With my latest purchase of an R3 and 70-200mm f/2.8. I am in some ways right back where I left off with canon 8 years ago. But I am SO grateful for the journey and I wouldn't have done it any differently!

As you know, I switched from canon to Olympus back in 2017. At the time, my canon gear was

1DX

5D Mark II

300mm f/2.8

16-35mm f/2.8

70-200mm f/2.8

50mm (I don't even remember the f stop)

I had an opportunity to buy Olympus gear at a steep discount and purchased a system as my "hobby" camera. When they came out with the EM-1 and 300mm f/4, it became a viable system for my professional work as a sports photographer too. Olympus was pushing the boundaries with what mirrorless cameras could do. I was thrilled about the size, weight, and weather sealing. I was also enticed by the crop factor, making longer effective focal ranges within reach because a 400mm f/2.8 was completely out of reach.

I was an early adopter of mirrorless and one of few working professionals using the system. This led to me being included in the Olympus Ambassador program which took me across the country speaking at camera stores and conferences as well as helping launch the OM-D E-M1X. Through that partnership I was able to get great discounts on gear, connect with a broader range of photographers.

Then sony and canon started catching up and my workflow shifted. While I was still covering a number of sports action, portrait work and media days started becoming a larger part of my work. The content needed from media days became so broad that most portraits were taken full body, even if what got used on a billboard was going to be just their face. On client request, I needed more megapixels for them to be able to crop in.

Olympus also sold off their imaging division and got rebranded as OMDS with a greater focus on adventure photographers and the "Visionary" program I was a part of shut down in favor of an ambassador program that leaned more heavily on social media presence. No longer being sponsored, I quietly started using the R5 with the 24-105mm f/4 for my portrait work.

I started waffling on whether I would switch the canon or sony. I had loans for both systems multiple times. (Thanks to the reps at both for being so generous with loaning me gear to try!) Both systems are SO good. (Nikon is good too, I'm just entirely unfamiliar with it, and it's not pushing boundaries enough to pique my interest for switching)

When I started working for Getty and AP, for better or worse, I was remote edited most games and it required the ability to upload direct from camera. Even though OM-1 transfer speed and wifi send to phone is fast and reliable, there is no option for FTP from camera or a wifi option that allows you to continue photographing while sending (something I had been asking Olympus for from the very first day when they were asking for feedback in designing E-M1X though understandably didn't include. Who needs an ethernet line while chasing bears?)

When a decision needed to be made, I went with canon. With so many nuanced reasons, colors, my own familiarity, the reliability. Truth be told, it was a proud sony photographer who convinced me to go with canon.

Now my gear is

R3 (yep, I'm still one "step" behind the latest and greatest R1)

R5 Mark II (except I now have two of them)

100-300mm f/2.8 what an incredible range!

70-200mm f/2.8

24-105mm f/4 portrait lens perfection!

24-105mm f/2.8 my hero lens for football

So in many ways, I'm right where I left off. But I got to go all in with R bodies and RF lenses, I didn't go through the transition period with EF/RF adapters. I also had such an incredible experience with Olympus and met so many wonderful people with opportunities I would have never experienced if I had stayed with canon the whole time. I also made pictures that I could not have made with the canon system, both professionally and personally.

I still have Olympus gear. I'm still actually adding Olympus gear as I loved using the OM-3 in the British Virgin Islands, France and Ireland. But my portrait work and sports action work from here on out, is back to canon.