Looking Back at Norah Renée

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Exactly one year ago to the date and time, we welcomed my daughter into this world.  Everyday since then, my wife and I have been living a truly blessed life with such a vibrant, loving, huggable, and curious little munchkin.  As cliché as it sounds,  I really can't believe how fast time has gone by.  Happy Birthday to you Ms. Norah Renée.  Momma and I can't wait to celebrate and share more life experiences with you! Here's a photo of Norah at six months pushing herself up and staring back at me.  Not staged, not planned, my wife captured this wonderful moment.  The photo below is also unedited.

NorahandPapa

I've also just entered the photo into the I Shot It Child Competition 2013 No 3 for kicks and giggles. So far, with my entry, I'm at number 470. Ends in five days and there are so many great photos!!!  Wish us luck.

If you really want to know more about the composition and the photo, check out Jeffrey's Exif Viewer.  Here are the basic details: Olympus OM-D E-M5 ISO 800 1/40 f1.4 25mm

Friend's Take Time To Give Advice

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When I asked a couple of friends through Facebook or Twitter on their opinions on a specific camera choice, I got an overwhelmingly response. They all gave great insights coupled with personal experiences and I just wanted to post my experience and my gratitude. First the twitter story.

Olympus OM-D 5E Conversion

After months of reading, waiting and asking around, I finally made my decision.

Storified by Elijah Nicolas · Fri, Jul 20 2012 23:10:50

I post the initial question out on twitter and facebook.  
Clock is ticking! I need a new setup for my little girl that's going to be crawling around the house! Olympus OM-D, Mark III or NEX? #cameraElijah Nicolas
@jaythreepio replies first
@eejay i'd say nex just because it's more portable/compact but still has the interchangeable lensesJames
@jaythreepio check out all the reviews on http://dpreview.com and then tell me what you think. // http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusem5Elijah Nicolas
@eejay based on the reviews, i'd say Canon. I do like Nex cuz of its compact design, but I've had bad experiences w/Sony in the pastJames
@jaythreepio did you read the one on the OM-D? It’s still a third of the price of the Mark III and formidable.Elijah Nicolas
@eejay oh, i didn't look at the price. haha i only compared the features/ratings. between the olympus & the nex... tough.James
@eejay how much video/moving pics are you going to take? because the NEX wins out on that compared to the OM-DJames
@eejay man, both are very solid. a real toss-upJames
A great conversation with @b737officeview
@eejay bottomline? nothing will compare 2 a true DSLR & people photos w/indoor light is where the 5Dmk3 specializes. 4/3rd is a compromise.b737officeview
@eejay BUT college is expensive and a lower end DSLR is STILL better than 4/3rd. look at TS4i, 60D, 7D too.b737officeview
@eejay I use DSLR for the forever jaw dropping photos of my kids, and my iPhone for on the fly.b737officeview
@b737officeview I like the distinction between the two. What DSLR do you use? I like the 7D but it’s a little “old” now.Elijah Nicolas
@eejay a 50D w/17-55, 10-22, and 70-200 lens options. I would DREAM to get the 5Dmk3. Nothing produces bokeh and DOF in portraits like DSLR.b737officeview
@eejay the way u get amazing kid photos is natural light and firing away with a high speed shutter… again the domain of the DSLR.b737officeview
@eejay if u are new to DSLR glass always is more important than body. Don’t blow the cash on a 5D only to put a kit lens on.b737officeview
@eejay buy a lower end body, get a 50mm 1.4 prime and a 17-55 (or 25-70 full frame) and upgrade the body later.b737officeview
@b737officeview I definitely appreciate all the input! I’ll be reading a TON!Elijah Nicolas
All the while, I read @stevehuffphotos review of the OM-D 5E
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Digital Camera Review. Micro 4/3 finally matures...for real. By Steve Huff | STEVE HUFF PHOTOSThe Olympus OM-D E-M5 Digital Camera Review by Steve Huff Micro 4/3 finally matures..for real. Well here we are in May of 2012 and Olympu...
@stevehuffphotos after reading all about the OM-D 5E, I’m about 80%. I need a cam before Aug 15th for my baby arriving & thinking Sony?Elijah Nicolas
he's busy so no reply.
of course, I read about the lenses he likes
The Panasonic - Leica 25 1.4 Summilux Lens Review for Micro 4/3 | STEVE HUFF PHOTOSThe Panasonic - Leica 25 1.4 Summilux Lens Review for Micro 4/3 Finally! The lens I waited months for finally arrived! The Panasonic/Leic...
IT'S IN STOCK!
Panasonic 25 1.4 for Micro 4/3 is IN STOCK now! | STEVE HUFF PHOTOSThe much sought after Panasonic 25 1.4 for Micro 4/3 is IN STOCK now at B&H Photo! Normal price, not the jacked up price some have sold i...
My dumb butt waits four hours until I wake up and it's gone. I use his link and buy it through Amazon through J&R.  I still haven't heard about when it's going to ship 4 days later. 
@stevehuffphotos sold out but five left on Amazon for only $538.88! Well, four now since I just bought one & don’t even have a cam yet!Elijah Nicolas
I've been interacting with Gage through DM for the last few days.  
@GageCaudell bought the Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 Leica DG Summilux Aspherical Micro 4/3 Lens for the OM-D! Haven’t bought the cam yet :PElijah Nicolas
@eejay I've had the Panasonic 25mm f1.4 for a week now and really like it. You will love the OM-D. Let me know when you get it.Gage Caudell
@GageCaudell so are you using your OM-D a lot?Elijah Nicolas
@eejay I use it a lot for work and use when wanting to catch my little girl in action. Still use my Leica lot more.Gage Caudell
Trying to find the iOS app that gives me the proper / ideal settings for each camera lens. Can anyone point me the direction? #camera #DSLRElijah Nicolas
@eejay did you buy one? #DSLRGage Caudell
@GageCaudell no, not yet. I’m set on the OM-D 5E but can’t find a place that can ship one now =( I’m just going w/ B&H //cc @stevehuffphotosElijah Nicolas
@GageCaudell Although, now that Canon has shown off their M, I’m wondering what to do. We’ll see next week w/ the official announcementElijah Nicolas
@eejay I have a feeling it will be worth passing up the canon for now but could be wrong. B&H or Amazon is best.Gage Caudell

Now a post from a great friend from High School.

I'm actually shooting with an Olympus Pen EP-3 (with misc panasonic/ oly/ third party Micro-Four Thirds lenses)

The NEX-7 is a nice camera, but Sony's native lens selection is kind of lacking. It's worthy of praise because you can use old manual lenses that benefit from Sony's focus peaking. Also, due to the large APS-C sensor size and flang mount in relation to a streamlined body, the NEX lenses are designed to be inherently big. It feels like handling a smart-phone with a soda-can attached. Kind of defeats the purpose of a smaller form factor when there's little to no native compact pancake lenses available. Plus, they try to bury every feature in the menu screen, requiring a proprietary learning curve... if only it worked like an apple product.

The OM-D EM-5 is pretty much an evolution of the EP-3. A compact Micro-four thirds camera with some "raise-the-bar" type features like the 5-axis stabilization, weatherproofing, fast rate viewfinder etc... The stabilization provided some extra stops for low-light hand-held shots. (Great for non-flash shots when your child is an infant, and better hand-held when the little one takes off running) In the flesh, this thing is pretty small. It's about the same size as my EP-3 sans the view-finder hump. I'd say MFT cameras had a lot of catching up to do in the last couple of years, but the current generation MFT cameras are the shit.

As for the full-frame 5D's: No one will argue against the Mark III as the current industry standard. (And some confess: most of the time it's just to appease the clients). As a matter of fact, I was introduced to the smaller MFT cameras from a bunch of guys who have to lug around 5D's for a living. From a practical standpoint, the Mark III is a big investment on just a body when most of us don't get paid to do this. Not to mention, once you get the essential full-frame lenses you'll be lugging around a lot of equipment, averaging the cost of a Hyundai under the baby stroller. Try to chase your toddler around with all that.

To conclude, you should base your decision on what you like to shoot and the overall system. The body is pretty much dated in a year or two since the consumer camera industry is as, if not more fickle than the computer industry.

^Being a gear-head, I'm sure you already know all this but I figured I'd share my thoughts anyway. Good luck with the camera shopping man, there's a lot great choices. Just make sure you do it soon so you'll have a handle on the hardware before the baby starts to grow up quick.

Let me know what you go with and if u have any questions on the MFT side of things. And read up...we're all biased in some way.

BTW- Congrats to you and Adelle.

Friends rock! Thanks everyone!