Is it worth moving from Fuji to Olympus just for Macro Photography?

Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester

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Danny
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I recently sold my Fuji body and several lenses in anticipation of upgrading to newer Fuji gear. I like the ergonomics of Fuji and never really considered going to another brand, but now I’m wondering whether to ditch Fuji and move over to Olympus.

I’m more of a casual snapper than a serious photographer. I tend to shoot anything and everything on a whim, but I particularly like photographing flowers and insects. I’d love to be able to do macro photography, but my attempts so far have been pretty awful. Out of several hundred photographs, I haven’t taken one decent macro photo. As much as I’d like to take macro photographs, I know that I’m a beginner and don’t know if I have the skill to do so. I have never attempted focus bracketing or stacking, the whole process seems a bit intimidating to me.

Also, I don’t post-process my photos other than the occasional crop using Snapseed on my iPad.

Recently, I’ve noticed that several YouTubers who specialise in macro photography (Stewart Wood, Micael Widell, Old Man Jacob) have all started using Olympus bodies and lenses for their macro work.

The stated reasons are the MFT crop factor and the in-camera ability to focus bracket and photo stack.

The MFT crop factor is an undeniable advantage for macro, but focus bracketing is not unique to Olympus – the Fuji I was thinking of buying (XT5) also does focus bracketing but not focus stacking.

So apart from crop factor, that leaves in-camera focus stacking as Olympus’ sole advantage for macro.

As far as I can tell, Olympus focus stacking is limited to stacking fifteen shots and the final result is a JPEG. Would having this ability in my camera help turn me into a semi-decent macro photographer rather than an awful one?

Would it help me enough to warrant ditching Fuji for Olympus?

Or would I be better off sticking with the brand I know and like? I could always focus bracket with the Fuji and then focus stack on a PC using dedicated software if I had to, but would having a suitable Olympus body and lens make the whole process so much easier for someone who is effectively a beginner?



Thanks
 
I've tried 'em all. Sony, Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Olympus.

I have to say I'm most happy with Olympus.

The 60mm is a gem and the 90mm (so I've heard) is even better.

The focus stacking is just magic and works really well.

I'd certainly consider going down the Olympus route for macro.

It's enabled me to take shots I'm happy with which were really difficult with other makes.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2oTGDnz]Spider by Terence Rees, on Flickr[/URL]


[url=https://flic.kr/p/2oJCkJL]Lily Beetle by Terence Rees, on Flickr[/URL]


[url=https://flic.kr/p/2oHKtEt]House Leek by Terence Rees, on Flickr[/URL]
 
Thank you.

Those photos are fantastic and being able to take something half as good is what I dream of!

Do you use the in-camera focus stacking facility?
 
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You can do free 48 hour test drives of both Fuji and Olympus, so it is worth trying.

What lens were you using on your Fuji?
 
Craikeybaby said:
You can do free 48 hour test drives of both Fuji and Olympus, so it is worth trying.

What lens were you using on your Fuji?
Click to expand...

I didn't know that. How do I go about arranging a test drive?

I used several lenses on my Fuji (with extension tubes) as well as the 80mm Macro, but that's now gone - it was too heavy for me.

If I stick with Fuji I was thinking of getting the Laowa 60mm Macro.
 
Uncle Fester said:
If I stick with Fuji I was thinking of getting the Laowa 60mm Macro.
Click to expand...
Check out some of @Paul Iddon's work, he uses Laowa lens's albeit on a Canon.
Just one example from this year
www.talkphotography.co.uk

First globby of the year

Found my first globular springtail of 2024 today on the recycling bin. Just a Dicyrtomina saundersi but still nice to find. A good sized one though, perhaps 3mm long. Paul.
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk
 
Uncle Fester said:
Thank you.

Those photos are fantastic and being able to take something half as good is what I dream of!

Do you use the in-camera focus stacking facility?
Click to expand...
Hi Danny & thanks. I've only just started on my macro trip so if I can do it anyone can mate.

Images 1 & 3 were focus stacked in camera.
No 2 was a single image.

All photos were taken with the 60mm macro on my old EM1 MK2 with a Nissin i40 flash & a Pope diffuser.

Tell a lie, image 2 was with straight flash as I hadn't received the diffuser at this point. It took ages to be delivered.

Cheers, Terry.
 
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Uncle Fester said:
I didn't know that. How do I go about arranging a test drive?

I used several lenses on my Fuji (with extension tubes) as well as the 80mm Macro, but that's now gone - it was too heavy for me.

If I stick with Fuji I was thinking of getting the Laowa 60mm Macro.
Click to expand...
https://www.fujifilm-loan.com/ for Fuji, I can't find the Olympus one easily though.
 
I used to have the 60mm macro from olympus and can confirm it is fantastic, small, sharp, fast focus and generally a joy to use. The 90mm is supposed to be better but the 60mm was great. Apparently the 30mm is good as well, and more affordable so long as you don't mind the shorter working distance.

I'd buy the 60mm again.
 
Craikeybaby said:
https://www.fujifilm-loan.com/ for Fuji, I can't find the Olympus one easily though.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much (y)

ThePrettyDamned said:
I used to have the 60mm macro from olympus and can confirm it is fantastic, small, sharp, fast focus and generally a joy to use. The 90mm is supposed to be better but the 60mm was great. Apparently the 30mm is good as well, and more affordable so long as you don't mind the shorter working distance.

I'd buy the 60mm again.
Click to expand...

That's good to know, thank you.
 
I must admit, that if all I was shooting was macro and wildlife, it would be tempting to switch to Olympus.
 
alfbranch said:
View: https://youtu.be/3mF6QI406aU?si=Ov3CnbzD5PbEZAeN
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting that video.

I've seen it before and it was one of the things that prompted me to post this thread.

I'm tempted to buy an Olympus body and the 60mm to see how I get on. I'd rather do this second-hand just in case I don't gel with the camera.

It looks as if the best bang for the buck would be to get an OMD EM1 - Mk 2, is that right?

I see I missed Terry's one in the classifieds by a couple of weeks !
 
Uncle Fester said:
Thanks for posting that video.

I've seen it before and it was one of the things that prompted me to post this thread.

I'm tempted to buy an Olympus body and the 60mm to see how I get on. I'd rather do this second-hand just in case I don't gel with the camera.

It looks as if the best bang for the buck would be to get an OMD EM1 - Mk 2, is that right?

I see I missed Terry's one in the classifieds by a couple of weeks !
Click to expand...

I am looking to move to an E-M1iii.

Though I am happy with the E-M1ii for macro but the AF should be better on the E-M1iii and definitely on the Om1.

I am liking the 90mm f3.5 a lot and it is amazing with the converters
 
alfbranch said:
I am looking to move to an E-M1iii.

Though I am happy with the E-M1ii for macro but the AF should be better on the E-M1iii and definitely on the Om1.

I am liking the 90mm f3.5 a lot and it is amazing with the converters
Click to expand...

I'm sure you're right, but for me, I'm guessing that the E-M1 II is the right place to relatively inexpensively dip my toes into the water.
 
I recently tried the om-1 and an xh2 at the same time. I have had plenty of fuji cameras in the past but it was the first time with an Olympus.

The Olympus was he most enjoyable camera I have used in a very long time, much more than the Canon, Sony and Nikon I have used before and since.

The only reason I didn't go for one was because it wasn't particularly great in low light, but if I was using mainly for macro then it would definitely be top of my list.
 
Thomasb1982 said:
I recently tried the om-1 and an xh2 at the same time. I have had plenty of fuji cameras in the past but it was the first time with an Olympus.

The Olympus was he most enjoyable camera I have used in a very long time, much more than the Canon, Sony and Nikon I have used before and since.

The only reason I didn't go for one was because it wasn't particularly great in low light, but if I was using mainly for macro then it would definitely be top of my list.
Click to expand...
To be honest even in low light I've not found an issue.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pfwN84]Sychryd Waterfall by Terence Rees, on Flickr[/URL]


[url=https://flic.kr/p/2omgrqA]St. Philips' Cathedral, Birmingham by Terence Rees, on Flickr[/URL]


In fact I've not yet found much the Olympus cannot do.
 
Thomasb1982 said:
I recently tried the om-1 and an xh2 at the same time. I have had plenty of fuji cameras in the past but it was the first time with an Olympus.

The Olympus was he most enjoyable camera I have used in a very long time, much more than the Canon, Sony and Nikon I have used before and since.

The only reason I didn't go for one was because it wasn't particularly great in low light, but if I was using mainly for macro then it would definitely be top of my list.
Click to expand...

That’s good to know, thanks.
 
If I've read it right, your main concern seems to be DOF.

I do understand that many people try to get as much DOF as possible with macro, but I don't worry about it.

These are all Fuji XE-3
 

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The om1-mkii has one horrible problem ,if you have greasy / oily skin the rubber grips absorb it and stretch and come loose .the mkiii does not have that problem
 
Thomasb1982 said:
I recently tried the om-1 and an xh2 at the same time. I have had plenty of fuji cameras in the past but it was the first time with an Olympus.

The Olympus was he most enjoyable camera I have used in a very long time, much more than the Canon, Sony and Nikon I have used before and since.

The only reason I didn't go for one was because it wasn't particularly great in low light, but if I was using mainly for macro then it would definitely be top of my list.
Click to expand...
That’s lens dependant not camera . There are some super f 1.4 lenses available these days and cheap in MFT mount to
 
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I managed to see and handle a OMD EM1 - Mk 2 in the flesh today as my local camera shop
had a pre-owned one in stock.

I must confess to being slightly disappointed.

Firstly, it didn’t feel quite right in my hands. It is smaller than I expected, I couldn’t comfortably
press the shutter button whilst holding the body. Maybe I just need longer with it.

The handgrip felt ‘tacky‘ - not sticky as such but almost.

When I asked how I’d change shutter speed or aperture, I was told that these functions had to be
assigned to the front and rear dials. The chap in the shop struggled to assign the functions - probably
not his fault, as he must have loads of different camera menus to deal with - but it all seemed far
removed from the intuitive dials of my old Fuji.

It hasn’t totally put me off, but I’d really like to try one before buying.
 
Uncle Fester said:
I managed to see and handle a OMD EM1 - Mk 2 in the flesh today as my local camera shop
had a pre-owned one in stock.

I must confess to being slightly disappointed.

Firstly, it didn’t feel quite right in my hands. It is smaller than I expected, I couldn’t comfortably
press the shutter button whilst holding the body. Maybe I just need longer with it.

The handgrip felt ‘tacky‘ - not sticky as such but almost.

When I asked how I’d change shutter speed or aperture, I was told that these functions had to be
assigned to the front and rear dials. The chap in the shop struggled to assign the functions - probably
not his fault, as he must have loads of different camera menus to deal with - but it all seemed far
removed from the intuitive dials of my old Fuji.

It hasn’t totally put me off, but I’d really like to try one before buying.
Click to expand...
This is the danger of trying in shop . The camera may have been programmed by the previous owner and would need a reset to factory settings , as for shutter position it’s just a case of muscle memory only takes a couple of days to overcome other cameras now feel alien to me .

the mkii unfortunately suffered from grip rubber problems , a well known problem this was cured in all following models I would suggest the mkiii which is better all round .

yes that definetly points to the camera having been customised by The previous owner. Every button and dial can be assigned to other functions. Standard settings have aperture on rear dial or speed and exp comp on front .

please don’t get put off by this there are millions of Olympus users worldwide who have no problems at all With there cameras . And yes it does take a couple of weeks to learn the menu useage but it suddenly clicks and you realise how clever it really Is
 
the black fox said:
This is the danger of trying in shop . The camera may have been programmed by the previous owner and would need a reset to factory settings , as for shutter position it’s just a case of muscle memory only takes a couple of days to overcome other cameras now feel alien to me .

the mkii unfortunately suffered from grip rubber problems , a well known problem this was cured in all following models I would suggest the mkiii which is better all round .

yes that definetly points to the camera having been customised by The previous owner. Every button and dial can be assigned to other functions. Standard settings have aperture on rear dial or speed and exp comp on front .

please don’t get put off by this there are millions of Olympus users worldwide who have no problems at all With there cameras . And yes it does take a couple of weeks to learn the menu useage but it suddenly clicks and you realise how clever it really Is
Click to expand...

Thank you.

I’m sure you are right and I know that the Olympus is capable of taking amazing photos.

I admit to struggling with things that I don’t find intuitive. I have a Sony compact camera that usually stays
on auto because I cannot make head nor tail of the menus and I don’t want to be on the same situation again.

I will definitely consider the MK III but I was hoping to dip my toes into the water relatively cheaply.

Ideally I’d like to try before I buy, but the it looks as if the link on the Olympus site to the ‘test drive’ option is
broken and that all the camera hire companies don’t stock Olympus or at least the models I’m interested in.
 
Even if you did hire one it comes with the same caveats ,it’s either been programmed by someone else or not at all and as I said above it takes time to learn the menu systems .i think since I got my OM1 in nov I have changed main settings several times .
 
I can only echo what a few of the above posters have said, in support of Olympus.

I am using OM 1 with 90 mm macro and Godox V860 iii, with AK diffuser.

For macro it is very good with in camera focus stacking.

Also use a 300mm f4 for wildlife.

Easy to use, relatively light weight, with excellent results.
 
Uncle Fester said:
I recently sold my Fuji body and several lenses in anticipation of upgrading to newer Fuji gear. I like the ergonomics of Fuji and never really considered going to another brand, but now I’m wondering whether to ditch Fuji and move over to Olympus.

I’m more of a casual snapper than a serious photographer. I tend to shoot anything and everything on a whim, but I particularly like photographing flowers and insects. I’d love to be able to do macro photography, but my attempts so far have been pretty awful. Out of several hundred photographs, I haven’t taken one decent macro photo. As much as I’d like to take macro photographs, I know that I’m a beginner and don’t know if I have the skill to do so. I have never attempted focus bracketing or stacking, the whole process seems a bit intimidating to me.

Also, I don’t post-process my photos other than the occasional crop using Snapseed on my iPad.

Recently, I’ve noticed that several YouTubers who specialise in macro photography (Stewart Wood, Micael Widell, Old Man Jacob) have all started using Olympus bodies and lenses for their macro work.

The stated reasons are the MFT crop factor and the in-camera ability to focus bracket and photo stack.

The MFT crop factor is an undeniable advantage for macro, but focus bracketing is not unique to Olympus – the Fuji I was thinking of buying (XT5) also does focus bracketing but not focus stacking.

So apart from crop factor, that leaves in-camera focus stacking as Olympus’ sole advantage for macro.

As far as I can tell, Olympus focus stacking is limited to stacking fifteen shots and the final result is a JPEG. Would having this ability in my camera help turn me into a semi-decent macro photographer rather than an awful one?

Would it help me enough to warrant ditching Fuji for Olympus?

Or would I be better off sticking with the brand I know and like? I could always focus bracket with the Fuji and then focus stack on a PC using dedicated software if I had to, but would having a suitable Olympus body and lens make the whole process so much easier for someone who is effectively a beginner?



Thanks
Click to expand...
100% switch. I’ve got the om1 and 90mm macro. The things i can get good shots of with that combo now is just crazy. Insects i would have just ignored in the past. It feels now like i have a chance of getting a good shot of any insect i see now. Ive had walk around macro lens on setups previously but nothing comes close to what is possible with this combo especially for someone who just likes to walk around and take pics of what they see rather than having background cards and flashes on tripods etc. in my opinion its unmatched.
 
Denis99 said:
I can only echo what a few of the above posters have said, in support of Olympus.

I am using OM 1 with 90 mm macro and Godox V860 iii, with AK diffuser.

For macro it is very good with in camera focus stacking.

Also use a 300mm f4 for wildlife.

Easy to use, relatively light weight, with excellent results.
Click to expand...
99% same setup i have. (I have a different godox flash )
 
Uncle Fester said:
Thank you.

I’m sure you are right and I know that the Olympus is capable of taking amazing photos.

I admit to struggling with things that I don’t find intuitive. I have a Sony compact camera that usually stays
on auto because I cannot make head nor tail of the menus and I don’t want to be on the same situation again.

I will definitely consider the MK III but I was hoping to dip my toes into the water relatively cheaply.

Ideally I’d like to try before I buy, but the it looks as if the link on the Olympus site to the ‘test drive’ option is
broken and that all the camera hire companies don’t stock Olympus or at least the models I’m interested in.
Click to expand...
fwiw, I have a em1mk2. Coming from older nikons I do find the menu system a bit of a pain. Not complicated but there are so many settings it takes a while to remember where everything is. I would say it is worth persevering though as, once you have it set up how you want you are unlikely to need the menu much - all the day to day stuff is accessible via the "super control panel" which displays everything together. I would also say this is really just the downside of modern cameras rather than an olympus specific issue. They are complex so have a lot of settings. A mate has the same complaint about his Z9.

As others have said, the default config has the aperture/shutter on the front and rear dials depending on mode. So your first task is to reset to default.

Finally, try https://www.lenslab.co.uk/ for hire of olympus stuff. I have used them once and found the costs reasonable and the service good.
 
brman said:
fwiw, I have a em1mk2. Coming from older nikons I do find the menu system a bit of a pain. Not complicated but there are so many settings it takes a while to remember where everything is. I would say it is worth persevering though as, once you have it set up how you want you are unlikely to need the menu much - all the day to day stuff is accessible via the "super control panel" which displays everything together. I would also say this is really just the downside of modern cameras rather than an olympus specific issue. They are complex so have a lot of settings. A mate has the same complaint about his Z9.

As others have said, the default config has the aperture/shutter on the front and rear dials depending on mode. So your first task is to reset to default.

Finally, try https://www.lenslab.co.uk/ for hire of olympus stuff. I have used them once and found the costs reasonable and the service good.
Click to expand...


Thank you so much, that's very helpful. (y)
 
My go to settings for macro are quite simple.

I have tried these settings on OM5, OM DE1X and the OM 1, so they work well regardless of camera body.
Two bits of kit which make a real difference are the flash and a diffuser.
I use a Godox V860iiiwithan Ak diffuser.

The advantage of the Godox V 860iii, is that if you initially set the flash ti TTL, there is a switch on the side of the flash, which will tell you the equivalent manual flash setting.

Start offwith
Manual camera mode

ISO 400
Aperture f8
Shutter 1/200th
Flash on ttl.

Take a few test shots.

Tweak the settings accordingly.
 
Denis99 said:
My go to settings for macro are quite simple.

I have tried these settings on OM5, OM DE1X and the OM 1, so they work well regardless of camera body.
Two bits of kit which make a real difference are the flash and a diffuser.
I use a Godox V860iiiwithan Ak diffuser.

The advantage of the Godox V 860iii, is that if you initially set the flash ti TTL, there is a switch on the side of the flash, which will tell you the equivalent manual flash setting.

Start offwith
Manual camera mode

ISO 400
Aperture f8
Shutter 1/200th
Flash on ttl.

Take a few test shots.

Tweak the settings accordingly.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Denis.

If I do go down the Olympus route, I'll try those settings.
 
Denis99 said:
Search for Steward Wood

He has inspiration YouTube videos and a website.

I learnt quite a bit from him
Click to expand...


Thanks

I have watched some of Stewart Wood's YouTube videos and the fact that
he has switched to Olympus for Macro work is one of the things that prompted
me to start this thread.

I have no doubt that Olympus cameras and lenses are more than capable of taking
incredible macro photos - that is undeniable.

What I need to figure out, as a complete novice to all this, is whether it will
be easier for me to learn macro photography on an Olympus system rather than
Fuji or any other camera system.
 
Uncle Fester said:
Thanks

I have watched some of Stewart Wood's YouTube videos and the fact that
he has switched to Olympus for Macro work is one of the things that prompted
me to start this thread.

I have no doubt that Olympus cameras and lenses are more than capable of taking
incredible macro photos - that is undeniable.

What I need to figure out, as a complete novice to all this, is whether it will
be easier for me to learn macro photography on an Olympus system rather than
Fuji or any other camera system.
Click to expand...
I would count myself as a beginner to macro work. However I would say learning to do basic macro stuff (ie single shot, not stacked) is the same regardless of camera. I am not sure I see how the Oly setup would really make it easier. Yes, you will get more depth of field but initially you want to be starting with larger subjects so that isn't really an issue.
I guess what I am saying is that I doubt getting an olympus camera will be a magic solution to your problems. It might help a bit but you still have to learn and get the basics right. It might help a bit more when you want to start doing stacking etc, but again, it will not take the place of learning/practice.

If the decision on what camera is really only about whether you will like taking macro shots with it, I would say learn to take macro first, then decide on the camera. For example this shot was taken with a £50 camera (nikon D80) an lens I got for about £30 and a homemade diffuser on the built in flash. It is not the best quality but I learnt a hell of a lot playing with that setup. Certainly enough to prove to myself I could do better with more practice.

Bluebottle 2 by Toby, on Flickr
 
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