I suppose the subject of losing weight sounds a bit odd for the topic of a photography blog. In this instance however it is very apropos. I’ve known for the last year that my trekking in the out of doors was becoming less enjoyable. The combined effect of acquiring too much photography gear and then placing it on a nearly 60-year old back was having an inverse impact on my joy of the natural world. The solution was obviously a gear diet. Normally when a person attempts to lose weight there are two approaches to the matter; the amount and type of substance consumed. In my case, I knew I had to find a solution that involved fewer pieces in a more compact setup.

I’ve had my eye on mirrorless cameras for almost two years. The problem was deciding which brand to go with. My current kit is Nikon, and they don’t make a mirrorless camera other than a point and shoot, to my knowledge. Whatever my choice would be, it would mean buying into a new family of lenses. Since the lenses were a contributing factor in my “weight gain”, that became an easy consequence to accept. The three manufacturers that caught my attention are Sony, Fuji, and Olympus. I studied the pros and cons of each for months. It proved a much more difficult decision than I expected. On any given week it seemed the choice was clear, only to change for what I felt were obvious reasons the next week. Weight for weight, lens options, price, sensor size were all a concern. Surprisingly in the end, nostalgia had a large influence on the direction I decided to follow.

When I graduated from high school in 1976, my father bought me an Olympus OM-1. It was a terrific little camera that took great pictures for its time. The glass was superb. It was compact and lightweight. It went everywhere with me. It was my hiking buddy on countless trips up mountains and through desert landscapes. My love of photography grew with every photograph I made with that little machine. 16 years ago, almost to this day, I took my last photograph with that camera. I fondly refer to that image as my “Olympus Farewell”. I was standing on the bank of the American Fork River in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah and made a self-portrait. It was a way of recording my joy and friendship with a dearly beloved tool. Two days later, I received my first Nikon in the mail, an 8008s film camera. From there I went on to the Nikon F5, a proven champion in the world of photography, a camera favored by National Geographic photographers. This was at the outset of the digital era and so it was not long after that I acquired my first digital camera, a Nikon D70. For the last five years I’ve been a dedicated fan of the D700; I have two bodies. With my professional lenses and miscellaneous accessories, I’ve been a happy photographer for a long time and for thousands of images.

My decision to purchase the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II felt like a welcome reunion with a friend whom I haven’t seen for many a year. He’s grown up a lot since I last held my OM-1. Of course, there was more to it than pure nostalgia. I knew Zuiko made excellent glass, so the image quality would be top notch. The compact size and weight was exactly what I was looking for. It is less than half the weight of my Nikon. The in-camera stabilization, articulating live-view monitor, silent operation, and many other features will make the joy of photography all the more an excellent experience. The one drawback I struggled with was the sensor size. It took a long hard think to overcome the micro 4/3 sensor. I finally concluded that I wasn’t getting rid of my Nikon gear. I will maintain all the existing equipment for years to come. In fact, I already have my eye on the new D850 body. If I ever need the larger sensor it will be at my disposal, as long as I’m not hiking up a mountain at the time. The truth is, I don’t sell my prints. I only print for home projects. I’m not sure how large I can print from a micro 4/3 file. I’ll always be able to compile a larger file by shooting a panorama and stitching together for higher resolution. The bottom line and primary reason for a new camera was to lighten the load for hiking up mountains and to simplify my life while traveling. I’m speculating that the Olympus camera will suit my needs just fine and give me many quality images in the meantime.

I bought the body in November but couldn’t afford a lens until this month. The 12-40mm lens arrived last week. I took the camera out for the first time yesterday. Just for old time’s sake, I returned to the same stretch of the American Fork River to take my first shot with my new Olympus OM-D camera. On the way up the canyon, fortune smiled upon me and a small heard of mountain goats had come down to lick salt from the surface of the road. It was a quick grab to shoot this image out the window of the 4Runner. I was glad for the in-camera stabilization. The results of my first shoot are quite acceptable. Like any new piece of equipment, there will be a learning curve. But that learning curve is one I look forward to in the coming years. Happy shooting everyone and best wishes for all you who are attempting to lose weight along the way.

Mountain Goat, Mount Timpanogos Wilderness Area

American Fork River, Wasatch Mountains, Utah