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9 hours ago, Marianne said:

I love my little Olympus OMD E-1 - light and great photos, not a single fail since I got it back in 2014.

In fact, I took it and my Nikon D700 to the Grand Canyon and until you pixel peep at 200% in good light, the difference is surprisingly small. 


The newer Pen-F is about half the price and even lighter. I'd suggest checking it out. In silver it looks gorgeous and weighs less than a pound. I had ordered one last week, but cancelled my order for reasons totally unrelated to that camera. In fact, it is supposed to be better in low light than the one I have.

 

Olympus is having a lot of sales these days - and I highly recommend them - even the 40-150mm budget priced zoom is super sharp - a few people here recommended it when I bought the Olympus and it weighs so little. The OMD E-5 is also less expensive than the E-1 and the newer ones are supposed to be even better  in low light - the original E-1 I have is good in low light - I never downsize and I have never failed here with it - it's only when I compare it to the D700 in low light that it's not perfect. But here's one in low light with the Olympus that I took as a straight jpeg with the inexpensive zoom the day I got the camera - I was woken up by a fire two doors down from me. I shot this at around ISO 12,500 at 2 in the morning with my brand new camera - no post production just a straight jpeg from the camera:

 

chappaqua-ny-april-11-2014-firefighters-

 

 

The only reason I ended up cancelling the Pen-F is that in late January, I ordered the Olympus 7-14mm pro lens. I must've gotten a bad one because the chromatic aberration and COMA were so bad I couldn't fix them in LR nor in DxO Lab - I finally shot the same photos with that lens and my 17mm and found the 17mm was fine but the 7-14 was a disaster. Very disappointed. I was ready to exchange it for another one, and ordered the Pen-F to round out my MFT (micro four thirds) collection, but then the Sonys went on sale and I decided to go in a different direction and ordered the Sony A7RII from B&H.  I am hopeful that it will replace my D700 - giving me a full frame camera that is great in low light (that's where the Olympus can't compete with my beloved D700) and weighs significantly less. I plan to use it with a couple of primes - I got a 35mm and have my eye on the Zeiss Loxia 21mm manual focus lens as my next purchase, once I sell off my Nikon equipment. Obviously the A7RII isn't a budget priced camera, though I got a great sale price - and it is heavier with most of the full frame glass, which is why my plan is to use it mostly with wide primes and keep my Olympus, but I digress...

 

So, back to the OP's question - sorry to digress - another nice thing about the Olympus is that you can use Panasonic lenses with it as well - you can also look into the Panasonic MFT cameras - they have several that are reasonably priced and I hear nothing but good things about them. I was thinking of getting one as a backup until I was tempted by the Pen-F - which is still on my wish list. Although I went in the other direction and opted for the Sony full frame, as I mentioned, I plan to stick with the smaller MFT cameras too since the Sony full frame, though light, can get heavy when you start adding their zooms and other large glass - even some of their primes are heavy - though much lighter than using a large Nikon or Canon.

 

Once I sell enough to pay off my Sony, I'll probably get the 12-40mm for the Olympus - or the 12-35 Pany - not sure which is better, I hear conflicting things. . 

 

Bottom line, if the Sony can replace my Nikon, it will be my "heavy" camera - I'm convinced mirrorless is the way to go. Like Chuck, I turn 60 this year, and between herniated disks in my neck from two accidents and a wrecked back from a car accident, pushups might help me carry my D700, but I'd rather go with lighter gear. If anyone is looking for Nikon gear in excellent condition, my D700 has only 28,107 actuations and I have the amazing 24-70-mm f/2.8 and some other nice lenses I plan to sell. You can PM me on twitter @campyphotos or contact me through my website http://www.mariannecampolongphtography.com since the PM feature here is gone if anyone's interested in the gear - or if you have questions about the Olympus. 

 

Important for the OP: There are so many choices these days, it can make your head spin. I'd just suggest that getting a mirrorless system where you can upgrade by adding more lenses (I think some of the suggestions here are excellent point and shoots) will give you more room to grow in the future. It's tough to sell old equipment at a fraction of what you paid for it when you want to upgrade, (and really tough to sell cameras without interchangeable lenses), so IMHO, it's better to get equipment that gives you room to grow. A pocket camera is great to have as an extra - I still toss my Nikon P7000 in my bag when I travel as a great little backup - but as your main camera, I'd get the best mirrorless you can afford and slowly add lenses. 

 

I have to second your thoughts on the Olympus OM-D E-1.  I bought the Mk2 version in January and am very happy with it.  My only concern is not image quality, but rather, is a 4:3 image ratio as sell-able as the standard 3:2 ratio??  I have no idea.

 

The image quality from this camera, along with the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro (24-80mm equiv) lens is outstanding.  And it fits in the center console of my Subaru.  And, I can hand hold down to 1/20th a second with no problems.  I'm finding more interesting features every day. (It's a complex camera).  No one pays any attention to me when I'm using it.  I swing out the LCD and it looks like I'm just looking at images.  Too many great things to mention.  But, like most small sensor cameras, I don't trust it past 640 ISO.

 

Rick

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8 hours ago, Rick Lewis said:

 

I have to second your thoughts on the Olympus OM-D E-1.  I bought the Mk2 version in January and am very happy with it.  My only concern is not image quality, but rather, is a 4:3 image ratio as sell-able as the standard 3:2 ratio??  I have no idea.

 

...

 

Rick

 

I noticed a while ago that for online use many newspapers and other web sites often favour 16x10 landscape for heading images on articles, probably because it is the usual video format so allows for consistent look and feel with mixed still/video especially on a page of thumbnails.

 

So whether shooting 3:2 OR 4:3 (even  5:4 :) ) we should perhaps make sure we include some that will crop to 16x10 or 16x9 landscape to match video formats. As well as the old advice to shoot portrait with room for cover lines; there are still print magazines out there!

 

It is often advised to leave a decent amount of cropping room to give the page designer maximum flexibility. Of course that advice is for stock not salon, club or fine art photography!

 

Martin

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Rick Lewis asked whether the 4:3 image ratio on M43 cameras affects sales.  I've been shooting Olympus since 2012 and when first getting a M43 camera, I did wonder if it might affect sales, but I've not seen any evidence that my 4:3 ratio images sell less than 3:2 (I have Nikon system as well - but don't take it travelling much now).  I'll crop landscape images to 3:2 when I think it looks better, but I'm perfectly happy submitting 4:3.

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16 minutes ago, Essexps said:

Rick Lewis asked whether the 4:3 image ratio on M43 cameras affects sales.  I've been shooting Olympus since 2012 and when first getting a M43 camera, I did wonder if it might affect sales, but I've not seen any evidence that my 4:3 ratio images sell less than 3:2 (I have Nikon system as well - but don't take it travelling much now).  I'll crop landscape images to 3:2 when I think it looks better, but I'm perfectly happy submitting 4:3.

Interesting point. My first digital camera was an unsuitable-for-here 4:3 compact and I got used to the AR for 5 years. I can't say I noticed the difference either way, but then I was coming from a Hasselblad- although I had a 10/8 overlay on that for portraits. The idea that they no longer shoot square messes with my mind.

Back in the fold for 9 years now of course.

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4 hours ago, Essexps said:

Rick Lewis asked whether the 4:3 image ratio on M43 cameras affects sales.  I've been shooting Olympus since 2012 and when first getting a M43 camera, I did wonder if it might affect sales, but I've not seen any evidence that my 4:3 ratio images sell less than 3:2 (I have Nikon system as well - but don't take it travelling much now).  I'll crop landscape images to 3:2 when I think it looks better, but I'm perfectly happy submitting 4:3.

 

Thanks for the input, @Essexps.  This was an afterthought for me.  I did not consider the consequences when I bought the camera.  I am not that big a fan of the 4:3 ratio myself and often crop to 3:2 to make the composition more pleasing to my eye.  But, that reduces the MP count down to 15MP on this camera.  I truly wish it was an APS-C sized sensor.

 

@Martin P Wilson, I see your point about a 16:9 ratio.  To be honest, the 16:9 ratio is my favorite for compositional reasons.  I think it is because I love the cinematic look of that ratio.  The problem with my Oly is that reduces the image down to around 9MP, I believe, when cropped to that ratio.  :-(

 

The reason for buying the E-M1 MkII was for it's wonderful IBIS and touchscreen functions, which I love, but now I see Fuji is about to announce a new APS-C camera with IBIS, all be it a much larger camera.  I guess I'll always be chasing that camera unicorn.  B)

 

Thanks for the input guys!

 

Rick

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14 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

 And it fits in the center console of my Subaru.

Forester?  That’s what I have. Pretty light sage green.

 

Me too - except my Subaru is silver. Green's a good choice. 

Funny story -I almost got the blue - but the silver looked so nice.

Drove it out to Ohio with my daughter a few days after I got it and took a photo of the license plate so I'd stop trying to get into the wrong car. Even with NY plates there were too many "similars."

A month later, at the doctor's office, I kept trying to get into "my car" there was even a water bottle like mine in the cup holder. Finally a man came up to me doubled over laughing. He pointed out that mine, which was beeping to open, was a row over. I can no longer count the times I've parked next to an identical car.  I'll never get a silver car again (my last one, a Ford Escape I had for 11 years, was red. It's still in my driveway 3 years later according to google images. )

 

Great little SUV - tons of room and drives like a car. And those seat-warmers are a life-saver since I don't have a garage. And my little Olympus fits nicely in the center console as well.

 

My new AR7II arrived at my husband's office today (they needed a signature and since I had a hard drive left in a puddle a few weeks back, I've decided it's safer to send there). Can't wait to try it out.

 

But that 12-40mm Pro lens is on my wish list for the Olympus Rick. Once I sell the Nikons I should have enough room for all my camera equipment to fit in one backpack with room for a change of clothes as well. If I could trust the low light over 800 for landscape work rather than just for editorial images, I'd stick with the Olympus as my only camera system. Other than high ISO performance for landscape work, it's perfect, although I'm still getting used to the fiddly menu - it does too much and sometimes I click the wrong button and need to dig deep to get my preferred settings back.

 

I've been playing with some legacy manual Olympus lenses from my film days - my first and only SLR is the OM-1 - and the bokeh on my 50mm is lovely as is the dynamic range - better than any of the digital lenses I have. I just pointed it at a lace curtain in a sunny window, used focus peaking, and the fine detail and dynamic range were great. 

 

So, Anna, if you can swing an Olympus - even a lower end model like the OM-5 or OM-10, I'd say go for it. You won't be sorry. 

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15 hours ago, Rick Lewis said:

 

I have to second your thoughts on the Olympus OM-D E-1.  I bought the Mk2 version in January and am very happy with it.  My only concern is not image quality, but rather, is a 4:3 image ratio as sell-able as the standard 3:2 ratio??  I have no idea.

 

 

Rick

 

Sorry, should've answered your question first. I went back and counted sales since I got the Olympus and despite having many times more images from my Nikons at 16:9, about 3/5ths of my sales have been photos taken with the Olympus - and there are sets from the same location where some were the 4:3 ratio and others 16:9 - I don't think it has affected sales. I've licensed both portrait and landscape images in the 4:3 ratio. 

 

I find the 4:3 ratio pleasing since it's nearly square - I'm not really sure why. I also like that I can set different ratios in the camera and when I import into Lightroom, even if I just shoot RAW, the photos will be pre-cropped, but I can still get the full RAW image back if I want - a good way to know if the photo will allow for cropping to a size you like - I shoot square images for calendars and will often use that feature for composition to get a lighthouse or a landscape that works well as a square, but will process the uncropped image. 

 

I haven't used the 16:9 ratio for the same reason as you - don't want to loose the megapixels - but you could use it for composition and then just sync them all and un-crop. 

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6 hours ago, Marianne said:

 

Sorry, should've answered your question first. I went back and counted sales since I got the Olympus and despite having many times more images from my Nikons at 16:9, about 3/5ths of my sales have been photos taken with the Olympus - and there are sets from the same location where some were the 4:3 ratio and others 16:9 - I don't think it has affected sales. I've licensed both portrait and landscape images in the 4:3 ratio. 

 

 

Good to know.  I'll stop obsessing now.  ;-) 

 

Rick

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On 2/12/2018 at 10:28, Marianne said:

But that 12-40mm Pro lens is on my wish list for the Olympus Rick. Once I sell the Nikons I should have enough room for all my camera equipment to fit in one backpack with room for a change of clothes as well. If I could trust the low light over 800 for landscape work rather than just for editorial images, I'd stick with the Olympus as my only camera system. Other than high ISO performance for landscape work, it's perfect, although I'm still getting used to the fiddly menu - it does too much and sometimes I click the wrong button and need to dig deep to get my preferred settings back.

 

 Marianne, you will love the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro.  It is one of the best performing lenses I have ever owned.  It creates virtually no CA in high contrast situations.  One of the best I've ever owned.

 

I limit myself to ISO 640 when submitting to Alamy.  I just don't like anything above that and I don't like using noise reduction if I can help it.  I've found the digital noise to look a little "wormy" with the E-M1 MkII, unlike my Nikon D500 or my Fuji cameras.  I really like how Fuji handles high ISOs.  It looks very natural and film like, IMHO.  I've submitted and had approved ISO 6400 with my Fuji X-T1 & 3200 ISO with my Nikons. That's the one major drawback to the micro 4/3rds sensor.  But, I can usually shoot down to 1/20th sec with no problems with the Oly.  Dosen't help with moving subjects unless one wants to get creative.  Where is that unicorn??  :D

 

Rick

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I just got the Sony A7RII Monday night, spent much of yesterday afternoon reading the manual and then ran out to catch the tail end of the blue hour and shot handheld using Auto ISO - something I never use - even at ISO 6400 the detail in the shadows and lack of noise was astonishing! OMG, I love that little camera already - and with a 35mm Sony Zeiss f/2.8 prime it's comparable in weight to my Olympus. I also played with my 50mm f/1.8 legacy film lens on my Olympus and it was gorgeous, so I am firmly in the mirrorless camp and putting my Nikons on the block.

 

My only regret is that I didn't opt for the A7RIII since it can use a sync cord for strobes (I have a pair of Elinchromes), a swiveling back screen (which I loved on my D5100 - traded in to B&H toward the Sony as part of their trade-in sale) - I hate the half-assed pseudo swivel screen - same PITA as on the Olympus - it gets caught up with the tripod quick release plate - even the one from the mini tripod I bought, the 3 also has better battery life (though putting my camera in "airplane mode" I shot for an hour last night in nearly 30 degree F weather after having the camera on much of the afternoon playing with the menu as I learned how to use it and still had 65% left, along with the spare battery at 100% in my pocket), and something I really love on the Olympus, a touch screen on the back. I didn't think I'd miss the touch screen but last night even without a tripod I kept trying to hit the screen forgetting nothing would happen. I didn't think it was worth spending an extra $1000 for the 3, but now I'm thinking perhaps it is. But I love the Sony. Of course, the fact that it won't operate below freezing given that it is February and I live in New York puts a bit of a crimp in my style. Then again, even my workhorse D700 would lose battery power pretty quickly in the cold.

 

My Olympus actually managed pretty well when we were down near zero degrees F earlier this year - well, the batteries lasted longer than I did, anyway. So, I'm happy with the combo - the Olympus just seems like a sturdy little workhorse - I still remember those ads with a Vietnam war photographer and his Olympus OM-1 since my EM-1 resembles its older brother. My 17mm lens has next to no chroma - so I look forward to the 12-40mm - though the next thing on my wishlist is now the Zeiss Loxia f/2.8 for the Sony. 

 

Gray and miserable here today but hope to get out with my tripod at sunset later this week. The winter sky over the Hudson River can be awesome. 

 

Rick, the IBIS in the Olympus is terrific - better than the Sony I think. I rarely use a tripod with the Olympus - so I messed up last fall when I put the camera on a tripod and forgot to turn it off. Getting older, it's nice to be able to handhold for longer than I could in my teens and 20's. 

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On 2/13/2018 at 07:34, Allan Bell said:

 

With Sony I am submitting images up to 3200 ISO and no fails yet.

 

Allan

 

 

 

Awesome camera as noted above.

 

Do you use the Capture One Express for Sony? Do you find it better than Lightroom?

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4 hours ago, Marianne said:

 

Awesome camera as noted above.

 

Do you use the Capture One Express for Sony? Do you find it better than Lightroom?

 

Marianne, I don't shoot Sony but I use Capture One Pro 11 for all my cameras now, Nikon, Fuji & Olympus.  The rendered detail is just so much better than with LR, I have found.  Also, I like the way it handles highlights much better than LR.  I only use LR now if I need some help with difficult CA.  Capture One is a little disappointing there.  But, It has made a major difference with my Olympus images.  Hope this helps.

 

Rick

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You can get a hotshoe adapter with a PC socket in it, but some modern cameras won't fire studio flash- something to do with resistance, according to Multiblitz, who advised me to get a wireless trigger. When I get round to it, the Chinese do them for about £7.

My A58 will fire an Illumitran but not Multiblitz.

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14 hours ago, Marianne said:

 

Awesome camera as noted above.

 

Do you use the Capture One Express for Sony? Do you find it better than Lightroom?

 

Do not use or like Capture One. I find LR can process the images fine for noise and lots more.

 

Sometimes use one or two tools in PSE to finish image but not for noise.

 

Allan

 

 

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12 hours ago, David McGill said:

I use a Canon G5X in conjunction with my Nikon D800 when I don't want to lug the Nikon around with me. I find the images to be perfectly acceptable both to me and Alamy! Recently it has been my holiday camera.

 

windmills-on-the-greek-island-of-mykonos

Very nice!

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On 2/14/2018 at 19:56, Rick Lewis said:

 

Marianne, I don't shoot Sony but I use Capture One Pro 11 for all my cameras now, Nikon, Fuji & Olympus.  The rendered detail is just so much better than with LR, I have found.  Also, I like the way it handles highlights much better than LR.  I only use LR now if I need some help with difficult CA.  Capture One is a little disappointing there.  But, It has made a major difference with my Olympus images.  Hope this helps.

 

Rick

 

On 2/15/2018 at 05:25, spacecadet said:

You can get a hotshoe adapter with a PC socket in it, but some modern cameras won't fire studio flash- something to do with resistance, according to Multiblitz, who advised me to get a wireless trigger. When I get round to it, the Chinese do them for about £7.

My A58 will fire an Illumitran but not Multiblitz.

 

On 2/15/2018 at 05:54, Allan Bell said:

 

Do not use or like Capture One. I find LR can process the images fine for noise and lots more.

 

Sometimes use one or two tools in PSE to finish image but not for noise.

 

Allan

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll have time to try the Capture One Pro version with my Olympus and compare it to LR as I had to send the Sony back because the mode dial broke so I'm awaiting replacement. I still love the little Sony in terms of photo quality and weight but did find it ironic that I had just met up with someone who bought some of my Nikon kit and had gotten home to a gorgeous sliver of moon in the night sky, took out the camera and found the dial button would not release. B&H were great about it and Sony was apologetic (I called them first since their customer service was still open hoping there was something I'd missed after scouring the manual and the internet) - both agreed  I should get a replacement and that it was hopefully a one-off problem of misalignment - my Olympus seems sturdier as were my Nikons of course, but I'm still looking forward to getting a new replacement camera sometime next week. With gray skies predicted for several days after we had summer weather last week, I can try to be patient. 

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thankyou everyone i bought this Sony RX100Miii i bought it as new but the box is not sealed.So i asked the best buy seller why is no sealed they said its new but i think its open box but i have no discount then now i am using it its amazing

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7 hours ago, Marianne said:

Glad you like the Sony - 

 

I'm waiting for my new one. My box wasn't sealed either - I was a little concerned at first but I assumed that's just the way they are. 

 

No they are not. Until now all three of the small boxes (getting smaller every time) were sealed.

All the bigger boxes (camera; lenses) also were sealed.

Only exception: a zoom lens that was offered as bulk that came in just a ziploc bag.

 

wim

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On 2/27/2018 at 05:32, wiskerke said:

 

No they are not. Until now all three of the small boxes (getting smaller every time) were sealed.

All the bigger boxes (camera; lenses) also were sealed.

Only exception: a zoom lens that was offered as bulk that came in just a ziploc bag.

 

wim

 

Wow - good to know. I got mine from B&H as new - they are one of the largest US camera dealers and have always been reputable. The soft papery bag the camera was wrapped in inside the box was wrinkled and looked like it had been opened but I dismissed my misgivings as I had just had two hard drives delivered from Amazon that were not packed properly and one was left in a puddle on my front porch and I ordered clothing and they sent the wrong sizes - all that same week - so I didn't want to deal with another return. Well, my bad. Thank goodness they have a good return policy and took it back and shipped out another one. Now that I've sold most of my Nikon equipment it had better be in good shape. They are always very helpful and spend time on the phone and give me advice, so I think it was an anomaly. 

 

The photos I took before the mode dial broke are gorgeous though I realized after that the sensor was dirty. In 12+ years I have never had sensor issues - but the same large mess showed up on all of my photos taken with various lenses from photo #1 onwards. I hadn't seen it at first because it was hidden in tree branches - I had only actually processed two photos completely and quickly - sunset "weather" images for live news done quickly - spending time getting to know the camera - before having to send it back - but when I saw a mess in some skies I checked all my images and it was in every one - with four different lenses and always in the same spot. I had returned the camera already. 

 

Second box is unsealed as well. B&H is closed today. UGH!

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