Holy crap! It's been a while.

I know, I'm terrible at the blogging thing. I want to say I'm sorry, but I've been exploring, and doing things, and I can't apologize for that.
  I mentioned a while ago that I picked up a little Olympus OM-D EM10 and 25mm 1.7. It's an entry level micro 4/3 camera.  Last month I bought a cheap flash and trigger and decided to see what I could do with this small set up.

Olympus with 25mm Panosonic lens, Neewer speed light in softbox to the right.

The answer is, the same thing I can do with my Nikon and Yongnuo speed light set up, for the most part.   There are some challenges, but some benefits.  The sensor is small and is not as sensitive to light, and the lens is not as quick to focus in low light as my 1.4 lenses.  However, due to the 3 axis in camera stabilization capabilities and lighter weight of the equipment, I can get a sharper image at a lower shutter speed than with my heavier gear.


I've been playing off on comparing my results with the two camera set ups for over a month.  Not to see if one's better than the other, but to see if I could get acceptable images that would please both a photographer's eye as well as someone who knows nothing about photography.  Some of my so-called tests were to try and get the same results while others were using the same settings to see what the differences were. Below the color images were shot with the same settings to see what the differences were obviously present. You can see the depth of field is more shallow in the Nikon shot.   I'm not going to compare the distance of him in the frame because I didn't use a tripod. I know I didn't get up and move, but I am aware that I probably shifted while I switched bodies, and probably cropped and straightened the shots. With the lack of using a tripod, I was really trying to look at DoF and exposure differences so that I can play with the next shot. In the black and white comparison I was trying to get similar results using different settings. I didn't quite nail that, but both are acceptable to hang on my wall.

Nikon top, Olympus bottom Natural light.

Nikon 50mm 1.4 left Olympus 25mm 1.7 right.

Back to the speed light set up. Again, I do these "tests" to see what I can do, not to prove anything, or to educate, I'm  not really qualified for that.  I just know how to make them work for me.  Focusing was difficult in the dark on both cameras, but seemed easier with the Nikon and 50mm 1.4. I did use a flashlight to lock focus when using both of my cameras.

                                                            Olympus and 25mm Left  Nikon and 50mm Right

Anyways, both did well for my personal use. I still use my Nikons a lot, but I feel good about my Olympus entry level camera as well. I know they say "it's not the gear, it's the photographer". Yes and no.  Your gear has limits, the lower the level the gear the more limited you can be. However, if you use your entry level camera with in IT'S ability you can really get some great stuff because of your knowledge behind the camera.  

Never be afraid to be curious. I may look stupid to some photographers with my lack of technical knowledge, poor posing abilities, and lighting choices, but I'm not afraid to learn, and to try. I'm not afraid to make a mistake. If I learn something it's no longer a mistake...it is then called a lesson.