A staunchy film user will try out digital camera: NEX or 4/3 system?

[ilkka]

<p>I think the main difference between Olympus m4/3, especially EP-2 and Nex 5 is that the Olympus is like a traditional small camera while the NEX is like a small digicam. EP uses more direct controls while NEX is more based on menus. For a traditional film user, I would recommend Olympus on this basis alone. EPL is a bit more menu driven than the EP. EP1 cannot take the finder, which is useful for manual focusing. m4/3 is a bigger, more established system and therefore has more adapters from a wide range of manufacturers. This can be useful if you need to mount strange lenses on it. I would not claim that one is superior over the other. High ISO noise is probably a bit better with NEX than m4/3, due to the bigger sensor, but that is unlikely to be so important. It all depends on your specific needs. Neither one is an action camera, or a birding camera.</p>

[pensacolaphoto]

<p>This is a valid point. It is important to many film camera users to have the digital camera be somewhat similar to a film camera. I may prefer to use high ISO B&W film for night scenes. I want to use these lenses in particular:</p>

<p>Nikkor 55mm 3.5 micro [extremely sharp]<br>

Carl Zeiss 50mm 1.4 QBM [beautiful rendering overall]<br>

Canon 19mm 3.5 FL [beautiful rendering... may not work due to being a non-retro focus lens] 7.5mm 5.6 FD [maybe it will become my wide angle lens with digital]</p>

<p> </p>

[indraneel]

<p>My nikon adapter for the m4/3 is 25mm deep, so it probably should be 23mm for the canon adapter. non-retro lens may technically work on digital, but there may be vignetting (something to do with sensor topology, I guess). ISO 1600 is very usable on the e-p1, the highest a sane person would push hp5+ (I have one at 6400 <a href="../photo/12671194">here</a>). Also, Lightroom 3 is amazing with noise reduction.<br /> Nex does not have image stabilization (in camera).</p>

[Jim_Tardio]

<p>I've used both systems. I've owned a Panasonic GF1 and the Olympus EPL1. I currently own the NEX 5.</p>

<p>Both are great systems but the reality is the NEX files are substantially better than any m4/3s offerings. High ISO and dynamic range are not even a contest...NEX wins easily.</p>

<p>That's not to say m4/3s are bad. They are not, and they are perfectly usable. The NEX 5 with the new firmware update makes it very easy to use. The interface is very fast. Manual focusing is very easy. I've been using Voigtlanders' 50/2.5 Skopar and the the 75/2.5 Heliar along with the 16/2.8 that came with the kit.</p>

<p>Large lenses do make the camera awkward. I don't use them.</p>

<p>It's not true that more adapters are available for m4/3s. You'll find any adapter you need for NEX as well.</p>

<p>Only the NEX 3 has been discontinued.</p>