Played at Yodobashi Camera today :)

While in Hachioji today, I discovered there is a Yodobashi Camera store - a small one, only 7 floors - so I took some time to try out a few lenses and cameras that I haven't seen before, or haven't had time to try. I mounted a dozen or so lenses on my E-PM2 for a quick trial run, and also popped an SD into a GX-8 for later examination. Hardly scientific, I know. I loved how demo units were laid out so I could mount lenses at my leisure and try them out - nobody bothered me at all.

GX8 - love the EVF! Feels ok, I could probably get used to the size.

G8 - Also a nice EVF, grip felt too deep, shutter very smooth

35-100/2.8 - love the size, but I'd probably go with the 12-100/4 for the one lens solution

60/2.8 - tried both the Oly macro and the Sigma, both were nice. The Oly I thought was a toy at first! I had no idea it was so small and narrow - looks like a stretched 45/1.8...

300/4 and 100-400 - tried both. I was surprised they had both of these on demo, but not the 42.5/1.2 - about the only lens I wanted to try but could not.

The 15/1.7 was also very nice; just wish it were the size of the 20/1.7 and I'd be sold.

The Panasonic 14-140 was mounted on a GX8, and felt very nice. Seemed to focus a bit closer to than the 14-150II that I've been borrowing the past few days, but I could be wrong.

The silver E-M10II looked really cheap, with a different finish than the silver E-M5s I've seen. Felt ok though, and the EVF was better than my E-M5 for sure. No sign of the E-M1 m I/II , and I didn't have time to ask. I plan on visiting another store next week in Tokyo so hope to see the mark II then.

I also picked up an A7 with a 24-240 or some such on it, and was appalled at how bad the focus was. It simply could not focus at ALL at the long end in the store, while none of the MFT lenses had any issues, even the 100-400 at the long end. The A7II with Zeiss 24-70 was better, but still slower than any of the MFT combos I tried.

A week of borrowing an E-M5II really has me sold on the larger EVF, so this and the GX8 are on the horizon for me, I think. My eyesight is not getting any better, and the larger, higher res EVF just makes things much more enjoyable.

Had a look through the photos I took, and forgot to mention two more items I tried out:

The Tamron 14-150, a lens I'd never seen before, felt very nice, and exactly the same size as the Oly 14-150. And I checked, the Pan 14-140 does focus closer than either the Oly or Tamron, down to 30cm vs 50cm, which is noticeable.

I also tried the GX7II (or GX80/85) and was not impressed. It felt too small, and the EVF was not nearly as good as the GX8 - something just seemed off with it. I guess this is the sequential scan LCD at play.

Hi Shawn.

Be wary that these Sony demo units and lenses have never had a firmware upgrade since thier initial release. The a7r when it hits the market had atrociously slow AF . It has had several firmware upgrades to make it a more usable experience compared to the em5mkii albeit very slightly slower AF.

I go through Tokyo every couple of years to visit my wife's relatives in Kyushu.  While she cruises through the Mitsukoshi department store, I'm delightfully occupied in the camera shops in Shinjuku.  Yodobashi and BIC both have wonderful selections of all of the latest gear.  It's like Toys R Us for camera geeks.  My advice to all is that if you're on a visit to Tokyo for whatever reason, carve out a couple of hours for a little "hands on" time.

Great stores I visited kyoto branch; you would think they would have all the latest gear in the camera shops in Japan ..but they don't.

Rich K wrote:

I go through Tokyo every couple of years to visit my wife's relatives in Kyushu. While she cruises through the Mitsukoshi department store, I'm delightfully occupied in the camera shops in Shinjuku. Yodobashi and BIC both have wonderful selections of all of the latest gear. It's like Toys R Us for camera geeks. My advice to all is that if you're on a visit to Tokyo for whatever reason, carve out a couple of hours for a little "hands on" time.

Yep, one of my old favorites in Tokyo as well.  My wife is from Kagoshima prefecture in Kyushu, but schedule the last few trips would not allow for my Yodobashi Camera "fix" 💴 💸.  We've also lived in Tokyo and I've had countless short and extended business trips there, so over the years my share of Camera Sakuraya, Yodobashi Camera, and BIc Camera visits in the Kanto and Kansai areas.

Come to think of it, my last time to the Shinjuku West store (my favorite) was probably in December 2004 😢, though I've been through Tokyo several times since.

Do Yodobashi Camera stores still continuously play that catchy, monotonous jingle over their PA system?  Every time something like this thread reminds me of it, I can't get it out of my head for the rest of the day! 🎼😳

3dwag wrote:

Rich K wrote:

I go through Tokyo every couple of years to visit my wife's relatives in Kyushu. While she cruises through the Mitsukoshi department store, I'm delightfully occupied in the camera shops in Shinjuku. Yodobashi and BIC both have wonderful selections of all of the latest gear. It's like Toys R Us for camera geeks. My advice to all is that if you're on a visit to Tokyo for whatever reason, carve out a couple of hours for a little "hands on" time.

Yep, one of my old favorites in Tokyo as well. My wife is from Kagoshima prefecture in Kyushu, but schedule the last few trips would not allow for my Yodobashi Camera "fix" 💴 💸. We've also lived in Tokyo and I've had countless short and extended business trips there, so over the years my share of Camera Sakuraya, Yodobashi Camera, and BIc Camera visits in the Kanto and Kansai areas.

Come to think of it, my last time to the Shinjuku West store (my favorite) was probably in December 2004 😢, though I've been through Tokyo several times since.

I assume you mean 2014? 10 years is far too long to stay away...

Do Yodobashi Camera stores still continuously play that catchy, monotonous jingle over their PA system? Every time something like this thread reminds me of it, I can't get it out of my head for the rest of the day! 🎼😳

I didn't notice any music, but will pay attention next time. The visual stimuli were enough to overwhelm my senses for hours!

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-Dennis W.
Austin, Texas
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Ulfric M Douglas wrote:

zuikowesty wrote:

... I mounted a dozen or so lenses on my E-PM2 for a quick trial run, ...

...

A week of borrowing an E-M5II really has me sold on the larger EVF, ...

Your own e-pM2 will work nicely with the VF-4 viewfinder ... just a suggestion.

Good point, I haven't thought of the VF-4 option for a while. I like that it offers me the same IQ as the E-M5 in a pocketable package, but the rear "dial" is fiddly and starting to act up, so it would be frustrating as a primary camera for any serious use. But, it's ideal as a walkaround body, and having a VF would be nice for bright days. I will keep my eyes open for a cheap VF-4. And a cheap 14/2.5 would make it even more pocketable. I kind of botched my 12-32 loose ring fix, so don't have a lot of faith in that lens anymore. I used too much adhesive tape, so the ring didn't quite slide on all the way, and now it will never come off without destroying the lens - I tried, and the outer barrel started to separate from the rest of it. Since I used it primarily as a 12mm lens, a cheap 14/2.5 would probably be a good enough replacement and not require extending the lens every time.

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Cheksa wrote:
You're evil Ulfric.

tt321 wrote:

zuikowesty wrote:

I also picked up an A7 with a 24-240 or some such on it, and was appalled at how bad the focus was. It simply could not focus at ALL at the long end in the store, while none of the MFT lenses had any issues, even the 100-400 at the long end. The A7II with Zeiss 24-70 was better, but still slower than any of the MFT combos I tried.

I had this eye-opening (-watering?) experience myself with the A6000. Maybe newer cameras fare better? Or maybe after owning for a while you learn how to use them properly?

Yodobashi is an experience for sure.

I've tried quite a few FF Sony's in my local camera shop. The only one that actually felt as responsive as my m43's cameras was the A7Rii. The others just felt a bit pokey, with the original A7 being so dang slow, I'd probably just use adapted MF glass on it.

Bhima78 wrote:

tt321 wrote:

zuikowesty wrote:

I also picked up an A7 with a 24-240 or some such on it, and was appalled at how bad the focus was. It simply could not focus at ALL at the long end in the store, while none of the MFT lenses had any issues, even the 100-400 at the long end. The A7II with Zeiss 24-70 was better, but still slower than any of the MFT combos I tried.

I had this eye-opening (-watering?) experience myself with the A6000. Maybe newer cameras fare better? Or maybe after owning for a while you learn how to use them properly?

Yodobashi is an experience for sure.

I've tried quite a few FF Sony's in my local camera shop. The only one that actually felt as responsive as my m43's cameras was the A7Rii. The others just felt a bit pokey, with the original A7 being so dang slow, I'd probably just use adapted MF glass on it.

The A7R has a rather charming habit of giving up after a bit and reporting focus lock anyway.  Found the OOF shots a bit puzzling until this became obvious.

Andrew

Tom Caldwell wrote:

zuikowesty wrote:

I also picked up an A7 with a 24-240 or some such on it, and was appalled at how bad the focus was. It simply could not focus at ALL at the long end in the store, while none of the MFT lenses had any issues, even the 100-400 at the long end. The A7II with Zeiss 24-70 was better, but still slower than any of the MFT combos I tried.

I presume that the camera body was the (old) A7 MkI? The MkI CDAF AF was nothing to write home about as far focus speed was concerned ...

It actually has CDAF+PDAF, but I guess it still wasn't enough.

I also was visiting NYC and went to B and H.  Just out of curiosity tried the GX8 and fell in love.  Never even thought of owning one until I tried it then had to have it.  Love the camera.

Hal

I've tried quite a few FF Sony's in my local camera shop. The only one that actually felt as responsive as my m43's cameras was the A7Rii. The others just felt a bit pokey, with the original A7 being so dang slow, I'd probably just use adapted MF glass on it.

I use an A7 exclusively with adapted MF lenses and I very much enjoy it when I want to shoot in that manner. For everything else its m43 all the way.