I Choose MOBILITY!

This image is just for metaphoric purposes only. I did not get lost in the woods again today (the weather is still too crappy to take a walk in the woods). It does however describe the turmoil that I have experienced the past few days during the Easter vacation: more indecisiveness. But I am getting that sorted out now as we speak.

I went to the local camera dealer again today to ask if they already have a definite date as to when the Nikon D800 will start shipping. Still no answers there. They have not received any word from Nikon as to when Norway shipments will start. And with over 200 preorders (!) it can take months before all these orders are cleared.

But the real reason I came there was to check out the Panasonic DMC-G3. Like the GF3 I am using now, it's a breathe of fresh air to be holding a camera this small. It's only slightly larger than the GF3, has a better grip, an articulating LCD display and a built-in EVF. Aside from that the only real difference is the 16 megapixel sensor (compared to the GF3's 12). After several minutes of handling I went to check out the Nikon D700 and the Pentax K-5 on display. And it dawned on me: DSLRs are really big, bulky, and heavy, even when equipped with the lightest lenses available for these cameras! My goal of mastering photography has not been impeded by non full-frame cameras. It is being hampered by my lack of desire to go out with a big and bulky DSLR in tow to take pictures. Mobility, or rather the lack of it, was the problem. I have been unconsciously dissuading myself from going on photo walks carrying a heavy DSLR and an equally bulky and weighty lens. It has also swayed me from buying more than two lenses on ANY of the DSLRs I have ever owned!

So I need to change my game plan again. To get better, I need to be motivated. To be motivated, I need to have fun! And it's no fun walking around with heavy equipment. And buying a Nikon D800 will not change things for the better. After reading a forum article posted on Fred Miranda's website, I realized that the Nikon D800 is really not for me. I have no use for 36 megapixels. I don't even own a computer powerful enough to handle file sizes of that magnitude!

I am going to make a smart move and travel light. I am veering more and more towards the Panasonic DMC-G3 as I like the small stature and the useful technology that they bundled with it. 16 megapixel raw files are also easier to handle. But this time I will try to be smart, and use the money I have saved up for the Nikon D800, to couple it (the G3) with some of the best lenses available for the MFT format. And they are also much, much smaller compared to their DSLR counterparts!

You want the Leica quality without having to buy an overpriced Leica body? Then this lens is definitely worth taking a look. The Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm F1.4 (a 50mm equivalent) is the be-all-and-end-all normal fast prime of MFT cameras. It's small, fast, and produces great results. Absolutely all the reviews I have read on the internet agree: this is the defining lens of the MFT system. The downside? The price. It has the Leica name on it, and any camera gear with the "L" word printed on it seems to skyrocket the price by the tenfold. But  still NOT that expensive at around NOK 5000. The original Summilux for the Leica M system costs six times as much.

I am also contemplating to buy the Panasonic DG 100-300mm lens, mostly because on the MFT system a telephoto zoom lens doesn't weight 15 kilograms as it would on a DSLR! It is still heavy though, at around 500 grams, but that is still a very manageable weight, and light enough to carry for bird photography. The equivalent focal length of 300-600mm (!) means that I can take pictures of birds up close. This will make me want to visit Østensjøvannet more, and see if I can photograph some of the 200 plus bird species they claim exist in that sanctuary. Why did I suddenly decide to take up bird photography again? Because it's fun, and I have never been able to really do it with DSLRs because telephoto zoom lenses for those types of cameras are big and expensive. I also came across this website, which was pretty inspiring!

The last lens I want to include in this travel size kit is the equally small but awesome Panasonic Leica DG Macro-Elmarit F2.8 ASPH OIS (whew!) lens. Probably not right away, but definitely a must have. Taking the close-up pictures of flowers yesterday made me want to experiment with macro photography even more. It's an aspect of photography which I have never really explored yet, mainly because macro lenses for DSLRs are heavy and expensive. Bearing the Leica name sadly makes this lens also quite expensive, even more expensive than the 25mm F1.4 prime lens I described above. But it produces some really sharp macro photos. 

This is still going to be a pricey kit. But these are some of the best lenses money can buy for the MFT system. I am looking at it this way: the cost of this entire kit is less than the cost of the Nikon D800 body only! And I will have all the lenses I will ever need (The G3 comes bundled with the standard 14-42mm zoom like the one on my GF3). If I were to get the same setup for the Nikon D800 it would cost roughly NOK 50000, and the total weight would be closer to 10kg! Try carrying that all day while hiking in the forest!

Now if only my camera dealer would give me a discount if I were to purchase all of these items at the same time. It wouldn't hurt to ask, so maybe I will send them an e-mail tomorrow.

Of course with the change in camera system, I will once again have to rename my blog...