"Stay this madness"!

Gandalf and Denethor.
Also me and cameras.

I've been thinking - that's never a good start to a paragraph on this site, but true nonetheless. I really like the 12-60mm Lumix lens.. But I have no wx-sealed body for it. I also really like the eP5, and that's the first Olympus body I can say that about with little hesitation. (OK: I wish it were sealed. Happy now??) But the 12-60 is kinda bulky on that body.

But Hey: an E-M1 body is sealed, has a better grip for improved handling and has PDAF focus points for my 35 macro and 70-300 ZD (4Thirds Classic) lenses. Maybe I should

[Cue Gandalf]

The voice of reason demands to be heard, and commands to reconsider!

I have enthusiastically purchased OM-D EM5/10/10b - and let them go quite soon after, with very little remorse. In each case my research indicated it was a great idea: excellent feature set, top-notch sensor and the cameras were pretty much beloved by owners. The E-M1 is just like them: greatly admired, talented, good ergonomics, all that stuff.

Two quick facts and a history 'lesson'

• The dxo website shows that the eP5 is its equal within dxo measurements. 
• The camerasize site shows just how large the eM1 is in a relative sense (for more humour check this one!).

and a "history lesson": my 10-year history of owning high-quality digital gear (dSLR and mirrorless) reveals that 1) every time I have had a  bargain camera in hand that I dumped for "better" stuff it has been deeply regretted (e.g. my $20 K-r), and 2) despite all my best research and logic the OM-D Olys have not suited me. Hm - come to think of it the G7 and G85 struck me the same way, unlike the gx1/7/7b bodies. And the ePL bodies were almost right but for the second dial circling the 4way pad..

So maybe just this once I will break with my (admittedly stupid) tradition and keep the bargain camera that I really like more than I expected? Maybe even let the slightly oversized 12-60 depart and use tiny primes (14/20/30 +45-150 zoom) or the nice, tiny 14-42ii instead? What a concept.

Madness, indeed.

impossible shots

I've been shooting stars lately. Handheld, for up to two seconds, with no great effort made to steady myself other than exhaling slowly.

Results are just stupid, as in quite good!

I tried it first with the G85 and Lumix 12-60mm lens. That's a dual-IS arrangement that is purported to give 5 or more stops of stabilization (e.g. a 1-second shot as steady as 1/30s). I'm not crazy enough to pixel peep or seek out errors - I know they are in there - just looking for a reasonable capture. Yes this can be done, up to even 1.6 seconds.

I then grabbed the Oly EP5 with a Pentax Limited 70mm lens. IS in body but not in lens, so much more likely to show shake especially at 140mme (even at f/2.4). Both the Pleiades and Hyades looked quite nice.

Aldebaran and the Hyades with EP5 and Pentax DA70/2.4 Limited. 
Resized and slightly brightened.

I stepped back to the Lumix 14mm f/2.5 and shot a few more with the EP5. Going up to iso3200 really brings out faint stars and colors as well.

I'm impressed! It shows the value of image stabilization even when the feature is abused - and it strongly suggests how nicely images would turn out if I used just a little more effort.

the value of planning

.. is pretty much zero in this household.

That applies to many things, but here I'll stick to cameras.

The G85 has arrived, which should put an end to acquisitions for some time*. The 12-60 covers most of my needs and seals up the camera for foul weather, and the 45-150 takes care of nearly everything else. For now the zD 70-300, a large 4Thirds native lens, can loiter about as the long-range option; since it does transmit data via the adapter unlike my Pentax options, it can tell the G85 how to best stabilize its images without me typing in a random number that pretends to cover any shot from 70 to 300mm. That's handy.

* But wait -

there's more.

image from review at
https://www.wimarys.com/olympus-pen-e-p5/

The cruel dealers and forum members informed me of a dumpsite deal on the Oly Pen eP5 body. Yes it's pretty old in camera years - but it features the talented Sony 4Thirds sensor, it's tiny, it has a tip screen, and it has Live Time for versatility the Lumix does not offer. It has nearly all the omD-EM5 features except weather seals and an attached viewfinder. Not bad. I've tried nearly every om-D body and found it cramped; I've also tried many PEN bodies and found them less so. The EP5 has dual dials in a sensible pattern unlike the PL versions, so that also will be a positive thing. And I believe I even have a spare battery from my brief EM5 phase!

And if I cannot bear it? 

Off it goes!

Yes the extra expense (and lack of shopping control) hurts - a little. However!

I will soon be offering up the Pentax gear, the YI M1 (and now the GX1) to others. My plan was to grab a 20-25mm m43 lens with that purchase. Well, not so much: it will now pay off the EP5 instead.