The Big Micro Four Thirds Switch...

 I finally made the switch. I decided to purchase a new OMD E-M1. A silver one. After adding the HLD-7 grip, what a perfect camera! Since I use both micro and standard 4/3rd lenses, the grip is essential. I don't think that I'll own it for very long. My wife immediately spoke up and wanted one. She proclaimed how perfect it fit her little hands without the grip. How solid and well built it feels. How quiet the shutter is compared to her 7D and 5D MKII. How small and light it is, and that she wouldn't mind carrying it around all day. Having said that, I see myself buying another one soon.

 When I first handled an E-M1 six months ago, I didn't think I would like it. With it's electronic view finder, and it's array of programmable buttons. None of them labeled with their assigned function. Then add a 1-2 selector switch on top of that, that changes the function function of the dials and the buttons that are labeled. To be honest it takes about 1 day of shooting to get used to the viewfinder. Yes, an optical viewfinder is great. How does  a EVF compare?  You get used to it. It can be customized to display more, or less info to meet your individual needs. You also get an actual preview of the exposure before taking an image. As far as the buttons. I set them, used them camera for about a week. Now the layout seems second nature. I even programmed a couple of the "MyModes" . One of them set for fast action. With the press of one button it switches the cameras Mode, drive speed,  S-AF to C-AF, and back-button focus.

  I purchased the Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens since they were offering a savings of $300 when buying them together. I had no intentions of buying this lens. I own a SHG 14-35mm f2.0. Hands down the best standard zoom I've ever used. 

 But I didn't have it with me when I made my unplanned trip to the camera store. So when they handed it to me to test on the E-M1 in store, it was a done deal. The E-M1 and Zuiko 12-40mm PRO are perfect together. It's no slouch in performance either. Focus speed, accuracy, or image quality.

 What I'm really enjoying is using all my Standard 4/3rd lenses with the MMF-3 adapter.

 I was always impressed with HG and SHG lense when using them on my E-30, and E-5. What an upgrade the 16mp sensor in the E-M1 is.

14-35mm f2.0 SHG,  Panasonic/Leica 25mm f1.4,  Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 PRO, 35-100mm f2.0 SHG,  50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD,  Sigma 150mm f2.8 Macro

 I actually find myself using the 14-35mm the most. I have loved this lense from day one, but with the improved sensor performance it really shines. The focus speed on the E-M1 is about same as on the E-5, but I find the focus more accurate on the E-M1. I will be replacing the 50-200mm SWD this month with the 40-150mm f2.8 PRO. The Sigma 150mm is a great macro lens, but its a slow focusing lens compared to the others. Even with the focus limiter its annoyingly slow for everyday use. I'm currently looking for a deal on a Zuiko 150mm f2.0. to replace it.

When traveling light I have the Panny/Leica 25mm f1.4, the 12-40mm PRO, or the tiny Sigma 30mm f2.8. The P/L 25mm is great. It doesn't take up much room in the bag. It's sharp wide open, and at f1.4 its 2 two full stops faster than the 12-40 Pro and the Sigma. 

 Through this whole transition the most frustrating part has been finding a bag that works. With the E-5 or our Canon equipment we used a couple of Tamrac Expedition9 back packs. When I brought the E-M1 home I went every bag we own trying to find one that worked. I tried our messenger bags, backpacks large and small, sling bags and shoulder bags. In all of the little E-M1 seemed to just roll around. I ended up purchasing a Think Tank 

Sling-O-Matic 20. I must say, this is a great design in a camera bag. Can be slung over either shoulder without having to remove or rearrange the strap. Has pockets on the front and back that can hold a tablet or a small (thin) laptop. I carry 5 lens in it. The 12-40 PRO, Sigma 30mm, P/L 25mm, 14-35mm f2, and the 35-100mm f2.0.  I also carry a FL-LM1 & a FL600R flash, a EC-14 tele converter, memory card pouch, charger, and the Think Tank rain cover.

Refocused....

My wife has decided to return to a full time effort to her photography business. The abscence is mainly my fault. She stepped away from it to help me with our electrical business. Her help led to us having a great year in 2014 for M.E. Lewis Electric, and off to and even better start for 2015. So now I have to return the favor, and commit to helping her in any way possible to make any changes and help her reach her goals.

 Spent the last two afternoons updating our website. I finally have some free time to help my wife with our studio and photography related items.

  Well, we finally got around to covering and paneling our cyclorama and backdrop wall. The drywall is typical of any normal interior wall, 1/2" sheet rock with joint compound and tape on the seams. For the radius of the cyc we used Durham's Rock Hard Putty. It comes in a

powder form and you simply mix it with water. We used this for all the seams in the wood used to cover the radius of the cyc and the wood that extends out 15' onto the floor that completes the backdrop. A word of caution mix it in small amounts and mix only what you need as it dries extremely fast. That an also work as an advantage as with in a hour of applying it you can sand it and move on to you next step. This worked perfect for all the seams, staple and nail holes, and any imperfections if the surface of the wood. The only prep work that was done to the plywood subfloor before applying the new surface, was to make sure it was swept clean and we apply 3M commercial spray adhesive.
 After giving the putty on the seams ample drying time, I used a belt sander with medium grit paper to smooth the seams and staple holes that were filled. With the belt sander it took about 10 minutes to do all the sanding. Now we are ready for primer.

  For primer I chose BULLSEYE brand water based primer/sealer. I wanted a sealer because I intend to use White exterior porch and patio paint as a final top coat. With the wood being sealed and the paint having a smooth hard exterior type finish to it, this will allow it to be wiped clean when needed.

 So for now I will  prep and prime it
white along with any of the other areas in the space that we will be changing the color of. As you can see I still haven't made the cover for the electrical panel.










 I just couldn't resist trying it. So while I was taking my update photos today I took a moment and turned my strobe up to 1/2 power with it about 8' of the backdrop this is what I got with a single speed light. This is going to be a dream for my wife to use once we mount the two adjustable Manfrotto arms on opposite sides, each with one of our Paul Buff Einstein E640 strobes. We also plan to install a ceiling mounted strobe.

 Well, I final got started covering our cyclorama, only to run out of sheetrock screws before closing up the top right corner. Covering the curved radius of the cyc went easier than I thought it would. I used door skin material with a smooth sanded finish. I wet it with a spray bottle the night before, and left it leaning against the wall at an angle. The next morning it had a nice curve to it, and didn't take much effort to force it into place. Now I have to mix up some epoxy for the seams in the wood on the radius and floor. The pieces on the floor are glued then stapled with a pneumatic stapler with 1 1/2" staples. Next step will be to complete that last corner of sheetrock, and make a removable cover over the electrical panel.

  Today we got the base for the radius of our cyclorama framed and installed.  I wanted to build it a little larger, but we are working with a limited amount of space to start with. So, I only went 2 1/2 feet up the wall.
    Through this weekend I will try to complete the few remaining task that will allow me to cover this and start painting. I have to make a trim ring to go around the electrical panel in order to conceal it but still have easy access to it. I also have to relocate a receptacle that is on the wall, behind the framing for the cyclorama. Once these two task are complete, I can apply the wood covering to the radius and sheetrock the back.  My wife wants the backdrop lights, and possibly a hair light mounted on track system overhead. I will have to do some price shopping and decide if this is something I will buy or attempt to fabricate.

 We just purchased a Phottix Strato II setup. Two Transmitters and four receivers. This will be replacing the TwinLink T2D set we were using. I won't compare and say how good or bad they are until I have used them for at least 3 or 4 months. That wil allow me to see how dependable they are. That's whats most important to me, knowing they will work every time I reach for them. With my first TwinLink set it worked great, at first. After about 4 months of moderate use they began to misfire. Then the radio signal completely failed. Only the infrared signal would work, which is line-of-sight. For that I may as well have used the pop-up flash to trigger the strobes. The second TwinLink transmitter would eat batteries as fast as I could put them in it. I had it checked out. When I got it back, I would have to tap on it just to get it to power up. Finally, after going through 3 sets of 032 batteries in the transmitters during a single basketball game. I said never again.

  So here we are with a handful of new radio triggers. The feature set seems nice with the groups A-D. I also like the fact that the transmitter uses AAA batteries, and not some odd watch style battery. Size wise they are nice. Slightly smaller than the T2Ds, with no antenna. I haven't had a chance to test the range of the Stratos, but they should be about the same. I will be using these 3 to 4 times a week, as part of my 365 Photo Project this year is focusing on off camera lighting. I was off to a good start, when my T2Ds failed. I carried on with my TTL cord or shooting in the studio with our Einsteins and Cyber Commander. So these will see a fair amount of regular use. Let's see how they hold up.