David Hughes
David Hughes
Keep and, perhaps, expand the Olympus outfit.
Regards, David
Regards, David
Which SLR system to get out of?
- Thread starter Jeremy Z
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AlwaysOnAuto
Well-known
I'd invest in a Sony A7xxx body and some adapters and shoot all the stuff you already have.
CharlesDAMorgan
Veteran
The one you least enjoy using or the results there from.
taemo
eat sleep shoot
you could also get an ais to eos adapter to use the nikon mf lenses
B-9
Devin Bro
I have my grandfathers chrome FG with 50/1.8 E.
Small and fun. Keep the Nikons.
Small and fun. Keep the Nikons.
Fraser
Well-known
Sell the Nikon stuff as the olympus has sentimental value and you will get far more cash for the Nikkor glass.You could always add to the OM, get another body maybe OM4, 24mm 2.8 and 100mm 2.8 and you have a great light weight system that will match any Nikon glass.
Dogman
Veteran
Lose the sentiment, sell the Oly gear. Then use the Canon and Nikon stuff a lot.
Axel
singleshooter
Another proposal: sell all Oly and Nikon gear.
Take the chance to build a new system that exactly fits to your needs.
Canon EF is the mount with the widest range of available and adaptable lenses in the world.
This could be the functional side.
The emotional factor may get more precision then and perhaps you will find a lovely camera on the top once you get rid of old stuff?
Prest_400
Multiformat
I voted for store one system, though might as well went for the last explanatory "Other" option:
I'd keep the Olympus regardless. OM1N and 50 1.8 isn't that expensive on the market, but it was your granddad's and it is an excellent camera.
I actually have an OM1 system similar to yours, 28/3.5, 50/1.8 MIJ and 135/3.5. But the body needs a CLA so it is stored at home. After that, I got cheaply into Nikon...
Got a Nikon F90 (older version) with a 50/1.8 AF-D and am greatly satisfied by it. However, it is a bit of a heavy thing compared to the manual SLRs. Single point AF but for all my uses it has delivered greatly. Rearrange some of the Nikon system.
If you really need high speed performance and zooms, I find digital covering that end nicely. I myself have a bit of an interesting relationship with 35mm...
As of adding another system, well, yes: Medium Format.
I can understand the appreciation for the Nikons F4-F5 but those things weigh as much as a Fuji 6x9, which no 35mm can compete in Neg/Slide size.
645 SLR systems are quite affordable. Bronica, Pentax, Older Mamiya. Slower, but when I shoot film I tend to be thoughtful and contemplative and now that I have community darkroom access with ability to print all formats, I find using 35mm rather sparsely.
And put more $ towards film, processing and printing.
I'd keep the Olympus regardless. OM1N and 50 1.8 isn't that expensive on the market, but it was your granddad's and it is an excellent camera.
I actually have an OM1 system similar to yours, 28/3.5, 50/1.8 MIJ and 135/3.5. But the body needs a CLA so it is stored at home. After that, I got cheaply into Nikon...
Got a Nikon F90 (older version) with a 50/1.8 AF-D and am greatly satisfied by it. However, it is a bit of a heavy thing compared to the manual SLRs. Single point AF but for all my uses it has delivered greatly. Rearrange some of the Nikon system.
If you really need high speed performance and zooms, I find digital covering that end nicely. I myself have a bit of an interesting relationship with 35mm...
As of adding another system, well, yes: Medium Format.
I can understand the appreciation for the Nikons F4-F5 but those things weigh as much as a Fuji 6x9, which no 35mm can compete in Neg/Slide size.
645 SLR systems are quite affordable. Bronica, Pentax, Older Mamiya. Slower, but when I shoot film I tend to be thoughtful and contemplative and now that I have community darkroom access with ability to print all formats, I find using 35mm rather sparsely.
And put more $ towards film, processing and printing.
laurentb
Established
I'd say keep the Olympus system. For me, the simpler is the better.
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
I'll expand on my one-liner about keeping everything.
So, Olympus: it has sentimental value which you should never discount. Second, it's fully manual and mechanical. There are no proprietary and obsolete electronic chips in it; there aren't complex electromechanical subsystems where each has to function always or otherwise the camera becomes a brick. It can still be maintained and kept functional for many decades to come. The lenses you already have form a good system.
Likewise, your Nikon is a time-proven good camera and lenses you have are good: solid, with good manual focus and aperture rings, infinity stops, legible scales. Yes, you could sell them - but likely you'd enjoy having and using them more. Nikon still makes the 35mm, 50mm, 105mm manual lenses (I think) just because they are so good. More expensive new now, but you already have them.
The EOS system has been a great success for Canon. I can put a new-today EF lens on the very first EOS 650, 620 bodies of 1987 and it'll work perfectly. I can put an old EF lens of 1987 on, for example, a Canon 5D MkIII and it'll work perfectly. So, I'd suggest keeping the Canon system as well - maybe add the new 50/1.8 STM. I've got an old 50/1.8 II which many say is noisy and slow, which is somewhat true, but even with my $20 Rebel G, I've had it nail some spectacular shots wide open (like a spider in a glistening web).
So, Olympus: it has sentimental value which you should never discount. Second, it's fully manual and mechanical. There are no proprietary and obsolete electronic chips in it; there aren't complex electromechanical subsystems where each has to function always or otherwise the camera becomes a brick. It can still be maintained and kept functional for many decades to come. The lenses you already have form a good system.
Likewise, your Nikon is a time-proven good camera and lenses you have are good: solid, with good manual focus and aperture rings, infinity stops, legible scales. Yes, you could sell them - but likely you'd enjoy having and using them more. Nikon still makes the 35mm, 50mm, 105mm manual lenses (I think) just because they are so good. More expensive new now, but you already have them.
The EOS system has been a great success for Canon. I can put a new-today EF lens on the very first EOS 650, 620 bodies of 1987 and it'll work perfectly. I can put an old EF lens of 1987 on, for example, a Canon 5D MkIII and it'll work perfectly. So, I'd suggest keeping the Canon system as well - maybe add the new 50/1.8 STM. I've got an old 50/1.8 II which many say is noisy and slow, which is somewhat true, but even with my $20 Rebel G, I've had it nail some spectacular shots wide open (like a spider in a glistening web).
Jeremy Z
Well-known
Too many options. My head is about to explode.
This is my immediate plan:
Keep Olympus. Besides having great sentimental value, these are all low value pieces on the used market. I'll just stop buying for it, unless I find a screamin' deal on a 35 mm prime.
Keep Nikon, I have the good glass for it. The AF lenses won't be too useful for MF, because the focus ring turns too fast to reasonably focus manually. So it's essentially two separate systems. Well, 1-1/2, because the MF lenses are perfectly usable on the N90s body.
EOS... the bodies are probably worth $10 ea. at resale and the lens $50. Not worth selling, considering how good it is. These point & shoot cameras selling for $200+ makes me want to hang onto these, hoping someday, the kids will realize how GOOD it is.
This is my immediate plan:
Keep Olympus. Besides having great sentimental value, these are all low value pieces on the used market. I'll just stop buying for it, unless I find a screamin' deal on a 35 mm prime.
Keep Nikon, I have the good glass for it. The AF lenses won't be too useful for MF, because the focus ring turns too fast to reasonably focus manually. So it's essentially two separate systems. Well, 1-1/2, because the MF lenses are perfectly usable on the N90s body.
EOS... the bodies are probably worth $10 ea. at resale and the lens $50. Not worth selling, considering how good it is. These point & shoot cameras selling for $200+ makes me want to hang onto these, hoping someday, the kids will realize how GOOD it is.