Click here, or on the picture to view and read the second part of my article about the Tall Ship Race on “La Gallerie”.
On this page, more about my new Olympus cameras :
In my limited circle of fellow photographers, there is one question that regularly comes up, and which is the most discussed,
and that is, why two cameras?
In my case even, why the E-M1 MKII and E-M1 MKIII ?
First about the two cameras :
Well, for me that’s very clear, every time I go out photographing it’s confirmed, and the Tall Ship Race event was no exception.
First the disadvantage : weight !
I work differently than many photographers, I rarely if ever use a backpack or sling, my standard bag is a shoulder bag or messenger, and I do have a few in different sizes.
I have found that speed is key in many cases.
And changing lenses or cameras is simply faster with a shoulder bag.
That being said, the weight of an extra camera in a shoulder bag does start to add up after a few hours, even if it’s only about 570 grams, the weight pulls on your neck, and it’s not pleasant.
But now the advantage : speed !
You don’t need two cameras for macro, or landscape etc.., then you have enough time to change a lens.
However, If on an event, or under any circumstance in which you want to quickly switch between wide-angle, telephoto and anything in between – I mean weddings, street photography, sporting events, the Tall Ship Race, … then a second camera can become handy.
Yes, there are lenses that will do this all in one, but you also know it’s always a compromise between image quality and range.
Then, why the E-M1 MKII and E-M1 MKIII :
When the time came for me to consider switching from Fujifilm to Olympus,
I knew I needed a camera in the same class as a Fuji X-T2, X-H1, X-T3.
As also recommended to me by Tone from Tasview, who has the E-M1 MKII and the new OM-1, the best choice seemed to be a pre-owned E-M1 MKII.
This camera should be decisive in making the switch or not, without breaking the bank – and it did.
Then came the next choice : a second camera as explained above, and that could only be the MKIII or the new OM-1.
Knowing that the OM-1 would be the better camera, but also knowing I could have the MKII and MKIII together for (a lot) less than the price of one OM-1, ultimately made the decision.
In time, the price of the OM-1 will eventually drop, and then it might be the time to replace the MKII with the OM-1.
There’s a lot of discussion going on about upgrading your E-M1 Mark II to Mark III and whether it’s worth it. Well, it is. The MK III is better and faster, and there are some other minor improvements. The MK III can also be found fairly cheap second-hand, and now the OM-1 is out even cheap new these days. It didn’t really matter to me, I needed a second camera, one that was better than the MK II but didn’t broke the bank. Also interesting, the Olympus E-M1 MKII shutter life expectancy is 200.000 – the E-M1 MKIII is 400.000.
That’s it for today !
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Thanks for the link back Marc, I missed it previously:) I still think the EM1 II is the best bang for buck Olympus, secondhand prices are ridiculously cheap for the features and image quality you get and I couldn’t convince myself that the Mark III was different enough when it came out.
The OM-1 is a bigger step on paper with the new 4-layer sensor, but in reality, except for low light and focus tracking, and at times a little more effort, the EM1ii is just as capable and I think more ergonomic. Having said that, I’m keeping the OM1 because of it’s extra features and selling the EM1ii after picking up a Pen-F.
I found the OM and EM very similar bodies, but the Pen is a different tool altogether and a joy to use creatively, though not quite as capable as the EM1ii – particularly focusing in low light. They pair very well with different, but complementary features. I’ve never been more content with my gear.
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After reading about the Pen F on your site and seeing the pictures, I am looking for one myself, only they are quite rare to find here, and if you do find one they are more expensive than an E-M1 MKII , but I’m patient and meanwhile I’m really enjoying my Olympus cameras – and really, the move from my Pentax DSLRs to Fujifilm was interesting and a good experience, but now that I’ve been with Olympus for a while I know I made the right decision.
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I paid a fair bit more for my Pen-F than the EM1ii I have for sale, but it was in mint condition – although I would have preferred a silver one. I had an eye out for them for about 6 months, I saw only two or three in that time in average condition – aside from the expensive used ones from Japan on Ebay or $$$$ new from America – which is where the owner of mine bought it. Take your time, enjoy the hunt, it is worth the wait 😀
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