Monday, May 30, 2016

Olympus OMD EM10

Badlands March of Clouds


I have always liked Olympus Cameras.  It all goes back to a Stylus Zoom in the 1990’s.  At the time I was using a 35mm Canon Rebel and wanted a compact camera to carry around.  I don’t know why but that little Stylus zoom took pictures that were just as good or better than the Rebel.  The Rebel went into the closet.
Fast forward to the modern era and I decided to upgrade my Digital photography equipment and I went back to the Canon line of cameras.  When I was done I ended up with a Canon 40D a couple of Sigma lens and a flash.  The 40D takes great pictures is built like a rock and can take some abuse.  I’ve fallen flat on my face while trying to keep it from smashing into the ground, the camera faired better than my face.  There were some disadvantages to my 40D though. It is fairly heavy.  It does seem to attract dust on the sensor.  And to buy a Canon lens takes a lot of money.
I had my eye on the mirrorless digital cameras as they came out and I started recommending those to people that wanted a better camera than a point and shoot.  One day I decided to go and look at one myself.  Probably came from walking around China trying to take pictures of my kids and stuff with the 40D.  It is a bit of an ordeal to get it in and out of my Lowepro Slingshot Bag.
When all was said and done I walked away with an Olympus OMD EM10 and a couple of lens.
Why?
It feels right in my hands.  I’m left eye dominate and a lot of cameras feel uncomfortable when I hold them up to my eye.  Sometimes there is something poking me in the right eye.  The EM10 minimized this.  There were also a number of instant rebates available at the time that made the cost more manageable.
The Electronic Viewfinder was a must, as I approach 50 years of age my eyes want to see things further and further away.  It is getting harder to hold a camera at a comfortable distance if I’m trying to use just the LCD screen.  The EM10 has a diopter on the EVF so I can adjust it to clarity for my aging eyes.
I  can carry the camera and a number of lens's the charger and a number of other items in my Lowepro Slingshot 100AW (no longer made, but the best one).  The weight is very manageable.  When I carried the 40D with all of the lens's I liked the weight would drag me down.
I really like to take Landscape Photos, the EM10 takes great Landscape shots with the OLYMPUS M.14-150mm F4.0-5.6 II.  It covers all the focal lengths I like for Landscape and gives very nice results.  But that particular lens is not so great for Action Kid shots, with my Kids most shots end up being action.
What I don’t like.
The eye cup keeps popping off in my bag.  Luckily it has been popping off in the bag.
The affordable zooms are pretty slow lens's.  They make taking photos of my kids a bit hard.
The focus is just not as fast as the 40D.
The Prime 25mm that I have is faster,  takes very nice pictures and focus’s faster.  I just like zooms a bit better, It is what I’m used too.  I’m working on this.
I suspect that the Pro lens’s are better but outside of my budget right now.
Would I buy it again?  Yep..  Is my 40D in  the Closet?  For more than a year.