I'm coming from a totally different place than most, it seems. I don't shoot nor do I intend to shoot professionally. I have on occasion helped out a friend who is a wedding photographer but that's the extent of it.

I bought a Nikon D40 in pre-m43 days because I wanted to bring back better photos from my hikes and travels. I amassed a small collection of manual focus Nikkors because I've never had the money for AF lenses.

In keeping with the "too poor to afford anything high-end" theme when it came time to upgrade I narrowed my choices down to a used Nikon or picking up an adapter and going m43. The compact size and broad range of legacy adapters is what drew me to pick up a G3. The price is nice and the lenses I like are small and relatively inexpensive plus I can still use my wonderful 55 Micro and 105/2.5 with it. The cherry on top is that I can now meter and use Aperture Priority with my old glass, which is something I couldn't do before. I'll probably keep the D40 because its not worth terribly much and it was my first "real" camera but I don't see any reason I would pick it up over my G3 except for sentimental reasons.

Plus I've always got my Rolleiflex if I want the more-than-FF look

Adam

Started out with the lowly D40 and kit 18-55. Added 18-200, good and heavy, and then the Sigma 10-20. I do a lot of wide-angle, often in small churches, usually badly lit, so I had to get a monopod, later a good tripod and ballhead.

Wanted to try primes and got the Nikkor 35mm 1,8 and the AF-D 50 1,8. Liked the discipline necessary for primes, and the low light performance, but there were (and still are) no wide DX primes. I found the 35 not wide enough and the 50 not long enough. The alternative was big, expensive and heavy FF primes.

Moved up to the D7000 and was reasonably happy, since the D7000 high ISO compensated a little for the slow zooms. Now my kit was about 8 or 9 kilos with my big Kata DB-455. Hard work.

Then the X100 came out and I fell for its looks (I'm fairly retro myself).

After a few months I noticed that I hardly ever took my Nikon out at all, and with the exception of really wide, didn't need it. I sometimes compensated for wide by shooting panoramas with the X100. I was shooting more with the X100 and enjoying it more.

I sometimes did miss the flexibility of interchangeable lenses, so I was interested in the EM5 when it was announced and thought I could use it as a complement and backup for the X100. Besides, I liked the look (did I mention I was retro?).

Now I've had it 4 weeks and the reverse is true: the X100 has become my backup. I have the Oly 9-18 for wide, not quite as wide as my DX 10-20, but a good lens. I have the 40-150 for long, and it's nicer than I thought it would be, especially for the price. I sold the 12-50 kit lens, since I don't really need the lengths in between 18 and 40, but I got a Sigma 30mm just in case!

And for other primes I have the X100 (in m43 terms an 18mm f2) and the Oly 45mm.

The whole stuff (2 cameras, 3 primes, 2 zooms), plus a mini tripod and the usual lens pen, cloths, batteries, cards and so on) weighs just 2.5 kilos including the Billingham Hadley Small, less than 6 pounds.

It feels light as a feather, I take it everywhere and I am in the process of selling my DSLR stuff: it's all gone except for the D7000 and the nifty fifty.

I enjoy my photography more. I don't miss the DSLR advantages, since I don't do sports and am not a shallow DOF-fetishist.

I find both the X100 and the EM5 are very good up to ISO 1600, good at ISO 3200 and the X100 is acceptable at 6400. Together with the primes I can shoot in very dark situations.

Examine your shooting style, analyse your EXIFs for typical focal lengths and apertures and you can decide for yourself if a DSLR-free life is for you.

I sold all of my Canon gear except one lens - which I kept to use on my cameras. I have not had a single moment of regret. I am very happy with the performance of the gear and I love the size/weight difference. I also like being able to purchase quality primes for less than comparable Canon lenses. I look forward to adding the OM-D at some point - until then I am concentrating on quality glass.

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Love mercy, do justice, walk humbly - Micah 6:8
"A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words." Ansel Adams

Name me one thing that an equivalently priced DSLR can do much better and I'll tell you if I am missing it or not.

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Nic
E-M5, GH1
Flickr Photostream
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R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

It's just a shame that you have to suffer with soft glass, tiny dim viewfinders, and limited functionality to get it. ;)

In the famous words of Aretha Franklin... R E S P E C T, that's what D S L R means to me...

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Olympus E-3 | Olympus E-PL2 PEN | Olympus E-PM1 PEN | Zuiko ED 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 SWD | Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 | Vivitar 100mm f/2.8 Macro | Carl Zeiss Sonnar 135mm f/2.8 | Konica Hexanon 50mm f/1.4 | Konica Hexanon 85mm f/1.8 | G.Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 | Zuiko 35mm f/3.5 Macro | Zuiko 25mm f/2.8 | KMZ Jupiter-3 50mm f/1.5 | E.Zuiko 200mm f/4 | Zuiko 75-150mm f/4 | Olympus EC-14 teleconverter | VF-2 and VF-3 Viewfinders | EMA-1 Mic Adapter | Olympus FL-36R and FL-50R speedlights

cyclopsphoto.ca

... or whatever. Still got my 30 year old Nikon FE on the bookshelf. Went through a bunch of Nikons. Got into 4 x 5 for three years. Sold several huge prints. Got into digital around 2004. Ditched film. Went through a few D-somethig-or-others. Finally got a Nikon D3 and L glass in 2009. Sold it all a year ago as I was not really using it. My main interest now is wildlife and family shots and m4/3 is just the ticket. I only wish for better telephoto primes.

To answer the question ... I miss the DSLR and high dollar glass like a miss my ex-wife. Not At All.

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EP-3, EM-5, 12/50, 12mm, 17mm, 14/42mm, 40/150, 75/300, Nikon 400mm f/3.5 AIS IF ED, HLD6, FL 600R

I agree with this.... and this is what I am waiting for. Until then, I continue to use the DSLR kit when it's more appropriate. At the same time, I must admit I was tempted by a Sony SLT A57 over the weekend. Its about the same size as my Pentax K-5 but noticeably lighter, an EVF the size of a full-frame SLR and phase-detection autofocus. But the A37, which is right behind it, might be even better for me: less expensive and about the size of a GH2.

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Panasonic G5 and Panasonic GX1, Lumix 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6, Lumix 45-150mm f/4-5.6, Lumix 100-300mm f/4-5.6, Lumix 14mm f/2.5, Lumix 20mm f/1.7

Olympus E-PM2, Zuiko 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6, Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R, Zuiko 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6, Zuiko 40-150 f/4.0-5.6 R, Zuiko 15mm body-cap lens, Zuiko 17mm f/1.8, Zuiko 45mm f/1.8

I don't miss my DSLRs a bit. The Oly 45/1.8 was the last piece to the puzzle for me.

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Amin
Mu-43.com Webmaster (Site FAQ | Help Forum | My Disclosures | My Flickriver | My G+ Profile)

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For me it was the E-M5 (plus the G1X, but that's another story). Anything that comes after, starting with the already announced 12-35, is a bonus.

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Nic
E-M5, GH1
Flickr Photostream
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Ned, I had no idea that you had such a pleasant singing voice :P

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Nic
E-M5, GH1
Flickr Photostream
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