Ah well ...
After extensive reading, analysis, soul searching, hand wringing, existential
angst, and so on - I finally bit the
bullet. I won't bore with a stream of consciousness set of pros and cons. I
will mention a couple of things.
Although I will likely not see it for some time, an Oly OM-D has been ordered
Playing with sample images, especially the dpreview studio Raw sample files
allowing direct comparison I find that Oly
(and Panny or Sony) have finally come up with a real winner in the guts of this
camera. Per pixel
sharpness/definition/clarity, and noise, both amount and nature, clearly trump
the 7D/60D/4Ti sensor system. It also
seems not to suffer much from worms in the deep dark that pulling up shadows
and NR reveal, as so many sensor systems do.
Having 20/30 somethings around the house for the last 3 1/2 weeks (and a 60
year old) with iPhones and iPads, I've been
feeling more and more caught in a dilemma. I can make infinitely better images
shooting Raw, but they aren't instantly
available. So in the moment, it's like I've taken no shots at all. If the JPEG
engine is as good as folks here and
elsewhere have been saying of all the E-thingies, and reviews say of the OM-D,
I'll have the ability to
shoot-show-post-email, when I want to.
Along with the camera, I've ordered other bits to make a kit.
1. M.12-50. This isn't really long enough a zoom range to make me happy. But,
the attraction of a fully water and dust
sealed camera/lens combo is quite strong, the price in the kit is good, and
opens up discount and rebates. There's also
a planned redundancy/back-up plan it fits.
2. M.40-150. An odd pick, in come ways. I'm pretty sure I won't be really happy
with a 12-50 & 40-150 combo; way too
much lens changing. I'm spoiled by being able to cover a vast range with just a
twist of the zoom ring. But, B&H is
offering $100 off when bought with a kit - and then Oly will rebate another
$100, leaving a net cost of $99, and it fits
my redundancy plan.
3. M.14-150. This is the lens I hope will fulfill my general use desires. It's
28-300 equivalents on FF were my main
lenses on the 5D for 5 years. On the 60D, I love the extra reach, but it's
awkward on the wide end. Reviews of the
14-150 range all over the map, from love to distaste. I'm used to some of the
compromises of a super-zoom, but don't
know how Oly's version will play out.
4. E-PL1. Now there's an odd choice, I'll bet you are thinking! But you see,
Cameta has some old kits still available -
$499.95 for E-PL1 with 14-150. With $100 rebate, the 14-150 is $499.00 from B&H
and other dealers. So, the camera body
costs me 95¢!
5. MF-2, OM=>µ4/3 adapter. This is a freebie with Oly's rebate, and opens up
the wide array of OM mount lenses I have.
6. Three lens hoods, spare batteries, etc.
My back-up strategy should be clear, dual coverage of the 12/14-150 range, so
no one lens damaged or failing is a big
functional loss - and the E-PL1 to cover for possible OM-D trouble. The E-PL1
would not be my first choice, but at 95¢
for the same sensor as in other Oly µ4/3 bodies, and small and light to carry
about, it seems to me a good choice. ;-)
When I take long trips, I've always tried to carry back -up equipment. I've
only seriously needed back-up once, on a
shortish trip, and had one scare, but I sure was sure glad to have back-up. I
wasn't happy with either the idea of
carrying just new camera and a lens or two nor with carrying a Canon kit as
back-up.
I haven't covered the widest angle range down to 16-17mm that I'm used to. 25
mm eq.* and stitching panoramas will just
have to do for now.
B&H says the camera is expected July 30th. If that's correct, and they get it
to me before the Oly rebates expire the
17th., all will be well. And ready for an eight day trip to Cortez Island in
the Canadian inland passage, leaving the
23rd. Then off to New England in 2-3 weeks.
Who wouldda thunk it, back when I, correctly for myself, chose a Canon 300D
over an E-1. Over the years, I've looked
closely at various E-thingies, especially the E620, wanting one to be right,
but none quite passed muster. Finally, they
seem to have gotten back on track!
Now I can get back to paying fuller attention to the list again. ;-)
(H)Oly Again Moose
* Horizontal AOV
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|