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I have a fever... and the only prescription is more gear
12 years ago
General
After taking my Olympus PEN into a Vikings game and not being harassed by security; and finding it really light on the neck when walking around the state fair all day I realized how useful the PEN is as a secondary workhorse. Yes, the 60D gives me a lot faster controls and more versatility with Lenses; which is why I'll allways keep a Canon DSLR body. But its very much akin to an anchor when on my neck all day and tends to draw a lot of attention into people thinking I'm a "Professional" at times.
The only quibble I have with my current PEN is the ISO handling. The sensor from the OM-D handles high ISO much much better, and is now used in all four of Olympus' current generation of PEN cameras. So is, impressively fast drive with a much quieter shutter.
So Tonight after doing maintenance on my car I stopped by the local camera store. I fiddled around with the Olympus EPM2 and the EPL 5 at the local camera store. Was very attracted to both of them for two reasons: 8 fps mechanical shutter and low noise at High ISO (just slightly worse then my 60D which is impressive).
The EPL 5 adds a Tilting screen (just tilt, not swirvel screen which is somewhat more useful) which I find useless and a potential liability of snapping on such a small camera. Atleast with the 60D its somewhat re-inforced and the fact that I can shut it closed to protect it (which is what I do 90% of the time) makes it more useful.
The EPM2 takes away the mode dial. Which is annoying and ingenious at the same time. On a small camera, its easy to bump the wheel and change the mode. Arguably, its just as easy to bump the touchscreen, but you need to do it twice to switch modes which requires more intentional effort. And since I keep the camera on Aperture priority 75% of the time... this is not a real issue for me.
Both cameras take out the pop-up flash. Which is useful in a pinch. Both come with a very small horseshoe flash as part of the kit and I have a larger one I can use as well. Its not a deal breaker, but it does make it so I have to be ready and aware if I'm in a situation that may need a fill flash.
Both have the same basic controls otherwise as my EPL 2: a single control wheel and a 4 way arrow pad. Which again is tolerable for the camera's purpose. Yes... having two control wheels on the 60D is nice... but in a lot of situations you get away with simpler controls just fine.
I was on the fence about the price. I've been eyeing the XX-300mm lenses for the Micro 4/3 for a better Telephoto for some time... which worked out to about the same price as an upgraded body. So a slightly better zoom VS having a much cleaner sensor and a faster drive... what would you pick? 150mm is decent zoom, and on a 16mp camera cropping is possible to "zoom in" and still have a reasonable quality on a web-sized shot for many things.
So... something came along and pushed me over the edge to take a risk. I found an EPM-2 on Amazon for $150 cheaper then retail. This put it $250 cheaper then a EPL 5 and I'm sorry... a tilt screen and mode dial are NOT worth $250 n.n
So yeah... I pulled the trigger and bought it n.n I'm sure I'll be oogling over it when it arrives. And I just had my computer halfway paid off... guess that money is back on credit card then...
On the plus side... because I bought this the reason for me to ponder upgrading the 60D is a lot less. The two cameras compliment each other. The PEN has a faster drive which is sad; but in situations I need that extra oomph on shutter speed I can use the PEN for the moment, weird as it sounds...
And since the EPM2 has slightly different controls then the EPL-2 I won't be selling the EPL-2 just yet. At some point, I probably will. The EPL-2 has been an awesome camera. I still like it. The fact that it has a popup flash and a mode dial give it some survivability until I fully embrace the newer PEN.
At this point the PEN will be the camera I take with me to any con I am not working as photography staff at. Its simply so much easier to carry around all day and not worry about it being there. Same goes for any place I don't want to draw a lot of attention at like Street Photography and Sports games. Its funny that while it is clearly much different then a pocket camera (it has changeable lenses, some of which like the xx-300 can be quite long) people don't see it nearly as threatining. Show up with a PEN- and Professional photographers snicker and laugh at you. The general public think you're just a tourist.
And honestly... I have no qualms about either view. It makes my hobby all the more casual and relaxing when you don't need to get into a penis race with another photographer or sit and explain yourself to a security guard that you are not trying to make money on the side. I love my Canon but...
The PEN cameras will always have a home in the house of Yarrick :3
The only quibble I have with my current PEN is the ISO handling. The sensor from the OM-D handles high ISO much much better, and is now used in all four of Olympus' current generation of PEN cameras. So is, impressively fast drive with a much quieter shutter.
So Tonight after doing maintenance on my car I stopped by the local camera store. I fiddled around with the Olympus EPM2 and the EPL 5 at the local camera store. Was very attracted to both of them for two reasons: 8 fps mechanical shutter and low noise at High ISO (just slightly worse then my 60D which is impressive).
The EPL 5 adds a Tilting screen (just tilt, not swirvel screen which is somewhat more useful) which I find useless and a potential liability of snapping on such a small camera. Atleast with the 60D its somewhat re-inforced and the fact that I can shut it closed to protect it (which is what I do 90% of the time) makes it more useful.
The EPM2 takes away the mode dial. Which is annoying and ingenious at the same time. On a small camera, its easy to bump the wheel and change the mode. Arguably, its just as easy to bump the touchscreen, but you need to do it twice to switch modes which requires more intentional effort. And since I keep the camera on Aperture priority 75% of the time... this is not a real issue for me.
Both cameras take out the pop-up flash. Which is useful in a pinch. Both come with a very small horseshoe flash as part of the kit and I have a larger one I can use as well. Its not a deal breaker, but it does make it so I have to be ready and aware if I'm in a situation that may need a fill flash.
Both have the same basic controls otherwise as my EPL 2: a single control wheel and a 4 way arrow pad. Which again is tolerable for the camera's purpose. Yes... having two control wheels on the 60D is nice... but in a lot of situations you get away with simpler controls just fine.
I was on the fence about the price. I've been eyeing the XX-300mm lenses for the Micro 4/3 for a better Telephoto for some time... which worked out to about the same price as an upgraded body. So a slightly better zoom VS having a much cleaner sensor and a faster drive... what would you pick? 150mm is decent zoom, and on a 16mp camera cropping is possible to "zoom in" and still have a reasonable quality on a web-sized shot for many things.
So... something came along and pushed me over the edge to take a risk. I found an EPM-2 on Amazon for $150 cheaper then retail. This put it $250 cheaper then a EPL 5 and I'm sorry... a tilt screen and mode dial are NOT worth $250 n.n
So yeah... I pulled the trigger and bought it n.n I'm sure I'll be oogling over it when it arrives. And I just had my computer halfway paid off... guess that money is back on credit card then...
On the plus side... because I bought this the reason for me to ponder upgrading the 60D is a lot less. The two cameras compliment each other. The PEN has a faster drive which is sad; but in situations I need that extra oomph on shutter speed I can use the PEN for the moment, weird as it sounds...
And since the EPM2 has slightly different controls then the EPL-2 I won't be selling the EPL-2 just yet. At some point, I probably will. The EPL-2 has been an awesome camera. I still like it. The fact that it has a popup flash and a mode dial give it some survivability until I fully embrace the newer PEN.
At this point the PEN will be the camera I take with me to any con I am not working as photography staff at. Its simply so much easier to carry around all day and not worry about it being there. Same goes for any place I don't want to draw a lot of attention at like Street Photography and Sports games. Its funny that while it is clearly much different then a pocket camera (it has changeable lenses, some of which like the xx-300 can be quite long) people don't see it nearly as threatining. Show up with a PEN- and Professional photographers snicker and laugh at you. The general public think you're just a tourist.
And honestly... I have no qualms about either view. It makes my hobby all the more casual and relaxing when you don't need to get into a penis race with another photographer or sit and explain yourself to a security guard that you are not trying to make money on the side. I love my Canon but...
The PEN cameras will always have a home in the house of Yarrick :3
