I Was A Guest On The Image Doctors Photography Podcast: Go Big Or Go Home? No More!

My current travel kit.  It consists of an OM-1 with an Olympus 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens attached,
an extra battery, dual battery charger (kept in my suitcase), a polarizing filter, two extra SDXC
cards, a lens brush and lens cloth, all tucked inside a small Merrill sling bag.  In September,
I took this on a 14-day road trip and felt as though I lacked nothing.  In fact, with the additional
features in the OM-1 that are not in my Fujifilm or Nikon cameras, I was able to capture images
 I could not have captured with either of those branded cameras. (click to enlarge)

This week I was a guest on The Image Doctors Photography Podcast. The episode, #216, is scheduled to be available for download today (January 13, 2024).  You can get the podcast from Apple podcasts or go straight to Jason Odell's Luminescent Photo site and listen to it there.  I think you might enjoy not only this episode but all of their episodes.

For those of you who have been regular visitors here, welcome back.  For those who new to this blog or are coming to the blog after listening to the podcast, "Welcome!"  I'm thankful you have decided to spend a little time reading my blog.  I've written more than 1650 posts since the start of this blog in April, 2013 and I always try to provide content that is interesting as well as informative and educational.  

I have no sponsorships, no click-through nor affiliate links.  Also, I don't get anything free, no gear is sent to me for testing or keeping, I get no payment, quid pro quo or anything else.  I pay what you pay for my gear.  It is only me and my over 50 years of experience sharing everything I know about photography as well as my experiences including my failures. Yes, failures.  I figure if I make mistakes and let you know, potentially you can avoid them. Sharing and helping is what I am all about.

Maybe, just maybe, if I think I will be traveling and photographing inside cathedrals, museums or
other relatively dark, indoor venues, I would take the 20mm f/1.4 lens also.  But, the "Sync IS"
of the OM-1 and the 12-100mm lens is so good, conceivably, I could shoot at extremely low shutter
speeds handheld that I wouldn't need the fast prime.  Also, with the superior "Sync IS,"  I can
photograph at shutter speeds low enough that I can keep my ISO very low as well while others
may have to raise theirs. That allows me to maintain better image quality. (click to enlarge)

But, back to the podcast...

Being on the podcast was fun.  Jason Odell and Rick Walker, the hosts, have been recording the podcast for years and years.  They have always been known as a couple of mature guys with a lot of photographic knowledge who always provide excellent and useful information.  Jason is a professional photographer who conducts some really interesting and worthwhile workshops and Rick has about as many years in photography as do I (53 years).  Maybe more!  Both are well versed in everything photographic.  I would encourage you to listen regularly if you don’t already do so.  Again, you can find them at Luminescent Photo, which is Jason's website

If you have not yet listened to the interview and have come to the blog, below I outline what we discussed.  This topic may be especially attractive to older photographers or younger ones who refuse to go along with the ‘cultural hype' or 'conventional wisdom' as well as those who want to get into photography but don't want to spend a lot of money they don’t have to spend, but want to get very satisfying and professional level results.

"Go Big or Go Home!" 

"Bigger is better!" 

"You need a McMansion as smaller houses never have enough room!"

"You always have to go for bigger and better things!" 

"People who dream of bigger and better things are role models!" 

"The larger the size the more value it has!" 

Sound familiar.  That's what we are told to believe in today's culture.  Well, I no longer think "bigger is better" when it comes to camera bodies and lenses.  Recently I turned 72 years old (although I still feel as though I’m in my 40s!).  A few years ago I changed my outlook on what I'm willing to do and what I'm willing to carry to "get the photograph."  In other words when I was younger, I hauled around two ginormous Pentax 6 x 7 bodies and five lenses, all the accessories along with a huge, heavy aluminum tripod all over the country to "get my photographs". Whatever it took I was willing to do.  ON some trips I also took a 35mm kit to shoot slides!  Looking back, I was a glutton for punishment!  Today, because of getting older and with over 50 years of photographic experience (read that as wisdom), as well as being tired of chasing and settling for only the best cameras and lenses for decades, two things have occurred.  

First, when I travel I no longer want to carry large, heavy and bulky cameras, as well as a bevy of large, heavy and bulky super fast lenses. Size and weight matter to me now.  By carrying smaller, lighter, less bulky and less expensive gear, you might ask what am I sacrificing?  What am I losing? Can I use the smaller gear and not sacrifice my requirement for technical excellence?  After all, I’m very picky about my images and I'm not willing to 'settle' for less than excellent image quality.  The truth is I don't need to carry all that big, expensive gear in today's digital photography world.  The fact is I'm not losing anything but weight and bulk.  In fact, I'm saving money I can spend on travel.

Secondly, with all my experience, and how I look at photography today, I no longer try to chase the absolute best, most expensive, fastest lenses. With the advent of the new artificial intelligence/machine learning based software programs, I can buy smaller, less expensive, and slower lenses that may not be the absolute "top-tier", but they sure can get the job done.  Images made with these lenses look just as good as those made with the very expensive f/2.8 or faster lenses.  Looking at my images, I see no difference.  If I did, I wouldn't keep the lenses.  If I do pixel peep and if I really look really, really hard and examine my images 'with a fine tooth comb,' I might find some differences.  But I ask you, is that how you want people to look at your images?  Do you want them to examine your images at 200% on their monitor or your enlargement from six inches away instead of enjoying the image as a whole and as you saw your composition?  That said, if I feel I need to touch up a bit of sharpness along the edges or corners (usually where our main subjects are not located), I can do it with software instead of spending thousands of extra dollars for several f/2.8 or faster lenses.  Chasing only the best of the best is no longer practical for almost all of us.  

Now, if you are wondering, no I have not lost my passion for photography but I have gained some wisdom with age and experience.  I love photography just as much today as when I first fell in love with the craft in April, 1971.  I hope I continue to be a passionate photographer until that final lid is closed over me. :-(

In the past, I was fully into full frame Nikon bodies and using only the trio of professional f/2.8 zoom lenses (14-24mm f/2.8; 24-70mm f/2.8 & 70-200mm f/2.8) and honestly I made some really excellent images.  Full frame was the only acceptable format for me.  I can't take anything away from my full frame Nikon or any other brand full frame gear.  Full frame has its place but mainly the differences with today's digital cameras can only be seen when the shooting conditions are extreme.  By that I mean, when the light is extremely low, when extraordinary high ISOs are necessary, when 120 frames per second are required to catch the peak action, when extremely shallow depth of field or extremely high dynamic range, etc. is required.  In other words, the 1-2% of the times we may encounter when we are creating our images.  Even then, there are workarounds with today's cameras.

Just for an example, this image was made at ISO 12,800 using the OM-1 and 100-400mm 
f/5-6.3 lens.  Not a full frame camera and not the $7500 US Olympus 150-400mm PRO lens.  Yes,
there was digital noise, but a quick run through DXO's Deep Prime HD noise reduction and, well,
you can see the result.  Also, this has been cropped from the original image size. (click to enlarge)

In May of 2012 I bought my first micro4/3 camera and a couple of lenses and, frankly, I was shocked at how good the image quality really was, contrary to everything I read on the Internet at the time.  Since then, I've made several coast-to-coast and return road trips only taking micro4/3 gear and have never felt I lacked or missed anything.

Currently, my micro4/3 gear consists of an OM-1, 8-25mm f/4 PRO lens, a 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens (this is the kit lens that came with the camera), the 40-150mm f/4 PRO lens, the 100-400mm f/5-6.3 lens (for birds and wildlife) and I always keep one fast prime, in this case a 20mm f/1.4 lens.  I also purchased what I think is the best, most versatile lens I've ever used—the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens.  Notice the number of f/4 lenses instead of the larger, more expensive and heavier f/2.8 lenses?  That is a key strategy of mine.

But, I will also confess that micro4/3 is not the only kit I have.  Just as a guitar musician doesn't only have one guitar and just as a car collector has more than one car, a carpenter more than one hammer, a mechanic more than one kind of wrench, I have more than one camera kit.  Besides the micro4/3 kit, I have a Fujifilm X-T5 (I love the manual knobs and dials as I shot with manual 35mm film cameras for decades) and a small full frame Nikon kit.  Why?  Because I enjoy photographing with different gear at times.  I've owned and used Nikon cameras since 1974 and I still have a soft spot in my heart for Nikon gear.  There is nothing wrong with owning and using multiple kits if you can afford to do so.  Just don't take food or rent money and buy camera gear.  Not a good idea!  lol.  

I also have a soft spot in my heart for more pixels on my sensors.  Let me frame it this way, I know for a fact I don't need 40 or 45mp, but I want 40-45mp.  I love to sometimes 'punch in' to see that tiny detail buried in all those pixels.  Having the extra pixels is like have a spare tire in my trunk.  If I need it its there, but 99.99% of the time, I'll never need it.  Same with more than 20-26mp.

To circle all the way back, if you are older, are tired of being bogged down or you want to get into photography but don’t want to carry the large, heavy or expensive gear, don’t give up.  Smaller format cameras and lenses are a viable alternative, will serve you well, bring you a lot of pleasure and allow you to continue with your hobby and/or passion.

So there you have my thoughts on actually needing versus wanting larger, heavier, bulkier and more expensive camera kit.  Almost none of us need it, but sometimes its nice to have for other than objective reasons.

Finally, since we spoke extensively on the benefits of smaller format digital cameras and lenses, here is a link to micro4/3 images that I’ve posted on my website as examples of the kind of images you can make with smaller format gear.  I just grabbed a bunch and uploaded them so they aren't in any logical or particular order.  As I'm a generalist photographer and photograph a wide variety of subjects, scroll through until you find some that represent the kinds of images you make.

All Micro 4/3 Format Images - dennisamook (dennismook.com)

I hope all of this may be of help.  If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.  

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

All content on this blog is © 2013-2024 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.