Over the last few months I have seen a growing trend among people I know in the real world, and people I know on social media that seems to be backed up by a poll I am currently running on social media (which I will share when it finishes). I have watched photographers move up from their small sensor cameras to full frame, and now I am watching these photographers and more moving to micro four thirds and smaller sensors. Let us look at the reasons they have been giving.
The most noticeable brand change is moving from Canon, Sony and Nikon to Olympus cameras, although quite a few have even skipped micro four thirds and gone to Lumix TZ (and similar) cameras. Just to make it clear, none of the dozens of photographers I have seen do this, and spoke to are professional photographers in any way, so this is about the average hobbyist photographer, who is often in a camera club or takes endless photos to share on social media or their websites.
“The reasons within…“
It is not difficult to believe, but the primary reason for these people to move to much smaller sensors has been the size and weight of the cameras and lenses. Many of the people changing have been retired people, or people who travel a lot and now find the lenses on their full frame gear to be too heavy or large. Whereas before they had to have a large bag for their 500mm+ lenses and maybe another zoom or two, now they can have a small bag with their entire kit and cover (in full frame terms) 14mm-800mm in a couple of relatively small, but very light lenses.
Another reason I heard was that, particularly in the OM 1 Mk II, the bird autofocus was now at a level where they could sell their top end Canon R5 Mk II’s, or Nikon Z9’s or Sony series cameras as the OM cameras was good enough to us all the time.
When I asked quite a few questions, the answer good enough came up quite often. I was told when asked how they feel about the image quality of micro four thirds, or their bridge cameras, or their point and shoots (nearly all used for birding and general photography) that the image quality is good enough. And of course, that makes sense. The images are for themselves, for sharing online and for the occasional A4 print for their camera clubs.
“Good enough for you is good enough for me...“
So if you have read my very popular and honest articles on micro four thirds, aps-c and full frame cameras, or are even contemplating a bridge type super zoom camera, chances are, it will be good enough for you and your needs.
People all have different needs and different expectations, so do not be afraid, as there are plenty of people moving back to micro four thirds and smaller, because it is good enough.
My name is Mark G Adams. I am a professional photographer from South Wales, shooting weddings, events and portraits as well as running meets and workshops. For fun I like to shoot landscapes, wildlife and occasionally do street photography. Enjoy my website as I share my knowledge learned over decades of working and having fun in photography.
You can find all the latest articles and blogs on my homepage here.
My main photography social media page is my Facebook One Camera One Lens Photography page.
Nikon Recipes for the Z system can be found here.
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One Camera One Lens Photography 
I bought a tiny Canon G1X for my bike rides because it fits in a saddle bag. I also take it on holiday trips abroad. But for landscapes and wildlife, I still much prefer my D800. It’s far from perfect for wildlife, but I really like the 36MP – plenty of room to crop. So I guess I’m on both sides of this.
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The D800 is a nice camera, Nikon output is second to none for most photography usage, and I’m happy to be back with Nikon after my spell with Fujifilm for a few years.
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Good to hear you’re back with Nikon. I’ve loved my D800 – the detail and dynamic range are still impressive. Fujifilm cameras are nice too, but I really like Nikon’s colors.
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Hey Mark,
Not really surprised by this at all. I’ve been saying for quite some time that Micro Four Thirds is a very solid choice, especially for birding, wildlife, sports and airshows, where reach, speed and portability matter far more than absolute sensor size.
That said, I think there’s an important distinction to make. Moving from full frame to MFT is a rational, photography-driven decision. Moving to something like a Lumix TZ is a very different story.
Those cameras absolutely have their place, mainly for travel or casual use, where convenience matters more than control. But with a sensor roughly eight times smaller than MFT, they’re simply not aimed at the same kind of photographer.
In that sense, it’s not even a strange evolution. The compact camera market has largely disappeared, replaced by smartphones, and what remains now fills a niche for people who want more reach than a phone can offer, without stepping into a full photographic system.
So yes, downsizing makes sense, but not all downsizing leads to the same place.
Have a great weekend,
Marc
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Thanks Marc,
It’s all very interesting. Some of the best bird and wildlife photographers I know (for example Kevin and Thomas in Issue 1 of the magazine) have left “proper” cameras and are using bridge cameras. I think the foxes and deer in the magazine are excellent and you wouldn’t question they were from a Nikon P950 and a P1100.
I was surprised they have given up their M43 and full frame cameras for these and still getting excellent results. I’m seeing some very strange choices these days that all seem to be working, and it questions photography!
My mate bought a TZ99 to replace his Nikon Z5ii which he used for general photography, and many more seem to be buying OM1 Mk 2 cameras, they must be on offer at the moment!
Things are certainly becoming very odd with people choosing sensor sizes for their fun photography!
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They’re all on sale at the moment, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Panasonic and OM System, spring sales everywhere!
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I’ve never seen so many OM1 mk 2’s in the wild 😂 we had 3 on Thursday when I was out and about!
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