Olympus E-P3 Initial Review

Last post I discussed my purchase of the Olympus Pen E-P3 - ostensibly so I could use the 40-150mm f4/5.6 telephoto that came with it on my E-M1.

But I was also interested to see what the E-P3 would be like as a 'travel' camera. Something small and light, to use when I don't want/need to be carrying my E-M1 around with me. I was also keen to see how the Pen series had progressed - since I had owned the original E-P1, but had sold it for a number of reasons. Primarily because I had found it a bit sluggish and slow (and also a bit too 'fiddly' to use as my main camera).

Well, the E-P3 arrived this week (as I write this), and the weekend weather was looking good. I spent a night going over the camera functions and setting it up for my shooting style (enabling the Super Control Panel etc) and was ready to go on Saturday.

Brunner Bridge. E-P3 with 14-42mm II R. f5 @ 1/100th

I decided to chance my luck again and go back to the place I had tried to go for my first outing with the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro - The Brunner Mine Site. Last time I had to turn back due to intense early morning fog. This time I decided to learn from my previous visit, and go in the afternoon rather than the morning. This worked - kind of. There was definitely no fog, but there was no sun either! The valley was in complete shade, which was going to make for dull, dull photos. Aaarrgghhh!!!!

I was determined, however, to stay for an hour and take some photos. So I had to think 'outside' the box. Colour photos weren't going to look very interesting in flat, dull light - but what about black and white? And if black and white, then what about using the Grainy B&W Art Filter?

Fortunately this just happens to be my favorite of all the Art Filters built into the camera, and it's the one I had already 'pre-programmed' into the E-P3. So a quick rotation of the program wheel on top of the camera to the 'Art' mode, and bingo - Grainy B&W (Mode II) with the filmy-boarder look was set!

Historically I'm not one for using the Art Filters - in fact I don't even know why they are on the E-M1 and I may have even turned them all off. But, on the E-P3 I think they make a lot more sense. I guess I see the E-P3 as being more of a 'fun' point-and-shoot, where using pre-programmed Art Filters in Jpeg mode suits the style of the camera? And I have to say, seeing the grainy black and white image moving around on the rear lcd screen as I composed with the camera at arms length was a heck of a lot of fun. So different to my normal shooting style.

Brunner Mine Site. Olympus Pen E-P3 with 9mm Fisheye Bodycap lens. f8 @ 1/15th sec, ISO 200. 9mm

Things got a whole lot more 'funner' (is that a word?) when I place the 9mm Fisheye Bodycap lens on the E-P3 body. Gimmick lens, meet gimmick art filter. Now go and make some magic! I wrote about the 9mm Fisheye Bodycap lens in a previous blog here, and suggested that it was a fairly decent performer that shouldn't necessarily be written off as a gimmick. Still, I don't use it an awful lot, and with a fixed f8 aperture it is a fairly limited optic (no astro photography for this baby). But when you need to fit a lot into the scene like I did above, and when the use of an Art Filter means that absolute tack-sharp might not be so important, then the Fisheye Bodycap lens comes into its element.

Coke Bins, Brunner Mine. Olympus Pen E-P3, Grainy B&W II Filter, 9mm Bodycap lens. f8 @ 1/15th sec, ISO 200

With the Bodycap lens attached to the E-P3 it also makes for a small, low-profile, practically pocketable combination. Not that I would suggest using the Fisheye as the E-P3's constant and only lens choice. I'm actually considering re-visiting the Olympus 17mm f2.8 pancake lens as a companion for the Pen. Not that the 14-42mm f4/5.6 is a terrible lens - it isn't at all. But I just think that a pancake prime makes a lot of sense on such a small, compact body. And yes, the Pen E-P3 is a very small, very compact body.

Silver Fern, E-P3 with 12-42mm. F5.4 @ 1/60th, ISO 1600

Is it too small? I'm going to go out on a limb and say yes, it is. And I know that it's very much a subjective decision. The E-P3 is not the smallest Pen - the EPL series are smaller still. And some don't even have a grip attachment (the E-P3 does).

But for me, the Pen series are just a little on the 'too small' side of the scale. I'm not a fan of lcd-only viewing (I much prefer a built-in evf), since this encourages the hold-camera-out-in-front-with-both-arms style of shooting that is the least stable way to take photos imaginable! It's just as well Olympus cameras have incredible ibis (in-built image stabilisation).

The buttons on the back are also on the small side, and are a bit too close together - although the top plate has reasonable separation. I understand why this is - but again, it just hearkens back to the whole camera being just a bit too small. And I don't have large hands.

Fortunately, the touch-screen lcd screen helps to mitigate some of the small-button problems, and using the brilliant SCP (Super Control Panel) means that you won't have to access the menu structure too often. Not that I think there's a problem with the menu structure. Olympus have long been lambasted for their camera's menu's, but I actually find them very easy to navigate and quite logical. I don't use the touch screen for actually taking the photo (although you can), as I think this is even less stable of a shooting platform since you are now probably shooting one-handed. But what I do use the touch screen for is touch-to-focus. I can then steady the camera again with both hands while taking the photo with the traditional shutter button on the top of the camera.

Wheel stone. E-P3 with 9mm Bodycap Fisheye.
f8 @ 1/20th sec. ISO 200

Remember how I said at the beginning that I originally owned an E-P1 but sold it soon after for a number of reasons? Well, one of those reasons - perhaps the main reason - was that I found it too small. In the same way as I find the E-P3 too small.

I also thought the E-P1 was sluggish to autofocus, and a little too slow overall. Not so the E-P3. At its launch, Olympus claimed it used the fastest auto focus system in-the-world, of any system! Mmmm. Methinks the marketing team doth protest too much! But yes, it is quick. A lot quicker than the E-P1. In good light. With a strongly contrasted scene (it uses contrast detect auto focus). Within these parameters, it's nigh on instantaneous. Which is a marked improvement on the previous Pens. So kudos to Olympus there.

As stated earlier, I prefer to use a built-in EVF - which the Pen's lack, and have never been a big fan of using the rear lcd screen to compose the image. The SD card slots into the same chamber as the battery at the base of the camera - again not something I'm a big fan of. And my preferred shooting mode - Aperture priority, requires a two-step process (push function button and then rotate sub dial) to add any exposure compensation. Again, just a bit fiddly for my liking.

Brunner Bridge 2. Pen E-P3 with 9mm Bodycap lens. f8 @ 1/50th sec. ISO 200 

So I'll probably get rid of the E-P3 just like I did the E-P1 - right? Well not so fast. Despite all I've said above, I actually really enjoyed using the E-P3 this weekend. It was just plain fun! Despite the many 'weaknesses' I find inherent in the Pen system.

I do think it's too small - to use as my main camera. Which was what I was trying to do with the E-P1. It was the only camera I owned at the time, and as my only camera, it fell short of what I wanted in a camera. I wanted something a bit bigger (but not 1D bigger), I wanted something with an in-built evf, I wanted something that felt snappier to use, and I wanted something that felt at least somewhat SLRish. Enter the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk2 - and then the E-M1. As my main camera, they suit my shooting style and needs so much more than the Pen's do.

But... as a second, smaller, lighter, more compact travel camera - the Olympus Pen E-P3 is pretty hard to beat. The Panasonic Lumix GF and GX bodies come the closest. Which are, of course, also micro four thirds cameras.

With the Olympus E-M1 and the Pen E-P3, I have a comprehensive system. The E-M1 is my main man. My tackle anything, conquer all, 'serious' kit for anything I want to throw at it. Whereas the Pen E-P3 is my 'have fun', go light, point-and-shoot, travel recorder. A have-prime-will-travel type of kit that I'm really looking forward to taking away on holidays with me. I think it's going to record some very special family moments. And that alone makes the E-P3 worth keeping.

Anyone got a spare Pen? The Olympus E-P3.

My recent purchase of the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens for my E-M1 signals (to me at least), my commitment to the Olympus micro four thirds system. Especially when you consider that I sold every lens I had (plus some other camera gear) just to get it.

Fortunately I got an amazing deal on the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro (see last post), which means that there's some money left in the kitty. With the range of the 12-40mm, I've got 'most' bases covered. But, just occasionally, I like to have a little more telephoto reach. Not often, but every once in a while. I do like to have a telephoto zoom on-hand for just such occasions, but it also tends to be the lens that I  spend the least on. I've owned cheap Sigma's, Tamron's and manufacturer's versions in the 70 to 300mm f4/5.6 range and they've all been reasonable performers.

I've also owned Olympus's own version of this lens - the 40-150mm f4/5.6. It's a cheap, no frills (plastic mount) lens sold as a 'kit' with most of their consumer focused cameras like the Pens, and the OM-D E-M10. I owned mine when I had the E-M5 Mk2 and it was a surprisingly good lens. I did a review of the lens here and praised its sharpness up against 'L' series Canon glass!

So I decided to get another one to compliment my 12-40mm, and give me a 12 to 150mm (24 to 300mm) reach with the two lenses. No, the plastic bodied 40-150mm f4/5.6 isn't in the same league as the f2.8 Pro lens, but for the amount I'll end up using it, a couple of hundred dollars is really all I'm willing (or can afford) to spend on a telephoto lens. And as I've said almost ad-nauseam, it really is a very good performer.

Looking on Trademe (New Zealand's version of eBay), there were a couple for sale in the $200NZ range. But I thought I could do better than that. A trick many on-line auction buyers use when they want to but a lens, is to look for a cheap camera that might have a couple of lenses bundled with it. So instead of just searching for lenses, I started looking at the digital camera auctions. And bingo - there it was!

Someone was selling an Olympus Pen E-P3, with the 14-42mm and 45-150mm kit lenses, spare batteries, charger, SD card and camera bag - all must go - for $375NZ. I was already considering buying just the 40-150mm lens for $200NZ, so for another $175NZ I was getting a digital camera and extra lens!

A few quick questions to the seller confirmed that it was all in mint condition - hardly ever used (only 6000 shutter actuations), and I snapped it up using 'Buy Now'.

So now I'm not only getting the 40-150mm f4/5.6 lens that I wanted for the E-M1, but also an Olympus Pen E-P3 and a standard lens to keep on it as a perfect little walk-around everyday travel camera. I'm sure it will become our new family camera, and my wife will really enjoy using it (she currently takes a little Lumix point-and-shoot with her when she travels).

Olympus E-P3, front and rear views

I'm also looking forward to having a play with the E-P3. I owned one of the first Pens, the E-P1, but I didn't really enjoy the experience. It was too sluggish and slow for my liking, and I quickly sold it on and went back to a much more responsive DSLR. That was, however, over 10 years ago - and I haven't touched an Olympus Pen since.

I have kept up with their progress somewhat though, and it seems that Olympus got the Pen series 'right' with the E-P3. They worked very hard with the auto focus speed and accuracy on the Pen series, and by the E-P3 they were claiming it had the 'World's fastest AF System' of ANY camera system! I'm sure there would be some Canon and Nikon Pros who would laugh at this claim - and the autofocus tracking on micro four thirds still lags behind the top gear from the big two - but in day to day single point focus use, the E-P3 does look blazingly fast - and one heck of a lot faster than the E-P1 was!

It's also the first Pen to include a pop-up flash, and includes a removable grip for better ergonomics and handling. So basically, it fixes all of the things I disliked about the original E-P1.

What I did like about the original Pen, and all the Pens that have come after it, was the look of the camera. Damn it's a sexy camera! Especially in all-black. I know that some of the even smaller, paired-down Pens have been marketed squarely at women looking for a small, light, fashion-statement camera that they can slip into a large purse or small handbag. But the E-P line of top-tier Pens (E-P1, E-P2, E-P3 etc) have always been feature-rich, slightly bulkier, and designed specifically for the advanced photographer in mind. And once again - boy are they sexy!

So yes, I'm looking forward to my 'new' Pen E-P3 arriving soon. I think it will be an excellent addition to my micro-four-thirds system, and compliment the E-M1 perfectly. And if it doesn't? Well, there's always Trademe 😉

The Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Pro - my precious!

It's arrived - it's arrived - my precious - my precious (typing in my best Golem voice).

Just a couple of weeks after committing to sell all of my micro four thirds lenses to purchase the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro - it's in my hot little hands! I'm so excited (can you tell?) and thrilled that it's worked out even better than I imagined. How so?

I'm not going to lie - I wavered in the middle of the process for a few days. Since I already had the Panasonic 25mm f1.7, I briefly considered going to a three prime lens kit - getting the 17mm f1.8 and the 45mm f1.8 to go with it. There was even a couple of reasonably priced 17mm f1.8's come up for auction on-line, so I was sorely tempted.

But I watched a few more glowing video reviews on Youtube for the 12-40mm f2.8, took a few deep breaths, and stuck to my original plan. And then, what sold it in the end, was the amazing deal I eventually got for the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro!

With three of my lenses already sold, I still didn't have quite enough to by the lens new (from Hong Kong via a Trademe - a NZ internet auction site). There weren't any coming up second-hand for auction, so I decided to use social media to see what I could find. I belong to a couple of New Zealand Photography Buy, Sell & Trade Facebook groups. I placed a WTB (wanted to buy) advert without really expecting anything much, but the next day I received a reply.

Cobden Beach Tiphead. OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens. 1/800th @ f5.6, ISO 200

A photographer in Invercargill (lower South Island) had one that he didn't use very often (he's more of a macro shooter), and was considering selling it. Excellent condition, hardly use, etc, etc. Long story short, we struck a deal and he sold it to me that evening! I had just enough money from the sale of my lenses thus far, and so ended up saving about a third of what it would have cost me for a brand new one! Ironically, I later found out that with the money I paid him for his lens, he purchased one of the 17mm f1.8 lenses I had been considering on Trademe.

Coal River Heritage Park. E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. 1/640th @ f3.5, ISO 200

The 12-40mm arrived two days later and I finally had my first Pro f2.8 lens for my Olympus micro four thirds system. As described, the lens is in immaculate condition, and is indeed a perfect match for the E-M1, especially with the grip attached. It looks beautiful, feels solid, and oozes quality. I couldn't be happier.

Greymouth Crane. E-M1 with 12-40mm Pro f2.8. 1/800th @ f4.5, ISO 200

But it gets even better.... 😀  As well as sending me the lens, I also received a book dedicated to using the OM-D E-M1 and a variable ND filter and a polarizing filter! All for free! That's probably $200NZ worth of free stuff, and I'm very grateful to the seller for his amazing generosity. It's great to know that there are still some generous-hearted people in the world, especially when you are the recipient of that generosity. I'm especially looking forward to giving the variable ND a try - I've never used one before, but always been curious to try them out. And now I can. Thanks Paul!

Drill Sculpture. E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. 1/640th @ f4.5. ISO 200

All the photos in this post (except for the product photo) where taken on my first outing with the E-M1 and 12-40mm f2.8 Pro combination. It was unfortunately a disappointingly drab morning, and the location I had originally intended to photograph was covered in so much thick fog that I had to turn back. So instead I wandered around in the freezing cold and took a few 'snaps'. Not my best work, and all pretty dull, but at least I got out and started building up some muscle-memory with the gear.

Of course the lens performed as expected. The zoom ring is smooth, but with a certain amount of 'resistance'. This means there's no hint of zoom-creep, with no wobbles or looseness on the lens. Even the hood and cap feel reassuringly solid. The range is just about perfect, with 12mm about as wide as I like to shoot landscapes (24mm field of view in 35mm terms), and 40 (80mm on a full-frame DLSR) hitting the sweet spot for portraiture. I don't do a lot of portraiture now that I don't shoot weddings, although that might all be about to change with the birth of my first grandchild early next year (2019)!

Now that the 12-40mm is literally my only lens (I've finally sold all the others), I've decided I would like some sort of telephoto - just for the times when one might come in handy. The 40-150mm is the obvious choice - and no, not the f2.8 version (although there's no denying that would be sweet). An Olympus 40-150mm f4/5.6 is on its way to me as I write this. But that's not all - it comes with some other goodies. More on that next time....

Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. The ultimate zoom lens for micro four thirds?

In my last post I waxed lyrical about my recent purchase of the Nikon D200 for tickling my DSLR-shooting fancy. Whenever I purchase any new (second hand) equipment, I get excited about the 'potential' other purchases that could be involved. This generally means lenses. And so I started downloading Nikon lens brochures and going giddy over the prospect of a 24-70mm f2.8 or 70-200mm f2.8 to really make the D200 shine.

Nikon's Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 Pro lens - sexy!

But then, suddenly, I had a rare moment of lucidity (hey, at least I admit it). As nice as the Nikon D200 is, I have an even better system that I really should be focusing my attention on.

I wrote in my last post that my 'main' kit is my Olympus OM-D E-M1. I've built it up into quite a comprehensive system, with zooms, primes, grips, extra batteries and external flashguns. But with my recent surgery, a rather damp winter, and focusing most of my attention on peripheral areas like film and DSLR's, the Olympus hasn't been getting a lot of love.

I'm still totally blown away with how amazingly good the OM-D E-M1 actually is. In many ways, it's more camera than I can handle, with features and controls that I will probably never ever use. As a stills photographer, I'm not really interested in its video capabilities (although I have used it for video), and the Art Filters also don't get used since I prefer to do effects myself later on in post. I've never played with Live Composite (although I would like to one day), or Silent Shutter (which again, might come in handy?). I have it set up very simply - almost like a film camera - and prefer to use single-shot, center focus point and recompose. My one concession to technology is the eye focus tracking when shooting portraits. Watching the focus point follow the subjects face as they move around the frame is just magical, and it's been consistently reliable with focus accuracy.

But.... (yes folks, there's always a but), what I've felt I've always lacked in my kit is a truly stellar lens - something similar to a Nikkor or Canon 24-70mm f2.8 professional lens. Truth be told, I've never owned the Canon or Nikon versions either - but I've always wanted to. I have owned a few Canon 'L' lenses, and without exception they were worth every penny (even second hand). So instead of dreaming about a Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 for my D200, why wasn't I dreaming about the equivalent lens for my Olympus E-M1? Why not indeed....

The title page from Olympus USA for the Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens

The 'ultimate' zoom to use as a walk-around, shoot anything, style of lens has to be the Olympus M. Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. It even says so on their website 😉

I've lusted after this lens since moving to micro four thirds. I've even shot with one - briefly - for an afternoon (see post here). That was the shoot that convinced me I wanted an E-M1 (I owned the E-M5 MkII), and of course I was also impressed with the IQ from the 12-40mm f2.8. When I eventually sold my E-M5 to get the E-M1, I didn't have a big enough budget to get the 12-40mm as well - ending up with the 12-50mm EZ f3.5/6.3 instead. And as great as that lens is, it ain't no f2.8 Pro!

The construction of the 12-40mm f2.8 is astonishing. Equipped with a full metal body, the lens is fully sealed against dust and moisture, and is freeze-proof down to -10 degrees. It has one EDA lens, two Asperical lenses, one DSA lens, two ED lenses, two HR lenses and one HD lens (and no, please don't ask me what that all means) for 10 elements in 9 groups. It has a 7 bladed circular aperture ring, goes from f2.8 to f22, has a 62mm front filter thread, an MSC mechanism for smooth video, and Olympus's 'Zero' coating on the front element for extra dust, dirt and fingerprint resistance. This was Olympus's first professional zoom for the micro four thirds system, and as such, they threw everything they had at it!

It was released the same time the OM-D E-M1 was, as the perfect lens to pair with their first professional micro four thirds body. I guess you might even consider it to be the E-M1's 'kit' lens. And yes, that's very tongue-in-cheek, because no matter how you look at it, the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro is no kit lens.

But it is the perfect partner for the E-M1, in the same way that Canon and Nikon's 24-70mm f2.8 lenses are the perfect partner for their flagship DSLR's. At 12-40mm the Olympus has an equivalent focal range of a 24-80mm lens in full frame terms - and of course it has the constant f2.8 aperture.

Yes, we all know by now that all apertures are not created equal when it comes to creating a shallow depth-of-field. The sensor size will dictate a lenses ability to create that creamy background 'bokeh' - and a full-frame sensor is always going to give you the ability to create a shallower depth-of-field. But it's not impossible to create shallow depth of field at f2.8 on micro four thirds - and I'd rather have f2.8 at 40mm than the f5.6 I have at the moment with my other zoom. So I'm getting one - right?

Well actually yes, I am. I've decided to sell all the other lenses I own for micro four thirds - just to get the one lens: the M. Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. I've already sold a couple, and have a couple to go. Once they are all sold I'll have enough to buy a brand new 12-40mm lens direct from Hong Kong. It's a bit cheaper doing it that way (around $900NZ as opposed to $1300NZ from a camera store), and although I'd like to buy locally, the saving really can't be ignored. It's how I brought my 12-50mm EZ originally, and I've been very happy with it.

At some point in a photographer's career, when they start getting 'serious' about the hobby, they are told by some wise old sage to invest in glass. Camera bodies come, and camera bodies go (at an alarming rate), but good glass practically lasts forever. And can sometimes even go up in value. No photographer ever regretted buying pro-quality glass for their camera (although their bank balance may disagree).

Most reviews on the Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens are positively glowing. Some even call it the best zoom lens they've ever used, on any system, period. That's impressive and exciting praise for perhaps the 'ultimate' lens for micro four thirds. I can't wait.....

OMG - I brought a D200!

Ok, I'll admit it. I've got too many camera systems. Way too many.

For a start, I have a medium format Bronica ERTS 6x45 (with a standard and wide angle lens) for my 120 medium format film fix. As well as a Nikon F4 and F90 for my 35mm film hankerings. An IS-3000 Olympus 'Bridge' camera was a bit of a crazy purchase recently, and a Fujifilm Instax 210 Wide camera rounds out the film portion of my collection. That's quite a few film cameras.

The situation isn't much better when it comes to digital. Of course my main kit is my Olympus OM-D EM-1 micro four thirds with several lenses and accessories etc - but I also have a battered and bruised (but still working) Canon 50D with grip and several lenses, as well as a Nikon D70 that I hold on to for sentimental reasons (it was my first DSLR). So I don't need anymore cameras - right?

But who am I kidding? I established with myself a long time ago that when it comes to camera gear, it's never really about what I 'need', and much more about what I 'want'. And what I found that I 'wanted' was a fully featured 'pro' Nikon DSLR body to work in tandem with my F4 so I could swap lenses and shoot both film and digital at the same time. Why not...?

Enter the Nikon D200. A 13yr old (released in 2005), 10.2MP CCD sensor, 5fps, weather-sealed, magnesium alloy bodied, CF card shooting beast of a camera!

Many reading this in 2018 and beyond will more than likely be suffering from the 'but it's only's'. But it's only 10.2MP. But it only has one CF card slot. But it only has 11 focus points. But it's only 5fps. But it only shoots images (no video - and no live view!). But it's screen is only 230,000px. But it only shoots up to ISO1600 natively (and even then it's best not to go over 800ISO). But it's 13 years old!

I grant you every last one of those 'but it's only's', how could I not? They're all true.

BUT - in all honesty, do ANY of the points mentioned above stop this from being a drop-dead amazing image making machine? No, people - no, they do not. I don't know how many times I've written on this blog that I believe 10MP to be MORE THAN ENOUGH for 90% of the worlds photographers. Who are you shooting for that you need more? Seriously.

Maybe you regularly take photos and then crop in heavily on just a small portion of the image to blow it up to a 10x12" print. If that's you, then stop it. Seriously - stop it. Compose, frame and crop in-camera. Then you'll find that 10MP is plenty enough for an A3 sized print. I crop about 5% of my images. 95% of the images I shoot are composed and cropped in-camera. But what if, I hear you say, you can't get close enough? I have two responses to that. First - get a longer telephoto lens. That's what they're for. And second - you'll just have to be content with not getting the shot. Tuff. Here's a news flash for you - you're going to miss a lot of shots. Either because you didn't have the 'right' gear for the job, you couldn't get close enough, or you weren't quick enough. Get over it.

The rear of the D200. Ergonomic perfection

The 'old sensor' low-ISO performance complaint is another one of my pet hates (sorry - I'm  about to rant again...). I can hear it now - "the D200 is too old. Low-light performance will suck".... blah,blah, blah. Who the hell are these people? Why has being able to shoot a black cat in a coal mine 'noise'-free become a 'thing 'that concerns so many damn photographers?

Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme? Other, more measured critics might say something like "it won't be any good for weddings in low-light church environments". This argument seems to suggest that once a camera has been replaced by a 'newer' model, it instantly becomes unfit for any 'serious' photography. I have no doubt that Nikon's D500 is a 'superior' camera than the D200 in every respect. It damn well better be, since it's 12 years newer. But does that really mean that the D200 is now no longer capable of being used as a professional tool? Of course not! I shot weddings for 10 years, and started with a Nikon D70! Yes folks, I shot weddings 'professionally' with a 6MP D70 for a couple of seasons, and never, ever had a client complain - or even comment - about 'noise' in an image. Never. The only people who care about noise in a photograph are other photographers. Period.

Jessie. D200 with 18-55mm 3.5/5.6 G II. F4.5 @ 1/30th, ISO 800.

All the rest of the 'stuff' that the D200 lacks over more modern DSLR's is just 'fluff' as far as I'm concerned. No, it doesn't have Live-view. You don't need it. Millions of photographers lived without live-view before it was ever an option. It therefore doesn't shoot video. Don't get me started on that rant. You want video, buy a Go Pro. You want to make movies - buy a movie camera. Nuff said.

What I'm trying to say is that for 'most' photographers, the D200 - even at 12 years old - is more camera than most of us need - despite what we may want. I would seriously encourage anyone who may be looking at buying an 'entry-level' DSLR to consider something like a used D200 (or D80, D90, D300) instead. And on the Canon side, an older 40D, 50D or even 5D Mk1 would be a much better choice - for less money - than the latest digital Rebel.

The used D200 I just purchased was $200NZ body only. It's in immaculate condition, and has a 15,000 shutter count. That's 15% of the shutter's 100,000 shot life expectancy. The entry level D3400 with 18-55mm kit lens is $699NZ retail at the time of writing this. That's basically a $500NZ difference. For another $100NZ I also purchased a Nikkor 50mm f1.8. The D3400 has 24MP, Full HD video, Bluetooth connection etc. The D200 doesn't. And yet, with only $300 invested, I could also get an 85mm F1.8 Nikkor and have a prime lens kit that would run rings around the D3400.

When it was released all those years ago, the D200 was second-only to Nikon's D2x Pro body. In fact Nikon packed so much into the D200 that many 'pros' called it the baby D2x and used it as a back-up body. Pick one up and you will understand why. It's an ergonomic masterpiece - a joyous photography tool to handle and use. It inspires confidence and screams professionalism. It may not have Bluetooth connectivity or Live-view, but what it lacks for in techno-frippery it more than makes up for in ergonomic superiority.

I guess it's obvious how I feel about the Nikon D200. Is it a 'modern' classic? Yes, it is. Is it the cutting edge of techno-wizardry in camera technology? No it's not. But does that therefore make it an obsolete, outdated, unusable camera? Oh no. No, it does not....

Sigma 60mm DN f2.8 Micro Four Thirds lens - Initial Review

Sigma 60mm f2.8 DN 'Art' lens in silver

My micro four thirds lens arsenal has been growing steadily over the last year - and I now have a total of four lenses for the E-M1. One is from Olympus - the 12-50mm EZ kit lens, two are from Panasonic (the 25mm f1.7 and the 45-200mm f4/5.6), while the final lens, and the subject of this post, is the Sigma 60mm f2.8 DN 'Art' lens.

What's missing? Not much really if I'm honest. I'm not really a macro shooter, so the 'faux' macro setting on the Oly 12-50mm is all I need (and is surprisingly good). Eventually I would like a slightly wider reach for landscapes - probably the Olympus 9-18mm f4/5.6 (yes, the 7-14mm f2.8 Pro would be lovely, but I am being realistic budget-wise). But that will have to come much further down the track. At the moment, the 12mm end of the 12-50mm will have to suffice.

But this post isn't about my 'wish' list - it's about a lens I already own. A lens I purchased very cheaply about 6 months ago on a whim. And a lens that, until very recently, I hadn't even mounted on the camera!

I say I purchased it on a 'whim', and to a certain extent that's true. It was almost literally too cheap to pass up, and the fact that I haven't even touched it in the six months since buying it might prove that I didn't really need the lens to begin with? Yet at the same time, it was also a considered purchase, given that one of the lenses missing in my kit was a fast(ish) portrait lens. In fact, when I shot a wedding last year with my Canon 40D, one of the deciding factors for not using my E-M1 was that I didn't have a dedicated portrait lens. The purchase of the Sigma 60mm f2.8 DN 'Art' lens has fixed that.

Tea Ceremony. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Sigma 60mm f2.8 DN. f2.8 @ 1/500th, ISO 400

I don't do a lot of portraiture or shoot weddings anymore (except for friends) - so investing in a dedicated, fast portrait lens is a bit of a luxury. The 'classic' lens that most Olympus users think of for portraiture on a budget is the outstanding 45mm f1.8 - a lens I've owned when I had the E-M5 MkII. It's called a 'must-have' for micro four thirds users, and having owned one I can see why. It's small, light, sharp and relatively fast at f1.8 - and can be had for very little money, even brand new. But it's a lens I also eventually ended up selling when I had the E-M5 kit, because I just never used it. I felt guilty owning it, because it was almost too good to just have sitting around in my bag not being used.

But then I get back to the dilemma of not having a portrait lens for those occasions when I do want to shoot a wedding or an event that would suit the portrait length. For me, the Sigma 60mm perfectly fills in that gap.

Calligraphy. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Sigma 60mm DN. f2.8 @ 1/2000th, ISO 400

First of all it's cheap. Cheaper even than the Olympus 45mm f1.8. And it's light - only 190 grams (although that's slightly heavier than the 45mm f1.8 at only 116 grams). The design of the lens comes in two colours - black or silver - and falls into the either love it or hate it category. It's covered in polished metal and doesn't have any ribbed or patterned surfaces for your fingers to grip onto. Some users have even suggested using a rubber band placed around the lens to give it at least some form of minimal grip.

Chinese New Year. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Sigma 60mm lens. f2.8 @ 1/2500th, ISO 400

I didn't really know what to expect when I attached it to the E-M1, because it really is unlike any other lens design I've ever used before. Mine is the silver version of the lens (I would have preferred black but the guy I purchased it from had the silver) and just looks like a tube of metal stuck to the front of the camera. I'm still trying to make my mind up whether I'm in the love it or hate it camp aesthetically. Part of me thinks it looks quite minimalist cool, and part of me thinks it's just plain odd. Practically speaking, however, I think it works just fine and I didn't have a problem with gripping the lens and using it all afternoon.

Tai Chi. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Sigma 60mm DN 'Art' lens. f2.8 @ 1/1250th, ISO 400

It is, after all, a prime lens - so there's no zooming required from the barrel. It is also an autofocus lens, so it focuses - um, automatically. The whole barrel does rotate smoothly (presumably for manual focusing), and fits snuggly in my hand in both portrait and landscape orientations. It focuses quickly, silently and accurately on the E-M1, so there's really nothing to complain about in terms of operation.

Just a side note however: when the lens is not attached to the camera it has a very audible 'rattle'. This is the case with all the Sigma DN lenses (the 19mm, 30mm and 60mm) and is due, apparently, to some floating lens elements? It's rather disconcerting, but disappears completely once the lens is attached to the camera and is in use.

Fan Dance. Olympus OM-D E-M1 and 60mm Sigma DN lens. f2.8 @ 1/1250th, ISO 400

All of the images from this post were taken with the Sigma 60mm DN 'Art' lens at f2.8 - it's widest aperture, and all are tack sharp. Wide open this lens is a fantastic performer and can be used at f2.8 without any concerns over sharpness. Many will argue that f2.8 isn't actually that 'fast', especially when you factor in the smaller sensor size. The effective depth of field is equivalent to f5.6 on a full frame sensor, and about f4 with APS-C.

Of course sensor size is only part of the depth-of-field equation. Just look at the earlier Chinese New Year image to see the bokeh that you can achieve with this lens at f2.8 when you have decent subject to background separation. Would I prefer the lens to be f1.8 or faster? Of course. But f2.8 at 60mm (120mm equivalent for full frame) is a lot faster than any other lens I've got in that focal range, and the extra depth of field gained from the micro four thirds sensor helps with the excellent sharpness you can achieve at f2.8.

Fan Dance 2. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Sigma 60mm DN lens. f2.8 @ 1/1000th, ISO 400

The photos in this post were taken at the Chinese New Year Celebrations held at the Polytech where I work. It was the ideal event to use the short telephoto for candid portraits, and it performed flawlessly. Using face-detection autofocus the images were tack sharp every time, and the lens locked on quickly, quietly and precisely. Colours from the lens are true to life and edit beautifully in Lightroom. In the Tea Ceremony photo there was some obvious chromatic aberration (purple fringing) around the white cups, but these cleaned up nicely in post. None of the other images exhibited this, so I don't think it's a flaw in the lens as such - but it will be something to watch out for in areas of strong highlight contrast.

If you come across this lens and are considering getting a mid-telephoto prime for your micro four thirds system, I would say 'go for it'. Yes, the design may be a little 'funky', and the f2.8 aperture might not be the fastest kid on the block, but the IQ and sharpness from this lens is fantastic, all for an insanely cheap price. Sigma have been making some amazing lenses over the last few years, and this just happens to be one of them.

Dual Monitor Home Office setup

My dual monitor station at work

I've always thought of a dual monitor setup as a bit of an unnecessary luxury. Throughout my design and photography career I've mostly used iMacs - with the biggest monitor size I could afford. A few years ago I had a guy try to sell me a second monitor for the iMac I was using at the time. He extolled to me the virtues of a dual monitor setup, and why I should buy his Apple monitor off him (for a horrendous price at the time). But I really got the sense that he was just trying to sell me something he didn't want, so I wasn't sold (both literally and figuratively) on a second monitor for my iMac.

Well, that was then, and this - as they say - is now. Since I started working in my present job, I've used a dual monitor PC (Windows) setup. And I have to say that I love it! Why, oh why, did it take me so long to discover the virtues of a dual monitor working environment?

My 'small' 1320 x 900mm working space

Of course when I come home, I revert back to a single monitor work station. Not the end of the world, but I definitely miss the dual monitor setup at work. So, over the Christmas holiday period, I decided to do something about it.

My son Joshua built his own gaming PC over the holidays, and wanted a computer desk to set it up on in his bedroom. The desk I was using in my 'office' (a small sun-room attached to the side of our house) was perfect for his requirements, so I said he could have it if he helped me install a purpose-built desk in my office that could accommodate two monitors.

Phase one in a dual monitor workspace, however, was getting another monitor! Fortunately I had a birthday (my 50th) just prior to Christmas. So I let it be known to the family that I'd like a new monitor to use with my exisiting Asus 20". Joshua and I had a look on-line at what was available in my price range and size, and in the end we opted for an AOC 21.5" i2280SW. At 1920x1080px it has a higher resolution than my Asus (at 1600x900px), but the Asus is a chunkier monitor, so when you place them side by side the difference in minimal and the screens themselves line-up almost perfectly. Eventually I'd like to get a second, identical AOC. But this will do in the meantime.

The 'bracing' in place for the desk top

With a second monitor purchased, all I needed now was to design the desk, purchase the wood, and have it cut to size. I opted for 18mm MDF board, and has able to get it cut to size by a work colleague in the carpentry department of the Polytech.

The design was simple - just a 1320x750mm board with a hole in the center for the computer cords, and a beveled front edge. Some bracing to hold it all in place - and with the left over boards from the sheet of MDF I designed a cube to hold the laser printer and hard drives. Easy.

I don't consider myself a 'handy man' so I kept the design as simple as possible. It really is just a board that everything sits on top of. I didn't need draws or any other fancy compartments. I just needed enough space for two monitors, keyboard, mouse and graphics tablet. Something that would maximise the available space (wall-to-wall) and give me enough working distance for comfortable viewing.

My new Dual Monitor Office space at home.

I'm thrilled with the final result, and now have my own dual monitor setup at home. My new AOC 21.5" is my main monitor on the left - where I do all the designing and Photoshop/Lightroom editing. The Asus monitor on the right is for any other documents I need open to support what I'm doing with the design and editing process. This can be anything from a full size image in Lightroom (see the first image of this blog), to a word document, web page or emails. Windows can be dragged from one monitor to the other at will, and re-size automatically according to each screens optimal resolution.

If you are a photographer, designer, or heavy multi-tasker on your computer - and you've never experienced a dual monitor setup - than I would strongly suggest you try it for yourself somehow. Find someone who has a dual monitor setup and get them to show you how it works (it's very easy). I can almost guarantee that once you try a dual monitor workstation, you'll never want to go back to working on a single monitor system again.

50 Best Nat Geo Photos Exhibition

Exhibition Advertising at Canterbury Museum, Christchurch NZ

Living as I do in a small rural town, I don't get out much. I certainly don't get to as many international exhibitions as I would like. We do, however, go to Christchurch a few times a year to see family, and this will occasionally coincide with an exhibition or show worth seeing.

Such was the case on our last visit in early February 2018, when National Geographic's "50 Greatest Photographs" just happened to be on at the Canterbury Museum. I couldn't possibly pass up the chance to see some of my favourite images 'in the flesh'. We only had an hour before heading back to the West Coast, but I was not going to miss the opportunity to see 50 of National Geographic's most iconic images.

Steve McCurry's "Afghan Girl"

Of course the most famous of them all is Steve McCurry's "Afghan Girl" which took pride of place at the entrance to the exhibition. It's such a simple, yet iconic portrait and it was amazing to see it printed large (about 1.5m tall) and back-lit in the darkened gallery space.

The one feature that everyone mentions in relation to the portrait are her piercing eyes. These were made even more piercing with the use of back-lighting. They practically glowed, and are so incredibly sharp (as they should be).

Steve McCurry and National Geographic are inextricably linked through this portrait - it's his modern 'Mona Lisa' - the image he will forever be known for. But, just like DaVinci, Steve McCurry has a larger body of work just as exceptional as the Afghan Girl portrait. Fortunately, other images of his were also represented in the exhibition (three in total if I counted correctly), making him the most represented National geographic photographer in the exhibition. Another of his images also happened to be my favourite in the entire show...

Steve McCurry - "Burning Oil Fields"

McCurry described his image "Burning Oil Fields" as like being in hell. Camels and other animals escaped across the Kuwait Desert through oil fields that had been set alight by retreating Iraquis - poisoning the land and the air. It's another powerful image, but for such different reasons from the "Afghan Girl" portrait.

Nick Nichols - "Jane Goodall and Jou Jou the Chimpanzee"

Another iconic image (in a room full of them), was Nick Nichols' photo of Jane Goodall's tender interaction with Jou Jou the Chimpanzee. As you can see in the shot above, many of the photos had the sequence of images taken down the side so you could get an understanding of the photographer's working of the scene that lead to the 'one' great image. The 'decisive moment' as Henri Cartier-Bresson described it. These sequences, together with the story behind the image in the photographer's own words, gave fantastic context to all the photos in the exhibition and helped bring them to life. Yes, images can, and should, be able to speak for themselves. But some background information can also be important, especially with the National Geographic's photojournalistic style where the one image itself is often part of a larger story.

Visitors to the exhibition - Canterbury Museum.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, we only had an hour to go around the whole exhibition. That wasn't really enough time to take it all in  - I could have spent three hours reading the captions, watching the videos and soaking the images in. We were there mid-afternoon on a school day, and there were still a lot of people enjoying the exhibition. I suspect because of the subject matter and the strong brand that National Geographic has, this has been an incredibly successful show that has toured all over the world. It also helps that it was free entry - although I certainly would have paid to see the exhibition.

Mitsuaki Iwago - "Brutal Fight"

The exhibition runs until February 25th 2018 at the Canterbury Museum, and is well worth a look if you are a lover of images, stories, photojournalism or photography. Basically this exhibition has something for everyone! And it's free entry! So what are you waiting for people. Go. Now...

Landscapes with the Hoya ND400

At the end of 2017 I began to play around with filters for my landscape photography. I've always been a Cokin square filter user (both the A and P styles), and so I picked up some super cheap (i.e plastic) neutral density (ND) filters to see if this was something I could/should use on a regular basis (see this post).

An ND filter is basically a 'darkening' filter. It places a dark - hopefully 'neutral' - colour over the lens which shuts out a lot of the light reaching the sensor, giving a longer shutter speed. The amount of light blocked depends on the strength of filter used, anywhere from 2 shutter stops up to 10 stops of light! Lee Filters have what they call their 'Little and Big Stopper' - cutting out 6 or 10 stops of light respectively. Many other filter companies have followed suit, offering a variety of square ND filters, made from high quality resin up to photo grade high quality glass. These are a great choice if you have already bought into the whole square filter eco-system, but can be very expensive (over $200NZ each for the Little or Big Stopper).

With Christmas coming, I was starting to get asked by my family what I would like from Santa? 😉 I decided that I would like to get a 'serious' ND filter to replace the plastic filters I had previously been using that were degrading my image and leaving a strong colour cast (see previous post). Asking for a $200NZ+ filter was probably a bit too much for our Christmas budget, so I decided to ask instead for a screw-in ND filter that would fit both my zoom lens (that share a 52mm filter thread). I was thrilled on Christmas morning when I opened a present to find a brand new Hoya ND400 52mm filter. Yay!

I've been a huge Hoya filter fan since I started in photography. Most of my protective UV filters are Hoya's, and I have always found their quality vs price point to be excellent. The ND400 is an 8 stop light-loss filter (actually 8 & 2/3rds to be exact) - so sits between the 6 and 10 stop Lee Filters. And while many photographers prefer the square filters for their versatility, I figured that if I was choosing to use an 8-stop ND filter in conjunction with a Cokin polariser, then having the ND screwed on to the front of the lens would free the filter holder up for other filters? Yesterday (Jan 4th), I got to put this to the test.

10 Mile Creek. Straight shot with no ND filter or Polariser. f5.6 @ 1/50th sec, ISO 200

We've been blessed with an amazing summer here on the West Coast this year. Sunny, hot, bright and clear days - beautiful for sunrise and sunset, not so great in the middle of the day. Fortunately this day was bright and warm - but overcast. There was still a lot of light, but it was soft. Ideal for forest and water photography - with an ND filter. I headed out to a walk I had been wanting to get back to for a while (it's an easy walk with a few places I knew I could get use to get down to the river). This first shot is straight out of camera, using the 12-50mm EZ lens. At 1/50th the movement in the water is quite distinctive, and there is quite a lot of light reflection in the water, even on an overcast day.

10 Mile Creek. With Hoya ND400 Filter. f8, @ 5 seconds. ISO 200

 With the addition of the Hoya ND400 filter, the 1/50th shutter speed has become 5 seconds (with a decrease in the aperture to f8). Now we get that classic 'smokey water' look that happens when you slow the shutter speed down with a neutral density filter. Although the first image might be more 'true' that what our eyes see when we are at the river, the second, slower shot actually seems to capture the sense of flowing water better. The image with the ND filter portrays movement of water over time and makes it seem more 'real', even though it never actually looks like this in reality.

10 Mile Creek. With Hoya ND400 and Cokin 'A' Polariser. f8 @ 15 seconds. ISO 200

With the addition of a polariser, we now not only see more of the riverbed itself (because the polariser cuts out the reflections on the water), but the green colours 'pop' - and the shutter speed has decreased 3 more stops to 15 seconds.

10 Mile Creek 2. OM-D E-M1 with Zuiko 12-50mm EZ lens. F5.6 @ 1/125th. ISO 200

10 Mile Creek 2. OM-D E-M1 with Zuiko 12-50mm lens + Cokin 'A' Polariser. f5.6 @ 1/30th. ISO 200 

10 Mile Creek 2. OM-D E-M1 with Zuiko 12-50mm lens + Cokin Polariser & Hoya ND400. f8 @ 10 seconds. ISO 200

The three images above tell the same story. The first is straight out of camera and again is a fairly direct representation of the scene in front of the camera. The second adds a polariser, cutting out the reflections in the water and some of the glare on the rocks - making the colours more intense. While the third and final image adds the ND400, dropping the shutter speed to 10 seconds, blurring the water, and intensifying the colours even more. This 'may' have introduced a slight green cast to the image from the ND filter - or it could just be a result of the green light building up more over the long exposure? I'll have to do some more shooting with the ND in different lighting conditions to make any further conclusions on the introduction of colour casts.

10 Mile Creek 3. Cokin 'A' Polariser & Hoya ND400. f8 @ 5 seconds. ISO 200

Using the Hoya ND400 was a lot of fun, and I loved the final images it produced. The verdict is still out on whether it produces a colour cast to the images - but even if it does, I'm sure it's pretty easy to fix in Lightroom if you shoot RAW (and you should).

When used in conjunction with a polarizer on streams, riverbeds and waterfalls, the final results with the ND400 straight out of camera is like night and day! I had to do minimal work in Lightroom (some shadow and highlight recovery) because everything is pretty much achieved in-camera with the filters. It's taken me a very long time to get a decent ND filter for my landscape photography (over 30 years!) and I honestly don't know why it's taken so long? But now that I have the Hoya ND400 in my bag, beautiful long-exposure images are finally in my repertoire.   

Panasonic Lumix 25mm f1.7 G - initial thoughts

In my last post I hinted at the end that Santa had been very good to me in 2017. I've been wanting to complete my micro four thirds kit with the two missing pieces (for me) of the puzzle; a decent flashgun and a fast 50 prime lens. Mrs Clause has been listening (thanks honey), and now I finally have both - although the lens that is the subject of this post was actually a present to myself 😉

Panasonic Lumix 25mm f1.7 G next to the excellent Canon 50mm f1.8 STM.

In the last few months of 2017 I shot a wedding, several portraits for work and a food assignment - all with my Canon 40D and the 50mm f1.8 (exclusively for the portraits and food photography). I enjoyed using the 40D with 50mm - it's a great piece of kit. But, having said that, I only used it because I didn't have the equivalent set-up with my E-M1.

For the wedding, I didn't have a flash - or a fast portrait lens, so I went with the Canon 40D (and borrowed a friends flash). For the portraits and food, again, I was missing that fast prime/portrait lens. On the 40D, the 50mm f1.8 has an equivalent field of view of an 80mm medium telephoto lens, ideal for portraits. Although I do often think it's just a little too 'tight' for some of my uses at 80mm?

Panny 25mm f1.7 G on the OM-D E-M1. A very nice combo.

I've had a hankering for a fast 50mm to go with my Olympus for a while - as a general purpose prime and occasional portrait lens. At 25mm, the Panasonic is bang on the 50mm field of view for micro four thirds (25mm x2 = 50mm), and at f1.7 is almost as fast as it gets. Olympus have their own 25mm's - an f1.8 that is about $200NZ more expensive than the Panasonic, and an f1.2 that is stupid, crazy expensive because its - f1.2 (and part of their 'Pro' line). For my budget the only consideration would be the f1.8. Yeah, OK, the Oly f1.8 is probably 'better' made, with a little more metal to it, but is it going to be $200 better in image quality? I think not.

At $255.00NZ leading up to Christmas with a Panasonic promotion, I just couldn't say no. But then there was the small matter of actually paying for the lens (just a minor inconvenience). With the flashgun problem solved as a Christmas present (more about that in a later post), my OM-D E-M1 kit was almost complete. So I decided to bite the bullet, and sell my Canon 40D to get the required funds to purchase the Pannny 25mm lens. A week later, with the Canon sold, the deal was done and the Panasonic arrived between Christmas and New Year (overnight from Photo & Video in Merivale, Christchurch - thanks Greg).

Fits the E-M1 like a glove. Sleek, black and gorgeous!

With the E-M1 body, 3 batteries, Olympus 12-50mm EZ lens, Panasonic 45-200mm, Panasonic 25mm f1.7, Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN (more on that later as well), and Godox TT350'O' flashgun - I now have an Olympus mirrorless kit to take on any challenge.

Initial impressions on the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 G are positive. It's a very 'handsome' lens when attached to the E-M1, and the size and weight are perfect. It's a little thinner compared to the Canon 50mm f1.8 STM, but has about the same heft in the hand (both are plastic with metal lens barrels). It's quick and quiet in operation, and the focusing barrel (which makes up almost the entire body), is silky smooth. But looks alone don't make a lens -right!? To see how it would perform as a day-to-day walk-around lens, I took it with me on a family outing to Punakaiki - as my only lens!

Punakaiki Rocks. OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic 25mm f1.7G lens. f4 @ 1/1000th. ISO 200

Many people swear by the 50mm 'standard' prime as an ideal walk-around everyday lens. I get a little nervous at the prospect of carrying a prime as my go-to kit, even though I know it's really only psychological. I've done my own tests before to see how much 'zooming with the feet' is required for a 50mm to cover the field of view of the 35 to 70mm zoom (see the post here). It was literally a case of 5 steps back, or two steps forward. And I have to say, I happily shot all afternoon with the Panny 25mm without once wishing I had another lens with me.

Pancake Rocks beach. OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic Lumix 25mm f1.7 G lens. f4 @ 1/2000th sec. ISO 200.

There is an old saying that you 'Cut your cloth accordingly'. That's what you have to do if you are using a 50mm prime lens - cut your cloth accordingly. No, it's not an ultra-wide, so don't go looking for ultra-wide images. And no, it's not a telephoto - so don't go looking for telephoto images either. It can be used for landscapes (see the images above), and it can give the impression of a short telephoto for portraiture if you get in reasonably close to the subject and use the f1.7 aperture to blur the background. But every lens has its uses, and its limitations - and I'd rather carry a 50mm field of view with me than just an ultra-wide or just a telephoto - both of which would be more limiting than the 50mm.

Limpets on the Rocks. OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic 25mm f1.7 G lens. f4 @ 1/320th sec. ISO 200

One of the other great features of the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 is its close-focusing capabilities. At just 25cm for the closest focusing distance, you can achieve some shots approaching macro territory. And as with macro lenses, the closest you focus, the shallower the depth of field becomes - so make sure that the aperture is closed down enough for a decent depth of field. At f4 (f8 equivalent in terms of depth of field on a full frame sensor), the bottom Limpet that I focused on is sharp in the center, and starting to blur slightly along the outer edges. The Limpet itself is probably about 3cm in length - so that's not a lot of depth of field!

Initial impressions of the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f1.7 G are very positive. I want to do some more shooting wide-open at f1.7 - to see what I think about its portrait capabilities. But I'm already very happy with my post-Christmas purchase.