I put the above outfit together years ago and very much wanted it be my 'pro' kit. However, despite using the GH1 and GF1 for wedding videos, I basically chickened out and ended up buying other cameras. And that's pretty much what's been going on for years. I have however used many m4/3 cameras and lenses over the years and I keep coming back to it again and again. I've been posting very little recently and the reason is I have been testing is to see whether my current m4/3 system is really good enough to work as my 'pro' digital interchangeable lens system. This has been mainly based around my G9.
The answer to that question is yes. Particularly with the introduction of the Olympus E-M1X. I looked at the samples of the 50MP hand held hi-res image stacking system and have been mightily impressed. I have a bit of ebaying to do, but I will be getting one of these in the near future. It is the final convincing factor in something I've wanted to do for years.
The reasons for all of this are in what I want a camera for. I shoot landscape, architecture, location and travel images for picture libraries. Almost always in good light and almost always requiring a deep depth of field, punchy colour and contrast, decent size files and a versatile set of options. Occasional video is also required plus fast operation when I need it. I very rarely require the ability to shoot in low light and narrow depth of field and bokeh are low down on my list of priorities. I don't get hot and bothered about full frame (I use my 35mm film cameras for that anyway) and as I get older I really appreciate lighter and smaller cameras and lenses. So as you can see m4/3 is a great option for me.
Recently there has been some Northrup BS about m4/3 becoming obsolete. As ever they promote this nonsense as click bait, but it really is wide of the mark. We've seen in recent years mirrorless cameras going full frame and getting bigger and heavier and more expensive. And what has been the result of this? Camera sales dropping steadily year by year. It's pretty obvious that the 'full-frame' revolution matters to only a few. Many of course will be under the delusion that going 'full-frame' somehow makes them professional, when of course it's the quality of the work you produce and not the camera you use that matters the most.
One thing however does worry me. Panasonic seem very keen on their S1 FF system. I think they believe that they can eat into the market that currently uses FF DSLR's. I wish them luck with that. But all the people I know who make their living from photography won't even consider using such a system until it's been around for years and proved itself capable of a robust and heavy duty work schedule. And no matter what bells and whistle are added, the ability to do the job day after day, year after year is still far more important than any geek impressing gimmicks.
So, in the next few posts I'm going to be outlining what I'm doing with m4/3 and why it works for me and what I do.
