Watch below our awesome Day Out video recorded
entirely with the Olympus OMD E-M1 Mark II
Recently, we had the amazing
opportunity to spend time catching up with photographer and DCW customer Dan Cantero in his natural habitat; the beach-side Sydney suburb of Manly.
For our Day Out, we all decided to go for an un-romantic walk along the beach to play with the Olympus OMD E-M1 Mark II camera. Of course, we recorded the whole thing , as Dan gave us some excellent professional insight about how this camera performs.
For our Day Out, we all decided to go for an un-romantic walk along the beach to play with the Olympus OMD E-M1 Mark II camera. Of course, we recorded the whole thing , as Dan gave us some excellent professional insight about how this camera performs.
Dan’s always had a passion for
photography; that much was obvious from the look on his face when we asked him
how he first got started. As a youngster, and perhaps like many of us,
he was amazed by the concept of photography, recalling childhood memories of
looking through old shoeboxes full of photos and marvelling at the idea of a
little machine that could freeze moments in time for him to hold in his hands
and look at whenever he wanted.
Whether he knew it back then or not, that curiosity and wonder would become the
driving force to turn passion into profession.
One
of Dan’s favourite pieces, affectionately dubbed “The Muscle Man” See
Dan at work on his Facebook page
Dan’s been working as a
professional photographer for 4 years now, building two successful businesses
in that time: Capture Photography, whose main
focus is family portraits and photos, and Dan Cantero
Photography which is more commercially
oriented. Having rapidly established
himself as an industry professional, Dan is quickly moving towards photography
becoming his full-time occupation.
Both of his businesses offer
photo and video services which, in today’s video-saturated society, is becoming
more and more in-demand. “That’s where we see a lot of the business
going.” He mentioned, as we picked
his brain for advice.
One of Dan’s
lifestyle product shots that shows off his eye for composition and lighting. Check out his Instagram
Over the past year, he’s had more
interest and requests for video work and has added this sought after service to
his expanding list of offerings. “I think
it’s just going to get bigger so we’ve introduced that into our business to
complement what we already do.” He
goes on to note that photographers already possess the skills and state of mind
needed to make the jump to video relatively quickly. It just takes a little bit
of time and the right gear.
Behold, the
big gun, the hot topic, the Olympus OMD E-M1 Mark II in all its flagship glory.
Enter the Olympus OMD E-M1 Mark II. It’s the
latest and greatest flagship model from Olympus, complete with 4K video
recording, 5-axis stabilisation, a 20.4 megapixel sensor, and more, all wrapped
up in a compact, weather-sealed body. It’s a professional level powerhouse
without all the added heft.
Luckily, we happened to know a
small bit of Dan Cantero trivia prior to all this: He’s never without his
trusty Olympus E-M5. You can tell it’s been across the globe just by looking at
its well-worn and well-loved little body. It’s also proven itself to be the perfect
travel companion and a reliable alternative to hauling his bulky DSLR kit
around.
Knowing all of this, we were
eager to get Dan’s professional opinion on the top-end Olympus to see how it
compared to his E-M5, but more importantly, how it measured up to his Pro DSLR
gear.
Here’s Dan finally getting a feel for the Olympus E-M1 Mark II ergonomics.
Being familiar with Olympus
cameras certainly helped things along, but right from the start, Dan was
impressed by the updated, upgraded, and completely new features on offer.
We gave him a 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO, (equivalent to a 24-70mm workhorse), as well as the 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens so he could experiment with Olympus’s new Sync IS feature, which combines body and lens image stabilisation for ultra-steady results.
We gave him a 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO, (equivalent to a 24-70mm workhorse), as well as the 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens so he could experiment with Olympus’s new Sync IS feature, which combines body and lens image stabilisation for ultra-steady results.
As the afternoon wore on, it
became clear that this mirrorless dynamo was passing a lot of little tests for
Dan. So much so, that we actually became worried we wouldn’t be able to pry it
out of his hands at the end of the shoot.
Seeing
Double? While Dan was getting to know the E-M1 Mark II, we were filming the
encounter with one of our own.
For professionals, it goes
without saying that your gear is a huge investment, so you want to makes sure
it’s a good one. As Dan mentioned throughout the day, this camera is a solid
performer and a handsome one too.
It’s often pointed out that appearance matters “I think it just looks the part. If you turned up to a commercial shoot
with this, no one’s going to ask any questions. It just looks like a
professional camera body as well and is extremely capable of getting really,
really good images.”
While it might seem like an odd complaint, the small, often minimalist and/or old-school designs of mirrorless cameras can make people feel wary of their capabilities. In the past, Dan’s been reluctant to make the switch from DSLRs for his client shoots due to these kinds of impressions. But that’s already starting to change.
Dan’s
well-loved Olympus E-M5 poses for a quick snap in front of its bigger, newer,
shinier brother.
For Dan Cantero, this camera ticks
all the boxes for professional use; it’s solid and feels great in hand with a
bigger, ergonomic grip. It features much
desired dual memory card slots, 4K recording, in-body stabilisation, and a
high-capacity battery to keep it going for hours. It also offers a selection of
customisable buttons and settings to reduce the amount of time spent lurking
around in the menu. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
It’s these kinds of little
considerations that really bring to light the attention to detail that went
into designing the Olympus E-M1 Mark II, creating a truly premium product. With
all the right framework for aspiring and seasoned professionals alike, plus a
compact form factor that fits all kinds of lifestyles, the E-M1 is quickly
becoming a favourite among shooters.
All in all, we were incredibly happy
to give Dan the opportunity to put the Olympus OMD E-M1 Mark II through its
paces. We loved getting first-hand insight on how this camera handled itself in
the hands of a pro with high standards. Spoiler alert; it definitely stacks up.
Dan Cantero is an accredited professional
photographer and long standing DCW customer.
See more of his work.
http://www.dancantero.com.au/
http://www.capturephotography.com.au/
See more of his work.
http://www.dancantero.com.au/
http://www.capturephotography.com.au/
Are you a professional photographer keen to
share your opinion on the latest camera gear? Reach out to us at content@digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au
