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Archives for October 2015

No more Vapor in the sky !

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Dear fellow traveler
Just an update to inform smoking travelers (I am not one of them) : This has been rumored for quite some time  but it is now Official : It is now forbidden to check-in  electronic cigarettes or any other vapor device in your check-in luggage. There has been some incidents proving that such vapor devices can  be hazardous in the  check-in luggage compartment.
You can still bring an e-cigarette as a carry-on although you cannot, of course, vape on the plane.
Since we are on the subject on forbidden items to check-in when traveling by plane, I would like to take this opportunity to remind fellow photographers that batteries also can only be carried-on and not checked-in, not that it would be a good idea anyway to leave extra batteries in your checked luggage. Technically there are in some countries some limits on how many  batteries you can carry with you but in all my worldwide travels I have never had an instance when this was checked

The best travel duffel bags

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The main goal of this blog is to help its readers to travel smart and to travel light. In my opinion, which pieces of luggage you use speaks volume about how smart of a traveler you are. Simply put, each traveler should have at least one collapsable duffel in its luggage collection.
Most travelers own a cabin-sized regular trolley on wheels. This might be a very good choice for those traveling on a formal business trip when the luggage path is going to be mostly smooth like airports terminals and hotels corridors. If, however, you are traveling on  less predictable paths, wheeled luggage are not necessarily your best choice (far from it). When your trip involves going up and down steps (think  subway in Paris) walking on cobbled streets or making your way through a crowded market, you are likely to be better off with something you can carry alternatively on your side by the handles, on or over your shoulder or on your back. In all of these instances, a collapsible duffle bag should be part of your traveling arsenal because it adds three advantages  : small size and weight when empty, various carrying options, and versatility of fitting in lots of tight spaces while providing ample storage. [Read more…]

[UPD] The best micro 4/3 lens for your buck ?

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Last minute update : the Panasonic 1.7/42.5mm is now down to $298 here. If you did not read my comparison article between the two lenses, check it here and see what a good bargain this Panasonic lens is

Panasonic 1.7/42.5mm vs Olympus 1.8/45mm

Panasonic 1.7/42.5mm vs Olympus 1.8/45mm

If you are serious about your photography and  looking to buy a mirrorless camera, you know you have to look at the whole system and not just which camera body you like the most or has the longest list of features. Chiefly, you have to look at which lenses you like which are currently available in that system (versus lenses just planned to appear sometime “down the line”). In this case, it is hard to deny the appeal of the Micro 4/3 system. This system was developed by both Panasonic and Olympus and today offers, by far, the largest selection of AF lenses developed for the system. You have both manufacturers plus a few Sigma lenses  and a few more “exotic” manual-focus-only lenses.
Today, the lens line-up pretty much covers the entire focal length range (except  a 150mm-300mm equivalent- in a single focal length sorely lacking in my opinion). Both Panasonic and Olympus have lenses that  vary greatly in size, weight , quality, price ..
The “standard” portrait lens has several options and,for a long while, the Olympus 1.8/45mm has been rightfully praised for its combination of tiny size/weight, good image quality and great value for the money. Panasonic had two similar offerings in terms of focal length (a 2.8/45mm macro lens and the Nocticron 1.2/45mm) but very different in terms of  max aperture, weight and price. A few months ago, Panasonic launched its third short portrait lens with the 1.7/42.5mm which,despite the slightly different focal length (more on this later), is the real competitor of the Olympus 45mm. Now to the Big question: which one is the best bang for your buck ? Which one  should you go for ? [Read more…]

More deals to grab now …

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TDTimageGX8 copy

A few weeks ago, I was handling the Panasonic GX8. On paper, this new camera seems to check a lot of the right boxes for me. The camera feels nice in the hands, has built-in stabilization which can even be used in conjunction with the Panasonic lenses which also have stabilization. It feels nice in the hands, has a great improved EVF along with a fully-articulable LCD  and even features a newer 20MP sensor. More importantly, it is very customizable camera. The main reason for me was that I have now several Panasonic lenses that I favor over the Olympus counterparts. I recently got the Panasonic 1.7/20mm because 40mm FOV is my favorite focal length for almost every subject. I also bought the Panasonic 1.7/42.5mm which is, in my experience, better than the reputable 1.8/45mm both in terms of sharpness and focal length.
In the end though I decided against it because I am not sure I would use it over my Olympus bodies. I have an Em-1 and an Em5-II and as I am always traveling light and I do not want to go through the hassle to carry three different chargers and batteries (I wrote three because I never leave home without my Ricoh GR).
For those of us who are using the M4/3rd system, there is one more thing to consider : There is no denying that Both Panasonic and Olympus, while highly customizable, have a serious learning curve. With time one can reasonably master either one but juggling between both at the same time is not a great idea.

With the Photo show expo in NYC and the holiday coming , there are several new products in the pipeline. This is probably why there are several really good deals to be had on the Olympus cameras at the moment.

The Olympus Em-1 (body only) is now down to $999 on amazon (here) and the Em5 mark II is down to only $899 (black here) and silver (here) which are very good deals which should appeal to anyone interested in buying Olympus mirorless cameras.

$50 well spent

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TDTblog0343

 

Readers of this blog know how much I like Ricoh compact cameras. I have both GR and GRII cameras which I have reviewed on this blog (part II of my GRII review is coming soon). When Ricoh introduced the GRII it was supposed to launch at $799, then it was changed to $699 (alas non in Europe when the price stayed at €799). Now the camera price dropped again . Amazon.com has it at only $559 (here). At the same time the first GR is available for 50$ less (here).While both are great cameras this makes it a no brainer for someone who is thinking of getting the GR model [Read more…]