Need advice on upgrading my camera

Hello everyone.  I am new to the forum and also to photography.

I purchased the Olympus E-410 about 10 years ago and only used it a handful of times during that period.  

Now I took an interest in photography and have been studying the art for about 2 months.

I can see a lot of shortcomings with my current equipment and want to upgrade it.

I like the 4/3 system so I would like to stay within that no matter what I go for.

I guess what I would like to know is: What is the best 4/3 Legacy camera, and what are the best lenses for sports photography. 

The one thing I quickly noticed while trying to take picture at an airshow was that the camera took a long time to focus and the majority of my pictures were out of focus.   When the planes were at low speed or on the ground, the image was superb, but trying to capture fast maneuvers was a nightmare.

I currently own the 2 kit lenses that came with the camera: 14-42mm 3.5f and the 40-150mm 4.0f

So obviously faster lenses would be nice, and also longer lenses as well.  I do have the 2x ec-20 interface so technically I can do 300mm.

I was looking at getting the E-5 off ebay.  But if I am gonna put a lot of money down on a camera body, I might as well get the best one that was available before they switches to micro four thirds.  And despite searching google for 2 hours, I was not able to find a guide showing the best or even top 5 cameras in the four thirds system.

So anything you can tell me would be much appreciated.

Coincidentally, Tony Northup just uploaded a video on a lens that might be what you're looking for. It isn't cheap though.



But it's a useful video to see what you can expect from a micro four-thirds system in terms of wildlife photography. I know that's not what you're interested in, but there's a lot of crossover with wildlife and sports, and particularly with birds and planes as you might expect.

Four thirds cameras haven't been made for quite a while so I wouldn't go that route. Not surprising you couldn't find much about them. I think you have 2 choices. Keep your lenses and get an E-M1 MK II and use them with an adapter. The E-M1's have PDAF which will focus your lenses. The better choice would be to sell your lenses and get a newer m43 body along with m43 compatible lenses. This is the better way to go. I suggest against trying build a system around old outdated technology. Your asking about sports and trying to use old 4/3 technology just doesn't work very well for that. The best sports camera for m43 is the E-M1X but that thing cost a ton. Good luck in your decision but I would abandon the old 4/3 line as it's getting long in the tooth. I use Olympus so this advice is from somebody that uses the system and not someone who never has and is only guessing.

Shadowfixer1 wrote: Four thirds cameras haven't been made for quite a while so I wouldn't go that route. Not surprising you couldn't find much about them. I think you have 2 choices. Keep your lenses and get an E-M1 MK II and use them with an adapter. The E-M1's have PDAF which will focus your lenses. The better choice would be to sell your lenses and get a newer m43 body along with m43 compatible lenses. This is the better way to go. I suggest against trying build a system around old outdated technology. Your asking about sports and trying to use old 4/3 technology just doesn't work very well for that. The best sports camera for m43 is the E-M1X but that thing cost a ton. Good luck in your decision but I would abandon the old 4/3 line as it's getting long in the tooth. I use Olympus so this advice is from somebody that uses the system and not someone who never has and is only guessing.

Yes in terms of camera quality and availability of accessories, going with the micro four thirds system would be ideal.  

My issue is that this is a new hobby for me.  I am not sure yet if I am gonna love it or not.  So I am not interested in spending thousands of dollars on high end cameras and lenses just to discover a few months from now that I don't care for it that much.

Currently with my setup I can do most types of photography.  The one limitation is on action stuff.  I know that the pro 70-300mm Olympus lens is supposed to be very good... but I am not ready to spend 2000$+ for it.  I have seen a few more recent bodies going for sub 1000$ on Ebay, I was just not sure what to buy.  

If I decided to ditch my lenses and body for something new, I would not be able to get the same thing for under 2K.  So that's not in the cards.

I have seen a lot of comments saying not to invest in an old system, I really don't understand why.  Once you have the lenses you need, what does it matter that other more recent products are available?  In my mind, if I can get a decent telephoto lens at a reasonable price, and maybe a better camera body.... I will be set,  Unless there is something I am not considering.  Also I have no issue buying used, people usually take good care of their camera gear and most of the time it is in great to pristine condition when you buy used.

You can always go the cheap route of buying a used E-M1 MK1 which is about 450 at KEH for excellent+ grade which will look brand new. Add a 4/3 to n43 adapter to it and it will autofocus the lenses you have. No need to go with an old body. The reason people say not to invest in old technology is the image quality and performance lags behind the newer stuff. Autofocus and image quality have come a long way. One more thing, there isn't a 75-300 Olympus Pro Lens. There is the 300 f-4.0 prime and the 40-150 f-2.8 zoom. Even if you decide you're not interested in photography, you could sell it and only be out very few dollars. That's what I would do, but to each his own.

Shadowfixer1 wrote: You can always go the cheap route of buying a used E-M1 MK1 which is about 450 at KEH for excellent+ grade which will look brand new. Add a 4/3 to n43 adapter to it and it will autofocus the lenses you have. No need to go with an old body. The reason people say not to invest in old technology is the image quality and performance lags behind the newer stuff. Autofocus and image quality have come a long way. One more thing, there isn't a 75-300 Olympus Pro Lens. There is the 300 f-4.0 prime and the 40-150 f-2.8 zoom. Even if you decide you're not interested in photography, you could sell it and only be out very few dollars. That's what I would do, but to each his own.

Ok makes sense if the bodies are a lot better then.  

What kind of hit would I take with the adaptor?  My extender makes me loose 2 steps if I remember correctly.  Do you get the same penalties with the adaptor?

450$ is really low.  I have seen E-5s going for just under 1000$ on Ebay.  I am not familiar with the model numbers, is the E-M1 Mk? the pro serie like that the E-5 is, or is it more of a consumer grade product like the E-520 would be?

As for the lens, you are right, I have been looking at too many lenses LOL  The pro one is  a prime lens, not a zoom.  I was mixing it with the 70-300 that isn't pro but seems like a good lens overall.

No penalty concerning light with the adapter. It just corrects the registration distance from the lens to the sensor. The top Olympus models are the E-M1 MK 1 and the E-M1 MKII. The E-M1X is above them but its price is out of reach. The reason I don't recommend lower models is their lack of PDAF which helps a lot with focusing 4/3 lenses. The E-M1s are weather sealed as well if that is important to you. Good luck in your decision.   

Thanks, I will have a look at those models. Today it Prime day on Amazon... so maybe there will be a deal?

I agree with all of the advice by Shadowfixer1. But, if you want to keep this super cheap, you should be able to pick up a used Oly 4/3 E-620 for small change. Which would still be a nice little bump up over the older E-410.

Kelly

Yes I was looking at the 620 and the 520.  Very small improvements over the 410.  The 520 is a better camera in terms of quality over the 410 and is a bit bigger.  The 620 is like a cross between the other 2, almost as small as the 410 and almost as good as the 520.

Then I started looking at the E-5 and was thinking about buying instead since it is a much better camera.

Price wise, I could find a 620 for about 100-200$. 

The OM-D E-M1 on the other hand, I just lost a bid was on ebay at 400$ (all prices are Canadian Dollars).  

I feel like having a much much better camera with the E-M1 is worth the extra money, even if I will also have to buy an adaptor.  My biggest issue with the E-410 is how slow it is, and how hard it is to get anything that moves into focus.  Looking at the specs of the E-M1, it's like night and day with the E-410.