Going to Dark-Side (NEX-C3), PM1 User

Well for now anyway, I am going to the "dark side," NEX, the Sony NEX-C3 to be exact. I'm giving it a try.

Short answer:

I love Olympus, but I was too cheap to upgrade to the E-PM2 (and the necessary newer RAW software) which I had intended to get, and found a break on the NEX-C3 which also gets me newer sensor technology.

Long answer:

I've been shooting PENs the past year--E-PL1 Feb 2012 and changed that to the E-PM1 last Sept 2012--and have really enjoyed having such quality in such a small package, and the excellent Olympus JPEG engine. Heck I had landscapes printed at 16x20 from Adorama that were out-of-camera JPEGs (and I've done RAW plenty). Once my tax refund arrived, I had intended to upgrade my E-PM1 to the E-PM2 for the new sensor technology, especially more dynamic range for landscapes, and maybe grab the Sigma 19mm/30mm pair as well.

My tax refund arrived today, nearly $8000, heck I could easily get the OM-D/EM-5 for that. However, I've always been a cheapskate, only getting the PEN models last year as long as they've been out, and I'm even worse with software, using Photoshop CS (the original version) until I learned today that Adobe now lets you download CS2 for free, and using Lightroom 3.5 the past year & a half and only then because I got it for free on a fluke (not BitTorrent). About the only thing I bought for full-price was the Nikon 50mm 1.8 G in late 2011, the year it was announced.

Unfortunately, the E-PM2 is still $500 everywhere I look, and also it's not compatible with LR 3.5, I'd also have to spend $100 on LR4, making it about a $600 purchase. Besides my cheapskate nature I still feel weird carrying around a camera everyday everywhere I go that costs that much, part of what made me feel so comfortable & casual with either my E-PL1 or E-PM1 was that I only parted with $200-250 for it to start with.

Meanwhile I saw a Sony NEX-C3 with 18-55mm for only $330 and it has the 16mp sensor much like the one my Nikon D5100 DSLR uses, and it works with Lightroom 3. So I went for it.

I might would've been okay with going for the E-PM2 and LR4 deal except I still view any mirrorless camera as the "SLR supplement" to my Nikon D5100 system (never mind that I used the Olympus more last year) & maintaining 2 systems cost-wise is a bit much. I'm still attached to DSLRs and until I feel okay selling that off and giving myself over to mirrorless totally, mirrorless tends to not get as much priority for funds as it could otherwise. (I could probably get $700 for my D5100, 18-105mm and 50mm 1.8G, that right there could get me the Sigma 19mm & 30mm pair and the Olympus 45mm 1.8, or the Olympus 9-18 for SUPER-wide landscapes.)

I still like the micro 4/3rds system, though, and certainly mirrorless overall. It has been a revelation to me in terms of the quality you can get in such a small package. They are really exciting times we are living in.

I'm now over at talknex.com (I found them without realizing they're a "sister" site to this one, nice surprise) for the time being, but I intend to still browse around here anyway. And hey, I may be back. If I don't like the NEX-C3 and catch a break on the E-PM2, I may well return back after all. You'd think having $8000 in the bank would make me just go for it, I'm just trying not to be too casual and loose and fancy-free--in past times, had this same scenario transpired, the old me would've blown half of it in seconds getting the E-M5 AND the E-PM2 AND the Panasonic 25mm 1.4 (forget about the 20mm 1.7 or the Sigma 19mm 2.8) AND the Olympus 45mm 1.8 AND the Olympus 9-18mm AND Lightroom 4 AND Photoshop CS5 AND an all-new PC, and maybe even Nikon D600 or D800 on top of all of it. I may well still keep the E-PM1 around to compare the NEX to as well.

Happy shooting everyone.