Canon, Fuji, Sony, Micro 4/3, choose a system

What is the best system for taking quality images without carrying heavy equipment?

To choose between the brands Canon, Fujifilm, Sony and others, since they use incompatible sets of lenses, you must first know which ones each offers, their image quality and their cost. Then we can compare the cameras thanks to the multiple comparison pages offered on this site.

All brands offer a wide range of cameras with either an APS-C or Micro 4/3 sensor. Nikon only offers one hybrid APS-C model and seems not really invested in the format, which is why this mount is not included in the list. The future of the two main M43 brands, Panasonic and Olympus/JIP seems uncertain, but the format being open, it may have a future without them.

Full-frame focal length equivalence is calculated with a crop factor of 1.613 for Canon sensors, 1.53 for Sony and Fuji, and 2 for M43.

  Mount/Brand Focal FF equivalence Apverture Quality Cost $ Comment
Kit Canon 15-45 24-75 3.5-6.3 ** 130  
  Fujifilm 15-45 23-69 3.5-5.6 *** 160  
  Fujifilm 18-55 28-84 2.8-4 **** 400  
  Sony 16-50 24-76 3.5-5.6 * 130  
  M43 Lumix 12-32 24-64 3.5-5.6 **** 250  
Zoom short Canon 15-85 24-137 3.5-5.6 *** 800 EF-EF-M adapted - Variations
  Fujifilm 16-80 25-122 4 *** 800 Copy variations.
  Sony Zeiss 16-70 24-107 4 ***** 1000  
  M43 Lumix 12-60 24-120 3.5-5.6 **** 250  
Zoom medium Canon 18-150 29-242 3.5-6.3 ** 500 Copy variations.
  Fujifilm 18-135 28-207 3.5-5.6 *** 900  
  Sony 18-135 28-207 3.5-5.6 **** 650  
  M43 Zuiko 12-100 24-200 4 ***** 1100  
Zoom long Canon 55-250 89-400 4-5.6 **** 300 With EF-EF-M adapter
  Fujifilm 50-230 75-352 4.5-6.7 **** 400  
  Sony 55-210 84-321 4.5-6.3 *** 250  
  M43 Lumix 45-175 80-350 4-5.6 **** 450  
Nature/Sport Canon 70-300 II 113-484 4-5.6 **** 550 With EF-EF-M adapter
  Fujifilm 70-300 107-459 4-5.6 ? ? In development
  Sony 70-350 107-535 4.5-6.3 **** 1000  
  M43 Lumix 45-200 90-400 4-5.6 *** 450  
Landscape Canon 11-22 18-35 4-5.6 ***** 350  
  Fujifilm 10-24 15-37 4 **** 780  
  Sony 10-18 15-28 4 *** 730  
  M43 7-14 Lumix 14-28 4 ***** 600  
Portrait Canon 50 81 1.8 **** 130 With EF-EF-M adapter
  Fujifilm 50 76 2 **** 430  
  Sony 50 76 1.8 *** 340  
  M43 Zuiko 45 90 1.8 **** 200  
Indoor Canon 22 35 2 ***** 200  
  Fuji Viltrox 23 35 1.4 ***** 400  
  Sony 20 31 2.8 **** 325  
  M43 Leica 15 30 1.7 ***** 450  
Night Canon 32 52 1.4 ***** 530  
  Fuji Viltrox 33 50 1.4 ***** 300  
  Sony Sigma 30 46 1.4 ***** 350  
  M43 Lumix 25 50 1.7 *** 150  

Average number of stars for each mount:

  1. M43: 4.625
  2. Fujifilm X (and Viltrox): 4.57
  3. Canon EF-M: 4.25
  4. Sony E (and Sigma) : 4

When two lenses are offered for the same type of photography, the best of both is taken into account.

Average price of a lens for each mount (the cost of an entire series is divided by the number of categories, i.e. 8):

  1. Canon: $ 436
  2. M43: $ 487
  3. Sony: $ 600
  4. Fujifilm: $ 630

Value for money, or cost of a star:

  1. Canon: 103
  2. M43: 105
  3. Fujifilm: 138
  4. Sony: 150

Depending on whether you prioritize quality or cost, your choice of system will be different. Except for Sony optics which are the most expensive given their quality.
However, these figures are only relevant if you buy eight lenses, one in each category, not to mention that there are still other types of lenses not taken into account here.
If like most users you only use three lenses at most, you need to do the calculations for those lenses alone and the result may be different. For example if you only use the Canon 11-22mm and 32mm, Canon is unbeatable, while the M43 kits are the best.

Now you still have to choose a camera in the system that suits you best ...