Get a Grip! Review of the Olympus HLD-8

I’m a battery grip kinda guy. I love using them, and they are almost the first accessory I get when I have a camera (apart from the obligatory spare battery). Yes they add weight, and yes they add bulk – and that’s one of the reasons I like them. Up until switching to a mirrorless micro four thirds system I was of the ‘bigger and heavier is better” persuasion. It’s something I still sort of believe – to a point.

There are other reasons why I always opt for the grip. I like the portrait-orientation shutter button, the extra purchase it gives your hand, and the ability to add a second battery for extended shooting times. All things that, as a wedding photographer, I found very useful.

But I’m not a wedding photographer anymore. And I have ‘lightened’ my load by moving to the Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mk2. So why add a battery grip to the EM-5?

The HLD-8 comes in two sections. Genius!

For me, the addition of the HLD-8 grip for the EM-5 Mk2 makes sense for all the reasons mentioned above. It adds a portrait orientation shutter button. It adds an extra battery slot. It gives my hand more to grip onto when holding the camera, and it also adds a headphone jack for listening to audio when capturing video. The really clever design of the HLD-8 also means that you can have you cake and eat it too! Only want the extra grip portion for 90% of your shooting? Fine – just add the grip attachment (HLD-8G) section. Need more battery power (and an audio in for filming), then attach the additional battery section. Or leave the grip at home and just shoot with the camera. Lots of options. Ok, that last one you had anyway without paying for the grip – but you get what I mean.

Yet as much as I love battery grips, and always get one for whatever camera I own, it’s been almost a year with my EM-5 Mk2 and I’ve only just got the grip for it now. Why the long wait?

Mostly it was because I had convinced myself I shouldn’t get a grip for the EM-5 Mk2. With some camera decisions I make – especially if it’s a fairly costly one – I can occasionally suffer from analysis paralysis. The internet is a wonderful tool for learning and making ‘informed’ decisions about all sorts of gear – I contribute to this knowledge base myself with my blogs. But it can also subject us to information overload.

I read countless reviews on mirrorless systems, and on the Olympus EM-5 specifically, before deciding to buy one myself. And most of those reviews centred on going as light as possible and using just the body with two or three prime lenses. So that’s the way I was tempted go. Only a month or so after buying the body with 12-50mm EZ lens, I travelled to my nearest city to purchase the grip, but just couldn’t do it. I bought a 45mm f1.8 prime instead, and thought I’d done the right thing. Just me, my EM-5 Mk2, and some prime lenses against the world. Who cares about a big old grip – that’s just for DSLR users!

Trouble is, I’ve come to realise that I’m not a prime lens kinda guy. I’m a zoom lens guy. I LOVE the 12-50mm EZ lens, even if it is f6.3 at the long end. I LOVE the 40-150mm f4/5.6 as well – it’s so sharp and light (and cheap). Of course it would be great if they were faster. I would love to replace them one day with the PRO versions at a constant f2.8. But the 45mm f1.8 prime lens… not so much. I bought it, I used it once and I sold it. Same with the 17mm f2.8. I had grand delusions of being a hipster street shooter with a small camera and 17mm prime, but it’s just not me. Don’t get me wrong, they are amazing lenses. I’m just not a prime lens kinda guy. The next lens I have my eye on is the Olympus ultra-wide 9-18mm f4/5.6 lens, followed by the 75-300mm f4.8/6.7. There are rumours of a 30mm f2.8 macro coming soon – which is a prime lens that would interest me. But I’d be happy if my kit consisted entirely of zooms (with the exception of the 9mm fisheye bodycap lens).

Once I’d had this epiphany (it only took me 30 years), it freed me up to accept that the handling of my EM-5 Mk2 would be greatly improved, for me, if I added the extra grip. What tipped me over the edge was using the Olympus EM-1 recently (see my earlier post). The handling of that camera, with its large grip, was superb. With the extra grip attached, the EM-5 Mk2 looked like it would feel and handle similarly to the EM-1. So from that moment on I was sold.

So now that I have one, am I happy with it? Has it made a difference? You bet your sweet Nelly it has! My camera might be bigger and heavier now, but I don’t care. In fact, I like it better that way. It’s still nowhere near the size and weight of a 1D Mk3, or even a Canon 50D with battery grip and equivalent 24-100mm zoom lens attached. Not even close. But it has made a significant difference to the ergonomics and the handling of the EM-5 Mk2. It’s now much more comfortable (and secure) walking around carrying it one-handed (as is my want to do). The shutter button is now in a much more comfortable location – not to mention the second button for vertical shooting – and the added heft gives the camera a more stable and solid feeling when held up to the eye. Overall I’m a happy camper.

Also, with the grip attached, the cameras strap eyelet now has more room around it so my hand doesn’t rest up against it as much. This makes it far more comfortable for my hand than without the grip. Nice.

It’s not all roses though. With the grip attached, I now find accessing the function buttons on top of the camera to be a bit more awkward. Because the grip naturally moves your hand placement forward of the camera, accessing the function buttons means letting go of the grip altogether to reach them. So now it’s become very much a two-handed operation, whereas without the grip attached your shutter finger is within easy reach of these programmable buttons. A shame – but not a deal breaker. Maybe it’s something I need to get more used to?

Also, the grip completely covers the battery door at the bottom of the camera. So to change batteries in the camera you need to completely remove the grip. This isn’t hard to do of course, but just takes a little more time. To counteract this, Olympus have included an option in the menu (section K under battery options) that lets you choose which battery to use first – the one in the camera or the one in the grip. If you choose to use the one in the grip first, then once that is exhausted and it switches to the in-camera battery, just pop a fresh battery in the grip and it will start using that again. Simple.

Prime-only shooters will probably pass on the HLD-8 because of the extra weight it adds to the EM-5 Mk2. I totally get that. Maybe some should consider getting the HLD-8’G’ – just the grip portion of the unit (sans battery section)? But even that might be an unnecessary addition. If however, like me, you are more of a zoom shooter and feel that the handling of the EM-5 Mk2 could be improved if it were just a tad bigger, then the HLD-8 isn’t really an option, it’s a necessity. A beautifully made, cleverly designed and highly customisable necessity. 

Finally – just a word on what for me was the ‘elephant in the room’ so to speak – the price. At just a tad over $400NZ it certainly isn’t a cheap accessory. You can buy a 45mm f1.8 prime for that kind of money (and I did). Of course I wish it was half the price.  But after finally sucking it up and actually getting one, I’m very, very, very happy that I did.

And on that note – just a quick shout out to Hayden Himberg at Southern Cameras in Dunedin, here in New Zealand. Hayden stocks a great range of Olympus (and other) products and always seems to be able to get me what I want quickly and competitively priced. If you are looking for any kind of camera gear and live in New Zealand, give Hayden a call and see what he can do for you. Tell him I sent you :-)

Another short shoot - with a Canon 650D

I’m always keen to use different cameras when the opportunity arises. I used to review DLSR’s for a photography magazine here in New Zealand and could feed my camera addiction with a steady stream of cameras. Sadly, that stream has dried up. Now, I need to take my opportunities for using different gear any way I can. Sometimes that’s through friends who graciously loan me there cameras for a weekend. Other times it’s through things like work. One such chance presented itself recently, when I got to take a Canon 650D home for the weekend that belongs to the marketing department where I work.

I grew up on Canon gear. My first camera was a Canon T70, followed by a T90, and then on up through the various EOS lines of film and digital. The last camera I owned before switching to micro four thirds was the amazing Canon EOS 1D Mk3 – a beast (and beauty) of a camera. So I’m very at home with Canon camera equipment.

Generally, though, I’ve stayed away from the ‘Rebel’ line of cameras (although I did review a 400D for the magazine), preferring to use the more ‘advanced amateur’ or ‘semi pro’ models like the EOS 40D and full frame EOS 5D. In fact, when I made the move to digital about 10 years ago, I borrowed a Canon 350D and a Nikon D70 and tried them side by side. The 350D was horrible. Possibly the worst camera I’ve ever used. The Nikon D70 was hands-down the better camera, and so that’s what I bought. Fortunately, for Canon, their Rebel series of digital SLR’s has gotten much better. But I still wouldn’t buy one :-)

Dixon Park Band Rotunda. Canon 650D with 18-135mm STM IS f3.5/5.6 lens @ f8.

The 650D is something of a ‘limbo’ model (to my mind). It’s not a rank beginners model like the ‘thousand’ series cameras (1100D, 1200D etc), yet nor is it considered a camera for ‘serious’ photographers (like a 70 or 80D). In that sense, I’m not entirely sure who the 650D is aimed at exactly? If I owned a 1200D and found myself seriously getting into photography as a hobby, then I think I’d skip the 650D and go straight for the 80D – or even something like the 7D? In fact, this is exactly the scenario that a work colleague went through last month. She bought a 1100D to ‘get into’ photography, and has just opted for a 70D as her next camera because she didn’t see the value in ‘upgrading’ to the triple digit camera line. And neither do I quite frankly.

So for the reasons outlined above, I find it very difficult to recommend the Canon 650D (or 760D, or whatever triple digital Canon you care to name). If you’re just starting out in photography and don’t have a lot of money to spend, I’d actually recommend you go for a used Canon 40D or 50D (again, if you simply had to have a Canon).

Dixon Park Trees. Canon 650D with 18-135mm STM IS lens @ f8. Chromatic aberration and purple fringing is evident. 

Why a 40/50D instead? Three reasons. First – build quality. The 650D is of mostly plastic construction – although don’t get me wrong, it’s still well put together. Plastic cameras have more than proven themselves over the last ten years (and have come a very long way since the 350D). The 650D feels solid in the hand, and very well put together. There’s no creaking or moving of joins. But I still think that the more rugged, magnesium alloy construction of the 40 or 50D is the way to go.

Sculpture Park. Canon 650D with 18-135mm STM IS lens @ f5.6

Second – important features for photographers. When you move ‘up’ to the likes of the 50D from the 650D, then you get a faster, more responsive, weather sealed camera with a larger/brighter viewfinder. All the things that actually make a difference when taking photos. No, the 50D doesn’t have a flippy-out touch screen. So what? No, the 50D doesn’t shoot video. Who cares (unless, of course, you do)? 18MP vs 15MP. Seriously? It’s not an issue. It may be ‘older’ but in terms of picture taking, I just think the 50D is the better camera for the job. And it just gets better if you’re looking at the 60D, 70D or 80D instead (although oddly enough I think the 60D is a step backwards in terms of construction).

Cranes at the Wharf. Canon 650D

Third – ergonomics. How a camera handles when taking photos. I’ve left the best, and most important, until last. Don’t underestimate the user experience when taking a photo. It is, in fact, crucial to the enjoyment and experience of photography. If a camera works with you to create images, then you are more likely to want to use it. If it works against you…. well, you get the idea.

With my brief experience using the Canon 650D, I felt it was a camera that was working against me taking pictures. For example, the exposure compensation button is in a very bizarre, hard to reach place, and has to be held in while changing the value. A small thing maybe, but it drove me nuts! The scroll wheel on the back of a 40/50/60/70/80D is a much more intuitive and user-friendly way of changing exposure values on the fly, without taking your eye away from the viewfinder.

But speaking of taking your eye away from the viewfinder – the experience of shooting with a DSLR, whatever the model, would now be enough to drive me crazy. Photographers talk about ‘chimping’ – taking a photo and immediately looking on the back of the camera to see what you’ve got. It’s a derogatory term, but if you shoot with a DLSR with an optical viewfinder, then it’s almost impossible not to chimp at least 50% of the time! Shooting digitally means we have tools like the histogram and highlight/shadow warnings at our disposal to check exposure. So you’re going to use them – right? But you get zero feedback about exposure with a DLSR when looking through the optical viewfinder. So you shoot, you chimp, and you change the exposure value. You shoot again, chimp again, and change the exposure value. You compose another image, shoot, chimp, check the exposure, change the exposure, and shoot again. Ad nauseam.

Historic Coal Wagons. Canon 650D with 18-135mm STM IS lens @f8

 If it taught me anything, shooting briefly with the Canon 650D taught me how great it truly is to shoot with a camera that uses a state-of-the-art electronic viewfinder. The day before using the Canon 650D I had shot all afternoon with my Olympus OMD EM-5 Mk2, and the user experience was night and day. Whereas my time with the 650D was very stop-start, the EM-5 Mk2 was almost never away from my eye, and I never once looked at the lcd screen on the back (it was flipped around and closed on the back of the camera). All the exposure information I needed was accessed through the EVF while the camera was up to my eye. It’s such a superior shooting experience that I can’t imagine going back now.

Greymouth History House Museum. Canon 650D with 18-135mm STM IS lens @f8

There’s nothing wrong with the images you get from the Canon 650D. With the 18-135mm STM f3.5/5.6 IS ‘kit’ lens they were sharp, colourful and contrasty. All you would want from a digital file. I just didn’t enjoy the experience of creating them.

Short Shoot with Olympus EM-1

Recently I was asked by the marketing department where I work to do a photo shoot for promotional purposes. I was very excited to do so (and a little nervous since it’s been a while). I work for a Polytechnic, so the shoot was to revolve around student life and the images needed to be generic enough to be used for various marketing material.

The photography planets must have aligned that week, because at almost exactly the same time, my local camera shop offered me the chance to take away an Olympus OMD EM-1 with Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens for an afternoon. It’s been sitting on their shelf for about a year now, and I gaze at it longingly every time I’m in the store, so I’m fairly sure they expected me to love it so much that I would buy it and not give it back!?  And it was close – so very close….

Unfortunately I can’t post any images from the actual photo shoot itself, since it was an ‘official’ job for my employer. So really, this is just going to be my impressions from using this set-up. I only had it for a few hours, but in those few hours I used the camera exclusively and intensely for a range of portrait and lifestyle images, with just the 12-40mm f2.8.

Yes, I know, I broke the cardinal rule in photography – never use new/unfamiliar gear for the first time on a ‘real’ shoot. But while the EM-1 was a new camera for me, it is also similar enough to my OMD EM-5 Mk2 that I wasn’t fumbling around looking for buttons or dials that would slow me down. No, it’s not exactly the same – but close enough. I did have a couple of hours with the EM-1 to set it up the way I wanted and to familiarise myself with its layout – which certainly helped. And the menu system is practically identical, which also helped. So using new gear straight away on a job doesn’t really phase me as much as it probably should :-)

What were my impressions of the EM-1? In a word – fantastic! I can certainly see why it’s the top of Olympus’ micro four thirds OMD line. Ergonomically I found it vastly superior to my EM-5 Mk2 – meaning that it fit my hand and balanced with the 12-40mm more comfortably, which is probably not surprising. In fact, going back to the EM-5 Mk2 after using the EM-1 was a bit disappointing, which was something I wasn’t really prepared for. In all honesty, the EM-5 Mk2 felt like a toy after using the EM-1 for the afternoon. It made me realise that the EM-5 could really use the grip attachment for better handling, even though I’ve resisted the temptation (and expense) so far.

In all other respects the EM-1 shoots similarly to the EM-5 Mk2 (and original EM-5 I’m sure). It’s quick to focus, has the same gorgeous EVF, same hi-res lcd screen (although it’s not fully articulated – something that I do prefer on the EM-5 Mk2), and produces the same 16MP files. In short, it was a joy to use and I’d have one in an instant – if I could afford one.

Alas, I had to hand the camera and lens back at the end of the day. And despite their best efforts, I didn’t put any money down on it. If I won lotto things would certainly be different. But until then, the OMD EM-5 Mk2 will (more than) suffice. I could possibly sell my EM-5 Mk2 and get enough for a second-hand EM-1 body. But there are pros and cons for both cameras. I really do prefer a fully articulated lcd screen – if for nothing else than to be able to reverse the screen into the body so as not to use the screen most of the time. That’s not possible with the EM-1, although the rumours are that the upcoming EM-1 Mk2 will have the fully articulated screen. So maybe I will hold off for the Mk2 version?

Finally, a quick word (or two) on the Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens. It’s a superbly made lens, and the images that come from it are crisp and gorgeous – even at f2.8. Is it too heavy for a micro four thirds lens? Not really on the EM-1 – but possibly on the other OMD bodies? Especially naked (and by that I mean sans battery grips). The copy I used had a fairly stiff zoom ring – not as smooth as I would have liked, although I assume this would loosen up over time? And while the constant f2.8 aperture is nice to have, in the micro four thirds system this gives an equivalent depth of field as an f5.6 lens on a full frame SLR. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather have a constant f2.8 aperture than not – but when you effectively double it for the purposes of producing bokeh, then the f2.8 starts to be less impressive. That’s when the 45mm f1.8 comes into its own. All that being said, there’s no doubt the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro is an exceptional walk-around lens on the EM-1 body.