>
> Yes, it's an old thread, but I've been very busy these days...
>
It may be a couple weeks old, but still relevant. I've been seriously
stewing on my next digital camera and what I'm considering may be of a
tremendous surprise to many. But consider the premise of the requirements.
1. I need something suitable for wedding photography. This is what pays the
photography bills and this is what needs to be the primary consideration for
funding. Therefore, it really doesn't matter if it has anything feature that
doesn't enhance wedding photography.
2. I really really want something with tactile control. I'm sick and tired
of modal operation and want to go back to something that isn't menu and
button-dial driven.
3. Camera feel. I'm changing back over to the left-hand support, right-hand
guide grip again. This is how you use an old-style SLR and rangefinder
camera. This is becoming more important to me as I'm developing some
additional problems with my right hand/fingers/wrist. I didn't want to
mention this, but I actually ended up hurting myself back in the spring and
my trigger finger hurt so bad I could barely shoot pictures for about two
months. Oh, what we go through for our art...
4. Live-view. I definitely want live view...
5. Pixel count needs to be higher than that in the E-1, but most importantly
isn't pixel count, but the per-pixel sharpness. The E-1 is a real dog in
that arena. 18-24MP is fine for the landscape-wannabes, but serves little
useful purpose in portrait and event photography. The IQ difference between
the E-1 and E-330 is quite significant.
6. Better low-light capability, but not silly-low. Otherwise, you just have
to convert the shots to B&W because of the ghastly colorcasts caused by a
mixture of horrid lighting. (don't get me started...)
7. Related to #1, this camera must be able to pay for itself very quickly.
8. Also related to #1 is that the camera must look good. Appearances matter.
Ok so where does that leave me? I've been quite impressed with what I've
seen so far with the Panasonics, but instead of getting the latest/greatest,
I'm actually seriously looking at the L1 with the 25/1.4 lens. This
combination offers tremendous benefits in the handling department and the
image-quality is quite good. In fact, bloody good considering the measly
7.5MP.
The L1 body can be had pretty cheaply, but the lens is a top-dollar item.
I'd still have two cameras on me during a wedding--the L1 with 25/1.4 would
be the normal "in-hand" camera, but the E-1 would serve duty with the
14-54. (substitute film camera for the E-1 if shooting a film wedding). A
telephoto can be slapped on either camera in a heartbeat. I'd consider the
Leica version of the L1 except the price is a touch high, but it still
offers a lot of potential.
I've handled the L1 and must say that it really does feel great to me. The
viewfinder stinks, but all things considered, not horribly so. From a
practical standpoint, the E-330 is a better camera, but the handling issues
of the L1 (as well as per-pixel sharpness) trumps it.
The 25/1.4 is one expensive hunk of glass, but for good reason. It is simply
amazing and when push comes to shove it offers a two stop advantage over
anything else (F2.8 vs F1.4). That two stops buys a lot of high-ISO noise
advantage. And then there is that little thing of bokeh and DoF... I'd
consider that lens a good investment which can be sold with little loss at
any time.
I really don't mind not using a zoom on this type of camera. As long as I
have something available with the range (14-54) I'm good to go. I learned
how to do wedding photography with a single focal-length and those rules of
survival still apply and it isn't that hard to "own your spot". I'm a big
guy and can shove my way into the prime shooting locations easily enough.
The soul-searching about my needs and desires have come to conclusions which
may seem very silly to some, but they are very real to me. I'm not at all
happy with modal operation and feel much better running by feel. That way
it's about the subject/picture, not about the camera. The camera is an
unobtrusive tool. Secondly, I want something that has the same tactile feel
and control as the film cameras. Unfortunately, there is that little issue
of reversed direction of the aperture ring, but oh well... So it goes.
In discussing this with my business partner in the Iowa wedding business, he
has to agree to anything I do as we have to process the pictures together in
one mass. It would be nice to stay within a brand family, but that may not
be possible. His axe of choice is the E-3. As such, there is little need to
duplicate systems either as we can play off the strengths of each of our
systems as well as our own strengths as photographers. He has also been
seriously considering this very combo for himself too. We process the raw
files in Capture One and Lightroom, so interchangeability is a non-issue for
the most part.
I really really liked the L1 and Dugilux 3 (it's the "red dot" which
requires no explanation or excuses) when they first came out and in my mind
thought about them being a good representation of a long-term camera.
Technology keeps marching on and we have this tendency to immediately dis
the old cameras. But I ask the question: If it was good enough then, why
is it not good enough now? After all, not all progress is progress.
AG
--
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