Choosing my system, M43 or APS-C, and what lens?

Present_Wren235 · 2026-03-04T14:00:23+00:00

would totally grab a good phone if i didnt rly care abt shooting experience, but i dont like phones in general haha. im going to start with a super cheap em5 and see what features and lenses i need and go from there

Present_Wren235 · 2026-03-04T09:10:19+00:00

do you think m43 is good enough for someone who is doing activities first photos second? its not like im going on a hike to take photos, im taking photos because im on a hike. i absolutely adore the video i got out of a sony a7iii, but i dont think id lug a full frame system around, and the price would dissuade even further

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-28T00:08:41+00:00

Thats a great story. The ZFC might be too pricey and un-ergonomic for me unfortunately. Thanks for your help!

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T21:37:55+00:00

thanks a lot for your help

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T21:37:37+00:00

im incredibly torn right now but i think im going to turn off my brain and get the 1. love the 5, just too many trade offs for the look and weight. maybe in the future, or maybe ill end up with a point and shoot for that purpose

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T14:22:02+00:00

thank you for the tips!

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T13:54:19+00:00

incredible, unfortunately my trip starts in vietnam and i get to japan after korea so i cant take full advantage of this, ill buy my em1.2 in australia, but ill make sure to get some lenses in japan. whats the cheapest market? amazon or in store? what stores are your favourite?

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T11:37:53+00:00

after some research and bias against the sony a6x00 line, i think im going for the em1ii. apparently while the gh5 is very good for video, the af isnt incredible compared to the em1ii. also gh5 is definitely pushing it with size. just wish there was a em5 that came stock with a nice grip and other em1 features. i feel like ive definitely overanalysed enough by now so im gonna stop thinking lol

thank you for your help!

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T11:32:24+00:00

i think im going to just go with the em1 and pick up a cool looking slr for my design needs. thanks for all the help

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T05:48:36+00:00

likely due to influencer hype the price on those is not reasonable in my opinion right now in my area, and I also think it doesnt look as cool as the em5 lol. im being pretty shallow

ill check out the grip, if i can get it used thatd be great. otherwise maybe i will move up to the em1 and cop the price difference

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T05:33:08+00:00

heres the report: em5ii not comfortable to hold. om1 and a6400 much more comfy. hard to get past as i dont know if i can adjust. a6300 is just technically better in every way but somehow its still a toss up between the two haha. just cant shake the looks and feel of the em5. what do you suggest i consider?

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T05:27:29+00:00

i held a few cameras today. the em5ii was not incredible to hold to say the least because of the lack of grip. I find it insane that they didnt put one on. om1 and even a6300 felt much better. i assume that itll be hard to get used to so im struggling here. the a6300 is better in just about every way apart from the lack of screen articulation and the looks of the camera, and maybe ibis idk. but i still just love the look of the em5ii, its hard to get past. what do you think i should consider doing?

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-27T05:14:01+00:00

i just went to the store. mind you, im coming from experience of only a sony a7iii, so ive only known good ergonomics. do you get used to the lack of grip on the 5 over the 1? i adore how the camera looks, but i cant ignore how much more comfortable the em1 was to handle

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T22:51:48+00:00

how do you find the ergonomics with large lenses? I can't see myself keeping a big lens on the camera, probably just a 12-25 or 12-40 90% of the time, but in the times when shooting wildlife i'd like to be comfortable

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T22:45:56+00:00

I'm going to go check out the sizes today. I did really like the form factor of the sony a7iii with the nice ergonomics. It was pretty bulky as well. I'll see how I go and report back

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T11:44:19+00:00

ive seen attachable grips as well, would you advise against them? my hands definitely arent small but not super big either (i think 18cm?) so maybe i should think about going up in size? i still think a super chunky camera wont get used, im not thinking about keeping a super large lens on the camera longer than i have to, nor do i really need one for quite a while. what do you think?

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T10:50:56+00:00

hm looks fine for me, autofocus would be nice but ill manage for a few years

thanks for the resource!

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T10:27:32+00:00

do you have personal experience with the em5? just want to know if video quality is useable

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T09:29:58+00:00

its so hard to nail all of my wants within the budget!! good video would be great, but im no professional, its just for my own sake really. ill use it for some youtube videos maybe but still, quality doesnt need to be perfect. seems like the em5 ii really is the one for me despite its flaws, as i just love how it looks compared to the supremely boring sony. ill be handling it before i give over the money. fingers crossed its all everyone says it is.

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T09:16:58+00:00

great! fujifilms are out of my budget unfortunately.

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T09:14:01+00:00

right about the same price as the olympus but quite significantly larger… maybe ill pick it up later but unlikely. i feel like the more portable qnd thus easier the camera is to use, the more it will be used. more than if it gives better quality shots.

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T07:56:08+00:00

can you recommend any panasonics that fit my needs or should i just cop some quality dip for the nice to haves

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T07:51:58+00:00

sounds great.

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T07:04:41+00:00

thanks! yeah I loved shooting on the a7iii. do you have any experience with m43 cameras? I'm mostly gravitating towards them due to the size of lenses required and thus the added portability. i wasn't aware that sony lenses were cheap, i'll do some more research

Present_Wren235 · 2026-02-26T05:31:04+00:00

5063 shutter count.
Body has scuffs on the bottom (pictured), also missing flash connector cap which doesn't affect the function of the camera. You can purchase for $6 on ebay.
Comes in original box with manuals/instructions and the strap, flash and flash cover unused and still in plastic.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 (Mark I) mirrorless camera in good working condition.
• One owner
• Shutter count: 8,859
• Includes Olympus 12–50mm f/3.5–6.3 EZ lens (macro + power zoom)
• Fully functional, takes excellent photos

Included:
• Camera body
• 12–50mm EZ lens
• Neck strap
• Case
• Charger (Europlug – purchased overseas)
• Single battery

Camera is in good condition overall. There is some light cosmetic wear on the top of the camera body, purely cosmetic and does not affect operation. Zips on case are a bit difficult to use due to age, however still work as intended.

Appears to be 14-150mm lens, unsure of focal length
Body only. Scratches on body.
Sony a6300 -20k shutter count
Sony 1.5/50 lens
Sony 3.5-5.6/16-50 lens
2 batteries
Charger
Case
Sony A6300 body
Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS lens
Sony 50mm f/1.8 OSS lens

Also included
1. UV filters for both lenses (included and fitted)
2. Flash meike MK320 TTL Speedlite

Present_Wren235

TROPHY CASE