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[OM] Window Shopping for cameras

Subject: [OM] Window Shopping for cameras
From: Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 10:32:03 -0800
We've been saving up for a camera purchase at the end of the year.
Unless we get sidewise with the taxman, or something else unforeseen
occurs, I should be in the market for a new camera body around
year-end. So, it's important to have a clue as to what I may be
interested in getting.

For full-frame, the logical choice is a Sony. The sad thing, though,
is that the Sonys I can afford are getting long-in-the-tooth and
frankly are ergonomic disaster zones. The best way I can describe the
A7 series is "industrial". Also, there is the aspect of compatibility
with the OMZ lenses. I'm just not seeing the "You've GOT to get a Sony
as it's cat's meow with adapted lenses". It may be, but I look for the
"influencers" in this regard, and in most cases, they're shooting
Canon. I want to want the Sony, but there is just something off about
it. I just don't understand what it is yet.

That said, I've been considering other options. Honestly, the new
Canon R series does have my attention, but no IBIS. I want IBIS. I can
work around the image color thing, but the Canon is as exciting as a
Toyota Camry.

I visited Stewart's Camera Store in Anchorage, yesterday, and spent
some brief, but intense time with various m43 cameras. Instead of a FF
camera, maybe a Metabones adapter is in my future. But only if the
camera makes that compromise worthwhile. Having the GX85 is teaching
me what I need in regards to EVF and a few other things.

The OMD-EM5 Mk3 is certainly a "logical" choice camera as it is an
exceptional feature/price compromise. But the camera shape and balance
with heavier lenses is a non-starter. I don't want just another
variant of the GX85, I want something meaty. Outdoors in bright
sunlight, the EVF was decent, but still difficult to work with. A
competent camera and if it was my one-and-only camera with a few m43
lenses, it would be all I need. It focused the hyper-slow 14-54 Mk1
lens pretty fast. Manually focusing an OMZ 35-80/2.8 was OK, but I
really wasn't sure when I nailed focus.

The OMD-EM1 Mk3 is a "wow" camera. It felt good and the viewfinder was
exceptionally good out in the sun.... Uh, with a twist. I wear
polarizing sunglasses and there was a cross-hatch darkening pattern
that made viewing impossible. The EM5 didn't do the same, and it
didn't darken when rotating the camera to vertical like the GX85 does,
but neither Olympus was what I would call Polarizer Sunglass Friendly.
But the contrast and brightness was REALLY good and closer to OVF than
I've ever seen before. Surprisingly, the hyper-slow 14-54 Mk1 lens
focused faster than on ANY other camera. As fast as the motor could
move it, it focused--with no hunting at all. Boom! Manually focusing
the OMZ 35-80/2.8 was better than the EM5, but I still wasn't
convinced.

Then came the Panasonic G9. The viewfinder wasn't as bright and
contrasty as the EM1's, but it is absolutely HUGE! Without a doubt,
the G9's viewfinder is to EVF's what the OM series viewfinders were to
SLRs. IMAX style viewfinder. It was also sunglass friendly. I did find
the brightness and contrast in the bright sunlight to be not nearly as
good as the EM1, but it was certainly usable. As to usability, that is
easily the most comfortable camera (even without battery grip
addition) and balances all lenses exceptionally well. The downside is
that the camera took FOREVER to focus the 14-54 lens. Horribly bad.
Manually focusing the OMZ 35-80/2.8 was "best of show". An absolute
dream to manually focus adapted lenses. And there is focus peaking and
what not to improve things further.

So, in conclusion, there is no conclusion. The hunt continues, but
man-alive, the G9 is a REALLY good camera.

AG Schnozz
-- 
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