Camera purchase decision, need help!

[Picadordali]

Hey guys,

I'm new here and need some advice or help on my decision for buying my first mirrorless camera.

I spent the last two weeks watching videos and gathering some information of what camera would be the best choice for my budget (around 1000 euros).

I really like the Sony a6400 or Sony a7 both are around 1000 euros and would come with a kit objective.

Now it came that a friend of mine wants to sell his old Olympus omd em1 camera with a 3/4 sensor for about the same price with 4! Objectives. An Olympus digital 12-40mm 1:2.8 pro, an Olympus 75mm 1:1.8 ed msc, an Lumix 14 0.18m and an Olympus digital 45mm 1:1.8.

I tried out the Olympus and kinda like it but I am not sure now if I should take it or buy a new sony camera with a bigger sensor. I know that there are very contradicting arguments all over the internet about sensor sizes. But there is a tendency that people recommend the apsc and full frame sensors over the 3/4.

What is your opinion?

I would appreciate any advice and experience.


Best your


picadordali

 

[Jeff15]

Hello and welcome, go for the Sony.....

 

[mathbias]

What kinds of photos do you expect to take? (Ordinary size) subjects near or far away? Subjects moving or stationary? Hand held camera or tripod?

I recently bought an a7 iii with a 28-70 lens and a 105 macro lens. Probably I made the wrong choice selecting full frame, but I'm far from sure yet. I want to take photos at a wide range of distances. The macro lens covers very close (which my previous camera could not). But in a full frame camera, 105mm doesn't get the distant shots I want (wildlife etc.). I use a tripod a lot (because I don't have a steady hand). The steady shot features of the a7 are pretty good, so for middle distances, I don't really need the tripod. I'll probably buy more lenses. If I had expected to get just one lens, I would definitely not have chosen the a7 iii, because no reasonable lens covers the variety of photos I hope to take.

I really hate the manual focus of the a7 iii. If you have a really good eye for focus, maybe it is OK. But I desperately need some numerical feedback and it gives you none. The speed you move the focus ring matters more than the distance, so you can't move it bit, decide you liked it better before, and simply move it back. In lots of situations, the autofocus is just a bit on the short side. It can be set up to autofocus then let you manual adjust. But I can't manual adjust by a reproducible amount.

 

[Fujidave]

I have Sony Full frame as you will see in my signature, if you could maybe go for the Sony A7C then you get the best of both worlds.

 

[ac12]

First off, if it is the EM1 (the original aka the mk1). Then be aware that there is an issue with the back wheel on "some" of them, where it will stop working. Mine has been fine (fingers crossed). It the camera has been serviced for that, you are OK. If not, IF it fails, the repair will likely not be worth the cost.

As for micro 4/3, I love it.
As a senior citizen, size and weight is a problem that it wasn't when I was 20 years younger.
I switched from an APS-C Nikon D7200 + 18-140 to an Olympus EM1 + Panasonic/Lumix 12-60. The weight of the kit went down about 43%. The bulk/size went down, but that is harder to measure. After a 2 week vacation, I was not as worn out as I would have been, with the bigger/heavier APS-C/DX kit. I was happy with the switch to m4/3.

For ME, the only place were m4/3 lags DX/FX is in LOW light; high school night sports (football, soccer, lacrosse) and gym sports (volleyball and basketball). For those, I still pull out the D7200. Our school is not ble$$ed with good lighting.
But other than that, I use the m4/3.

Study the Olympus m4/3 lenses.
There are two distinct sets of lenses. The bigger/heavier/expensive pro lenses. And the smaller/lighter/cheaper non-pro lenses. Each has their place. When I do a shoot, I evaluate the requirements of the shoot, then select the lens(es) that best meet those requirements. Sometimes it is the smaller/lighter non-pro lens that I select for a shoot.
I travel with a couple of non-pro lenses, to keep the weight of the travel kit down to what I can handle; the Panasonic/Lumix 12-60 and the Olympus 17/1.8.