Daily Inspiration #176 by Franz Bohr

December 14, 2010 Daily Inspiration, News 20

Hi Steve,

I hope you are doing good. My name is Franz Bohr and I am fan of classic cameras that´s why I have been following your blog (thanks to google reader) for more then a year. I like beautifully designed gear like old rangefinder cameras or the newer retro-styled cams from Oly. There is nothing more motivating and inviting then a great piece of industrial design, isn´t it ? One thing the classic rangefinder M-Leicas unfortunately dont feature is an auto focus. I say unfortunately because for my work i consider auto focus a must.

So what i use for most of my shots is the rather small but great Olympus Pen EP-1. As most of your readers know this camera got much love here on Stevehuffphoto.com and i think it is one of the best deals out there in camera land. You get a very classic looking and rigid body which is very leightweight and pocketable at the same time. In pair with the incredible Panasonic Lumix Pancake 20mm f/1.7 this makes it a dynamic and unbeatable duo for me (especially considering the fact that you get both for altogether 600 Euros).

That´s the reason why this PEN-Pancake combo has become my daily companion. Actually most of my best shots i took when going to work / to the studio (i am an electronic music producer). My current photography related project covers my obsession for people photography. It is called “Faces” and i would like to invite you to have at look it.

here is my set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/autist/sets/72157624628409020/

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20 Comments

  1. Great set. I did notice that a few were marked in groups such as “Canon SLR” and 50mm. Is there a mix of cameras used in the set?

    Not trying to start or imply anything. Just wondering.
    John

    • i think there has been a shot were i used an old canon slr with a 50 1.8 to figure out if the canon or the 20 1.7 oly version of this shot was sharper. oly won 🙂

  3. I completely agree with Michiel. I really like them. Well processed too. A lesson to all of us Leica owners. I suspect these pictures are better than most of ours (at least I can say that with confidence in my case). I love wide angle portraits. Why is everyone so conventional (i.e. longer focal lengths for portraits)? If you want to flatter a Hollywood starlet by all means go for warm lighting and a different lens: if you want to make a bold statement then use any lens you like (including wide angle).

  5. A little longer lens might help perspective (smaller noses). There’s an Olympus 50mm f/2 for micro 4/3, and also a Panasonic/Leica 45mm f/2.8. Among longer choices, non-zoom, are a Sigma 105mm and Olympus 150mm f/2.

  6. Wow. That’s a nice shot. Your photos are inspiring. I too, was an EP2 user with Pana 20. It’s a great unbeatable combo. Unfortunately, my camera and lens were stolen in London recently. While I had the opportunity to restart a new camera and lens, I just could not bring myself to go back to DSLR due to its bulk. I tried NEX5 but could not get the right feel as with the PEN. SO, with limited budget, I bought myself an EP1. But the only gripe, I’m missing the EVF that I had with the EP2.

  7. While I generally liked the look (crop and light) of your pictures, I often found the faces too distorted with unreally large noses. YMMV.

    Good light and Merry Xmas to you!

  8. Love the set. Even though there were couple of bit more loose compositions that quite didn’t feel like part of the set. The B&W of these is spot on and one of the best digitals I’ve seen.
    That old guy with glasses just pure photogenic bliss.

  10. This exactly how I like portraits! Get in close, don’t worry about “rules”, just capture expression and character.

    The E-P1 (and E-P2) is excellent for that with the 20 mm (I had the E-P2 with that for some 4 months; regret selling it sometimes). The IQ, particularly with that lens, is simply amazing. Plus you get the “ideal” 40mm fl (35mm equiv) and slightly increased DoF… 🙂

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