Beginner M4/3rds

CliveH

CliveH

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This may be a really stupid question but are micro 4/3rds pictures actually in the ratio of 4 long by 3 high eg print 8 x 6 or 10 x 7.5 or 12 x 9 and print the full picture?
I hope that makes sense
 
CliveNX said:
This may be a really stupid question but are micro 4/3rds pictures actually in the ratio of 4 long by 3 high eg print 8 x 6 or 10 x 7.5 or 12 x 9 and print the full picture?
I hope that makes sense
Click to expand...

The answer is almost certainly yes, in practise, but it can be more complicated than that. Four-thirds doesn't actually refer to the format ratio, but to an old defunct TV-tube size. The Four-Thirds spec officially only states the image diagonal and it's quite possible to get different format ratios from that, say 3:2, and still be 'Four-Thirds' (eg Panasonic). This is different to the cropping options that some cameras offer. 4:3 is almost universally used as the default format, but to be 100% certain, check the pixel dimensions of an actual image and do the maths.

Wiki link explains https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Thirds_system
 
If it helps at all...

I have two Panasonic MFT cameras and when set to 4:3 the file sizes are...

G1 - 4000 x 3000.
GX7 - 4592 x 3448.
 
Using a m43 sensor at ratios other than 4:3 at time of shooting will just crop the output and not use the whole sensor. Most sensors have a 4:3 ratio. And paper formats are 4:3 or close to that too . It's mainly the cameras with prisms and mirrors that have the old 35mm 3:2 ratio.
 
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ianp5a said:
Using a m43 sensor at ratios other than 4:3 at time of shooting will just crop the output and not use the whole sensor. Most sensors have a 4:3 ratio. And paper formats are 4:3 or close to that too . It's mainly the cameras with prisms and mirrors that have the old 35mm 3:2 ratio.
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Surely the rationale behind the 4:3 aspect ratio employed by the Four Thirds system is that, at the time the standard was developed, 4:3 was the most common aspect ratio for computer monitors.
 
I doubt it. Monitors tend to be horizontal. Pictures are frequently in portrait orientation. And back then, printing was still common.

Anyway, I wish monitors today were 4:3. As I don't watch TV on them. And widescreen is not useful at work.
 
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StewartR said:
Surely the rationale behind the 4:3 aspect ratio employed by the Four Thirds system is that, at the time the standard was developed, 4:3 was the most common aspect ratio for computer monitors.
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And oddly, as they tried to make 3:2 look old fashioned, it's now a really out of date aspect ratio.
 
4/3 sensors are 4/3 ratio shaped, except in the case of Panasonics which are oversize and don't just crop the 4/3 image when shooting at other aspect ratios, they actually use as much of the sensor as will fit. Oly probably do the same now too, Panasonic were doing it years ago. ( see http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmcgh1/)
 
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Squarer (or round) sensors would be even more useful. But for practical purposes an octagon shape would suffice. And a flat octagon is fine, if you accept turning the camera on it's side.
 
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StewartR said:
Surely the rationale behind the 4:3 aspect ratio employed by the Four Thirds system is that, at the time the standard was developed, 4:3 was the most common aspect ratio for computer monitors.
Click to expand...

I seem to recall reading something years ago around the advent of the 4/3 system and the rational from Oly was something like: rather than be constrained by traditional formats, digital allowed them to design a format from the base up taking into account what they thought was important for this new digital age, which was primarily reduced size and the 4/3 ratio allowed them to make smaller lenses.

I guess this is borne out in the abandoning of 4/3 and moving to m4/3. I think either they were incredibly insightful and happy to play a strategic long game (which is rare for any publicly owned company) or massively naive and lucky.
 
ianp5a said:
Using a m43 sensor at ratios other than 4:3 at time of shooting will just crop the output and not use the whole sensor. Most sensors have a 4:3 ratio. And paper formats are 4:3 or close to that too . It's mainly the cameras with prisms and mirrors that have the old 35mm 3:2 ratio.
Click to expand...
Paper formats such as A3 are 1:1.41 vs 1:1.33 for M4/3 and 1:1.5 for 'standard' camera 3:2 format, so M4/3 aren't really that much closer to paper ratio than 3:2 (0.8 vs 0.9 difference).
 
No I meant photo paper such as 10x8, 6x8 etc. Yes A4 etc fits 35mm quite well. But it's not an ideal photo format, being long and thin.
 
ianp5a said:
No I meant photo paper such as 10x8, 6x8 etc. Yes A4 etc fits 35mm quite well. But it's not an ideal photo format, being long and thin.
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Ahh I see, my bad ;) I tend to print A3/A4 but if I do photo size it tends to be 6x4 or 7x5. I have often wondered why there wasn't a universal ratio for photo paper. The A sizing' weird too, why 1.41 and not 1.4? :confused:;)
 
snerkler said:
Ahh I see, my bad ;) I tend to print A3/A4 but if I do photo size it tends to be 6x4 or 7x5. I have often wondered why there wasn't a universal ratio for photo paper. The A sizing' weird too, why 1.41 and not 1.4? :confused:;)
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A0 has an area of 1 sq metre and the sides are in the ratio of 1: sq root of 2 that is 1:1.414 approx so that folding in 2 always keeps the proportions and halves the area. Very logical as you would expect from its Germanic origin!
 
CliveNX said:
This may be a really stupid question but are micro 4/3rds pictures actually in the ratio of 4 long by 3 high eg print 8 x 6 or 10 x 7.5 or 12 x 9 and print the full picture?
I hope that makes sense
Click to expand...
I think 4/3 and m4/3 interchaneable lens camera all have the sensor in 4:3 ratio. Some (Panasonic only?) fixed lens cameras have the same sensor but crop it differently eg I think the LX100.
 
Both my Olympus and Panasonic can also do 3 long and 4 high :) :coat:
 
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