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climbrocks
124
Mar 31, 2017
Not sure why you'd go Sony over micro 43. Ok, the sensor is slightly larger, but not dramatically so. M43 has more lens options by many times over, which drives down prices and increases secondary market availability by far. MD offered both the Olympus E-M5 II and M10 II for great prices. In my opinion, go with one of those
CodyToombs
26
Mar 31, 2017
climbrocksIt's not quite that simple. Going the Micro 4/3 (M43/MFT/etc) route can be described as sacrificing a little bit on crop factor to get some (marginally) cheaper lenses from a larger array of manufacturers. That's not an entirely unfair description, but it's over-simplifying things.
If somebody has even the faintest inkling that they might need or want to pick up a full frame camera, going the Sony route will be much more efficient. Sony's E-mount lenses work with both APSC and full frame cameras, so you've got an actual upgrade path. And if you end up with both types of bodies for any reason—and there are plenty of reasons—it's possible to share the same lens across both. This simply isn't an option with M43. (Note: Before anybody jumps to make an argument out of this... yes, lenses intended for APSC cameras will usually produce vignetting on bodies with full frame sensors, but the point is that you can do it, and it's not that bad to crop off the edges. More importantly, you can use an EF lens on an APSC body and it works perfectly.)
There's also the subject of lens quality. I'm not talking about the low end where the quality is roughly the same. I mean, it's not like M43 lenses can't easily match up against Sony's kit lenses and some other entry-level glass from Tamron and Sigma; but as you climb the ladder, even at mid-range, it's increasingly rare to find comparable M43 lenses. The manufacturers just aren't investing in that part of the market. And once you're talking about high-end lenses, it gets harder. (Note: again there are exceptions here, but they are almost universally cine lenses and the prices are actually much higher than comparable options for Sony.)
We could also nitpick the feature differences between Sony cameras (specifically the slightly aging a6000) and various M43 cameras all day long, but that would go nowhere fast. Every system has fans and they'll point out how they couldn't live without some feature. I like Sony's feature set, and there's not much worth saying after that.
None of this is to say micro 4/3 is bad or that it should be avoided, just that there are other factors that may be important to many people beyond reaping the benefits of a bit more competition between brands. There are also other things to consider, like sensor capabilities, software and accessory ecosystem, proprietary components, and such... but I've already gone on long enough.
DoughDough
3
Apr 1, 2017
CodyToombsYou are clearly uninformed about the micro 4/3 lens system. Lack of quality at the high end of the range? Olympus and Panasonic have full ranges pro zooms that stack up in quality with lenses from any manufacturer. Additionally, unlike the Sony 24-70 and 70-200 f2.8, theyre actually affordavle and made to match the smaller body size of a mirror less camera. The f2.8 zooms from Sony look and feel absolutely ridiculous on any of the a7 bodies.
yslee
87
Apr 4, 2017
DoughDoughClearly plenty of Sony fanboys for such an uninformed opinion to get 5 likes.
lastzero
254
Apr 7, 2017
DoughDoughIn the same vein you also have the SIgma 18-35/1.8 and 50-100/1.8 APS-C "pro" zooms.
mayorblurps
499
Apr 9, 2017
CodyToombsThis was very helpful info for an amateur looking at the a series vs something M43. I was leaning towards the Sony, but also looking at similar-priced cameras. I've always liked Sony's image quality, ever since my first digital camera years and years ago...maybe 15 years? Both systems obviously have their merits but for my needs I think the Sony is just fine.
climbrocks
124
Apr 9, 2017
mayorblurpsTo me, that makes a lot of sense. I regret my initial post, no need to bash the Sony's when I don't have experience with them--I'm a Canon and Olympus shooter. I love the m43 bodies from Olympus, especially the EM5 II, but that's just me. Threads are full of people espousing the merits of each, but at the end of the day, you go with the one you feel comfortable with and which produces the image quality you like. Enjoy!
robobonobo
42
Aug 20, 2017
climbrocksThat slightly larger sensor allows you to pull a lot more from the highlights and shadows of RAW files. The lens system is actually pretty comparable: 71 vs 86 according to Camera Decision. This doesn't even account for the vastly larger selection of adaptable lenses. The Sony 6xxx series also has about the best one-handed ergonomics on the market imo.
M43 has some really nice cameras and lenses too. In particular, the constant aperture zoom lenses are fantastic and more compact than what can be offered by larger sensor systems. Sony doesn't do well at this and I would definitely recommend M43 for people most interested in zoom lenses on a compact system. There's plenty of shooters who will be very well served by the outstanding performance and value of Sony though.