The year is over and 2016 promises to become very exciting. On January 6th we will already get the first new MFT stuff at the CES show. And the month after we will have the CP+ show. But now let’s look back for a moment:
[poll id=”289″]
[poll id=”290″]
Note: I only added autofocus lenses. Manual lenses from third-party makers were not so great anyway 🙂
88 Responses
Classic gap year with not much innovation and no stand out products. However 20MP sensor, dual IS, even bigger EVF in the GX8, and high res mode and even better IBIS in the EM5 Mk2 are good features. Just nothing that would make me drool for these cameras.
Some people were ready for an upgrade and these products hit the spot. For others, perhaps next year will be the one that tempts you.
It’s really no different in the other camps. There’s nothing that Sony, Nikon, Canon, Leica, Samsung or anyone else has released in the last 12 months that I find compelling or even remotely tempting. For some it’s the size / weight that puts me of. For others it’s the astronomical cost.
Looking back to 10-15 years ago the technology progress was fast. Bodies lasted 12-18 months and were replaced.
We reached relative technological maturity several years ago which means current / future products come with smaller increments and further apart.
I, for one, am not unhappy with this situation. I can take shots today that I couldn’t take just 5 years ago, let alone 10, 20 or 30 years ago with film. Some people coming to photography for the first time don’t realise just how far we’ve come already.
I don’t need a new body (or lens) every few months to keep me interested, I just need to take good shots 🙂
It’s not the year. We are simply too spoiled by the choices.
Read Fuji or Sony forums for a change of perspective.
and what change of perspective would we get there?
Limited lens choices, and the price of the limited choices. Limited body choices, and how quickly one has to trade offs to get to an affordable body.
On m43 we mostly blame the manufacturers for the lack of features we need in the bodies/lenses we want. Competition between Oly & Pana is good for us. While in other systems users blame their lack of means instead, and keep drooling over the more expensive cameras/lenses for seemingly inconsequential reasons.
Sorry, there is simply no way you can say limited body choices and Sony in the same sentence.
A6000, A5100, … care to continue the list? A7000 now has been delayed for how long? – at least a year now. So how much body choices APS-C shooters have with Sony?? (Ditto the APS-C lenses.)
They pumping more and more expensive bodies, which was precisely my point.
I bought a Fuji a few months ago (because it was cheaper to get a new body AND the portraitture 50mm and 85mm equivalent than it was to get the Panaleica versions for my existing body) and I would never think to change the whole system – but those two lenses are nothing but spectacular.
But yes: the choice (especially for cheap lenses) ist outstanding with micro four thirds and competition (between Oly and Pana) is what drives it.
Sony on the other hand (tried the A7II with 55mm and 85mm when thinking about portraiture) are just crap. They have no ideal how to build cameras nor lenses.
The Zuikos are much better imo!
Of the six lenses I have bought 3. And are tempted by the 4th. Yiikes.
The GH4R is missing.
No more 30min limit.
I don’t know how many photographers have both the G7 and the E-M5ii but I am finding the G7 has proven to be the better of the two both in use and in results.
Firmware 4,0
Good point…but cameras and lenses are more exciting! With the EM5 II You got BOTH!.
Yeah, but I already owned the em1…it was a FREE upgrade, which is hard to beat these days.
With E-M5 II you get 2012 sensor with 2013 processor which still can track, useless for sports and action like a lowly point and shoot and as such not even able to compete with a $200 Rebel. Totally uncompetitive product for 2015.
Ridiculous comment. Since 2012 m4/3 sensors (in Olympus cameras, at least, because Panasonic continued to use old sensors in all but GH camera lineup) have beaten all Canon cameras sensors in dynamic range.
Not only Rebels but the high-end 5D MkIII uses sensor technology from year 2008, not improved since Canon 5D MkII in 2008. And yet, people still buy Canons, and take good photos with them.
The latest 50MP 5DS has worse dynamic range than Olympus E-M1 from 2013.
DR is practically the same only at base ISO. At any ISO above, E-M1 and any other 4/3 sensors is about 2 stops behind. And I agree, it is ridiculous that in 2015 Olympus releases camera which still cannot track when it had technology in 2013, and even more ridiculous that it priced it at $1100 and expected anybody but a handful of deluded fanboys to buy it.
For me it’s the E-M1 with FW 4.0 added.
Yes, Firmware 4.0 for E-M1 was probably the best addition to m4/3 this year
Who voted E-M5 II over GX8?I have Olympus, but GX8 has new sensor (in fact the first implementation of it), newer processor with 4k and dfd, better ergonomics (for people with noses), and weather sealing and IBIS and lack of built-in flash are pretty much the same (at least on paper), plus pana supports dual stabilization with some lenses. Of course dfd is more or less bs, so E-M1 with new firmware is still the best m43 camera, going on 3rd year (which is sad and why, together with overpricing on major markets, Sony ate both their lunches).
The GX8’s higher pixel count is meaningless in the real world, and Olympus’ IBIS is still at least as good as Panasonic’s dual IS; EVF location just comes down to preference. Basically the GX8’s marquee feature is 4K photo mode, and the E-M5 II’s is the sensor-shifting 40-megapixel mode for stationary subjects. Both are just extensions of existing tech, but they’re clever and useful for some kinds of photography. I’d call this horse race a tie.
M43 is now in a phase where manufacturers compete by adding further refinements to already-very-refined products. Of course this can’t compete with the Sony hype machine and its irresistible allure to techno-geek photobloggers, or the cult appeal of Fuji’s knob-festooned retrocams, but it is yielding a really solid crop of photographers’ cameras.
20 is still better than 16, especially when cropping. Sensor shifting gimmick is useless for everybody who buys light cameras with IBIS to travel lightly (ie without a tripod), and for everybody who shoots anything even slightly moving (even leaves and grass in a landscape will move and blur all that bs super resolution). Useless gimmick, a genuine 40 mpix sensor (double rx100-4) is in order at this point to leapfrog aps-c competition at least for a few months.
The fact that you personally don’t find a feature useful doesn’t make it a gimmick. For those of us who photograph interiors, tabletop setups, etc., it IS useful and works well… certainly better than a fantasy 40mpx sensor that doesn’t actually exist!
I agree with you on the 40mpix feature, but saying “The GX8’s higher pixel count is meaningless in the real world” is about the same. The sensor does resolve more details, and it isn’t meaningless.
Sure, but those extra details are only visible when pixel-peeping… which nobody except photographers ever does. Most people want to see the WHOLE image, and the difference between 20mp and 16mp won’t be visible on 99.9 percent of output devices.
I disagree, not everybody use their camera the same.
I do a lot of macro, and almost every photo I crop for better composition or to highlight details.
Also when printing larger sizes its better to have 20 in stead of 16mpix.
In my experience, Olympus’ IBIS is about 1 stop better in general compared to the GX8’s Dual IS. Granted, I only tried the GX8 for about a half hour in store, and I actually own the E-M5II.. but it was enough of a difference to be noticeable. Even if I am overplaying it and biased by my ownership (which I’ll admit is very possible), the fact that the Dual IS can’t be used in video (stills only) while Olympus’ IBIS can is definitely a factor.
Still, it would be nice to see the 20 Mpix sensor with Olympus-grade IBIS even if the higher resolution makes it harder (or even impossible) to pull out that high-res shot mode. I think the main reason E-M5II won this poll (so far, anyway) is because it’s just loaded on with features on top of features… the IBIS, the improved video (for Oly anyway), the 40 Mpix mode, the weather-sealing, the typical Oly stuff like live exposure/live composite, etc. Now if only Olympus could do something about their atrocious GUI (as someone who writes SDKs to make this easy, it is truly disappointing that people still work this way). And the symbology… I still, for the life of me, do not understand how a heart shape represents a silent shutter… a HEART?!?!?
I’d be surprised if the GX8 you played with at the store had the right firmware for the body and the lens to give you Dual IS. I think its closer to parity than that. Of course, when you use a Panny or Oly lens WITHOUT OIS on the GX8, the E-M5 II’s IBIS is clearly far superior.
I suppose that’s possible. I know that the display gives you a different icon when Dual IS is on, but it wouldn’t be the first time a display unit in-store would have pre-production firmware. Hopefully the real thing is better.
While the E-M1 might be better for tracking compared to the GX8 (I’m not even sure that is true), the actual single focus AF shot to shot response time IS noticeably faster on the GX8. I tested both at a camera store with a variety of lenses before I made my decision on the GX8.
I don’t believe that. I’ve shot so much with the E-M1 that I had to have the 150,000 actuation shutter replaced, and I’ve had the GX8 for a couple of months.
Shooting at skate parks, the GH4 and E-M1 are fairly comparable but the Panasonic AF doesn’t always keep up. The GX8 has a responsive UI but for still photography, the GX8 won’t keep up overall.
As best camera goes, to me it is a tie between GX8, G7, E-M5 mk2 and E-M10 mk2. It’s just damn too many too good cameras this year. GX8 and E-M5 mk2 dominate by the spec-sheet, while G7 and E-M10 mk2 dominate by price/performance.
While lurking on the forums, this is also first year when I see quite a lot of m43 recommendations over the APS-C offerings. Not least because of the Sony’s murky position on their APS-C development, and the Samsung’s f*ck up in Europe. Sony A6000 changed the perception of the mirrorless – and the m43 nailed it by the sheer volume of the goodness.
@Admin, it would have probably made sense to split “best camera” poll into “best overall”, “best video”, “best still” and “best price/performance”.
High resolution mode from E-M5 II is the most innovative feature introduced for consumer camera’s in the last years by far, but as a Olympus camera owner(E-M1) I would still buy a GX8 if I had to buy a camera right now. GX8 sensor is slightly better in terms of resolution, and, superior video and really is the best all-round camera available.
Have you verified that GX8 provides more resolution? I’ve never seen it in photos. Since Panasonic is dedicated to video, they can’t afford any aliasing in video. Panasonic traditionally puts very strong AA filter in their cameras which limits its resolution comparing to Olympus cameras. I guess, roughly, Panasonic’s 20MP = Olympus 16MP.
And not everybody shoots video. For stills, GX8 is a big ugly box that has inferior auto white balance, colors, IBIS comparing to Olympus cameras. No electronic first shutter curtain (shutter shock), no live time or live composite, etc.
My post will be too big if I list all drawbacks of Panasonic cameras.
You are wrong on the White Balance, Colors and (for some lenses) the IBIS. I own both Oly and a GX8. Panasonic’s white balance/color issues of past cameras don’t seem to be an issue anymore. An EFCS would be great, though the E-Shutter on the GX8 isn’t that limiting (at least for what I shoot).
“(for some lenses) the IBIS”. IBIS has “in-body” in name to show that it shouldn’t depend on lenses. This just proves that people buying Panasonic cameras follow a faulty logic:)
PS. As for product of the year – IMO there was nothing exiting. And for me, neither in 2014. Olympus 40-150mm F2.8 and Panasonic 42.5mm F1.2 lenses were exciting products for some last year though. 20MP sensor hasn’t provided any significant improvement.
Next year should be better. There should be new, much better m4/3 sensor introduced in E-M1-II and GH5 around Photokina 2016, plus those super-telephoto lenses.
I am a Olympus user myself, but you are just a biassed fanboy, not recognizing improvements from another manufacturer when they are clearly there.
I recognize improvements, but 20MP vs 16 is a very minor one, not recorded in any controlled test. No dynamic range or high ISO improvement at all.
IMO, improvements in E-M1 firmware 4.0 are more useful than anything GX8 can offer, because E-M1 became more usable now.
Sure, Panasonic got video covered well, but that’s their only advantage, and, as you can see from polls, for more than half of the people video is not important at all, so it’s not only me:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/56636079
Who cares if you don’t do video, just don’t use it then. You act like the GX8 having good video is somehow a downside to the camera. It’s not(you can even use the video features for 30fps 4k stills).
The GX8 is also no slouch in the “pure” stills department. Also the latest review in imaging resource shows that is DOES resolve more details then the E-M5 II(and thus my and your E-M1 ). As do other decent reviews. It’s not much, but it’s there. Aslo: it does have less noise at iso3200 then GX7 and about the same as E-M5 II(despite increase in resolution). Then we also have the overaggressive sharpening and noise reduction on Olympus body’s(which I personalty set to “-1” and Off(and it still does some noise reduction then). I always prefer grainy noise to loss of details and even worse sharpening artifacts.
Panasonic looks more natural and a little softer(just apply more sharpening if you want a more punchy Olympus-alike picture) with default settings, although i find that Olympus’s white balance is superior.
Now: if I had to choose between GX8 or E-M5 II or E-M1 I would pick a GX8, also because it’s IBIS is reasonably good nowadays.
Resolution: like in every decent test. It may not be a big jump, but it’s there and it’s the best performing sensor. The GX8 has no real flaws, a great camera suitable for almost everybody and with exceptional video capabilities.
And olympus has no DFD, video from the stone age, a lesser sensor, doesn’t do dual IS, has an inferior EVF that doesn’t tilt, has no grip, no exp comp dial, no post focus, has lower bitrate in electronic shutter…
My post will be too long if I list all the drawbacks of Olympus.
Whether or not your post is long or short, it won’t change ratio between Olympus and Panasonic users, which is reflected in the poll in this article. So, it doesn’t matter.
I only explained why this ratio exists like that.
The high resolution feature is a great proof of concept, but currently, its really not much more than that. Fine for product photography, but it is too slow for any other applications. I wouldn’t consider it a great innovation yet, it will be once they can open up the shooting envelope by increasing the speed to a more reasonable 1/60th of a second or faster.
The Pentax K-3 Mk II feature works better since it only takes 4 photos instead of 8 but it only really corrects color since there isn’t as much detail with only 4 photos.
I don’t know about elsewhere, but here the E-M5 II is significantly more expensive than the E-M1 and GX8.
In the US it is $100 less than 2.5 y/o E-M1 which is a better camera.
Yeah, which is why I can’t understand that they are so expensive here. E-M1 is around $500 USD with free 45mm (cheap) and GX8 has been around $50 USD more with free 25mm (also cheap) but the E-M5 II is considerably more than either camera. In fact the E-M10 II is more than these two (!).
I wish e-m1 was $500 with 45mm. Your distributor is much more sane and prices it right, to be competitive. In the US, e-m1 is $900 and 45mm is another $250. At $1150 this combo is not possible to sell next to, say, Canon 70d with $100 50/1.8.
Which country are you from?
Australia. It’s usually more, but we get deals fairly often. But here it’s the E-M5 II that’s more expensive than a 70D. Yes it’s very good pricing, that’s why I bought two of them today.
New E-M1’s body-only are selling for $700-800 in US…..(actually closer to $800)..stop selling BS. You CAN pick up a body from S. Korea as low as $665.00 incld. shipping.
I have both cameras with grips and battery holders….It is TOTALLY debatable which camera is “better”. They both have assets that the other one doesn’t. The firmware upgrade definitely helped the E-M1 keep pace. I actually, personally prefer the E-M5 II to the E-M1. ..but they are both great little cameras.
And EVERYONE is in North America of course aren’t they? First line ‘I don’t know about elsewhere, but where I am’, read much? I also did not say which is better, just remarked that the E-M5 II is more expensive here.
So stick your comment up your a$$.
BTW that’s local stock with 2 year local Olympus warranty, brand new, no refurbished blah blah and a free 45mm. Deal with it.
you said “but here” and your quote $500 USD…so what …are we all psychic…and we know where “here” is? DUH. LOL!!!!!!
I was just trying to have a conversation…
WHY ARE YOU SO ARROGANT?
you are just another fool….”here”.
I do not know your biography, ego boy…nor do I care to.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! 🙂
That’s right, you don’t know where ‘here’ is but you IMMEDIATELY jumped on the US and start saying I’m spreading BS. Why do you have to be so arrogant to assume you are in the centre of the known universe?
Yeah yeah ‘trying to have a conversation by jumping in and calling BS…
BS.
I stated where I was. LOL!
Here here.
No it isn’t
Look around…I got a “used” one with less than 1000 exposers with grip, battery holder & extra Olympus batter for $850. It was “as new”. Shop it…there are deals out there.
Didn’t buy anything from that list so can’t really weigh in 🙂 I’m waiting to see what EM1 II will look like, see if it’s worth upgrading my EM1. Other than that, just buying lenses when I can and taking photos)
A new PEN-F may be compelling as well.
Great minds think alike. I bought and voted for the two winners! 🙂 LOL!
(although there are some other very quality items in the list as well!)
Great minds think alike and sheep move in a heard.
Troll, common variety.
Photographically, I think the GX8 probably nudges out the others. Pricewise though, you’d have to give it to the E-M5II for value. And subjectively, the E-M5II is probably the most attractive.
Personally I’ll be adding the E-M10II unless the new Pen F turns out to be the one…
Yes…if you shoot video ( I never do)…I think you are on target with that run-down.
Honestly though, when the GX8 was under $900 for the body a few months back, it was basically at price parody with the E-M5 II. It is a superior camera in every way to the E-M5 II including IQ, AF speed, EVF, and Video features. I say this as someone who actually prefers Oly cameras, but the GX8 is really that good. If only Panasonic would treat their UI and touch options like Olympus I’d be completely sold.
Touch options like what? Because it has extra function buttons on the side and was the first to touch to focus, move focus point, etc.. Olympus just started to include such a function.
Sorry, but when it comes to M43, Panasonic has a lot of “First” to cameras period.
I have the GX8 and E-M1. I wish that the GX8 had the Olympus AF and the 150,000 actuation shutter but that’s about it. I wouldn’t give up the Panasonic video for anything.
How about the reborn M-1. After installing the latest firmware that wiped out all my settings and I mean everything. I even notice a different noise during shutdown mode. After resetting everything to my needs its like a new body.?????
I just had a conversation with Santa. I told him- if I don’t get an EM5II with 5 axis don’t be suprised if an axle goes missing on your sled.
Gotta play hardcore with these elf types.
Nothing get me impress for m43 in 2015 .
Maybe 2016 but it’s still very unlikely even through with the new PEN line ready to make
it’s appearance cause X Pro 2 & a7000 definitely will steal the show in 2016 .
Need a plan for predictions of best 2016 product.
Pen f
Panasonic telephoto
Olympus telephoto
Em 1 II
4k Panasonic gm
Olympus Pro primes
The way Oly has delayed the 300mm doesn’t bode well for the next lens releases.
2018, perhaps?
If going like preciously 3 years, Olympus dominates in stills and lenses and Panasonic in video.
E-M1 II
150-450mm
PEN F
GH5
300mm
GM7
…
Canon EF to M4/3 speed booster. Takes first, second and third place. Alone :.)
I think 2015 was a boring year when it comes to the new tech in general. As someone says, just adding a few features from the other models to the existing products then voila, selling them as new models. I’m a research geek – spent so much silly time to compare between EM5II and GX8 and ended up buying Olympus. Lacking 4K is a deal breaker for some, the specs of GX 8 could be more impressive than EM5II but when it comes to the real enjoyment of using, it sounds silly, I know but I tend to reach “a handsome one” over just “a know-it-all.” EM5II was more of my type than Panasonic. Like comparison between sort of high tech Prius vs. kind of old fashioned Mini (and I would take Mini)
Some fragile panaboys were on roid rage here after the poll clearly is in favor of E-M5II. Cry me a river… LMAO!