Upper left: S1 +70-150mm +1.5x converter + nF-Z adapter. That's 690g of tube on a 1kg body.
Lower-right: Tamron's 70-300 f/4.5-6.3 (590g) attached to the 680g Z6. More range for 450g (and several cubic inches) less - plus the Z6 pair has autofocus and weather seals! Something tells me I'm trying too hard to justify the S1 beast...
Well, a few wrinkles have tossed themselves into the fray. As usually happens!
A great feature for Nikon: Z bodies can upload 2Mpx images to the cloud. Does Lumix club do that as well? Hmm..
And a Z-mount bummer is the lack of a 20-anything lens. They have Tamron's 70-300 (575g), sorta bulky but sufficient to fill the long end.
Update! In searching for specs on the Vivitar (Kino) 2x converter, I found a Kiron 1.5x multiplier that would yield a 105-225mm f/5.2 - that would be nice! Since Kiron made the lens, it could prove to be a very good match.. and the 35-200 can move on.
So the full range S1 kit would be 20-60 + 70-150 + either a multiplier, or an appropriate prime or two. The 2x matched adapter makes for a slow 140-300/7.6 lens¹ - I feel less troubled by the 1.5x that stops at 225mm f/5.2ish. And we cannot forget that in either case the Nik-L adapter must be included!
The Z6 would be the bulky [ftz plus 24-85G/vr] plus 70-300, and an 18-20mm prime placeholder. Sounds nice, and a prime or two.
So who wins this skirmish?
Variations: One could use the 70-150 on both to open the weight gap, but then it's 80g vs 20-24mm. Or add the 2x adapter (weight unclear) and the S1 becomes 1/2 stop slower at 300mm (and manual focus vs Z native) for the added weight of the converter.
Yes, again. No wonder you look bored..
A Lumix ß1 (S1 for those who avoided German im hochscule) has come to contend with the Z6. The fate of the GX7 could also hang on the results!
With the Z6 I 'cured' many of the S5 issues, and also rediscovered the joys of using a decent 1-touch zoom (Vivitar's 70-150/3.8 Kino). That xx-200mm space has been abandoned by mirrorless models of every brand - and that lens adapts just as easily to any mirrorless body. Good evf resolution is really helpful with manual focus - and that's where the ß1 shines.
And so it comes down to this. Z6 vs ß1!
Comparable lenses will be tested at matching apertures for AF speed, AFc refocus, panning skew in video at 4k30, image qualities of many sorts.
Winner gets stuck with me - the chronic complainer and perpetual gear switcher.
And on the third hand - or foot - if neither clearly blows me away, both could go! - and the μ43 kit reinforced with higher-end lenses with the proceeds (+ a higher spec body to replace the GX7)..Stay tuned! Or not!
Mirrorless systems did not play nice with my Minolta A- or Sigma SA- mount lenses. Both SA-L & A-E adapter setups came with many limitations. The FTZ solution apparently does not have those problems; also, nikon-G slr lenses* are both talented and available at good prices.
How to decide?
At some point one must choose from two decent options. Here's my z6 logic:
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| apotelyt table screen-shot |
I've heard it so often: "make sure your proposed system has the lenses you want before you buy in! ".
Yet somehow I didn't take it to heart when the S5 called. The L mount is still expanding, and lenses will assuredly appear as appropriate.
Oops.
Worse yet, very few mirrorless systems carry what I seek. Seek ye an 50-200mm in any 36x24 system that weighs under 800 grams. The answer is: μ43 and nothing else. The Lumix 35-100/2.8 is amazing - but larger systems offer nothing slower than f/4. Those are less bulky than their f/2.8 siblings, but still not in my comfort zone. I'd prefer my old Minolta 70-210 /3.5-4.5 or 100-200/4.5, both under 500 grams and plenty bright enough for a 36x24 sensor. But to make them autofocus requires a bulky adapter, and poof goes the weight and size advantage.
The nearest things are from Tamron, which means Sony E or Nikon Z. Since I actually own the Minolta 100-200, Sony sadly makes more sense. Both have tilt screens instead of flipout, so that's a positive. The α7³ has a BSI-tech sensor with two ISO channels and PDAF - both make it comparable to the S5.II and a slight improvement over the S5. Neither company has the aspect ratios or touchscreen features of the Lumix types though - ah well.
I got two great deals on a prospective second camera companion for the S5.
First came a K-01, aka the mirrorless Pentax. Nearly universally panned for style and a few awkward details, it's a fine example of bad timing to market.* With a bargain 18-50re lens (also white), it's fairly quiet and has the sweet-16Mpx aps/c sensor that made the K5 and D7000 famous.
I was almost immediately caught by an online discount offer for a white Oly e-p5. With Sony's 16Mpx μ43 sensor that propelled the eM5 to glory, but in a smaller body crammed with features. Sadly, no white lenses are available..
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| White body but silver top on the e-P5. Each has its normal lens attached: smc-A 50/2 and TTartisan 23/1.4. |
As I put them against each other, neither has a viewfinder; the e-P5 does have a hotshoe evf available bit it isn't .. pretty. Both have a flash, unlike the S5, and the K-01 can use an external microphone.
Each has its special feature mix, and each has its awkward moments: Pentax put lipstick on a brick but previous Pentax users like me adjust fine, while Olympus menus are challenging to anyone who didn't practice with an eM5 first.
Both have sensor stabilized bodies, neither has wx seals. The e-P5 has two control dials, the K-01 just one. The Oly autofocus was speedy in its day, with years of mirrorless practice over Pentax, but neither is great when light levels drop. And both are lightly used: the k-01 has just over 10k clicks, the e-P5 under 2600!
As a former user of both systems, I have more comfort with the Pentax environment. My best-liked cameras were the K-5ii and e-M1. It's a tough call at first blush, but I don't feel rushed.
As to lenses in hand,
Second blush - among the lenses I listed was one important omission. I have two native K-mount macros, the 35/2.8 Limited and Sigma 50/2.8 in manual focus. These can both be adapted to the Pen, but only the 35 Limited can autofocus and expose. Since I have many slides and negatives to copy, that could prove important. Also worth noting is a K-01 effect to reverse all colors in an image, handy for color negatives. It also has 3-shot HDR for difficult high-contrast shots.. which means Kodachrome slides. While the eP5 has great extras including stabilized video, those points might be overwhelming.
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| Sigma 50 and Pentax DA35 Limited, plus PK-L adapter |
So the best image should come with the S5 then K-01 whichever lens is used. But.. most people duplicating slides and negatives this way claim that 14-16Mpx is plenty good enough to resolve the grain of most old film images. More resolution and detail doesn't really help the image in that case! To settle it for myself, I'll need to shoot a couple of sample slides with the K-01 and S5, decently focused and similarly lit, and see what I see. I might as well test drive the eP5 while the setup is there.
* It was too large (2025 models are larger), retained the K mount (genius to some), and CDAF was too slow (true) - but a K-02 could easily be made with sensor PDAF, a viewfinder, and the KAF4 mount with electronic aperture control.
I made a straight trade, essentially: eM1 and a couple of lenses for K-01 and 18-50re (both white!).
I did some small-time shopping today and picked up some spare parts.
What makes that one worthy of interest? Well it's essentially the same size and weight as the Lumix 14-140 but faster at f/4.5 all the way through the range! (The adapter adds bulk, but it's still pretty small.) On days where the 70-300 4Thirds lens is a bit much, this little thing could be fun. It's not stabilized.. but that's also true of the 70-300.
I could not afford anything in the L-mount when the S5 came out, having barely scraped up funds for an α7r². That was the best sensor I could afford, and despite the expensive E lenses I felt I could manage it with a few adapted lenses to plug any gaps.
I finally sat down and performed two camera surgeries - and both turned out very well! A few hours of delicate work has paid off.
First up was the Pentax K-s2. I bought this a few years back for a great price, only to find it had the dreaded Pentax mid-level body solenoid problem. For several years they put out great cameras that began failing after a few years, sooner if the camera went unused for a month or two. They put out a new body by then, but in a few years the same happened. It turned out their source for aperture-actuating solenoids, causing the camera to determine an exposure but then shooting with the lens fully closed, leading to extremely dark and diffraction-softened images.
This problem damaged the reputation of every midrange body from K-30 to early K-70s, including the K-59 and two k-s2 models. The K-5/3/1 models did not have the problem. One could work around the issue with older lenses in Manual mode, but it wasn't ideal
The answer has been to either scout for original cameras to steal the earlier sensor or now using the Kf solenoid. I bought the elder solenoid and .. dithered. Maybe three years passed before I finally did the work today.
Two hours later, all my lenses are back in play. Hooray!
I'm very grateful to those at Pentaxforums who went before me and documented the procedure for all the affected cameras, including the K-s2.
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After dinner I decided to fix the GX7, an old Lumix favorite with a bad rear control dial. That's also rather common, and the surgery is documented on several websites. This went a bit faster (no soldering needed) and thankfully it's problem is solved too! That rear dial serves many purposes, and now it controls exposure, clicks for exposure compensation and zooms in playback mode!
Now to decide between the GX7 and EM1, two very good old μ43 bodies that fit me well. The K-s2 probably won't dethrone either of them or the Sony a7r² ..but I'll keep using it a while to ensure its full recovery before deciding its fate.
Here is the small kit I'm taking for this weekend. Plans are to shoot family indoors, a concert at a park, and hopefully a few decent landscape images.
The camera is an e-M1 and Olympus 17/2.8 lens. For indoors and lightly cramped family the 35mm/e should do fine. A small RRS-style plate is attached to the camera.
In the small bag is the Laowa 10mm/2, Oly 14-150ii and TTArtisan 23/1.4. Those will cover any low light and long images if we're late to the concert and must hang out in back. Included in the bag are a polarizing filter, two batteries and a plug-in microphone whose mount is sticking out in the photo. I should bring the flash for extra security - luckily I have a spare pocket on one side that's doing nothing :^).
This plus a tripod or monopod should be sufficient!
The a99 has arrived, and first tests are promising. While the size will take getting used to again, the interface fits me pretty well and the screen is plenty good enough. The multi-tip-flip screen can do much more than I'm used to as well.
The kit as it stands now is pretty convenient too!
Most of the a99 reviews tout its impressive HD video abilities; at some point I will explore that and do some comparative shots with the eM1. I sure wish I wasn't constrained to 16x9 video with my 3:2 and 4:3 sensors, but at my price point I take what's available!
Well, the 'great' purge lasted nearly three months. I then worked myself into a corner with a few curious decisions:
The one advantage of trying every d@#n camera in existence (and actually recalling that you've done so!) is that you inevitably learn what's important, and what is less so.
Since 2009 and my Sony α200 I've tried nearly every Pentax dSLR (yes, the K-01 and Q too!), three Fujis, several Sonys (both mounts, both sensor sizes), a Nikon or three, Samsung NX and countless µ43 (all three brands!). Several of these were tried more than once, in various colors and/or Special Editions too!
I refuse to count them as it will bring too much unneeded grief to this appalling process. I'm really exhausted and frustrated by bouts of research on cameras I can't afford to equip, or will not use enough to justify even the shelf space to keep in sight or reach.. and so,
My goals for the coming year:
October has been ..active. Here's a summary of the Story so far:
So off went the G9 to market.
And there it sat.
I dropped the price thrice and had spare time for surgery.. but no one claimed it in three-plus weeks.
Well all right, I can take a hint. Let's put the eM5³ up and test the market with that. An offer came swiftly, though a bit low. I'll wait a bit on that.
But.. what if Both sell ??!??
Honestly? I could live with that.
Update 10-21: the G9 is claimed! In response I grabbed another black eM1 with tripod plate. The more things change the less they stay the same!
And the end of my time of experiments; the eM1 is my best-fit camera in µ43 format, and now I've tried every alternative except the GX9. Wasting money on cameras isn't much fun any more.
And the K-s2 is just what I'd seek in a Pentax, with its compactness, decent live-view system and great Pentax ergonomics that I could use in my sleep. I really liked the K-5, but its video specs and a few other features make the diagonal step worthwhile. And once the solenoid is swapped out, results could be magical!
For no particular reason. I refreshed the DPReview/forum screen after posting.
Wow, it was my 4000th post!?!
No doubt a few of them were relevant to the topic, eased some tension or produced a chuckle. I was never banned during the dozen years or so that I've participated, which would lead some to conclude that I was pretty boring. I can live with that, from them at least.
I doubt that I'll double this number .. but
here's to the next thousand!
I've expended a lot of energy on research for cameras, and it generally pays off. In a curious way it has failed me several times recently, to my shock and frustration.
Put simply:
Why can't I like newer Lumix bodies??
The GX1, GX7 and EM1 supplanted the early bodies for quite a while, as did the eP5. Each brought new features that I really liked.
My next steps forward just didn't work out:
