Camera gear discussions

Yeah if I didn't do the occasional paid gig, and went back to "pure photography" for myself, I'd simplify from a huge bulky DSLR for sure. I really value battery life, build quality, reliable AF, quick menu navigation, and so on when I do my semi-pro type work.

 

Thing is, for me I never really realized how bulky DSLR is until a friend shows me his Olympus E-P1 many years ago, haha
MILC technology has yet to mature for now but still it really open my eyes that serious photography does no longer always means using big, intimidating gears (aside from tele lens, still) so yep, MILC is nice, IMO a true correct path of evolution for photography.

Now, when can we got our portable nuclear fusion power cell to drive all these power hungry gadgets of today?

 

I need your help. Next month I will have some spare cash and I doubt between upgrading my Olympus EPL1 to a EPL3, 5 or 6 or stick it out in low iso exposures and go for a prime lens. For the prime lens I am thinking of the Panasonic 20mm or 25mm (I sorely miss such a prime.) or a Sigma 19mm.

For less than 300 Euros I want to stop there for a while and have fun shooting JPEGs. In 2016 I will upgrade the kit further.

What is your advice? Too many options and I want to be sure the Panasonic 25mm is good. I trust personal recommendations more than reviews.

 

I now have the Olympus ELP1. I do not want the camera to be much smaller because I prefer a good grip. Weight, especially regarding lenses and batteries is something that matters more for me. The right balance of specifications and preferences goes a long way...

 

Have a look at the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens if you haven't already?

If your primary purpose is to gain ISO, then as short a focal length as possible, and as open an aperture as possible is desirable. In this instance, the 17mm is still a good distance better than 19mm, 20mm or 25mm.

If you've already got the 17mm, then the obvious choice for a next lens is the Panasonic 25mm f/1.4. The other 2 are too close to 17mm to really make a difference there.

Alternatively, if you find yourself shooting a larger group of people at night often, try to stretch yo budget a bit for the Olympus 12mm f/2.0?

 

Would like to share an personal opinion that if someone can only choose one: a new lens or a new body, purchasing a good lens is almost always the better choice anyway; Unless of course there's a glaring flaw with your current camera model that for many times prevented you from taking a good shot in your style of photography. Is there something about your E-PL1 that's been nagging you for a while now?

If by upgrading into a newer model will only give you -for the most part- a quality of life improvement (such as tilt screen display, or built-in wi-fi, better hand grip, double card slots, built in stabilization etc), I don't think it is worth it. If the upgrade gives you a much needed improvements for your style such as significantly better AF, or markedly better high ISO performance, or weather sealing, or faster sync speed etc, then go for the body upgrade.

 

I am hitting the point where I feel that taking the EPL1 outside is not handy during fall. Good shots with the kit lens are still doable.

My next step in m43 will be OM-D ideally. If the camera is to survive some outdoors conditions the current Pen bodies will not suffice. A tougher Pen would have been nice.

 

I live near the equator so I'm not sure what's so bad about the fall season, but I assume that it's kinda rainy? In which case you'd be looking at a more weatherproof camera? While I can't offer specifc advice regarding m43 since I'm a dslr user myself, I would think that perhaps you might want to consider if a better camera might be that much of an upgrade over your current one outside of the wet season i.e. for the other six to nine months of the year would it serve you that much better than what your pen is doing for you now? Correct me if I assumed wrongly here. Plus if you're thinking of properly upgrading your kit next year why not save the money for a better upgrade? Unless you foresee yourself having a lot of free time or more photography opportunities very soon that would be best exploited by a small prime; in that case go for the prime. Another thing to note is that there might not be much point in getting a weatherproof camera if your lenses aren't weatherproof themselves.

 

You know, I'm not too sure about that. Full frame aside, I was very tempted to upgrade from my nikon d7100 to the d750 on the grip alone. It was that comfortable, and if a better grip means I can take more and better shots over a longer period of time, I would like to think of it as a worthy upgrade. I probably won't though, seeing as the former serves me well enough for now.

 

Your argument is on my mind right now. In a week I decide and go for the best value-for-money solution. I have been spoiled by my durable Pentax gear. I prefer smaller cameras these days to keep my bag light. I prefer a fast prime but if a good OM-D body pops up, I am checking it out.

P.S. The camera grip and balance are so important. I need grip.

 

You're probably aware of this already, but you might like to make sure that UI and controls are intuitive, since those can mean the difference between a good and a missed shot. Image quality shouldn't be too much of a worry for you, since at this price point the difference probably isn't all that significant. Once again, I am not an m43 user so take that last bit with a pinch of salt.

 

+1.

 

I grew up with digging up settings in menu systems and user manuals. The Olympus system is not too difficult. Once settings are found, full or semi-manual mode is on

 

Meh, any UI and buttons layout will be a second nature if you're using it often enough.

Hmm, I never had problem with grips before, as in no problem with balance, shakiness, whatever. Or perhaps for larger guys with typically larger hands compared to average asians are more affected with it, I don't know. (Average asians are not those leggy 180cm+ pretty boys in K-Drama btw, it's like 162-172cm here)

For me, total weight of the setup is a much larger concern for long outdoor sessions, especially under the tropical sun. Tired limbs = shaky shots most of the time (we don't always have the luxury of setting a tripod or monopod aren't we).

ps: I use D610 for my personal cam; if I have to give a reason to justify the upgrade to D750, it will be for the tilt screen only which won't pass for my own justification of such expensive purchase. Perhaps I could offer suggestion to you to find a good secondhand D610, it will serve as your FX body really well while costing less.

Oh and I've used the prev. model- D7000 too for almost 2 years; a very capable APS-C camera (and even more so a D7100 I believe). I gave it to my brother now but there are times I missed the smaller size of that cam and its lighter DX lenses (and the smaller RAW sizes too).

 

What I really liked about the d750 grip was how my fingers could wrap around it fully, whereas with my d7100 the "lack of space" causes my wrist to fold back in a slightly awkward angle. Granted, it's a small caveat and I didn't realise it until I held the d750.

Thanks for the suggestion about the d610, but I probably won't be getting it as my d7100 is still very functional and by the time I do upgrade (likely after graduating and getting a job) there might be a more worthy successor for the price.

As for UI and buttons layout, I guess as Nikon users we are quite lucky as Nikon's are quite sensible (at least for the 7000 onwards). Not to bash Canon users, but 2 years back I used an entry Canon APSC and was quite appalled by how there was no dedicated aperture control. To change it would require doing the equivalent of Ctrl-Alt-Del. Try doing that while framing a shot.

 

I can score a Panasonic 20mm F1.7 mark I for less than 200 Euros from a professional. I am getting that lens.

The EPL1 still has enough capabilities to have fun with. After that OM-D...

 

Hope it serves you well!

 

I finally have proper control over the aperture range. Do you have any idea how good that feels?

Still testing the 20mm for the coming time...

 

Hmm never used m43, and I'm not sure if that's a problem in DSLR lenses so either I'm ignorant or spoilt rotten. Hope it's the latter. But yes, I do get the exhilaration of finally being able to accomplish something with a new piece of gear. Now go get some shots worthy of the money spent.

 

What are the options for a sub $250 P&S for newbies these days?