The new toy.

[CuriousMike]

I've been toying with smaller second-system cameras for awhile now.

I don't want to bring my D610 with me on longer, more strenuous hikes.

First pass was the Nikon 1 V1 - that was a zero sum investment as I bought it on close-out for $299 and sold it for $300. I liked the size, liked the speed, wasn't happy with 10MP (call me a snob, but I like to crop) and the kit-lens I received must have been a Friday lens. It was bad.

Next up was the A6000 - with all the accolades that thing has received, I figured I'd love it. APS-C, super fast and compact. It lasted 2 days. Or was it 3 days? I hated the ergonomics, the kit lens was mush, the EVF was camcorder-circa-1994-ish.

So, today brings with it my third try. I had commented a month or so back about the EM5 being $499 OTD, and I've been doing a lot of research on it. I thought it was the one, but the EM10 kept coming up in the same discussions. While the EM10 goes from 5 to 3 axis stabilization and loses the weatherproofing, it is slightly smaller, has a newer processor, higher res screen.

The initial shots (nothing worth posting) suggest the kit lens is OK and pixel-peeping -- images appear right between my D610 and my RX100... i.e., pretty damned good.

As an aside, the build quality on this thing is sky-high compared to the Sony (RX100 or A6000) and the V1. It's ... Cadillacliscious.

 

[Syborg1211]

Nice! It makes sense to go m4/3 for a hiking system since shallow dof isn't something normally needed there. I've been looking into a lighter/smaller system, but I mainly shoot people. So I'm looking at Leica right now and thinking about selling off some old gear to pay for some of it.

If anyone wants a mint condition D800E or Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 for a super reasonable price, let me know!

 

[tdawg]

Awesome. I used an OM-1 film camera back in school photo classes. That's what my dad had in the collection to use and I loved it. When I was first looking at moving from Nikon to another system, I loved the idea and the look of the OM-D options, though something didn't "click" when I played around with it compared to the a7 or fuji x-t1 (if I was going to leave full frame back to a crop sensor, I would have bought the x-t1, for whatever that's worth).

Looking forward to some images from your travels.

 

[tdawg]

Nice! It makes sense to go m4/3 for a hiking system since shallow dof isn't something normally needed there. I've been looking into a lighter/smaller system, but I mainly shoot people. So I'm looking at Leica right now and thinking about selling off some old gear to pay for some of it.

If anyone wants a mint condition D800E or Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 for a super reasonable price, let me know!

Just curious, what does Leica offer that your D800e + 24-70 doesn't when it comes to portraiture, or anything else, really? That combo is pretty damn nice. Are you just looking for something smaller?

I will say using the tiny Leica 35mm f2 with the a7 is quite fun; having no autofocus takes me back to those film days where I put more thought into each press of the shutter.

 

[Syborg1211]

Just curious, what does Leica offer that your D800e + 24-70 doesn't when it comes to portraiture, or anything else, really? That combo is pretty damn nice. Are you just looking for something smaller?

I will say using the tiny Leica 35mm f2 with the a7 is quite fun; having no autofocus takes me back to those film days where I put more thought into each press of the shutter.

It's about the conspicuousness I suppose. A DSLR is intimidating and sticks out in a crowd. Most people brush off Leicas as an old hipster film camera. It's funny I'd feel more comfortable walking through the streets of New York or LA with a Leica around my neck than my Nikon setup even though the Leica setup is worth twice as much. I also agree that manual focus forces you to slow down, and manual focus on a DSLR is impossible with my eye-sight. A rangefinder should make things easier, and I could always pick up a Sony A7 and use the Leica glass later on.

The D800E and 24-70 are both backups that I rarely used. I think I'm making a shift away from Nikon if I can forsee using Leica/Sony even for my fashion clients.

 

[CuriousMike]

(if I was going to leave full frame back to a crop sensor, I would have bought the x-t1, for whatever that's worth).

The Fuji is a gorgeous camera that I've seen a ton of excellent photos with.

I'm not abandoning my Nikon FF anytime soon ( at least until Nikon provides a mirrorless body that matches the performance and I can use my native glass on { with adapter if necessary } ).

The Olympus struck my fancy out of curiosity, features, build quality, price and lens selection. Price and lens selection go hand-in-hand with the m43 scene it appears.

 

[luv2liv]

i just got the camera too! video stabilization is very impressive! i was able to walk and record vids at the same time.
what video settings are you using to get that "flat" neutral look so you can color correction and grade it later? not much youtube tutorials on it

 

[CuriousMike]

I'm not any help regarding video, sorry.

But I will re-iterate my happiness with the sensor and kit lens.

 

[ClockHound]

I've been toying with smaller second-system cameras for awhile now.

I don't want to bring my D610 with me on longer, more strenuous hikes.

I'm calling photoshop. Your dog (IF he is your dog) is far too cute to be out hoofing it with some m4/3 hiker. :biggrin:

Assuming he doesn't have a Hollywood agent, he needs to get one.

 

[purbeast0]

I'm not any help regarding video, sorry.

But I will re-iterate my happiness with the sensor and kit lens.

wow that is a really awesome picture.

 

[tdawg]

I'm not any help regarding video, sorry.

But I will re-iterate my happiness with the sensor and kit lens.

Awesome