Looking to change camera equipment (Page 9): You took my comments wrong and read-in too much negativity; sorry ! I was not being critical of the Olympus products or quality. My point...

jimpitt

You took my comments wrong and read-in too much negativity; sorry ! I was not being critical of the Olympus products or quality.
My point was Panasonic is price-sensitive and makes an acceptable product for the masses at lower prices. One camera mag article called it the "Sears" of cameras. Exactly the opposite of Leica (said to be the "Mercedes" of cameras) which probably makes the best cameras in the world, but many cannot afford such, as well as a limited supply of lenses.
(As a fyi aside, I have owned several Nikons for 51 years (going back to the FTN I bought in Switzerland in 1970), currently have a D90 (no longer using), D3, and a D500 with two very heavy full-frame zoom lenses. Many of my friends as pros and semi-pros seem to prefer Canon, no prob. It's like Ford and Chevy.... once you develop brand loyalty you keep it.)
Summary as my opinion: Olympus is just fine (I actually have a TG for the beach. I also have a Leica CX "shirtpocket" for dinner parties). Panasonic is not designed or meant for pros or semi-pros.
Sir, you do not need to agree or disagree .... no response necessary. This site is meant to be informational, not causing conflict. JP.

LEWHITE7747 Loc: 33773

wdross wrote:

You do not know what you are talking about. The Ol... (show quote)

I was suprised how weather sealed the olympus cameras are. Very good optics and a lot of older friends have gone for this format. It is bothersome that Olympus has jettisoned their camera division. Hope the buyers of their division keep up the brand and it's excellent tech.

jimpitt

I agree.
Olympus "weather" cameras are the best.
Your comment that the new buyers carry on is hopeful.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

jimpitt wrote:

You took my comments wrong and read-in too much ne... (show quote)

I apologize if I came across harsh. One of the best features for me is the ability to shoot in the wind while in sand dunes, not worry about salt spray while in small excursion boats, and shoot all day in the rain without any camera rain gear and no tripod. When married and traveling with the owner / travel agent, one rarely gets to shoot when one would like or even get a second chance. Plus you are shooting your shots between all the shots she wants for her website. The only camera that allowed for this in 2011 was the Olympus E-M5. I was very timid about shooting in the rain at first, but the camera lived up to the advertising. Now, I am still carefully but do not hold back for adverse shooting conditions. Olympus and Panasonic bodies are only lighter because of size and not by a whole lot. And the major weight saving comes from their lenses. This makes for lighter systems than APS-C and FF. And this was the OP's main requirement.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Again...from an ergonomic standpoint, there is somewhere between little and no significant difference among camera bodies. Despite what weights look like on paper, it just doesn't matter. You have to look to the lenses. And yes, there is a lot of weight variation among lenses, but even more important than the weight is the moment of rotation--how far is that weight centered out in front of the camera. This is why I always suggest that folks look at what they are shooting before just dumping all their stuff.

jimpitt

I agree!
Weight is a factor of the lens, not the body.
Most bodies are close in weight ..... lenses quite a difference. My two FF zoom lenses are quite heavy.
Thanks for your comments.

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Lovephotography wrote:

Hi,
I am a first time poster here!
I have been collecting and using Nikon equipment for many years. As I am in my senior years, I find it is extremely hard for me to hold a lot of my cameras and lenses.
I am looking for any suggestions on lightweight equipment I can purchase. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Kathy

Kathy, I would highly recommend the Nikon Z50 for size and weight. It takes great photos, too. Without know more it is hard to know what camera would work for you. What kind of photography do you do, etc. There is a lot to be said for sticking with Nikon. All their menus are similar and the terminology, too. Getting used to another system is a pain. I tried it and went back to all Nikon.

Chicago312 Loc: Western suburb, Chicago

I find myself in a similar situation as a Nikon shooter - getting older, considering downsizing to lighter gear (and less gear). I like the Nikon Z, but as one poster stated, it’s not always lighter equipment these days. Depending on what you shoot, this may be a reasonable option, especially if you shoot with DX camera/lens. The advantage, of course, is that you can keep and use your current lenses.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Chicago312 wrote:

I find myself in a similar situation as a Nikon shooter - getting older, considering downsizing to lighter gear (and less gear). I like the Nikon Z, but as one poster stated, it’s not always lighter equipment these days. Depending on what you shoot, this may be a reasonable option, especially if you shoot with DX camera/lens. The advantage, of course, is that you can keep and use your current lenses.

This is one of the decisions you and the OP have to make. To downsize the best you can with what you presently have or change out to something else at this time. You can lighten up the best now and spend more time researching (more reading, visits to the camera store, renting, etc.) and downsize further to a smaller format or an all-in-one even later. Unfortunately, there is not a "one size fits all" answer for everyone. In general, if one wants a lighter system, one goes from the heaviest overall system and progresses down to lighter systems (MF > FF > APS-C > 4/3rds). And most of the weight savings between formats is in the comparable lenses, not in the bodies. As far as image quality, any of the system formats these days are capable of producing an image acceptable for a two page magazine spread. Hopefully you have enough suggestions now to make a happy decision for yourself.