I have too much gear, something I am aware of, but the thing that keeps me hanging on to things is the practical realities of professional longevity.
Once, when all of this was an exercise in “theoretical mind travel”, my goal was kit perfection, whatever that was.
I did not need perfect gear, just a perfect kit. This of course never came to pass or if it did, even briefly, I tended to move on, frustrated that I did not feel “perfected”.
These days, I am more about need mixed with organisation and depth.
Every job now, not at the paper where my gear needs were focussed, maybe even funnelled, I will decide what I need and pack appropriately. No longer hindered by weight and handling issues, I tend to over sometimes under pack, but either way, I get the job done.
The big issue seems to be that having flexible bag needs and fillings, sometimes I make ergonomic blunders and stuff happens. Bad stuff.
Looking at the gear I have and the last few years, I feel it is time to look at my list of casualties, the causes and basically, how well does M43 gear stand up to professional abuse and constant use.
Cameras.
Two of my four EM5 Mk1’s have been retired as they are too bothersome for even personal work. One was bought second hand of an old work colleague and it turned out it was near terminal status, but it cost me a pittance and the battery was good.
Both of these are from the same day, same Domke bag clip many years ago and from then on, I tape the clips.
EM5 Mk1’s tend to slow up when not used often. First they lose the ability to expose high shutter speed images, then they fail to fire up, later working fine. Oddly, the most reliable is the oldest one, my original foray into “serious” Olympus cameras after a couple of Pens.
All four have the fine pressure crack in the base of the rear screen, so weather proofing is suspect, all are a little battle scarred and one, the newest one, lost a strap lug and fell to the floor, but survived.
Bit of a shock. I had also forgotten this until using the camera for the above shots.
Both of my EM10 Mk2’s have their moments. The less used one (black) has occasional card lock-in issues, so I have tended to put in a card and if it stays there happily, I download via a cable (when I remember).
The other, my silver one, has recently refused to activate the rear tilt screen when extended back. All good when used flat to the camera back, it is a no-go when pulled back beyond 45 degrees. The way I use both of these makes neither issue a non-starter, I just have to adapt. This one was dropped badly a few years ago, but to be honest, until remembering my poor abused 8-18’s torrid life, I had forgotten all about that.
I consider all the cameras above the be “shutter savers” for dearer cameras below. The more I use them, the more life they add to other bodies.
One of my original G9 Mk1’s has recently had a tough drop, a real “bouncer” on hard ground, but with the exception of some nasty scratches, a slightly wobbly strap lug and an odd moment the other day where the rear screen went “stripey” (after a few hours of heavy use on a hot day), it has been fine. This one has also done probably 90% of my video to this point.
Nasty, but not terminal.
My second G9.1 is basically pristine and hardly used, being reserved for video and now well down the cue, so likely a basic stills camera in waiting.
The two EM1.2’s have had a hell of a time. My workhorse cameras, no others apart from the original two EM5’s, have done as much work. I don’t love their layout, being the last of the pro cameras to be made without the handy “nubbin”, but I owe them my career basically.
The oldest one is cosmetically a little rough, but “touch-wood” still going and the newer one, although sporting a set of scratches on one shoulder from a single day of poorly thought out kitting, is probably one third younger. I will run them until they drop and thank them for their wonderful service.
Not sure when these happened, but they all came at the same time.
Both of these and the most used G9 have had lifting rubber issues, but I have just glued and glued until fixed.
The EM1x’s are reserved for sport, so do not need to be looked at too closely. They are rated at 400k shutter cycles, but I don’t think that counts for electronic fires, so likely they are at about 5-10% use limit.
The S5 I have got a mild drop the other day and a scar for identification, but seems happy enough. After the G9’s abuse recently, I have little need to stress over that one and its partner is on the way soon.
The Pen F and Pen Mini are also under used, so cosmetically they are fine, mechanically, they need more work to keep them happy.
Lenses.
My poor Pana 8-18 has had two serious drops on two different cameras, but apart from lots of hood scratches, shows no signs of distress. Learning to really love that lens.
The hood tells the story, but respect little one, respect.
The little 15mm’s metal hood is also shiny on the end, so the paint is thin there I guess as my cheap Ebay metal hoods have not scuffed.
The plastic hood on the relatively new 9mm is also a bit scratched, a trend forming there.
The 12-40 Olympus Pro lens is my most “damaged” glass. Sand in the zoom mechanism a few years ago made it “lumpy” and repair costs seemed out of proportion at the time. It also shared the G9’s heavy hit.
The reality is I would likely replace it with the 8-25 f4 or 12-45 f4 if it does die, but the more I use it, the less it bothers me. This lens is also now showing normal signs of wear, like the 40-150 below.
My 75, 17 and 45’s are dis-coloured in their white etchings and the metal lenses have some wear marks, but are otherwise they are fine. It occurs to me, many have had over ten years of heavy use, the 17mm carrying the bulk of the strain when travelling.
My heavily used 75mm is grubby and this recent chip is saddening, but metal takes pain (and paint) gracefully.
The 40-150 f2.8 has a lot of wear marks on its zoom ring from rubbing against things. I use a metal screw-in hood, so its clever but fragile one is still good.
Not sure which bag it was (possibly a stray lens floating around in my large Neewer backpack), but some serious rubbing wear happened to this lens over a short period.
The 75-300, a kit level lens and one I do not use enough has started to refuse the focus order when freshly zoomed over 250mm. It comes right several ways (focussing first, zooming back a little, turning the camera on and off), but I noticed this at the swimming the other day.
The rest of my lenses are either new or have had relatively little use.
Oh, and I have lost a half dozen filters, but better that than lenses!
Some cameras and lenses have minor and very occassional moments of disobedience, likely down to lack of use, dirty contacts or tired and slow cards writing. This happens with electronics, it is accepted.
Otherwise, all good.
*
So to sum up;
After over ten years of almost exclusively using M43 gear, sometimes as a professional, but always as at least a serious amateur user with over 10 trips overseas, I have two worn out cameras, two to seven are due to quit soon-ish after their working lives have been exceeded, with one physically a little worse for wear and a couple with twitchy little issues.
Most real issues are from user abuse.
I can field two near new EM1x’s, two new S5’s, a new G9II, a mostly unused G9 and Pen F, old but lightly used Pen Mini and any of the above that keep trundling along.
I am probably good for another million frames, maybe two :).
I am yet to replace a battery and all my EM5 Mk1 batteries are still going, some are over 13 years old!
Lenses are in two camps. Those that show signs of heavy use and those that do not, although some wear is better hidden. The 40-150 f4 and 75-300 are showing some signs of internal conniptions, so not sure there.