Two system dilemma

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Alistair
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Hindsight is wonderful, isn't it but I think I have bought myself into a dilemma caused purely by my acquisative need for kit.

Last year I bought myself and Olympus EM-10 Mk2 along with a 12–40mm 1:2.8 Pro lens and a ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6. I had sold my Nikon D 700 and its three lenses as it was proving too heavy to carry around on day trips and holidays etc.

I’m very happy with the Olympus system. However the body is not weather sealed - a concern as I do a lot of landscape photography out in the wilds and I must say rather miss the Nikon. I also love macro work and doubted that the Olympus macro lenses would be up to the same standard as my old Nikons.

On a bit of a whim I recently bought myself an a new D7100 with a Tokina AF 100mm F/2.8 Macro AT-X 100AF Pro D. So I now have two systems but I can’t help but wonder if I’d be better off trading in one of the systems and just concentrating on developing one system.

All a bit afterthought-ish, I know but would genuinely appreciated comments/advice.
 



In your situation, my experience suggests to go the DSLR way.
That approach has way less limits and is best extended into
systems. The drawback (but not for me!) is weight.
 
Which camera do you enjoy using most? I think it is that simple. If it's the Olympus, then you could sell the em10 and upgrade to an em5 mkII, that is a weather sealed body and has some more features. You have one of the best Olympus lenses already in the 12-40 2.8 and the 60mm macro is is very reasonable and would be a good alternative to your Tokina macro.

if it's the Nikon, then sell up the Olympus gear and get some nice glass for the Nikon system. trying to run both will just be a constant headache.
 
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I have tried using two systems at the same time, Nikon and FuJy and more recently Canon and Sony but found it to be a real pain in the rear, I have settled on the Sony and I find this suits my needs very well.
 
I have two systems at the moment, Fuji and Canon.
I only keep the Canon as I have the 24mm TS-E and despite its getting very little use I am loath to part with it but I seriously think the time is coming when the Canon kit will go.
Decisions Decisions
 
E-M5 mk ii would address the weather seal issue and give you a few cool new features. Were you not tempted to just buy an adapted lens for macro? Any old manual macro lens would likely work well. I'm yet to discover a macro lens that isn't sharp and manual focus is great with focus peaking and the instant zoom in feature (cannot recall what that's called) and you can stabalise the viewfinder with ibis. Could/should work really well.
 
You have a range of 24-300mm then purchase a dedicated aps camera and 100mm macro, why?
What did you miss about the Nikon?
What focal lengths are important?
 
Having been used to how a Nikon works I admit to finding some of the bells and whistles on the Olympus unnecessary and somewhat difficult to remember which button/menu option did what. A general travel zoom, macro and wide angle are the main lenses I'd want.
 
Having been used to how a Nikon works I admit to finding some of the bells and whistles on the Olympus unnecessary and somewhat difficult to remember which button/menu option did what. A general travel zoom, macro and wide angle are the main lenses I'd want.

I must admit I sometimes found the Olympus customisability almost too much for its own good. Em5ii has a couple of extra external controls that allow you to place a few extra things at your finger tips. I still had to spend a good hour setting mine up exactly how I wanted it. After that menu usage was minimal.
 
Having been used to how a Nikon works I admit to finding some of the bells and whistles on the Olympus unnecessary and somewhat difficult to remember which button/menu option did what. A general travel zoom, macro and wide angle are the main lenses I'd want.

I can see you back at square one but in APS format. If you want to carry all those lenses, I would suggest you follow Grahams advice.
 
I run two systems, Olympus EM5 ii and Canon FF in my case, and have no issues switching between them. I use them both about equally. The MFT kit is great being small and light for out-and-about. The FF is good for low-light, low noise, shallow DOF etc. Yes the Oly took a bit of getting used to initially but just remember you don't have to fiddle with all those buttons. It just takes a bit of practice to get use to the feel of them.
 
I have both Oly and Canon systems. I thought it would be a pain but now I am used to it, I love the contrast between them. Sometimes I forget something about the newer Oly system but that's hardly the camera's fault! So perhaps give it a bit longer before you decide to get rid of something. Either way, good luck.
 
I also run two systems but three makes, Canon FF and M43 (both Olympus and Panasonic). I see my cameras as complimentary, each better in specific instances. The Canon produces the best images and allows really wide angle shots but at some considerable weight. My Olympus cameras have fabulous image stabilisation, are small and light and great for walk around use and travel. My GH3 is better in bright light and also much better for video. The price I pay is having cameras that are one or two generations older than current models, but real world improvements of each new generation are arguably more hype instead of a small percentage image quality improvement.
 
I have three, maybe four, possibly more 'systems' depending where you draw the boundaries.... What 'really' is the problem?

Seems your main problems are 1) trying to do it all with a 'one-size-fits-all' camera. 2) getting up to speed / familiar with a new, 'one-size-fits-all' system.

My 'basic' outfits are, 1/ a 'fast-photo' film kit. A pair of Olympus OM's, winders, and zooms. 2/ Widgetal Crop-Sensor SLR & zooms.. which has essentially replaced the Fast-Foto Ollys, as front-line picture maker. 3/ Clock-work, Sigma Mk1 and all 'prime' 'slow-photo' outfit.... 4/5/6/etc... is a bunch of 35mm compacts, and range-finders, a 120 folder even a Minox Sub-mini and a few widgie-compacts including an action cam.

Each 'system' has it's strengths, weaknesses and purpose, and gets used for 'different' stuff. The Wigi-SLR, probably the least TBH.

Most used, is probably one of the compacts.. top candidate, the Olympus XA2 film camera, which is just so pocketable.... still gets used now, and for day-trips, and landscaps, its more than 'enough' camera most of the time, and brilliant for candids... a digi-compact, with inbuilt zoom, is so much more SLR versatle, and with a little know how can do an awful lot without having to look through a persiscope or swap lenses.... fits in your pocket too.

Point is, SLR obscession and GAS. It's not what you got, its what you do with it!

There's nothing that says you hav to Do-It-All with a single system or single camera. Packing everything into a gadget bag, does lead to you taking EVERYTHING with you ALL the time.... also leads to looking at holes in the gadget bag and wondering what you need to fill them, and/or what else you need to get 'that' shot you cant quite achieve with all the toys in the toy-box.

Nothing wrong with multiple systems or more cameras; but, it seems to me that the main problem here is two systems that are too 'close' in what and how they do things, and to much aspiration placed on the gear getting the picture, rather than your know-how.

My advice? Pack away the 'outfits' - Pick a Camera... go use it!

When you run up against the buffers... REAL buffers, in so much as you actually cant get a picture with a bit of craft, not 'the best' picture, not 'the picture I image', and certainly not 'that effect'.... but ANY 'decent' photo...... Try harder, try something different. DON'T expect the camera or the gadgets to do all the work you cant, and appreciate what you get, not what you don't. With all the toys in the box, WOULD you get anything any if at all 'better'?

THEN, when you are getting better pictures, and are NOT thinking camera, BUT thinking pictures... THEN return to the 'outfit'.. and ONLY pack in the gadget bag 'exactly' what you think you 'need' for a photo..

Learn to be a photographer, using know how as your primary photogaphc tool, and that know-how dictating the gear you pack for any picture, rather than being a photo magpie, trying to snaffle whever you happen to see, whether picture or toys.

Its all in the aproach... and if you have the know-how, the question should sgnificantly be redundant. Doesn't matter how many cameras or camera outfits you possesess. They may all have good reasons to be, ad you should know what that reason is.

Eg: the DSLR's reason is that its fast-foto. Quick and Easy, and bangs out photo's that are instant upload ready. Its convenient. Slow Photo-Film camera, begs more thought and involvement; makes me think harder and try harder and I probably get a higher yeild of 'keepers' The compacts? Slip in my pocket. The little XA flm camera, wondefully, and despite its technical limitations, begs some deliberate 'work' on my part to get the best from it.. or not. Zoom compact can do a bit more, but down to me, not the camera, and slips in the pocket for whe oportunity arises. Others? Fun to use, when I am in the mood, and 'may' have some feature that makes them more useful for some stuatons; like the OM and winder sat waiting for me to load with B&W to have another crack at Tri-Chrome colour, or the action-cam sat wating to be clipped to the handlebar bracket on the motorbike!

They may ALL have good reason to be, and I may have more than one system on me when out and about; eg, the AX compact in my pocket with the DSLR on my shoulder, or the Sigma & 'a' solitary prime, on a strap around my neck.

B-U-T the issue is you are thinking cameras, NOT pictures, here; and tryig, it seems, to cover all options wth a One-Size-Fits-All, do anything you hope, if you chance upon it 'outft', expecting that to serve up all you hope, rather than making anything work for you.

So advce is to back up; stop thinking gear, start thinking picture. Stop thinking 'outfit' and start thnking 'camera'.. change the aproach, not the hardware.

Pick a system... cut to the chase, and make that system skinny! One camera, one lens, one IDEA! And get the know-how to use what you got to the max and know when something else 'may' actually help, rather than add to the amount you probably dont give enough thought to.
 
I would take them both out and shoot similar subjects a bit restricted macro wise unless you get a adapter to fit your Nikon mount Tokina onto the Olympus ?
And you will lose out to the long end of the 28-300mm again unless you fit it to the mount adapter and use manual focus.
But it can be done and once your back home you can check out the results on the PC.
I have a number of systems and it can get a little confusing at times with the various layouts and menu systems.
 
I also love macro work and doubted that the Olympus macro lenses would be up to the same standard as my old Nikons.

The Olympus 60 f/2.8 macro is very good, affordable and also weather-sealed. Also check out the in-camera focus stacking ability of some of the Olympus bodies: http://cameras.olympus.com/stack/en/

You could upgrade your E-M10II to the E-M1 MkI for not much money. The E-M1 Mkl is weather-sealed, handles very well and is the best bargain in the current Olympus line-up IMO. The 12-40 f/2.8 also balances better on the E-M1 as compared to the E-M10II.

For a wide angle I highly recommend the Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 9-18 mm 1:4.0-5.6, although this is not weather-sealed. If you need weather-sealing you'd have to look at the more expensive Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm 1:2.8 PRO, but using filters on this lens is not straightforward.

Olympus bodies are highly customisable but I can usually apply any settings I need through the "Super Control Panel", which pops up if you press the OK button.
 
I run two systems, but FF and m4/3. In terms of IQ, DOF etc there wouldn't be enough difference for me between m4/3 and APS-C to justify two systems so I'd say just go with whichever you prefer using (reading between the lines your 'dilemma' has nothing to do with bulk/weight).

Both systems are great, both have pros and cons and only you can decide which is best for you. As pointed out above though, Olympus do have some weather sealed bodies if you decide on that route.
 
To try and distil - I think I would like to just have one system to learn and therefore not have to worry about remembering if that button does this for that on which system iin order to concentrate and taking the photograph - minus are now pretty complex. It's similar to driving my car with all it's automatic gizmos and my wife's that needs more manual interaction. Hop this makes sense.
 
I run 2 systems Canon FF and Olympus m43 mostly for birds but i only ever use M so don't get too confused the Canon wins ( just ) for IQ but loses badly for shutter noise the Olympus wins for silent shutter and lightness .
Rob.
 
To try and distil - I think I would like to just have one system to learn and therefore not have to worry about remembering if that button does this for that on which system iin order to concentrate and taking the photograph - minus are now pretty complex. It's similar to driving my car with all it's automatic gizmos and my wife's that needs more manual interaction. Hop this makes sense.
The one system do-it-all is the best imo. At the moment for me there's only Sony that offer this, FF with the ability to be fairly small and light if needed, but with the benefits of FF that I outlined earlier. I nearly ditched all my Nikon and Olympus gear for the A7RIII this year but in the end the cost to swap and get like for like lenses (as near as possible) was far too much, and the ergonomics of the Sony weren't quite right for me. I'm hoping that the Nikon Mirrorless FF due to be announced this month will give me that one system do it all that I'm after, and have a decent adapter to allow the use of my current Nikon lenses to ease the cost in transition.
 
I've never had a weather sealed camera and maybe I've just been very lucky but in over 40 years of using cameras in any and all weathers and taking pictures in rain, snow, wind and blizzards on the beach I could hardly stand up in I've never had a weather related camera body failure using just common sense precautions. I do accept that if I was swamped by a wave or if I put my camera down in a puddle I could expect a failure though.

In the op's position and if I'd decided that I simply must have a weather sealed camera I'd go for a weather sealed Oly as I believe they have a very good reputation for their weather sealing.
 
B-U-T the issue is you are thinking cameras, NOT pictures, here; and tryig, it seems, to cover all options wth a One-Size-Fits-All, do anything you hope, if you chance upon it 'outft', expecting that to serve up all you hope, rather than making anything work for you.

So advce is to back up; stop thinking gear, start thinking picture. Stop thinking 'outfit' and start thnking 'camera'.. change the aproach, not the hardware.

Pick a system... cut to the chase, and make that system skinny! One camera, one lens, one IDEA! And get the know-how to use what you got to the max and know when something else 'may' actually help, rather than add to the amount you probably dont give enough thought to.

Not giving into GAS and concentration of taking pictures is all well and good but I don't see how that fits in with...

Hindsight is wonderful, isn't it but I think I have bought myself into a dilemma caused purely by my acquisative need for kit.

Last year I bought myself and Olympus EM-10 Mk2 along with a 12–40mm 1:2.8 Pro lens and a ED 40-150mm f/4-5.6. I had sold my Nikon D 700 and its three lenses as it was proving too heavy to carry around on day trips and holidays etc.

I’m very happy with the Olympus system. However the body is not weather sealed - a concern as I do a lot of landscape photography out in the wilds and I must say rather miss the Nikon. I also love macro work and doubted that the Olympus macro lenses would be up to the same standard as my old Nikons.

On a bit of a whim I recently bought myself an a new D7100 with a Tokina AF 100mm F/2.8 Macro AT-X 100AF Pro D. So I now have two systems but I can’t help but wonder if I’d be better off trading in one of the systems and just concentrating on developing one system.

All a bit afterthought-ish, I know but would genuinely appreciated comments/advice.
 
Not giving into GAS and concentration of taking pictures is all well and good but I don't see how that fits in with...
Not sure how advice to keep carried kit to a minimum, and learning to exploit it, 'doesn't fit the complaint about having two systems, too many choices to make, and too much weight to lugg around, to be honest?
Oh, sorry, was I supposed to say "Don't be silly! Choice is OBVIOUS, go MFT all the way!" :)
Or argue my own purchase decisions to keep the Nikon...
On a thread half a year dormant!
 
Not sure how advice to keep carried kit to a minimum, and learning to exploit it, 'doesn't fit the complaint about having two systems, too many choices to make, and too much weight to lugg around, to be honest?
Oh, sorry, was I supposed to say "Don't be silly! Choice is OBVIOUS, go MFT all the way!" :)
Or argue my own purchase decisions to keep the Nikon...
On a thread half a year dormant!

Because you're tending to ignore the weight bit Mike.

No, you're not supposed to say "Don't be silly! Choice is OBVIOUS, go MFT all the way!" but neither should you go off on one because I or anyone else has the temerity to point out that resisting GAS and instead concentrating on taking pictures although a very lofty and laudable sentiment ignores one of the key complaints that the OP has, weight.

There's also the learning new kit aspect that seems to bug him so he'll have to make his mind up.
 
Not sure how advice to keep carried kit to a minimum, and learning to exploit it, 'doesn't fit the complaint about having two systems, too many choices to make, and too much weight to lugg around, to be honest?
Oh, sorry, was I supposed to say "Don't be silly! Choice is OBVIOUS, go MFT all the way!" :)
Or argue my own purchase decisions to keep the Nikon...
On a thread half a year dormant!



4 lines?

Who are you and what have you done with Teflon-Mike? :D
 
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