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[OM] Re: Shots again the E-500

Subject: [OM] Re: Shots again the E-500
From: AG Schnozz <agschnozz@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 09:14:12 -0700 (PDT)
Chuck Norcutt wrote:
> I agree that Olympus has boxed themselves in with the 4/3
> sensor and it's why I haven't bought an E-x.

Well, my investment in the 4/3 system is very minimal.  I've got
about $1100 USD in it and will probably stay at that point for a
while yet.  I like the system and think that there are so many
positive reasons to select the Olympus.  For example, I don't
think there is a better "skin" digital camera out there.

Case in point:  Last night I was working with a MOB (mother of
bride) putting together an album when she observed that the
wedding dress was "white", the flowers were the correct color
and the skin was absolutely lovely.  With film and most any
DSLR, you can get two out of three, but never all three.  With
the E-1 it was a home-run with all three.  (Zero post
processing--in camera JPEGs).

For wedding and portrait work I have nothing but praise for the
E-1 and the 4/3 format.  DOF (blurry backgrounds) isn't that big
of a deal and in reality the image characteristics are more
medium format than small format. We never got better DOF with
medium format than 35mm anyway as 80-135mm was about the longest
lens anybody ever used and things were stopped down to F5.6-F8
as a matter of course.  When I want to go really artsy, I stick
the 100mm or 200mm on the E-1 and shoot wide-open.  That'll do
the trick rather nicely.

If my shooting universe ended with wedding and portrait work,
I'd just get another duplicate setup and be happy.  When the
used market prices of these systems are low enough I'll do just
that.  However, for my other work, higher-resolution sensors are
necessary and I'm hoping that Olympus stuffs at least 10mp in
their next pro body.  In the meantime, I'll still have film
cameras around--including a 4x5.

The investment in the 4/3 format is nice for this interim period
until full-frame 35mm (or even 645) is affordable.  No, I don't
consider $3,000 for a camera body (5D) with a 24month usage
cycle to be affordable.  We're no longer comparing digital to
film costs, but digital to digital costs.  I can justify $1,000
per year in DSLR purchases, but taking perfectly usable gear and
trading it off for a much more expensive (bigger boat, faster
car) camera just isn't wise.  My depreciation cycle on equipment
is either three or five years depending on the equipment. 
Anytime my ownership period is shorter than that period it costs
me too much money.

Now, if my business specifically had a need for a 12mp,
full-frame sensor then that's another story.  But as I already
am invested in digital, which meets the current requirements, I
can't justify jumping on that treadmill.

There are many reasons to pick a system other than Olympus. 
But, these reasons really need to be tangible.  "Not enough
affordable lenses with IS/VR" is only tangible if you are
planning on buying (and have the need for) a specific lens with
that capability.  "High-ISO Performance" is only tangible if you
specifically shoot using these settings and post-processing is
not an option and you SELL large prints.  Image-format is
tangible if your specific printing format better matches one
sensor or another--if you primarily print 4x6 prints then an APS
sensor is the way to go.

My tangible reasons for using the E-1 is as follows:  Image
format (4/3 better matches 5x7 and 8x10 print formats), Standard
zoom lens (14-54 is a nearly perfect lens for
wedding/portrait/event photography), Skintones and color
accuracy (Kodak has nailed this one the best of anybody),
Dust-shaker (chunk-o-caster), OM-Zuiko Adaptor (allows me to not
have to have two parallel systems with the OM bodies, nor have
to buy thousands of dollars worth of lenses right away),
Ergonomics (it just feels right), High-Quality in-camera JPEGs
(when RAW isn't always an option), Decent Viewfinder (ain't no
OM, but what is?).

My intangible reasons for using the E-1 is as follows:  It's not
a Canon (lemmings), it says "Olympus" on the nameplate (hey, I'm
vain, ok?).

AG


                
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