Micro 4/3 systems - lens selection

[rpcrowe]

I am awed with the plethora of lenses available for the Panasonic and Olympus 4/3 systems. What a great assortment!

Now look at the crap that Canon is fostering for their M-50. It's not a 4/3 camera but it is entering the field as a smaller camera offering. I suspected that the Canon hierarchy considers us morons and jerks and provides equipment only morons or jerks would be happy with. My suspicions are now confirmed...

Ms. Takahashi has done it again! She's the lady that cleans the restrooms at Canon Headquarters and moonlights as head of the Canon Marketing and Research Department

She was responsible for the 6D Mark-2 debacle and is very likely responsible for that cruddy selection of lenses for the M-50...

That lens assortment is "point and shoot-like"

I was "almost" considering the M-50 until I researched the lens availability. Sure, you can use an adapter with EF or EFS lenses but, heck, you can also use an adapter on the 4/3 cameras. However, that did not stop Panasonic and Olympus from providing a selection of very adequate to sterling quality small size lenses for their 4//3 systems...

[xpatUSA]

Quite a rant! Love the reference to the cleaning lady.

Hafta say that my Panasonic-Leica Elmarit 45mm Macro is one fine lens indeed ...

[DanK]

Well, what can you expect? This is the same cleaning staff that brought us, for example, that awful EF 100-400 4.5-5.6 that you and I both dislike so much and the dismal 7D Mark II that you love and I want and is still foisting the EF-S 17-55 on unsuspecting customers fully 12 years after it was introduced.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Maybe should have had my second cup of coffee first.

I was intrigued by the M-50 when I heard about it because the older I get, the more appealing a lighter camera seems. It took me just a few minutes on the web when I first heard about it to find that this camera is not aimed at the likes of you or me. You were right on the money when you wrote "point-and-shoot-like". What I read suggests that Canon introduced this camera to provide an inexpensive way to tempt novices away from their cell phone cameras--in other words, to recapture a bit of the huge portion of the point-and-shoot market they lost to cell phones. I think it's a long shot, but my guess is that if it succeeds even marginally, shareholders will be celebrating the corporation's good sense.

More seriously, re adapters: the main reason I am interested in a Canon mirrorless (so far, none seems appealing to me) is precisely because of the possibility of using it with my small collection of superb EF lenses. if I wanted to buy all new lenses, I could simply pick another brand, like Oly.

[davidedric]

Yes, good isn't it

[rpcrowe]

I don't need the most absolutely crisp lens in creation. In fact, I am having a lot of fun using my old (relatively new for me) Tokina 28-70mm f/2.8 ATX Pro lens, especially on my 7D Mark-2 camera.



What I don't want is to be so limited as to have f/6.3 as my widest aperture. I can live with the f/5.6 aperture of my 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS II lens but, the rest of my lenses are at least f/4 (70-200mm f/4L IS) and most of them have apertures ranging from f/1.8 to f/2.8...

[DanK]

What I don't want is to be so limited as to have f/6.3 as my widest aperture. I can live with the f/5.6 aperture of my 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS II lens but, the rest of my lenses are at least f/4

I absolutely agree with you. A camera designed to lure people away from cell phone cameras, however, just ain't the place to look for this.

[Shadowman]

When I tried the Olympus micro 4/3rd system there were enough lenses that matched in focal length what I was currently shooting with in DSLR, some of my issues aside from excessive noise was the ever changing software which would suddenly stop working and you'd have weeks before a replacement was available.

[William W]

For those of us who already have EF (and/or EF-S) Lenses, stating the obvious: it depends on our individual photographic goals and what path(s) we'd opt to take to achieve same . . .

Today, and probably tomorrow, I'm not at all upset by Canon's limited EF-M Lens offerings. I've got some very nice Canon EF Glass and the EF-M to EF/EF-S adapter is relatively inexpensive and it works a treat.

I see the option of a Canon Mirrorless Camera Body as an opportunity to gain a very fast, lightweight and very small kit whilst still retaining the availability to use my existing (very nice) Canon Lenses. To that end, I'd be very happy with an EOS M5 and the EF-M to EF/EF-S adapter.

And for my "Mirrorless Kit Lenses", I'd look at the boutique offerings which are available and I would use my 'mirrorless system' with an entirely different approach, whilst still retaining the option to plonk an EF lens on the M5, as and when necessary.

Other than the issue of size (and weight), I can't see much sense in buying a set of Canon Mirrorless Lenses (if such were available) only to mostly mimic what I already have... for one example an EF 24 to 70/2.8L works a treat on an M5, albeit oddly 'too big'.

With an EOS M5, I expect that my “mirrorless lens kit” would be something like -

Venus Optics 9mm F/2.8 Zero D
Samyang 21mm F/1.4
Mitakon 35mm F/0.95
Samyang 50mm F/1.2

WW

[DanK]

Bill,

I've been thinking along similar lines, although not yet in so much detail.

The weight difference between a 7DII and an M5 is huge, 910 vs. 428 g. However, the difference between the M5 and the lower-end DSLRs is smaller. E.g., the 77D is 540 g and not a great deal larger (e.g., 131 vs. 116 mm wide).

If I were to go the mirrorless route with an M5, I would want a couple of lightweight lenses that I could use when I was really concerned about weight, e.g., when traveling. The rest of the time I would use it as a replacement for my 7D, with my existing lenses.

None of this will happen in the near future, however...

Dan

[William W]

. . . and, it is an absolute blast using the gear.

You get not one, but TWO Lens Turrets, one is for Focussing -YES! you get to focus all by yourself, no Artificial Intelligence and the other Turret sets the Lens's Aperture, YAHOO! no AI setting it for you . . . it is just like how real photography used to be, but with the bonus of instant gratification.



WW

[William W]

Dan,

Some might laugh, but, in all seriousness I've tried a newer model EF-S 18 to 55 IS "Kit Lens" with the EF-M to EF-S Adapter, it's a very reasonable solution for 'traveling' - it ticks a lot of boxes, and there are many people who want to give that lens away.

Bill

[rpcrowe]

If I had the M50, I would probably use either the 50mm f/1.8 or the 40mm f/2.8 (pancake lens with an adapter).

Actually, I have an EF 135mm f/2.8 SF lens which is exceptionally light weight 390 grams) and which, without the soft focus selected, produces reasonably sharp images, especially on a crop camera. Here are some examples...
http://www.flickriver.com/lenses/can...withsoftfocus/

My EF 85mm f/1.8 lens would not be overkill and I like it on a crop format camera.

I do like the idea that the Canon M50 adapter includes a tripod ring...

My wife needs a small, light weight camera. I have an old Canon 350D (XT) stashed in a drawer someplace. I didn't even think of his until I read a posting somewhere which compared the 350D weight with that of the M50. At 540 grams the 350D is only a bit heavier than the M50 at 484 grams. The adapter probably evens out the weight if you are using an EF or EFS lens. This camera would be fine for my wife's needs which are shooting pictures of adoptive families with the dogs that they adopt from us. she doesn't do too well with her cell phone and doesn't like the little Canon P&S camera she has been using. Pair the 350D, oldie but goodie, up with the 40mm f/2.8 pancake and that should be a convenient package. Add the 270 EX flash and it should certainly take care of all of her needs at not too great a weight...

[Hanginon]

Don't buy anything right now.

This is a pivotal moment in photography...IMHO you need to wait until both Nikon and Canon have released their FF mirrorless cameras. I highly suspect Sony is waiting for this also, at which time they will respond with cameras they probably already have ready to go - maybe a A6700 and a huge megapixel A9. Whatever, we the consumer will benefit...features are going to be driven up, cost will be driven down.

You find some used gear at a great price, grab it - I also recently bought a used Tokina 28-70 2.8 lens (which I like) - but do not invest heavily in ANY system right now.

[davidedric]

Well, unless micro 4/3 suits you, as with Richard's opening line, in which case jump right in

Dave

Don't buy anything right now.

This is a pivotal moment in photography...IMHO you need to wait until both Nikon and Canon have released their FF mirrorless cameras. I highly suspect Sony is waiting for this also, at which time they will respond with cameras they probably already have ready to go - maybe a A6700 and a huge megapixel A9. Whatever, we the consumer will benefit...features are going to be driven up, cost will be driven down.

You find a some used gear a a great price, grab it - I also recently bought a used Tokina 28-70 2.8 lens (which I like) - but do not invest heavily in ANY system right now.

[rpcrowe]

Don't buy anything right now.

This is a pivotal moment in photography...IMHO you need to wait until both Nikon and Canon have released their FF mirrorless cameras. I highly suspect Sony is waiting for this also, at which time they will respond with cameras they probably already have ready to go - maybe a A6700 and a huge megapixel A9. Whatever, we the consumer will benefit...features are going to be driven up, cost will be driven down.

You find some used gear at a great price, grab it - I also recently bought a used Tokina 28-70 2.8 lens (which I like) - but do not invest heavily in ANY system right now.

I agree that the feature and price wars can only benefit the consumer. I am looking at a Sony A7iii right now. My local camera shop has one for $1999.00 USD AND has an offer of a trade in for any working DSLR camera and lens at $300 which would reduce the price to $1699.00... Add the 8% California state sales tax on to that and the price would be: $1834.92. I have an old Canon XT (350D) camera and a Sigma non image stabilized zoom lens that I would be happy to turn in for the $300 discount...

BTW: I also have a 28-70mm f/2.8 Tokina ATX Pro lens basically given to me by an old Navy shipmate who thought that he owed me something because as his bos, many years ago, I convinced him to apply for the warrant officer program. He did, was accepted and retired as a warrant officer at about 2-3x the pay he would have received retiring as an enlisted man.

Anyway, this is the domestic Japanese model of the lens distributed in the USA as the 28-70mm Tokina ATX Pro f/2.6-2.8. I love it!

[loosecanon]

With the M series Canon have produced a small camera, or rather a range of camers, and also a number of high quality lenses to provide a lightweight kit. To produce large aperture zooms with heavy glass lens elements would rather defeat the purpose. To shoot with my M5 and the 22mm lens takes one back to how photography used to feel. The 11mm to 22mm is sharp, indeed very sharp. But it is also very compact. Don't forget it uses a an APS C size sensor, twice as big surface area as the 4/3 sensor but just as small as a micro 4/3rds.

So the M series have a role, and it is not to replace you DSLR, but to provide a smaller but mechanically well built system. But a system that can used large EF lenses if needed.

[xpatUSA]

. . . and, it is an absolute blast using the gear.

You get not one, but TWO Lens Turrets, one is for Focussing -YES! you get to focus all by yourself, no Artificial Intelligence and the other Turret sets the Lens's Aperture, YAHOO! no AI setting it for you . . . it is just like how real photography used to be, but with the bonus of instant gratification.



WW

Just now noticed the number on the business end of the lens . . f/0.95 !!

I'm used to aperture numbers being at the camera end, so didn't see it at first, in spite of the hint offered by the DOF lines ... duh.