Sony a57. Does the 'head' finally win?

I wrote in a previous post (here) about my desire to change systems and shake things up a bit in my photography. In that post, I concluded that my 'head' said I should go with a Sony a57, while my 'heart' really wanted the Fujifilm X-T20. And usually in these scenarios, my heart wins...

But not, I think, this time. This time, I might actually do the 'right' thing? I might actually go with the wiser option, and get the Sony a57. It's looking very likely...

Why is the a57 the wiser option? For a few reasons actually. First, if I did opt for the Fujifilm X-T20, then I would be purchasing the body only, and then having to source a lens elsewhere. For the money I would have left over after purchasing the more expensive X-T20 body, I could probably only afford the basic 16-50mm XC kit lens. So, in essence, I'd be trading in an Olympus E-M1 + grip, with 12-35mm f2.8, 40-150mm 4/4-5.6 and external flash - and getting an X-T20 with cheap kit lens as a replacement. Not very wise...

If, however, I opt for the Sony a57, then it already comes with a Sony 18-250mm super-zoom (not a stellar lens, but hey, better than nothing) for less than the price of the X-T20 body-only! I can probably also squeeze in a Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 as well, depending on how much they offer me for my Olympus gear. So that's an a57 body, with two lenses, for not much more than the X-T20 body on its own.

And it gets even better! Because, as I think I've previously mentioned, I already have a few stellar Minolta lenses just sitting here waiting to be used on a Sony a-mount body. Exotic lenses like a 16mm fisheye and 50mm macro. The 17-35mm f3.5 'landscape' lens. And a 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 Minolta power zoom. Add to these the aforementioned Sony 18-250mm and Tamron 70-300mm, and that's a pretty impressive line-up of glass! As opposed to the 16-50mm XC kit lens for the Fuji (sorry Fuji, no offence intended). 

So really the answer, in the end, is fairly obvious. I just have to go with the Sony a57. Especially if you also add in the fact that I still have a full-frame a99 on-loan, and can probably borrow even more glass to use with the Sony if and when I want.

The more I thought about it, the more my 'head' took over from my 'heart', the more complete and utter sense it made to go with the a57 over the X-T20. I was enamored by the Fuji because it has the 'newer' processor than was in my X-E2 - which means I could use grain settings and the Acros film simulation in-camera. Something I really wanted to be able to do on the X-E2 but couldn't.

But even then, the more I thought about that, the more nervous I became. Do I really want to go down the 'what film simulation will I use today' rabbit-hole!? It's fun - don't get me wrong. But I also found it a huge time-waster when I was using my Fuji's. It tied me up in knots more than once. My life is much simpler without film recipes to be programming.

And then there's the form-factor of the X-T20. It's small. Very small. Similar to the X-T1, but even smaller. And I really didn't like the X-T1. It was too small, too cramped, and I much prefer a more solid (larger) DLSR style camera. A lot like the a57...

The Sony a57, with its translucent mirror technology, also offers the best-of-both-worlds (as far as I'm concerned). DSLR-like handling, yet with mirrorless tech included - like the Tru-Finder evf. OK, so it's not the highest resolution evf you'll ever find, but it's an evf. And I like evf's. I love the ability to see changes in exposure through the viewfinder, in real time, with histogram overlays, levels, focus peaking - the whole works.

Yes, I've changed my mind. Or should I say, I've listened to my mind - and not my heart. If there is one thing that all photographers who have been doing this for a while agree on, it's that glass is king! Camera bodies come and go, but the glass is what makes the photo. Going 'cheaper' with the Sony a57 body makes perfect sense when you consider the lens lineup I already have access to. So it would seem that this time - finally - the 'head' has won.

OM Solutions Olympus OM-1 'Wow' camera - my thoughts

I feel sorry for OM Solutions (Olympus). I really do. But actually, I feel sorry for all the camera manufacturers releasing new camera models in this day and age. OM Solutions just happens to be the latest example in a long line of recent examples. And I'll tell you why...

There is an old expression - I don't know whether you've heard it - that goes: "They were on a hiding to nothing." Basically what this means is that, no matter what they released, they were going to get hate. I guess that also goes together with a more recent saying; "Haters are gonna hate."

Maybe, it could be argued, that OM Solutions (at least their marketing division) didn't help themselves by building this release up to be their 'Wow' camera. But did they really have a choice? They were hardly going to market the first release of their 'flagship' camera by calling it their new 'A bit better' camera!

And yet, as soon as it was officially released (and for weeks prior), the haters were already wading in with what was disappointing or wrong with the camera. And this includes some of the Olympus faithful! Since it's official release on Feb 15th, I've seen numerous posts on-line by people who have said "That's it. I'm selling all my Olympus gear. I'm done." Or words to that effect. Geez Louise! This camera must really suck!? Or does it?

Spec's wise, let's have a quick look, shall we?

For a start, it has a new 20MP quad-pixel AF stacked CMOS sensor with 1053 cross-type AF points and blackout-free shooting up to 50fps with AF and AE - 120fps with AF and AE locked! Wow! What is not impressive about that people?

Okay, okay - yeah I get it. It's only 20MP. I got news for you buddy - you, yes YOU. 20MP is more than enough for 99% of photographers. Period. 20MP is more than enough for large billboards. 20MP is more than enough for weddings, portraits and landscapes. 20MP is more than enough for your Instagram feed and your Facebook page. It just is. If you feel inferior, and have convinced yourself that you need 40+ megapixels, then micro four thirds was never for you in the first place. Seriously! Go and buy a full frame camera for heaven's sake. Go on... off you go...

For the rest of us mere mortals, the new 20MP stacked sensor in the OM-1 will do just fine. Actually more than just fine. And if you really want to capture more pixels, then have at it with Olympus's fantastic hi-res shooting mode, which has been significantly improved on the OM-1. Due to the new stacked sensor, and improved TruePic X Dual Quad Core processor, the OM-1 can now shoot 50MP resolution images handheld with less risk of subject movement between shots (7 seconds processing time vs 16 seconds on the E-M1 Mk3). It can also create an 80MP Tripod-mounted image as well. And it spits out a RAW image at the end of it all - not just a processed Jpeg.

Is that enough Wow for you? No? Well never mind - there's more...

The new OM-1 is one of the most weather sealed cameras in the world. Environmental sealing rated to IP53 (and no, I don't know what that actually means either. But trust me, it's a lot!). Want more? It has 7 stops of 5-axis  in-body image stabilisation, increased to an incredible 8 stops with a compatible lens. OM-D are also claiming an increased dynamic range over the E-M1 Mk3 of 2 stops (that alone is pretty impressive), and, of course, better low-light performance at higher ISO's (up to a boosted maximum of 102400).

It also has a new 5.76M dot OLED viewfinder with up to 0.83x magnification, a fully articulated 1.62M dot touchscreen, and a new menu system with a more Sony/Canonesque layout and configuration. The new battery is good for 500+ shots and will, of course, allow for a new battery grip to bring it up to the weight and size of a E-M1X.

I haven't even touched on it's new AI tracking capabilities and it's video specifications (4k 60p for 90 minutes, OM-Log - yadda, yadda, yadda).

And yet people aren't impressed.... The camera isn't 'wow' enough for them. They feel the desperate need to change systems. It's a disappointment. Not really an upgrade on what they have already... (insert other rants and moans here...). Are we not entertained?

And this is why I feel sorry for OM Solutions, and Canon, and Nikon, and Sony, and all other manufacturers who have released new products in the last few years. Who remembers the internet loosing it's mind over only one card slot in the Nikon Z6 and Z7? Or the overheating at 8k with the Canon R5? Every time a new camera model is released, the interwebs are awash with haters and nay-sayers just waiting to pounce and declare their crushing disappointment in X, Y or Z.

What a bunch of winging, moaning, self-important, self-entitled, hyper-critical, technology obsessed, narcissistic, over-opinionated a**holes we've become! Just who the hell do we think we are?

All of these cameras are phenomenal achievements in design and technology. And all we can do is bitch and moan about them. I watched a Youtuber the other day describe a single card slot in a camera as a 'deal-breaker' for him, since he shoots weddings. Really? A deal-breaker? So what, may I ask did people shoot weddings with 10 years ago when there were NO camera's with two card slots?

Ok, yes, I get that we have 'moved' on, and we do now have cameras with two card slots. If you feel better shooting a wedding with two card slots in your camera, then by all means, go for it. But a 'deal-breaker'. Really? C'mon. 

Personally, I think that today's cameras are actually a bit too good. A bit too feature-packed and technology laden. Where can they really go from here? How could OM Solutions have made the OM-1 any more 'Wow' than it already is? And before you answer that - think seriously (and I do mean seriously) about what you actually need for your photography.

AI and 'computational' photography are the new buzzwords for the future of our hobby/profession. But at what stage does it then stop being about photography and become more about computer programming?

I, for one, don't need the OM-1. And probably wouldn't use a tenth of it's features if I had one. To me it really is a WOW camera. And so is the Nikon Z9, and the Sony a9, and the Canon R5 etc... Just like most people probably don't use even 1/10th of the functionality in their phones. And yet they will 'upgrade' to a new one every other year. Heck - even my current E-M1 Mk1 is still a WOW camera, and does all I need it to without breaking a sweat.

I suspect that these people who 'need' the latest gear, and who complain the loudest whenever a new camera is released, are actually lousy photographers, who simply want to own the 'greatest' gear as a status symbol. Not for any creative endeavors. Heaven forbid they would actually use the gear to take any photos with!

Having said that, I've also seen plenty of posts on-line from people who have pre-ordered the OM-1, and who are genuinely excited about the new camera. Good on them. I'm sure they will be very happy with their new gear. I lusted after the EM1x when it first came out, and I certainly wouldn't say no if one was handed to me. But I'm also not about to go on any forums and slag it off just because it's bigger than it should be, or doesn't do this, that, or the other.

To stay in business, camera manufacturers must release new product. And said new product must be 'better' than last years model. I get that. But have we almost come to the point where they actually can't get much better? Where photography gives way to electrical engineering and computational physics? As Kodak once famously said. "You push the button, we do the rest."

Fujifilm upgrade - finally?

In my last post I talked about loosing my landscape photography 'mojo'. With my interest in macro photography 'sparked' recently, I can kinda see a way out of my photography funk. But there is another way...

It's no secret that I change camera systems - a lot. I've been writing this blog for 16 years now (yeah, I know...), and in that time, I've owned almost any system you could care to mention. Except Leica. Oddly, I've never even ever touched a Leica camera. Might need to change that one day? But I digress...

And yes - changing camera systems does tend to invigorate my creativity. It get's me excited again. Out taking photos again. Reviewing bodies and lenses again. Looking to be creative again. You get the idea.

Previous to owning my current Olympus E-M1 (a camera I've owned at least twice before...), I was heavily involved in the Fujifilm eco system - and loving it! Honestly. I even made a vlog for my YouTube channel where I gushed over Fujifilm cameras and said I'd be using them forever! (embarrassing much?) Well, we all know how that went. But it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone - least of all me. Part of what I LOVE about photography is using different gear. Always have. It's what made me want to be a camera reviewer for a national publication.

So yes - my genius solution to my current disinterest in all things photography... change systems.

There are two in the running this time around, although one is out in the lead by a decent margin. Currently the heart is winning over the head. I'll briefly outline the 'head' decision first - before completely ignoring it for the heart 😁

Sony is a system that has fascinated me for a long time. Especially the SLT (single lens translucent) technology that allows for a mirrorless EVF combined with a DSLR shooting experience. The best of both worlds.

I am also a huge Minolta fan - especially of their A mount autofocus lenses. I owned an a200 briefly, with a sweet Minolta 35-70mm f4 that I paid peanuts for, and am 'borrowing' an a99 from a friend at the moment. But I've never really gone deep into the system myself. Now might be a great time to do it? Especially since I do have the a99 (great camera) with several great Minolta lenses - including a 50mm macro and 16mm fisheye! My 'local' Christchurch camera store just happens to have an a57 for an excellent price in the 2nd hand section, and it's very tempting... 

And that's what my 'head' is telling me to do. "You've got a full frame body (on loan), and you've got a bunch of sweet lenses for it. What are you waiting for? Get the Sony!"

But what does my 'heart' want?

17 months ago, in September 2020, I wrote about the camera I would probably upgrade my Fujifilm X-E2 to here. It was a great idea, and I would have done it too - if I hadn't had a brain explosion and switched to Olympus in the meantime! But now.... now I can.

Yes folks. I'm moving back to Fujifilm! (I think). And getting the Fujifilm X-T20! (I hope).

Why Fujifilm? And why the X-T20 (and not the X-E3, X-T2 or X-Pro1)? The second part is easy to answer - why the X-T20? Because said Christchurch camera store also has a great deal on a 2nd hand X-T20 at the moment. AND because I've had my eye on it since I wrote that blog post about the upgrade 17 months ago.

Why Fujifilm then? Especially since I left the system in something of a 'huff' a year and a half ago. The answer to that has to do with the creation of this blog, and my 'archiving' of it. Every couple of years I go back and grab all the previous articles, compile them into a book, and print them out. This gives me a hard copy of what I've written. It means that if Google ever decides to abandon blogger (wasn't that a concern a couple of years back?) and dump all my posts, at least I've got a copy of them. It also means I go back and read what I've written. This can be quite nostalgic. And also very illuminating.

Looking through my 2019/2020 posts, I realised that I absolutely loved all the images I had taken with my Fuji cameras. They just had 'something' special. They were filmic, sumptuous, different and epic! Why was I not still shooting with Fuji's!?

Yeah, ok - there was that whole 'mushy detail' thing. But honestly, when I just 'looked' at the images I took on my Fuji's, they were all just brilliant! And I got all inspired to shoot with Fuji again. And to explore their film recipes again. And go down that whole SOOC Jpeg shooting rabbit hole again!

So I think that's what will be happening - soon. I've contacted the camera store in Christchurch, sent them photos of my Olympus gear as a trade, and asked them to price it against the purchase of the Fujifilm X-T20 body they have for sale.

I should come out of it with the X-T20 and enough money to get a 16-50mm XC kit lens for it. Yes, I realise that was the very lens that caused all my 'mushyness' concerns in the first place, but it is also the lens I used to create all those 'epic' images I've just been banging on about. So it can't have been that bad - can it!? (Told you this was what the 'heart' wanted and not the 'head' 😆).

Nothing has been finalised with the trade yet, but now that I've said it out loud, I'll be gutted if it doesn't actually happen.

I will, of course, blog about it again soon. Updates to follow...

Losing my landscape mojo

A few posts ago I talked about my general lack of interest in taking photos over the past couple of years, and how this might be turning around with macro photography. Hoping that this macro passion might re-kindle my excitement in general, I decided to head out last evening to photograph the sunset at my local beach. In years gone by, an outing such as this would have got me very enthused and eager to be out with camera in hand. Every sunrise and sunset was a photo opportunity, and I could get rather grumpy if I missed capturing a beautiful sunset.

Wind-sprayed waves, Cobden beach. OM-D E-M1 with Lumix 45-150mm. f/5.6 @ 1/200th, ISO 400

The signs for a colourful sunset looked promising, although the wind was very strong on the exposed beach. Not great for setting up a tripod and trying to keep a camera still - but excellent for capturing some fairly impressive wave spray!

I put the 45-150mm Panasonic on my E-M1 and racked it all the way out to 150mm to get as close to the spray as I could. The setting sun was back-lighting the waves perfectly and supplying enough light that I could hand-hold the camera in the wind and still get sharp images. The image stabilisation in the E-M1 (and Olympus cameras in general) is the best in the world, and is truly impressive. But image stabilisation won't correct subject movement, so a decently fast shutter speed was also required.

Washed up. Olympus E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm f2.8. f/5.6 @ 1/60th, ISO 200. + Polariser

I had headed down to my local beach for two reasons. One - it was close and I didn't have to travel far. And two - I knew the tide was going out and an old shipwreck that I'm fond of photographing would be revealed on the beach.

The wreck itself has broken into two sections. The image above is of the section that is higher up the beach and away from the water at low tide. I liked the deep red rust colour complementing the blue of the sky and the neutral grey of the beach pebbles, especially when using a polariser on the lens to intensify the blue of the sky. I'm attracted to old rusty machinery in the natural environment as a subject anyway (who isn't), so it was an obvious choice for a quick snap.

Cobden Beach Gold. E-M1 with 45-150mm. f/7.1 @ 1/160th, ISO 400

Then the sunset kicked-off. And boy, did it kick-off! The image above is NOT processed with extra colour vibrancy or saturation increase. That's really what it was like. Just the deepest, richest, golden-orange I've seen in the sky for quite a while. It was beautiful to witness, and yes, exciting to capture. I'm glad I was out, and glad that I got it on an SD card. Been there, done that...

Shipwreck at Sunset, Cobden beach. E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm. f/5.6 @ 1/60th, ISO 200

What I was really there to photograph - the shipwreck exposed in the water - was a tougher challenge than I had expected it to be. The 'low' tide didn't really go out far enough to get some long-exposure sea interaction happening, and this meant I couldn't really get close enough for the compositions I was after.

I took dozens of images, varying my angle to try and get what I wanted. The above image is the best I could do. It's OK, but really doesn't 'do' it for me.

And really, that's the feeling that I get from all the images I took that evening. When I got home to process them, I looked at them all in Lightroom and thought 'meh'. I practically had to force myself to process any of them. And the sunset was stunning! 

Am I losing my photography mojo? Finally. After all these years?

I turned my computer off in disgust, and went and had a shower. Hands up who does some of their most productive thinking in the shower? (Yes, I see those hands...). I think I've come to the conclusion that I haven't lost my passion for photography (I'm very keen to get underway with some macro fungi images), but that, after 20+ years living in the same place, I've finally lost interest in my local landscape locations.

I've probably photographed down at my local beach, local lake, local waterfall, local rocks, local (you get the idea) literally hundreds of times - and I'm just not that interested anymore. Even in great light.

I think that when I returned from my amazing photography holiday two years ago, where everything was new and exciting, and found myself back among the all-too familiar, I just lost interest. Familiarity really does sometimes breed contempt.

Which sounds terrible. And it partly is terrible. I'm so lucky, as a photographer, to live in such a beautiful, and accessible, part of the world. I should be grateful. And I am. Honest. But I am also (if I'm still being honest) a bit bored with my local landscapes. As landscapes.

Does that mean I'll stop taking local landscape photos? For a while probably - yeah. In fact, I've already practically stopped as it is. Does that mean I'll never take another local landscape image? No - course not. It just may be a while....

Messing around with macro

I've been on holiday for most of the start of January 2022 (yay!), spending time in Christchurch, house (and dog) sitting for my sister-in-law and her family. Since we were staying for a while, we took a lot of stuff with us (the golf clubs and trundler came), so I decided not to take both the Olympus and Sony camera systems I'm currently using.

I would have opted for the Sony a99 and 50mm macro - since I'm trying to make macro my new thing - but I also knew that I was going to get the opportunity to shoot a family portrait while we were over in Christchurch (of said sister-in-law's family). So I opted for the Olympus E-M1 with 12-35mm f2.8 instead.

Oh Bee-have! Olympus E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm. f/4 @ 1/320th, ISO 200

The Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm has no psuedo-macro features like those found on the Olympus 12-50mm EZ lens, and it's closest focusing distance is only 25cm. So not a fantastic macro performer. All the photos you see in this post, taken on the 12-35mm, are severe crops from the original shot, so that the subject (the 2cm bee) can fill-the-frame. This means that the original 12 megapixel file gets reduced to only around 1 megapixel with the final crop. Not ideal. But good enough when viewed on-line. 

Hard at Work. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8. f/5 @ 1/640th, ISO 400

And I must say, that overall I'm very pleased with the final results (despite the small file size). I spent a very pleasant hour in a park in Rangiora, chasing bees around the flower gardens, and came away with some half-decent images. The E-M1 was quick to focus, using the central focusing point in single-autofocus mode, and simply firing away with reasonable shutter speeds, hoping to freeze the action (boy do bees move fast).

The original capture of the above crop is shown on the left, to give an indication of how much cropping has taken place. And yes, it is a lot. I'm not going to be printing any of these at  A3 (or probably even at A4) sizes anytime soon.

This is certainly one of the down-sides to using a smaller micro four thirds sensor with a 'standard' lens and trying to come up with decent 'macro' looking images. Really you're just hoping for an exceptionally sharp result that you can then blow up to exorbitant proportions and pass-off as a macro image.

Having said all that, as I commented earlier, I am reasonably happy with the results. The Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 is a very sharp lens, so if you nail focus you can expect some very good results. And the benefit of using a smaller micro four thirds sensor when close-focusing is the greater depth of field you get with smaller apertures. f/4 on the E-M1 gives an equivalent dof of f/8 with full-frame, but allows for the extra light, and faster shutter speeds. So that's a win.

'As busy as a....' Olympus E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm. f/5 @ 1/1000th, ISO 400

To get the bee as sharp as possible from such a big enlargement, I've opted for some selective sharpening techniques (just on the in-focus areas of the bee itself). It's a simple technique, but I find it very effective. And the best thing about it is that it is infinitely controllable, and selective.

Duplicate the original image in Photoshop (Ctrl+J), and then apply a High Pass Filter on the duplicate layer (Filter/Other/High Pass) with a radius of about 2. The image with turn grey, with a faint embossed outline. This is what you want. The magic happens in the next two steps.

In the blending mode for the grey layer, choose either Hard Light or Vivid Light. Then add a layer mask and fill the mask with black. This effectively hides the sharpening that you've applied with the blending mode. Choose a soft brush, make sure that the colour is white, and then paint over the areas where you want to reveal the sharpening. You can build this sharpening up gradually over different areas by lowering the opacity of the brush, and you can also lower the opacity of the layer if you feel that the final result is still too strong? And there you go - a nice sharp bee without adding any sharpness or artifacts to the background.

Time for a rest. Sony a99 with Minolta 50mm macro. f/5 @ 1/640th, ISO 400

My final image was taken just recently, once we got back from our trip to Christchurch and were on a local bush walk. This time I did decide to take the Sony a99 and dedicated 50mm macro instead. 

The difference in file size is day and night. Because I was able to use the dedicated macro lens, and get in fairly close to the dragonfly, there is almost no cropping required from the original file. I could print this A3 no problem.

Unfortunately, it's a bit of a grab shot, and I used autofocus, which locked on to the dragonfly's back and didn't quite nail critical focus on the head. In that regards, it's a failure as a macro image. Using the 50mm macro on the full-frame camera has meant that I had to get in very close to the insect - too close for it's comfort - and it flew away fairly quickly. A 100mm macro would afford a little more 'breathing' space, and that's certainly what I would opt for if I was to get a dedicated macro lens for my E-M1 (the 60mm Olympus macro is a 120mm full-frame equivalent field of view).

Still, it's an ok image - especially when viewed on-line - and it's still all a learning curve for me and macro. I'm getting the feeling that you have to shoot A LOT of images just to nail one or two keepers, especially when small flying insects are involved!?

All-in-all some OK early attempts, and lots of learning for the future. That's got to be worth my while wouldn't you say?

Possible gear for macro

In my last post I discussed my recently discovered enthusiasm for fungi (and therefore macro) photography. I also mentioned that I had briefly dabbled in this very genre last year - first with the Sony a99 and then with my Olympus OM-D E-M1.

Fungi photography with the Olympus OM-D E-M1

I still have both systems available to me, so now that I have decided to pursue this style of photography a bit more seriously in 2022, I have a few decisions to make around the type of gear I will need going forward.

First option is to stick with my micro four thirds system, and add to it, to cover macro photography. To do this 'seriously', I would be looking at purchasing the Olympus 60mm f2.8 macro lens.

By all accounts (I've never even held one), the M Zuiko 60mm macro lens is a stellar lens, offering waterproofing and 1:1 magnification. It certainly looks the part - is apparently tack sharp (I don't doubt it) - and would balance perfectly on my E-M1.

Olympus do offer a 30mm f3.5 macro lens as well, but it's not weather sealed, doesn't go to 1:1 magnification - and is a 60mm equivalent full-frame focal length, which isn't as conducive to shooting skittery insects (since you have to get physically closer with the lens). On the positive side, it's a bit cheaper than the 60mm ($450NZ for the 30mm and $600NZ for the 60mm) - but that seems to me to be the only real positive. I'd rather spend the extra for the 60mm (120mm full frame focal length equivalent) than 'settle' for the 30mm and wish I had the 60mm, especially if I am really serious about pursuing macro fungi photography.

The second option is to move to the Sony A-mount system, since I already have access to a 50mm macro for Sony A-mount (it's actually a Minolta AF lens), as well as a few other lenses. The Sony a99 I have at the moment is being borrowed from a friend, together with the 50mm macro, a fisheye, standard zoom and wide angle zoom - so I've got the lenses pretty well covered. I will have to give the a99 back at some stage, but I'm pretty sure I can keep the 50mm macro long-term, since I know the guy I borrowed it from also has a 100mm macro that he uses instead.

If I sold my E-M1 with all accessories and lenses, I could possibly get about $1k (maybe). With that sort of money I could pick up a used Sony SLT 65v or a55 and have a decent chunk of change left over for spare batteries and other accessories if required.

This option has some appeal, not withstanding the fact that the dedicated 50mm macro would get me up and running straight away with a macro lens. If I sold my Olympus gear, I would actually end up in the black, even after purchasing a Sony body. Whereas if I have to wait to be able to afford an Olympus 60mm lens - even secondhand (if one comes up for sale) - it will probably be 2024 before I can actually afford one! Damn...

There is, however, a third option. I already have the a-mount 50mm macro lens - why don't I just adapt it to fit the Olympus E-M1? A mount adapter like the one shown here, will cost me around $45NZ - and viola, a dedicated macro lens for my E-M1.

Yes, this means that the macro lens will be manual focus only - but that's par for the course with macro photography anyway. So no great loss there. And, when fitted to my micro four thirds camera, the Minolta 50mm macro lens becomes a 100mm macro lens focal length equivalent - again great news for a comfortable distance to subject when shooting. So option three is sounding like a win-win.

It also means that I can continue to use my E-M1, which has a whole host of advantages when using it for macro photography. There is greater depth of field when using the smaller sensor - which is helpful for keeping very small areas in sharp focus at lower apertures. It has crazy-good in-body image stabilisation - again very helpful when shooting insects handheld. The body is weather sealed (excellent when out in damp forest conditions), it's very light-weight and portable (never a bad thing), has focus peaking and manual focus magnification aids - and also has built-in focus bracketing and focus stacking - in camera! This camera was built for macro photography! Are you serious!!!! Option three baby! I love option three!

In all seriousness, sticking with the Olympus E-M1 and adapting the Minolta 50mm macro to it does seem like the perfect solution - at least until I can afford that 60mm M Zuiko. For $45NZ I'll be up and running with an excellent macro system, and I may even find that I don't need the 60mm Olympus lens at all?

It will also mean that I can use the Mecablitz flashgun I have for the Olympus in an off-camera wireless flash setup, or I could keep it even simpler and use the Godox LED cube (pictured opposite). Or both.

I've looked into purchasing the a-mount to micro 4/3 adapter from a local retailer, and they can have one for me by the end of February. In the meantime, I still have the Sony a99 and 50mm Minolta macro lens, and I'll  use that combination until the adapter for the E-M1 arrives. That will give me a month to see if I really am serious about this macro-fungi thing - and a month to fall in love with the Sony A-Mount system and change my mind about staying with Olympus! 😉  Me - change my mind? Never!

Fungi photography in 2022

It's been about three months since I've posted anything on this blog. Did you miss me?

Yeah - thought not.

I have been posting content on this blog for sixteen years now, and I've known for some time that I'm really only doing it for myself. Yes, I get some views (yay), and some of you have even read and commented (thank you) - but my stats from Blogger have never been great. Or even good.

But hey - this isn't a 'pity me' posting. Far from it. I'm actually quite excited about photography again - hence the new post. I haven't been 'excited' about photography - in general - for a while now. Don't quite know why? Maybe it's burn-out? It's been my passion (sometimes all-consuming) for the past 36 years of my life. And that's quite a long time to sustain any passion/hobby/creative pursuit.

I was talking about this recently with a photographer friend of mine, and I can trace my loss of interest in photography back almost two years, to a major trip I went on to Golden Bay. It was a family holiday, but we went with other photographers, so it was always going to end up more of a photography trip. And it was. Ten days of almost non-stop sunrise until sunset photography. And I'm not going to lie - I had a blast! One of the best trips of my life.

Wharariki Beach, Golden Bay. Fuji XE2

But I also got back from that trip suffering from a bit of photography overload. And I think it's taken a couple of years to recover if I'm honest.

To be fair - COVID didn't help, and we've been through two lock-downs here in New Zealand since getting back from the Golden Bay trip. And then there was the issue that I was having with my E-M1 that meant it had to go in for repair. But as disruptive as those events may have been, I really think that photographic burn-out is the root cause for my relative disinterest over the last two years.

However, a recent trip to a local forest with my wife may have changed all that. At least I'm hoping it has...

Hygrocybe Firma - Canoe Cove Walk, Westland.
Olympus E-M1 with Panasonic 12-35mm. f/3.5 @ 1/100th, ISO 800

We have been having glorious weather so far this summer, so while I was on holiday over the Christmas/New Year period we decided to make the most of it and go on a few walks. It had been a while since we had visited the Lake Kaniere region in South Westland, so we decided to do a few short walks there - starting with the Canoe Cove Walk.

I took my EM-1 with me, more out of habit than the expectation of a good photo. And we were only 5 minutes into a 15 minute walk when my wife stopped me and remarked on the beautiful red mushrooms that she had spotted next to the path.

To be honest, I hadn't seen them at all, and would have continued on straight past them if she hadn't seen them and stopped me. And to be fair, they were tiny. Only about 5 to 10mm in diameter. But my wife had seen them. And once she stopped me and showed them to me, something sparked in me again and I knew I had to try and photograph them.

Hygrocybe Firma - Canoe Cove Walk, Westland.
Olympus E-M1 with Panasonic 12-35mm. f/3.5 @ 1/60th, ISO 800

Just so we're clear, I know these aren't great fungi images. By any stretch of the imagination. They are what they are - record shots. I know I can do much better. And that's the point. I'm fired-up, photographically speaking, to want to do much better.

For a start, they weren't taken with a macro lens - just the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 that I happened to have on the camera at the time. A stellar lens btw... just not the 'ideal' fungi photography lens.

Also, the composition isn't great, since I took them hand-held, didn't have a tripod with me, and wasn't about to start lying down in the middle of the forest track. This was a recreational walk that sparked a photographic interest - one I intend to pursue in greater detail in 2022.

Pluteus Velutinornatus - Canoe Cove Walk, Westland.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic 12-35mm lens. f/4.5 @ 1/500th, ISO 800

I took a few macro fungi images in 2021, and also enjoyed the experience. I even blogged about it here and here. Macro photography has always looked a lot of fun, but at the same time, also seemed like some strange and dark art? I have owned one or two dedicated macro lenses over the years, but I've never really made good use of them, or explored the genre with any real intention or purpose. And yet I've always enjoyed it, and liked the results - even with my meager understanding. So I think 2022 is the year to take this macro stuff a bit more seriously!

I'll write about what that means, and might look like gear-wise, in my next post. But for now I'm just jazzed that I'm finally getting excited about photography again!

New Zealand Native Tree Fern. E-M1 with 12-35mm. f/2.8 @ 1/200th, ISO 800

Of course if you go into the bush, fungi isn't the only thing you'll find. Thought I would finish this post with my favorite image from the walk - a tree fern frond. These are beautiful plants that grow in the New Zealand bush, and I always try to get a photo of the frond unfurling when I find them. This one turned out particularly well (if I do say so myself). So I guess fungi won't be the only thing I will point my camera at when I'm out in the bush this year 😀