CSC or Micro4/3rds for Action shots?

Jimwah

Jimwah

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So my basic question is: Are there any recommendations out there for a CSC /M43 system that is going to offer me decent continuous AF + burst performance? Or should I just give up and concede that I'm destined to carry a 7D around for 'dog in motion' pictures?

To fill that question out a bit, I shoot on a 5D or EOS-M, neither of which is much use for action shots, although I've previously owned and shot on 1Dmk2 and 7D. Could I realistically (& consistently) get a shot like this below, out of a GH4, or EM-1 for example? Last time I used m43 was my lovely old Panasonic G1, great little camera at the time, but was eventually sold because it couldn't keep up trying to track dogs in motion. Any input and real world examples/experience is appreciated, thanks!


Part spaniel, part bog snorkeler... by Jim Roberts, on Flickr
 
Caveat: I've never shot running dogs but a few similar type situations...

With the EM1, firmware v3, pro lenses and 9fps I find that for stuff like this the keeper rate is just high enough to make it worthwhile (lenses are important too as some work better than others for a couple of reasons). Typically the first or second shot is good (depending on when you hit the shutter) and then maybe shot 6 or 7 is good too (when the focus has caught up) with the ones in between of varying success, for me this is good enough.

It does also require a bit more effort than a "point at anything and shoot" DLSR, if there isn't much contrast against the background (grey plane against an overcast sky) it will hunt and the lens can stall at close focus which is annoying, pre-focusing on something a similar distance away helps.

A lot depends on the subject, subject distance, focal length etc etc. I would imagine that for a dog running straight at you it would be fine but a crazy spaniel darting around the undergrowth would be less successful.
 
Not sure if it is off interest to you, the Nikon 1 series are very quick at getting shots in focus but the sensor is smaller still. The camera and lens combined are very small and light but you do sacrifice a bit of IQ, which is only really an issue if you want to print large.
 
I used one to shoot the motorcycle aero display team at a local show and got in focus images of motorcycles flying through the air. Certainly better than the E10 for getting it right.
 
Yeah, Nikon 1 system has great AF too (larger DoF from the smaller sensor helps).

People deride the system but you only have to look at the image thread to see how good it can be, I loved mine before it broke as it just produces nice images with no fuss.
 
AFAIK the Sony a6000 has one of the best AF systems, including C-AF
 
Nawty said:
People deride the system but you only have to look at the image thread to see how good it can be,
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Some people deride anything that is different from what they have. You would have thought photographers would have a good imagination. But some can't imagine beyond the end of their prejudices.
 
Thanks all for the info, Oly EM1 weather sealing and lens selection still has me torn; might see if I can trial one before I commit as I'll know within 2 mins of outdoor shooting if I can get on with it or not!
 
I think you will struggle. I used to have a springer spaniel and the only think I found to work was a D300 with a 70-300 image stabilised. I remember trying to use a GH2 and it really struggled.

For what it is worth I found the af on an Olympus to be worse than a Panasonic. The colours were good though [emoji3]
 
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Bond6 said:
I think you will struggle. I used to have a springer spaniel and the only think I found to work was a D300 with a 70-300 image stabilised. I remember trying to use a GH2 and it really struggled.
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The AF on recent Panasonics (GH4/G7/GX8) is a lot better than it was on the GH2, especially for moving targets.
 
RichardTaylor said:
I tried my Olympus E-M5Mark II, with the 40-150 f2.8 npro lens, at the motor races and whilst it was OK for the relatively static shots it was almost a 100% failure rate when shooting cars that were racing. My Canon 70D ran rings around the Olympus camera.
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I think the Panasonics are better, in that case. This gallery was shot with a G7. The Panasonic 100-300mm didn't have a very good hit rate, but with the 35-100mm f/2.8 I thought the G7 was better than the Canon 40D and 'L' lenses I used to own. Having said that, I imagine the dogs would be a tougher challenge so I don't know how well the kit would perform.
 
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Thanks all, I'll have to go full circle back to a 7D for the winter, as an EM1 with the 40-150 (which looks like a cracking lens) is a substantial outlay and sounds less than ideal.

I have a canon 70-200 f4 which I could use for now, trade up to the IS version for weather sealing later perhaps, get a 7D, and still come in cheaper than an EM1 or 5 with the 40-150; and it's a combo I know would work ok for me.
 
Can't say I would recommend the Fuji Xt1 for focus tracking - it's the reason i got rid of it, I wasn't good at it at all. I think mirrorless in general is still weak in this area, a dslr is the safest bet for tracking.
 
Just to update this I went completely off the rails, and got a Nikon D7100!

7D was looking too old and lacks features, and I couldn't justify a 7D mk2. Got a brand new D7100 with 3yr warranty for £460, so far I'm really impressed with it.
 
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