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RustedChrome
Jun 10, 2007

"do not hold the camera obliquely, or the world will seem to be on an inclined plane."
Speaking of Micro 4/3 glass, I have some zooms and a flash up for sale in the Dorkroom

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Ropes4u
May 2, 2009

SupahCoolX posted:

I would personally skip the kit zoom. Panny 14 (get it on eBay for $150 parted from a kit in Asia, crazy deal at that price) + Panny 20 + Oly 45mm is widely considered the way to go on m43.

Sub in the Oly 12, Panny 25, or Oly 75 if you want to spend more money. Fisheye is a specialty lens, so up to you.

Tele zooms are all fairly common, and I don't know that any is considered a blowaway lens. The Oly 40-150 or Panny 45-200 are generally good and affordable (Oly is smaller and lighter, but Panny has a little extra reach).

After killing to much time looking at specs I really want to save for the OM-D, but the deals at cameta on a refurbished E-P3 are tempting I just wish it had a view finder. I really wish there were less good choices. Will I hate myself if I get the P-L3 or E-P3 instead of the OM-D?

Funds will drive me to a prime kit as suggested with one zoom or the fish eye for "i want one" reasons. If I could afford the 12,25,75 I would have already ordered it. Just looking at the 75 gives me a warm fuzzy feeling..

Ropes4u fucked around with this message at 03:15 on Sep 26, 2012

SupahCoolX
Jul 2, 2005
I'd personally go for a better lens on a lesser body to start. You can always upgrade the body to an OMD later, but saving all that money to put towards some combo of 14/20/45 will make the bigger difference up front.

Check used deals on those too (I recently got a like-new 20mm on Amazon for $290).

SupahCoolX fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Sep 26, 2012

HPL
Aug 28, 2002

Worst case scenario.
Camera bodies come and go, but good lenses never go out of style.

krackmonkey
Mar 28, 2003

when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro...

Ropes4u posted:

After killing to much time looking at specs I really want to save for the OM-D, but the deals at cameta on a refurbished E-P3 are tempting I just wish it had a view finder. I really wish there were less good choices. Will I hate myself if I get the P-L3 or E-P3 instead of the OM-D?

Funds will drive me to a prime kit as suggested with one zoom or the fish eye for "i want one" reasons. If I could afford the 12,25,75 I would have already ordered it. Just looking at the 75 gives me a warm fuzzy feeling..

Wait a little bit longer (as in save up for a month or so) and you can get the sensor from the OM-D in either the E-PL5 or E-PM2 for $300-500 less than the OM-D. Yes, you will hate yourself if you get an E-P3 and 30 days later you could get twice the camera for the same price if not cheaper. I'm an impatient dude, but this is one moment where you stand to gain so much by just saving fro another month or so, so I would recommend being patient and putting those pennies in a jar.

And yes, screw the fisheye - primes are more consistently useable.

HPL posted:

Camera bodies come and go, but good lenses never go out of style.

THIS too.

Clayton Bigsby
Apr 17, 2005

Ropes4u posted:

After killing to much time looking at specs I really want to save for the OM-D, but the deals at cameta on a refurbished E-P3 are tempting I just wish it had a view finder. I really wish there were less good choices. Will I hate myself if I get the P-L3 or E-P3 instead of the OM-D?

Funds will drive me to a prime kit as suggested with one zoom or the fish eye for "i want one" reasons. If I could afford the 12,25,75 I would have already ordered it. Just looking at the 75 gives me a warm fuzzy feeling..

Have you looked at the E-PM2? If I read correctly it shares the (excellent) sensor with the E-M5.

krackmonkey
Mar 28, 2003

when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro...

Clayton Bigsby posted:

Have you looked at the E-PM2? If I read correctly it shares the (excellent) sensor with the E-M5.

Both the E-PM2 and the E-PL5 have the same sony sensor as the OM-D/E-M5, really it boils down to ergonomics and feature set as to which is the best option for the buck.

Ropes4u
May 2, 2009

Not having a view finder on a camera is a hindrance, seriously considering the E-P2 or 3 so I can get the glass I want, then upgrade to a E-P5 or OMD later.. I am saving for a trip to Europe and my goals are conflicting right now, I have to have the camera and glass before I go.

(I am a poor middle class goon with three high school college kids)

Lon Lon Rabbit
Mar 27, 2006
Here comes a special boy!
My cousin has an XPro1 and wanted to try out using a flash on it before buying one.

I lent him one of my spare Olympus hotshoe strobes and we couldn't get it working (even in manual), neither direct in the hotshoe, with wireless triggers (commander in hotshoe) or through the PC sync port.

Does the XPro1 just not work with anything but Fuji gear or might his camera have an issue?

Daddys hot grill
Oct 4, 2010

You're crazy man.
Hey Mate!

My Xpro1 will fire a basic strobe on it's hot shoe no worries. Maybe it's an odd connection conflict with Olympus gear?

RustedChrome
Jun 10, 2007

"do not hold the camera obliquely, or the world will seem to be on an inclined plane."

Lon Lon Rabbit posted:

My cousin has an XPro1 and wanted to try out using a flash on it before buying one.

I lent him one of my spare Olympus hotshoe strobes and we couldn't get it working (even in manual), neither direct in the hotshoe, with wireless triggers (commander in hotshoe) or through the PC sync port.

Does the XPro1 just not work with anything but Fuji gear or might his camera have an issue?

If the X-Pro 1 was in "silent mode" it will not fire the flash. Did you look in the menus to see if the flash options were greyed out?

Don Lapre
Mar 28, 2001

If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Ropes4u posted:

Not having a view finder on a camera is a hindrance, seriously considering the E-P2 or 3 so I can get the glass I want, then upgrade to a E-P5 or OMD later.. I am saving for a trip to Europe and my goals are conflicting right now, I have to have the camera and glass before I go.

(I am a poor middle class goon with three high school college kids)

You can get an EVF for olympus cameras.

bloops
Dec 31, 2010

Thanks Ape Pussy!
Looking for some input here--I'm mulling over the idea of selling my 5D3 + 35L for an X Pro 1 + 35.

Not only will I be able to pocket a decent amount of money from the swap, but I don't really lose much in what and how I shoot. So for those with the X Pro 1, how is it? Is this a good trade off in terms of features for cost?

bloops fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Sep 28, 2012

RustedChrome
Jun 10, 2007

"do not hold the camera obliquely, or the world will seem to be on an inclined plane."

HeyEng posted:

Looking for some input here--I'm mulling over the idea of selling my 5D3 + 35L for an X Pro 1 + 35.

Not only will I be able to pocket a decent amount of money from the swap, but I don't really lose much in what and how I shoot. So for those with the X Pro 1, how is it? Is this a good trade off in terms of features for cost?

I got out of a 5D2 for the X-Pro 1 and it was mainly for the size and weight advantage. Now I have a camera that still gives me great image quality and I actually take it with me when I go out. If you do video, you will miss some features but if you just want to make quality images I think it's a decent trade off.

Lon Lon Rabbit
Mar 27, 2006
Here comes a special boy!

MediumWellDone posted:

Hey Mate!

My Xpro1 will fire a basic strobe on it's hot shoe no worries. Maybe it's an odd connection conflict with Olympus gear?

RustedChrome posted:

If the X-Pro 1 was in "silent mode" it will not fire the flash. Did you look in the menus to see if the flash options were greyed out?

Thanks a lot! It was in silent mode.

The flash option was indeed greyed out which we took to mean the camera just couldn't see the flash, but taking it out of silent mode it works fine.

alkanphel
Mar 24, 2004

Just got the new Olympus 60mm macro for m4/3 and I did a test shoot with it.


Ten Cents by alkanphel, on Flickr


Fern 2 by alkanphel, on Flickr

Bouillon Rube
Aug 6, 2009


How's the AF performance? That's my main beef with the 35mm macro.

alkanphel
Mar 24, 2004

Augmented Dickey posted:

How's the AF performance? That's my main beef with the 35mm macro.

Pretty fast if you have the right range limiter set. But even if you use the full range, it's still faster than the other DSLR macro lenses because the distance that the lens element groups have to travel is so much shorter. Most of the time the misfocus was because of the movement of my hands/body at 1:1.

Clayton Bigsby
Apr 17, 2005

Happened to be out with both systems and shot this. One is E-M5 with 20/1.7, the other 1DsII with Zeiss 35/2.

Linking because it's over 1000px. 100% crops of same area.

http://www.beyondthematrix.com/zeiss_omd.jpg

Kedzie
Dec 13, 2004

they all float down here
I messed around with my new Panasonic 25mm f1.4 last night on my OM-D, and I felt like a puma or something creeping around in the dark. My composition skills are still sorely lacking, but I can finally capture sharp images hand held in super low light. I'm coming from the 12-50 f3.5 kit lens, so this is a big revelation to me. I highly recommend fast primes to everyone, weeee!

Ropes4u
May 2, 2009

Kedzie posted:

I messed around with my new Panasonic 25mm f1.4 last night on my OM-D, and I felt like a puma or something creeping around in the dark. My composition skills are still sorely lacking, but I can finally capture sharp images hand held in super low light. I'm coming from the 12-50 f3.5 kit lens, so this is a big revelation to me. I highly recommend fast primes to everyone, weeee!

Pics? How is the lot lens for day to day stuff?

TheAngryDrunk
Jan 31, 2003

"I don't know why I know that; I took four years of Spanish."
NEX-5N body for $369

http://www.adorama.com/ISONEX5NB.html?EmailPrice=T

That's a good deal, yes?

If they had a nice 35mm f/1.8 lens, I would buy it in a second.

krackmonkey
Mar 28, 2003

when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro...

TheAngryDrunk posted:

NEX-5N body for $369

http://www.adorama.com/ISONEX5NB.html?EmailPrice=T

That's a good deal, yes?

If they had a nice 35mm f/1.8 lens, I would buy it in a second.

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/sony-nex-e-35mm-f-1-8-oss-lens-sample-photos-20130

tick tock, time's up

TheAngryDrunk
Jan 31, 2003

"I don't know why I know that; I took four years of Spanish."

Yeah, it's not out yet though. And kind of expensive, but it's a big improvement.

krackmonkey
Mar 28, 2003

when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro...

TheAngryDrunk posted:

Yeah, it's not out yet though. And kind of expensive, but it's a big improvement.

The price isn't that bad when you take into consideration that it's a stabilized 35/1.8, you're gonna get probably close to 2 additional stops of latitude, under the right circumstances. Early sample images seem to indicate this is another "must have" lens from Sony, that's exciting for the format.

Also - the 5N is absolutely fantastic with old MF glass, focus peaking is more than just hype and once you've used it, you'll be angry at every camera that doesn't have it.

Kedzie
Dec 13, 2004

they all float down here

Ropes4u posted:

Pics? How is the lot lens for day to day stuff?

Here's a Steve Huff story with some low light examples:
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012/06/02/some-fun-low-light-shooting-with-the-fuji-x100-olympus-e-m5-and-leica-x2/

I'm taking a trip to New Orleans in a few weeks, so I'm hoping having a fast lens will pay off indoors and on the streets at night.

The kit zoom is still a great lens to me. I am glad to have a weather sealed lens to go with the E-M5, and it has a macro mode which has been really fun to experiment with. I'm still fairly new to photography so everything is amazing to me right now. It isn't the greatest lens in any one area, but I am happy to have it. Here's a picture of a pig I took with the 12-50 Olympus kit lens:


Spring Valley nature center pig by visschers, on Flickr

whatever7
Jul 26, 2001

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

TheAngryDrunk posted:

Yeah, it's not out yet though. And kind of expensive, but it's a big improvement.

Its not big improvement. If you miss the Adorama deal, you should slap yourself.

Ola
Jul 19, 2004

HPL posted:

Panasonic or Olympus should make a m43 500mm f/2.8. It would be awesome for wildlife and what not because you wouldn't need such a ginormous lens compared to a full frame one.

Idea: Small external EVF that fits over your eye like some cyborg thing. Hold the massive lens like a bazooka. Aim...bzzt, bzzt, beep! LOCK! FIRE!

Bouillon Rube
Aug 6, 2009


http://sulanto.blogspot.fi/2012/09/olympus-15-mm-f8-runkotulppa-kokeilussa.html

I found a blog from some Finnish dude who got his hands on the soon to be released 15mm f/8. Looks pretty neat for the $50 or so that it will retail for; I'm not really into the lo-fi aesthetic but the sharpness seems just fine for a fun snapshot lens.

HPL
Aug 28, 2002

Worst case scenario.
You can also get a Holga 25mm f/8 lens for cheap too. It's sort of pancake lens size and light.

accipter
Sep 12, 2003
I am looking for a recommendation on a camera bag for an NX100. I am trying to find something that I can wear on my chest when I am backpacking so that the camera is accessible, but secure.

krackmonkey
Mar 28, 2003

when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro...

accipter posted:

I am looking for a recommendation on a camera bag for an NX100. I am trying to find something that I can wear on my chest when I am backpacking so that the camera is accessible, but secure.

Maybe look into the Blackrapid SNAPR series and see if any of the 3 models would fit your bill?

HPL
Aug 28, 2002

Worst case scenario.
If anyone is looking for a cheap low-light kit, I would suggest hopping on the NEX 5N deals that are out now. You can get the 5N body and an E-mount 16mm pancake for a relatively minimal investment. Add on manual focus 28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.8 and a 90mm f/2.8 plus adapter and you're good to go for under a grand. The 5N sensor is excellent up to 6400 and doable at 12800 with good noise reduction software. Focus peaking makes manual focusing fast and easy. You can shoot hundreds and hundreds of photos on one battery and third-party extras are cheap.

I've shot about 28 concerts with mine so far in venues ranging from proper concert halls with good lighting all the way to dive bars with barely any lighting at all and nothing comes close to it at that price point and that size and weight.

Aargh
Sep 8, 2004

Quick update on the X-Pro 1 after two weeks of shooting. I love this thing. Image quality is great, ISO responsiveness is lovely, the 35mm lens is so sharp and i love the size of the camera.

thetzar
Apr 22, 2001
Fallen Rib

Aargh posted:

Quick update on the X-Pro 1 after two weeks of shooting. I love this thing. Image quality is great, ISO responsiveness is lovely, the 35mm lens is so sharp and i love the size of the camera.

How do you like the responsiveness of it?

Aargh
Sep 8, 2004

thetzar posted:

How do you like the responsiveness of it?

The focus is taking a little to get used to. I was quite used to selecting the focus point on the fly with my 40d and now its a bit different. Aside from that though all the controls are pretty good, a bit different and taking a bit of time to get used to but that's going to be what you get switching systems anyway.

krackmonkey
Mar 28, 2003

when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro...

thetzar posted:

How do you like the responsiveness of it?

If you approach it with the mindset that it's a DSLR, your expectations are likely to not be met. Everything is a bit more deliberate and requires a little extra participation. The experience is much more akin to shooting film. Yes, there's a full-auto mode where you can just point and click, but you won't get results that even come close to showing you the potential of what this thing can do. I like it because it pulls me back into thinking about the shot and forces me to participate more, and the rewards are there for the patient. I'm a little into a month with mine and the thrill hasn't diminished yet.

My one gripe so far has been shooting a concert with mine was a challenge. The shots I got that were salvageable were very nice, but they took a lot of effort to achieve. You can't really zone focus for something that is moving fast under challenging lighting conditions and expect super sharp consistent results - likewise, autofocus will hunt A LOT in those circumstances (similar performance wise to a 5dMKii from what I read). Most of what I just described is probably more error on my end than actual faults of the camera, get me a little more familiarity still with this camera and I'd likely get different results next time, so take this minor quibble with a grain of salt.

Again, the results were worth it, but concerts may be the one exception for me where I will reach for something quicker and easier to manual focus like a NEX, literally all other uses I have had for my X-Pro1, it would still be my first choice.

Aargh posted:

The focus is taking a little to get used to. I was quite used to selecting the focus point on the fly with my 40d and now its a bit different. Aside from that though all the controls are pretty good, a bit different and taking a bit of time to get used to but that's going to be what you get switching systems anyway.

You can still select your focus points on the fly, you just have to hold in the AF mode button and select your point with the 4-way selector, half a press on the shutter release will confirm your choice. It's not quite as elegant as the way it's implemented in Canon's DSLR's but there's a pretty close analog.

krackmonkey fucked around with this message at 14:02 on Oct 9, 2012

Anmitzcuaca
Nov 23, 2005

For focus point selection, I've always wished the screen was touch enabled so that you could hit the AF button, choose a point with your finger while looking through the Hybrid VF and then hit the shutter release to confirm. It would be much quicker than using a D-pad, I think.

Suicide Watch
Sep 8, 2009
The EPL-1 is available for $120 now. I'm nearing impulse-buy mode for one of these with the 15mm f/8 and later a 25 f/1.4 or 20 f/1.7 for when I don't want to have my Nikon. Thoughts?

Suicide Watch fucked around with this message at 08:25 on Oct 10, 2012

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Greyish Orange
Apr 1, 2010

So I'm looking on the market at either the X100 or Sony 5N.

Looking through the thread the X100 has been getting constant praise, but at the same time the 5N has the flexible system to mount other lenses.

This will be my first move up from a point and shoot so I'm sure if the fixed lens of the X100 will do me alright, the 35mm nature of it has me interested too. Although being able to change the lens and experiment with other ways of taking photos could be a big boon to the 5N, I'm not all too sure which way to go on this.



Decision - X100 or 5N and an extra lens or two?

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