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Thinking of moving from Nikon crop and FF to Olympus
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Sep 8, 2022 00:47:05   #
Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal
 
runakid wrote:
Ideas?

I shoot most animals and lots of birds- many in flight.

My wife and I shoot Nikon . She has a Nikon 7100 and uses the 18-300 for her trips and family photos. I have a 7000 that sits in the car for stuff that you just see. I also have a 800 and 500 bodies. We have a 70-200 2.8, 200-500, 500 pf and 500 f4.
Seems like a lot of glass and bodies to make the switch.
Looking for better eye focus and saving weight too.


That IS the issue:
You bought into a "system". like most of us.
Oly make fine cameras. Can you afford to put your Nikon stuff in a box
and re invest into another brand's system? And why?
Checking reviews for over a half century, a good photog that know his system takes good pictures.
Same as, and as good as, similar photogs on similar equipment of different brands,

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Sep 8, 2022 07:23:07   #
DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA
 
runakid wrote:
Ideas?

I shoot most animals and lots of birds- many in flight.

My wife and I shoot Nikon . She has a Nikon 7100 and uses the 18-300 for her trips and family photos. I have a 7000 that sits in the car for stuff that you just see. I also have a 800 and 500 bodies. We have a 70-200 2.8, 200-500, 500 pf and 500 f4.
Seems like a lot of glass and bodies to make the switch.
Looking for better eye focus and saving weight too.


Since you have Nikon glass, one weight saving option is the Nikon Zfc (16oz) with the small grip adapter from B&H photo. After that, it's all about the lenses and that 500 f4 is a doozy! I use a 300f4P on this crop mirrorless and it's very handy.

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Sep 8, 2022 07:52:06   #
mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA
 
jcboy3 wrote:
I think you would be better off looking at a Nikon Z9. You can save weight by ditching the 500 f4. And prepare to replace the 200-500 with the 200-600 when it is released.

If you want to switch and learn a new system, then the Olympus OM-1 provides a good solution. The 40-150 f/2.8 and 150-400 f/4.5 are obvious choices for wildlife, although for lighter travel the 100-400 is usable as well (but not a substitute). The 300 f/4 is excellent, and works very well with the 1.4x TC. The 12-100 f4 is stellar for wider views. They also make a 12-200, which would be the comparable lens to your wifes' 18-300. However, the 12-100 provides better stability, better low light performance, generally sharper images, and crops very well, and is always my choice unless I need shallower DOF.

Olympus is releasing the OM-5 soon, which is expected to be a smaller body with lower frame rate and maybe not subject tracking (not clear yet, end of the month maybe). But clearly OM-1 is the major wildlife body. Suggested for your wife if she is changing as well but not so much interested in wildlife.

This is not an inexpensive transition. Which is why I suggested a Z9. But if weight savings is key, then there you go...
I think you would be better off looking at a Nikon... (show quote)

Be advised, the Z9 will most definitely NOT save weight. I have one and it’s beefy. If I didn’t have such investment in Nikon glass, I would switch to OM-1. My best friend just started the hobby a year ago. His rig is nice and about half the weight of my Z6 with a 100-400 on it.

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Sep 8, 2022 08:04:57   #
Canisdirus
 
runakid wrote:
Ideas?

I shoot most animals and lots of birds- many in flight.

My wife and I shoot Nikon . She has a Nikon 7100 and uses the 18-300 for her trips and family photos. I have a 7000 that sits in the car for stuff that you just see. I also have a 800 and 500 bodies. We have a 70-200 2.8, 200-500, 500 pf and 500 f4.
Seems like a lot of glass and bodies to make the switch.
Looking for better eye focus and saving weight too.


You state you are looking for better eye focus...AF. You can stop looking at Olympus.

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Sep 8, 2022 08:05:41   #
JimRPhoto Loc: Raleigh NC
 
I agree with Tom (CHG Canon). In my case, i am a long time Canon user, and have a full frame Canon plus a minimum set of lenses, mostly zoom (telephoto, wide angle, mid range) and a couple of prime lenses. When traveling by car, it all fits in a large backpack in the trunk, and I use the backpack as my go to point to change lenses, get Cokin filters, etc. I really like the system and how the camera controls are set up.
I realized that for an overseas trip this just does not work, so I bought an Olympus PEN-F used. After my first overseas trip I got an OMD E M5ii used with battery grip. Those two cameras, plus a long zoom lens, a wide to mid-range zoom lens, and a flat pancake lens, all fit into one over the shoulder bag smaller than a laptop case.
The PEN-F with the pancake lens looks more like a point and shoot for when I’m in a city or town. It will fit in my pocket. For a longer duration shoot, I use the M5ii with one of the zoom lenses. (And the M5ii and one of my lenses are spashproof, making shooting in light rain no issue.)
It is just amazing how small the entire outfit is when it’s in a small cross body bag. In fact, I can put that into my roll aboard and still bring a second carry on. And yes, the weight is much much better.
Pluses and minuses? I see no degradation at all in image quality for my purposes. Olympus has a fine in-body image stabilization system. Both my Olympus bodies have built in HDR, and also built in perspective correction. The only minus I can’t seem to overcome is that with the electronic viewfinder, when I snap a shot, it “freezes” just long enough that I need to re-acquire the subject if it’s moving. Unlike the Canon optical viewfinder which is still alive except for the moment the mirror flips. So this could affect your bird photography. So as Tom suggests, perhaps borrow or rent one to try it out. While it is near-perfect for my needs, it might not be so for yours. Good luck! JimR

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Sep 8, 2022 08:24:20   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
It's not you're going from a Graflex to a Minox. Sure there is a difference in size and weight, but I would never switch for those reasons.

D750 with 28-300mm - 3lb 12oz
Z6 II with 24-200mm - 2lb 12 oz
Z fc with 50-250mm - 2lb 2 oz

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Sep 8, 2022 09:03:11   #
RKL349 Loc: Connecticut
 
runakid wrote:
Ideas?

I shoot most animals and lots of birds- many in flight.

My wife and I shoot Nikon . She has a Nikon 7100 and uses the 18-300 for her trips and family photos. I have a 7000 that sits in the car for stuff that you just see. I also have a 800 and 500 bodies. We have a 70-200 2.8, 200-500, 500 pf and 500 f4.
Seems like a lot of glass and bodies to make the switch.
Looking for better eye focus and saving weight too.


What you are contemplating is a complete change of system, and likely for both you and your wife. Assuming you are open to learning and patience with a totally new system, go for it. I had the choice a few years ago, dabbled in some other systems, but always had Nikon bodies and lenses. As I age, equipment seems to get heavier and I changed to the Nikon Z format. I retain familiarity with the Nikon brand and its peculiarities and find that the Z bodies and lenses meet my needs perfectly. Your choice and merely a snapshot of my experience. I do not typically shoot birds in flight or animals, so my needs are a bit different. Good luck with your choices and tell us what you decide to do.

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Sep 8, 2022 09:50:50   #
John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK
 
Several 'oldies' (I'm not one of them - yet) have changed from various marques to Olympus and very glad for having done so. Weight being the initial reason.
Earlier this year we a demo from Olympus at our club and I was impressed with the stability. I shot 1/8 second handheld with a short tele and could read the small (not smallest) print on a poster.
I'd go with earlier suggestions, rent one and try it.

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Sep 8, 2022 09:55:25   #
sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri
 
Ergonomics are important to me for I have a heck of a time with small cameras and my ability to hold them without interfering with the control buttons on the back.

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Sep 8, 2022 10:02:45   #
camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.
 
If weight is not an impediment stay where you are.

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Sep 8, 2022 10:32:23   #
jcboy3
 
Canisdirus wrote:
You state you are looking for better eye focus...AF. You can stop looking at Olympus.


Olympus has improved eye AF in their latest models. With the E-M1 III and OM-1 (I have both) it is quite good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8yzyk4aOmE

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Sep 8, 2022 11:03:09   #
moonhawk Loc: Land of Enchantment
 
jcboy3 wrote:
Olympus has improved eye AF in their latest models. With the E-M1 III and OM-1 (I have both) it is quite good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8yzyk4aOmE


And the OM-1 is far better than those.

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Sep 8, 2022 11:18:48   #
Gort55 Loc: Northern Colorado
 
runakid wrote:
Ideas?

I shoot most animals and lots of birds- many in flight.

My wife and I shoot Nikon . She has a Nikon 7100 and uses the 18-300 for her trips and family photos. I have a 7000 that sits in the car for stuff that you just see. I also have a 800 and 500 bodies. We have a 70-200 2.8, 200-500, 500 pf and 500 f4.
Seems like a lot of glass and bodies to make the switch.
Looking for better eye focus and saving weight too.


Nikon D750 + Sigma 100-400mm 4.9 lbs
Oly EM1 Mark iii + Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7(150-600mm equiv) 2.3 lbs
Oly EM1 Mark iii + Leica 100-400mm f/4-6.3 (200-800mm equiv) 4.0 lbs
Oly EM1 Mark iii + Olympus 300mm f/4 (600mm equiv) 4.15 lbs

Two EM1s with long lenses and other stuff will fit in a bag that can go under the seat in front of you.
The cheaper plastic Olympus lenses don't weight much, but the pro versions are heavier.

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Sep 8, 2022 12:31:36   #
cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA
 
CHG_CANON wrote:
Cameras with mirrors are larger and heavier. Just a fact of the design. You could rent a Nikon mirrorless body and / or an Olympus and make an informed decision vs just reading opinions of people who know virtually nothing about you and your photography style.


Support this 110%. I will add you may wish to look at Sony, since you are thinking of changing systems. Nikon has both FF and Cropped Mirrorless. Comparable mirrorless bodies ARE lighter than DSLRs in most cases. Why? No mirror mechanism, no pentaprism, and sometimes (Z9) no mechanical shutter. Also much less, or NO (Z9) noise/sound. Only YOU can decide what's best for YOU! Best of luck.

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Sep 8, 2022 12:32:40   #
SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA
 
I love my Nikon FF but I dumped my D500 for Olympus. The new OM-1 is a beast. Body wise it’s not much smaller than my Z7 but the lens, even the Pro lenses which are larger and heavier than non-Pro, are where the weight/size savings are. On my recent trip to Scotland my camera bag was my carry-on item, (my hiking backpack was my carry-on bag). In it I had my OM-1 with the Olympus “trinity”, (7-14, 12-40,40-150, all Pro f/2.8), plus 60mm macro, 1.4 & 2x TC’s and charger with 4 batteries. When hiking I had the 40-150 with the 2x in my backpack. I would never hike with my Nikon 200-500 in my pack. Olympus is miles ahead when it comes to extra features. Besides the best IBIS the have what they call “computational photography” features. I made use of LiveND, LiveComp and High Res, (50mp handheld, 80mp on a tripod). If you’re a wildlife shooter you’ll love Pro Capture. There are times I want that FF 45mp sensor on my Z7 but the OM-1 is the camera I grab most often.

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