Ah. The friendly advice. How to improve my blog....

I ran into a photographer I know at the Austin Photo Expo and we spent a few minutes catching up.  He's a nice guy and fun to talk to at parties, etc.  But after five minutes or so of comparing notes he smiled and told me he was glad I'd decided to get back to blogging.  That felt nice.  But then I left myself wide open.  He asked me if I wanted a little advice about improving the blog.  I should have said, "no!"  but instead I politely nodded and said, "sure."  And he proceeded to give me the same advice that I've heard from every "blogexpert" and web source you can imagine.  I tried to will my ears to close and my brain to shut down but it doesn't really work that way.  Damn primitive human physiology....

In a nutshell his advice was this:  1.  Many of my blogs are too long!  He felt that I should work on trimming down the content to make it more manageable.  He added that he has twenty or so blogs that he reads everyday and that the length of the articles means that many times he can only skim them so that he's able to get on to the next blog.  Hmmmm.

2.  I shouldn't post so frequently.  He suggested that, if I felt compelled to be.....productive (like a cough) that I might want to warehouse the overflow and dribble out the content in some sort of "just in time" delivery scenario like a discount warehouse.  Again, if I post more that once a day this puts a burden on the reader who, with twenty or so bloggers on his radar,  gushing forth a torrent of somewhat disconnected content, may not be able to match pace.  Interesting leap of faith here.  That I can write faster than my audience can read.....

So, I'd like to address this as it may further focus my intentions as a "blogger."  Or even better, my intentions as a writer.

First of all,  I use just enough words to get across the message and the inflections of my messages.  No more.  No less.  While breathy and gushy quick hit blogs may be just the thing shallow readers crave, like Hallmark Greeting card sentiments,  I only want to write for an audience that's comfortable swimming in the deep end.  If a paltry 2,000 or 3,000 words is more than one can handle in a few minutes, with coffee already coursing through the system,  then the length of my blog is not the only problem bubbling to the surface.  We must, as a culture, be  developing an epidemic of ADHD.  

If my writing is too long and vapid to hold your attention then, by all means, give yourself permission to change the channel.  But in various chats with lots of followers, the majority indicate that they like the meaty, chewy and satisfying length we at VSL give to a fair number of our articles.  Like a juicy, marbled Ribeye, hot from the grill....  And let's be frank.  If everyone is following the "web savvy" advice and writing, like, two paragraphs,  where are all the people with "abnormally" long attention spans going to go for their photo reading enjoyment?  It's an ethical conundrum for sure.

As to the second point.  The frequency of posting.  That is even more interesting to me because it indicates that my web educator might not be fully aware of how the world wide web works....  It's like a giant capacitor.  You can keep throwing information at the web and it will keep storing up the charge. And when you aren't reading it the web (through the magic of Google, et al) will patiently sort it, rank it and even vet it for you.  Then, just like Tivo, you can come back at any time and enjoy it on your own schedule.  BUT....big news flash!!!!!  We annoying artists and writers don't work on a schedule, really.

We write stuff when it comes to us, post it and move on.  Clearing our palettes for the next thought.  We are NOT administrators.  We are not we traffic managers.  Managing your dosage is your responsibility. I ain't gonna start spreadsheeting my writing on some punch clock schedule just so you can use the web in "live mode" only.....

So, in a nutshell,  I will write as long a post as I'd like and as many posts as I like AND I will post them all willy-nilly and leave it up to my peeps to learn how much they can drink in at one sitting.  But I'm not dumbing it down any further than it is right now because I don't want to lose the kind of readers I'm happy with in the pursuit of gaining a class of readers I am less happy with. (And the second group is certainly more numerous....)  Some people shop at Walmart and I'm okay with that but I like a different experience and I'm even more Okay with that.  (Too bad I can't "smarten it up" but this is all I've got.  Just like power to the warp drive engines on Star Trek.  I can hear all the Scotty's in the brain engine room yelling into the intercom:  "We're giving her all we've got, captain!")

I'm certainly not angry or upset that my photographer friend offered me his opinion but I'm sure pissed at myself for agreeing to hear it in the first place. Everyone who comes to photography from the real world of business is hobbled because they see photography through the constructs and vicious metrics of profitability.  Photographers who came to the business because of their love for art and expression may be hobbled when it comes to making the maximum financial profit from each effort but at least when we are at work we're not looking at our subjects through layers of spreadsheets.  We run unfettered.  (maybe there's a class on creativity stuck in there somewhere....we expunge the math brain, the profit brain and the judgement brain and send people out to shoot things that are pleasing to themselves...).

You may have noticed a scant number of ads on the site.  As the VSL becomes more "popular" we've been getting approached by more and more companies which would like to advertise on our site.  And it's tempting but there's a trade off for everything.  And I know I would not be above the subtle, subconscious manipulation of a vendor's gracious largess.  And then you'd have to "read between the lines" (which would double the length of the articles).  When people write novels they don't sell ad space between the pages.  I know I'm not writing a novel here but every time I sit down to write something I like to start with a clean "piece of paper."  I think I'll keep pitching my books here, toss in an Amazon link for a product I've bought myself and leave it at that.  Then, at least my motives will be above reproach even when my grammar and spelling is not.

Finally,  everyone over thirty who thinks they know dick about how things "really" work on the web is full of crap.  Marketing on the web is a constantly moving target and all the metrics in the world will only tell you what worked yesterday, not what's going to work tomorrow.  Every site is different.  Every demo absorbs the web in a different way.  We use a proven method at VSL.  It's called, "Throw it at the wall and see if it sticks."  Our only metric is:  "Did Kirk want to write this?"

The above photo was taken in a studio, under a .25 Watt light bulb with the V1 at 1600 or 3200 ISO. 

(Can he write, "dick" on the web????)

How good is the VR (or IS) on the Nikon V1?

This image was taken, handheld, at 0.5 seconds (one half second).  Not bad for a coffee addict.

This image was taken at one quarter second. (0.25).  The exposure is a bit better and the detail is not bad.  All in all a good performance.  IS at these speeds is hit and miss.

I'm always amazed at how entrenched people can get in a position without even a thimble of experience...

Having too much fun at Zachary Scott Theatre.  I think this was for HairSpray. I used a camera.

I came back into town last night from an assignment and I reflexively checked the "referrer" stats for the VSL blog.  I am always a bit worried and amused when a big clump of referrals come from one address on DP Review.  I clicked on the link and found a discussion in the Nikon V1 forum entitled, "Kirk Tuck reports that the V1 has a one stop advantage over........"  Following the original poster's synopsis of my long ramble about using six different cameras on one assignment, are nearly 100 responses that range to how it is theoretically impossible for the V1 to be:  "good, sharp, have low noise, operate at 72 degrees, flush, focus, or make legible images because of the constraints of its microscopic sensor."  And all these pronouncements are delivered as unassailable fact.

How am I involved?  Only as a convenient target for the religious sect that believes only "full frame" cameras are the chosen tools of professionals and that any person who likes any camera that is not full frame (or bigger) is, A.  NOT a professional.  B.  Obviously needs glasses in order to see how "smeared" the detail is.  And, C.  Must be on Nikon's payola roll.  (I laughed so hard at that one that coffee almost came out of my nose.....).  Doesn't  matter that I can't seem to beat Nikon out of flash even for FULL PRICE.

But here's the deal.  We're hearing only the rants of people who've never touched or used the camera in question.  And that's usually the case.  Across product categories.  Do you remember all the "IT" and industry experts who predicted, very earnestly, that the iPad would never become a viable consumer product?  They were legion.  And every one of them had some sort of argument (based on the ancient days of desktop preeminence) outlining why consumers would never embrace a pad that didn't run Adobe Flash or play nice with Microsoft office.  I think the joke is on them.  I imagine them mournfully choking down mouthfuls of bitter delivery pizza and chalices full of Mountain Dew as they turn their attention toward another product category and pronounce it DOA.  Maybe the Kindle Fire will be next....

All the targets we thought were so precious in the nascent days of digital imaging seem to be largely discounted these days.  We don't really need five pound cameras.  We don't need hyper complex menus.  In fact, we don't need hyper complex anything.  The truth of the matter is that the professional market as we knew it is almost completely gone and it's been replaced by a new way of shooting and doing business and the only people who haven't gotten the memo are the experts.

A camera, or a camera system, is only a method to communicate with.  In most instances the message is much more important than the delivery system.  Especially when we remember who our target markets are.  Most people are not "old school" photographers or photography buffs and they haven't developed a taste for many of the techniques that old fart holdovers seem to think crucial.  For example, a beautiful expression trumps massive resolution.  The right moment trumps high color accuracy.  The right angle "bitch slaps" bit depth.  And more and more the camera that provides the user with the most fluency and fluidity is the system that returns the best dividends.  The fewer controls the faster the operation.  The faster the operation the more opportunity.

No matter how far we've come with photography it's hard for me to escape using the car analogy to describe market changes.  In the U.S. thirty/forty years ago we worshipped big V-8 engines.  Now the nod goes to reliability and economic good sense.  Ten years ago people bought Hummers.  Now the Hummer really only exists as a cruel joke that exemplifies the extremes of bad taste (unless you are in a desert and being shot at.....).  Four cylinder cars are the norm.  Sixes suffice for big human cattle movers like Ford Explorers and the like.  V8's are specialty engines for people who like to go faster than everyone else or people who need to tow boats or trailers.

As we share more and more on the web we'll see the metrics of a previous generation of photographic experts wilt away and die.  And we'll see an explosion of creativity unleashed by small, powerful new tools that are right sized.  The medium is the message and the message seems to be that small is just right.  Anecdotally, I'm seeing everyone embrace their favorite, new small camera.  Some love the Olympus Pen cameras (and I hope the company fixes itself so we can continue to enjoy their groundbreaking design and feature engineering) while others love the Sony Nex cameras.  I'm loving the Nikon V1 but I'm also anxious to get my hands on a new camera with an even smaller sensor, the Fuji X-10.  They are all good enough for the way I like to shoot.  Fun.  Especially when the performance of all the cameras in a niche exceed my needs.  That means I can buy and shoot the one I think has the coolest feature set for me.  And, if I weave the files through the selections I give to my clients and they like them.......have we mutually redefined what it is to be a "professional" photographer?

I think we have.  We just forgot to tell everyone who still thinks that the only way to make a good picture is to measure all the parameters of a camera first, then applied an outdated understanding of physics and, finally, grace it with cultish miracle lenses.  Pah.

The same people are so quick to decry "in camera black magic software noise reduction" but if they've ever seen a real raw file they'd be amazed at the incredible amount of manipulation that is applied to linear raw files even before we begin our "conversions" in Lightroom or Bridge or Capture.  The little Nikon V1 is not the best camera in the world.  Nor is the little Fuji or the Olympus cameras.  But they are fun, get most of every job done and they do so with far less intrusion than the bigger, previous generations.  We need big cameras for highly focused work that must be perfect.  But we also need fun cameras.  Art cameras.  Pleasure cameras.  Cruiser cameras.  And purse cameras.  I like them all.  I like some better than others.  But not enough better to start wars about them.

The next wave is cameras like the Fuji, small Nikon, Olympus and Panasonic.  The next wave is LED lighting.  The next trend is actually going out and shooting the cameras because you have something to say.

Errata and fun news:  I talked to the Fuji rep today and he flat out stated that the company is re-emerging into the photo market with interchangeable lens cameras and a collection of lenses.  He suggested that the cameras would be real game changers.  Seem like Austin is a particular hot spot of the sale of X-100's and the early orders for X-10's are enormous.  Kinda confirms what I've been seeing in the hands of friends lately.  It's great when known innovators step back into the game after an absence.  I have very fond memories of my Fuji S2's and S5's.  Really great cameras for portraits.....

Delkin was showing off a laptop holder that fits onto any tripod and provides a firm base for your computer.  For $85 I thought it was a good design.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.  It's fun to be alive and well.  I'll be back at the Photo Expo for two more classes tomorrow.  I hope a lot of fun people show up and mix it up.  We're all about the LED lights.  At least until 5pm tomorrow....

I'm always amazed at how entrenched people can get in a position without even a thimble of experience...

I came back into town last night from an assignment and I reflexively checked the referrer stats for the VSL.  I am always a bit worried and amused when a big clump of referrals come from one address on DP Review.  I clicked on the link and found a discussion in the Nikon V1 forum entitled, "Kirk Tuck reports that the V1 has a one stop advantage over........"  Following the original poster's synopsis of my long ramble about using six different cameras on one assignment, are nearly 100 responses that range to how it is theoretically impossible for the V1 to be:  "good, sharp, have low noise, operate at 72 degrees, flush, focus, or make legible images because of the constraints of its microscopic sensor."  And all these pronouncements are delivered as unassailable fact.

How am I involved?  Only as a convenient target for the religious sect that believes only "full frame" cameras are the chosen tools of professionals and any person who likes any camera that is not full frame (or bigger) is, A.  NOT a professional.  B.  Obviously needs glassed in order to see "smeared" detail.  And, C.  Must be on Nikon's payola roll.  (I laughed so hard at that one that coffee almost came out of my nose.....).  Doesn't  matter that I can't seem to beat Nikon out of flash even for FULL PRICE.

But here's the deal.  We're hearing only the rants of people who've never touched or used the camera in question.  And that's usually the case.  Across product categories.  Do you remember all the "IT" and industry experts who predicted, very earnestly, that the iPad would never become a viable consumer product?  They were legion.  And every one of them has some sort of argument (based on the ancient days of desktop prominence) outlining why consumers would never embrace a pad that didn't run flash or play with Microsoft office.  I think the jokes on them.  I imagine them mournfully choking down mouthfuls of bitter pizza and Mountain Dew as they turn their attention toward another product category and pronounce it DOA.  Maybe the Kindle Fire will be next....

All the targets we thought were so precious in the nascent days of digital imaging seem to be largely discounted these days.  We don't really need five pound cameras.  We don't need hyper complex menus.  In fact, we don't need hyper complex anything.  The truth of the matter is that the professional market as we knew it is almost completely gone and it's been replaced by a new way of shooting and doing business and the only people who haven't gotten the memo are the experts.

A camera, or a camera system, is only a method to communicate with.  In most instances the message is much more important than the delivery system.  Especially when we remember who our target markets are.  Most people are not "old school" photographers or photography buffs and they haven't developed a taste for many of the techniques that old fart holdovers seem to think crucial.  For example, a beautiful expression trumps massive resolution.  The right moment trumps high accuracy.  The right angle bitch slaps bit depth.  And more and more the camera that provides the user with the most fluency and fluidity is the system that returns the best dividends.

No matter how far we've come with photography it's hard for me to escape using the car analogy to describe market changes.  In the U.S. thirty years ago we worshipped big V-8 engines.  Now the nod goes to reliability and economic good sense.  Ten years ago people bought Hummers.  Now the Hummer really only exists as a cruel joke that exemplifies the extremes of bad taste (unless you are in a desert and being shot at.....).  Four cylinder cars are the norm.  Sixes suffice for big human cattle movers like Ford Explorers and the like.  V8's are specialty engines for people who like to go faster than everyone else or people who need to tow boats or trailers.

As we share more and more on the web we'll see the metrics of a previous generation of photographic experts wilt away and die.  And we'll see an explosion of creativity unleashed by small, powerful new tools that are right sized.  The medium is the message and the message seems to be that small is just right.  Anecdotally, I'm seeing everyone embrace their favorite, new small camera.  Some love the Olympus Pen cameras (and I hope the company fixes itself so we can continue to enjoy their groundbreaking design and feature engineering) while others love the Sony Nex cameras.  I'm loving the Nikon V1 but I'm also anxious to get my hands on a new camera with an even smaller sensor, the Fuji X-10.  They are all good enough for the way I like to shoot.  Fun.  Especially when the performance of all the cameras in a niche exceed my needs.  That means I can buy and shoot the one I think has the coolest feature set for me.  And, if I weave the files through the selections I give to my clients and they like them.......have we mutually redefined what it is to be a "professional" photographer?

I think we have.  We just forgot to tell everyone who still thinks that the only way to make a good picture is to measure all the parameters of a camera first, then applied an outdated understanding of physics and, finally, grace it with cultish miracle lenses.  Pah.

Errata and fun news:  I talked to the Fuji rep today and he flat out stated that the company is re-emerging into the photo market with interchangeable lens cameras and a collection of lenses.  He suggested that the cameras would be real game changers.  Seem like Austin is a particular hot spot of the sale of X-100's and the early orders for X-10's are enormous.  Kinda confirms what I've been seeing in the hands of friends lately.  It's great when known innovators step back into the game after an absence.  I have very fond memories of my Fuji S2's and S5's.  Really great cameras for portraits.....

Delkin was showing off a laptop holder that fits onto any tripod and provides a firm base for your computer.  For $85 I thought it was a good design.

Nothing says, "You've made it!" better than a hair net.

deep in the secret basement of the Visual Science Lab world headquarters we're experimenting with some new gear that will replace conventional cameras.  If we are successful all you will have to do is strap in,  think of an image and the cyber-snap 2011 can create it, add beautiful pole dancers in stripper heels to the image, dip it in red hot HDR sauce and then incorporate cat whiskers for SE (sharpness evaluation), shove in some gratuitous backlighting and a gel or two and for only $96,000 you too can sport a masterpiece.  Without ever touching a camera or going outside.

But seriously,  I have a confession to make.  I'm supposed to do an hour long presentation at 10:00 am tomorrow morning at the Austin Photo Expo and I'm totally unprepared.  If you ever wanted to see "major fail" tomorrow might be your chance.  

Usually I'm the guy my friends and clients look to when then need stuff that's meticulously planned, double-checked and fault tolerant.  I make back-ups of everything and I have back up gear for every potential pitfall.  But not this time.  You see, I've been doing the real work of photography instead.  I won't bore you with the details but I went from a hoity-toity (but long and richly nuanced) conference assignment on Sunday-Monday-Tues to a recording studio gig and tons of post production on Weds. to a 4:15am wake up call and drive to San Antonio on Thurs. a.m.  And I've been there ever since.  

The photo of me, above, is from today's shoot.  I'm standing in front of a DaVinci robotic micro surgery machine and I'm wearing a tyvek lab coat and hairnet because I've just come from shooting a procedure in a nearby operating room.  I've documented "preemies" and helicopter rescues and giant machines that stare into your guts (or your brain) and I'm about 1,000 big fat raw files into this project.  

It's stacking up like jets over O'Hare in a blizzard.  Everyone needs their stuff yesterday.  And here I am, at 10:47pm on Friday night, downloading files and applying metadata and captions and wondering what the hell I'm going to say in fewer than 12 hours to a couple hundred people about LED lighting.

Bright spot.  My client, Bryan, reminded me that I am going to talk about Lighting Portraits with LED lights.  And he also pointed out that I'd just written the book on the subject and, given how much I talk, he'd be pretty surprised if I couldn't fill up an hour.  And I'm sure he didn't mean that in a snarky way......

But I have an ace up my sleeve.  Super assistant, Amy, will be there to help.  It should be a wild two days. We have two master classes a day to teach this weekend.  I can hardly wait to tell you what happens.  

Just wanted to check in and tell you that I haven't gone AWOL.  Just doing my other job as fast as I can.

If you are in Austin, check out the expo.  Fun stuff for us photo nerds. (comment about idiots who review cameras by long distance removed)  See you there...

So, why do I keep a Canon EOS 5Dmk2 around if I think the Nikon V1 is so hot?

Mostly because it can do this at 6400 ISO with an 85mm Zeiss 1.4 lens, wide open.  That's why.

Oh, and it can do this too.  Under the nastiest, lowest mixed florescent and tungsten household lighting you can imagine.  I can't quite do this with a V1 and though I don't do this kind of stuff that often I do like to be able to pull it off when I have too......

Rosie and the Ramblers were in the studio today, cutting a new album.  Rosie asked me to drop by and take some images for their website and promo.  She likes "real life."  So I came equipped with some fast glass and a Canon 5D2 as well as a Nikon V1.  I looked at the difference between the Nikon at 3200 and the Canon at 6400 and I put the Nikon away and shot "digital old school."

I'll keep the old stuff around for a while longer.  Is it just me or does that Zeiss 85 look good to you too?

I'm in San Antonio for the next two days shooting a hospital.  I'll be back in Austin Friday night getting ready to do my 10:15 am demo at the Austin Photo Expo Saturday morning.  I'll be the guy trying to juggle two cups of coffee.....

What a fascinating three days! High level conference imaging.

Frame of frames from the Nikon V1 at ISO 800.  In the glow of the stage lights....

I often allude to the idea that, if not for being a photographer I would never have seen so much of corporate America from the inside out and I would never have travelled as extensively as I have.  And I will say that I have been "inside the gate" at some very, very interesting meetings and events.  I've watched half drunk CEO's throw temper tantrums in Paris and I've been a "fly on the wall" for private meetings of former presidents and billionaires.  In almost every instance of "brushes with greatness" I've been dressed in a suit and tie, shoes shined and fingernails cleaned.  You gain proximity by appearing to belong.

I can't really write about the substance of the conference I've been photographing for the last three days as it was by invitation only and only one media person was allowed to attend.....and then only for a few hours.  But I will say that the conference was both interesting and, in certain regards, scary.  It dealt with issues of world finance and business.  I can say I wore a different suit each day.  And my shoes were shined.....

But what I can and will talk about are the cameras I used over the last 72 hours.  And why I'm amazed at one of my newest acquisitions.  I'm just going to fill in the rough plot here but I'll write a more comprehensive report once I get my client's "okay" to release some of the conference images so you can get a taste of the differences I saw.  Also,  I am photographing an audio session in a recording studio tomorrow so I'll supplement this piece with some photos from that project as soon as I get them processed.

On sunday I shot standard "grip and grin" images at a reception and dinner for 150 people at the conference center.  I used a Canon 1D mk2N with the 24-105mm zoom, in conjunction with a Canon 580ex2 firing into a Rogue flexible bounce modifier. (Which I highly recommend).  Even though I was using eTTL I was careful to use the camera in spot meter mode, lock in the focus and use FEL religiously.  I got a near 98% success rate from the combo.  The finder of the big Canon, along with a split screen makes the camera fun to shoot.

On monday I used the Canon 1ds2, and the Canon 1dmk2, the Canon 5Dmk2 and the Nikon V1.  The 1Ds2 got bagged after twenty frames.  The screen on the back isn't wonderful and you can only shoot raw in the full size format.  I didn't need files that big.  It's also clunkier to use with shoe mount flash.  It doesn't seem as responsive as its stablemate, the 1D mk2N.  Definitely a camera I like using tethered.

For most of the day monday I haunted a table near the main stage and shot images of speakers, presenters and panels, on the stage.  I ended up shooting the 70-200mm on the 1D mk2 and the 24-105 on the Canon 5D2.  I brought the three Zeiss primes but I only flirted with the 85mm.  The light was too low and the people too kinetic to make the 85mm much fun.  It was also too short.  I liked the longer zoom for individual shots and the other zoom for wide stage shots.  So, into the bag for storage went the three Zeiss primes, along with the Canon 1DS mk2.  

After I got into the rythme of the event and realized that each session would last anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half I started pulling out the little Nikon and putting it through its paces.  I had to shoot at ISO 800 or 1600 to get a fast enough shutter speed under the rather anemic stage lights.  (In defense of the guys in production, the room has low ceilings which means lighting truss is lower and that puts lights closer to presenter's eye lines.  That means you need to dial down the lumens to keep people on the stage from squinting...)

By the end of a nine hour shooting day I'd logged about 1300 images on the little Nikon.  Here's what I found out:  You can use the electronic shutter on this camera and it is SILENT.  Not just quiet.  Absolutely silent.  Needle drop silent.  Makes an old Leica rangefinder sound like a hammer on corrugated iron by comparison.

The camera will focus on anything in good light and hold onto it like a pitbull who's got ahold of a brisket.  Even though I am a card carrying luddite I found myself playing with modes like: Scene select and focus follow.  I even had good luck combining face recognition with focus follow.  It was amazing.  

The EVF equals or betters the VF2 on the Olympus (more about the slap down in just a few paragraphs).  Of course, I could change all the menu items in the EVF so I never had to take the camera away from my eye.  I'd done a few tests the week before to see how the EVF and the back LCD match up to my monitor in  the office and those tests gave me the courage to depend on the viewfinder for color and exposure.

The V1 focuses faster than my Canon 5Dmk2 but not as fast as my 1D.

The meter in the V1 is pretty amazing as well.  I left it in evaluative but I did my exposures in manual.  I was rarely disagreeing with the meter by more than a third of a stop in one direction or the other. 

I got tired of carrying all the big stuff with me so on Monday evening I reconfigured.  Out went the One series Canons and in came the 5D2 with a 60D as a back up.  (the difference in batteries alone was two pounds.)  I also added the Olympus Pen EP3 with VF2 finder, the kit zoom and my favorite old 60mm 1.5 Pen FT manual focus lens.  Now everything got interesting.  And now everything fit in one bag.

Between the two Canons the operation of the 60D was much smoother and, at ISO 2500 the files were pretty darn close.  I shot everything set to 3200K (WB)  after confirming with the show director that we were using naked tungsten lights on the stage.  The Canons both gave me smooth, detailed and low noise files.  No real contest here.  And no teasing:  Both were two stops better in noise handling that the two little cams.

By the end of the day I was shooting 40% of the shots with the Nikon V1 and probably 40% of the shots with the Olympus Pen EP3.  I ended up keeping both cameras at ISO 800 and tried to be careful to catch people at the peak of their actions to reduce blur.  Most exposures were between 1/80th and 1/160th of a second with the lenses used wide open.  The other 20% of the shots were done with the Canons.

Here's how it breaks down today:  Even though I shot the EP3 in raw and the Nikon in Jpeg (with high ISO filter set to low) the Nikon had at least a full stop advantage in observable noise over the Olympus. And believe me I worked the Noise Ninja as hard as I could....  It also consistently delivered a more pleasing overall color balance.  The image stabilization in the Nikon V1 (kit lens to kit lens comparison) is more tenacious and efficacious than the Olympus version.

I give the Olympus points for several things.  First, superior feel in the hand.  Second, built in flash that works without issues.  Third, the ability to use cool, old MF lenses.  Really cool lenses.  When I say one camera is less noisy than another that's not a condemnation of the noisy camera.  It's just a difference.

Both of the smaller cameras were quick and accurate in their focusing.  The Nikon V1 was more accurate in the metering.  The Olympus feels more luxurious.  The Nikon more utilitarian.  Which would I own? Both.

If you had to choose between them you'd have to get clear on what you want from a camera.  At ISO 400 there's nothing to complain about from either camera, where image quality is concerned.  If you shoot sports the little Nikon is hard to beat.  If you like to drop things out of focus in your portrait backgrounds the EP3 with the 60mm 1.5 is pretty tough to beat.  Or you could just go back and forth.

If Nikon ever starts shipping the little flash I'll do my next interior conference with the V1 system and take the EP3 as the back up.  Everything else can stay home and pal around with gravity.  These little cameras are high enough quality to do the job.  As long as the rider is up to the task.

More will be added  here after I shoot the recording session tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered the LED book.  I think my publisher was shocked that your responses drove the book from obscurity to #3200 on all of Amazon in less than 48 hours.  I was amazed and happy.

Now, let's all get some sleep.