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May 17, 2023 22:08:35   #
William Royer Loc: Kansas
 
FWIW, I used top-range FF Nikon DSLR’s since they appeared. Worked well for my purposes. Last one was the D810 — their best model at the time. I was on the waiting list for the upgrade to the forthcoming D850. But, I’d become increasing tired of Nikon’s standard cycle of bigger, more expensive ‘but improved cameras’, and ditto with the lenses. The issue wasn’t that they were too big/heavy for me to carry. I was just annoyed, and also felt that the gear was becoming simply too intrusive, and I just was not ‘enjoying’ photography as much, although they were terrific cameras/lenses, and I’d been selling some images in a small gallery and on line. So I started looking around. My past experiences of traveling with a small Leica influenced my thinking. So, I began looking at mirrorless. Checked out the Sony FF at the time. But, their FF sensor size drove up the sizes of their lenses. Looked at the Fuji’s. (Nikon mirrorless was not yet in the market; but, looking at them since moving to Oly, I feel no urge to change back.) Then, looked closely at the Olympus M1Mk2 (later upgraded to the current OM-1). The more I read, the more I looked, the more I liked. I moved to the Olympus system, and very much like it! Would never go back. Their size — notably with their lenses — was in the range I liked. Their advantages in size/weight/cost compared to equivalent ‘reach’ in FF is dramatic. Their notable IBIS, weather-proofing, and ruggedness were very appealing, as were features such as their HandheldHiRez, In-camera focus stacking, ProCapture, LiveComposite options. Their lenses are jewels. AND, their image quality is to my eyes excellent. I usually print my own 17-22”, and outsource larger. Truly can not see much if any difference in results — even side-by-side in the gallery. Have never had anyone comment on or inquire what equipment I was using. Much has been made of the M4/3’s inherently greater DOF and diminished bokeh, etc.; but, to me that has been a non-event. In fact, the reverse has been true. For example, I recall often wanting/ needing to use a wide aperture on my Nikon for low light situations, but when I set the aperture wide open to 1.4/2.8, the DOF was too thin, so I had to stop down anyway. On the Oly, it has been an advantage to have the light capture of an f1.2 or 2.8 or even 4.0, but with the DOF of about f/2.4,5.6 or 8.0. Think “f8 and be there” — but with the light capture of f4. There are other ways to increase bokeh when needed. And — a small, very subjective point — it is great to have a superbly competent but relatively quite-smaller camera/lens always with me, and it doesn’t feel like I’m pulling out an oversized tool to do a job or simply wander about. It’s just more fun. And, it’s led me to better images. Sorry for long answer to your short question. Hope it’s been helpful.

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May 17, 2023 22:10:13   #
Navywife66 Loc: NC
 
robertjerl wrote:
I have never used an OM-1 but in the Canon R body world that can still use your present lenses the RP is the smallest, lightest full frame. Smaller than the OM-1.
I have an RP and R7 that between them cover just about everything I photograph. With two EF to RF adapters I also can use all my EF and EF-s lenses (I still have 2 full frame and 3 crop sensor EF bodies). And in the R body world all the RF and RF-s lenses will fit on and work with all the R bodies. Put an RF-s lenses on a full frame R body and it automatically goes into crop sensor mode. The RP in crop mode does 10MP images.

Here is more or less complete comparison: https://cameradecision.com/compare/OM-System-OM-1-vs-Canon-EOS-RP
I have never used an OM-1 but in the Canon R body ... (show quote)


I appreciate that info! I did check it out, I thought am defiantly sold on the OM-1. My Canon gear is going to be sold to someone who will enjoy it!

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May 17, 2023 22:12:18   #
Navywife66 Loc: NC
 
Margar wrote:
Well, I guess I am in the bottom, but I gave up all my Fuji and bought a Oly EM-1 Mark lll, with many many lens… yes enjoying the lightness and the ease of use and yes the quality… may be interested in acquiring a full frame late edition camera ….
Enjoy what you have in Oly…


Thank you, I had a Fuji bridge some years back along with my first canon digital after having film all my life and really enjoyed it!

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May 17, 2023 22:23:43   #
Navywife66 Loc: NC
 
wrangler5 wrote:
I shot with (mostly) Nikons from 1970 'til 2017, and Leica rangefinders, Hasselblad, Rolleiflex, Mamiya TLR, Ricoh, Olympus and others I've forgotten alongside. Switched from film to Nikon digital in 2004 and took -0- film images after that. My normal Nikon kit included the trilogy of f/2.8 zooms covering 17-200mm, but I had many other zooms and primes available over the years, mostly FF from the film days. My last Nikon bodies were a D7000 (DX) and a D600 (FX).

On a whim I bought a used Lumix GX85 at the local camera store in 2017 because a friend (with WAY more photo equipment - including a 48 inch photo printer) had one and raved about it. I loved the smaller size and lower weight, and even with the tiny 12-32 collapsible kit lens I found the MFT image quality to be more than good enough for my purposes. I pretty promptly switched to MFT equipment, and sold my Nikon gear in 2018.

I've gone through the Olympus OM-D EM1 bodies, and have settled on the MkIII with a MkII for backup. (I tried the Lumix G9, which is a lovely machine, but I get MUCH better/faster autofocus on my young speedy grandchildren in low light with the Olympus bodies so I let the G9 go.) I have a collection of Olympus and Lumix prime and zoom lenses from 9-18mm through a 45-150mm kit zoom, and except for the Oly 12-40 and PanaLeica 12-60 f/2.8 zooms they're all smaller and lighter than any Nikon lens I had. A typical kit for me now is the MkIII body with the 12-40 or 12-60 zoom lens, plus the 9-18 zoom and an Olympus flash. If I think I might want the 45/1.7 I have a coupler to stack it with the 9-18 and still have a lens package smaller and lighter than the "big" zoom on the camera. All in a bag less than half the size and way less than half the weight of what I used with the Nikons. For a quick shot around the house, like an owl on a fence post or a deer in the front yard, the MkIII with a Lumix 12-60 kit zoom (my favorite walkin' around package) sits on a counter ready to grab.

I have NEVER had the thought when processing a file in Lightroom "gee, if I'd used my full frame Nikon gear I could make a better print of this." My needs are simple, though - I make 8x8 B&W prints with Canon Pro 10 printers, that get bound into books for family members. No posters, and no blowups of tiny sections of an image. If there's a difference in depth of focus at f/2.8 between the MFT and my old FF images I don't notice and so don't care. As I said, the image quality from the 20MP sensor is more than good enough for what I print.

What I DO think of fairly regularly, although only in passing, is how small and light my kit is. One of my most vivid memories of a Nikon shoot was the weekend I rented a 300/2.8 to use at a horse show (in the film days, probably with an F100, my favorite Nikon film body) and how much my shoulder still hurt on Monday when I took the thing back to the camera store to turn in. (I snarled at 'em asking why they didn't give me the wheel set for it, because even attached to a monopod carried over my shoulder it was a BEAST to move around.) Then last year I rented the Olympus 40-150/2.8 (80-300 FF equivalent) to use at another horse show and thinking what a delight it was to have a package that fast, small and light WITH a wide zoom range to boot, compared to the howitzer of a Nikon I had carried around years earlier. I don't do enough horse shows now to justify owning that particular Olympus lens, but if my needs change (it's up to my daughter, who rode in LOTS of shows when we paid for it, but since she got married . . . ) I will be happy to add that lens to my MFT arsenal. Although, to be honest, I switched back and forth with a Lumix 45-150 kit zoom over the 2-day show, and the kit lens did an awfully good job too.

So overall, if weight is an issue, by all means take a good look at MFT as an alternative for your FF gear. If you have especially demanding requirements (be honest about it - we all want "the best quality possible", but if you have to pixel-peep to see the difference, and can only see it in a split screen, side by side comparison, do you reeeeeeally need it?) you probably should consider renting an outfit that approximates what you currently use. And set up a careful side by side test to see if the ACTUAL OUTPUT (not pixel peeping) from the new gear will do what you need.
I shot with (mostly) Nikons from 1970 'til 2017, a... (show quote)


Wow you have quite a bit of experience with several brands! However I love how you make your family books! What a great idea! I use to make them but had them done by Apple 12-15 years ago. Not sure they do that anymore but anyways I never thought about doing them myself, until now! Thanks!
Yes the weight is something I won’t miss and the IQ, well with all the software out and such I may be able to get away with tweaking. Speaking of horses, my one goal is to get to the outer banks of NC and capture pics of the wild horses there! Thanks so much for the stories and the info! Also your friend with lots of gear sounds like a buddy of mine who I call a hoarder of camera gear lol!

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May 17, 2023 22:26:12   #
Navywife66 Loc: NC
 
dick ranez wrote:
Unless you want to make poster size prints, the m4/3 systems can make excellent images. The high end cameras may shave a few dozen ounces off the body weight, but the real difference is in the lenses - particularly with longer focal lengths. You can get a very nice complete kit for what you paid for the R5. Check out the Olympus pro series. If you do video, check the Panasonic offerings. Good luck.


Thank you, no, no posters…maybe some 40x60 but that’s it and of course smaller! I printed a 40x60 from an edited cell phone pic that I put through a gigapixel software system and it came out great. So I should be ok!

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May 17, 2023 22:29:22   #
Navywife66 Loc: NC
 
Mark Sturtevant wrote:
I think going to M4/3 is a good idea. As for carrying even this small and light camera, I suggest finding some kind of hip harness to get all the weight down low.


I have a shoulder harness, I’m unable to do a hip harness due to having a service dog by my side. Which side depends on the situation of course so having it higher is essential. Thank you for that advice!

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May 17, 2023 22:39:57   #
Navywife66 Loc: NC
 
William Royer wrote:
FWIW, I used top-range FF Nikon DSLR’s since they appeared. Worked well for my purposes. Last one was the D810 — their best model at the time. I was on the waiting list for the upgrade to the forthcoming D850. But, I’d become increasing tired of Nikon’s standard cycle of bigger, more expensive ‘but improved cameras’, and ditto with the lenses. The issue wasn’t that they were too big/heavy for me to carry. I was just annoyed, and also felt that the gear was becoming simply too intrusive, and I just was not ‘enjoying’ photography as much, although they were terrific cameras/lenses, and I’d been selling some images in a small gallery and on line. So I started looking around. My past experiences of traveling with a small Leica influenced my thinking. So, I began looking at mirrorless. Checked out the Sony FF at the time. But, their FF sensor size drove up the sizes of their lenses. Looked at the Fuji’s. (Nikon mirrorless was not yet in the market; but, looking at them since moving to Oly, I feel no urge to change back.) Then, looked closely at the Olympus M1Mk2 (later upgraded to the current OM-1). The more I read, the more I looked, the more I liked. I moved to the Olympus system, and very much like it! Would never go back. Their size — notably with their lenses — was in the range I liked. Their advantages in size/weight/cost compared to equivalent ‘reach’ in FF is dramatic. Their notable IBIS, weather-proofing, and ruggedness were very appealing, as were features such as their HandheldHiRez, In-camera focus stacking, ProCapture, LiveComposite options. Their lenses are jewels. AND, their image quality is to my eyes excellent. I usually print my own 17-22”, and outsource larger. Truly can not see much if any difference in results — even side-by-side in the gallery. Have never had anyone comment on or inquire what equipment I was using. Much has been made of the M4/3’s inherently greater DOF and diminished bokeh, etc.; but, to me that has been a non-event. In fact, the reverse has been true. For example, I recall often wanting/ needing to use a wide aperture on my Nikon for low light situations, but when I set the aperture wide open to 1.4/2.8, the DOF was too thin, so I had to stop down anyway. On the Oly, it has been an advantage to have the light capture of an f1.2 or 2.8 or even 4.0, but with the DOF of about f/2.4,5.6 or 8.0. Think “f8 and be there” — but with the light capture of f4. There are other ways to increase bokeh when needed. And — a small, very subjective point — it is great to have a superbly competent but relatively quite-smaller camera/lens always with me, and it doesn’t feel like I’m pulling out an oversized tool to do a job or simply wander about. It’s just more fun. And, it’s led me to better images. Sorry for long answer to your short question. Hope it’s been helpful.
FWIW, I used top-range FF Nikon DSLR’s since they ... (show quote)

Thank you, your post has been helpful. I’m a bokeh lover. Just always looking to have the best in my shot. I have an 800mm f11. I was determined to get bokeh. With all the techniques I used prior I was able to get the bokeh with this lens too. I think some of my other lenses nail it without me having to try as hard but I love to also use natural light as my weapon! It works every time! Thanks again!!

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May 17, 2023 22:57:07   #
William Royer Loc: Kansas
 
You may be interested in checking out the very popular Oly 300mm. Effective FF reach is 600mm. A 1.4 or 2.0 teleconverter can be added, giving impressive effective 35mm-equivalent FOV’s — 840mm & 1,200mm.

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May 17, 2023 23:21:52   #
usnret Loc: Woodhull Il
 
Good evening Navy wife! If I may ask, what gear did you start out with? Did you recently upgrade from a crop sensor body or a full frame DLSR body to a mirrorless camera thinking you would gain an exponentall increase in image quality?

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May 18, 2023 06:19:25   #
Navywife66 Loc: NC
 
William Royer wrote:
You may be interested in checking out the very popular Oly 300mm. Effective FF reach is 600mm. A 1.4 or 2.0 teleconverter can be added, giving impressive effective 35mm-equivalent FOV’s — 840mm & 1,200mm.


That’s something for bridging that may be in the future. I may rent it first though! Thank you!

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May 18, 2023 06:20:24   #
Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky
 
You mentioned that you take photo's for your personal enjoyment and do not sell your images. May I ask what then do you do with them? Do you just store them away, post on social media, do digital art creations etc.

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May 18, 2023 06:37:53   #
Navywife66 Loc: NC
 
usnret wrote:
Good evening Navy wife! If I may ask, what gear did you start out with? Did you recently upgrade from a crop sensor body or a full frame DLSR body to a mirrorless camera thinking you would gain an exponentall increase in image quality?


Polaroid instant was the first camera I ever used when I was a child. From there it was film up till digital was introduced and I had a Canon crop sensor and had several up to the 70D. I then went into FF with the 5D MIV and although I loved it, it was heavy as I started also using bigger lenses. I thought mirrorless would help and so I sold my 5D MIV for my R5. I always pushed the camera as far as I could for the best IQ. My R5 is nothing less than impressive when it comes to that!
My work is of various subjects and I dabble with fine art as well. I have a certain vision that I try to match. With that said, I have seen photos from the OM-1 that are very impressive and that I could defiantly live with as I know I could get similar results. The attached photo is just one of my favorites that I did over the winter with my R5.



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May 18, 2023 06:49:24   #
Navywife66 Loc: NC
 
Fstop12 wrote:
You mentioned that you take photo's for your personal enjoyment and do not sell your images. May I ask what then do you do with them? Do you just store them away, post on social media, do digital art creations etc.


I don’t sell them with a website, I have had folks ask me for my work and have happily assisted lol. I have given them to family, have many in our home and do have a friend who is a salon owner who insisted on showcasing my work as she just loves it. Other than that I post on some sites and share on FB with my friends and distant family.

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May 18, 2023 09:02:33   #
sergiohm
 
Only you can make the decision. But since I've used and have most of the top manufacturer's cameras, I'll give you my fifty cents.
First the OM-1 camera is a great camera, it can do everything. I've shot Formula 1 Car race, wildlife, birding, landscape, birthday parties (day and night), anything you can think of. It is extraordinary. The new M.ZUIKO ED 12-45mm F4.0 PRO is a wonderful lens for everyday use. The new menus in the OM-1 is a significant improvement but not as good as Panasonic's.
Now alternatively the Panasonic G9 is also a great camera, it is a great performer. The new GH6 is also very good but a bit heavier but still lightweight.
The Canon's APS-C are ok but coming from the R5 the image quality is not as good, most models do not have IBIS. And although lightweight, they do not fit in the hand as the OM-1 does, in sum, the APS-C Canons are toys, the OM-1 is a professional camera.
My favorite system is the Panasonic S line. I have the S1R and S5 II. They are far from lightweight, but they fit on my hand like a glove, the menu system is as good as Canon's. The image quality is outstanding.

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May 18, 2023 11:47:12   #
User ID
 
leftj wrote:
If you want light with superior rendering go Leica.

Gave up on Leica some years ago. That gear is just an exceedingly overpriced very unfunny joke.

The essence of Leica usage matches my working methods, but Ive managed to support my methods with clearly better gear for about 1/10 the $$.


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