Shallow DOF is great for isolating runners, football players, politicians on parade, other monkeys and birds. If that were my business, I’d rather not use an Olympus OM-D E-M1 with a 40-150/2.8. A Nikon or Canon pro camera with a 600/f4 is the way to go.
Well, the body alone would cost as much as my Olympus camera plus the lens, and the lens is already to be had for 11,500 Euros/Dollars. It weighs almost 4 kg. Add a camera, a 70-200/2.8, a 24-70/2.8 and a 14-24/2.8 Nikon or the new Canon ultra-wide. Add a bag.
And still, at an effective focal length of 600 mm you can’t catch more light than I could if I bought the upcoming 300/4.0. You will haul around an unwieldy lens, I’ll carry a heavy but surprisingly compact lens. I’ll have to carry it myself though, while you’ll probably have to hire a sherpa 😄
That said, will I buy the 300/4.0? Likely not, I guess, but I may have thought that of the 40-150/2.8 as well. Who knows?
Trying to be more an artist than a pro, I don’t even always need or want shallow DOF. Here I definitely don’t.
The Song of the Day is again “Don’t Apply Compression Gently” by Courtney Barnett. Hear it on YouTube.