Joseph Ellis weights in on Olympus biggest competitive advantage
Olympus Ambassador Joseph Ellis lists Olympus biggest competitive advantage?
OK, so in my professional life one of the critical advantages of the OMD system has been how much easier it is to carry all the gear I want to have at a gig. Now that kit includes several lenses, three bodies flashes etc. and compared to what I used to carry in a DSLR system it’s night and day lighter and more compact, gives me more options in terms of FOV, amazing AF, killer exclusive features IBIS it’s still more than most would want to carry on vacation or just in a pocket on the daily.
But luckily, at the heart of the OMD system is the choice to go even smaller, so light so compact that any burden to carry or use it is as minimal as possible. I’ve been in love with the idea of smaller but still feature-rich cameras since moving to OMD but to really make the system shine it’s more than just a camera it’s also the lenses.
Now as you step into the OMD system there are a lot of lenses to choose from but I think there are maybe three categories
1. Specialist lenses (macro, super telephoto, ultra wide angle)
2. Do-everything zooms
3. Primes (normal-ish 12-75)
And each of those categories has Pro/Standard options. For me the Pro lenses are for when I’m going out to do photography exclusively. Meaning if the purpose of the activity or the trip is to make images then I’m absolutely going to want the fast and flexible Pro zooms at the ultra-fast apertures of the Pro primes but for EVERYTHING else I adore the smaller primes.
As I was growing into the OMD system I bought a few of the standard prime lenses and these have really become the mainstay for my personal work because they allow me to capture the widest range of available light with the smallest footprint. Combined with the image stabilization, the high iso capabilities of the cameras and fast and acute AF you’ve got the best system I’ve ever used for capturing life unobtrusively. Zooms are wonderful but I would rather have the ability to take in more light, keep my shutter speed up for fast movement.So what do I carry on the daily – 12/25/75 and the EM5MKIII. These three lenses and bodies make for the lightest and yet widest range of possibilities. The 75 is there mostly for sports and performances, the 12 for scene-setting, unique perspectives, small rooms etc. and the 25 is the default, go-to do-anything ready at a moment’s notice lens.
