Corps of Discovery II Road Trip; What Gear Have I Been Using?

Farm Fields and "Big Sky" in South Central Washington State
Made using the Olympus E-M1 with the Panasonic 14-140 f/3.5-5.6 lens from vehicle moving at 70 mph

What gear have I been using?  For the most part, I have been using the Olympus E-M1 with the Panasonic 14-140 f/3.5-5.6 lens for about 95% of my daily photography.  Why?  A few reasons.

First, the quality is excellent and meets my needs, even for stock photography.  The camera performs flawlessly and the lens is sharp, contrasty and produces high resolution images with no noticeable digital noise or distortion.  It is a joy to use.

Second, it is a light, all in one package that is easy to keep next to me in the vehicle and I can pick it up quickly as I exit the car.  No need to grab a bag full of gear to hang on my shoulder and trudge around all day carrying too much stuff.

Third, most of my photography has been record or "I was here" photography.  I have not had much time to photograph for stock or fine art.  But, if I have the Olympus, and I see something that I want to photograph for stock or fine art, the Olympus does the job well.  The camera and lens is very capable of producing professional quality images.

What about the D800E and lenses?  Yes, I have used them when I specifically went out to photograph for stock or fine art.  Also, since the Panasonic lens is restricted on the wide end to the 35mm equivalent of 28mm, I have encountered a couple of occasions when 28mm wasn't wide enough.  I then would put the 16-35mm f/4 VR Nikkor on the D800E and make the images.  Next time, I will bring my Panasonic 7-14mm lens or the expected Olympus super-wide lens that had been announced.

For an example, a few days ago in Glacier National Park, I exclusively used the Nikon gear and a tripod for image making.  I wanted to record what I saw in the highest available resolution (36mp) and some with very long exposures and very wide angles.

With both cameras, I brought two filters.  I have used a polarizing filter as well as a variable neutral density filter.  I don't have a need to for additional filters anymore.

So, what lessons are to be learned?  When traveling, whether for exclusive photographic purposes or general travel, I think it is wise to take more than one kit.  As you have just read, the Olympus gear is great for record, fine art, stock and all around lightweight carrying kit.  I can carry it all day with no worries about the weight being overbearing after a long day.  The Nikon gear is great for serious, tripod work with maximum resolution and also when I need a lens wider than is on the Olympus.

The adventure continues and just gets better.

Thanks for looking.

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.


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