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Aah, the BIG question! I get asked this one all the time from friends, clients and photographers alike.
Now, I have experimented with lots of different cameras during my many adventures and let me tell you – when you’re a professional photographer, deciding which gear to take away with you is serious business – the struggle is real.
Despite visiting more than 50 countries, up until recently I was still tormented by the decision making that comes with choosing how to immortalise my travels. I constantly swayed between what I felt was more important – the ability to take great quality shots that you could potentially enlarge and print for prosperity, or the ease of a smartphone that you can just whip out of your pocket to capture memorable moments on the fly?
Do you lug your weighty full frame and a selection of heavy lenses around Europe to capitalise on the AMAZING sites you’re sure to see knowing that your back and neck are going to need some serious rehab upon your return, or do you stick to the multi-use smartphone/ipad then curse yourself when you get home and find the quality in your images severely lacking?
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(The Lourve, Paris. Nikon D810, 24-70mm f/2.8)
I’ve really struggled with the answer to this, as I know many others do, and I’ve always ended up going with the former – I’d take my DSLR away with me only to find it would spend most of the trip left back in the hotel room because I couldn’t be bothered carrying it everywhere. At the same time, I hated relying solely on my smartphone because I found I’d miss out on some incredible shots due to it’s limited capabilities. I’d also flirted with numerous compact cameras and despite the positive reviews I’d read online, I found most to be underwhelming.
So nothing has ticked all my boxes and just prior to my most recent trip, I decided enough was enough. I put my researching hat back on and started digging.
Enter this little gem. The Olympus OM-D- EM 5 mark ii. Yep, it’s a long name for a small camera.
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(Ivy test driving the Olympus. Perfectly sized for big AND little hands)
With the EM5, I finally feel like I’ve finally found the perfect compromise between quality, capability, flexibility, weight/size and ease of use.
This little baby is a godsend. Besides being super cute to look at with its retro styling, it’s lightweight and small enough to fit in a handbag or backpack without taking up too much room. Depending on your skill set and comfort levels, it can be used on auto or manual (and everything in between) and has wifi and bluetooth capabilities allowing you to easily control it remotely via an app or edit your images on the hop before sharing to social media.
You can swap back and forth with ease between the view finder and retractable screen and it’s weather sealed so no issues if you get caught in a downpour or you’re trying to get close to a waterfall.
I also spent a lot of time prior to my most recent trip looking into the Fujifilm XT range, which are also great mirrorless cameras. However, after testing both, I found the Olympus far more intuitive and that was super important. I’m a Nikon user and can operate my full frame D810 blindfolded. Every brand has their own menus, settings and names for specific functions and I didn’t want to spend a lot of time getting to know a whole new system. Ain’t no-one got time for that!
Whilst I found the Fujifilm far less intuitive, another important distinction between the two was the quality and price of the lenses in each range. The Olympus lenses are generally much more compact and really light – they’re also far more affordable than the Fuji range whilst being equal in quality and performance. Win-win. I use the M.Zuiko PRO 12-40mm f/2.8 pared with my EM 5 and it’s fantastic for the different shooting situations you might find yourself in whilst travelling.
BUT BEST OF ALL – anyone can use this camera. Pop it on auto and let your kids have control. There’s nothing funnier than looking back through the images your child captures and seeing the world through their eyes.
So there you have it, Olympus for the win!
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch. I purchase my gear at Geelong Camerahouse from the incredibly knowledgable Doug, Ryan, Steve and crew, who allow me to take up all their time, sample all their products, ask them a gazillion questions and still manage to smile when they see me walk through the door (Thanks guys!)
Happy travelling everyone!
