The MFT-Format

When I decided to get my first own camera, I first had to thoroughly research which models would be most suitable for me and my needs.

As a student, the financial aspect naturally played a big role as well.

The first question I faced was: Which format?

Full-frame, APS-C, MFT... each has certain advantages and disadvantages that needed to be weighed.

One might think that full-frame is always the best for wildlife and nature photography, but for me personally, there were a few points that held me back. This isn’t to say that full-frame cameras are unsuitable for this purpose—after all, most professional nature photographers shoot in full-frame. It’s just that, for me, the MFT format fits better at the moment, and there are several reasons for this.

One of them is the price—sure, you can buy an older full-frame DSLR on the used market and get it relatively cheaply, but you also have to consider that the lenses for it can be significantly more expensive than MFT lenses. The total costs for the camera, lenses, and accessories like a battery grip, etc., add up quickly.

In addition, there are my personal preferences that led me to the MFT format:

• Mirrorless – I prefer mirrorless systems for several reasons, mainly because of the practicality of being able to see the image live on the screen or in the electronic viewfinder exactly as it will be exposed. This saves valuable time and prevents incorrectly exposed images, which is incredibly important when you need to be quick—for example, when a hare hops from sunlight into shadow and you have to manually adjust the exposure within seconds. Another important point with mirrorless systems is the "silent mode," where the shutter operates completely silently, helping to avoid drawing attention to yourself from the animals.

  
  

  There are now fantastic mirrorless full-frame cameras, such as the Canon R series (perhaps my favorite for a future switch to full-frame?).
  

• Weight – Compared to full-frame cameras, the total weight of the camera + lens with MFT cameras is significantly lighter, making them better suited for mountain hikes or long treks through wetlands, and also much more comfortable to hold while shooting. The latter is especially important to me, as I almost never use a tripod for my macro photography and wildlife shots.
  

• Crop Effect – Since the sensor is about half the size of a full-frame camera, the MFT format achieves a significant magnification effect, appearing 2x stronger. This means my 400mm telephoto lens effectively becomes an 800mm telephoto. Of course, the photographers among you know that it doesn’t truly equate to an 800mm focal length but rather appears that way due to the smaller crop factor—I’ve simplified it a bit here.

Some additional features that are personally important to me aren’t found in every camera:

• Articulating Screen/Touchscreen – A flip-out screen can be advantageous in many situations. If, like me, you often photograph subjects close to the ground and don’t want to lie down every time to look through the viewfinder or at the screen, an articulating screen is very practical. The touchscreen helps, for example, to quickly and precisely move the focus point..
  

• Joystick – A joystick is also helpful when it comes to moving the autofocus area.
  

• Control Dials – I like to use 3 different dials to quickly adjust aperture, shutter speed, and ISO with two fingers. A huge efficiency factor in manual photography.
  

• Fast Burst Mode – Not only for capturing moving subjects (like birds in flight, for example), but also for handheld macro photography, a fast burst mode is essential.
  

• Bracketing – Bracketing refers to creating focus stacks, which means combining multiple shots with different focus planes to achieve an image with greater depth of field—especially crucial in macro photography!

  (Capturing the focus stack in-camera is called "bracketing," and merging the shots during post-processing on the computer is called "stacking.")

  Some cameras offer "in-camera bracketing" and/or the ability to automatically shift the focus backward without moving the camera itself.
  

Considering all these points, one model stood out particularly for me:

The Panasonic Lumix G9. I ended up buying it, as well as my lenses, second-hand. This saves even more money, and the equipment is practically like new if the previous owner took good care of it.

There are also other great MFT cameras from Panasonic and Olympus, APS-C cameras from Sony, for example, and of course full-frame cameras that would also be excellent for my purposes. In the end, it was a combination of the advantages mentioned above that perfectly suited my needs and convinced me of the MFT format. However, it all depends on personal preferences and budget—for someone else, a completely different camera or format might be more suitable.

That said, the MFT format also comes with some disadvantages that I don’t want to leave unmentioned: The Disadvantages:

• Less Light-Sensitive – MFT cameras tend to struggle more in poor lighting conditions. The ISO (sensor sensitivity) should ideally be kept low, otherwise, image noise becomes noticeable quickly, and contrast decreases. With modern full-frame cameras, the ISO can be set much higher without significant loss in image quality—a clear advantage for full-frame systems.
  

• Subject Isolation – A point that’s often hotly debated in photography forums. It’s true—yes, it’s much easier to isolate a subject with a full-frame camera, especially when paired with a lens that has a wide aperture. However, it’s absolutely possible to achieve great subject isolation with MFT cameras too—you just need the right know-how.

  In macro photography, subject isolation is less of an issue, especially when shooting wide open, as the slightly greater depth of field of the MFT format actually works in my favor. With a good, fast lens, achieving beautiful subject isolation is, in my experience, not a problem at all.
  

• Power Consumption – Mirrorless systems naturally have higher power consumption compared to DSLRs. This drawback can easily be mitigated by simply carrying 3 fully charged batteries, which will easily get you through the day. (If you’re not shooting thousands of images per day like I do, one battery will probably suffice.)
  

• Cropping – With a lower resolution, it’s better not to crop your images too much. That’s why I always try to get the right framing while shooting. During post-processing, however, I still have enough resolution with 20 MP to crop a bit—though the Lumix G9 is also one of the top MFT models and offers high resolution and image quality, even reaching 80 megapixels in High-Resolution Mode when using a tripod. For other MFT cameras, this is definitely something to keep in mind.

Conclusion

I have been shooting in MFT format since 2021 and am still absolutely satisfied with my decision. Time and again, I appreciate the low weight of the equipment during my outings, and the image quality can still absolutely satisfy me. Since the autofocus update for the Lumix G9, I'm quite happy with that as well. The only relevant drawbacks for me are the slight image noise at higher ISO values and poor lighting conditions, and the lack of a telephoto lens with an aperture of 2.8 and corresponding focal length for the MFT format. However, nowadays you can remove image noise quite well using AI tools if you want to, and you can attach all kinds of full-frame lenses to MFT cameras using adapters (or speedboosters).

All in all, the format suits me and my needs very well, and there are hardly any significant limitations, so I will probably continue to create many images with it.