I've recently learned in several areas of my life that I have cool stuff that I cannot use well. Much of it is due to rust - it worked great 18 months ago but I've forgotten the trick of it! In other cases, like cameras, it's that I have used too many interfaces and cannot recall how to make changes in a hurry, leading to missed shots and slapped foreheads (well, just my forehead - so far). Since I don't quite know how to use what I have, it is therefore an excellent time to learn something new.
Yes that's how my mind works..
In the current-champion position is the Lumix GX7. So many great features that updates haven't fully overtaken without losing things that I like. However, many advantages of 4k 'video' shooting and other technical updates do make some sense - so yet again I'm bringing in a Mark II aka GX85 to compete for the spot. It loses the 1/8k max shutter and the AF/MF switch that I use constantly - but compensates with 4k still technology and video ability, dual IS, available-almost-anywhere microUSB charging (e.g. off my flashlight/battery bank) and a stutter-free shutter improvement plus electronic shutter for up to 1/16ksec. If I can set AF/MF as a dedicated button and live with that, I should be able to dethrone the champ - we'll see.
I also have the Olympus ePL8 in hand, a very stylish tan/silver instrument that can do a lot of things well that Lumix does not attempt (e.g. Live Time, great for astronomy shots!). However, I did notice a few things that I've noticed before but not found so confounding: the 1-wheel control left me bumbling during manual-exposure comet shoots, the lack of VF rendered a few other shots unshootable in bright light with the LCD screen, and who am I to be dealing with a 'stylish' camera?!? I'm therefore importing a VG copy of the eM10.ii to see if I can make it shoot just like the D600, which would be good for my learning curve everywhere.
Gear begins to arrive today - more gear departs next week. Who will stay and who will go?
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Round One began and ended swiftly, as the GX85 is going back. Its rear control dial is behaving randomly for adjusting SS or aperture, depending on the setting; I tried both and it worked for a brief time then went south again. The dial is fine with image reviews and other settings, but the most important thing it does, it doesn't. Ah well.
I've set the EM10b to mimic the D600 and it seems to do the job, so far. I expect that if this camera does not fail in some way it will win over the ePL8, considering its price and the minimal gain in bulk that comes with two dials and an EVF. For now, the Olympus contest continues!
Round.. ah never mind. No reader here should feign surprise when, of my four choices for a main camera, I choose #5. The gx8 will arrive in a week or so, and the ePL8 will be the versatile backup.
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