I’m not sure… It seems that across all brands, sensors haven’t improved much in image quality over the past 10 years. The improvements have mainly been in faster sensors and higher megapixel counts, but not necessarily in better ISO performance or dynamic range.
The advantage of this is that you can buy an older camera for a relatively low price and hardly lose any image quality.
Nikon cameras have had sensors since around 2012 that can still compete with modern mirrorless cameras on image quality. So, you could buy a secondhand Nikon F-mount full-frame camera (D750 for example) with a few lenses for very little money and still get excellent image quality.
And regarding Micro Four Thirds cameras: for example, you can easily buy an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II from 2016, a Panasonic G9 from 2017, a Panasonic GX9 from 2018, or an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III from 2019. You might also consider the Panasonic G90 from 2019. These cameras still offer great performance and value in 2025.
I don’t know how it works in other places, but in Budapest “generic” camera stores rarely stock micro 4/3. Maybe they have one or two kits collecting dust in a glass cabinet, but most cameras and almost all lenses are available by order. Anyone working at these stores would say that micro 4/3 does not exist.
But if you go to the right store, eg to the Olympus official dealer, you can try all camera bodies and almost all lenses, even the expensive, exotic ones. They really have everything (except if something rare is on loan, they rent lenses too) and are extremely nice and knowledgeable.
Panasonic has some presence in some stores, especially one that used to be an official dealer, but no longer is. They mostly stock video-specific cameras and lenses though, you cannot find most primes in stock.
My favorite store is the one that pretends that full frame does not exist. They mostly stock Fuji and OM bodies and lenses, and an almost full selection of TTartisan and similar MF third party lenses. I talked to one of the salespeople once, and was told that he sold his FF gear ages ago, and uses GFX for fashion photography (which he does for a living) and micro 4/3 for everything else.
What I find weird that Fuji gets almost the same treatment in a lot of camera stores as micro 4/3. They have Canon and Nikon.
I am not sure you can find a camera with a fast-readout, stacked sensor at a similar price.
This is a misconception; the recent OM sensors are optimized for their computational features, not resolution. In fact, their engineers communicate that increasing the resolution would make these features difficult.
Whether this is the right trade-off for someone depends on their needs. Personally I would very much prefer computational GND filters and extremely fast animal/bird tracking to a higher resolution sensor.
In her video comparing the OM-5 to the OM-3, Micro Four Nerds points out that there’s only 20-something cameras with stacked sensors and for ILCs, the OM-3 and OM-1 are the cheapest.
I don’t know how complete this list is but you can get a sense of the class of cameras that have a stacked sensor.
To be clear, I completely agree with you both. I added this bit “Regardless of how much it matters, 20MP on M4/3 just does not seem impressive,” to show that it’s the perception of M4/3 that is hindering its growth. People don’t think the sensor tech is impressive, and I think OM and Panasonic could do a much better job at communicating its strengths.
In the case of OM System, I completely understand their reluctance to increase MP count. They know that the current sensor is optimized for computational features, and increasing the MP count could slow things down and create a worse user experience.
I probably don’t need more megapixels, and part of the appeal of moving to OM System for me would be the computational features.
But the OM-5ii launch was met with a pretty lukewarm response because people were hoping/expecting for a new sensor after all these years.
I don’t necessarily agree with this perception, but in terms of marketing/sales, it’s not grabbing people in the same way as other brands. It seems old and stale, even though it’s probably good enough for most people. Unfortunately, perception is very important in marketing.
In an ideal world, I would prefer more MP simply for the extra cropping possibilities. I find the 40MP on my X-T5 very useful sometimes. It’s like having 2 focal lengths when you have a prime lens attached.
If the stacked sensor is important to you, yes there is a price advantage still, although it still depends a bit on where you live I imagine. Where I live, there’s a $200 difference between a Nikon Z6III and OM-1. The Z6III sensor is only partially stacked, but you’re getting full frame instead of M4/3, so some will think that’s a decent trade-off.
I get the feeling OM products are quite expensive in Canada, and I can’t find them in any local stores, so maybe my perception of prices is a bit skewed.
That’s a deal for the Z6III, or a pricey OM1 MkII. At my local shop in Ottawa, Canada, the difference is about $600 in favour of the OM1. They don’t have any in stock though, but they do have Nikon, Canon and Fuji at the ready.
On the other hand, this whole rabbit whole started when I asked them about getting a Nikon Z7II vs an OM1 MkII for macro work, and they pushed the OM (which I very much appreciate now!)
It’s listed as $3,200 at Kerrisdale Cameras in Vancouver, BC and at the Camera Store in Calgary, AB, although there’s currently a $400 rebate you can get. How much is it normally in Ontario?
Yep, seems to be coinciding with Prime Day. I guess one upside of Amazon is that they force other retailers to try and price match.
I haven’t done a lot of shopping around, but OM System and Canon seem to be having some events at the moment, so quite a few good deals with those brands, and some smaller deals with other brands.
And nothing I want seems to be a Prime Day deal (Prime Days are now). I saw an OM-3 at what seems to be a decent price, but there’s no special deal on it.
