I'm Obsessed with a Dead Camera System

[@DeSireeAlicea19]

This video is so timely since canon just discontinued the ef-m mount system and I’m seeing a bunch of videos of people saying it’s time to sell their systems even though they love it 💀 if you love it, keep it. The camera didn’t shut off and the pictures didn’t become terrible all of a sudden lmao 😭 loved this video!

[@VincentW2]

Consumers really think they need the newest thing instantly

[@lzwnn]

You're not alone: I love all my old 4/3 systems and lenses. And that 7-14 is crazy sharp and fun to use. I bounce back and forth between my two E-1's and my E-400, and my old Pentax cameras. Great vid!

[@snappiness]

Can't forget Pentax! :) My original love.

[@lzwnn]

@@snappiness Especially with that Pixie Dust lens

[@cameralabs]

Great video, thanks for the memories! I reviewed lots of the FT DSLRs and lenses in the early days of my channel and remember LOVING that 7-14 f4. I was also really fond of the E-400 and E-500 series for a smaller body solution. Back then I'd moved to New Zealand for a few years and many of the companies I used to review struggled to figure out how to support me with test samples, but Olympus UK were stars and just sent me stuff halfway across the World for me to continue testing as I had in the UK - they were brilliant. The frustrating part for me back then and even now, was having people in the comments mixing up the FT and MFT lenses and buying the wrong ones for their system. I recently bought an E400 to have in my collection again, so will do a retrospective on it soon.

[@snappiness]

Excited to see that E400 retrospective! Thanks as always for stopping by

[@clintjohnson5914]

That will a lot of fun Gordon,,and as always,,I'll be watching for that. Quick question,, since you undoubtedly have so much experience with this system.. I'm wondering if you ever had the occasion to do a comparison for focus speed between the 50-100 SWD vs Non-SWD adapted to MFT. If so, I would love to hear. I have the standard version and , not suprising,, it can't keep up to the modern 40-150 2.8 pro on an Olympus EM-1MkIII. I like the results and extra length on the older lens though,,and haven't found a SWD version to try,,Wondering if the focus speed on the SWD would be enough to invest-- --Thanks,,either way and can't wait for your FT retrospective.

[@cameralabs]

@@clintjohnson5914 it's been a LOOOOOONG time since I adapted any FT lenses to MFT, but as I recall, the SWD versions were much faster on native bodies and I'm sure that was also reflected when adapted. But I'd try with a lowish cost SWD lens if you can find one first, or check historic posts in the dpreview forums as the will have discussed this back in the day.

[@neobluepill6051]

I need to stop watching your videos, because like you I'm attracted to these "obsolete" systems for some reasons. It's fueling my addiction even more 😀

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

One of the reasons why I refuse to "upgrade" to that mirrorless crap is that the EF mount lenses are quite a bit cheaper right now and there's plenty of great lenses to be had used that would have been a lot more expensive a few years ago. Whether or not one should upgrade depends a lot on what you're doing with it, but in a lot of cases, these "obsolete" systems were good enough for just about anybody to use until they physically wear out. Which can be a rather long time if you're not a pro shooting thousands of frames a month.

[@pxperimenter]

A little known advantage of Four Thirds lenses over MFT lenses is that their optical design does not rely on software correction of distortion and vignetting, but is optically corrected. This is a huge advantage when shooting raw video with MFT cameras such as the Blackmagic Pocket 4K and ZCam E2, or when using external raw video recorders with Panasonic and Olympus MFT cameras, as video editing programs including Davinci Resolve do not support lens correction profiles. Especially if you want to use zoom lenses on these cameras, adapted old FT zooms are far superior to native MFT zooms with their huge native distortions. Optical correction makes FT lenses bigger and optically more complex, as you also point out in the video, but it means that processed images look less artificial/plasticky (since software corrections of optical formulas are always problematic - see smartphone photography). So this can even be an advantage for still photography if you're looking for a less digital look of your images.

[@StephenStrangways]

FT lenses do rely on software correction of vignetting. It's on the original E-1 as "shading correction." But you are correct that they are optically corrected for distortion.

[@clintjohnson5914]

Oh that is so good to know and probably THE reason why these lenses have that really incredible unique look.. I still use the 12-60 for video even though I have most of the MFT equivalents. Even manual focusing for video on the Panasonic G9,,overcast days retains so much color and contrast balance.,,,Thanks!

[@t.me-mvdaily]

I don't see "huge native distortions" on my 12-35 and 35-100 MFT lenses at all, neither on 45-200. All my workflow is in RAW. What are you talking about?

[@fosterb300]

The E-500 is easily my favorite CCD setup. That Kodak sensor is pixie dust.

[@SuyePhoto]

I'm just getting back into photography and it's so awesome to see all these cameras that were completely out of my price range at the time but now can be something fun to try 🙏 thanks for bringing these old gems to light

[@snappiness]

Yes, I feel the same way :) Great time to get into photography with a budget. So many options!

[@GarrettLucasWV]

I enjoy your videos and I'm glad someone else is sharing my unexplainable obsession. Back in the day, I got the E-1 when it first hit the market, but back then I could only afford the 50mm F2, 50-200mm, the 11-22mm and the 14-54mm. The E-1 is my favorite of all time and probably 75% of my favorite photos are from the E-1. Over the years, I've bought five more E-1s to have backups and to replace one I just absolutely wore out. But in the last 5 years, I've gone crazy buying up all the lenses I couldn't afford back then, including the 150mm F2, the 300mm F2.8, the 14-35mm F2, the 35-100mm F2 and the 7-14 F4. I've also gone nuts buying two E-5s, an E-30, an E-300, an E-500, E-520, E-400, E-620. Additionally, I've bought spare copies of the 12-60mm, 11-22, 50-200 SWD, etc. On top of that, I've bought several different battery grips and various accessories like the AA battery holders and the CR123 battery holders for the E-1. Eventually the proprietary batteries are going to wear out and I still want to be able to power all of these cameras. I can't explain what my obsession with this system is. I'm constantly scouring the net and KZbin for articles and videos to see if other people have anything new to say. As I got older and could afford different camera systems for my work, I've had the Nikon D810, D850 and I've had all kinds of Canon bodies like the 1D MKII N, 1DX, 5D, 5D MK II, 40D and the R5. Even with the ability to use more modern cameras with better specs, it's always the Olympus cameras that I take out for my personal work--particularly the E-1. The E-1 is just about perfect when it comes to ergonomics and intuitive placement of dials and buttons. It may be only 5 MP but I can use Gigapixel to upscale the images nicely if I want decent sized prints. Certainly the outstanding lenses play a big part in my love for the system. The images I get from the SHG lenses and even the mid-range lenses like the 50mm F2 and 11-22mm are fantastic as well. I'm glad to see someone else diving into the old Oly 4/3 system and really enjoying what it has to offer. At least I know I'm not alone with this obsession.

[@luzr6613]

Yay! A fellow traveller. Echo you on the E-1 (even though I'm comparatively new to it). I couldn't afford it on release so bought an E-300 instead (which I still have). Finally came across an E-1 a year ago with 29 clicks on it - I love it to bits. I have all the glass (i've been an E-5 devotee for years)... so your opinion: the 150 f/2? I think it's the best of the lot for IQ - i've shot it side by side with Big Tuna and it always wins. I think it's a fabulous lens - how do you feel about it?

[@GarrettLucasWV]

@@luzr6613 I love the image quality on the 150mm F2. Between the 14-35, 35-100 and the 150mm, it's hard to say which is better, but the 150mm is fantastic. The only issue I have is that it doesn't play well with my two E-5s. The AF gets wonky or freezes up a lot. It works fine on all my other E-series cameras, so I generally use it with the E-1 or the E-30 when I want image stabilization. But, it's hard to beat the 150mm on the E-1 for the image quality and tonality. Sounds like you got lucky with your E-1. I've bought quite a few of them over the years and have gotten lucky a couple of times with shutter actuations under 100. The lowest count on a used one for me was 17. But if you can get the 150mm, I'd highly recommend it.

[@luzr6613]

@@GarrettLucasWV Cheers for that - I do have the 150... I was just wondering at my own judgment of it and it seems there are not many owners to pose the question to! Interesting re your experience with it on the E-5. I also have a couple of those - one with 110k clicks more than the other - and the 150 is happy on both. My E-1, however, will have nothing to do with my 50-200, but is fine with the 90-250. I wonder whether the problem relates to the SWD? Whatever, i've no complaints at all about the brilliant SHQ glass - I feel very fortunate to have it and have no desire to 'upgrade' to the slower MFT lenses, whatever their virtues.

[@palmerino1965]

Sulla mia Olympus E-5 non ho riscontrato problemi con lo Zuiko 150mm, solo che lo uso solamente nel reportage e messa a fuoco fissa. Con il moltiplicatore 1,4x riscontro un'immagine leggermente penalizzata solo a tutta apertura. Basta chiudere di 1/3 di stop per ripristinare quasi la sua reale sostanza. Infine è davvero ergonomico nonostante ingombro e peso ovviamente su un corpo professionale. Toericamente potrei venderlo per l'uso saltuario e nello stesso tempo, avendo da alcuni mesi acquistato una Olympus E-5, credo rimanga con me. Mi piacerebbe riacquistare una Olympus E-1 (la mia si è guastata ed ho fotografato matrimoni, moda... quando avevo lo studio fotografico) ed il bellissimo 14-35mm f:2 che giudico splendido, quelle poche volte che ho avuto il piacere di usare.

[@peterhobbs4780]

You are definitely not the only one who's eyeing these older Olympus equipment. It's simply difficult to ignore what these lenses are about. Just legendary quality.

[@yuidfbse]

Love it! Great camera system and lenses that can certainly keep bringing shooting joy for years to come.. and man, the colors and texture of those old CCD sensors is unbeatable!!! They look more like film than anything CMOS out there now no matter the simulations you throw at them.

[@borderlands6606]

It gives the lie to the old adage that says: date your camera body, marry your lenses. I find it sad that manufacturers threw everything they had at a system, only to see it overtaken by fashion and changes in technology. Hard to know how Olympus DSLR and similar obsolete systems will fare long term, once their bargain basement status is split between collectors and a declining user base.

[@SilverHalides]

I totally agree with your point. It is such a pity that truly exceptional lenses fall by the wayside because new mounts are introduced so much more frequently these days. In some cases, like with the 4/3-m4/3 adapters, you can get almost full, if not full functionality with your lenses from a previous system. I have only tried the MMF-3 from Olympus and that is a stellar adapter. In other cases and for some brands, however, the previous generation of lenses may not work so well, I suppose.

[@NightShooter87]

Trouble is, it's hard to get some cameras.

[@SilverHalides]

Indeed, and certain lenses too. I would love to get the Olympus 14-35 f/2 in the 4/3 mount, only to use it on a m4/3 camera, but that zoom lens has become very expensive in the second-hand market.

[@stefanvasilev9318]

Great saying! Up until a few months ago, I was still making money as a photo journalist using mainly the 14-54 and a 50-200 Zuiko lenses with adapters for my MFT bodies and it was absolutely a breeze! Amazing tech and so much fun to use!

[@davemil716]

I started my digital camera journey with Olympus... I have owned the E10, E20 and then the 420, 620 and E-1 (several)... and of course lenses... that 14-54 zoom is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever own... I went from 4/3, to micro 4/3 and so on... Love your videos!

[@Snackleader]

I love your channel and the appreciation you have for unique and interesting cameras and the design and attention that went into making them. This sets you refreshingly far apart from the obsessive new gear driven marketing machine. Thank you!

[@snappiness]

Fantastic! Glad to meet someone keeping it alive. I will dive into just the E-1 by itself in a dedicated video, because I agree. It's a very good camera.

[@ammadoux]

the 300 mm f2.8 was always my dream lens, when i had the e330, e620 and e5, i could not afford it, and never found a used one back those days. they say it was insanely sharp. and the bigma was also sharp enough for me, and the zoom was more practical. now i have both the 300 mm f4 and 100-400 mm f6.3 for m4/3, the 300 seldom leave the camera, love its sharpness and contrast. the 100-400 is also sharp in good light, and its always good light here where i live. i also had the 50 mm f2 and had so much fun with it in macro, much more than the current 60 mm of the m4/3. thanks for bringing back all those 4/3 days memories. i still have the bigma, so i might look for another e5 body. i have used mine to the last shutter literally.

[@martlet530]

WOW - We must be in the same 4/3 Addiction Group - I even have the 35-100 f2. Oddly I use the 50-200 f2.8 - 3.5 SWD more - maybe just a tad easier to handle. I added an E5 body to my two E1's. Not CCD but color is also very good due to Olympus color processing. Watch out for missing eyecups on the E5 if you buy one. Can't wait for more videos on the 4/3 system. Well done!

[@palmerino1965]

L'oculare l'ho perso sia sulla Panasonic G9 che l'Olympus E-5. Pazienza; comunque uso entrambe con piena soddisfazione.

[@yesteryearcameras]

Olympus is known for their good optics, not only for photography. I'm always impressed how good the lenses are, even the cheap kit-lenses! And they made such great cameras like the E-1! A great (dead...) system. I'm feeling with you😉

[@palmerino1965]

Finché si adopera, rimane vivo. 🤔 Come professionista usavo fino al 2004 il sistema a pellicola 35mm Olympus Om nei matrimoni, moda, pubblicità... senza problemi. 😉 Ed il sistema non veniva più supportato da almeno una decina di anni. Poi sono passato al 4/3 che ancora oggi uso, soprattutto per diletto; professionalmente per conto di una start up, eseguo fotografie immervise che sono probabilmente il futuro nella video e fotografia nel mondo.

[@joefaracevideos]

I just discovered your delightful channel and subscribed. You style of presentation is friendly and informative and I'm enjoying going back to your older videos. Thanks for creating this channel.

[@snappiness]

Well thanks for stopping by Joe and thanks for the kind words :)

[@andreamusi]

I fell in love with the E-300 and the 25mm pancake lens thanks to your previous video about that camera and i bought one last year, in a double zoom bundle with the 14-45mm and the 40-150mm, with the goal to get the 25mm as soon i can find one to reduce the weight and the bulkiness (you know that very well). I'm still searching for this lens, but in the meantime i got myself a 11-22mm f2.8/3.5 for a very reasonable price. I know, it's the very opposite of the 25mm because i doubled up the weight, but i love it! My very impossible dream is to get the 25mm Leica prime lens

[@countskippy]

Well...I'll say this...your channel is the reason why I own a Nikon Coolpix 995 and an Olympus E-10 now after being inspired to poke around for old camera systems that were weird and interesting. I found crazy deals for both, and it's gotten the spark for photography lighting back up again. Add in that I found a crazy deal on a Nikon 1 V1 AND an Olympus E-P3, and it's game on for messin' around for enjoyment again! Nice to know that I can (potentially) adapt 4/3 lenses to my E-P3. I love going to antique stores to see what stuff I can find, and now I can keep an eye out for things like that without worry.

[@roybertalotto6355]

Yesterday I scored a Olympus E-520 with three lenses, extension tubes, a bunch of filters, strap, batteries, Charger, XD card and a backpack bag . All in like new condition for $150! Having fun and proving that 10mp is no handicap. This is going to my 14 year old grandson who wants to move forward from his point and shoot. I recently sold off all my Nikon full frame bodies and lenses and went total MFT. Love the size and weight and amazing bargains on pro type lenses....All a great hobby!

[@corunseen]

There is only information about FT lenses in old forums on the internet. Thanks for the overview. Yesterday, I managed to order the 7-14mm f/4 at a good price, along with the original MFT adapter. Game changer!

[@michaelbradley6987]

I don't care what anyone says. It doesn't matter the age of the camera nor the image quality, what matters most is that you love using it and it's fun to take photos with.

[@rpgroome]

Olympus did make a 35mm 3.5 macro. It wasn’t fast or weather sealed, but it did 1:1.

[@RobShootPhotos]

I was looking for this comment. I had that lens. YES, slow focusing. Never depended on that.

[@knwohwo9737]

and it is supposed to be as sharp as the much praised 50mm macro

[@palmerino1965]

Considerando che un rapporto 1:1 nel formato 4/3, corrisponde al 2:1 sul fullframe. Non male.

[@KelvinSchwartzGrunlicht]

Exemplary retro commitment. I've been on the lookout for at least a year, there are tons of E-4/5xx bodies and kit zooms around here but not much else. I did find a fairly priced 50mm macro and a 14-54mm but let it go. The 12-60mm came up a few times cheap but I missed out. And then, today, a 50-200mm with MMF-3 adapter fell into my lap. Suddenly f3.5 at 200mm, gonna be fun to try. My official excuse is that the E-400/410/420/620 uses the same BLS-5x battery as my E-M10 II and possible future OM-5. E-620 even with (early) IBIS and flip LCD. Also something about using the macro as a negative (film) scanner.

[@Badgerheist]

The Zuiko Digital 35mm f/3.5 is also a native macro with a higher magnification ratio than the 50mm. The 70-300 f/4-5.6 has the same magnification ratio as the 50mm when it's zoomed to 300mm. But yeah, the 2/50 is a gorgeous lens. The 3.5/35 is pretty sweet, too.

[@Badgerheist]

For what it's worth, with their short flange distance (for a DSLR) this system is fairly friendly for manual lens adaptation. M42 and other adapters are pretty easy to find, and there's even one for Canon EF (not electronic) made by Kiwi Fotos. I like adapting to them because they have the focus confirmation dot in the OVF like Nikon DSLRs do.

[@VueeyLe]

I love discovering others collecting old legacy camera as well! One of my favourite from the 4/3 system is the Leica Digilux 3 (Panasonic DMC-L1) and adapting various vintage lenses to it. It's such a conversation starter whenever I bring this out to events and various photoshoots. Just picked up a Nikon DF for under $800 AUD as well and it's been my dream camera to own when I was a lot younger. Man, this hobby is so much more dangerous than watching collecting haha! Would seriously love to sit down and chat about cameras with you on day either on socials or something one day - I reckon we'd have a blast!

[@skipwilliamsnj]

I was a very early adopter of the 4/3 system, buying an e-1 when it was introduced, then moved to the E-3. Shot many tens of thousands of photos with them. I had the 8, 11-22, 12-60, 14-54, 50 Macro, and the 50-200 SWD & non-SWD with the 1.4x. Never ventured to the Super High Grade lenses like the 35-100 or 300, no use case for me. The 50-200 was the star for me and got used for sports all the time. I usually carried the 11-22 and 50-200 as my normal kit. I also shot a lot of theatre where the quiet camera really shined, again with the 50-200.

[@athmaid]

In your experience, is the depth of field shallow enough on these smaller sensors? I'm thinking about getting either a Olympus E-300/500 with that 11-22 or a Fuji S5 Pro and the weight of 4/3 is really compelling if the DoF isn't limiting

[@palmerino1965]

La stessa esperienza; nel mio studio fotografico sono passato dalla pellicola 35mm (con il sistema Olympus Om) e la pellicola medio formato (Mamya RZ II e Press con il 50mm nelle foto di arredamento) al sistema 4/3 nel 2004. Continuavo ad usare solo la Mamiya Press nell'arredamento (formato pellicola 6x9cm), poi ho acquistato la Olympus E-3 ed il 7-14mm... ed anche quella ho pensionato. Non mi servono ottiche esoteriche e nonostante ciò, ho acquistato lo Zuiko 150mm. Mi piacerebbe trovare il 14-35mm a 500 euro e per adesso, è dura. Attualmente uso micro 4/3 e 4/3 sebbene il mio lavoro verte più su foto e video fotografie a 360° gradi e tridimensionali.

[@palmerino1965]

@@athmaid dipende da quali generi fotografici, ami. Premesso che sarebbe meglio provare il sistema e poi avere un'idea. Nel reportage dove occorre descrivere anche l'ambiente, il 4/3 ed anche quindi il micro (stesso sensore) regalano solo vantaggi. Si può usare anche uno zoom ad f:2,8 come apertura di lavoro, volendo. Quindi non occorre nemmeno salire nella sensibilità come invece chiudendo ad f:4 su una aps od f:5,6 su una full-frame. Anche nella macrofotografia il vantaggio è reale: la diffrazione si fa subito vedere nei sensori più grandi. Idem nel paesaggio dove con il 35mm (oggi il full-frame) io ricordo che avevo saltuari problemi di mancanza di ampiezza di nitidezza su tutta la foto se non chiudendo ad f:16 o peggio, f:22. La qualità decade molto. Con il 4/3 invece apprezzavo che ad f:11, comunque la qualità rimaneva più che gradevole. Dove il sistema 4/3 mostra i limiti? Nella foto sportiva con pochissima luce ambiente, dove occorre salire molto con sensibilità ed occorrono velocissimi tempi di esposizione. Ed anche un autofocus velocissimo. Idem nella caccia fotografica sebbene esistono ottiche tele molto costose e luminose. Nelle sfuocato ovvero nei ritratti e foto creative, qualche difficoltà si potrebbe avere. Comunque all'atto pratico, lo Zuiko 50mm f:2 macro lo usavo nei matrimoni con soddisfazione e spesso lo diaframmavo per avere nitidi sia lo sposo che la sposa quando non erano sullo stesso piano. A tutta apertura, più che godibile lo sfuocato. Si possono usare ottiche luminose tipo il Leica 25mm ed il Sigma 30mm entrambi ad f:14 soprattutto per sfruttare al meglio la poca luce ambiente. Manca un grandandogolo super luminoso; si può solo sfruttare il bel Zuiko 11-22mn che non è male come luminosità alla focale più corta. Infine si possono adattare ottiche vecchie ed anche nuove, manuali; io uso lo Zuiko Om 55mm f:1,2 soprattutto nel micro 4/3 ed il Samiyang 85mm f:1,4 che è utile davvero con pochissima luce e creare divertenti, quando veramente servono, sfuocati. A mio modesto avviso, il sensore 4/3 ha il giusto equilibrio tanté che io mai ho provato una fullframe, in tutti questi anni. Mia esperienza e nulla più.

[@NiGhtPiSH]

I've been in love with 4/3 since 2008 when I got my E-410 double zoom kit. For years I stuck with only this piece of kit, until my body started malfunctioning and I got an E-3 for a bargain. After this moment this led to a sold for parts E-1, 11-22, 14-54, 50-200, 50 f2, then a E-M1 with an adapter, then my E-1 started malfunctioning and this led to another sold for parts E-1, PanaLeica 14-150, Sigma 30, 35 macro, a repurchase of the E-410 and now I'm waiting on a E-510 and a E-620. I'm still looking for a good deal on a 7-14 and the fisheye and a 12-60. The 14-35 and 35-100 are awesome, but not something I would take with me on the road.

[@palmerino1965]

Quante mani e braccia hai? 😯 Scherzo, anche se effettivamente conviene razionalizzare la passione con meno corpi macchina ed investire soprattutto nelle ottiche. Il mio 7-14mm, dopo almeno due grosse cadute non andava benissimo e l'ho venduto per solo 10 euro ad un amico fotoamatore spiegandogli i problemi ed era rimasto contento. Questo perché ne avevo trovato un altro, ad un prezzo poco superiore in ottime condizioni. Eccellente lente, ingombro e peso a parte. Posso dire che è robusta, visto le brutte cadute prese nel mio primo esemplare e nonostante tutto funzionava quasi perfettamente.

[@dave-iq3dq]

The E300 with the 25mm pancake is such a rad set up. Love the video!

[@bleedingcontrast]

I recently picked up a E-300 with a couple of lens and am looking forward to using it after I clean it up. Thanks for the excellent videos!

[@d3xmeister]

I was very invested in this system. It was awesome. I had almost all the lenses, and 4-5 cameras

[@HeuerAndy]

A sincere thank you to the second-hand market. What you can find there at the moment, at fabulous prices, is simply fantastic.

[@thedarkslide]

There is something very satisfying about the craftsmanship Olympus put into Four Thirds. Even the consumer E-520 felt solid - that was my first DSRL. I added an E-5 later and still have it today - with a ton of lenses, including that insanely sharp 50mm f2, the Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 and what is probably my most used lens ever, even after I switched to Micro Four Thirds: the 12-60 f2.8-4.

[@peterchiarello3160]

My brother, I have to say that I started following you on KZbin and it was the video you made about economical DSLRs that included your 5 picks (maybe) that included the Nikon D80. Yes I remember now, that was your review about the CCD sensor and features of the camera as well as ergonomics and low price entry level price point, well I bought one and I love it! As far as Olympus goes, my very first digital camera experience was my purchase of a Camedia E-10 which is what got me hooked on digital after being a Canon analog user for years. From there after the E-10 developed some battery issues I bought an E-510 with two kit lenses in totally like new condition again for a nominal price point considering the condition. It's a great little compact system that I use a lot as well. From there I decided to go mirrorless with the OM D EM 1 and man I love that too! So after getting the Oly-bug I found an E3 body and have only been able to find the 4/3 70-300mm lens. I got it at an great price too in totally like new condition. I keep trolling the internet for those older 4/3 lenses and I'm encouraged by what you say about build and image quality.

[@ColtonMatocha]

This is easily one of my favorite old systems. The lens are expensive relative to their age but image quality is so worth it! I have an E300 and E500, both with the Kodak sensor. No reason to have both but here we are 😂

[@Tigerodoes]

An Olympus E-420 was what got me into photography as a kid. Fit perfectly the smaller hands i had back then. The lens lineup seemed futuristic at the time. The cameras were noisy as hell and started falling behind the competition fast. Still Olympus had for me the best color science and the photod looked awesome in low ISOs. Still i think Olympus is a nice counterbalance to other brands that only focus in performance numbers but not so much to the look straight out of sensor.

[@marcelizalde1292]

Still have an E-5 I love to use with the f2.8-3.5 zooms. Those f2 zooms are real gems, I have to convince myself not to get them every year.

[@Karhallarn]

I also still love my E-5 as a second body to my E-M1 II. I shoot exclusively 4/3rds lenses with MMF-3 Adapter! Most versatile kit I ever owned!

[@photoklarno]

I used the Zuiko 11-22 and 14-54 for many years, even into the Micro Four Thirds era. I really liked the 11-22 but I needed to downsize so I sold them and got the 12-40 instead. Terrific lens, just wish it had that extra millimeter at the wide end. But this past year I picked up the 50-200 SWD for a steal and I use with an adapter on my E-M1 and I’m so impressed with its performance, it’s an amazing nature photography lens that focuses very quickly and works well with that camera’s IBIS. I might try to get the 1.4x teleconverter for it this year. And maybe also dust off my E-520 🤔

[@peterdewitte2294]

I also love these camera’s! I recently picked up a lensebaby muse for next to nothing. I also bought some adapters so I can use vintage OM, M42 & canon FD lenses. A whole new experience!

[@ciarancosgrave]

The E1 was my first digital camera. That camera produced the most film-like results of any digital camera I've ever owned since. The lenses were great too.

[@DieselDucy]

I just bought an E300! Can't wait to take it out and take some pics!!

[@snappiness]

Congrats, have fun!

[@DaveEtchells]

Oly lenses have always been great, and many of the Four Thirds lenses were exceptional, since they’d actually been aiming at pro users at the time.

[@luzr6613]

Wow... that was a treat to watch at 0500. I'm glad you're obsessed - i'm not alone! The E-1 with the 25mm 2.8 is my pocketable EDC - I don't have the HLD-2 grip because it sits in my hand beautifully as-is (and would not fit my shooting jacket pocket otherwise). I'm lucky enough to have all the SHQ lenses along with the HQs. The Jewel in the Crown, IQ-wise, I think is the 150 mm f/2 - it can take your breath away. The 300 i've never really made best-friends with (it's for sale but i'm in no rush), but the 90-250 is my tele workhorse. The 14-35 f/2 seems even sharper than the 35-100, which itself is a magnificent lump of glass. I shoot all of it on my E-5 and MFT. The AF issue is you must have Phase Detect AF, so that means any of the E-M1 line or the E-M5 Mk iii. Focus Lock doesn't work on MFT, but everything else is better than on the 4/3 bodies (except for balance, unless you're using an E-M1X). Really amazing glass - fast, bullet-proof build, superb IQ that comes into its own on the later bodies (although there's nothing wrong with what the E-1 gives in the right light). Damnit Man... I'm Happy for You!

[@snappiness]

I've considered the 14-35, so that's good to hear. I'll probably snag it up whenever I see a good deal. The 150mm I keep hearing great things about. I have a Pentax 300mm f4 that I really love, so I don't know if it could ever take that place but seeing the quality of these other lenses it could very well!

[@luzr6613]

@@snappiness The 14-35 was one of the surprises for me - it just instantly impressed with its clarity - much the same feeling as when I graduated from a 14-45 to the 14-54 and 12-60... just a 'wow' jump. The 150 f/2... that's when I understood what truly great glass really is - it unlocked a different world for me. If you're looking for a tele-zoom, i've nothing bad to say about the 50-200. It doesn't lose much with the EC1.4 teleconverter, and it's less than a third of the weight of the 90-250 (which I love) and way easier to swing around. When I travel light, I take the 50-200 and the 12-60 and don't feel naked. Only problem with these SHQ lenses on 4/3 is they can deliver even better on MFT - to the extent that I only have a single MFT lens - a fast wide pancake prime. I'm really looking forward to your continuing adventures with this stuff - hope the obsession really takes root (along with the K-1 thing). Cheers.

[@Pixel_400_Photography]

I picked up an Olympus E-500 with the kit 14-42 mm and 40-150 mm lenses and I completely agree with you in this video. The lenses themselves feel really well built and smooth, optically great too. Thanks for the nice video as well!

[@wmwanderer]

Hi! I have exact same camera and exact two lenses. I was honestly a little bit disappointed by the lenses performance, that has limited my use of E-500. I'm not giving up just yet though. What I've learnt is that this camera really loves the light, that's where it shines.

[@evandossvideos]

A few months ago I really researched these old four thirds DSLRs, but in the end I felt the better value at the time was Nikon. The value of old Nikon DSLR lenses is great right now.

[@admiralvontirpitz7115]

Totally agree, you can find some amazing F glass for almost bargain basement prices if you look carefully

[@Gary_W]

Excellent video as usual! Thanks for sharing 😁😁

[@snappiness]

Thanks for stopping by as always Gary :) Good to hear from you

[@GeorgeHolden]

I was so tempted to try the E300 after your first video, but the four thirds system was so strange to browse and rationalise investing in 😂 thank you for trying and showing these cameras so I can sort of feel like I've tried them!

[@stephentalas1940]

I inherited a near mint condition E500 and 3 (14-45, 40-150, 70-300) with it, once I worked past my ignorant fixation with megapixels, I think it and the lenses have proven themselves to be a joy to work with, the CCD sensor produces those wonderful film like colours and the images overall are excellent. Yes it can't be pushed hard or work as robustly as a CMOS but in the right conditions it's outstanding.

[@reginalb124]

It's fun to see some coverage on this system. I started shooting professionally on the Olympus E-3, and it's probably my all time favorite camera. I started with 4/3 as a hobby using an E-500 because I couldn't afford either the Panasonic DMC-L1 or the Leica Digilux 3, which were the cameras I really wanted. I later got in to shooting events and sports with the Olympus E-3. Of note, if you want another f/1.4 the PanaLeica 25mm f/1.4 was just a crazy good lens - plenty sharp wide open. I sold mine (and my E-3 and E-5 years ago to fund Nikon lenses) and I wish I still had the E-3 and the 25mm PanaLeica, that lens still goes for a long of money. That 35-100 f/2 is a great lens, too. I shot sports indoors with that lens, and loved it. That said, it is so big. Bigger than the 70-200 lenses that I've had since then (Nikon VRII, Tamron G2, and Nikon 70-200 S). I finally recently got in to m4/3, and I really wish that lens worked even kinda well on the G9II, but it's loud, slow, and hunts so much.

[@admiralvontirpitz7115]

It's an amazing system in terms of lenses, there are real some unique gems in it, I had the the luck to use and collect all the "exotics" save from the 300 F2.8, the 90-250 F2.8 was an absolute monster of a zoom, able to rival with my fixed "modern" 300 F4 PRO in terms of sharpness at F4 (but a much more pleasing rendering in my opinion), the 35-100 F2 has also a lovely way of drawing portraits and the 150 F2 was a razor sharp and also a killer for portraits, able to rival with my very best FF long telephoto primes. At the end I sold them all to pursue my FF and medium format photographic adventure (including the Mamiya ZD you made me discover that I already love :)), but it was really sad letting them go. Happy 4/3 collecting!

[@Sideshow_77]

Great video! I was, and still am obsessed with the original four thirds Olympus gear. I have an E5 with some wonderful Zuiko lenses, and I also have the Panasonic/Leica 25mm 1.4 which is built like a tank and amazing. I keep scrolling through eBay for people offloading their old Zuiko Digital Pro lenses, specifically those big heavy constant-aperture 14-35, 35-100 and 150mm, but like you, I cant really justify spending thousands on a dead system... Perhaps they will one day become affordable... but somehow I doubt it.

[@normanq1206]

I got the E-500 last year for cheap on eBay. It came with the 14-45 kit lens. The lens wasn't good and photos came out washed out so I had a less than ideal initial experience. I decided to buy the 14-54mm just to see if the issue was the lens and the difference was night and day. I was finally able to see the pleasing colors of the Kodak CCD sensor that people were raving about.

[@nefrace]

Got my Sigma 30mm f1.4 with Zuiko 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 with 4/3 to m4/3 adapter just for around $160 like a year ago. Both are very pleasant to use with my old boy E500 or my main camera OM-D E-M1. Glad to see both of them here!

[@rickyzagalo]

Me too, long live Olympus 4/3😊. I started with a E-400, but didn't find the ccd magic, so I changed it for a E-620, because of the megapixels, the tilt screen and the illuminated buttons and, I'm most happy with that move. The standard zooms are quite good, both the 14-42 and the 40-150, the 70-300 is my usual choice, compact, light and very sharp and contrasty and, just love the 25mm pancake. Now, because of this video, I will look for the 50mm macro. Maybe in the future I will try one of the Leica lenses, I'm sure they will give excellent results.

[@jamesking4129]

Always love your videos!

[@PhilipSalen]

Canon with its EF Ef-s lens system took good care of their customers with EF lens compatibility going back to the mid 1980's. Great video thanks for posting!

[@luzr6613]

Gotta say too that it's only 'Dead', from the lens perspective, if you don't have the adapter to MFT. If you do, then the SHQ lenses are, with the exception of the 7-14 f/4, faster throughout the range than any native MFT lenses. So you've got f/2 up to 150 mm, and 2.8 from 150 to 300. Put the 1.4 teleconverter on the 300 and you're at f/4 @ 420 (or 840 FF equivalent FoV).

[@palmerino1965]

Ho notato solo un calo della prestazione a tutta apertura. Chiudendo solo di 1/3 di stop, si ripristina quasi la bellissima qualità del 150mm. Con il moltiplicatore 1,4x; mi piacerebbe provare il 2x, a trovarlo, così si avrebbe un 300mm f:4.

[@Laundry_Hamper]

I really love the noise of the motors they used. On par with the noise of Minoltas focusing their screw-drive lenses.

[@christopherward5065]

That looks really inspiring. I like the images you’ve produced and the lenses are exciting.

[@fistfulloflenses]

totally get your obsession, im collecting old manual focus film cameras and lenses , love learning about the history of the different manufacturers , wish more have survived as competition pushes inovation

[@mortenthesbl5535]

feel so lucky to have the e-400 and 50mm macro. I pick it up when I want something light that delivers something close to an analog look. The CCDs in this system are so great.

[@starbase218]

I have a dead system as well: Nikon F-mount. The advantage is, you don't have to worry anymore about what lens might come out next. And of course, you can get bargains on top quality lenses.

[@AntonyHollingworth]

About 12/13 Years ago when a lot of people started to abandon FourThirds for Canon/Nikon after Olympus discontinued it in favour of m4/3, there were so many good deals to be had from users of the Flickr Four Thirds group. I really regret not getting them, but my E-600 was in for repair at the time and I was using a Sony NEX-3 and was considering going all in on E-Mount. Hindsight is 20/20 Still use my Olympus though, picked up the 35mm f3.5 Macro lens for it recently. I quite like just slapping a cheap Olympus 50mm f/1.8 OM F.Zuiko on it though and shooting manual focus.

[@daveyeatyourfries6493]

Me too! I found an Olympus E-500 new in box about a year ago and have been shooting and picking up lenses for it ever since. Then I got a Panasonic Lumix L1 body and that’s really kicked it up a notch! If you ever get one, be sure to upgrade to the latest firmware as it really polished off previous issues with the L1. The L1 kit lens is stellar too. Thanks for the video!

[@curiousloli]

Same here. Already have 9 lenses on 4/3 system. My last buy is 50-200mm. Not that big, but not easy to carry.

[@Bigfarmer8]

What is your favorite/most used of these lenses and why?

[@curiousloli]

@@Bigfarmer8 Panasonic Lumix 14-50mm f2.8-3.5 cuz it's universal

[@Bigfarmer8]

@@curiousloli Thanks so much! I will have a look at it.

[@acanthistius]

I originally bought an E1 as I had quite a few OM lenses and found one at a good price including an adapter. I later picked up a E520 for next to nothing and finally an E3. While I still use OM lenses I have also obtained the 4/3 50mm Macro and two of the zooms. My primary system is Pentax but I often use these as well. Thanks for the video.

[@wmwanderer]

I have an E500, 14-42 and 40-150. I'm not yet sold on the lenses (surprisingly), but i'm having great fun with m42 lenses on E500. Metering mostly works just fine, and while focusing isn't exactly easy, it isn't impossible. Combination of E500 sensor with a lenses full of old character gives really interesting results and is simply fun!

[@snappiness]

I didn't really dive into that, but I also adapt m42 to my cameras! Agreed, it's good fun!

[@BobGP1]

I used to have a adapter ring for these lenses to fit on a-mount i belive. And a cannon mount i think ef, they where good and some photographer used to constantly put new lenses into my local charity shop all the time. It was amazing for a broke student

[@DanijelTurina973]

I used 4/3, loved it. The problem was that the glass was more expensive than 35mm Canon and not any smaller, so I thought, might as well have the 35mm Canon. The E1 and the lenses were excellent, but the small sensor size really boxed the system into a corner, and overall I was happier with the dark tonality I got from the 35mm.

[@kennethhansen4000]

I totally agree that it is a fantastic system. Am lucky enough to have a couple of these older cameras with different lenses. (Oly E1, Oly E400, Oly E620 and Leica digilux 3). The Olympus E1 is definitely my favorite. There is no other camera like it... It is the output and the colors that are exceptional. Think I could sell the rest of my cameras and just live happily with my Fourthirds... The reason the system died was that the engineers, already when designing the Olympus E-1, made too great a distance from the sensor to the lens mount, so that you had to make the large and expensive lenses... That was corrected in the construction of the M4/3. But Fourthirds system was also, as I understand it, the first attempt to make a digital professional camera system, completely from scratch, - and not like, for example, Nikon, took a housing that was built for analog film and inserted a sensor where the file was previously located.

[@StephenStrangways]

They needed that distance so there was room for a mirror. It was a small a distance as possible - the only SLR systems with a smaller flange distance were their own Pen F half-frame film camera system, Minolta Vectis APS, and Pentax 110.

[@johncl27]

I still have and occasionally use my 2005-ish Olympus E500...it has the 8MP Kodak CCD sensor which gives beautiful colour rendition and contrast ratios...slow as a wet week to process RAW images so buffering times are high...no live view on the rear LCD so all framing done via the optical viewfinder which I prefer, except for doing those low or high angle shots! I only have the kit lenses but they are really quite good for kit lenses...I did borrow one of the more pro lenses - the 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 which was nice to use.The poor old thing has some foibles of age with metering now becoming somewhat of a lottery. Terrible in low light but I still love using it when the conditions are right.

[@TheTS1205]

I'm totally supporting your opinion about "dead" mounts. I invested in Nikon F a while ago knowing that there will be maaaaaany people selling there F stuff for upgrading to mirrorless and it was the best idea. I own around 11 lenses and 3 bodies (including a D850 and a Sigma Art 40mm f1.4) and all together was around 4.000€ total. That D850 and Sigma Art lens alone did cost more than 4k back when released...

[@snappiness]

Great idea!

[@dasaen]

Man you have the big tuna?! congrats, those are very expensive and super bright. It would be nice to have some historian find out why olympus changed the designs for apertures, not having many pro options under f4 nowadays. Definitely a lesson on the fear of lenses losing their worth because of the system dying, I don’t think it’s a ridiculous idea, many people hunt for the 300mm f2.8 and the 50-200 f2.8-3.5, they are significantly sharper than current lenses.

[@rentedtux1883]

I have the E1 paired with the 50mm f2 macro. Convince me that, that isnt the sweetest combination ever.

[@snappiness]

I cannot. It is :)

[@palmerino1965]

Un'altra combinazione è lo zoom Leica 14-50mm. 🤔 E' stabilizzato, cosa che aiuta con la E-1 che non ha questa possibilità come nelle successive reflex professionali e non.

[@MikeC2K10]

In the late 2000s I owned a E-520 with the 14-54 zoom and also the 8mm fisheye. I've owned an E-M5 Mk II since 2017. I would love to get my hands on a 300 f/2.8 and the native MC 2.0 teleconverter. edit: haha looks like I also owned a 40-150mm zoom according to EXIF data. I pretty much have the same set of lenses now, but M43 PRO versions. 7-14, 24-40 and 40-150 f/2.8. I keep shopping full frame camera systems, but the cost of duplicating what I can do with my M43 kit is prohibitive.

[@joerama]

Gorgeous glass. Well played!

[@mu5hshro0m]

hell yeah brother i picked one up for $50 too, with the battery grip. Love it.

[@bigrobotnewstoday1436]

Olympus did make a adapter so these lens work on Micro Four Thirds but they work best with Olympus cameras that have phase detection and maybe Panasonic cameras that have phase detection now. Also some other company made a adapter.

[@SoybeanGravy]

I saved myself a lot of money buying a four-thirds lens and a micro adapter as opposed to buying the equivalent micro-four-thirds lens. Even if you’re using a micro-four-thirds body, four-thirds lenses are undervalued.

[@paulmcwilliams8641]

I have an Oly 50 -200 f2.8-3.5 which I use for wildlife in low light and a Sigma 150mm macro, Both are really sharp, the 50 - 200 holds its price really well, especially the Super Wave Drive (SWD) version, but the oldest version of it is sharper, albeit slower to focus. All four thirds lenses will only autofocus successfully with phase detection sensors. I have used both on an EM1 ii or my OM1. I tried a Panasonic G9ii, but they did not focus properly, even with it's phase detection, which was why I opted for the OM1.

[@snappiness]

Yeah I've been using them on my G85, and while it works, it is not at all good.

[@geekblog174]

My E3 is in use since 2008 and I love it. When looking for a very small DSLR is the E420.

[@rephaelreyes8552]

Can you review the 300mm f 2.8? I want to see the interesting pictures it'll take

[@apenzijncool3441]

I kinda like the 40-150mm zoom on this system. Its nice and small and you have some range to photograph animals that are sitting still

[@snowcat20]

50/2 is not the only Macro lens in the system. They also had 35/3.5 Macro, I had it back then. Greatest for me were 12-60/2.8-4, 50-200/2.8-3.5, 150/2, and FANTASTIC heavy beast 90-280/2.8 :)

[@marcdenhoed5461]

I fully understand your passion. I have the E-300, E-400, E-500 and the E-3 and I can't say goodbye to any of them. 😅

[@NPJensen]

I have come to love the 4/3 system. My first 4/3 camera was a Leica Digilux 3 with the Leica 14-50mm f2.8-3.5 lens. I also got the Olympus 40-150mm f4-5.6 lens (the cheapest 4/3 lens I have ever seen) and three days ago my new Olympus E-500 arrived. The E-500 is small and light - and it has the same sensor from Kodak made in Rochester as the E-300. I'm sure both cameras will eventually brick on me, but I'm not done picking up lenses for them. If I had the money for it, I would order the Leica 25mm f1.4 lens, but it will have to wait.

[@cmdrvex]

I have the Panasonic Lumix L1 with the 4/3rds Zuiko 14-54mm f2.8, as well as the pancake 25mm. I like using old OM legacy lenses too, especially my 55mm f1.2 which has bonkers bokeh. Nice collection you have there!

[@rbos6001]

I never enjoyed an older DSLR more then the Olympus E300. The Nikon D70 I owned in the past and the Canon 500D I still own. Did not make me enjoy DSLR's much. The Olympus I picked up a while ago is totally different got it with the 17.5-45mm lens. Found the 50mm f2 online and loved the images even more. I would like to own the 25mm f2.8 pancake and the 70-200 f2 you have, but only for the right price. Someone I knew has a Olympus E-420 and E-620 and I lent some 40-150mm from him. He got both versions. Looking forward to your future videos about the system.

[@MonigMedia]

2:49 Pancaked up!

[@SilverHalides]

Thanks for another great video! Indeed, the 300mm f/2.8 (I have seen it nicknamed “Big Tuna”) is not light but a fantastic and very sharp lens. Something slightly more portable could be the 150mm f/2, which also works with the 2x teleconverter, to give you a 300mm f/4? For my needs, autofocus-with both lenses-is sufficiently fast on my E-M1 mk III, although it does become slow and a little unreliable with the 2x converter mounted on the 300mm! I also have the 1.4x converter but two converters cannot be stacked, to make a cheaper 4/3 competitor to the new, white 150-400mm “pro” zoom with its built-in 1.25xTC and optional, additional 2xTC. Not sure it would be a good idea even if you could. The Olympus MMF-3 adapter is incredibly well-built and a pleasure to use.

[@snappiness]

I'm planning on picking up the official MMF-3 adapter one of these days. Glad to hear it works well.

[@adidabax6809]

I got the e500 (?) for a day bc I wanted a CCD sensor. As it was on the way I.went with a Pentax in the end and didn't have a battery, so I didn't do much with it... I too was surprised how comfortable it and the lenses were.

[@dubanhernandocastanedamora7196]

I guest something to fall in love for the old gear it is the price. You get a high quality for a good price

[@ditto1958]

My first dslr’s were the E-300 and E-500. I also briefly owned an E-330 and an E-510. Still have the first two, along with two kit zooms. Although they certainly have shortcomings, they were and still are amazing cameras. I was sad and pissed at Olympus for dumping the system. They had done the sale thing to me once before when they dropped the OM film slr system.

[@nigelcliff7390]

I already have a knock off adapter for my 14-42 and 40-150 ED lenses but I picked up an Olympus Four Thirds 12-60 f2.8/4 for a very reasonable £75 the other day and it's stunning on my EM-1 Mk2

[@rfriday9532]

My wife still uses the e420. I sometimes use it. In good light I'd say it's better than my regular Pentax k3. Something special about it with very little post production needed.

[@snappiness]

Very nice :)

[@jbp6759]

So cool. I've used a handful of m4/3 lenses and if 4/3 are anything like them I'm sure they are amazing. Wonderful images throughout the video, btw. And hey, it doesn't have to make sense. It's a hobby, all that matters is you enjoy it. And, perhaps, haven't overspent. haha

[@neeravnaik]

I have the Olympus E500 and have bought the 25mm 2.8 and the 50 mm F2 lenses. While I love the system I wish I would use them more often. I am hitting a stage where attraction of these cool unique systems is waning a bit. I am realizing the advantages of mirrorless over DSLRs growing older and busier.

[@palmerino1965]

Se dovessi usare solo la reflex che hai, passerei alle mirrorless. Il mirino elettronico è più godibile. Altresì la serie professionale delle reflex Olympus ha un bel mirino ottico; allora diventa meno pressante la voglia di investire nel mirrorless, sebbene comunque abbiano tanti vantaggi. Possiedo la Panasonic G9 come fotocamera più prestante eppure uso di più la Olympus E-5, questo perché sono stanco di vedere sempre attraverso un mirino elettronico. Che sia la fotocamera, il computer, la televisione... ps: solo la mia esperienza.

[@domtomazo]

Four Thirds was before "my time" but shooting Olympus Micro Four Thirds I was always interested in them to adapt. Got the MMF-3 adapter cheap a few years back, this year the Oly 12-60 F2.8-4 SWD that works very good on the E-M1 Mark II. My copy of the 50-200 F2.8-4 SWD was unfortunately broken, seemed like an interesting lens. The 150mm F2 is on my radar, seems quite fun :)

[@WalfredoCirne]

I love the 4/3 lenses too But I use them on an Olympus adapter on modern micro 4/3 with phase detection auto-focus Anyhow, the Olympus 50mm f2 is absolutely lovely indeed

[@kalikoura]

These lenses are still unbelievable I have most of these and still use them in a professional capacity to this day all be it on the MFT system on an Omd em1. The 8mm fisheye is my absolute go to for concert photography along with the 7-14 The 50-200 still holds up while doing motorsport photography, and sits as my second lens after the new 40-150 Pro mft. It's super sharp too and is not far off that new Pro lens in terms of speed either!

[@snappiness]

Do you have a Flickr or Instagram with some photos I could check out? I'm super interested to see what you're getting on that OM-1!

[@pinitxopo]

I just bought an E-510 this week as my first camera :)