Ibiza through a Pen

[ukaskew]

For the 4th time in 5 years we headed to Ibiza for our summer holiday, this time finally moving away from Portinatx to the almost as picturesque resort of Cala Llonga (in comfortably the best hotel we've ever stayed in). In 11 days we barely moved aside from a night in Ibiza Town and another in Playa den Bossa, so photography was limited. It did, however, give me a chance to properly try out my Olympus E-PL2 and newly purchased Panasonic 20mm f1.7.

All photos were edited whilst waiting for the missus to get ready each evening on my iPad and the superb Nik SnapSeed.

Cala Llonga

Cala Llonga (our hotel)

Cala Llonga

2 of the 3 sisters resident at out hotel

Ibiza Town

Ibiza Town (8th largest Yacht in the world furthest from camera)

Cala Llonga (our hotel)

Ibiza Town

The trip coincided with me selling off all my Nikon gear as I'm hanging up my motorsport boots. An impending wedding and no doubt kids soon after meant it was hard to justify such an expensive sub-hobby within photography, mileage in particular being an absolute killer. I love a challenge more than anything though, so will be trying to prove the naysayers wrong and shoot some decent motorsport with Micro 4/3s (I have a Castle Combe season pass anyway, so always head there but rarely take pics any more). Micro 4/3s has proved itself to me for every other type of photography, and the ridiculously compact size will be awesome for the holidays/honeymoons we have coming up in the next 12 months.

To compliment the 20mm 1.7 I'm adding a few other lens with some of the funds from the Nikon sell-off, namely the Olympus 45mm f1.8, Olympus 12mm f2.0 and Panasonic 100-300mm. Should be fun.

 

[Feirny]

Great shots Chris, sad to see you're giving it all up really, well the motorsport.

 

[bully]

Nice pics, love the hotel shot.

 

[Gavin.]

excellent shots, especially that Ibiza town one

 

[Moz168]

I want a PEN so badly, nice shots.

 

[dunganick]

Lovely shots as always Chris. You can always come back to the motorsports photography - its not going anywhere! Sounds like congratulations are in order too.
Keep up the top shots!

 

[Jamie86]

Gutted you're giving up motorsport shooting as your pics are always far better than the "pro" they have selling them at Combe

Loving the shots above though

 

[Wick]

Really like a couple of those, the cat picture looks very sharp and the boats in the harbour is spot on!

 

[Brazo]

2nd pic is really good.

 

[silentsnake]

Amazing work

 

[unofficialPete]

Superb! These DSLR censored mini cameras are really intriguing me as they develop and I become less serious!

The Fuji x100 makes me s*x wee

 

[Brazo]

Superb! These DSLR censored mini cameras are really intriguing me as they develop and I become less serious!

The Fuji x100 makes me s*x wee

Yes its a very interesting market, have you seen the pictures of the Sony NEX 7 and Carl Zeiss 24mm?

 

[ukaskew]

Superb! These DSLR censored mini cameras are really intriguing me as they develop and I become less serious!

The Fuji x100 makes me s*x wee

It was the X100 that got me interested in the first place, in the end I decided I wanted a little more flexibility so went with a Pen, the range of primes is superb and increasing all the time. A couple of weeks in and I realised there was no point in keeping my D90 as the Pen was comfortably good enough for my day to day shooting and the occasional published shots.

The Sony cameras are nice but the lens range is hopeless (and they will struggle to make the lens' any smaller due to the sensor size), Panasonic and Olympus seem to be on a mission with their bodies and lens releases, so I'm sticking with Micro 4/3.

I can see them overtaking DSLRs for the amatuer user in the not too distant future, for the vast majority they are more than enough camera.

 

[Brazo]

Hmm I wouldn't say hopeless, 3 more lenses are to be announced shortly and you can use any old manual lens you like via adapters without a 2x crop factor. Don't get me wrong I like M4/3rd native lens options but when Sony catches up (and it will given its started years behind) the argument for small sensored compacts over dslr sensored compacts is a very weak one indeed.

 

[SamP]

The Fuji x100 makes me s*x wee

I would love an X100, shame theyre the best part of a grand

 

[ukaskew]

Hmm I wouldn't say hopeless, 3 more lenses are to be announced shortly

Perhaps I should have said hopeless for me at the moment, I'm doing lots of travelling in the next few months so wanted a set up with a solid existing/confirmed line up. The 12mm f2, 20mm 1.7, 45mm 1.8 combo was too tempting for me (with an 8mm fisheye temporarily added for New York later this year) and will fit into a ridiculously small space.

The main idea for me was go as compact as possible (otherwise I may have kept my D90), the Pen and 20mm 1.7 (my daily walkabout) literally fits in my pocket.

 

[Reyes]

You stayed in the quiet part then!
Was lovely round there. We were in San Antonio Bay..

 

[Revels]

Brilliant.

Proving that it's not the camera, it's the photographer.

 

[ChrisR]

What are these smaller cameras like for speed?

At the moment I have just a Lumix point and shoot, but could do with something to use for some reasonably paced sports of which the Lumix just isnt quick enough. By the time the shutter is pressed and the shot actually taken the moment has passed!

Was going to go down the dslr route but a micro arrangement would be quite neat.

 

[ukaskew]

Speed is the one area they fall down (particuarly for fast movement). The AF speed of the newer models is easily comparable to an entry level DSLR, but the limitation of constrast detect AF is that it struggles to track fast movement, particuarly if the subject is moving directly towards or away from you.

Shutter lag isn't too bad, not as instant as a DSLR but much faster than a compact. I wouldn't buy one if shooting a lot of sport though (it's not going to stop me trying...but that's only because everyone says it can't be done!)

 

[ChrisR]

Thought that might be the case, might have to pickup a DLSR then as ideally it's going to be used for roller/ice hockey.

 

[Brazo]

I am sure I read that the new Panasonic GF3 has the fastest autofocus of any camera? I say 'any' camera it might just be among its peers!

 

[ukaskew]

I am sure I read that the new Panasonic GF3 has the fastest autofocus of any camera? I say 'any' camera it might just be among its peers!

Yep, and the Olympus EP3 has gone quicker still. They are referring to locking onto relatively static objects though. In theory AF on a mirrorless camera is far more flexible (it's only now really being put into practice)...the GF3 for example has touch-screen AF, so you can pick a small focus point anywhere in the frame by touching it, and in good light is more reliable and accurate than phase detect AF found in DSLRs.

AF and AFC (tracking) are completely different though, whilst the Panasonic GH2 and newer models will just about keep up with an entry level DSLR in terms of tracking fast moving objects, the way they focus (contrast detection) means it pretty much falls over if something is moving at speed towards you.

 

[Brazo]

Yep sorry thats the one I meant the EP3!

 

[unofficialPete]

How does the Pen cope with shallow DoF and focus? I had a look through one of the mini Olympus cameras with a digital viewfinder and hated it. I'm so out of the gear loop, need to read some reviews.

Issue is, I LOVE the feel of my 40D + 17-55 f/2.8 IS, its solid, the AF is amazing, is great in low light and the controls are so big and quick to dial in BUT I can count the number of times I've used it this year on one hand and also have a 10-22, 70-200 and massive list of accessories collecting dust!

Oh and my mates tend to shy away from the rig which takes away the fun of it.

I'd want something that looks fantastic like the X100 and can take pancake lenses, if its going to be awkward I might as well stick with what I have.

edit: ooo lala http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-olympus-e-p3-black-digital-camera-body/p1526355

 

[ukaskew]

That was the thing for me, loved my D90 and loved my 70-200 2.8 even more, but I was hardly using it. The Pen gets chucked in the car when I drive places (just incase) and is always with me when I walk anywhere.

Depth of field was the most pleasent surprise of the whole thing, I wondered if I would get any meaningful shallow focus, but it's much much better than I expected and the AF is scarily accurate (with a single button touch to zoom and check on the screen if needs be), I haven't tried a telephoto yet, but the 20mm 1.7 is a gem, I will try and upload some video later.

Oddly the lack of a viewfinder hasn't occurred to me on the Pen (although my GH2 has a fantastic bright EVF), and whilst the controls were by far my biggest concern coming from a DSLR, it's become fairly natural, I would always welcome more physical buttons and scroll wheels but the most common settings are quick enough to get at for general use.

 

[unofficialPete]

Thanks! I think I'm actually in a position where I'll buy a new camera then decide the fate of the DSLR, ideally I can keep both.

I'm thinking I'll get the Panasonic GF-3 but now need to decide on a pancake lens! 14mm f/2.5 vs 20mm f/1.7, both 4/3 sytem(?!)

I'm a sucker for speed but the wide angle might be more usable?

 

[ukaskew]

G3 is a lovely bit of kit but annoyingly Panasonic are going down the 'simplifying' route at the moment, they've removed a lot of external controls. That's why I went with the GH2 (but then again it's my only DSLR style body), although I ended up paying more for lots of video functionality which I'm unlikely to ever make the most of (the video from it is utterly ridiculous, well beyond my limited knowledge but looks amazing)

14mm vs 20mm is a tough one, the 20mm 1.7 is the 50mm 1.8 of the M43 world, everyone owns one and the quality is superb. 14mm wasn't wide enough to justify getting both for me, but the Olympus 9-18 that's next on my list will cover that.

 

[unofficialPete]

Played with a GF-2 today and it does look like they've simplified it more in the GF-3 but I need to let go a little to get the fun back and get something thats more sociable and a bit more everyday. I did actually prefer it to the Pen due to being slightly smaller. Not keen on the new central pop up flash, will have to see what others make of the apparent lens shadows and red eye.

Looking at what you've taken with the 20mm I'd say its the better choice, especially with the f/1.7 for DoF and low light. Time to save and see what comes up.

I'm incredibly unfamilier with the M43 system and would rather not look at lenses, thats what my 40D is for BUT whats the availability of old MF lenses like that can be teamed up with the DMW-MA1 4/3rds Lens Mount Adaptor? Purely out of curiosity...

 

[ukaskew]

You can bolt pretty much any lens ever made to Micro 4/3, if a lens mount exists you can be sure an adaptor exists. I've never looked into the official adaptor, but I'm currently bidding on some old Canon FD lens' as lots of people have had superb results with them, plus they are cheap and extremely common. 200mm f4s can go for around £30, so you are getting a bright 400mm lens for very little. The old Canon FD 50mm 1.4 is also a popular choice, 100mm f1.4!

 

[Brazo]

I've just bought an Olympus zuiko f1.8 50mm mij for 20 quid! It's meant to be a very sharp old manual lens.

 

[unofficialPete]

Wish I didn't know that! Looks like all the eBay stores have purchased all the FD lenses and pushed up the prices, may have to look at other brands like brazo has done.

Now for the decisions, the GF3 is much cheaper than the Ep-3 and smaller, choice made but I'm baffled as to why I can get the GF3 + 14mm f/2.5 from DigitalRevs at the same price as others sell it body only! I realise they are a HK store but they seem very reputable?
http://www.digitalrev.com/en/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf3-with-lumix-g-14-mm-f2-dot-5-lens-and-8gb-card-and-hdmi-cable-12546.html (£370, includes memory, HDMI and other crap!)

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy...-_-Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-GF3-Black-Body_1526040 (£370, body only)

Unless I'm being stupid (?!) the LUMIX G 14 mm f/2.5 lens sells for £200 on its own. Should free up fund for 20 f/1.7!

 

[Brazo]

The Pen 1 and 2 have the same sensor as the Pen 3 and are much cheaper, pen 1 can be bought for £199, they don't have as many features but far cheaper!

 

[unofficialPete]

Thanks, this is tough, I'm a sucker for the latest tech and the Ep-3 + GF-3 both have really quick AF but one thing pushing me towards the EP-2 is the low light potential:

ISO 100-6400 + 20mm f/1.7 + In-body image stabilization (claimed to be effective for 4 stops of stabilization)

If the GF3 had IS, I wouldn't be thinking twice. Best find a shop and hold both side by side. Anyway, done some readin on DigitalRev, won't bother! Best save some more and use Warehouse express or similar!

 

[unofficialPete]

Update, what a dinky little camera! This is with a borrowed lens, still waiting on the 20 f/1.7 to come into stock, should have used eBay for a second hander!

I've just looked at all of my EXIF data, time to start boxing the DSLR gear for sale
10-22 was last used at a party in April then a holiday in August 2010.
70-200 was used in January 2011 at the same holiday in August 2011 to take about 5 photos and nothing substantial until 2009.

 

[Brazo]

Nice! Doubt you'll miss the DSLR tbh!

Unless you shoot wildlife or motorsport the reasons to own a dslr over these new mirrorless cameras are becoming less and less!

 

[ChrisR]

I still can't decide on one of these or a full on dslr

 

[ukaskew]

Update, what a dinky little camera! This is with a borrowed lens, still waiting on the 20 f/1.7 to come into stock, should have used eBay for a second hander!

Great stuff, the 20mm 1.7 is a peach, that and the 45mm 1.8 that should be shipping in a week or two will be a great set up for a large range of shots. I'm shooting every single weekend now, unthinkable a few months ago.

 

[ukaskew]

Unless you shoot wildlife or motorsport the reasons to own a dslr over these new mirrorless cameras are becoming less and less!

I tinkered with my settings yesterday and had a fantastic 3hrs shooting motorsport with my G3, sure the photos won't stand up to pixel by pixel scrutiny (although I was using crazy shutter speeds and it was very windy) but it was great fun wandering around without a backpack and holding a lens with massive reach comfortably.

Then I cycled down to the canal this morning with my camera slung over my shoulder (literally, I had nothing else on me)...

 

[unofficialPete]

Great to hear ukaskew! where did you sell most of your kit in the end, eBay, forums?

Have to admit, its a little sad packing and shooting all the gear, lots of memories and I've accumulated a fair amount and still have a lens and body to find the boxes for and shoot.
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/BluePete85/DSLR_Sale/

But yes, as you say Brazo, probably won't miss it, money better spent elsewhere aka a flat!