With the arrival of the Leica 12-60, I have had a massive change of heart kit wise.

The first few days shooting for the paper have been slightly unsettling.

The work is fine, my processes sound enough, but I am feeling like I am still too far away from breaking through and finding my best self in this space. Total confidence in my processes at the school have turned into a slightly rudderless feeling with the paper.

I think I hit on it when writing about the G9. I have not yet fully connected with that camera for stills. For video it is ideal and streets ahead of the Olympus cameras in handling and features, but even there, I had years of familiarity and success with those cameras to compare to (credit to the G9 for standing out).

When pushed into a stills role, it had the double hit of being torn from it’s comfort zone (with me) and having to co-kit with an EM1. Too much difference, too little comfort.

I have decided, thanks mainly to the confidence inspiring Leica as my new standard lens, to only use Olympus cameras for the paper, taking the 12-40 back into the fold, where their strengths (familiarity, stabiliser and AF lens responsiveness) and their weakness (1080 video) can be balanced and use the two G9’s for the school. This allows me to get a handle on the Panas in a more comfortable and far less aggressive environment and use them as backups to each other in both rolls. Other complications like battery compatibilty are also reduced.

Effectively, the EM1 trio will be tasked with nursing me into my new role at the paper, the G9’s will get me nursing them into the more comfortable and less stressful world of school photography and videography.

I will still use the “lesser” Oly cameras for the school, but they are different enough even to an EM1, that they share basically the same dynamic with the G9’s and the news paper kit will still be pressed into service for big sports events, but these are only a handfull of days each year as opposed to every Saturday and more with the paper. Horses better aligned to their courses.

Paper; 2x EM1 Mk2’s (1 gripped, 1 optional video rig), EM1x (action), 8-18*, 12-40, 40-150, 17, 25, 45, 1.4x, Godox flash kit, OSMO and “small” mics. My only point of mild concern is a dislike for the fiddly Godox X1 controller, so this may be upgraded and the “lumpy” 12-40, but I will get over this or just get it fixed.

School; 2x G9’s (1 video rigged), 2x EM10’s, 2x EM5’s, 8-18*, 12-60, 12-60k, 45, 75, 75-300, 40-150k, YN flash units and all the other lighting and serious studio kit and sound kit. The Oly cameras like their primes, so they will be matched up.

Bold, italicised cameras and lenses are weatherproof.

I will possibly also add an Oly 8-25 to the papers’ kit so the 8-18 can stay in the school kit exclusively and replace the 12-40 as needed. This lens has several desirable features like it’s massive range, macro versatility and raw quality as well as sharing the same filter thread as the 40-150 Pro. The 12-40 would stay on as the only “one lens needed” option, the two others would be the “full range” kit, but it could also be used in the Pana kit for video.

I have toyed with the idea of a fisheye 8mm here because for newspaper work, fisheye lenses are more “intimate” than corrected super wides, but the damn thing is nearly as dear as the 8-25 zoom. Maybe a Laowa 7.5 or the Samyang 8mm?

Ongoing, I can see the schools’ kit being relatively coddled and settled, the papers’ having additions and replacements as the need arises. Part of the reason for the change is the gorgeous look of the new Leica and near new G9’s, which I am loath to inflict a journo’s lifestyle onto. The school shoots are more predictable and controlled.

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*The 8-18 is swapped as needed until replaced (if needed). The reality is, I need a true super wide rarely for either, so it will likely just stay in the papers’ kit, then grabbed as needed for the school. I only really bought it for very occassional use, but pressed it into service in preference to the 12-40 with it’s “lumpy” zoom.