Supplement A1 and OM-1 with D500/500mm PF? Is this crazy and what would I miss most?

If you would like to post, you'll need to register. Note that if you have a BCG store account, you'll need a new, separate account here (we keep the two sites separate for security purposes).

M

MarkG

Member
Member's gallery
I get this crazy idea periodically, having come from Canon SLRs/DSLRs. Currently I'm using A1 + 200-600 and OM-1 with 100-400 + 300mmF4 (+ various TCs).

I see the prices for D500 and 500PF coming down and I've always been fascinated with this legendary combo (Never shot Nikon, though).

As far as I can tell, I could/would miss 30FPS with stellar AF, Pro-Capture at 25/50FPS on OM-1, EVF with instant exposure feedback, blackout-free EVF, and lots of other modern/nice things for sure.


But will I add anything meaningful to the A1/OM-1, other than nostalgia for OVF? For example, lower tendency of D500's AF to switch to background... maybe some other things?

Is this just GAS talking or is there a genuine reason(s) why D500/500PF could be either better (in some ways) or more enjoyable than the kit I currently use?

Thanks for humoring me...
 
Member's gallery
MarkG said:
I get this crazy idea periodically, having come from Canon SLRs/DSLRs. Currently I'm using A1 + 200-600 and OM-1 with 100-400 + 300mmF4 (+ various TCs).

I see the prices for D500 and 500PF coming down and I've always been fascinated with this legendary combo (Never shot Nikon, though).

As far as I can tell, I could/would miss 30FPS with stellar AF, Pro-Capture at 25/50FPS on OM-1, EVF with instant exposure feedback, blackout-free EVF, and lots of other modern/nice things for sure.


But will I add anything meaningful to the A1/OM-1, other than nostalgia for OVF? For example, lower tendency of D500's AF to switch to background... maybe some other things?

Is this just GAS talking or is there a genuine reason(s) why D500/500PF could be either better (in some ways) or more enjoyable than the kit I currently use?

Thanks for humoring me...
Click to expand...

No reason to invest in a third system especially not vintage equipment.
 
Member's gallery
As an A1 owner, I would love to have a D500+500PF again (I had the combo for two years), because of the great IQ of the combo. I liked the raw files better than those of the A1, just nicer to look at.
But there are two big reasons why I would never re-purchase the D500: the shutter noise and the mirror induced slight blur in many images. After having used the A1's electronic shutter, I could not go back to suffering the downsides of dslr technology.
 
Member's gallery
MarkG said:
Is this just GAS talking or is there a genuine reason(s) why D500/500PF could be either better (in some ways) or more enjoyable than the kit I currently use?
Click to expand...

As I have the D500 and the OM1, I think that there are a few places where the D500 is better than the m43rds camera:

1) Shooting birds in busy bushes using single point... I'm finding the D500 to be much better at sticking with a bird that is partially obscured than the OM1.

2) Anything that benefits from Group-AF (think close-ups of insects, dragonflies in flight etc).

3) 3D tracking... the OM-1 can't track without subject detection to save it's life...

I also think you'll get slightly better image quality at close ranges with the 500mm PF when compared to the 300mm f4 with or without the 1.4x TC.

That being said, there is one major thing that bugs me when switching between the two cameras:

Having gotten used to the blackout free experience of the EVF I find the flicker of the mirror on the D500 very annoying.

Also, as a fun fact, I've found a number of situations where the mirror slap noise actually was a benefit as it got the subject to look in my direction instead of away from me....
 
Member's gallery
Yes, it's be a purely nostalgic purchase for me too. If I were to do it, I'd actually try to contact the person I sold my D500 + 500PF to, and see if they'd allow me to buy it back, so I could say I had the exact camera/lens again.

It's only been 1.5 years since I sold mine, but it feels like a lifetime ago already. I wouldn't go back though, I'm loving the Z8 experience.
 
Member's gallery
I have a GFX100s and Z9, but I also have a GFX50R and Zf, which I like to shoot with some old manual Minolta lenses. No EXIF, no aperture control, and performance that pales to my modern lenses. But it’s fun!

Whatever inspires you to go out and shoot and have fun doing it, is what you should use. If an optical viewfinder and chonky body gets you outdoors when you’re feeling a bit bored with your A1, the do it!

But realize that it’s going to be lower performance, and you’re going to miss some photos.
 
Member's gallery
Chris K said:
Whatever inspires you to go out and shoot and have fun doing it, is what you should use. If an optical viewfinder and chonky body gets you outdoors when you’re feeling a bit bored with your A1, the do it!
Click to expand...
That's a really good advice. I've also shot with vintage MF lenses (FD, Konica, OM, Pentax) on Sony and that was a lot of fun. Even repaired many MF lenses as a hobby. But now that I'm 95% into wildlife, it's hard to ignore the performance of modern cameras. I've always wanted to try out Nikon and D500, so far, seems to be the only body that "pulls" me. Z9 is huge and heavy, Z8 is also a bit large/heavy for my liking... perhaps at some point they will come out with Z7mk3 with 45Mp and AF similar to Z8. Maybe. I think for now I will control my GAS :)
 
Member's gallery
Maybe wait for the new z6/7 then, cause if they’re like the Zf (and surely they’ll be at least as capable), you will probably be happy with them for wildlife. The Zf is much better than the Z6 for any kind of subject detection, and its 3D mode approaches the Z9 I. Good lighting!
 
Member's gallery
MarkG said:
That's a really good advice. I've also shot with vintage MF lenses (FD, Konica, OM, Pentax) on Sony and that was a lot of fun. Even repaired many MF lenses as a hobby. But now that I'm 95% into wildlife, it's hard to ignore the performance of modern cameras. I've always wanted to try out Nikon and D500, so far, seems to be the only body that "pulls" me. Z9 is huge and heavy, Z8 is also a bit large/heavy for my liking... perhaps at some point they will come out with Z7mk3 with 45Mp and AF similar to Z8. Maybe. I think for now I will control my GAS :)
Click to expand...
For what it’s worth, the Z8 and D500 are close in size/weight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top