[thxbb12]

As an A7r user at least I have the option of the 36 MP FF sensor. Yes often according to the tests you won't be getting anything like full benefit of what the camera is capable of. Leaving aside considerations as to what my technique and capabilities are as a photographer, I will encounter conditions, hand hold, use lenses that won't produce the capabilities of the camera.

 

I'd argue that the situations where you won't produce meaningful 36M pixel images will be much more often than not and that the difference in prints will be insignificant from a resolution point-of-view. In this case FF will give you shallower DOF and more post-processing flexibility.

 

But the same goes for any other combination of camera and photographer out there. If you were standing next to me with your E-5 or whatever and I am achieving  12 MP on my 36 MP camera, what will you be getting on your 16 MP quarter frame sensor ?

 

A tack sharp 16MP shot from an E-M1 obviously provides superior sharpness to a 12MP FF image, because every pixel carries information which is not the case in a somewhat blurry 36MP image where, say, half of the pixel are duplicates.