(This article “Mirrorless: Full Frame or Micro Four Thirds” was last updated February 2021)
Over a decade since I have been a photographer and I have had the opportunity to shoot many different cameras from many brands, many lenses, sensor types and mount types.
This article is about something bigger than ideal sensor type for photography, something we should never lose sight of as creatives, something which transcends marketing pitches from camera manufacturers, pixel count and does not relate to how much you spend on camera gear.
This thing is: FUN
So… Full frame or micro four thirds?
Maybe I can help as I have used both in a private and professional setting and extensively for a quite a bit now.
I still own both an Olympus Pen-F and a Sony A7RII (I know… I make them last) and juggle other cameras I’m reviewing all the time.
First of all it is important to identify the reason why you shoot, or at least what you are more likely to be shooting, will you be printing your photos a lot, will you be doing this as a hobby or is this a profession, what is your budget, etc…
This incomplete set of questions is pretty much what you should always ask yourself when buying camera gear:
What is right for ME? This, only YOU can decide.
All I can help with here is my experience with both and in fact I will use these two cameras I own as examples.
The Pen-F by Olympus and the Sony A7RII, both quite a few years old but the slice of the market they each individually target remain roughly the same.
I have published many separate articles reviewing both mirrorless systems in depth with many examples from my own archive. You’ll find links at the end of this post.
Street photography captured with an Olympus MFT Camera
Having used the EM10, EM10 MK2, EM5, EM5 MK2, EM1 extensively, I used to really love Olympus cameras and even though my A7RII produces such great images which far surpass Olympus’ (I’m not such a fan of the sensor), I can’t help but retain some love for the MFT system or rather… small cameras.
Afterall there is no real comparison as of course an A7 series camera will cost a lot more and produce higher quality images, but as I’ve found out, some way cheaper smaller cameras are just much more fun ultimately leading to increased creativity and therefore more satisfying images.
I immediately think of the Fuji X100V which I recently spent some quality time with, it leaves you nothing else to do but focus on taking photos.
Sometimes it’s not all about image quality or rather high resolution.
I first started taking photos because I fell in love with photography. I fell in love with photography only a little after I fell in love with the camera itself as a tool. This object which has been a key part of my life.
And I will admit this:
When I thought Sony would solve all my problems… I was a bit wrong, not entirely but enough to admit it. It was five years ago after all.
Whilst the full frame Sony A7RII excels in so many areas (high res means amazing macro photography) it has also excelled in taking a lot of fun out of street photography for me personally. I’ve found myself shooting less and less and less…
Incredible detail can be captured with the Sony A7RII and Sony FE 90mm f2.8 Macro G OSS
Why I purchased a full frame Sony camera had a lot to do with the fact many clients insisted on a full frame camera for the work I carried out and not shooting full frame but instead MFT made me lose jobs to competitors.
Some of you may dispute this and insist the quality of MFT is enough, but you do not hire me, the client does, so if the client says so, it’s how it is. I’m not here to try educate clients.
5 years down the line since I moved to full frame and I realise that yes indeed the A7RII produces fantastic images (at a price), I have captured tons. I do not argue the quality of images it yields.
But looking at how productive I am today, I don’t believe Micro Four Thirds made me more creative, no, but that a smaller camera is more fun and makes it hard to resist going out to shoot, whereas lenses for Sony’s A7 series (aside from for example the Nokton 50mm f1.5) are big and heavy and I don’t know, I’ve often found myself not bothered going out because it just didn’t excite me or was too much trouble having to grab a camera bag for lenses etc....
Shot using the A7RII and Voigtlander Nokton 500mm f1.5
Talking of small camera I’m using the Fuji X100V at the moment and THIS is what I’m talking about.
Not just a small camera but also one with a fixed lens, no more lens change, just focus on taking photos. “Shove-it-in-your-pocket-go-have-fun” kind of camera.
I guess I’m growing up and almost going full circle, I’m looking back at over a decade I’ve been shooting and buying way too many cameras, often buying into marketing, I see clearly that to have fun with photography and be at my creative best, I work better with a smaller camera.
But that is ME, it doesn’t have to be you, just sharing my feeling about it all.
I would summarise like this:
Great images aren’t produced because you have a better camera with better specs on paper. Great images are produced because you have a camera which you connect with, a camera that gets you out shooting and practising, improving, a camera which allows you to focus on the task at hand without getting in the way, the camera almost disappears.
This is how I find balance in photography in 2021:
When it comes to client jobs or macro photography, I will use the Sony A7RII but to find my true creative best, I think the answer is in a smaller package.
Until next time,
Nico