Finally did it - M43 in, Fuji out...

This is incredibly timely. I'm running three systems. The problem is that I manage to justify them all and I'm ending up with duplicates and gear I'm not using. And the gear creep is amazing. I can cull down to virtually the essentials and over 6 months be drowning in gear once again.

Life would be easy if I liked DSLRs. I could get a D800 and a few lenses and be done. But I can't stand big cameras. That's what drew me to the Leicas. But they're not capable of everything I need. I "need" macro and long lenses and HSS TTL flash. So I have a m4/3 kit. But as good as the EM5 is, we never bonded. So I got a Fuji. I love the Fuji, except the low light focus is abysmal and the flash system is the worst I've ever seen. And Lightroom is an integral part of my life. You can add Irident or Ninja to your workflow but I shoot 100,00 images a year. Adding another major converter 'aint gonna happen. But I've got three lenses anyway and I'm still considering an XE2.

Now I've got the EM1. I really like it too and I don't think it's a honeymoon thing. It's the same but also vastly different to the EM5, for me. It's changed exerything (I was considering getting out of m43, except for the Fuji flash system). The Now I'm hanging for a 40-150 2.8. In the meantime I could get a 35-100 2.8 or a 50-200swd. But I've already got 2 M9's, 2 EM5's and an XE1. Add seven flashes and a bunch of lenses and the cabinet is full. The A7 and A7r are here soon. They look cool. If I leave the house with less than three cameras it's a light day.

Now I work with my cameras. But my collecting isn't a business thing. I'm looking for something that doesn't exist. A perfect system for me. Stupidly, if I did go the DSLR route, I'd actually have less gear and weight in gear than I have now.

Because of my LR workflow a Leica m43 mix is the best for me. And I'm now reorganising my m4/3 kit to accomodate my streamlined system. But it's hard getting rid of anything and I don't know what I'd do if the XE2 focused in ow light and Fuji released a decent flash system.

I can't help admire it when someone like Ray gets it sorted, makes a decision and follows through.

Gordon
 
Jack. If your 90mm is giving you trouble, send it in. I just found out that both my 90mm and 135, that I bought new are both out of calibration and have been since I bought them. I borrowed a 90mm and it's so easy to get right when both the camera and lens are in spec. I've sent both those lenses in with a body with instructions not to return them until they're perfect.

Gordon
 
I can cull down to virtually the essentials and over 6 months be drowning in gear once again.

I reserve the right to be back here again in six months with a similar affliction!

Life would be easy if I liked DSLRs. I could get a D800 and a few lenses and be done.

Yes, life would be very simple if we all liked DSLRs, but then there would be no need for a 'Serious Compacts' site....

Now I've got the EM1. I really like it too and I don't think it's a honeymoon thing. It's the same but also vastly different to the EM5, for me.

Indeed - I couldn't have had LESS need for a new m43 body, but the EM1 is so nice in so many little ways that it adds up to a lot. So is the GX7 BTW - it held my crown as "best m43 body" for a few weeks and then the EM1 showed up to steal it back...

If I leave the house with less than three cameras it's a light day.

I've already packed my "new" kit (RX1, Nikon A, EM1 with 9-18 and 35-100) and it feels like waaaay more than I'm generally gonna want to carry on a regular basis. I'm a gear carrying wimp!

I can't help admire it when someone like Ray gets it sorted, makes a decision and follows through.

Not to worry - it'll inevitably be short-lived. Refer back to your own six-month rule above!
-Ray
 
Having spread out 2 systems w/ 3 brand names w/ unmatching batteries even within the same brands, I sometimes think that my Canon FF+crop camera w/ same batteries was really easier then carrying all these smaller systems but still I like the smaller cameras, esp my back appreciates it:) Also smaller system combinations make it easier to carry a camera w/ a few lenses in a coat pocket then carrying a dslr. Lately I prefer the RX1+GX7 silent combo w/ GX7 on full e-shutter. Now that A7R is coming, it will be more interesting how it will shape my bag...

I like mf and primes, but af zooms are better for travel. M43 35-100/75-300mm lenses are small travel zooms. On my travel I used OMD+45mm/35-100mm w/ RX1 as a combo. 45mm was perfect for head shots when we were at a table. 35-100/75-300mm were used more on the walking/boat trip to reach longer ranges...
 
It's amazing how strong the compact, fixed lens offerings are now. Sounds like you made the right move for you, and thanks for the ruminations. I love to hear how other shooters are working through their gear.
 
oh no... you did it. But it makes a lot of sense.

BTW: I decided to stick to Fuji for now and will be picking up the 14mm and 23mm tomorrow (and selling the 18mm and 60mm). I keep the 35mm. I also ordered the Fotodiox adapter to mount a nikon telezoom. I thought about the Sony A7/A7r but looking at the available photos, I cannot justify reinvesting, especially given the many comments about the lens availability. Thought about the Nikon Df too but since I only have one Nikon lens left, it does not make sense to buy one. It may become interesting when the price drops (a lot).

Best, Peter
 
The variety of high quality choices is both a blessing and a curse, unless you have outstanding self control. I have spent more on postage and PayPal fees over a few years than I care to remember.

But all that gear churning has helped me be comfortable with what I have. I've realized that I need a couple of primes (17/1.8 & 45/1.8 with E-M5) for most of what I do, and a couple of zooms (12-50 & 40-150) when versatility is needed. And I need a serious compact (RX100) for easy take-anywhere use. And that's it. My enjoyment of the hobby is way up because I'm not staring at a couple of bags of lenses across two or more systems trying to figure out what I should grab. Simple is good.
 
The variety of high quality choices is both a blessing and a curse......

But all that gear churning has helped me be comfortable with what I have. .............. My enjoyment of the hobby is way up because I'm not staring at a couple of bags of lenses across two or more systems trying to figure out what I should grab. Simple is good.

I strongly agree with all of this, even if my ultimate choices are different. When I got back into photography there was very little available in m43, which was really the only mirrorless system there was. Kit zooms and a couple of primes. And so as the system expanded and lenses kept being added, I wanted to check out EVERYTHING. Superzooms, extreme telephotos, ultra-wide angles, fast primes, you name it - I wanted it. Not to mention the improvements in bodies. Then when Fuji started with the X100 and X-Pro, I was all in with that stuff because the IQ was amazing and I loved the old fashioned tactile controls (still do). But over time, once I'd USED all of this stuff extensively, I realized what I ended up using the vast majority of the time and what I pretty much never use.

I never use a standard 50mm equivalent prime, I never use zooms (except at the long end where I still find them very helpful and ultra wide end because that's mostly all that's available in UWA lenses), I rarely use long long telephotos but I like having one available for when it's all that will do. Etc, etc, etc. I LOVE fast-ish primes in the 24-35mm range - I can basically shoot primes in this neighborhood about 95% of the time and be VERY happy. I love street photography and have come to love good zone focussing tools and a smart auto-ISO setup to do it. I love walking around with basically one small camera and lens and MAYBE a second body or lens, but carrying more than that makes me feel like more of a gear hauler than photographer because I generally only use those one or two options and leave most of the stuff in the bag.

All of that "gear churn" and vast amounts of shooting really helped me figure out who I am as a photographer and what kind of gear works for me. And as noted above, the RX1 and the Nikon A meets a frightening percentage of my needs and wants. Hell, if I'd never tried the RX1 and gotten sucked in by it's very high-end charms, I'd have probably been happy with just the Nikon about 90% of the time... But I also want to have a good candid portrait setup available, a good long lens, and some ultra-wide capability. I don't use ANY of this very much, but I use it enough and enjoy it enough that I'd never want to be without it. I used to think I'd always want to have a little pocketable zoom camera available, and I've been through my share of them. But I ultimately never end up using them. Even before I had the Nikon, but now that I have THAT taking up a pocket, I'd NEVER use a pocket zoom...

I kind of wish I was less picky and particular and had developed less specific preferences. WIthout this obsession, I think I could buy an all-in-one camera like the Sony RX10 and be extremely happy with nothing else. But I'm almost sure I'm gonna recommend it to a lot of people because I think it's an amazing little camera for non-obsessives. I got my brother to buy an X10 a couple of years ago, and I think he'd like the RX10 a lot more. I should be getting a loaner of it soon and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love it but I'll pass on it because I know myself and my shooting habits a lot better now. I'm better off with very few choices available to me at any given moment. Some days I may want to shoot with a telephoto or an ultra-wide and I want to have them, but I don't want 'em in the bag most days because they'll just tempt and confuse me. Just give the RX1 to walk around with and the Nikon A to stick in a pocket and shoot with on the street and I'm a happy guy. And I'll do better work without a lot of options. Give me a zoom and I'm apt to come home with a load of technically impressive crap. Just the way it is - the way my head works... I needed the gear churn to figure all of this out...

-Ray
 
Since getting the Sigma DP2S, I've been thinking more and more about fixed lens cameras. I ditched the 2S and have a DP2 Merrill on the way. It's not for everyone, but for a huge percentage of the kind of shooting I do, it's perfect. I won't ditch m4/3 for a while, but I was thinking of trading in my PL 25 and Olympus 45, along with the 12-50 kit zoom for the new 12-40 f2.8 zoom. The new 5 axis stabilization and E-M5 and E-M1 sensor give you a lot of flexibility at high iso's . I just don't know if I can part with those primes, which are my favorite lenses. Maybe just adding the 12 would make more sense. Or I could keep the Olympus for telephoto and macro, where I like it alot, and go for a DP1 Merrill for the wide end.

Decisions decisions. One of the issues is that with advancing arthritis in in my shoulders, elbows, and neck (hell! I'm only 62!) , I like carrying stuff as much as possible in a small case on my belt or a small backpack, which doesn't seem to bother me as much. Anything hanging from my neck, though, is increasingly off limits. In time I could see myself with all three Merrills (with optical viewfinders in the hotshoe) , using the E-M5 for birding and insect shooting. But I love the E-M5, so that won't happen anytime soon.
 
I hate these uber IQ large sensor fixed lens cameras. They spoil every compact system camera party. Once tried, they will always make you regret not having taken the shot with one of them in lieu of mft, NEX or a Fuji X. And you know the suspects I`m alluding to. Heck, they make even look M9 files mundane. :sad010:
 
I hate these uber IQ large sensor fixed lens cameras. They spoil every compact system camera party. Once tried, they will always make you regret not having taken the shot with one of them in lieu of mft, NEX or a Fuji X. And you know the suspects I`m alluding to. Heck, they make even look M9 files mundane. :sad010:

So far, I've only felt that way about the RX1. I know what you're alluding to and I never felt quite that way about them. Kind of amazing at 100%, but once down to a normal viewing size or even a reasonable sized print, I never saw that much benefit. Thank goodness I feel that way - it's made my life much easier not to have to add that extra layer of processing...

-Ray
 
I hate these uber IQ large sensor fixed lens cameras. They spoil every compact system camera party. Once tried, they will always make you regret not having taken the shot with one of them in lieu of mft, NEX or a Fuji X. And you know the suspects I`m alluding to. Heck, they make even look M9 files mundane. :sad010:

Unless the image is heavily processed, I almost always prefer the look of a larger sensor image to that of m43. It's just that m43 is good enough for my general photography. Heavy processing tends to even out the differences in image quality, unless pushing for wider dynamic range or colour depth.

I sometimes finding myself saying, 'I wish I had taken that with my M9,' or, 'I'm glad I shot that with my M9'. If the Sony RX1 makes M9 files look mundane, then it must be really something.

The Ricoh GR's image quality is surprisingly close to the M9 + Zeiss 28/2.8, too. The main differences are in colour depth and resolution, but the GR seems just as sharp in the middle, has better high ISO performance, and fits in your pocket at a tenth of the price.
 
So far, I've only felt that way about the RX1. I know what you're alluding to and I never felt quite that way about them. Kind of amazing at 100%, but once down to a normal viewing size or even a reasonable sized print, I never saw that much benefit. Thank goodness I feel that way - it's made my life much easier not to have to add that extra layer of processing...

-Ray

I have the RX1 and DP Merrills 2&3 and these are the ones which make me build/use a system camera`s around them. "Building a system around them" sounds almost like an oxymoron. One body, one charger, all compact, versatile and IQ wise up there with the best, wouldn`t this be something? The A7(r) won`t tick all of the boxes either. Unless maybe the quality of the cropped solution with wide and long e-mount lenses will surprise?
 
I loved my Fuji gear but there was just less and less reason to keep it. Hopefully I won't miss it too much. But paring down feels pretty liberating.

I feel similarly, having gone through a lot of paring down of late myself. In recent months I had the E-PM2, E-M5, NEX-5N, X-E1, X100S, DP2M, and Leica M9. Over time it seemed that I was settling down in a pattern of MFTs for when I wanted AF and/or very small size and Leica for when I wanted manual focus and/or very shallow DOF. So the rest of them were sold

Now I've sold the M9 too in anticipation of filling its shoes with a Sony A7R with plans to use that Sony only with my Leica M mount lenses. While waiting for the Sony to come out, I picked up an E-M1, and I'm pretty sure I could stay happy with just these two cameras and lenses:

10809483546_cafb704469_c.jpg

PB110009 by Amin Sabet, on Flickr


That said, I will probably still get the Sony for those times that I want to focus manually and get that very shallow DOF look.
 
I feel similarly, having gone through a lot of paring down of late myself. In recent months I had the E-PM2, E-M5, NEX-5N, X-E1, X100S, DP2M, and Leica M9. Over time it seemed that I was settling down in a pattern of MFTs for when I wanted AF and/or very small size and Leica for when I wanted manual focus and/or very shallow DOF. So the rest of them were sold

Now I've sold the M9 too in anticipation of filling its shoes with a Sony A7R with plans to use that Sony only with my Leica M mount lenses. While waiting for the Sony to come out, I picked up an E-M1, and I'm pretty sure I could stay happy with just these two cameras and lenses:

10809483546_cafb704469_c.jpg

PB110009 by Amin Sabet, on Flickr


That said, I will probably still get the Sony for those times that I want to focus manually and get that very shallow DOF look.

I didn`t know you went back to the DSLR route. Or isn`t that black big thing next to the E-Pm2 one? Kidding aside, I had the opportunity to hold and try an Em-1 with he 12-40mm zoom in the flesh yesterday. A truly impressive tool. The EVF, responsiveness, AF speed and build quality are quite something.
 
:). My E-M1 is basically going to be welded to that 75, and considering that it's a stabilized 150mm equivalent lens of the highest quality and good speed, the combination seems very compact to me!
 
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