Walk-about

I took the opportunity yesterday to head over to Potapsco State park near my office for a nice lunch time stroll along the river. The weather was amazing and I even found a couple of new places along the path I had never explored before. I shot with the 12mm and 45mm, but it was really the 12mm photos that turned out the best on this trip.

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/4.5, 1/320s, ISO200

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/4.5, 1/125s, ISO200

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/2.5, 1/640s, ISO200

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/4.5, 1/200s, ISO200

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/4, 1/200s, ISO200

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/4, 1/80s, ISO200

I am very much in love with the Zuiko 12mm f/2. A pricey lens, but man it delivers. I am going to have a hard time not keeping it welded to my OM-D for the next few weeks. Though I guess there are worse things.

Olympus Zuiko 12mm f/2 is here

After much breath holding, the Olympus 12mm f/2 I bought showed up. It is used. I was nervous. it was fine.

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/4, 1/100s, ISO200

I had some concerns as I’ve read a number of reports of owners getting one or even two copies with slight decentering or where the sample was just unacceptably soft before they finally got a good copy. Not a comprehensive test, but after a few brick wall photos and probably another 30 or so other test pictures, this appears to be a good copy. Very limited experience here, but I am impressed by how sharp it is at f/2. Stopped down I am a little less impressed. The center of the frame is very sharp f/2 on. The corners are very good at f/2, but never really reach an excellent level. I only notice a slight difference from f/2 to f/5.6 in sharpness. That is pretty much by way of saying wide open, the amount of resolution is excellent for being wide open. For f/5.6, the resolution is merely very good. It is significantly sharper than my Olympus 17mm f/2.8, I can say that much for sure. Compared to the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 I sold…wide open the 12/2 is definitely sharper than the 14/2.5 is. Stopped down…not so sure. The 14/2.5 might have a slight edge in the corners, but the center the 12/2 is probably still sharper. definitely lower CA on the 12/2 though, much, much lower. Focusing speed is fast, but I’d say slightly slower than my 45/1.8 and 25/1.4. At least as fast as the 14/2.5 and 30/2.8 were. Obviously much faster than the 17/2.8 and it is probably also the quietest focuser of all of the lenses I have/have had.

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/2, 1/40s, ISO400

The 12/2 will NOT be challenging my 25/1.4 (at least stopped down slightly for the 25/1.4 corners) or my 45/1.8 in resolution, not that I expected it to as those other two lenses are extremely sharp. Overall, early still, but I am very happy with the 12/2. Sure, I wouldn’t have minded if it was $200 less for the quality it does provide, but I got it for almost that much less used anyway. It is also the only game in town if you want a rectilinear (prime) lens wider than 14mm. I needed something wider than 14mm and rectilinear…so there you have it.

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/2, 1/20s, ISO400

Oh, and I do really like the pull back focusing ring. Not that I think I’ll use it very often and I do notice the “discrete” focusing steps it takes, instead of constant adjustment as you rotate (there a very large number of discrete steps, and especially if you are stopping down slightly and not shooting super close to the MFD, this matters little), but I can see how it would be useful to adjust focus either when it won’t lock in really low light, or when you need to tweak focus. It makes me very interested in the implementation on the 17/1.8, which does do continuous focus adjustment through the range. It also makes me really wish all Olympus (at least prime) lenses had this functionality. I could see it being even more useful on something like the 45/1.8 or 75/1.8.

Olympus 12mm f/2: f/2, 1/320s, ISO200

Change up

With a milestone coming up I’ve been able to convince my wife that it deserves recognition in the form of new photographic gear. Sadly, it also required the sacrifice of a trusted companion. So, it was out with the old and in with the new(ish). I sold off my Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 and any day now I should be receiving an Olympus Zuiko 12mm f/2 lens.

I am very, very excited for the day.

Any day now.

Not impatient or anything. Nope, not me.

Snow and another One

The last, I hope, Snow storm of the year blew through here a few days ago. Well, last snow storm till next December most likely. It was rather out of the blue after already being technically spring, it being central Maryland and last it having been in the sixties (Fahrenheit scale) just a few days before. I took advantage of this one a little better than the last one. I am trusting to that weather sealing a bit more on the E-M5 than I was before. It still unnerves me seeing that much water accumulating on it, but I hold it together. Though a weather sealed lens would make me feel a whole lot better about the thing.

Olympus 17mm f/2.8: f/3.2, 1/4s, ISO400

Olympus 45mm f/1.8: f/2, 1/1600s, ISO200

Olympus 45mm f/1.8: f/2, 1/1600s, ISO200

Olympus 45mm f/1.8: f/2, 1/2500s, ISO200

Olympus 45mm f/1.8: f/2.5, 1/3200s, ISO200

Olympus 45mm f/1.8: f/4, 1/1600s, ISO200

Olympus 45mm f/1.8: f/2.2, 1/640s, ISO200

Also recently another big event happened. My daughter turned 1 (hence, another one, as that makes all three kids who have had a first birthday). Ignoring the daughter bit, it makes me kind of sad as she is my youngest and I certainly don’t plan on any more kids. Three is too much the perfect number for me, thank you very much.

Panasonic 25mm f/1.4: f/1.8, 1/30s, ISO200

Panasonic 25mm f/1.4: f/1.8, 1/100s, ISO800

Olympus 45mm f/1.8: f/2.5, 1/60s, ISO400

Olympus 45mm f/1.8: f/2.5, 1/60s, ISO800

Cupcakes really are the best birthday “cake”. Especially at this age.

Seasons change

As the seasons change any my life gets lets crazy, I promise I will post more. Besides, with spring time and longer days it tends to get easier to get out and door more photography. My 30th birthday is coming up soon and in a grand bargain with my wife I may be trading letting her buy the banquette that she has been wanting in exchange for me buying the Zuiko 12mm f/2 I’ve been wanting. Sadly I’ll likely have to part with my Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 in enable to grease the transaction as well. It is a really nice lens, but probably wouldn’t see much use anyway with the 12/2 and the 17/2.8 at hand as well.

Maybe I can talk my wife in to the 17/1.8 as a Christmas present…

Olympus 45mm f/1.8 – f/2, 1/1600s, ISO200

Olympus 45mm f/1.8 – f/2, 1/1000s, ISO200

Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 – f/2, 1/1600s, ISO200

Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 – f/1.4, 1/125s, ISO200

What also makes me sad is that my last baby turns One in just a few days. Blessing and a curse.

At least in another year or two I’ll be able to sleep through the night consistently. Silver lining. Sigh.

7+ weeks and still alive

Okay, so it has been nearly 8 weeks since my last real blog post. I am still here, just busy, as I indicated in my last couple of posts. Life is finally starting to settle down, which means I have more time to get back to photography. As many may have noticed, Tamron yesterday announced their first m4/3 lens (a super zoom) and Sigma has refreshed their 19 and 30mm lenses. More interestingly, Sigma has also announced the release of an all new 60mm f/2.8 lens in NEX and m4/3 mounts. Now THAT is interesting. It looks pretty promising based on the MTF charts Sigma has released. Now lets just hope it lives up to it, and also isn’t terribly expensive. It might make a nice medium telephoto. Though I would have prefered a 67mm f/2 lens, a 60mm f/2.8, at the right price and of good optical quality could still be the right choice for me.

Sadly, or maybe not so sadly, even if it is released soon, it’ll have to wait awhile. I need a wider angle lens than what I have right now…and with my 30th birthday coming up in a couple of months, a Zuiko 12mm f/2 might just be in the cards for me. After that, it could be the 60mm (Christmas time?). Or maybe it could be the Olympus 17/1.8. I could really used a fast and fast focusing 17mm lens. Choices, it is nice to have them.

For now, actual pictures from the last few weeks. All of the work on the new house, moving and stress kind of put me off my pace.

Panasonic 25mm f/1.4: f/2, 1/100s, ISO800

Panasonic 25mm f/2.4: f/2, 1/80s, ISO400

Panasonic 25mm f/1.4: f/2.8, 1/1250s, ISO200 (Christmas morning out my kitchen window)

Panasonic 25mm f/1.4: f/1.4, 1/160s, ISO800

Panasonic 25mm f/1.4: f/1.4, 1/13s, ISO800

Panasonic 25mm f/1.4: f/1.4, 1/50s, ISO800

Yes, all of these were taken with the PL25. It is my favorite lens (I’ve always loved fast 50s. I guess I need to start calling them fast 25′s with m4/3rds). Also not a lot of chances for anything other than kid pictures the last few weeks, but as spring draws near and my weekend “honey-do” list gets shorter and shorter, I should be able to start getting out and taking pictures. I need to wander down to the state park which is now only a mile and a half from my house.

Time seems to be flying by. The work on the house, moving, renting the old place and the holidays have conspired to make it seem like time is slipping away. It doesn’t help that over the next few weeks my kids are turning 5, 1 and 3.

Still alive/survived the move

Well, we survived the move and Christmas. I’ve been too busy to blog. That’ll start changing over the next few days/weeks and I should be back to my normal every week or two frequency soon.