Hey guys jumping into the m43 scene pretty late but extremely interested, and have posted about using it as a travel/second body. Was hoping it will get me away from my full frame. --have introduction post about it all.
Anyways, I found an ep2 for dirt cheap 80$ in great condition. Using this body as my gateway into the scene.
Great start! That's a classic body for sure. Very stylish and well-built, even if it is slow and soft to today's standards. I took many great commercial images with the venerable E-P1 in the day, so I can't say I can complain about it!
When it comes to lenses I was wondering on what you guys think would be the wisest thing to do according to getting lenses.
- Get a kit lens and start shooting, and then save for 3 main primes that cover generally everything?
Or get kit lens to start shooting and just save for the 12-40 f2. (I think I'm off on exactly mm size of the lens, correct me if I'm wrong).
(Yeah, you were off by one stop... it's an f/2.8, not f/2... unfortunately, lol.)
The choice between primes and zooms is really a matter of personal preference in shooting style, so nobody can directly answer that question besides yourself. One thing that can be said though, is that going with primes first would allow you to get away from your kit lens right away be letting you start cheap with one standard prime,
It doesn't really take 3 lenses to cover the range of a standard zoom though (which are normally built at about 3x zoom for a fast f/2.8, and doesn't cover a huge focal range). It takes 2 lenses at most, 1 lens at the least. For instance, in the range of the m.Zuiko 12-40mm/2.8, the ideal prime kit would be the m.Zuiko 12mm/2 and the m.Zuiko 45mm/1.8. There is no need for a stop gap in between, as it would take much less time to step forward or backwards to meet that focal length using the lens you have mounted, than it would be to change lenses. Meeting the widest angle and the longest angle of the zoom is the ideal solution because it will give you the same "capabilities" in terms of how far you can reach and how tight a space you can fit into. On the other hand, if you go with the single lens replacement then you'll probably want something in the middle, like in this case something like the Leica 25mm f/1.4 Summilux would fit perfect. That covers the range in a general sense with more foot movement, but you will need to get in a little closer at times or back off a little further at times (and hopefully have enough room to).
The reason I'm pointing that out is because you should be planning ahead on your lens purchases, especially if you are buying primes, so that you do not get too redundantly close and therefore take longer and spend more money to complete your perfect set. For instance, if you want to use the single-lens standard replacement solution, then you might start off with something like a 25mm as your standard lens, which would then allow you to make your next upgrade a mid-tele like the m.Zuiko 75mm/1.8 or maybe the m.Zuiko 60mm/2.8 Macro (just as an example). Or, maybe you want to go with the 12mm/45mm combo or something similar (like how about the much cheaper but still excellent Lumix 14mm/2.5 for the wider angle?). If that's the case then you don't want to start off with a single 25mm as that would set you back and make you have to wait before you can complete your combo. You might then make a progression like starting with the 14mm/2.5, then the 45mm/1.8, then the 75mm/1.8... Note that by the time you have a 3-lens prime kit, you should have a broader range than the 12-40mm/2.8 zoom, not an equivalent range.
Would really like to see some input on how others have worked their way up from scratch like how I am doing.
Well, when I was shooting SLRs I would start with a standard 50mm prime. When I started with DSLRs I started with a fast zoom... first in the standard range, then add a super-tele zoom. When I started with Micro Four-Thirds I didn't start from scratch because the new bodies were adaptable to all my old lenses. So I can't really say how I did start from scratch, but I can say how I would if I had to.
i actually found that the m4/3 system has totally re-invigorated my use of prime lenses. The system is so perfect for them... There are different advantages to both primes and zooms, but most of the small bodies seem perfectly suited for many of the methods for shooting prime style. For instance, when one is dedicated to primes you will usually shoot with multiple bodies on a regular basis. The tiny, inexpensive bodies makes carrying many bodies at a time an easy deal. Also, one advantage of primes is that even though a full kit can be just as bulky or even bulkier than a zoom kit, each individual prime lens is much smaller and faster. That will allow you to build smaller kits and section your kits off for different purposes, allowing you for instance to have a really small "everyday carry" bag.
In general, I find primes to be more "versatile", while zooms are more "convenient".
