Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film  (Read 8103 times)

feppe

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2906
  • Oh this shows up in here!
    • Harri Jahkola Photography

I'm looking for a camera system to complement my travel and studio gear: Micro Four Thirds and large format film. The main shortcomings of MFT is lack of very shallow DOF for portraits, some limitations when printing big, and it's a bit too dainty and fiddly in the studio, and when shooting in portrait orientation (vertical grip would help though). LF film is very expensive to shoot, process and drum scan, requires more light than many studios have on rent, and doesn't travel well.

Therefore I'm looking for a system to fill these gaps. I sold my Canon gear years ago in favor of MFT, so I'm not invested in any system.

Main requirements:
  • Mirrorless a must for compactness, lightness, and ability to use legacy lenses from various manufacturers
  • Works well in studio with whatever lighting gear they have available. I never use tethering, and control flashes manually.
  • Subject matter mostly glamour, nudes, portraits, some landscapes, cityscapes, low light long exposure photography (night cityscapes), and general travel. Some color, some B&W. I would also shoot artwork (oil and watercolor paintings). I don't do sports, birds, weddings, products, macro, video, or do massive cropping.
  • I would mostly shoot with a sharp normal prime lens, and a fast 100-135mm prime lens which has beautiful bokeh.
  • The system should preferably have a solid ~24mm prime as well
  • Manual focus is ok, and legacy lenses are ok, as long as the system has an accurate way to focus.
  • In-body stabilization a plus for more versatility outside the studio, but not a requirement (have that with MFT).
  • I'm a serious amateur: I care about robustness and reliability, but don't care about same day service. I don't care about megapixels or bit depth; everything on my short list below has good enough IQ at base ISO (DPReview comparison for the curious). I sometimes print big, but I don't let my nose touch the print (i.e. no pixelpeeping).
  • Budget 2000-4000 EUR/USD

The current shortlist:
  • Sony E-Mount (A7, A7R, A7II). There is a good selection of ~50mm primes, but only an 85mm prime for portraits, which is too wide for my tastes.
  • Fujifilm X-Mount (X-Pro1 or 2, or Fujifilm X-T1 or 2). Fujifilm has very affordable normal lenses, but the same gaping portrait lens gap as Sony: the Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R is also too wide for facials, and only around f/1.8 in 35mm equivalent DOF, which may not be shallow enough for some cases.

Anything I missed? Haven't looked at Leica as they're way out of my budget.

So it boils down to lenses, usability and features. Neither system seems to have a fast 100-135mm portrait lens, so will need to look at adapters - any suggestions? The Fujifilm cameras have an edge on skin tones, but Sony should be fixable with color target and calibration. Sony knows sensors for sure, but has an even more immature lens selection.

Any tips much appreciated!
« Last Edit: August 22, 2016, 12:58:01 pm by feppe »
Logged

Alan Smallbone

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 788
    • APS Photography
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2016, 02:06:56 pm »

Fuji has a 90mm f2, that gives you the fov of a 135mm on full frame. Rent both if you can and see what menu systems and IQ meet your needs.

Alan
Logged
Alan Smallbone
Orange County, CA

TonyVentourisPhotography

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 391
    • Unlocking Olympus
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2016, 03:47:27 pm »

What bodies have you shot with?  The E-M1 and GH4 are both pretty substantial with L-Brackets or grips.  I shoot studio work all the time tethered and I love using the E-M1.  Its great to have a full screen live view without needing anything special.  Very convenient, and excellent look with studio lights.  Shallow depth of field is easy if you are willing to spend for it.  A metabones speed booster will turn any canon or nikon lens into an autofocus lens.  Using an 85 1.4 for example should give you a 120mm .95 or so lens after adapter.  Sharper too.  Any good 1.4 or F/2 lens should give you some great results.  Otherwise the the Leica 42.5 or the Oly 75 are fantastic, and do give shallow depth of field depending how extreme you want it. 

Otherwise, between sony and Fuji, I would go Fuji.  I like their results for portrait way more than I do for landscapes and other subjects.  I cant dig the watercolor effect lightroom produces on landscape scenes with the X-trans.  Fuji has the primes nailed pretty well.  I don't know how well they tether though.  Never used them connected like that.   I've used just about all the Fuji bodies up to now save the X-Pro2, and most of the lenses.  I potentially would have ended up a Fuji user if they never went Xtrans.  For what I do, It just pops up way too often for me.  Some people dig it though.

Logged
Tony
Unlockingolympus.com (ebooks & blog on getting the most from your OMD & Pen)
tonyventourisphotography.com (Commercial Photography)

feppe

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2906
  • Oh this shows up in here!
    • Harri Jahkola Photography
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2016, 04:49:56 pm »

What bodies have you shot with?  The E-M1 and GH4 are both pretty substantial with L-Brackets or grips.  I shoot studio work all the time tethered and I love using the E-M1.  Its great to have a full screen live view without needing anything special.  Very convenient, and excellent look with studio lights.  Shallow depth of field is easy if you are willing to spend for it.  A metabones speed booster will turn any canon or nikon lens into an autofocus lens.  Using an 85 1.4 for example should give you a 120mm .95 or so lens after adapter.  Sharper too.  Any good 1.4 or F/2 lens should give you some great results.  Otherwise the the Leica 42.5 or the Oly 75 are fantastic, and do give shallow depth of field depending how extreme you want it.

I have Olympus EM-5, fastest lens I have is Hexanon 57mm f/1.4 which I love for portraits. I haven't looked at the Speed Booster, it sounded like an April Fool's joke when I heard about it - it actually works? Although it costs as much as a decent prime lens, that and a vertical grip would be much cheaper than another camera system.

One thing I forgot to mention is lack of dual memory card slots in EM-5, and I believe no MFT body has that. I've had a card fail on me, taking with it hundreds of pictures, and I'm sure several portfolio shots. X-T2 has dual slots.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2016, 05:54:01 pm by feppe »
Logged

scyth

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 584
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2016, 12:29:47 am »

I haven't looked at the Speed Booster, it sounded like an April Fool's joke when I heard about it - it actually works?

do you believe that teleconverters work ? so why you don't believe in wideconverters then... it is a simple optics
Logged

scyth

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 584
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2016, 12:37:20 am »

so will need to look at adapters - any suggestions?
Sony has AF adapters for Canon EF (many = Sigma, Metabones, etc), Nikon F (Commlite), Contax G (Techart), Leica M (and so for any other lenses that have adapters from their mounts to Leica M = a lot), Sony/Minolta A-mount (couple from Sony = LA-EA3 for lenses with motor inside and LA-EA4 for screw-driven) ... Fuji ? Fuji is nowhere near that.
Logged

scooby70

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 489
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2016, 05:13:08 am »

Surely a Sony A7rII is the way to go. As a 24mm is required there's the 25mm Batis and for the longer stuff just about any 135mm will fit and there's the fe 70-200mm f2.8 if you can bring yourself to consider a zoom.
Logged

ErikKaffehr

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11311
    • Echophoto
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2016, 05:30:19 am »

Hi,

Regarding 135 lenses there are some interesting ones from Zeiss, Sony and Samyang.

Zeiss has a 135/2.0 APO

Samyang has a 135/20 that is affordable and probably quite execellent

Sony has a 135/2.8 Smooth Transition Focus which has very good bokeh

BUT, all those lenses are MF and the Samyang is probably all manual.

Best regards
Erik




I'm looking for a camera system to complement my travel and studio gear: Micro Four Thirds and large format film. The main shortcomings of MFT is lack of very shallow DOF for portraits, some limitations when printing big, and it's a bit too dainty and fiddly in the studio, and when shooting in portrait orientation (vertical grip would help though). LF film is very expensive to shoot, process and drum scan, requires more light than many studios have on rent, and doesn't travel well.

Therefore I'm looking for a system to fill these gaps. I sold my Canon gear years ago in favor of MFT, so I'm not invested in any system.

Main requirements:
  • Mirrorless a must for compactness, lightness, and ability to use legacy lenses from various manufacturers
  • Works well in studio with whatever lighting gear they have available. I never use tethering, and control flashes manually.
  • Subject matter mostly glamour, nudes, portraits, some landscapes, cityscapes, low light long exposure photography (night cityscapes), and general travel. Some color, some B&W. I would also shoot artwork (oil and watercolor paintings). I don't do sports, birds, weddings, products, macro, video, or do massive cropping.
  • I would mostly shoot with a sharp normal prime lens, and a fast 100-135mm prime lens which has beautiful bokeh.
  • The system should preferably have a solid ~24mm prime as well
  • Manual focus is ok, and legacy lenses are ok, as long as the system has an accurate way to focus.
  • In-body stabilization a plus for more versatility outside the studio, but not a requirement (have that with MFT).
  • I'm a serious amateur: I care about robustness and reliability, but don't care about same day service. I don't care about megapixels or bit depth; everything on my short list below has good enough IQ at base ISO (DPReview comparison for the curious). I sometimes print big, but I don't let my nose touch the print (i.e. no pixelpeeping).
  • Budget 2000-4000 EUR/USD

The current shortlist:
  • Sony E-Mount (A7, A7R, A7II). There is a good selection of ~50mm primes, but only an 85mm prime for portraits, which is too wide for my tastes.
  • Fujifilm X-Mount (X-Pro1 or 2, or Fujifilm X-T1 or 2). Fujifilm has very affordable normal lenses, but the same gaping portrait lens gap as Sony: the Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R is also too wide for facials, and only around f/1.8 in 35mm equivalent DOF, which may not be shallow enough for some cases.

Anything I missed? Haven't looked at Leica as they're way out of my budget.

So it boils down to lenses, usability and features. Neither system seems to have a fast 100-135mm portrait lens, so will need to look at adapters - any suggestions? The Fujifilm cameras have an edge on skin tones, but Sony should be fixable with color target and calibration. Sony knows sensors for sure, but has an even more immature lens selection.

Any tips much appreciated!
Logged
Erik Kaffehr
 

armand

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5540
    • Photos
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2016, 08:13:02 am »

If you like Fuji colors their system offers what you want, easily.
The 90 F2 is the best lens on Fuji, does everything right (sharpness, bokeh, autofocus). The 56 F1.2 is a solid lens also. The 16 F1.4 (24mm equiv FOV) has good reviews and good bokeh for that matter.
All are autofocus, fast enough, good FOV control and should get you in your budget (a little stretched if you get the new X-T2).

Herbc

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 387
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2016, 09:19:41 am »

Don't think you need A7RII, just A7II, at 24mp is plenty.  I dropped Nikon in favor of the sony because I already had full frame lenses and did not enjoy the cropping adjustment when going out in the field-i.e. 50mm is now 75mm etc.  That, and it seems that bigger sensor might have some resolution or noise advantages.
Logged

feppe

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2906
  • Oh this shows up in here!
    • Harri Jahkola Photography
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #10 on: August 23, 2016, 03:44:49 pm »

If you like Fuji colors their system offers what you want, easily.
The 90 F2 is the best lens on Fuji, does everything right (sharpness, bokeh, autofocus). The 56 F1.2 is a solid lens also. The 16 F1.4 (24mm equiv FOV) has good reviews and good bokeh for that matter.
All are autofocus, fast enough, good FOV control and should get you in your budget (a little stretched if you get the new X-T2).

Yes, I missed the 90mm f/2 in my initial research. It's not the fastest lens around, but has gorgeous bokeh - I'd just have to do without really shallow DOF.

Dual SD cards is a huge plus with the Fujis.

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #11 on: August 23, 2016, 09:05:25 pm »

If you decide to go the full frame route with adapted lenses, another lens I would recommend is the Voigtlander 125mm f2.5 APO. It is a great macro but also works beautifully as a portrait lens and short tele. The images have a rightness to them that I have only seen in the Otus and super tele, as well as some MF glass.

I replaced my Zeiss 100mm f2.0 and 135mm f2.0 APO and don't regret it.

Some recent images shot with the Voigtlander on the D810:







Cheers,
Bernard

dwswager

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1375
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2016, 09:26:39 pm »

I'm looking for a camera system to complement my travel and studio gear: Micro Four Thirds and large format film. The main shortcomings of MFT is lack of very shallow DOF for portraits, some limitations when printing big, and it's a bit too dainty and fiddly in the studio, and when shooting in portrait orientation (vertical grip would help though). LF film is very expensive to shoot, process and drum scan, requires more light than many studios have on rent, and doesn't travel well.

Therefore I'm looking for a system to fill these gaps. I sold my Canon gear years ago in favor of MFT, so I'm not invested in any system.

Main requirements:
  • Mirrorless a must for compactness, lightness, and ability to use legacy lenses from various manufacturers
  • Works well in studio with whatever lighting gear they have available. I never use tethering, and control flashes manually.
  • Subject matter mostly glamour, nudes, portraits, some landscapes, cityscapes, low light long exposure photography (night cityscapes), and general travel. Some color, some B&W. I would also shoot artwork (oil and watercolor paintings). I don't do sports, birds, weddings, products, macro, video, or do massive cropping.
  • I would mostly shoot with a sharp normal prime lens, and a fast 100-135mm prime lens which has beautiful bokeh.
  • The system should preferably have a solid ~24mm prime as well
  • Manual focus is ok, and legacy lenses are ok, as long as the system has an accurate way to focus.
  • In-body stabilization a plus for more versatility outside the studio, but not a requirement (have that with MFT).
  • I'm a serious amateur: I care about robustness and reliability, but don't care about same day service. I don't care about megapixels or bit depth; everything on my short list below has good enough IQ at base ISO (DPReview comparison for the curious). I sometimes print big, but I don't let my nose touch the print (i.e. no pixelpeeping).
  • Budget 2000-4000 EUR/USD


Other than Mirrorless, you described a Nikon D810 w/ the new 105mm f/1.4 or even the older DC lenses.

Sony cameras are wonderful and mirrorless has some advantages for non-action subjects, but I find compactness is not one of them.  Everyone has their own personal preferences, but while I can agree that an 1DX or F5 might be too big for some people, I find anything smaller than my D500 or maybe a D7200 almost unusable.  And I have small hands. 
Logged

armand

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5540
    • Photos
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #13 on: August 23, 2016, 10:11:53 pm »

Yes, I missed the 90mm f/2 in my initial research. It's not the fastest lens around, but has gorgeous bokeh - I'd just have to do without really shallow DOF.

Dual SD cards is a huge plus with the Fujis.

In my book the FOV of the 90 F2 is shallow enough. If you want more and you don't mind manual focus (with focus peaking or split view) then you have some interesting options using the Metabones Speedbooster adapter; I use it with a Samyang 135 F2 but to keep it under 135 mm equiv you could use something like Nikon 105 (maybe the DC version) or the above mentioned Voigtlander 125.

Keep in mind only the newer Fujis have double SD card, the X-Pro2 and the X-T2.

ErikKaffehr

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11311
    • Echophoto
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #14 on: August 24, 2016, 08:40:01 am »

Hi,

A full frame mirrorless system tends to be dominated by the size of the lens, unless aperture is reduced.

If only 16 MP (or so) are needed it may be worth considering an APS-C or Micro 4/3 system.

Best regards
Erik


Other than Mirrorless, you described a Nikon D810 w/ the new 105mm f/1.4 or even the older DC lenses.

Sony cameras are wonderful and mirrorless has some advantages for non-action subjects, but I find compactness is not one of them.  Everyone has their own personal preferences, but while I can agree that an 1DX or F5 might be too big for some people, I find anything smaller than my D500 or maybe a D7200 almost unusable.  And I have small hands.
Logged
Erik Kaffehr
 

feppe

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2906
  • Oh this shows up in here!
    • Harri Jahkola Photography
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #15 on: August 24, 2016, 12:15:17 pm »

Other than Mirrorless, you described a Nikon D810 w/ the new 105mm f/1.4 or even the older DC lenses.

Sony cameras are wonderful and mirrorless has some advantages for non-action subjects, but I find compactness is not one of them.  Everyone has their own personal preferences, but while I can agree that an 1DX or F5 might be too big for some people, I find anything smaller than my D500 or maybe a D7200 almost unusable.  And I have small hands.

D810 would stretch my budget, especially with that lens. But IQ is quite a bit better than anything on my shortlist, wow! Going down to more affordable D750 the IQ edge disappears, though, as it is on par with the others on the shortlist as far as I'm concerned.

Aside: there's a Canon 5D Mk IV coming out? At 3,700 EUR for body only :o Last time I looked at camera bodies was in the Mk II days, costing €2,500 at launch. Glad I got out of that race. And yet, here I am again...

For me camera's usability is more about the control layout than too small/big size. I shot Canons for years before moving to MFT.

I haven't done bulk and weight comparisons recently, but you're right in that mirrorless doesn't offer much - if any - improvements on size when comparing the same crop factor cameras. Here a size comparison between Fujifilm X-T2 with 90mm (135mm equivalent), Sony A7II with 90mm (longest Camera Size has), and Nikon D810 with 105mm. Fuji is also lightest at 1,047g, Sony 1,201g, Nikon 1,770g. Pretty striking differences between APS-C and FF. The apertures between the three combos are roughly similar, but the weight and size differential between the Sony and Nikon would be smaller with a native or adapted 105mm lens.

Looking at the comparison I wouldn't want to do travel photography with either of the FF behemoths, so that would limit their use to the studio, keeping my MFT gear for travel and backup. That might be ok, though.

If you decide to go the full frame route with adapted lenses, another lens I would recommend is the Voigtlander 125mm f2.5 APO. It is a great macro but also works beautifully as a portrait lens and short tele. The images have a rightness to them that I have only seen in the Otus and super tele, as well as some MF glass.

I replaced my Zeiss 100mm f2.0 and 135mm f2.0 APO and don't regret it.

Good to see you here, Bernard, still active!

That Voigtlander does look good, and second hand is within reach financially. Seems like it's discontinued, and unfortunately it hasn't appeared once on eBay in the EU in the last months, so would be a long shot to acquire.

In my book the FOV of the 90 F2 is shallow enough. If you want more and you don't mind manual focus (with focus peaking or split view) then you have some interesting options using the Metabones Speedbooster adapter; I use it with a Samyang 135 F2 but to keep it under 135 mm equiv you could use something like Nikon 105 (maybe the DC version) or the above mentioned Voigtlander 125.

Keep in mind only the newer Fujis have double SD card, the X-Pro2 and the X-T2.

Yes, I'd expect f2 (I believe f/3 full frame equivalent) to be sufficient as well. I'm not entirely convinced I'd really need paper-thin DOF, and I have MF film gear for the rare occasion.

Nevertheless, Speed Booster sounds like a workable compromise, but I'd have to rent the Fuji to be able to tell if I can easily and accurately pull focus manually with whatever aids they have. I'm really disappointed with the fiddliness of Olympus OM-D EM-5's aid, which is very difficult to use handheld.

I'm attracted to the X-T2 for the control layout, dual card slots, solid native prime lens selection, and reasonable price. I'll have to confirm how well the control layout works for me by renting, and see if it's any less fiddly to use than my Olympus.

In any case, I think there are rentals ahead, as there are pros and cons to every option!
« Last Edit: August 24, 2016, 03:36:25 pm by feppe »
Logged

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #16 on: August 24, 2016, 09:18:10 pm »

Good to see you here, Bernard, still active!

That Voigtlander does look good, and second hand is within reach financially. Seems like it's discontinued, and unfortunately it hasn't appeared once on eBay in the EU in the last months, so would be a long shot to acquire.

Yep, posting a lot less than I used to, but still around. ;)

The Voigtlander 125mm are pretty easy to find in mint condition in Japan since they were a Cosina product (the same company producing the Otus for Zeiss btw). The one below maybe not the best mount, but this store in Tokyo is one of the best (I bought mine from them as well as quite a few high ticket items):

https://www.mapcamera.com/item/3717001736636

Cheers,
Bernard

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #17 on: August 24, 2016, 09:26:28 pm »

I'm attracted to the X-T2 for the control layout, dual card slots, solid native prime lens selection, and reasonable price. I'll have to confirm how well the control layout works for me by renting, and see if it's any less fiddly to use than my Olympus.

The X-T2 is very tempting for me also for the following reasons:
- Excellent set of lenses, in particular the 90mm, 56mm and 16mm,
- Best implementation of EVF manual focus help, with a small zoom screen to the right showing the 100% zoom while keeping the full image view in the left part of the screen,
- Nice UI designed by people who seem to understand photography (which is not something I feel when I use the Sony a7, however excellent they are technically)

However I am not sure it makes sense for me at this point in time to add complexity to my camera line up by adding Fuji on top of my Nikon that have been delivering day in day out. Replacement isn't an option since Fuji doesn't have the lens line up to cover some of things I do with my Nikons and I need FF in terms of resolution and high ISO noise levels.

So, however temping the Fuji is, I'll probably keep it at wet dream level for now. ;)

Cheers,
Bernard

lowep

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 568
    • http://sites.google.com/site/peterlowefoto/
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #18 on: August 24, 2016, 10:33:32 pm »

Don't think you need A7RII, just A7II, at 24mp is plenty.
+1
Anything with an aps-c sensor is not big enough to make a noticeable difference to what you can squeeze out of micro four thirds and A7R is not necessary unless you want to print big or be able to crop. What I find very useful about the A7II apart from the FF sensor is the in-built stabilization and being able to use whatever Canon lenses I want with good results via the Metabones adapter... what more would you want (apart from large format film or a 100MB MFDB that as you already know both come with their own limitations as well as advantages.
Logged

TonyVentourisPhotography

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 391
    • Unlocking Olympus
Re: Camera system to complement Micro Four Thirds and large format film
« Reply #19 on: August 25, 2016, 11:03:16 am »

Just going to throw it out there... but have you tried an E-M1?  They can be had for super cheap right now...and the mkII is just around the corner.  It is honestly a completely different feel from the E-M5 cameras.  Working with it and the focusing aids might be a lot easier.  In fact, when set up right, the E-M1 outshines any mirrored camera when it comes to portrait works.  The IBIS, SOVF mode, 1/320 flash sync, hi-refresh rate mode combined with the quick magnification from the focus ring make hand held portrait work way too enjoyable.  I've shot tack sharp eyelashes at 1/60th ambient, no flash, at the equivalent of 300mm.  I can barely handhold my Canon 5DmkII at 105mm and get that sharp of an image.

Yes, I am very biased to the E-M1.  My current portrait bag consists of two E-M1 bodies and a Hasselblad H1. 
Logged
Tony
Unlockingolympus.com (ebooks & blog on getting the most from your OMD & Pen)
tonyventourisphotography.com (Commercial Photography)
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up