When Olympus first announced their new flagship mirrorless camera, the OMD E-M5, my first thought was to preorder one as soon as I could, and I did.  Only after reading more about it and thinking that maybe I should wait until other, more informed people than I post opinions on it should I buy it.  Since then, I’ve not read anything negative about it and finding one to buy is turning out to be a tough challenge.  Maybe I should have kept that preorder after all.

The problem is, I don’t need yet another camera.  The ever marching tides of technology will not cease when I get my hands on this camera. It will be supplanted in mere months by something new from Panasonic or Olympus itself.  Knowing this and seeing how good the files have been looking coming out of my G3 has helped to temper the urge to order the E-M5.  This got me thinking back to when I first started into photography.  My first ‘real’ camera was the venerable Nikon D50.  It was a workhorse that went with me across the country and back.  Looking at some of the pictures is reminding me that essentially any camera in the past 5 years can take an acceptable and even great picture.  Below are some shots from that road trip and my first experience out west.  I need to go back and see more.

Continue reading Out with the old? →

This past month has been like living in a whirlwind with everyone going on.  I wish I could post some mind blowing images or say that I’ve been working on a large project, but I can’t and I haven’t been.  My real job has me working more hours, lots of household projects to get done and just trying to keep up with everything else.  So, with everything hitting at once, something had to give, and it was the photography.

In the past month I’ve only picked up the camera a few times, and it was always for shots of the family.  Not that family shots aren’t entertaining, it’s just different.  The warmer weather has me feeling excited for the coming camping trips, biking adventures and the long hikes we hope to embark on.  Tonight, we took a quick stroll around the neighborhood since it was in the 60’s.

Now onto the title of the post regarding ‘change’.  A few weeks ago I sold all of my Nikon DSLR gear so that I could fully invest in the micro 4/3 system.  Blasphemy some will say.  Some days I still can’t believe I sold it all, but it always comes back to what worked for me.  Truthfully, I haven’t used the Nikon for months.  Since I got the G3, the big full frame beast has sat quietly on the shelf for 99% of the time.  The only time it was put into service was for a portrait shoot.  What I learned was, when given the option of carrying a camera system that is 1/4 of the size of the other, but gives 90% as good image quality, I opted for the smaller system just about every time.

Once I realized that and thought about the where, when and how I take pictures, it became a very clear answer as to what system is better for me.  Sure the D700 is a professional level camera capable of outstanding image quality, but I never even came close to fully utilizing it.  Add to that the cost of quality full frame glass and the overall heft of the system, and I knew what I had to do.  So the D700 and lenses have been sold.  Time to move on and make the most out of a single camera system.

Besides… with the selling of the camera came the purchase of a new bike…