Vintage Micro 4/3 Cameras

Godfrey said:
... then I got a pair of Oly E-1s very cheap. Still have one of the E-1 bodies and a few lenses, it remains my all time favorite DSLR...
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I just have to agree with you about the Olympus E-1, an absolute favourite. And there are some superb lenses to go with it...


Regards, David
 
I have to admit a strong inclination to a m4/3 camera and almost pulled the trigger for an Em1 II as they seemed very inexpensive used. Of course, who could not want an Pen F digital? (probably many of you). but everytime the opportunity presented it self, I could not dive in. Maybe intimidated of the Olympus menus and I hate learning new interfaces and OS's. I had the same cold feet about the Nikon Df.

Somehow I am wedded to the Nikon 1 system. It makes total sense in operation (it's a Nikon) and images very good. There are several novel Nikon designed lenses which are excellent. Just stuck in CX land. the land of the dead.

m4/3 makes sense to me but I'm a coward.

Somehow I did not flinch at a M240.
 
I think of my (old) m 4/3 cameras as alternatives to my M10-9-8 cameras. It is challenging to use these little cameras to get some good photos. I took quite a few photos in San Francisco (in the streets) with the E-P2 and E-PL1. The Panasonic Summilux 25/1.4 is an excellent lens, and its AF works well with the E-PL1. I used it on Aperture Priority and AUTO ISO or ISO 200 (daylight). The E-P2 was better suited with the Canon 50/1.4 ltm. Most of the time, setting the distance slightly closer than infinity and aperture 8-11 made the camera like an AF camera. Just point and shoot.
 
The Olympus E-P1 is one of my all-time favorite cameras. I still have my original one, though the screen was scratched up pretty badly in a travel accident. I have an E-PL1 that's still my knockaround beachgoing digital. And I bought an E-P2 cheap mostly for LCD viewfinder that was bundled with it.

My old Panasonic G1 is also still going strong last I checked, given to a friend for her daughter to learn on.

M43 cameras are just so darn usable.
 
bcostin said:
The Olympus E-P1 is one of my all-time favorite cameras. I still have my original one, though the screen was scratched up pretty badly in a travel accident. I have an E-PL1 that's still my knockaround beachgoing digital. And I bought an E-P2 cheap mostly for LCD viewfinder that was bundled with it.

My old Panasonic G1 is also still going strong last I checked, given to a friend for her daughter to learn on.

M43 cameras are just so darn usable.
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Had the EP1, I bought a kit on closeout with the 17/2.8 and VF1. What a neat little kit! Not perfect by any means, but definitely my favorite 12MP body. All I own from that kit anymore is the VF1.
 
bcostin said:
The Olympus E-P1 is one of my all-time favorite cameras. I still have my original one, though the screen was scratched up pretty badly in a travel accident. I have an E-PL1 that's still my knockaround beachgoing digital. And I bought an E-P2 cheap mostly for LCD viewfinder that was bundled with it.

My old Panasonic G1 is also still going strong last I checked, given to a friend for her daughter to learn on.

M43 cameras are just so darn usable.
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N
Not m4/3 but Olympus TG-5 one of the best possible beachgoing cams. Just so handy and RAW, if you like.
 
AAlfano said:
How are you liking that camera? At one time Amazon (and probably other retailers) had this camera with the 12–32 and 45–150 lens for, if memory serves, $497. Kind of kicking myself for not picking one up at that price.
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I don't have it anymore (sold it for a GX9 which I somehow didn't care for quite as much - but I think that was more the JJC add-on grip instead of the more comfortable Gariz leather case for the previous model), but I used it for 3+ years as my main camera. It's a good camera! Particularly the IBIS, the L Monochrome profile and even the standard color profile. There are some good used prices over on Mu-43.com.
 
I went through 3, really 3, digital cameras all failed at some point. My iPhone 12 works better than any of the digital cameras that I have used. But, I have not used the Leica so I can not compare. Just my humble opinion.
 
AAlfano said:
How are you liking that camera? At one time Amazon (and probably other retailers) had this camera with the 12–32 and 45–150 lens for, if memory serves, $497. Kind of kicking myself for not picking one up at that price.
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The GX85 can take some very decent images. There was a couple of generations of m43 cameras that all used the same 16mp sensor, just as the current cameras use the same 20mp sensor, so raw image quality across different bodies was pretty much the same. The GM1, GH3 and GX85 have the same or very similar 16mp sensors.

Handling is a bit iffy for me. I find the grip to be less than comfortable when holding the camera for a while, and a grip would greatly improve it. Apart from that, it's as snappy and responsive as any camera from that generation. IBIS is smooth and steady, and the 4k video is very usable, although it does crop a bit. It's great as a travel camera, daily shooter or street shooter. I do prefer the colours from the GM1, though.

GX85 with Olympus 12mm f2


GX85 - Eat 66 by Archiver, on Flickr

GX85 with Olympus 25mm f1.8


GX85 - In the shadow of the gates by Archiver, on Flickr
 
Steve Bellayr said:
I went through 3, really 3, digital cameras all failed at some point. My iPhone 12 works better than any of the digital cameras that I have used. But, I have not used the Leica so I can not compare. Just my humble opinion.
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Sounds like your digital cameras were from nineties. iPhones cameras are perfect match for them.
 
Steve Bellayr said:
I went through 3, really 3, digital cameras all failed at some point. My iPhone 12 works better than any of the digital cameras that I have used. But, I have not used the Leica so I can not compare. Just my humble opinion.
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Phones tend to be pretty reliable for image making, although they lack a lot of features and ergonomics which make them really practical cameras.
 
raid said:
I think of my (old) m 4/3 cameras as alternatives to my M10-9-8 cameras. It is challenging to use these little cameras to get some good photos. I took quite a few photos in San Francisco (in the streets) with the E-P2 and E-PL1. The Panasonic Summilux 25/1.4 is an excellent lens, and its AF works well with the E-PL1. I used it on Aperture Priority and AUTO ISO or ISO 200 (daylight). The E-P2 was better suited with the Canon 50/1.4 ltm. Most of the time, setting the distance slightly closer than infinity and aperture 8-11 made the camera like an AF camera. Just point and shoot.
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A few years back, you went on a trip and posted about advice for what to bring with you. You settled on a couple of small m43 cameas and came back with some great images. Was that the trip you're talking about?
 
No. I had a trip to San Francisco from June 9-16 this year. I used the same two cameras as in my trip to Italy a few years ago. Only difference was using the Canon 50/1.4 in place of the Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5 from the 1930’s. I did not want to risk losing the Sonnar.
 
Switched my mobile on two weeks ago and it stopped working during the start-up sequence. Picked it up to see why the screen was frozen and it was warm and getting hotter...

Got a replacement, the lens on the camera was dreadful. Like a Summar at its worst.

Now waiting for the next replacement to arrive...

OTOH, my elderly, heavy dSLR with sticky black finish and simple menu from 2002 is doing fine.

Everyone's mileage varies because of age and usage. And that is why I don't apply one tale of woe to every camera, car or smart phone. It's a matter of choosing carefully and being prepared to pay for a full service and a bit of luck that really matters.


Regards, David
 
raid said:
No. I had a trip to San Francisco from June 9-16 this year. I used the same two cameras as in my trip to Italy a few years ago. Only difference was using the Canon 50/1.4 in place of the Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5 from the 1930’s. I did not want to risk losing the Sonnar.
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Ah yes, the trip to Italy. That's the one I was thinking of.

It's almost impossible to find a 'bad' camera made by the usual companies in the last ten to fifteen years. Heck, I still shoot with my Canon 30D from 2006/2007, albeit with a new Sigma 18-35. The OG m43 cameras might be outdated and lacking in features compared with later models, but as many here have shown, they are still capable image making machines.

Still tempted to pick up that Panasonic GH1 just to be able to say I've got one. If only it was a GH2 - the GH2 was something of a watershed moment in independent low budget film making, especially with the hacks that gave it higher bitrate codecs. There was a time when lots of people had GH2s and Voigtlander lenses and posted their travel videos on Vimeo, much like YouTubers do now with cameras like the GH5, Sony A7 III and others.

I kind of miss the GH2 days of 2010-2013, there was a sense of innocence and excitement about it all. Now YouTube is full of people talking about 'cinematic b-roll' and other such trash.

The hacked GH2 with Voigtlander and Rokinon lenses was used to film a gorgeous independent movie called Upstream Color:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SilYsr_3vrA

French independent Seb Farges is/was a strong proponent of early GH cameras and vintage or manual focus lenses. This art film called Womanhattan was shot on a variety of cameras, much of it on GH1 and GH2.

https://vimeo.com/31303587

Seb shot this super cool atmospheric video using the GH2 and Voigtlander Nokton 25mm back in January 2011.

https://vimeo.com/18547872

The GH1 and GH2 had a reasonable hand grip, but were small enough that no one really paid much attention to them. The GH3 was bigger, GH4 bigger still, GH5 the size of a small DSLR and the G9 even larger.
 
Thanks for the replies re: GX85. I'm going to be on the lookout for one at a good price.



As Indiana Jones said, it's not the years, it's the miles.
 
David Hughes said:
Switched my mobile on two weeks ago and it stopped working during the start-up sequence. Picked it up to see why the screen was frozen and it was warm and getting hotter...

Got a replacement, the lens on the camera was dreadful. Like a Summar at its worst.

Now waiting for the next replacement to arrive...

OTOH, my elderly, heavy dSLR with sticky black finish and simple menu from 2002 is doing fine.

Everyone's mileage varies because of age and usage. And that is why I don't apply one tale of woe to every camera, car or smart phone. It's a matter of choosing carefully and being prepared to pay for a full service and a bit of luck that really matters.


Regards, David
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Family Canon 500D received new batteries this week. It will be still superior to iPhone Super Pro 200 from 2040, simply because of cockroache tit size sensors of phones.
This camera is from 2009, all works.
While iPhones are simply recyclable. They don't have battery access anymore because Apple doesn't want you to use phone more than three years or so.
So, 500D is from 2009 and I just can't even count how many phones I have to change since then. They became absolute quick.
 
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