kundalini
09-08-2011, 09:19 AM
Well, kinda, sorta. Let me explain.
I was getting tired of lugging the heavy artillery around at times. I was missing the fun of an event or excursion in hopes of grabbing a shot opportunity. Sometimes I just wanted to "capture the moment" and not worried about having my usual magazine quality images. (uhh, that was a joke btw) I had been thinking about this for a year or so and I did scout around for alternatives for those times. Plus, the days are becoming more frequent when the arthritis flairs up and holding the gripped D700 with the 70-200mm attached is ...... let's call it bothersome. Getting old sucks sometimes. I checked out some of the high-end P&S cameras and they were okay, but there seemed to be more drawbacks for me than the advantage of the smaller package. That was until I was turned on to the mirror less micro 4/3 format.
The µ43 cameras have interchangeable lenses, (mine) weighs less than 1lb and the lenses are tiny as well. The sensor size is much larger than a P&S and comes much closer to a cropped sensor than a cropped sensor does to a full frame sensor. But to that end, the µ43 is a 2x crop, so a 100mm lens is a 200mm full frame equivalent. The big boys in the mix right now seem to be Olympus and Panasonic, but Sony has their finger in the pie too. Rumor is Canon has something in development, but sadly Nikon doesn’t seem to have an interest yet.
The available native lens options are pretty decent and it appears that Oly and Panny are making a concerted effort to produce quality glass on the same order as Nikon and Canon have for dSLR. With an appropriate adapter, most any lens can be used on the µ43.
The confusing part of this world is the many generations of cameras in such a short amount of time. As I was researching my choice amongst the options (I was leaning towards Oly), 3 new cameras were announced. I’m glad on one hand that I fluffed about making my decision because Oly’s new “flagship” model E-P3 came out which was a substantial improvement of the predecessor. On the other hand, I went way over my projected budget. The new E-P3’s back display is an OLED screen, touch sensitive, and boasts the worlds fastest AF. This includes pro level dSLRs from Nikon and Canon. I can’t say yes or no, all I know is that it is instant. The E-P3 also has a built-in flash. I can also use the hotshoe to mount my RF transmitter and trigger for off camera flash with my strobes and speedlights. I really like the size of this camera! Plus it just looks too cool, very retro. I decided to get the silver body and lenses, 14-42mm and 40-150mm. They’re both fairly slow for maximum aperture, but the camera is rated up to ISO6400. Full manual controls and there are several scene modes and art modes. I’ve been playing a little with the art modes and its kinda fun. The other “3” series were too small for my liking, I mean, I wanted small, not tiny or itsy-bitsy.
I still haven’t gotten used to using the backscreen for focusing and composing yet, but there is an electronic viewfinder accessory that I will likely pickup…… just to feel a bit more comfortable. But for just walking around, it’s not too bad.
Oh yeah, it also shoots 1080 HD video.
Anyway, sorry to bore you with this dribble, but I’m excited right now. I’ll be heading to the mountains in about six weeks for the spectacular fall foliage on the BRP and it’s gonna be nice not to have to lug 30lbs. worth of gear up the trail.
Of course, all my early shots have been for testing, experimenting, and getting used to the camera. So the jaw dropping images will have to come later. :)
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-grddDLV/0/XL/i-grddDLV-XL.jpg
Size comparison of the 40-150mm with the D700 & 70-200mm lens.
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-5cQ7Zq8/0/XL/i-5cQ7Zq8-XL.jpg
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-ffK2CwG/0/XL/i-ffK2CwG-XL.jpg
Went location scouting at noon on a very bright day to see how much I could push the DR.
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-TTVQr2B/0/XL/i-TTVQr2B-XL.jpg
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-kBbNp5d/0/XL/i-kBbNp5d-XL.jpg
Some of the in-camera art filters are kinda fun to play with.
Pop Art filter
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-RzrFdgb/0/XL/i-RzrFdgb-XL.jpg
Dramatic filter
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-hNSMLTw/0/XL/i-hNSMLTw-XL.jpg
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-TmrmWJV/0/XL/i-TmrmWJV-XL.jpg
and of course...... a selfie :sexywink:
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-6mSrWGZ/0/XL/i-6mSrWGZ-XL.jpg
^^ Yep, the shirt reads "Highly Evolved". apprpriate don't you think? :-)
Thanks for you indulgence.
I was getting tired of lugging the heavy artillery around at times. I was missing the fun of an event or excursion in hopes of grabbing a shot opportunity. Sometimes I just wanted to "capture the moment" and not worried about having my usual magazine quality images. (uhh, that was a joke btw) I had been thinking about this for a year or so and I did scout around for alternatives for those times. Plus, the days are becoming more frequent when the arthritis flairs up and holding the gripped D700 with the 70-200mm attached is ...... let's call it bothersome. Getting old sucks sometimes. I checked out some of the high-end P&S cameras and they were okay, but there seemed to be more drawbacks for me than the advantage of the smaller package. That was until I was turned on to the mirror less micro 4/3 format.
The µ43 cameras have interchangeable lenses, (mine) weighs less than 1lb and the lenses are tiny as well. The sensor size is much larger than a P&S and comes much closer to a cropped sensor than a cropped sensor does to a full frame sensor. But to that end, the µ43 is a 2x crop, so a 100mm lens is a 200mm full frame equivalent. The big boys in the mix right now seem to be Olympus and Panasonic, but Sony has their finger in the pie too. Rumor is Canon has something in development, but sadly Nikon doesn’t seem to have an interest yet.
The available native lens options are pretty decent and it appears that Oly and Panny are making a concerted effort to produce quality glass on the same order as Nikon and Canon have for dSLR. With an appropriate adapter, most any lens can be used on the µ43.
The confusing part of this world is the many generations of cameras in such a short amount of time. As I was researching my choice amongst the options (I was leaning towards Oly), 3 new cameras were announced. I’m glad on one hand that I fluffed about making my decision because Oly’s new “flagship” model E-P3 came out which was a substantial improvement of the predecessor. On the other hand, I went way over my projected budget. The new E-P3’s back display is an OLED screen, touch sensitive, and boasts the worlds fastest AF. This includes pro level dSLRs from Nikon and Canon. I can’t say yes or no, all I know is that it is instant. The E-P3 also has a built-in flash. I can also use the hotshoe to mount my RF transmitter and trigger for off camera flash with my strobes and speedlights. I really like the size of this camera! Plus it just looks too cool, very retro. I decided to get the silver body and lenses, 14-42mm and 40-150mm. They’re both fairly slow for maximum aperture, but the camera is rated up to ISO6400. Full manual controls and there are several scene modes and art modes. I’ve been playing a little with the art modes and its kinda fun. The other “3” series were too small for my liking, I mean, I wanted small, not tiny or itsy-bitsy.
I still haven’t gotten used to using the backscreen for focusing and composing yet, but there is an electronic viewfinder accessory that I will likely pickup…… just to feel a bit more comfortable. But for just walking around, it’s not too bad.
Oh yeah, it also shoots 1080 HD video.
Anyway, sorry to bore you with this dribble, but I’m excited right now. I’ll be heading to the mountains in about six weeks for the spectacular fall foliage on the BRP and it’s gonna be nice not to have to lug 30lbs. worth of gear up the trail.
Of course, all my early shots have been for testing, experimenting, and getting used to the camera. So the jaw dropping images will have to come later. :)
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-grddDLV/0/XL/i-grddDLV-XL.jpg
Size comparison of the 40-150mm with the D700 & 70-200mm lens.
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-5cQ7Zq8/0/XL/i-5cQ7Zq8-XL.jpg
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-ffK2CwG/0/XL/i-ffK2CwG-XL.jpg
Went location scouting at noon on a very bright day to see how much I could push the DR.
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-TTVQr2B/0/XL/i-TTVQr2B-XL.jpg
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-kBbNp5d/0/XL/i-kBbNp5d-XL.jpg
Some of the in-camera art filters are kinda fun to play with.
Pop Art filter
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-RzrFdgb/0/XL/i-RzrFdgb-XL.jpg
Dramatic filter
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-hNSMLTw/0/XL/i-hNSMLTw-XL.jpg
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-TmrmWJV/0/XL/i-TmrmWJV-XL.jpg
and of course...... a selfie :sexywink:
http://kundaliniphotography.smugmug.com/photos/i-6mSrWGZ/0/XL/i-6mSrWGZ-XL.jpg
^^ Yep, the shirt reads "Highly Evolved". apprpriate don't you think? :-)
Thanks for you indulgence.