Photo walk during Lockdown

In my last post I talked about taking the Sony a99 and Minolta 17-35mm f/3.5 lens out for a landscape shoot during Lockdown. I enjoyed using it, and it takes some beautiful images, but I still think it isn't a very 'portable' setup.

Greymouth wharf from Cobden lagoon. E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm f2.8G. f/5.6 @ 1/60th, ISO 200

For that, I turn to my own camera gear - and the Olympus OM-D micro four thirds system. For me (and yes, it is very subjective), it offers the perfect balance of size vs image quality. And by that I mean excellent size, and excellent image quality. Many view anything less than full-frame to be a compromise, at least image-wise. I disagree. Strongly.

Sure, if you're a 'measurebator' or 'pixel peeper', then you won't be caught dead with anything less than full-frame (or maybe even digital medium format). But, on the other hand, if you're a photographer who enjoys the creativity of capturing an image, then you'll use any number of tools to achieve your vision. None are better than the other. They are simply different.

'Spicy'. E-M1 with Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8G. f/5.6 @ 1/80th, ISO 200 + Polariser

This isn't another way of saying that 'gear doesn't matter'. I've argued many times elsewhere that I find this an incredibly trite and blatantly untrue statement. Of course gear matters. Give a sports photographer at the Olympics a pinhole camera and ask them to cover the games with this one piece of gear. See how far that gets you - or them for that matter. It's all about having the right tool for the job. And in that regard, of course the gear matters.

But... conversely, the gear also doesn't matter as much as many photographers pretend (or hope) that it does. Yes, certain situations might call for specific functions. But beyond that, for most photographers, it really doesn't matter if the camera is full frame, medium format, or micro four thirds. Especially when you consider most peoples' use-cases.

Sundown, Cobden Tiphead. OM-D E-M1 with Lumixs 12-35mm f2.8G. f/5.6 @ 1/1250th, ISO 400

Ok, rant over. Suffice to say that when I use the Olympus OM-D E-M1 (which is considered by many an 'old' camera), I'm using an incredibly responsive, superbly designed and highly capable camera/computer that captures stunning images. Match that with a professional optic like the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Aspherical Power OIS (to give it its full name) and the only thing that's holding it back is me.

I firmly believe that pound for pound, and dollar for dollar, nothing comes close to micro four thirds. I've used practically every system, every sensor size, and a plethora of body and lens combinations over the last 36 years of being involved in this fantastic hobby/profession. And when I consider all the systems and weigh up the cost, the features, the functionality and the image quality, my Olympus micro four thirds system stands together with the best of them.

How can I be so bold? Well, in this instance, I believe that a picture paints a thousand words... and speaks volumes for the capabilities of the E-M1 specifically, and micro four thirds generally.

Blaketown Tiphead Sunset. E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8G. f/5.6 @ 1/160th, ISO 400

All the images I took, walking around my neighbourhood to try out the Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f2.8G, are simply stunning.

Yeah, ok, that sounds a bit self-congratulatory. 'Look at me. Big shot photographer'. But that's not really what I mean, or what I'm trying to say. What I really mean is that the photos from this camera and lens combination really 'pop'. There's a certain quality to them that elevate them a step above your normal everyday snapshot - even though ostensibly that's exactly what they are. Admittedly taken in some quite nice light.

There's a sharpness to all of them, although they're not 'over' sharp. And a clarity to them, although they don't look overly 'digital' (to me at least). The colours are exceptionally captured, yet also true-to-life. And the files are robust and easy to work with in post-processing. What's not to like?

Greymouth wharf from Cobden lagoon at dusk. E-M1 with 12-35mm f/2.8G. f/5.6 @ 1/20th, ISO 1600

Most of this, of course, is due to the superb capabilities of the Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 G lens. It is a professionally designated lens, and as such offers professional quality results. It's a solid lens without being heavy (maybe 'dense' is a better description), balances perfectly on the professional E-M1 body, and performs flawlessly. Zooming is very smooth and well dampened, while autofocus is snappy, quiet and accurate.

It comes equipped with Panasonic's Power OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation), although it won't work in conjunction with the E-M1's image stabilisation, so I have turned it off on the lens. Olympus's in-body 5-axis image stabilisation is far superior to the one in the lens, so should be used in preference.

Not much more can be (or needs to be) said about this fantastic lens. I ummed and arred about getting it for a while, and even after buying it (secondhand) I wondered if I'd done the right thing selling most of my other lenses just to get this one. But that was before I had seen the images it produces. Now, after only using it twice, I don't think I've done the wrong thing at all. I did the same thing the last time I owned an E-M1 - selling all my lenses just to get the Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. I never regretted that decision either. Camera bodies, as they say, come and go. But good glass lasts. And this is very good glass.

Of course all pro-level 24-70mm f2.8 lenses, from all the other manufacturers, are exceptionally good optically. But the Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 G is all these things, at half the size, half the weight - and at half the price! DSLR photographers love to gloss over this fact, or find comparison's where this doesn't quite work. But in actuality, the truth of the size/price/weight savings comparison with APS-C and full frame is real. And the benefits of micro four thirds are obvious to anyone who has seriously made the switch.

Swan Lagoon.  E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm f2.8G. f/5.6 @ 1/8th sec (hand held), ISO 1600

In my last post, after I had used the Sony a99 and Minolta 17-35mm f3.5 on a landscape shoot, I summed up by saying that I was seriously rethinking my choice of system. I think that might have just been the euphoria of getting out and taking some photos after being in Lockdown.

In reality, a simple walk around my local neighbourhood, taking some 'snaphots' in the early evening light, has proved to me without doubt what an amazingly special camera system the Olympus/Panasonic micro four thirds is. Return to full frame? Humpfh!!! What was I thinking!?