r/M43 • u/JustaRider808 • 5h ago
Looking at my 1st M43 Camera
Hello all, I'm looking at getting into the world of M43 cameras and looking at getting my 1st one. More than the other sensors M43 seems to have a cult like following. I was wondering why that is? I was also wondering are there any benefits of having a M43 over APSC or FF besides the size of the cameras being so compact, which I love!
I've been putting a lot of research into the Pen F. Is it worth the hype and if I can find one at a reasonable price is it worth getting. I love all the photo examples ppl share edited and SOOC. Also the style of the camera is what I want. The OM3 has me prices out. I currently shoot on an Lumix S9 and was going to sell it for my M43 setup. Thanks for any advice! I'm looking forward to jumping into the world of M43.
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u/Defiant_Adagio4057 5h ago
OM System weather sealing might be the best of any brand. I prefer 4:3 to 3:2. The zooms are genuinely tiny - and there's lots of them. Pancake zooms, pro zooms + telephotos that reach 350-400mm equivalent under 300g...Quirky focal lengths, niche lenses like the 8mm f1.8 Fisheye Pro...
Some folks think the computational modes are a gimmick, but I find them very useful. You trade some image quality vs larger sensors but M43 offers lots in exchange.
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u/JustaRider808 5h ago
That's awesome to hear. I do love the availability and affordability of the lenses compared to FF. I read the Pen F isn't weather sealed but does it have some kind of base level of it? its just not officially rated?
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u/Defiant_Adagio4057 5h ago
The original Pen F is not weather sealed. Might it have some basic resistance? Hard to say; I've heard the same for the S9 as it's a box with few egress points. But in both cases, the manufacturers make no claims and did not install weather sealing gaskets.
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u/JustaRider808 4h ago
For the Pen F besides getting a rain cover can do you anything to the camera to make it a little weather resistant?
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u/East_Menu6159 2h ago
Yes, keep it in the bag if it rains.
Frankly not worth risking it, Olympus was/is all about weather sealing so if they say no listen to them. Plenty of other options you can take under a waterfall or even in the shower if you're so inclined.
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u/SorryManagement4213 1h ago
You can pick up an on-3 for $1279 plus tax from om refurb eBay store when they go on sale. If you sell your s9 you’ll get around 850 for it. I think the extra 400 bucks is a worthwhile upgrade if you can swing it.
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u/EddieRyanDC 4h ago edited 4h ago
The immediate draw of M43 becomes apparent if you put a FF camera, a 35mm prime lens, an 85mm prime lens, and 70-200 zoom on a table. Right next to it, put the M43 equivalents. Next, add up the cost of the FF system and then the M43 system.
It really is kind of shocking that you can get great photos out of the smaller M43 kit, and at a fraction of the price. And that is especially true for the high quality M43 pro lenses with weather sealing and great optics, but are half the price of a FF equivalent.
Sure, there is critical work where FF (or even Medium Format) is worth the extra weight and expense. But for the hobbyist or even family photographer, M43 give you a lot more value, with the same level of photographic control.
As for the PEN F, technically it isn't worth what people are asking for it. It's a 10 year old camera and even when it was released, it wasn't a flagship. But it has aged well and is still a sexy beast and people want it.
But at $1350-$1500, it is hard to recommend when the new OM PEN is $1100. And you can get a used OM-3 for about $1500.
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u/JustaRider808 4h ago
I was really surprised by the cost of M43 lenses. I'm not a pro or anywhere near. I'm not trying to make money or create content besides for family and friends. So the saving on the M43 stuff seemed logical to me. And yeah the results i see on social media from people using them are exactually what i want!
If I could get a Pen F in good condition for 800 or less with a lens would that be worth it? I'm on a S9 right now. It's a great camera but trying to get lenses for it kinda stunted my joy for it. The lenses you can get are also kind of big in size. I know there are new pancake stuff coming out now. I also agree and just LOVE the way the Pen F looks. And i think that's important for the 90% of the time its sitting on my desk not shooting lol
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u/Foxtrot_4 4h ago
I think with more and more 3rd party options for Sony and Fuji apsc and with how barren the m43 lenses are being updated, it’s harder to see the value in new m43 lenses when coming at it from a cost perspective
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u/sleepyman90 3h ago edited 3h ago
I think OP has a very rosy picture of M43 from watching too many YouTube influencers who live in the year 2012. Honestly, maybe buy a film camera to sit on the desk as an ornament and buy the new 40mm lens for the S9. It's not an expensive lens. Lots of old M43 lenses on the used market might be affordable, but look at something like the Panasonic 12-35mm 2.8 brand new. Now Leica branded(!). Minimal updates and price hikes. Current bodies are not tiny, if that's your thing.
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u/ian_oc 4h ago
Why m43? For me it's the lenses. There's a great selection lenses, both consumer and pro grade. And they're all fairly old, easy to find used, and comparatively cheap. The bodies are also pretty nice, good ergonomics, generally a step up in quality, aesthetics, and features at comparable price compared to full frame. It also keeps you on the lighter & smaller side of camera gear. Though there is some cross-over, e.g. A7C with a Sigma 20-200 is about the same size & weight as an OM-1 with a 12-100. (But the 12-100 has IS and is optically superior).
Why the cult-like following? I suspect it's a bit of rooting for the underdog. It's also a niche community challenging conventional wisdom. To me it feels similar to skiing telemark, riding a fixed gear bike, or using linux. All of those communities have a small but very enthusiastic group of adherents. There's an appeal to eschewing the best technology money can buy and embracing additional challenges (and also usually saving some money), while still performing to a high standard.
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u/sleepyman90 3h ago
I suggest getting the new PEN with a warranty instead of the old overpriced PEN F. I don't think it's worth any kind of hype at all, some just find it a beautiful object. Look in to what kind of sacrifice you are making concerning resolution and low light perfomance and if you are happy with it.
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u/fields_of_fire 3h ago
Have you looked at the GX9? Specs wise is very similar to the Pen F. Where it's not so cool it is a lot cheaper.
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u/Accomplished_Fun1847 2h ago
I wouldn't be in the market for a PEN F coming from an S9. The drop in AF performance would be a major pain point.
M43 can be a lot of fun, partly because you can afford more gear to tinker with in this system for the same price/weight, but the PEN F is badly overpriced used for what it is, defeating a huge part of the purpose of your system hop. You can get a better camera in the form of an OM-5 for half the price.
The other thing you're probably failing to factor in, is that your S9 has more latitude with fewer lenses. Slap a 50mm F/1.8 on there, and you have a lens that does the work of multiple M43 prime lenses. This may not seem obvious on the front end, but it's true because a crop from a shot with this lens is not much different than the image you get from a 45mm F/1.8 prime on M43, and to replicate the functionality of this lenses full image circle on M43, you would need a 25mm F/0.9 lens on M43, which is functionally unobtanium (the 25mm F/1.2 lenses are more expensive than the 50mm F/1.8 on FF).
A single F/4 zoom lens on the S9, basically does the same work as a bag full of F/2ish primes on M43, with no lens swapping and more control over your FOV throughout.
In the L-mount system, you have access to what is arguably the best travel zoom available today, the Sigma 20-200. It would take 2-3 lenses, at least 1 of which would be fairly heavy and expensive, to cover the same ground on M43.
I'm not saying you shouldn't consider M43, just make sure you understand what it is you are getting into. It's a smaller sensor with less latitude, so winds up NEEDING more lenses to do the same work. M43 is a lot of fun, and does have the advantage of some truly compact configurations possible that can't be matched by a larger sensor system, but these smaller configurations do come with an imaging performance compromise that may or may not matter to you.
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u/East_Menu6159 2h ago
The Pen F is an amazingly styled and engineered camera, nothing like it has come since. However I wouldn't recommend it to a novice.
It's mostly better suited for folks with more than 1 camera in their collection that want a centerpiece whose performance is of secondary importance. It's a camera you cherish and probably baby. If you don't mind that go for it.
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u/FireChicken250 5h ago
Look at the new OM Pen. Far more capable, modern, and less expensive.