An experiment with a Heron ....

[RedRobin]

Shot at 1/30s to explore how handheld at 840mm (full-frame equivalent) would perform. Also in my efforts to learn this new (to me) m4/3 Olympus M1X, I shot the whole day at ISO 1000 - I am wanting to discover its ISO noise thresholds so I can select fast shutter speeds as most wildlife does not stand still and also see how smaller aperture settings effect depth-of-field. This image is totally uncropped.

I wonder what other camera would offer this image quality when handheld at 840mm and 1/30s.

Of course the experiment is helped by the fact that Herons can stand perfectly still. The white foam is the result of when leaves, twigs or other organic substances fall into water and begin decaying and consequently release compounds known as surfacants. This interaction breaks the surface tension, which in turn allows air to more easily mix with water and creates bubbles. This location is close downstream to a weir. These bubbles congregate as natural foam - It is not pollution.

AN EXPERIMENT WITH A HERON by Robin Procter, on Flickr

 

[doggel]

Nice catch (and well merited tribute to Olympus glass, image stabilisation, and overall standards).

 

[Jelster]

A few people are now playing with MFT gear for wildlife. It certainly is cheaper & lighter than traditional kit and gives you that reach. Saying that, 830mm handheld @ 1/30 is pretty good... I'm considering adding an X-H1 to my fuji gear for the IBIS....

 

[pooley]

Good skills Robin, pin sharp and no noise that I can see

Mike

 

[RedRobin]

Good skills Robin, pin sharp and no noise that I can see

Mike

.... Thanks Mike.

Subject to the level of noise, if my images display noise to the naked eye (without a pixel peeping magnifying glass!) I run them through Topaz DeNoise AI if I am keeping them.

The m4/3 Olympus M1X has more limited noise performance than my full-frame Canon 1DX-2 as to be expected. But it's not a problem and the advantages of the more compact M1X suit my needs better. My 1DX-2 will soon be for sale.

 

[F1.2]

I have found with Herons because they stand very still they think you can't see them , I'm not here NO i'm not

 

[JohnC6]

You’ve gone a great job there. I’d expect some softness,at least, with 1/30 sec but it’s sharp.

 

[RedRobin]

You’ve gone a great job there. I’d expect some softness,at least, with 1/30 sec but it’s sharp.

.... Thanks John. I think the sharpness is helped by the Olympus M1X having both lens IS (ED PRO lens) and IBIS which totals up to 7 stops in this combo. I'm not sure that any other camera currently equals that performance.

Another factor is that Topaz DeNoise AI tweeks sharpness in compensation as part of its noise reduction process because n/r invariably can smooth out micro contrast and therefore sharpness.

All that matters to me is that my final image edits meet a standard I am happy with - I don't care how I achieve it, it's all part of an image's journey through my workflow.

 

[JohnC6]

.... Thanks John. I think the sharpness is helped by the Olympus M1X having both lens IS (ED PRO lens) and IBIS which totals up to 7 stops in this combo. I'm not sure that any other camera currently equals that performance.

Another factor is that Topaz DeNoise AI tweeks sharpness in compensation as part of its noise reduction process because n/r invariably can smooth out sharpness.

All that matters to me is that my final image edits meet a standard I am happy with - I don't care how I achieve it, it's all part of an image's journey through my workflow.

The mirrorless are becoming popular and yours has a great write-up, I see, as the quality of this photo shows.

 

[Dangermouse]

Great shot for an experiment, I have started to follow you as I have just switched to M4/3 EM-1 MKII with grip, 100-400 Panasonic Leica and quite a few more lenses and primes, hopefully it will arrive today so I can start the new learning process, from Nikon DSLR to Fuji X-T3 which I never really liked, nothing wrong I just didn't feel comfortable with it, and now onto the Olympus,.

Thanks for putting the settings up, makes it easier to emulate what you have done, but also to add a different twist to see what we can produce, thanks.

 

[RedRobin]

Great shot for an experiment, I have started to follow you as I have just switched to M4/3 EM-1 MKII with grip, 100-400 Panasonic Leica and quite a few more lenses and primes, hopefully it will arrive today so I can start the new learning process, from Nikon DSLR to Fuji X-T3 which I never really liked, nothing wrong I just didn't feel comfortable with it, and now onto the Olympus,.

Thanks for putting the settings up, makes it easier to emulate what you have done, but also to add a different twist to see what we can produce, thanks.

.... I always display the settings on my Flickr pages and sometimes it can be irritating when another photographer doesn't - What's the big deal about keeping them secret?

Showing the settings can be useful for me too when I want to quickly check without going back to my RAW image editor. The settings never guarantee the result but are more of a guide to what is potentially possible and also can show things such as that in the exact science of hindsight I could have selected a lower shutter speed to help the ISO or that Auto ISO wasn't my best choice for that individual image. It's all part of learning both from ourselves and each other.

It's a personal thing but one of the main reasons I changed from my Canon 1DX-2 (which is very comfortable even if heavier) is that the M1X is just like a smaller size 1DX-2 but with improved buttons and ergonomics. I would not have changed to a M1 without a grip. Any tool you use needs to feel comfortable - My Japanese Niwaki spade is in a different league from a standard spade and so are all my Niwaki tools including kitchen scissors!

I am very new to m4/3 and to Olympus (just under 1 month) and so I expect to be learning for some time! We never stop learning anyway.