What do you own with your MFT camera? What are the uses? Are you happy with them?

As the question suggests above, I am very curious to see what lenses everyone is using with your favorite MFT camera. Please say which camera you are using. Then list the lenses you own for your camera, describe how you are using it and your experience with them

For full disclaimer, I just finally caved in and purchased a GX7 camera (I was leaning E-M10, but then saw what I thought is a deal for the GX7 (it felt right but I am still not sure): GX7 with 14-42 II kit lense + 1 extra battery + external charger + 16 GB memory card + 8 Gb memory card + travel-sized tripod + camera bag + 3 filters + screen protector pack + lense cleaning kit for $817.00 (including shipping and tax). I would have paid $799 for the E-M10 + tax. AND: It is SOOO hard to find a store that actually has the E-M10 in store to see.). I will use the kit lense for the next couple of months and am contemplating the purchase of additional lenses partially based on feedback received here.

From a bigger curiosity perspective though I am just curious what the community is using

I purchased the EM! because I have the following FT glass:

11-22

14-54 mk1

50F2

40-150 mk1

70-300

I am going to slowly break into mFT glass to share with my daughter, for whom I purchased an EPL2 to ignite her interest in photography (she loves it!)

thornhale said:

As the question suggests above, I am very curious to see what lenses everyone is using with your favorite MFT camera.

Click to expand...

Well.....let's see...



And I forgot to include the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 and 14mm f2.5 I had in another bag.

Shot with an E-M1, 12-40mm f2.8 and FL50R flash, and I've since added the Panasonic GX7.

--
"There's shadows in life, baby.." Jack Horner- Boogie Nights

HOLY CRAP, Greg! I want to borrow some...................

Which ones

One thing lead to another, and then another, and another, etc.

I wish I was your neighbor! I live in Birmingham, Alabama, and rarely see Olympus gear. People don't know what they are missing!

I'm using mine to shoot food and beverages for a client (bistro), landscape for fun. Am I happy? Absolutely! As for my gears, you can view them on my profile.

Wow!

Where do you live Greg?

And, do you have a dog?

When I need fast focus or a tele I use my E-PM2 with 40-150 & kit lens.

When I want awesome IS and better IQ I use my EOS-M and 22mm f2 and 18-55 kit.

It is not that the Canon sensor is better (it isn't), it is the EF-M lenses, which are better than anything I can afford in m43.

I have 6 lenses for my ep5, and five of them are primes.



The 6th lens is the Oly 40-150... a very nice lens that I don't use very often. I try my hand at a variety of subjects, by my primary interest is people pics.

--
Warm regards, Frank
Galleries at fdrphoto.smugmug.com

thornhale said:

As the question suggests above, I am very curious to see what lenses everyone is using with your favorite MFT camera. Please say which camera you are using. Then list the lenses you own for your camera, describe how you are using it and your experience with them

For full disclaimer, I just finally caved in and purchased a GX7 camera (I was leaning E-M10, but then saw what I thought is a deal for the GX7 (it felt right but I am still not sure): GX7 with 14-42 II kit lense + 1 extra battery + external charger + 16 GB memory card + 8 Gb memory card + travel-sized tripod + camera bag + 3 filters + screen protector pack + lense cleaning kit for $817.00 (including shipping and tax). I would have paid $799 for the E-M10 + tax. AND: It is SOOO hard to find a store that actually has the E-M10 in store to see.). I will use the kit lense for the next couple of months and am contemplating the purchase of additional lenses partially based on feedback received here.

From a bigger curiosity perspective though I am just curious what the community is using

Click to expand...

I have the EM1 and the GM1.

Most used lenses:

• Panasonic 100-300mm
• Panasonic 45mm macro
• Nikon 55mm f3.5 macro

Next most used:

• Oly 12-40mm (on the EM1)
• Panasonic 12-32mm (on the GM1)
• Oly 40-150mm
• Oly 12mm
• Panasonic 25mm
• Panasonic 14mm

Occasionally used

• Yashica ML 50mm f1.7
• Yashica ML 135mm f2.8
• Holga pinhole lens

My basic but comprehensive kit for outdoor shooting on the EM1 consists of the 100-300mm, 45mm macro, 12-40mm, and 40-150mm. If I am going out to a waterway for birds or nature shots, I can pretty much just keep the 100-300mm on the camera and leave the rest in the bag (sometimes the 40-150mm is useful, too) Once in a while I will put on the 12mm for a wide shot, but that's infrequent.

My small comprehensive kit on the GM1 contains the 12-32mm, 40-150mm, and sometimes either the 12mm or the 14mm.

For in-town shooting, I use either the 12-32mm or 12-40mm; or the 12mm (or 14mm) if I really want to keep things small. Long lenses are useless in narrow streets and for architecture, so they stay home on city days.

If I am planning to be in low light indoor situations, I bring the 25mm (and sometimes the Yashica 50mm), and the 12mm if I need wide angle.

Basically, what I carry depends on where I am going to be shooting and what my subjects are going to be. I never carry everything at once, but it's nice to be able to choose from a variety of lens options to meet the needs of any particular situation.

It does not mean that I don't get curious about other lenses, or have the occasional bout of G.A.S. when a new lens comes out. However, I have pretty much everything I use regularly covered at this point, and some of the lenses I have are really terrific (12-40mm, 45mm macro, 25mm f1.4, and 12mm), so when absolute quality matters, I have what I need already. (I do admit to more than a passing curiosity about a 300mm prime when they release one, though....and I would love to try a fisheye if one dropped in my lap at some point )

Moral of the story: Figure out what focal lengths you work with the most, and what parameters you shoot in, and buy the lenses that meet those needs. Only you know what and how you prefer to shoot, and you should tailor your kit for that.

-J

thornhale said:

As the question suggests above, I am very curious to see what lenses everyone is using with your favorite MFT camera. Please say which camera you are using. Then list the lenses you own for your camera, describe how you are using it and your experience with them

For full disclaimer, I just finally caved in and purchased a GX7 camera (I was leaning E-M10, but then saw what I thought is a deal for the GX7 (it felt right but I am still not sure): GX7 with 14-42 II kit lense + 1 extra battery + external charger + 16 GB memory card + 8 Gb memory card + travel-sized tripod + camera bag + 3 filters + screen protector pack + lense cleaning kit for $817.00 (including shipping and tax). I would have paid $799 for the E-M10 + tax. AND: It is SOOO hard to find a store that actually has the E-M10 in store to see.). I will use the kit lense for the next couple of months and am contemplating the purchase of additional lenses partially based on feedback received here.

From a bigger curiosity perspective though I am just curious what the community is using

Click to expand...

I'm using OM-D E-M5

45mm

75mm

9-18mm

90% is portraits (both 45mm and 75 mm are used). The 9-18 mm to help me shoot inside buildings/cities/landscape.

I sold most of my mft lenses when I bought the 12-40/2,8. I only kept the 40-150/4-5,6, waiting for the 2,8 PRO version. Among what I sold was the 9-18 which I used a lot for architecture. Now I use the 12-40 for that. Sharper but not as wide. So I'm planning to get a sharper wide lens than the 9-18 was. My camera is E-M5 by the way. Besuds from my two mft lenses I have two legacy lenses to play with. My old f.zuiko 38/1, 8 is used for indoor portraits in bad light sometimes, and my FD Tokina 80-200/4 is transformed to a 57-145/2, 8 via a cheap focal reducer.

I bought a M43 mainly to go hiking in the Italia Apennines to save on weight. But have ended up using it for almost everything I photograph especially when I travel.

Here is my first year with M43: http://nigelvoak.blogspot.it/2013/12/a-year-with-micro-four-thirds.html

I have :

2 OMD EM5’s + and a Lumix GX1

7.5 Samyang Fisheye

Olympus 9-18

12-35 Lumix 2.8 – My most used lens

Lumix 45-200

Lumix 100-300

Plus I still have my old Nikon Dx stuff that I use for macro and other special things

http://nigelvoak.blogspot.it/

I moved to MFT from another system (NEX) recently. I use the OMD EM1 and have the Oly 12-40mm/2.8, 17mm/1.8, 60mm macro, and Pana 45-150mm.

I use the camera mainly for travel photography (landscapes, city, people), also enjoy doing macro. I am contemplating to purchase a longer tele (occasional animal photos). Also i am thinking about either the Pana 35-100/2.8 or the new Oly 40-150/2.8. Not sure yet ... the Pana 45-150 is cheap and actually decent for the money.

"Waiter, I'll have what he's having."

Cheers,

Rick

Poopster said:

Wow!

Where do you live Greg?

Click to expand...

Poopster said:

And, do you have a dog?

Click to expand...

Nope!

Now I want more gear! MY MMF-3 just arrived. Gotta go........................

MFT cameras currently in use: E-M1, GH2.

11-22 I bought for landscape photography specifically. It's not universally useful, but the very wide to normal FL range is tremendously useful, and in some locations it can just stay glued to my camera. It's really not the tack-sharp lens some Four Thirds holdouts claim it to be though, and PDAF can be a little bit finicky.

14-54 is a great general purpose lens. Not the fastest at AF, and it already focused just as good on the GH2 as it did on any Four Thirds DSLRs. If I know nothing about a location, that will be the one that I use by default. It's the one that I'd use in the studio.

I got the Sigma 19mm and 30mm f/2.8 to replace the 14-42 f/3.5-5.6 kit lens that came with my GH2. But the truth is, I'm more of a zoom shooter. I like the 30mm f/2.8 for portraiture.

m.Zuiko 40-150 tests as one of the best lenses in the system, especially in the 40-100 range. And it's so small and light that it's easy to take anywhere. Quick to focus. Even if you don't like telephoto, you should get this lens because it'll be there when you do need it.

When I bought into this system, I wasn't looking for compactness, I was looking for the best digital back I could put behind my Four Thirds lenses. First MFT camera was the Panasonic GH2, and I bought that when the lenses I had to hand were the 11-22 f/2.8-3.5 and Sigma 18-50 f/2.8, fully intending to use them on this system. I ended up not being too thrilled with the 18-50's inability to autofocus accurately at the long end (an apparently failing of CDAF not so much on PDAF-designed lenses, but lenses with manual focus rings whose motors aren't designed to make small steps), so traded it in for the 14-54 II. My Four Thirds mount 40-150 f/4.0-5.6 was fine until I got a tripod head that was more sturdy than the lens, so I got the MFT version refurbished. Then I got into dual camera shooting, picked up an E-PL1. That camera is fiddly and frustrating though and I've decided that I really don't like the add-on EVF concept (the VF-2 is great as a compositional device, but I have to have the thing tethered so I don't lose it out in BFN, having it attached semi-permanently makes the camera too tall to fit in my bags, and it pretty much makes the camera unusable for strobe-based studio work). So I leapfrogged the GH2 with the E-M1 and am either going to IR convert or sell the E-PL1.

There are some MFT lenses I'd still like to pick up. Probably an ultrawide at some point. I'd like the 17mm f/1.8 and 75mm f/1.8. I'd like to have a super telephoto lens, but I don't use the longest FLs currently available to me enough to justify the expense. I could trade both of my Four Thirds lenses for a 12-40 f/2.8 and be happy with that. Probably won't be able to afford it, but I would love to have the 40-150 f/2.8 when it comes out.

I just added a Sony A3000 that I got half off. Technically, that camera has a better sensor than my E-M1. But good lord that camera has a horrendous viewfinder-- I think the EVF on the nearly 14 year old Olympus C-730UZ might be a bit better. But the reason I got it is: I like my legacy lenses, but I also like using them on a cropped frame almost as much as I like digitizing slides (which is to say, not a lot). I just don't do much photography at the AoVs most legacy lenses work out to when used on cropped frames. But here's how the A3000 changes that: I'm going to add in a focal reducer (probably the Zhongyi Lens Turbo II, maybe a Metabones Speedbooster later on if I get serious enough about this proposition) and shoot legacy lenses exclusively on it. Can't argue with legit full frame performance with focus peaking for $300, all in.

I have a pretty bare bones kit by comparison, but it is usually enough for me. I shoot with an E-PM2 and Panasonic G2. The lenses I have are the Pan 14-45, Pan 14mm, Oly 45mm, and Oly 40-150. To be honest I rarely use the G2, but it's not worth much on the open market, and my wife uses it quite a bit. I will add the Oly 25mm 1.8 this year and possibly either the 12-32 or rokinon FE. If I can't make nice pictures with what I have, why should I worry about adding more gear. In my experience, it just serves to distract me from why I got the camera in the first place, taking pictures.