As explained in my previous post I was highly
interested in an mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. So the next question
was: which one to choose? Well I started searching the internet and reading
magazines and the first camera that came across was (at that time in October
2012) the brand new Sony NEX-6. It received very positive reviews and I
actually went to a store to ask if I could try one with the intention to buy it.
They guy in the shop told me that they only had one of them and that it was for
sale and not there was no possibility to try it (even not in the store!). So,
sorry, no Sony at that time.
A few days later while I was still searching te
internet I came across a blog written by a guy named Shawn Blanc. In his blog he explained his search for a compact
mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and after a comparison of several
cameras such as the Panasonic GX1, Sony NEX-6, and Olympus OM-D EM-5 he choose
the Olympus E-PL5. For him it was the perfect combination of photo quality,
possibilities and a compact camera. His story seemed logical to me, so I became
interested in the E-PL5 and searched for tests and reviews, which were all very
positive. Besides the camera itself, the micro four thirds system had a large
range of lenses. So I became convinced that this would be my next camera. I
went to a store (not the one mentioned before), tried it myself and bought the E-PL5.
This was in November 2012. I bought it as a kit with a 14-42mm and a 40-150mm
lens and a separate flash.
From the moment I used this camera I loved taking photos. Picture quality was very good and sharp and the system itself was compact and light as I wanted. Off course it was not as compact as a point and shoot camera, but compared to a digital SLR it was almost half the size and weight. I shot amazing pictures with this camera.
After using it for a year I decided that I wanted to
learn more about my camera and become a better photographer. So I listed up for
a photo course at André Nijenhuis, a Dutch photographer who runs a photo
school. It was a 4 day course in November 2013 and he explained everything
about exposure and the interaction between aperture, shutter speed and iso and
also about the possibilities of my camera and the modes to choose, i.e. the
Program mode, Shutter release mode, Aperture mode and Manual mode. In fact I
never used the Manual mode before, but soon I learned that it was very easy to
use to get the best results. A that time all the pieces of the puzzle came
together. I also realized that using the M modus on my Olympus was in fact the
modern way of using my first Praktica SLR camera (see previous post).
I started using the M mode more often, but this lead
me to a difficult decision te be made. Using the M mode was possible with my
E-PL5, but the way it worked was little complicated by using several menu steps
to change aperture and shutter speed. So in November 2013 I made a decision to
exchange my Olympus E-PL5 (with pain in my heart) for an Olympus OM-D EM-5. The
big advantage of the EM-5 is that is has to separate dials for controlling
aperture and shutter speed to work with in de M mode. I own my EM-5 for about a
year now and I love taking photos with it.
