guest blogger: younes bounhar

© Younes Bounhar

As I was preparing to give my photographic adventure in Morocco a little over a month ago, I was thinking how I could maximize my experience. There were several constraints I had to work with. Though this was not a workshop,  I knew my opportunities for any meaningful shooting would be limited given that I was leading the tour. I also knew that whatever shooting time I had, I wanted to spend it shooting for my new sponsor, Sigma (i.e. using my new Sigma lenses). Since I was going to head to Spain with my lovely bride for our honeymoon, I knew there would be restrictions on shooting time and opportunities. With all of these factors taken into consideration, I thought it was due time, I tried a smaller, lighter and more versatile camera. My friend Justin kindly offered his Canon G11, which I had been eyeing for sometime as a pocket-camera of choice. However, when Sabrina opened the door for me to use her Olympus E-P2, well, I simply couldn’t say no. All I had to do in exchange is write a little guest post spelling out my impressions of the experience.

I don’t intend this to be a review, so while I will chat a bit about the technical side of the camera, I will rather concentrate on the experience, the more intangible aspects of the camera, so to speak. One thing that is essential in any camera is full manual control. This is the very reason I don’t use my iPhone as a “take everywhere” camera. It is capable of making very nice images, but does not allow me the flexibility that I require. When I say full manual control, I am really only concerned exposure control. I often want to overexpose or underexpose on a whim. The E-P2 does just that for me. It uses a very intuitive and handy combination of a button and a dial to allow you to control shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation. I never read the manual for the thing and, while the menu is quite involved to give you control over just about everything in the camera, it is nicely laid out and easy to access. To be honest, just that alone was enough to sway me (OK, not quite, but I am trying not to be too demanding). The dynamic range is quite impressive as well. One surprise for me was the relatively fast response time. My experience with compacts has always been one mixed with frustration: you see the moment, you react, the camera doesn’t, you miss the shot. The E-P2 is a bit slow to start up, but otherwise, the shutter lag is pretty decent, and I can’t recall a single instance where it didn’t respond on the spot for me. One of the coolest features for me (while nothing new) is the ability to select various crops in camera. In fact, I still fail to see why most dSLRs do not offer that option. I am a complete sucker for square images. So much so that I want to get a medium format camera solely for that reason. You will say, nothing stops you from cropping in post. That’s true, and I do. However, I like to be able to compose in-camera and not have to guess, then re-adjust in post. Plus, it forces you to see in a different format, thus opening more avenues creatively. As you can see, all the images I attached here are square. You guessed it. I shot (almost) exclusively in that format throughout the trip. And. I. Loved. It. Every bit of it. Now if you’ve read this far, you’re certainly wondering why I haven’t talked about image quality. Well, this is the area that’s the hardest for me to render an opinion on. I must say that as a Nikon D700 user, I am spoiled. I use ISO1600 without even thinking about it and go up to 6400 without much thought. Coming from this perspective, the E-P2 sure does not live up to those standards. With the smaller sensor, IQ really suffers quickly as soon as you go beyond ISO200. Noise reduction in LR neatly takes care of that, but at the expense of sharpness. That said, at base ISO, and even up to ISO400, I am still very comfortable with the IQ. I have yet to make prints from it, but I don’t feel like I’d be missing out by using the camera exclusively. Note also that this is the previous generation of cameras, and the consensus is that the E-P3 has made great strides in that department.

© Younes Bounhar

With all this said, if I had to describe my experience with the E-P2 in one word, it would be “liberating”. And in more than one way. For a guy who regularly walks around with 20lbs of gear and multiple lenses, my photographic outings are more an expedition than the leisurely stroll. I found myself really enjoying not being dragged down by a backpack, lenses and a tripod. Instead of being this heavy, slow machine, I became a more versatile, fast moving photographer. The bonus from this perspective is multiple-fold. First, by not carrying as much weight, I was more rested, and therefore more inclined to walk longer and farther. Second, with a rested body comes a rested mind. I found myself more readily exploring new ideas and concepts, more willing to stay a little longer to try something out. In the same vein, being lighter meant I no longer needed to worry about my gear getting in the way or attracting unwanted attention. A great example of that was the old medina in Fes. This is a 1000-year old city that still breathes and functions in the same way it did a 1000 years ago. It’s an endless and confusing labyrinth of narrow streets. And boy it’s abuzz. You don’t have more than a few square inches of personal space. Unless you plan your photo trip in the early hours of the day, a full photo pack becomes a real hassle. With the E-P2 around my neck I was no different than any other tourist, blending seamlessly into the scene. Concentrating on my group of photographers, not having to worry about lugging a ton of gear.  Third, because my camera was hanging around my neck all the time (whereas I have a tendency to pack the D700), that meant I could be more reactive at a moment’s notice, I was always ready to pounce on an opportunity and capture that elusive moment when it happened. The experience was liberating because I only took one lens (one would ask what’s the point of getting a camera with interchangeable lenses and not use the feature, but that’s another discussion). That meant I spared myself the urge to change lenses every 5 seconds and thus by losing flexibility, I found myself gaining, well, flexibility! Finally, and most importantly, using the camera triggered a strange reaction on my part, that I have to say was unexpected. You see, when I go out to photograph, I am all business. Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of fun, but it’s primarily a serious business for me. I am out there to “get the shot”. I am not saying this good or even healthy. That’s just how I approach it. With the E-P2, I found myself doing this weird thing: since it wasn’t a “serious” camera (foolish I know, believe me, it is a very serious camera in every respect), well, I did stuff I wouldn’t probably never even attempt with my SLR. I am not saying that any of these attempts amounted to anything, but I was trying things. That, alone was worth it. I was shooting in “bad light”, I was shooting in my bedroom (no, I won’t be posting those), I was shooting through car windows, and random contraptions. I was shooting when walking, I was shooting when sitting down in a cafe. I was shooting all the time. And I loved every bit of it.

© Younes Bounhar

In the end, you will ask, well what is that makes this camera special, since you use it just like a compact? My answer will sound a bit ambiguous: nothing and everything at the same time. What the Pen gives me is the compact size and portability of smaller cameras with the control, versatility and image quality of larger cameras. The compact aspect frees my body and my mind to explore my vision further and deeper than I do with my SLR. The manual control allows me to customize my settings to precisely capture my vision, not the camera’s. Finally, while I didn’t use the interchangeable lens feature in this camera and likely wouldn’t immediately do so if I got one in the near future, I know that the option is always there and that I can take my camera just that one step further, which a compact will never do. So, in the end, while I may not get this particular model or make (and I still might), I am definitely sold on the mirrorless concept. More than any compact, or the Fuji X-100 which seems to be all the rage these days, these cameras are a very successful blend and surely deserve a spot in my camera bag. Don’t be surprised if you see me with one very soon, or if Sabrina never gets hers back .

© Younes Bounhar

Thank you Younes for writing this guest post. Rest assured I will be picking up my Olympus EP-2 next week. You’ll have to settle for buying the new EP-3 Please be sure to check out Younes’ next tour to Morocco here. Don’t wait because it was just announced yesterday and two spots are already gone!