Good Evening, Colin!
Welcome to the list!
Sounds as if you've had quite a problem with GAS, over the years. Me too!
But, then I'm a wee bit ahead of you. I was into the Nikon F (with the, now
rare, clip-on Selenium meter) by 1966. So, a decade ahead.
I've owned far too many Leica's ... from the M3-DS & CL, to the R-series
(3,5,6,8,& 9) including the DMR for the last two. But when my R8/DMR was
destroyed by Leica (it's a long, sad story you don't want to know) I moved to
Olympus and I've never looked back.
I had the original OM-1 (w/75~150mm zoom), which I took to the Soviet Union,
back in '75 and loved it. So, to gravitate back to Oly was rather natural.
Like some of the earlier "R" series and the DMR in particular, the earlier
Oly's could be a bit "quirky", but gave fabulous results. The new OMD EM-i
MkII is not quirky at all and a superb performer. I hear people telling me
that they can't be any good, because of the small sensor. But I charge just
over $1000 a day to take photos and my clients love the results. And, they keep
hiring me over and over. If they're happy, I'm happy.
So if you're thinking of making the leap to digital, and want something light,
without the usual compromises, then check out the Olympus line. I think you'll
be impressed.
But, too much rambling.... Again, welcome to the list!
David.
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David Young - Photographer
Logan Lake,BC, CANADA
Website: www.furnfeather.ca
Gallery: The Creative Co. Merritt, BC.
E-book: http://tinyurl.com/ABHoP
Thanks for the detailed response David.------
As that was my first post to this group, good manners would dictate a short
self introduction.
I started photography in the mid 70s when I still lived in the UK. I had a
Russian camera — Zenit EM which, although heavy, wasn't too bad and, as an
all mechanical camera, made me learn the basics. Eventually, after arriving
in the US, I replaced it with a Nikon 8008s which I still have. That's where
the 70-210 zoom comes in. My now wife was an avid dog shower — Afghan Hounds
— and I needed autofocus and a zoom to get decent shots from ringside.
Then I ditched photography for a long time, at least a decade, before a
newspaper article prompted me to try Leica rangefinders. And that then led to
an RTS II. And then a Leicaflex SL. And some Rollei TLRs. <sigh> The problem
being that these cameras were once way too expensive but now they're
relatively cheap and it's all too tempting. I find the Leicas in particular
are quite addictive.
But back to your reply. Although I've acquired a number of film rangefinders
& SLRs (GAS can be a problem) I'm finally thinking of getting a digital. I
like the look of the Leica S as it reminds me of the R8. The price, however,
is way out of my league. So your observation about camera size/weight and the
advantages of micro 4/3 struck a chord. I'll have to look into those Olympus
cameras. Maybe next year.
Colin
