Need vs. Want: Micro Four Thirds Holding It Down. Lowlight and Jazz.

Need vs. Want: Micro Four Thirds Holding It Down.

Let me get this out of the way.

A new-ish full frame camera and lens is superior to an over 10 year old MFT camera and lens. Of course.

That is not the discussion here.

This is a matter of minimum spend and minimum requirements.

Years ago a chorus event was the beginning of the end for my first MFT Kit. I wrote about it in my first Nikon D3300 post back in <checks notes> 2014. Wow. Time flies.

• Planned on keeping both systems. Then I took both to a singing engagement for my choir in a dimly lit ballroom and the Nikon 18-55mm kit lens performed quite well. Much better than I expected in fact. 

AF and high ISOs were my issues. The camera discussed was the Olympus E-P5 which was released around the same time as the Panasonic Lumix DMS-GX7.

For that reason I was hesitant to use the MFT Kit for an event I was invited to. It was a jazz venue that had reached out to offer space to display my photography. I was asked to stop by a jazz performance one night to check out the space. The original invite was for Thursday night and I went out with a full frame solution in tow. But because rain it was cancelled. I was raised in upstate NY where nothing is closed until the snowfall is measured in feet and I have yet to adjust even after being here so many years. The jazz performance was moved to Friday. Do over. But this night I decided to go a different way. My thinking was that I wanted candid pics. A low key solution that would not draw attention. That screams MFT.

So what of my prior concerns? AF and low light performance? I am glad I imagined you asked.

It went great.

AF.

Both the GX7 and the even older GF1 did just fine with face detect AF. Were there some misses? Sure. But they hit many more times than they missed.

Noise.

As I stated in my last post Lightroom AI Denoise breathes new life into these older sensors across the board.

Add in silent electronic shutter with the GX7…

…and the quiet shutter of the GF1…

…to the small size and I was able to snap away.

Here are the results followed by some thoughts and a wrapup.

I walked the art space.

The star jazz event pairing of the night was the GX7 and Lumix 42.5mm f/1.7. Siren Series Jazz…

…was the group performing that evening.

I then pivoted to the GF1 and 20mm f/1.7 and they did just fine also.

And back to the GZ7/42.5mm f/1.7.

Intermission. Back to the gallery space.

I even broke out the should not work this well in cave lighting Lumix 45-150mm and it did fine as well.

And back to the GX7/42.5mm.

As I left I took a few pics of the exterior with the GF1/20mm f/1.7.

Thoughts.

Previously I had said that MFT is just fine for daily use. Well, this night it did just fine for more demanding work.

Would full frame gear have done better? Yes.

But it is an option, not a have to have.

A need, not a want.

One who has followed this blog space might ask:

After using MFT over the years how have I only now realized that it is the daily carry system for me?

I am glad I imagined you asked.

The short answer is that Panasonic is better suited to my needs and preferences than Olympus.

• The Olympus 17mm f/1.8 is a pleasure to behold, but I rarely made use of the AF/MF clutch and much prefer the 40mm full frame equivalent Lumix 20mm f/1.7.
  • The close focus, small size, and excellent IQ of the 20mm is an unbeatable alternative for me.
• I prefer the Lumix 14-42mm power zoom over the Olympus 14-42mm power zoom or Panasonic’s 14mm f/2.5 pancake prime.
  • Between the zooms I prefer the Lumix’s toggle switch over the zoom ring and the Lumix feels better in hand.
  • The flexibility of the zoom is an easy compromise for the slower aperture.
• I prefer the Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 O.I.S. lens over the Olympus 45mm f/1.8.
  • As good and possibly better IQ. I particularly like the bokeh balls and transitions between in and out of focus areas.
  • Much closer focus distance makes for a more flexible lens.
• I prefer the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-150mm f/4-5.6 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. over the Olympus OMD E-M1/Zuiko 40-150mm f/4-5.6 R.
  • Similar IQ, size, and cost and adds O.I.S.
• While lacking IBIS I prefer the Lumix GF1 over my first MFT camera, the Olympus E-PL5.
• I prefer the EVF having Lumix GX7 over the Olympus E-P5.
  • If the E-P5 had an EVF I may have never left Olympus MFT. It was my favorite Olympus camera performance and form factor wise but requiring an add on EVF was a deal breaker.

And this is great news for those seeking an affordable on ramp to digital interchangeable lens cameras. The GF1 and GX7 are the types of cameras I wish Panasonic and Olympus were leaning into now rather than releasing higher end cameras that rival the size and price of larger sensor solutions.

As I stated above. Full frame is better. Full frame is what I want. But it is an option. MFT also meets all of my needs.

That is about it.

Happy capturing.

-ELW