A Lock and Some Thoughts

 
E-M1, m.Zuiko 12-50

Lock 2 on the Trent-Severn Canal, north of Trenton, ON

2 months into m43 and I'll admit I'm having a little system angst. I'm still loving the E-M5II as a light carry setup, but can't help but think the E-M1 isn't quite delivering as a high end body in my usual high/low mix. the reality is I'm just not seeing any real-world performance advantages to the E-M1 beyond slightly better handling with big lenses. I'm also hitting certain lens limitations quicker with what I tend to use the E-M1 for (particularly aperture limits on the 40-150R)

That said, when I look at my alternatives, m43 still keeps coming out on top. I just don't want to haul another kilo of kit to get fairly marginal increases in performance for 90% of my uses.

I think the answer is going to end up being acquiring a couple 4/3rds lenses. The two I'd be looking at are the Sigma 150/2.8 Macro and the Olympus 50-200 SWD. That would net me a real gain in capability, better AF-C on the E-M1 and would work well with a pair of higher-end native lenses (to be acquired later), specifically the 12-40 Pro and PanaLeica 8-18. And in the case of the 50-200, it would likely later get replaced with a native lens (either the 40-150 Pro or the PL50-200).

The alternative is to go to a real high/low mix, most likely another D800 combined with the current m43 kit. I'd probably go minimalist on the D800 kit, starting off with an UWA and normal zoom and that's it, then add a 70-300E and collect some AI glass for giggles. The alternative here would be to look for a A7R or A7RII instead of the D800. But I don't think I could get in for the same money, and the D800 (or a D810 for A7RII money) would be able to replace my D300 fully as well.