx raw files works just fine.
Great video. Thanks!
Honest opinion great to hear
Awesome video! For me A4 is more than enough and more than I need. I own an Olympus OMD EM10 mark II with 16mpx resolution and folks always bashed me around saying I could not get a decent A4 pic out of it... Can you use Jpeg files or need to be Raw?
Thanks Marco. You could use a jpg but artefacts would start showing up around the A2 size I think.
I have the EM10 mkII and you can set the camera to shoot JPG Super Fine in the settings and that would be best quality with the least amount of compression. Best quality you’ll get from RAW images if you care to post process them.
is it random that the video is 14:42 long? my panasonic lens has that name haha I hope it is not random ;) great video!
Conspiracy theory 😯
Very useful!!! Thank you very much
Enjoyed it, thanks for clear and easy to listen to explanation, good points.
Thanks Robin.
I have and use the same camera and some primes. I think the primes are good and relatively inexpensive. A good tripod and cable release help get the most out of the setup. And the 4x3 aspect ratio is perfect imho, which is the reason I use this camera!
I don't even print but I watched this....using a Panasonic gf3 in 2019
Greetings from New York. Just discovered your channel and find the initial video excellent. I just added an Olympus EM-1M1 as a "back up" to my D810 FF kit after a recent knee injury. I did spend a bit more on the glass but not much more than you did for your camera in the video. I can attest to the quality of the images/prints. A2 is probably the largest I'd ever go so it really does the job. Plus it's saving my knee a bit on those long hikes. Happy to subscribe to your channel and view some of your other videos.
Thanks Miguel, it is surprising how saving a few pounds in weight makes all the difference on a long walk, especially if it is uphill. I often lug a big camera with me and by the end of the day I don't want to take any more photos which defeats the point of carrying it.
Excellent video Steve
Seven people with full frame cameras with fingers in their ears...
Micro 4/3 is a dead platform. Mirrorless full frame has replaced them.
@@shawnsteuer9951 no hating, just stating
@Rajasekharan Vichattu you're right, smartphones effectively replaced watches, computers, and cameras
Rajasekharan Vichattu I mean lets be real those people weren't going to buy a camera full frame or otherwise.
MFT is definitely not dead!
😐....But but Tony said M4/3 is dead 😟
Hehe, but he may be right if the marketing people see bigger profits in full frame models. The same has happened to digicams, many were capable of excellent images but people stopped buying them because the sensor was too small apparently.
He only said it to gain views as they have ran out of original content for their channel.
The king and queen of ‘clickbait’
You are going on holiday, you have a full frame, or even an APSC dslr and two lenses, say 18-55mm and a 70-200mm. You also have a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera with the equivalent same lenses, what would you take? For me, it will be the lightest and easier to carry around with me and that will be Micro Four Thirds.
I only really use my DSLR for landscapes now, for street and travel I use my light 16 mp Lumix G80 M43.
@@Theytoldmetodoit1 As a wildlife photographer I say absolutely screw carrying around FF telephoto lenses and thats if I could even afford them 😂
Couldn’t agree more with not needing loads of mega pixels. I used to shoot with an out the ark Olympus E-1 and printed A3 easily. I,ve recently purchased an E-M5 and this video has reassured me I made the right choice.
great lesson !!
So true, my Oly em5 is still making great prints. And so is my 30 year old Olympus OM2. New tools are nice but if the old tools still work why be a gadget hopper ?
Absolutely, I still use my 35mm cameras and make very large prints from them.
Steve Great video, finally somebody comes out an says it. I have printed large photos from point an shoots people would swear it was a dslr. Thanks again, love to see the m43 at work. My shots www.staffordfuhs.com have wildlife from point an shoots an 4/3 gear dating back to 2007.
Much thanks,
Jay
Very striking images Jay, the mono work in particular is excellent.
@@SteveONions Much thanks my friend, I cant shoot a landscape to save my life LOL!
Keep up the great videos.
The "Fox on the fence" clearly shows the disadvantage of m4/3 or perhaps rather the disadvantage of slow lenses. If shot with something like 400/2.8 on full frame we would have got much better isolation from background and forground. A Panasonic G9 with a 200/1.4 would have done the job equally well. The problem is that you can''t but such a thing. This is one of the reasons many people prefer full frame. Faster lenses also makes it possible to use shorter shutter speeds without raising the iso. Not raising the iso in turn results in better colors. In wildlife and bird photography you often make massive crops even with long expensive telephoto lenses and there is no such thing as enough megapixels. It's nothing wrong with m4/3 but you need to chose the right tool for the job.
Very true Uno but for my type of photography I often walk for many miles on mountain trails so weight is the number one consideration. For easy to access locations I will often shoot 4x5 or 8x10.
you motivated me to keep my EM5
Fascinated to watch this. I've owned a wide range of 16mp M43 cameras over the years, and have used them professionally without any qualms. I even shot a few weddings using an EM5 mk1 and a Sony A7. At album size, the clients couldn't tell the difference!
I doubt many people would spot much difference at A2 either Keith unless they were looking so close they needed reading glasses. A minor improvement in composition is worth more to me than a lot more megapixels or bigger sensor.
For me the actual size of sensor is irrelevant. Image quality, camera size, lens sizes, weight, portability, battery life, compatibility, price, reliability, ease of use, etc. are too many factors that cannot be reduced to sensor size. I bet that smaller sensors, thus portability, will be the future. The technology advances quickly, hardware and software.
Close up of the largest print did not look especially good to me....
Are you going to be viewing a print that large from that close up?
You have a point but then again nobody can focus that closely, I needed the macro feature on my lens and you’d need to be so close that x3 reading glasses were mandatory.
@@Disco_Shrew People go that close to my prints, which are 150 x 100 cm.
@@SteveONions A lot of people do that on my prints, which are 150 x 100 cm. That´s why I use a medium format camera.
@@mistermadsen Yes, that situation is not unusual if you hang your prints i a gallery. People don't always have the sense to view your images at proper distance.
Very informative, interesting and entertaining. Thank you! Your video shows also the fact, that the photographer takes pictures and not the camera. By the way, a very nice result and a very nice scenery to take pictures.
Thanks Andreas.
Brilliant video Steve.
Thanks Andy.
12 people can’t make prints with their full frame bodies
Haha for real
FX better still. Size matters.
Medium format or large format better still?
Blark Dexture If size is the only thing that matters then photographers would still be shooting 10x8 which is still far far sharper than any microscopic in comparison 35mm digital camera. They mostly don’t because compromises are made for convenience. Nevertheless a full kit of 35mm and above is heavy and the point of this video is to show that m43 is still very capable. The guy who made the video shoots everything up to large format so he knows very well about all the advantages of a bigger size.
John P wouldn’t worry about any trolls, the video speaks for itself. I think people are obsessed with pixel peeping on high res monitors. I’m planning on printing some decent sized photos for my new house, which will be shot on m43 - once I get time to shoot them! I considered changing systems or even renting FF, but there are a few videos on UA-cam showing that the difference isn’t worth the cost or weight. They’re generally videos by excellent, knowledgeable people like this one. People who know their stuff and actually take photos and print them 😊
Size certainly matters if its an ego trip
@@SteveONions Absolutely!
Excellent... really enjoyed that.
Really nice video Steve. Keep up your work. Best regards.
Thanks Lars.