Am currently using PL1s.. thinking of upgrading into Pen PL6 or O-M E-5. Normally taking lots of portraits with pet and kids. which us better?
1685963
I absolutely love my om-d-e-m5! It takes great portraits and you will want to invest in http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Digital-Silver-Panasonic-Cameras/dp/B0058PL9QG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400425068&sr=8-2&keywords=olympus+45+micro and http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-M-Zuiko-Silver-Panasonic-Cameras/dp/B00A7Q9U9Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1400425128&sr=8-4&keywords=olympus+17+micro if you don't already have. They are my 2 most used lenses and much better then the ones that come with camera. I suggest getting the body only if you can.
132031
The 6 is much better for the exact reasons you mention. The VF alone is worth it. I'd never own another camera without one.
1603705
I picked up an ep121 at fry's in concord last week, I have a CINTIQ 21UX, and I'm employed as a character artist. The cintiq pen and intuos pens won't work on it as people have already said. The pressure sensitivity is not working in photoshop, i think there's a driver fix for this but i haven't bothered with it. Photoshop works best with a keyboard/keypad anyways. Alias sketchbook pro will be your friend. The brushes work great and the program is stroke based. 256 levels of pressure sensitivity, it depends on the artist. It's fine for me, I don't know that my arm has 256 levels of pressure. The line quality is good and it's responsive while drawing. Awesome device for drawing on the go, or sitting on the couch. Any serious work you'll probably want to use a standard computer, but no reason you shouldn't be able to do great things on the ep121. Battery life i get around 3-4.5 hours depending on use. I hope they start shipping these things out to you all soon, I'm loving mine! ps. This thing also runs zbrush pretty well. although it's pointless to try to use zbrush with a resolution os 1200x800, the menu's are too filling. But, it CAN handle a million polygons without much problem. I didn't try maya on it yet. If anyone's interested i can give it a shot.
1829251
I have the E-M1, so I don't know about how the lack of OIS affects shooting on a Panny. I think the 25 is a nice lens--small, light, sharp, has decent bokeh, and focuses really fast. Some CA, some vignetting wide open, but easily correctable.
1659325
I am a professional photographer, and I Love epson. I use the 9600, but they have smaller models available. The canons are getting better as well, but epson is still top notch in my book. Tom
693056
Excellent. I have 8 Cannon still cameras and the ELPH has better battery life than my others. I use flash for every shot and even then it lasts a long time. Just charge when you finish shooting, not just at the end of the day. That's my best advice.
877937
Going from the Wacom Intuose (previously the bamboo) to the Intuos Pro was every bit worth it. Some may not realize just how much of a difference there is between 1024 and 2048 levels of pressure but it is night and day! The level of control I get out of the pro version blows me away. I don't do work in CS6 as I switched from That to Manga Studio 5 and Paint Tool Sai for my artwork but I am 100% sure it will make a huge difference in PS just the same as those programs. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. If you can afford the Pro, don't waste your money on anything less.
423142
Thanks Janet, I kinda knew that, but was surprised that you would be using p&s.; I would love nothing more than to stick with a p&s;,but the shutter lag (for shooting puppies/dogs in motion)(low-key professionally) is KILLING me. Is it true, there is no p&s; with a truly shorter shutter lag?p.s. not to mention a big ol' black SLR scares heck outta puppies!
1654586
That's a difficult question to answer because there are different kinds of portraits and it depends on what you want to do. Personally I'd say it can take decent portraits (used at 50mm), but a 50mm or 85mm prime would be better because of the faster aperture and because prime lenses generally have slightly better optics than zooms (because they're more "optimized"). If you want a one-lens solution and aren't super picky, it could do just fine. My two cents.
1508370
I am partial to Canon and am excited to see they are introducing a model in the rugged, waterproof class. I previously used the first generation waterproof Olympus Stylus and after it broke moved to the Pentax Optio W series. It has been a good camera as far as durability, but it just doesn't produce photos like our Canon Powershot SD1000. As far as the post question, I can't wait to see some product reviews/comparisons. Based on my previous experience with the Stylus line, I am ruling out the Olympus. Although right now I am leaning towards the Canon based on previous experience with their products and superior photos. However, the Panasonic offering higher video quality in HD format is enticing.
2276903
I have been using "Paper" by 53 most often, but there are other great apps out there... it is really more a question of which app has the features, effects and workflow that you like. I am a sketch artist that uses pen and watercolor, so this app mimics these tools well. I wanted the brush because I am comfortable working with one, but it does not give a different line than any other stylus that it's not pressure sensitive (like the pogo connect).
13735
If you don't absolutely need macro, go for the 135. I like it way better for portraits. I actually just purchased he 100L macro but it is specifically for newborn details and wedding details. I'll keep my 135 for portraits every time.
727311
I am using the VF4 on my E-PL1 and it's working great. However, my camera firmware had to be upgraded which easily done through Olympus website uploaded. So, I believe VF4 should work all E-PL series. If it works for my oldest model it should work for you.
1344773
The olympus VF-4 is compatible with the E-PL5. It was a great purchase, a bit expensive but the best one out there!
1469931
Does anyone have experience with model and close-up shot quality? I need it for photographing my oil paintings for competitions and websites, but I'd also like it for travel shots. Is it too much to ask for both capabilities in one camera? Thanks
1161885
I usually shoot with an Olympus E-P1. The GX1 focuses at least twice as fast, but then I am usually doing landscape or portrait shooting, so the GX1 speed advantage is not that important to me. However, I feel the GX1 firmware produces a softer (some might say "creamier") output on both jpg and raw images, so I usually reserve it for portraits of humans and continue to use the E-P1 for the bulk of my work. If you are interested in shooting sports, the fast focusing of the GX1 is far superior to the E-P1, which is next to useless for that application (unless you prefocus and wait for the shot). I usually shoot with an Olympus E-P1. The GX1 focuses at least twice as fast, but then I am usually doing landscape or portrait shooting, so the GX1 speed advantage is not that important to me. However, I feel the GX1 firmware produces a softer (some might say "creamier") output on both jpg and raw images, so I usually reserve it for portraits of humans and continue to use the E-P1 for the bulk of my work. If you are interested in shooting sports, the fast focusing of the GX1 is far superior to the E-P1, which is next to useless for that application (unless you prefocus and wait... » Read More I usually shoot with an Olympus E-P1. The GX1 focuses at least twice as fast, but then I am usually doing landscape or portrait shooting, so the GX1 speed advantage is not that important to me. However, I feel the GX1 firmware produces a softer (some might say "creamier") output on both jpg and raw images, so I usually reserve it for portraits of humans and continue to use the E-P1 for the bulk of my work. If you are interested in shooting sports, the fast focusing of the GX1 is far superior to the E-P1, which is next to useless for that application (unless you prefocus and wait for the shot). « Show Less
2057393
I'd recommend Corel Painter Essentials 5 because it has a similar GUI to Adobe Photoshop, tons of brushes and other mediums, and it won't break the bank. I have PE4 & I still use it more than Painter X3 (which I also have). If you plan on doing any serious drawing or painting, PE5 is the way to go.