I am heading down to the burn for the first time this year, Wee-hee!!!!
Is anyone else going? I'd love to hook up with some fellow FMers down there.

I have been contemplating my kit for a while now, and decided, in a radical move, to get rid of my D700 kit and G10 and go for the in-between E-P1 and some M glass. This is a photo kit much better suited to my style of photography and I am very interested to see how well it will work!

peace, george

I would love to try the EP1 and good glass -- I think it would restore a lot of what I love about photography but have missed out on with digital equipment.

That said, I'd be cautious about giving up a D700 for this trip -- from what I've seen of Burning Man, I'd want to shoot in low light (dusk, night) with wide lenses, which are the D700's strengths.

In any case -- have a great trip! It's a lot of fun going on a trip like this with new/different equipment -- it can open up new opportunities and ways of seeing.

Never been there, but the accounts I've read say there is lots and lots and lots of dust. And even more dust on top of that.

runamuck wrote:
Never been there, but the accounts I've read say there is lots and lots and lots of dust. And even more dust on top of that.

Amen to that. I think that dust will be your biggest problem there, no matter what equipment you bring.

If you're worrying about your camera(s) and the dust, you're likely to miss the point.

All my friends that have shot Burning Man have come back with the same advice, multiple bodies. He ran 3 bodies because he said you just can't switch lenses in alot of the places because of the amount of dust. I'd say multiple bodies and UV protectors are a must!

Agreed. I did quite a bit of research and the dust is an issue indeed. Take a look at the pic
The D700 did not work for me for mainly two reasons:
1. The body would get so much fine dust that it would be near impossible to clean it 100% afterwards. This would seriously lower the body's re-sale value.
2. It's too big, and stupidly heavy (that is part of why I sold it): it borders my 1Ds weight, but the CANON is better balanced as it is distributed on a larger body. I am going to the burn to participate, not attend; not the right kit.

The high ISO of the E-P1 is pretty decent from what I have seen in samples and the size /weight perfect.
Plus, I allmost exclusively shoot 35mm-45mm FL, so I intend to keep the 17mm lens on it exclusively. However, there will be times for a short tele, and for that, my CANON FL 58 1.2 will do great!

Finally, I will be sealing the E-P1 i a dust-proof concoction I am creating that worked really well both for the G10 and the LX3.

And, I am bringing my waterproof Olympus for those dust storms.

MountainTop wrote:
If you're worrying about your camera(s) and the dust, you're likely to miss the point.

+1. I want a carry-all-the-time-everywhere body/lens that does not get in the way. This is a participation event, and I am sure people will be much more at ease with someone holding a silver E-P1 than a big, black D700; I mean a big WHITE D700 after the first day in the dust

Sounds like a plan. Please do report back about your experience with the EP1.