We all form habits in our working and home lives. Many of these habits revolve around thngs that work for us simply being repeated and things that don’t being discarded. Habits formed by realities.
Over the last couple of years, I have been flogging my gear and I have recently realised, my habits have changed as good results give me warm fuzzy feelings about some gear and less stellar performance has resulted in cold prickly feelings (although this has been less common, the warm fuzzies generally just winning out).
When I started out, my base kit was the following;
12-40, 45, 75-300. This was a handy kit covering the widest I felt I would need, to the longest, and a fast portrait prime to help balance out the slow 75-300. It was fine and got me to where I needed to be, but it did have its limitations, usually to do with sport, distance and winter light.
My kit now is the 8-18, 25, 40-150, 75. All but the wide angle are lenses I already owned, but their true utility was not discovered until repeated use produced consistently excelllent results.
The 8-18 was origionally bought to reduce my reliance on the 12-40, which had developed a “lump” in its zoom range and to pre-empt a predicted need for a wider lens, which turned out to be the case more often than I would have thought. What I was not expecting was a lens capable of producing something special, even adding a whole new look to my kit.
Great distorting control, beautiful colour and strong perfromance across the frame, this lens slots into my existing Olymus kit as an equal, but slightly diffferent partner. Apart from the Fuji 14 f2.8, I have rarely come across a wide angle with such a compelling case to be in my bag.
I tend to avoid the very widest settings unless needed, but even then, it is tolerable, even to me. If I had the luxury of time, I would have likely held out for the 8-25 Olympus, just for the extra range, but I am actually glad I did not have to choose, because there is something this something about this lens, something I would have missed out on.
As for build quality, this lens has been badly dropped twice (rare for my gear), and has come out scratched, but healthy, so A+ there. It’s performance has been impressive enough to have me looking at Panasonic more, maybe even enough to sway me to getting a second G9 with a kitted lens.
Issues? AF on the EM10’s is a little patchy, although not as bad with touch screen, which is very snappy even on the older EM5’s (and my preferred way of using it), the AF/MF switch needs some tape on it to reduce accidental actuation and………….nothing else I can think of.
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The 25mm is still surprise to me. I have a complicated relationship with my 17mm, going from reluctant purchaser to outright groupie, all the while managing to ignore the “filler” 25. It turns out, this is my best portrait lens and my favourite video lens on the EM1x. It is superior to many other lenses I have ever owned and a great example of what makes M43 work for me, it just took me a while to get that.
It lacks the compostional power of the environment including 17, the flattering compression and characterful Bokeh of the 45 or the outright heroing of the subject the 75mm offers, but it is the champion of doing a little of all these things, with a comfortable working range and allpurpose ease of use they all lack.
This was a high ISO test shot, which shows off the lenses wide open sharpness and Bokeh. Very harmonious and creatively compelling. On the EM1x, this lens also seems to perform the best with touch AF and general handling.
Negatives? The lens is actually not a 50mm equivalent, more a 45mm, which is actually a benefit for me, but something to be aware of and it is not weather resistant, but I am also aware of that, so no real issue, just a shame.
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The 40-150 Pro is a lens I sold off in my low period, a time when I was systematically shedding lenses as I moved towards a small travel-only kit. The 12-100 Pro was another casualty of that time and one I still regret selling in hindsight, but who knew where the future would take me.
Luckily, I managed to get it back for what I sold it for. The best thing I did all that year. This is my work horse. Any doubts that it can produce images as sharp and clean as my primes have been well and truly quashed. It is a brilliant low light option, long enough for most sports and versatile enough for most other tasks.
Tough light, no issue. This is my indoor sport, drama and classroom portrait lens.
This lens is also one of my most reliable AF performers. On any camera it seems to be one of the best I have. I remember using it with an EM5 mk1 for basketball and getting good results. The EM5 mk1 has fast aquisition, but no trackng at all, so I was relying on instant speed and accuracy only.
For extra versatility, the 1.4x teleconverter goes on this so seemlessly, I often forget it is on.
Issues? Nothing other than weight, which can be resolved by switching to the excellent 40-150 kit or 75-300 tele, both great lenses if light allows, and it has occasionally nervous Bokeh, but very occasionally and I have options.
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The final lens and one I do not always use, but consider my “secret weapon” is the 75mm f1.8 (see Bokeh above). For rare occassions where I might need crazy soft Bokeh or even better low light perfromance, this one is added. It is quite simply my best M43 lens, but has to share a crowded space and is of limited utility due to it’s odd focal length (150mm equiv).
Sharp, brilliant, compressed goodness.
On a video camera it can become a 400 f1.8 at 1080p on the G9, something that I am dying to try.
Issues? Only the focal length and again a lack of weather proofing, which being a metal lens, means going from a cold outside to a warm room, can cause a lot of fogging. A lot.
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I am sure my lens “habits” will change as time travels on, especially if travel comes back into the spotlight, but for the time being thsi is the kit.
My next camera is likely to be a second G9 with maybe the Leica 12-60 kitted. If that is the case, I will likley use that lens as my new standard for stills/video and leave the 12-40 on the rigged out G9 for video.