Short Break Shooting: Ditching the DSLR for Travel Photography

Olympus E-P1, Zuiko 14-42 f/3.5-4.5, ISO400, 14mm, 1/90th, f/4.5, -0.5EV

I recently returned from a short break with my family, where I was able to shoot for fun, to record the holiday and make some nice images. I deliberately didn’t take along my professional camera equipment, because I knew I’d start taking the photography too seriously, wanting to spend more time preparing and shooting than would be fair on my family…and, to be really honest, I didn’t want to feel like I was back at work.

The Kit

So I grabbed my Olympus E-P1 micro 4/3 outfit. The whole bag – camera, three lenses, flash, accessories – weighs just 2kg (4.4 pounds): my Canon EOS 5 with 24-105mm f/4L USM weighs over 1.5kg (3.3 pounds).

The Canon is a better camera in almost every way except for cost, size and weight, but these were the reasons I bought the Olympus in the first place.

I highly recommend you find something in your photo gear budget for something lighter and easier to carry than your DSLR – I’ve had a Canon G7 and considered the latest model before going with the Olympus because of its interchangeable lenses and much larger sensor.

I only wish the Olympus E-P2 (reviewed here) had been available at the time because the electronic viewfinder and microphone socket would have been useful. Such is life with digital gear: it is superseded quickly. Olympus’ new cameras look great.

I love the 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens on the E-P1. Google this lens and you’ll find pixel-peepers who criticize it, and they are probably right: but for handheld shooting in the reportage style it is awesome.

Olympus E-P1, Zuiko 17mm f/2.8, ISO400, 1/750th, f/4

The standard zoom is the Olympus Zuiko ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6, a versatile, compact lens with quality optics, but its maximum aperture is a bit slow…as is the Olympus ED 40-150mm F4.0-5.6, but I don’t mind so much a slow maximum aperture with a compact telephoto zoom, because making long lenses fast also makes them very bulky, heavy and expensive. I wasn’t going to buy the 40-150 until I saw this deal from B&H. The Olympus adapter lives on the 40-150 permanently. An FL36 flash, off-camera flash lead and spare battery round out the kit.

My short break was boat based, so there was another reason not to take the Canon gear. The E-P1 kit wasn’t cheap, but I’m willing to take more risks with it than the 5D Mk II. Some of my most pleasing shots were taken from the water. A portrait of my son after he’d just stood up from underwater really shows him in his new favorite environment. Shots of the sub-tropical rainforest just north of Sydney are very pleasing, while the stills and video I shot of the small mud-dwelling crabs would have been a lot harder to shoot with the Canon gear.

Without a Laptop

Olympus E-P1, Zuiko 14-42 f/3.5-4.5, ISO200, 42mm, 1/250th, f/9

For the first time in eons I actually traveled without my laptop, opting to just take my iPad instead. The Olympus shoots to an SD card, so it was easy to transfer images – and the 720p videos – to my iPadand view them, which impressed the kids, too.

Getting away from home and not being under pressure to shoot for work meant I could take my time and shoot images which really only needed to please myself, so I was shooting flowers, interesting patterns in staircases, very touristy record shots – even boats in the rain.

If you’ve ever had to deal with a cranky travel partner because you spend too much time taking pictures, maybe it’s time to consider some gear which is lighter, smaller and faster to use for those times when it’s not JUST about shooting.

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Tagged as: 5d Mk II, camera, canon, ep-1, ipad, micro four thirds, olympus, Photography, travel

Wolfe

I’m torn between which cameras to invest in for this very thing, i like my DSLR but i want a smaller more easily accesible camera to carry around on my person all the time. I’ve considered pretty much every camera that you guys have hinted at or reviewed, and i’m kind of torn between the s95, g12, waiting for the ep 2, or xz-1. I wanted a view finder, but i’m not sure how important it really is, especially since the camera is going to be for mostly street photography stuff.

ahhh i can’t make decisions D:
- Chris Gampat
  
  Hi Wolfe,
  
  The S95 or G12 are perhaps your best choices for the following reasons:
  1. When you’re shooting by looking through an LCD screen, no one gets alarmed or disturbed. Or at least they are less so. If you look through a viewfinder, they will be. If you’re not the type of person that will ask someone’s permission to shoot a photo of them or pose them in a portrait then go for those.
  2. Buy the EPL-2 and you’ll be confused with which lenses to buy, though I highly recommend any one of their primes.
  3. S95 is very affordable.
  
  The only reason why I’d really want the EPL-2 is because I’d want the interchangeable lenses and because I’d really dig the PenPal. However, put an Eye-fi Card into the S95 and you’ll be ready to rock.
  
  I hope this helps rather than confuses. Let me know if it does. In the case that it doesn’t, I’ll try to help more by understanding your shooting style and needs more.
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chuck

Now that I have a DSLR I can identify many pictures taken with a lesser camera, lesser meaning smaller sensor.
The problem with these types of cameras is that many don’t render skin tones properly, they have blown highlights or they look flat.
Wolfe

Thanks for the feedback Chris,

It actually did help a lot because I was starting to lean towards the S95 anyway, and this just pretty much sealed the deal.

You’re right about how much attention using a VF would bring to me, i didn’t really realize that until your pointed it out.

I’ll be picking one up today and i’m very excited

-thanks!
- Chris Gampat
  
  In the future, please use our links when purchasing.
Doug Mann

I love the Canon S95 as an alternative when I don’t want to carry my heavier gear. I have the control I want, small package, raw shooting and reasonably good image quality. It shoots 720p video with stereo audio as well.
john

If you’ve ever had to deal with a cranky travel partner because you spend too much time taking pictures, rather then changing the gear. I believe someone really need to learn how to manage the gear quicker, walker faster(to buy more photo time) and manager the time better
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