Updating My Camera This Year

I'm considering updating my camera this year.  And discussing a tiny bit re design here.

For my photography/camera needs, aside from wanting a camera that outputs DSLR-quality images, it has to have:

• a built-in viewfinder
• wi-fi
• art filters
• pic size can print to poster size prints
• built-in flash would be nice to have
• with a kit lens

And most importantly, be not bulky like a normal DSLR.  I don't enjoy lugging heavy gear and lenses with me.

I like street photography, candid people shots, portraits, macro, travel and culture, and not just landscapes... almost documentary-like.


Anyway, my current cameras are:



1.  Olympus E-510 DSLR (bought in November 2007, 2-lens kit)

  

I loved this camera.  It's a four thirds system DSLR camera.  It was among the first DSLR with live view for framing preview.  And Olympus was the first manufacturer to release such cameras at the time.

I remember having dropped accidentally the longer kit zoom lens on a trail the first time I used the camera on a photography trip in the Philippines' Wawa Dam/reservoir.  Imagine me and my friends' panic when we heard and saw it drop and roll on the hard ground.  Lol!  But the lens turned out fine and didn't break.  Cool.

So I used this DSLR whenever I travelled or knew I'd be doing some photography.  Problem was it's just not very handy when at social occasions at it felt bulky; even though at the time it was released, it was built to be the smallest or among the smallest DSLRs.   It still took great pics and was highly recommended by dpreview.com.  However, it being a DSLR, there's just no way any DSLR is pocketable, even right now I guess.

Hence I bought the next best thing to a DSLR last 2011 for my Himalaya Annapurna trek. A small handy camera with image output as near as possible to a DSLR's:


2.  Olympus XZ-1 point and shoot camera with an f1.8 aperture (bought 2011)

This one is so 'pocketable' it's the camera I ended up bringing with me whenever I needed one.  And my poor DSLR was left at home and only taken out on deliberate photography trips.  Now I have a handy camera to bring and use at social occasions and which doesn't intimidate people nor scream, "Oh lookie here! I got a DSLR."  Lol.

And at the time it was released, it was the only point and shoot/pocketable camera with a lens aperture at f1.8, an aperture on lenses you can only find with the bigger bulkier DSLRs.  Another Olympus feat.  So really it was a no brainer buying it if you use a DSLR but appreciate another less bulky and almost-DSLR camera.  It's just limited by the image size for if you want to have prints larger than a letter-sized one.  =(  And I miss and still like better the oomph in the depth of field and substance of images produced by DSLRs.

Hence I'm ready to go back to something like a DSLR but still with less bulk.

I brought both on the trek.  Used the XZ-1 on the trail, and the E-510 for any astrophotography of the Annapurna peak/s with the great stars in the background (only possible with a good DSLR and a tripod).

Now going back to the topic of the new camera I'm considering.



Well, Olympus came out with the OMD E-M5 in 2012. 

It's a really small DSLR camera that uses the micro four-thirds system, smaller than the usual DSLR, with a viewfinder and not just the LCD screen to preview shots one is about to take.

I wish Olympus or another manufacturer came out with this in 2011 instead as this was the non-bulky DSLR I was looking for but was not yet available by any manufacturer at the time in 2011 when I ended up buying the XZ-1.  This costs a little more than $1000 now.

The Pros:

• I loved the retro look of the silver one since it reminded me of when I was kid with the cameras my dad owned and which I fiddled around with but not knowing how to use them properly.  Lol.  

Not everyone wants technology to always look 100% updated especially when such technology has more than 100 years of history behind it.  Smart Olympus knows when to tug on the buyer's 'emotions' so to speak.  Lol!  Especially when the buyer is also design-educated and inherently design-oriented like me

I also venture here to say that Olympus is to camera and lens design and features as Apple is to computing design (pioneers, always excellent, and reliable for the tasks their products are primarily designed for).  It's no strange coincidence that I happen to be a Mac user/owner for almost a decade now and at the same time own Olympus cameras.  Just something I noticed of myself.  I won't be surprised to learn if more veteran Mac users own Olympus cameras than non-Mac users.  Gah.

• And I prefer having a viewfinder (like the cameras of old) vs using just the screen when taking pics (XZ-1 doesn't come with a viewfinder).

The Cons:
However, I was disappointed the EM-5

• doesn't have wi-fi when at the time of its release, the new cameras being released by other manufacturers have wi-fi.  I mean, really, by then, smartphones are the norm, as are social networks, sharing media, and cutting off the cord when it comes to transferring/sharing images, and yet the EM-5 didn't have wi-fi.  Boo.
• nor a built-in flash (handy when you need one but don't wanna bring extra bulk with you or have to attach it).  =(  

So I held back and waited for the next release hoping it'd come with wi-fi, and built-in flash would be nice too, while I'm not yet travelling to anywhere else significant.



Then Olympus released the EM-1 last year 2013 

It has the best bells and whistles, really.  But costs about $1500 body only.   Lens must be bought separately.  Waah.  So it's Olympus's high end micro four thirds system camera.  And I'm just a hobbyist.  It's still as bulky as they come for a DSLR though, so yeah, that's out of my list then.




So finally, this year 2014, Olympus released the OMD E-M10. 

It's like the EM-5, with the main differences being:

1. EM-10 is not weather-sealed.
2. EM-10 has less axis stabilization than the EM-5. 
3. EM-10 has built-in flash.  EM-5 comes with a flash you need to attach (what a hassle when it comes to it for people like me.. lol!  I don't like using flash but it's extremely handy when you  need one).
4. EM-10 has wi-fi.
5. EM-10 has the Color Creator feature the EM-5 lacks but is found in EM-1.

Good thing I don't really care about the first two differences listed above (weather sealing and axis-stabilization).  I mean if I was happy with my old DLSR not being weather-sealed nor having the 5-axis image stabilization that the EM-5 has and yet my old DSLR produced great results, not to mention both features are also not included in my list of considerations in buying a new camera, then I'd be okay with the EM-10.

My pros on the EM10:

1. has wi-fi, yey!  Even if it's only possible with smartphones and tablets, but not laptops (?).  Which camera is?  Please let me know.
2. has built-in flash, small though it might be but still handy when you need them for illumination under certain light conditions taking pics of people outdoors.
3. has the Color Creator feature EM-1 has but not found in EM-5.  I love this feature, I might not need to get a polarizing filter anymore.  Ahaha!  :D
4. has lots of focus points
5. retains the retro look with the silver version

Another bonus with the EM-10: for some reason, it costs quite less than the EM-5 for the updated features it comes with that I've also been waiting for.  It's about $800 vs EM-5's $1100, on average.  Possibly due to the absence of EM-5's weather-sealing and 5-axis stabilization features. Both of which, as I said previously, I really don't care much about.  At this point, they're just a nice to have but nothing really that helps me significantly for my photography needs most of the time.

Sooooo EM-10 has only started shipping so there aren't yet enough reviews about the image output.  I'm just waiting for those from dpreview.com, user reviews on amazon.com, and other reliable review sites.  And if it gets a Gold award or still high recommendation from dpreview.com, barring significant negative image output results, then I'll be ready to hit the Buy button this spring hopefully.


screenshots from images on amazon.com