Changing Systems
My transition to studio work made me push the limits of my trusty Olympus. Capture One recognized all my files flawlessly on import, but tethering was not as smooth. I had to use the Olympus Capture program and enable a hot folder in C1 to trick it into a sort of tethered workflow. Not elegant, and it became a problem. I’m not an IT guy- I just want the easiest possible workflow. I was having to make excuses and build workarounds. In the middle of the pandemic I decided to make the change and bought a Nikon Z7ii. The Z system was new(ish) and the Z primes were getting rave reviews. I started out with a Z50/1.8. It is bigger than I expected but the image quality is superb. As is my habit I shoot with one lens for a couple months to get to know the camera. Capture one tethering works perfectly. I guess full frame is the floor for studio work in C1’s view. Micro 4/3 doesn’t make their cut, unfortunately. After a handful of successful shoots I got the Z105/2.8 MC macro lens, following up with the Z20/1.8 for landscapes. I have the Z400/4.5 on order. That will suffice for now. The only lens I am waiting to see developed is an 85/1.2 for portraits.
I had a good array of Olympus lenses from 12 to 300, and put them all up for sale, along with the Em1ii body, to (almost) finance the Nikon body, lens, spare batteries and filters. When any relationship ends there are losses and gains. I miss the incredibly nimble, almost weightless nature of the Olympus. It felt like part of my hand. Effortless to hold and operate with one hand as I soared in my paraglider over the cliffs of Pacifica, California. It was the perfect camera for that. I miss it when I fly.
In the studio I gained a seamless workflow, more resolution, slightly better dynamic range, and better glass. After a few trips for landscape photography I have found the Nikon glass to be able to handle backlighting and extreme contrasts better than any lenses I’ve ever seen, including Zeiss cinema glass from feature films. The control of purple fringing and chromatic aberrations which plague nearly all lenses are handled incredibly well. The Nikon Z system is working very well for me. In a perfect world I would have both systems, but I don’t live in a perfect world, so choices have to be made.
Olympus has changed in the past 2 years, too, now being OM Systems. I highly recommend them if micro 4/3 is enough for your needs. So light and small! They have excellent stabilization, hi res mode for enhanced resolution, and Pro Capture, the magic time-shift tech that allows us to get shots from before the shutter is pressed. Great for birders. Great cameras - I hope they thrive.
Here are a few shots with the new camera, and one iPhone shot of it after a hard day’s work. The raw files from the Nikon are rich and clean. So far a pleasure to work with.
