time for change ?

the black fox

the black fox

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Jeff
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as most know I do fairly well with my current olympus gear .. and the reason I changed was I needed lighter gear after massive heart failure .. but now due to lockdowns and travel restrictions etc I'm starting to wonder if even thats to much faffing about .

debating whether to sell up and just switch to something along the lines of a sony RX10mkiv , I have already bought a panasonic FZ1000ii for back up and the wife to use . so will cut my teeth on that first to see how I take to it and then base any decisions on that .

I have built up my olympus gear based on local wildlife and a forthcoming (now cancelled) holiday to majorca .. but for what i'm now restricted to its pure overkill given even the low weight of the oly gear .. time will tell . any viewpoints welcome
 
You must do what is best for you. I don't doubt you'll be able to get some pleasing shots from a more compact camera. Who knows, when your health improves you might find yourself wistfully thinking about your Olympus again. :)
 
Plain Nev said:
You must do what is best for you. I don't doubt you'll be able to get some pleasing shots from a more compact camera. Who knows, when your health improves you might find yourself wistfully thinking about your Olympus again. :)
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LOL at 75 I don’t think there’s much chance of that
 
Jeff mate, you know I strongly believe with everythin, that it’s important you do what’s right & works best for yourself...

But my personal thought on this particular circumstance, is I think you might regret it come the spring/summer & especially when lockdowns start to finish. :)
 
Suppose so mike ,just frustrated by it all at the moment as I suppose is everyone else
 
yesterday I got the panasonic DC-TZ95. so a big learning cuirve step by step. did a pano shot just now and amazed . It takes a lot of frames and the camera auto stitches them together as shownP1000030.JPG
first attempt with it so not getting the best from it yet but it is a start. So much to discover what this compact is capable of
 
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Very frustrating for everyone at the moment, wait till spring maybe to see if you feel the same way.

This Covid virus really has changed everything, im currently considering switching to indoors Macro, not something i would normally bother with.
 
I feel the same way as you that for the last 12 months has pretty much been a photography free zone. Even when I’ve had the chance I didn't feel that inclined to do some.

Whilst I can see there is a point where it feels like selling up and maybe rebuying later would make financial sense in some way I’ve recently gone down the route of trying to minimise the kit I have. This started before COVID was a thing but it’s been good knowing I now don’t have lots of kit sitting about unused. Just remember just because your kit isn’t being used for a few months doesn’t mean it isn’t still up to the job when you use it again. Just don’t believe the manufacturers marketing.

It’s frustrating knowing if you follow the lockdown rules you can’t go out for photography even with a hobby that’s generally a solo pursuit. Anglers are in the same position at the moment. Watching the snow come down today on a weekend is quite frustrating. it never seems to happen on a weekend usually in my area. Typical it happens on a weekend during a lockdown!
 
For what it's worth, I really don't think you would be disappointed with an RX10 IV at all. I am confident you'd actually get a better hit rate or better options of all the birds in flight etc. The tracking AF and 30 raw pictures per second with AF is something incredible... Defineily in a different league to the Panasonic FZ1000 (which itself is damn good - I've got the previous generation Leica version)
 
I keep thinking about my needs. I don't get much time to pursue this hobby but when I do I want to spoil myself with a nice camera and a choice of lenses. Sure, some of it sits unused (I have a Sony A7 and MFT kit too and lots of film era primes) but if I sold it how much would I get? The answer is not enough to matter.

Just my view on this. Maybe some will apply to you too Jeff.
 
It’s interesting I think I will wait And see how the files from the Panasonic process before jumping ship ... on a personal note I can’t see my enthusiasm or mobility getting any better as age progresses 75 in a few weeks , I have shed all my big gear by going to MFT but reach comes into the equation to .. as I normally do birds that often entails cropping and then that will be from a smaller sensor so there’s a lot to weigh up ,I also think the future is going to be more biased towards short video snips which I fully intended to explore before our latest imprisonment got a good RODE mike with rabbit already ..
The crop factor also comes into it i.e on the MFT I get 2x crop factor so my 400mm lens = 800mm will the 600mm on a smaller sensor give more reach or less ? I.e has the reach equivalence already been adjusted for in published figures ? So many unknowns when you can’t get to a shop and try one in your hands
 
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Going through the same thoughts myself, changed to m4/3 for similar reasons to you, i like the 1 inch sensor but seen some real crap when its been cropped, part of the answer for me will have to make me accept that bird photography takes a back seat.
 
mikew said:
Going through the same thoughts myself, changed to m4/3 for similar reasons to you, i like the 1 inch sensor but seen some real crap when its been cropped, part of the answer for me will have to make me accept that bird photography takes a back seat.
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I haver a 1" camera, Panasonic TZ100. I think whole pictures can look nice but they're not really suitable for pixel peeping.
 
Jeff may I say I look at some of your images with admiration , I’m considering a move from full frame to mft with wildlife in mind and some of the blame lies on the images of yours that iv seen . I’m not considering the move due to weight or any restriction my decision is purely based on cost as a 5/600mm f4 for Nikon is crazy expensive . The only thing stopping me is a worry about high iso performance , depth of focus and maximum print size . I hope you make the best decision for you and continue making images I’m jealous of .
 
In a ideal world I would keep my oly + 100-400 +tc and sell the other lenses I have and buy the Sony but my funds won’t stretch to that . Even Olympus pics though need the appropriate levels of p.p to look right , I think I have that side of things right .. Alan I see where your coming from but the zoom range on the TZ100 is well below my needs .
The other thing that attracts me to the Sony is the A.F which is supposed to be on a par with there A9 bodies ,that may be the deal breaker ?
 
Damo1 said:
Jeff may I say I look at some of your images with admiration , I’m considering a move from full frame to mft with wildlife in mind and some of the blame lies on the images of yours that iv seen . I’m not considering the move due to weight or any restriction my decision is purely based on cost as a 5/600mm f4 for Nikon is crazy expensive . The only thing stopping me is a worry about high iso performance , depth of focus and maximum print size . I hope you make the best decision for you and continue making images I’m jealous of .
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high iso isn’t a real problem as long as it’s processed properly Damian. Depth of focus is not a problem I struggled with far worse on canon . And although I rarely print most of my cropped and finished images are viewed on a 27inch I.Mac and would show any problems up at that size .
I,m very loathe to change or even think about it but age and increasing levels of inactivity due to lockdown is not doing me any good ,pity as I was getting back into fighting trim before lockdown .
 
Not long before I reach the grand of old age of 76 so also need to lighten my camera gear a bit
 
the black fox said:
In a ideal world I would keep my oly + 100-400 +tc and sell the other lenses I have and buy the Sony but my funds won’t stretch to that . Even Olympus pics though need the appropriate levels of p.p to look right , I think I have that side of things right .. Alan I see where your coming from but the zoom range on the TZ100 is well below my needs .
The other thing that attracts me to the Sony is the A.F which is supposed to be on a par with there A9 bodies ,that may be the deal breaker ?
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I wasn't recommending it just commenting on 1" image quality which I assume will be pretty similar to the 1" superzoom cameras you're looking at.

I do think that the image quality I get from the TZ100 is good and even good at very high ISO's, I use mine up to and including the max of 12,800 and the pictures look ok after processing, but pixel peep even a low ISO picture and they can't match MFT, IMO. I assume the superzooms are pretty much the same image quality wise? I could be wrong, they could be better.
 
the black fox said:
It’s interesting I think I will wait And see how the files from the Panasonic process before jumping ship ... on a personal note I can’t see my enthusiasm or mobility getting any better as age progresses 75 in a few weeks , I have shed all my big gear by going to MFT but reach comes into the equation to .. as I normally do birds that often entails cropping and then that will be from a smaller sensor so there’s a lot to weigh up ,I also think the future is going to be more biased towards short video snips which I fully intended to explore before our latest imprisonment got a good RODE mike with rabbit already ..
The crop factor also comes into it i.e on the MFT I get 2x crop factor so my 400mm lens = 800mm will the 600mm on a smaller sensor give more reach or less ? I.e has the reach equivalence already been adjusted for in published figures ? So many unknowns when you can’t get to a shop and try one in your hands
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The RX10 IV has an 8.8mm to 220mm lens which gives the same field of view as a 24mm to 600mm on FF. So a bit less reach than your 400mm.
 
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Snapsh0t said:
The RX10 IV has an 8.8mm to 220mm lens which gives the same field of view as a 24mm to 600mm on FF. So a bit less reach than your 400mm.
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That’s the info I was looking for ,we shall now have to see how the Panasonic copes with pp... and this is what it all comes down to very clever marketing wording . It gives the impression your buying a 600mm f4 equivalent lens when your not . The A/F may be superior but will probably be the same as pulling back on a lesser zoom to get a equal target size ... lots to think about
 
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No, a 600mm f4 equivalent is exactly what you're getting. How are you not? It's exactly the same as your 400mm being an 800mm equivalent.
 
Snapsh0t said:
No, a 600mm f4 equivalent is exactly what you're getting. How are you not? It's exactly the same as your 400mm being an 800mm equivalent.
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Till I actually get one in my hands to try it’s all theory and maths . Hopefully the 400mm Panasonic camera will be here today an£ I can put it into practice
 
mikew said:
Going through the same thoughts myself, changed to m4/3 for similar reasons to you, i like the 1 inch sensor but seen some real crap when its been cropped, part of the answer for me will have to make me accept that bird photography takes a back seat.
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Or get close to the subject maybe?

Les :)
 
Lez325 said:
Or get close to the subject maybe?

Les :)
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Good idea, that is what I have been doing with my fixed lens compact. Not having to worry about having the right lens for that distant subject, and concentrate what is right in front of us.
 
Lez325 said:
Or get close to the subject maybe?

Les :)
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Sometimes the obvious doesn't always work, i can only get closer if my mobility scooter can get there, after 50 years of wildlife chasing i now have to put up with compromises
 
well thats that one put to bed panasonic fz1000ii arrived lovely camera but only 50% of the reach of my olympus and 100-400 so I will not be moving on to a Sony rx10/4 as not enough reach for me . spent a hour or so getting used to the panasonic and inputting some settings that I think are right . weather here rainy and overcast so not the best test weather .
 
Its a lot to do with subject choice and what you want to do with the image, after so many years chasing birds ;) in conjunction with my mobility limitations i find i am taking images now from a very limited choice range.
If i could get past the thought i should still have a m4/3 just in case :) most of my captures would work for me on the very small sensor on a bridge camera.

All these would be better from FF but they work for me now, all with a Nikon P900

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mikew said:
Sometimes the obvious doesn't always work, i can only get closer if my mobility scooter can get there, after 50 years of wildlife chasing i now have to put up with compromises
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Fair shout Mike - I use my Nissan X trail for the very same thing fella :) I have access to private land where I can go where I please which helps get me some amazing shots

I use a Sony a7Riv and Sony 200-600mm FE lens and sometimes a Sony 1.4x TC

Les :)
 
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