Category Archives: SaveYouMoney
Goodbye Canon, Hello Olympus OMD E-M5 - Switch to Mirror-less for Travel Photography
The heat beats down on me through the blue heavenly skies above me as I climb. I climb up the mountain slowly with many steps to go to reach 400 meters above sea level. It is 90 degrees outside and the humidity is 85%. One step is fine, but as they add up the weight starts to get to me. My friend Jessa says to me “Come on Erick, lets keep going” as she climbs the stairs with ease. We are climbing the mountain to Hanginan, Maasin in Southern Leyte, Philippines. Each step becomes heavier and heavier… I am being literal here. You see, I am carrying ALL of my camera gear and it is weighing me down. You know that feeling? 2 bodies, 3 lenses, filters, tripod, a strobe, trigger, other gadgets and some food all in one backpack? At this point I am ready… I am tired of it. It is time for something different. It is time… for a new camera system.
For about 5 months now I have NOT been shooting with my Canon system setup. I used to run around with a 60D and 7D set up. The 7D stopped functioning due to water damage so I fell to exclusively using my 60D as my back up. The 60D then stopped working as I was testing it for a photo shoot I was going to do in Colombia. I was desperate to get a replacement camera. I was looking at the newly released 6D, but then I thinking back to the wonderful time I was having when climbing the mountain in Maasin. Maybe it was time to make that switch I had thought of back then. I had always toyed with the idea going to a mirror-less camera system. Mirror-less you ask? Why would a professional photographer want to downgrade?
The mirror-less systems are smaller and much lighter. Also very cheap and the quality is amazing. It is perfect for a travel photographer. I find it to be more of an upgrade than a downgrade.
OMD E-M5 Silver
The Choice? Olympus OMD
I did a lot of research after my experience in Philippines in late 2011. I had felt I had armed myself to make a well informed decision. The mirror-less camera I decided to choose was the Olympus OMD E-M5. Why did I choose this camera? Well I won’t lie, I chose it because it looked like an old film camera. I also chose it for the fact that it received the award of Camera of the Year in 2012 by DPReview. I also chose it because the camera is using a Micro Four Thirds system. Olympus and Panasonic have both embraced the Micro Four Thirds system and it’s benefits, which means that you could use either brand of lens. Sigma and other lens companies have also designed lenses for this system as well.
The Weight and Size
The weight and size was the largest factor though. Hands down the weight of the Olympus OMD is way smaller than my 7D and 60D. The 7D weighs 29 oz., the 60D 27 oz. and the OMD 15 oz. making it nearly half as light as the 7D. My favorite lens for the Canon system was a Canon 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 which weighed 34 oz. For my OMD the 17mm ƒ/1.8 and 45mm ƒ/1.8 both weigh just over 8 oz. combined.
Because the weight is less and there is smaller parts it is easier to carry. I used to carry a backpack to carry the gear around for photography. The backpack would be packed with 2 lenses, the body (with lens), blower, strobe, remote, battery charger, 4 filters, remote, lens pen, other gizmos and gadgets and snacks..
Now I can carry small bag with a body, 2 lenses, remote, 8 filters, flash, strobe, lens pen, diabetes testing kit, and snacks. Almost the same amount of items in one smaller bag.
Cost
The size of lenses are smaller making it very affordable as well. The manufactures can make a good quality lens with less parts needed to be able to create cheaper lenses. The whole system costed me a total of $2800, which is the cost of a body, 17mm ƒ/1.8 lens, 45mm ƒ/1.8 lens, remote flash, remote trigger, 2 polarizing filters, 2 warmth filters, 2 UV filters, 2 ND filters. As for my Canon system I have easily have paid $3500-$4000 (although I already had lenses).
There is a drawback on some of the pricing. Some of the OMD accessories are expensive. An example is the battery grip I purchased was $299, which in my opinion is kind of steep, but almost worth the price. For $39 the remote cable release is kind of lacking for the price that it costs.
The Drawbacks
So the only difference between a mirror-less camera and most DSLRs is the that the DSLR has a mirror and prism to preview your photo before taking the shot. I know I am using a micro 4/3 system which is a lot smaller sensor. The biggest argument of this is that smaller sensors have an issue with noise. I would have to say that is not the case with this camera. First shoot I shot with it was in the morning trying to do some long exposures and set my ISO to 2000 thinking I set it to 200. The results are amazing. Here are some examples from that shoot.
The other drawback people talk about is the Bokeh of a micro 4/3 system. I would have to say that is a drawback. But to most people who are not professional photographers, they can not tell and a good photographer can make bokeh happen (naturally). Here is an example of some bokeh taken with the OMD EM-5.
The other drawback is the crop factor, which can be an advantage. The crop factor of a micro 4/3 system is 2.0x. That turns a 45mm lens into a 90mm equivalent for a 35mm. For those who want a better zoom, like most travel photographers this is great. For those who need wide angles, this could be a drawback.
Not a Professional Camera
“The OMD is small and does not feel like a professional camera…” Yeah, that is what someone told me. They were a professional photographer by the way. “…it feels like a toy.” That is a very common perception that a lot of professional photographers have when seeing the camera. Bigger is better? Not really.
The camera is a tool. A good photographer still needs to know lighting, tonal value, composition and color. A lot of photographers believe if that they do not have a BIG camera they coud not be perceived as a professional. I was kind of worried about this myself as I had a photo shoot in Colombia. The model was more relaxed as there was not giant lens in her face the whole time. The shoot was more natural and we see each others as equals.
When I was shooting with OMD in the streets people asked me if I was with the press. Everyday people do not know the difference between a DSL and Mirror-less, they just see a camera. On another note the fact that it is smaller is also great because it a lot of times I can take it into places where they ban DSLR. I was able to take my camera into the Explorer Park in Medellin when they banned DSLRs. I got in fine with my OMD E-M5
Even Trey Ratcliff of Stuck in Customs has switched to a Mirror-less camera system from a Nikon system. The Mirror-less system is perfect for some one like Trey and I who are both travel photographers and need to travel light.
Conclusion
So what do I have to say about the OMD E-M5? Well, I love it. I know why it has gotten camera of the year. It has amazing quality, great features (which I have not spoken fully of) and extremely light and small. It the perfect companion for a travel photographer. A more in depth review of the OMD E-M5 will come in the future.
What camera do you use when you are on vacation or travelin? Do you love your Panasonic point and shoot? Do you carry your DSLR or perhaps you stand by your trusty iPhone? I know I do. Let me know what you prefer. Leave a message below, send me a tweet on twitter, or post on my facebook. Heck even send us a message. Let me know, we want to share it with others.
P.S.This is not a sponsored post. I paid everything out of my own pocket, Olympus did not sponsor me. I also am not being paid by Olympus to promote this camera. I am doing it to better inform those out there.
New Year Resolution: Travel This Year Tip
The itchy, red, tired eyes start to swell from staying up all night as the cold winter chill bites at the nose. A trusty scarf and a cap and jacket helps deter the cold from preventing the gawking of the fireworks display to come. People surround to share the celebration of the new year to come. Maybe not just huddled to stay warm, but perhaps in an elegant dress and dapper attire as a band plays music until the wee hours. This is the time of year that reflection happens, and the question is asked: “What did I accomplish this year?” As the countdown begins, the list of new resolutions start to fill the brain. “I need to lose more weight… for real this time.” “I will find myself a new job.” “I will start a new hobby… that does not include my Xbox controller.” “I will travel more this year”.
Most New Year’s resolutions never get accomplished. Heck, most New Year’s resolutions never even get started. The losing of weight resolution always seems to ends by sitting on the couch after 2 days at the gym. But the last resolution on the list, that is something we can help with. That resolution to travel.
So where does a person even start? Planning the trip is one of the hardest things to do. Well a great place would be to check out the article posted about how to plan a trip. We wrote this article, to help get it all started… so that you don’t go back to sitting around the Xbox.
Where do you go? Knowing how much a flight costs is one of the largest decision on where to go. A great resource to help figure out where to go, would be farecompare.com. You can find more at this article on how farecompare can help you get cheap flights and help decide on when and where to go. This is a much better way than throwing darts at a map on the wall.
Now that the destination is set, where does one lay their head? Well hotel can be pricey and a hostel is not for everyone. Well a good alternative to both can be found on AirBnB.com. An article of AirBnB can be found here. It is a great alternative to paying through your nose or sleeping with roaches.
After landing in the airport, one of the worst nightmares is that the luggage does not arrive at the airport on that same day or at all. How does someone deal with that? Well we have that covered as well. Check out this article of what do when luggage gets lost or how to reduce the risk of luggage getting lost.
So these articles may not make a person thinner or find that dream job of doing nothing and getting paid for it. We do hope however it allows someone to accomplish that goal to travel more. What are some of your resolutions this year? How can we help you accomplish them? Do you have any useful tips for someone who wants to travel. Leave a message below, send us a tweet
// on twitter, or post on our facebook. Heck even send us a message. Let us know.
Airbnb.com - Review
I am looking and looking and all I can find a hotel for is as low as $120 per a night, AND that is with a discount that I am privy to. I am thinking, why not go to a hostel? So I check and there are private rooms for $90- $110. I only get private rooms as I travel with thousands of dollars worth of photography equipment.
I know many travelers, like yourself have been in a similar situation. You look for a hotel, and it is the largest expense on your vacation. But which do you book at? Are you getting the best deal for the price? The reviews make it hard to decide, and how do you know if it is as good as in the images? You are not planning on living in the hotel, you want to go out and see the attractions and live the culture. Spending too much is not the plan but how can you plan on spending cheaper?
At this point I looked into renting an apartment. Yes, I said an apartment, and despite what you are thinking, it is actually cheap. An apartment was found as cheap as low as $83 a night or I can rent a room at some one’s house for as cheap as $45 a night. The great thing about getting a room, is I can get advice from the person who lives there about local places to visit.
The website I found these great deals is Airbnb.com, a great place to find a good place for a good price, stay in a local area that is safe, and travel like being in the comfort of your own home.
What is Airbnb.com you ask? Well it is a website where apartment and house owners can put their apartment/house or a room up for others to use while they are away or even there. Places are available from all around the world and you can feel like you are at home (without all the hassles) while you are traveling. Below the video explains more in depth on how Airbnb works:
How do you use the website? First you go to the website and choose the destination you are traveling to and the dates you are traveling and then hit search. On the left side you can filter out whether you want an entire home/apartment or if you want a private room or share a room. Also is a map feature that allows you to look for places base on where in the town/city you want to stay at. Choose a pin and check out the information.
One of the drawbacks is that you most places require a deposit (which are sometimes pretty hefty) and that it is all charged on your credit card. This requires money “up front” which is a temperary charge on your card, and removed/charged back to your card when you check out (and you haven’t damaged anything). This is just to help insure the renter from those who want to throw a massive party and thrash the place. Also the credit card is not charged for the room Until you check in (via the website or mobile app) to prevent an owner from taking your money w/o giving you a key.
The website is really well designed, simple and easy to get around. The mobile App is also the same and very easy to use. The mobile app is hands down of the best designed apps on my phone as it offers wonderful stunning images and a great lay out to find out the information you are looking for. The app makes it easy to find a place when you are on the road, simple and easy. I almost exclusively use the iPhone app more so than the actual website due to its ease of use.
Airbnb is a great solution to those who are looking for a place to stay but do not want to spend a lot of money on a hotel. It is not for those who want to be pampered, but it is great for those who don’t want to stay in a not so clean hotel to save money. Check it out and see about a place to stay on your next trip, I know I will to reduce my stay price on my next trip.
Have you ever used Airbnb? Let us know of your experience. Write a comment below and feel free to follow us on twitter and Facebook and follow our feeds.
Farecompare.com Review - Cheaper Flights
“Erick, can you give me advice on purchasing my flight?” THIS is a question I get all the time from my friends, and then I hit them with a wealth of information like:
- The best day to travel is Saturday, yes I said Saturday. Also Tuesday and Wednesdays are good days to travel as others are considered peak days.
- Make sure you purchase your tickets about 6 weeks ahead, any later and the prices tend to go up.
- Purchase you tickets on a Tuesday, that is usually when the cheapest flights are after all the Monday price matching.
At this point, people tell me how smart I am, BUT I am not. I am going to stick to an old adage, “A smart man does not know the answers, a smart man knows how to find the answers.” As somewhat of a “smart” man, I found a lot of answers on when to travel and how to buy the cheapest tickets on a great website. The website is known as farecompare.com
Started in March 2006 Farecompare started as the company XXI Technologies, a data mining company working on a project for Hotels.com. They were introduced to the same database as Orbitz and found a great usage of all this data. They went ahead and started Farecompare.com after getting a slew of data of airline prices, they published tips on when to buy and where to go and which days to fly. It paid to have all this information in their grasp. Farecompare.com debunked many of the travel myths that were out there.
Farecompare is both a flight search engine, which is amazing for the fact that it will allow you to see the best day of the month to fly on your trip. One of the features on the website is to see a calendar based on how long you want to go and how much your flight would be on certain days. A very convenient tool for anyone who wants to take a vacation.
Also is a search feature based on a month you want to go somewhere and it will show you map of he some of the lowest fares around the world of where to go. This is a great tool for some one like me, who wants to take a vacation, but have no clue of where to go next.
Another feature of is the blog on Farecompare, especially the blog from Rick Seaney the CEO of Farecompare who gives analysis of the date they have collected and the trends in travel. He will tend to give tips on how and when to book certain airlines too. His blog is the most useful blog as it tends to tell the best tips, some of which I have already mentioned above.
So my suggestion, be a “smart” person and find out some answers about travel. Check out Farecompare.com. Don’t you like to save money? I know everyone out there does, plus it is nice to be that person everyone goes to about the advice on how to purchase your tickets.
So what are you some of your favorite travel websites? Where do you get some good tips and advice on travel? Tell us some more places. Tell us what makes you the smart person your friends always go to for advice (even if it isn’t travel related). Write a comment below and feel free to follow us on twitter and Facebook and follow our feeds.