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[OM] Re: E1 and ancient Zuikos

Subject: [OM] Re: E1 and ancient Zuikos
From: AG Schnozz <agschnozz@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:44:02 -0700 (PDT)
Thanks for all the responses.  Once the dust settles with all of
the latest product releases I'm going to be getting very close
to getting a DSLR system.  At the moment it's narrowed down to
three finalists:

Olympus E-x. Every time I've "test drove" the E-1 I've really
liked it.  It "feels right".  The fact that I can, in a pinch,
reuse a couple of lenses helps, but isn't a deal maker or
breaker. With the exception of one lens, all of the Zuikos are
ancient silver-nosed jobbies.  I REALLY like the viewfinder of
the E-1.

Nikon D2X.  Hubba hubba.  I'd pick up a used F100 for film
shooting.  Unfortunately, I'd also be sleeping in my car.

Minolta D7D.  I'm already 8000+ pictures into my A1 and
absolutely love the Maxxum/Dynax 7.  The thought of having
anti-shake with most any lens is a hot point with me.  Also, is
the concept that the same lenses work on the film camera.  That
2.5" LCD display on the back of the Minolta is a serious selling
feature as is the dimunitive size of the entire camera.

My heart is saying "Olympus" but my brain is saying to switch
systems.  You all know that I'm not one to buy/sell tons of
equipment or chase the latest cool gadget.  I'm still using the
exact same camera and lens I purchased in January of 1986.  And
that was used equipment.  I even drive a 10 year old vehicle
with almost 180,000 miles on it--and it was bought used too.

When is it time to pull the plug on the old system?  I love the
OM system, but for me, it's not viable anymore.  Six years ago I
was going to bail and go Nikon, but funds and life changed a
bit. However, certain requirements for a film camera still exist
in my life.  I've gotten around it by using the IS-3 or
borrowing equipment.

The question of going 100% digital is still out there.  There is
a part of me that says "screw it" to film.  But then I process a
roll of film and make a couple enlargements on fiber paper and
I'm reminded why I still shoot film.  And I just wrote checks
for over $200 in darkroom supplies this week to carry on a bit
longer.  Two years I'm giving it.  I'm committing to B&W film
until the end of 2006.  We'll see where the state of digital is
at then. (and also what the situation is with print sales).

My OM cameras are tired.  Neither one are up to the task of
wedding or event photography anymore.  It's harder to manually
focus when the subjects are moving.  1/60 flash sync is also
very limiting.  For crying out loud, I can't even use primes
much anymore since zooms are so much more effecient to shoot
with.  But they still get used for artistic work.

Therefore, let me ask the same question in a slightly different
manner:

Is the ability to use two very specific (and old) lenses on a
digital camera enough reason to stick with the brand?  Each
brand/model of camera has distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Are the ergonomics and build quality of the E-1 enough for me to
say "this is it"?  I could care less about feature count or five
vs eight frames per second.  As long as the camera meets a
certain level of performance (of which all of my chosen ones
attain), it becomes an issue of how well does the camera USE
that performance or feature set.

My future system must:

1. Be ergonomically friendly.  Grip and viewfinder has to be
really good.  (Sorry, that disqualifies most Canons).

2. Be part of a film/digital hybrid system.  (Until at least the
end of 2006).

3. Have decent flash control with ambient/flash ratio control.

4. Be good for sports photography.

5. Be good for wildlife photography.

6. Be reasonably rugged.  (see points 4 and 5)

7. Be able to produce excellent pictures without
post-processing.  Less than 20% of my digital photographs are
RAW. Most of the time I need to shoot "straight to print".

I'm at that cross-roads.  In reality I have little financial
reason to stick with Olympus.  I desparately wanted a digital OM
body, but Olympus chose to bury that system and start anew. 
That's fine, but unfortunately I can't completely abandon
film--yet.  If a starting semi-pro with ZERO equipment came up
to you, could you recommend Olympus to that person?

I REALLY want to stick with Olympus--that's where my heart is.
I'm looking for reassurances that getting into the E-x system is
a smart move for me.

AG


                
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