micro four thirds??

jpgreenwood

jpgreenwood

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In my quest to find a quality travel camera, to replace my Panasonic LX100, Ive become bamboozled with the sheer amount of options available.
My main criteria is to have interchangeable lenses, be small and compact, and can go as wide as possible (10mm or less).
I like the Fuji X range but think it might be above budget.

Ive been offered an Olympus E-PL8 with kit lens (14-42mm), and theres a good choice of Chinese fisheye/wide angle lenses (Brightin Star, Risespray, 7Artisans, Laowa,, Pergear)
Ive noticed Olympus do a 9mm Bodycap lens which fits the bill but reviews arent that good.
Can anyone advise on this suggested route?
 
jpgreenwood said:
In my quest to find a quality travel camera, to replace my Panasonic LX100, Ive become bamboozled with the sheer amount of options available.
My main criteria is to have interchangeable lenses, be small and compact, and can go as wide as possible (10mm or less).
I like the Fuji X range but think it might be above budget.

Ive been offered an Olympus E-PL8 with kit lens (14-42mm), and theres a good choice of Chinese fisheye/wide angle lenses (Brightin Star, Risespray, 7Artisans, Laowa,, Pergear)
Ive noticed Olympus do a 9mm Bodycap lens which fits the bill but reviews arent that good.
Can anyone advise on this suggested route?
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The lack of a viewfinder would bother me.

The 9mm Olympus lens is in fact quite good, in fact probably the best £65 I have spent on a lens :)
I often carry it on a Panasonic GX7, and the retractable 14-42 is also very convenient.
 
jpgreenwood said:
My main criteria is to have interchangeable lenses, be small and compact, and can go as wide as possible (10mm or less).
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If you can find one, you may wish to investigate the Panasonic GM5.

With its standard 12~32mm lens it will fit in a jacket pocket and takes all M43 lenses. I have a couple for when I want to travel light. Here are mine next to a film SLR as a size comparison...

Panasonic GM5s with Canon FT-QL TZ70 P1030694.JPG
 
Sangoma said:
The lack of a viewfinder would bother me.

The 9mm Olympus lens is in fact quite good, in fact probably the best £65 I have spent on a lens :)
I often carry it on a Panasonic GX7, and the retractable 14-42 is also very convenient.
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Yeah, I like the EVF on my Panasonic as it has no articulating screen. However, my next choice of camera will.
So i can maybe do without the EVF.
I'd like to see some sample images of the 9mm if you have any?
 
jpgreenwood said:
Yeah, I like the EVF on my Panasonic as it has no articulating screen. However, my next choice of camera will.
So i can maybe do without the EVF.
I'd like to see some sample images of the 9mm if you have any?
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What would you be looking for?
 
jpgreenwood said:
Ive noticed Olympus do a 9mm Bodycap lens which fits the bill but reviews arent that good.
Can anyone advise on this suggested route?
Click to expand...

I have the 7Artisans 7.5mm and the 9mm body cap.

The 9mm body cap is surprisingly good. But quirky. It's very flush and compact on the body. The fisheye effect isn't so pronounced. It's fixed aperture.

The 7.5mm fisheye is better and more versatile. And has the advantage of wider and variable aperture. But metal construction and heavier. I usually just set the lever to near or far - rarely focused with it through the EVF of screen.

I used to tuck the 9mm body cap into my bag every time I travelled with a 4/3 kit a few years ago. It is that convenient. But for planned use I'd pack the 7.5mm. I tend to actually focus with it properly.
 
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Dryce said:
The 9mm body cap is surprisingly good. But quirky. It's very flush and compact on the body. The fisheye effect isn't so pronounced. It's fixed aperture.
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Yes, there is surprisingly little distortion, and that is easily removed in Affinity.

I also have the Panasonic 7-14, and as you, for anything planned I use that. It is better, but 7 times the price :)

I'm not a fisheye fan, but if you are I would suggest the 9mm is not the lens to have.
 
I’m weighing up the Olympus 9mm BLC or the Risespray 7.5mm F2.8 (7artisan clone).
I’d like to see how the images come out and the quality and sharpness compare. Also in low light if possible. Many thanks
 
jpgreenwood said:
I’m weighing up the Olympus 9mm BLC or the Risespray 7.5mm F2.8 (7artisan clone).
I’d like to see how the images come out and the quality and sharpness compare. Also in low light if possible. Many thanks
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It seems you wouldn't be happy with any of the several renames of the Samyang 7.5mm. So you may want to excercise some care when buying remotely.

Personally, I rather like the fisheye version...

Wooden double doors Samyang 7.5mm E-PL1 P6181513.JPG
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
t seems you wouldn't be happy with any of the several renames of the Samyang 7.5mm. So you may want to excercise some care when buying remotely
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Not sure what you mean? Less than 10mm is exactly what I’m looking for. I’m experimenting so wide angle or fisheye would suffice .
 
The Samyang 7.5mm is a bargain and can capture superb images.

Unsure why Andrew says that. Maybe due to getting a good one may be a little hit & miss?

I had to send a 14mm f2.8 Samyang Sony mount back as it was faulty.

Not had an issue with M43 lenses though.
 
jpgreenwood said:
I’m weighing up the Olympus 9mm BLC or the Risespray 7.5mm F2.8 (7artisan clone).
I’d like to see how the images come out and the quality and sharpness compare. Also in low light if possible. Many thanks
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I don't think you could judge quality and sharpness on a image on here, it would look bad if it was terrible.
Have a look here https://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/olympus_9mm_f_8_fisheye_body_cap_review/sample_images you can download the originals

On a lens of that length, it is unlikely that it would be heavily cropped.

I don't know that I would consider it for low light use, f8?? And the performance would probably depend as much or more on the camera, I don't see it as a low light lens.

I really think a decision between the two would be made with the basic differences more than the comparative results.
 
One camera I had a love / hate relationship with is the Panasonic G100. On the plus side it's tiny and has an articulated screen and a lovely EVF and the dynamic range and image quality are the best I've had from MFT. The only downside for me was the lack of a second near top of camera control dial so you have to use the back wheel and I just hate that and I kept jogging it accidentally.

I sold mine for that handling issue but for people who like small light cameras and nice evf's and who don't mind using the back wheel I think it's definitely worth a look.
 
Sangoma said:
I agree, have two of them, but neither fits in my pocket as a travel camera :)
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maybe so BUT what a camera. i think definately suitable as a travel camera, it is coming with me to Portugal later this year. why must a travel camera be able to fit into a pocket anyway.



mmm.jpg
you might as well go with the smallest such as the panasonic DC- TZ95

DSC_2728.jpg

but it does not have interchangable lens
or even smaller to the Nikon L26


btos.jpg

I still think the pana G9 is the best out of all of them for travel

meet the family. Taken with panasonicHc-X1500 camcorder and still extracted within camcorder

camera family.jpg
the L26 I keep in the car should I need a camera quickly
 
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The G9 is bigger than my FF Sony A7 and that does put me off. I much prefer smaller kit. The lens choice does matter when trying to keep the bulk and weight down but there are small FF lenses these days. Personally I think MFT makes the most sense when keeping the camera and lens size down.
 
woof woof said:
The G9 is bigger than my FF Sony A7 and that does put me off. I much prefer smaller kit. The lens choice does matter when trying to keep the bulk and weight down but there are small FF lenses these days. Personally I think MFT makes the most sense when keeping the camera and lens size down.
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sony a7 = £2200 size 5 x 3.7 x 1.89″
Pana G9 =£930 Size 5.4 x 3.8 x 3.6 in.
That is what I had to consider based on camera without any lens, so not that much difference in size
 
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jpgreenwood said:
Not sure what you mean? Less than 10mm is exactly what I’m looking for. I’m experimenting so wide angle or fisheye would suffice .
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Sorry.

I got the impression that you were concerned with image quality and drew the (obviously wrong) conclusion that a fisheye wouldn't be on your list. If it is, then the 7.5mm is well worth your looking at; they're very reasonably priced these days.
 
realspeed said:
sony a7 = £2200 size 5 x 3.7 x 1.89″
Pana G9 =£930 Size 5.4 x 3.8 x 3.6 in.
That is what I had to consider based on camera without any lens, so not that much difference in size
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£930 is double what they can be bought for, and I got the impression the OP was looking at used.

Ans looking at the first post, a G9 isn't quite what came to mind.
 
I prefer to quote new prices as used cameras can be in any condition . A good looking used camera may look ok on the outside but the guts may be at end iof life.
OP
Quote " My main criteria is to have interchangeable lenses, be small and compact, and can go as wide as possible (10mm or less)." unquote
and that is what I was basing my opinion on. No mention of second hand cameras. I don't know where you read that from in the original post
 
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realspeed said:
I prefer to quote new prices as used cameras can be in any condition . A good looking used camera may look ok on the outside but the guts may be at end iof life.
OP
Quote " My main criteria is to have interchangeable lenses, be small and compact, and can go as wide as possible (10mm or less)." unquote
and that is what I was basing my opinion on. No mention of second hand cameras. I don't know where you read that from in the original post
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My apologies, I thought the Olympus E-PL8 was not a current model, I'm not well up on Olympus.
 
I recently bought a E-PL5 as a back up ,occasional use for the wife etc ,as it will handle all my Olympus lenses and I already had the small flash gun for it . As stated above the screen is the pits in bright sunlight so I invested in a flash mounted evf by Olympus that turns it into a very versatile camera for very little money .. will post some pics once my holiday is over . Super little evf to as it can be used in line with the lens or tilted upright as in cameras of yore
 
the black fox said:
...so I invested in a flash mounted evf by Olympus that turns it into a very versatile camera for very little money
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Definitely a good investment in my opinion.

If you have the choice, I'd pick the VF2 over the VF3 - I've used both and found the earlier model much better than its successor. Here it is with my EP5 and the 500mm Tamron. The VF2 makes the whole thing surprisingly useful...

Tamron 500mm and E-PL5 on tripod GM5 _1050779.JPG
 
I’d second what @Sangoma says about the Olympus 9mm BCL - yes it’s tiny and for the price you think you can’t go wrong but it’s f8. That’ll turn out to be really restrictive ( I had one, briefly ).

Personally I’d go for the Samyang 7.5mm FE - it’s f2.8 so you can chuck it one, set MFD and off you go. De-fish in LR
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Definitely a good investment in my opinion.

If you have the choice, I'd pick the VF2 over the VF3 - I've used both and found the earlier model much better than its successor. Here it is with my EP5 and the 500mm Tamron. The VF2 makes the whole thing surprisingly useful...

View attachment 423313
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Yep that’s the one I have andrew
 
As I’m in a tight budget, I bought the EPL8 which is pretty much brand new in box etc. Not sure what the shutter count is but it’s very very low. Maybe used on a family holiday once. Yes it’s white but hey-ho. Paid £250 .
I’ve ordered the Risespray 7.5mm F2.8 for about £66 which I believe is a Samyang clone.
I’m just dipping my toes into the M43 world and as it’s only going to be used maybe 3 times a year for travel trips, I didn’t want to spend mega bucks.
 
Thanks for the advice. Some comments have given me confidence in the M43 System and particularly lens options.
On first use (indoors) with the 14-42 kit lens, I’ve noticed shutter speeds are very slow compared to what I can achieve with my DSLR.
Is this a common thing with M43?
Do I need lots of light or stability to get the best out of it?
For eg: an indoor shot at F3.5, the camera was giving me 1/40 sec at ISO 400.
 
The IBIS is great ( I’ve only had experience of Olympus ) but I’ve taken handheld shots with up to 2.5second exposures and they’re sharp
 
O
jpgreenwood said:
Thanks for the advice. Some comments have given me confidence in the M43 System and particularly lens options.
On first use (indoors) with the 14-42 kit lens, I’ve noticed shutter speeds are very slow compared to what I can achieve with my DSLR.
Is this a common thing with M43?
Do I need lots of light or stability to get the best out of it?
For eg: an indoor shot at F3.5, the camera was giving me 1/40 sec at ISO 400.
Click to expand...
no should be exactly the same. I.e a f2.8 lens is always a f2.8 lens no matter what sensor size .so would suggest you override the auto mode and input your own settings
 
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