Camera gear discussions

Yesterday the Olympus EM5 arrived. Today I started taking test shots.

Despite the few design flaws an amazing camera.

 

Just got a new Circular Polariser filter as well. Probably one of the few kickstarters that fully delivered.

 

CPL are fun but they should be of decent quality.

 

I would like to think that mine is. It's by Breakthrough Photography and I've had a good experience recently with their X3 ND filter. I haven't actually tested the CPL yet but so far at least it feels sturdy and comes with a 25 year warranty for what that's worth.

 

As long as you don't notice IQ degradation then it should be okay.

 

Anyone has an opinion of Fuji X-A2?

 

Just getting into the photography hobby myself. I have a Nikon 1 J4 with the stock lens and a f/1.8 lens. What are some things I need for maintenance? My kid managed to touch one of the lenses and left a fingerprint, what is best way to clean it?

The good thing about this hobby is that my wife is totally onboard with pictures and she does a lot of editing herself. While she would give me the evil eye if I spent $1000 on a DAC, she would be totally cool spending that much on a lens.

 

A smooth microfibre cloth that can clean spectacles should do fine, though now I mostly use a lens pen which can be had for quite cheap.

 

The video quality of the J4 is quite good for me but the built-in mics just aren't doing it. Unlike the V1 and the DSLR cameras Nikon makes, there isn't a 3.5mm jack for an external mic which means I would need to record audio separately. Anyone know of a good audio option for this type of camera? I'd like something I can affix to the tripod screw under the camera and not horribly expensive.

 

Not sure if you'd be able to find anything that fits your needs. For one, the mic would have to be very small in order not to appear in your camera's field of vision, and at that size it may not fare much better than the internal mic. However, the tripod screw is a 1/4-20 screw so you might be able to narrow down your search with that in mind.

 

My main reason to get an external mic is for the windscreen, something I can't do with an internal mic. So being small isn't as much of a problem as long as it's external.

 

Maybe you could try this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOYA-BY-C01...w-Mount-for-Flash-LED-Light-Mic-/161447970612

It's an 1/4-20 external mount with a cold shoe bracket on the other end, so you could probably attach a bluetooth/any non-jack mic with a hot shoe to it. Ergonomics will suffer, but for now it's the only thing I can think of which helps.

 

So in the past 6 months I've purchased:

Pentax K-50 with the 18-55/50-200
SMc 50/1.8
SMC 35/2.8 LTD Macro
Yongnuo Strobe Flash with wireless triggers
Shoot through unmbrealla+light stand
Gorillapod

This hobby is going to kill me

 

You probably have heard of the K-1... You can start saving for it.

 

Yeah, I will wait to find it around $1,000 new haha.

 

And the lenses to go with it...

 

I think that my crop lenses will still work on it, probably a bit gimped though

 

No. Stop here with buying lenses and enjoy the hobby. With some DIY and duct tape you can get many things done.

The holder/holster for my EPL1 is made out of recycled plastic and duct tape for instance. Yes, duct tape is awesome...

 

I heard digital medium format is getting more affordable, starting at about... Oh, $15,000 for the latest offerings from Pentax and Hasselblad

 

After a Pentax full frame I call it quits. If Pentax takes too long a K5/3 will be enough for me. I am not rich. I simply want good gear that works and I can enjoy for years to come.