Olympus OM-D E-M5, E-M1, E-M10 - Mk1, Mk2 & Mk3 Owners Thread

I'm hoping the EM5 Mark 3 will have improved (EM1ii) focussing. As I prefer the smaller body.
I'd be surprised as the EM5-II didn't have the EM1's phase detect, but you never know. It won't be cheap though :(
 
Nothing Olympus is cheap.

The main weakness of mirrorless is AF. Good AF belongs in every mirrorless camera.

The Pen-F and OMD range are expensive. So they should do the job of focussing properly. It's not a luxury.
 
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This was my disappointment with the 1.2 - if the focussing had been as hyped at the pre-launch, I'd have bought it. In reality, it's not there ( yet )
 
This was my disappointment with the 1.2 - if the focussing had been as hyped at the pre-launch, I'd have bought it. In reality, it's not there ( yet )
A camera being hyped? Who'd have thought it ;)
 
This was my disappointment with the 1.2 - if the focussing had been as hyped at the pre-launch, I'd have bought it. In reality, it's not there ( yet )

I think that all mirrorless camera manufacturers are guilty of hyping their AF lock speed. Its because they know that they aren't as fast as a decent DSLR, and they are just trying to convince 'the public' that their flagship camera will be fast enough to meet their needs. For much of the population they will be plenty fast enough, but enthusiasts and professionals will always push products to their limits (and beyond).

They are getting there though, and one day will match the DSLR brigade, when that happens and global electronic shutters are implemented, then mirrorless will certainly come of age.
 
Maybe it's me :) but I find the E-M1 Mk2 to be very fast at achieving lock and holding onto it.
My experience is mainly with BIF though.
 
I'm hoping the EM5 Mark 3 will have improved (EM1ii) focussing. As I prefer the smaller body.
I'd be surprised as the EM5-II didn't have the EM1's phase detect, but you never know. It won't be cheap though :(
I was hoping the E-M10 Mkiii would have at least the 20MP sensor from the EM1 Mkii or Pen F but it was underwhelming unless 4K video is of interest.

Nothing Olympus is cheap.
The Pen F is the one I would have if money were no object but it's still too expensive for me, even used :(

A camera being hyped? Who'd have thought it ;)
:D
 
Revisited my old Venice photos and quite liked this one with old lady and boat driver going about their normal lives :)


A day in the life in Venice
by TDG-77, on Flickr
 
Maybe it's me :) but I find the E-M1 Mk2 to be very fast at achieving lock and holding onto it.
My experience is mainly with BIF though.
Agree it is extremely fast no doubt about that - I find it does lock on well too but can lose focus then regain a couple of times in a burst .
Rob.
 
Thats the problem i experienced too, Rob - if it locked and stayed lock then 100% i would have stayed with Olympus..

If anyone wants a 12-40, then mine is in the classifieds. If i don't sell it this week, it will go to mpb who've offered a fair price
 
I'm still hoping Olympus can sort this out with firmware as the omd mkII has a lot going for it ,I use it for birds / bif one thing they need to do is make the shutter have better feel between focus press and taking the shot there is just not enough feel between the 2 actions .
I did email them to see if they could put a stronger spring in they said No they don't do that I guess its too much of a job Perhaps a mkIII THEY WILL SORT IT OUT .
Rob.
 
Thats the problem i experienced too, Rob - if it locked and stayed lock then 100% i would have stayed with Olympus..

If anyone wants a 12-40, then mine is in the classifieds. If i don't sell it this week, it will go to mpb who've offered a fair price
I was going to sell mine too - out of interest do you mind telling me what mpb are offering?
 
E-m1 sure creates some noise with LE. Eeeek.

I’m replacing the 12-40 with a P12-32, I’ll use it for travel so the smaller size will suit. Ok, it won’t be as sharp but it’s not for portraits so should be ok.

Might even replace the e-m1 with something smaller too that’s better for LE..
 
Doesn't look noisey here. I think we're more prone to noticing noise in our own images though, I'm always nit picking mine, because we view them at 100%, others are far less likely to do so.
 
Quite a lot of NR applied ( something like 67 iirc ), my own fault for forgetting to turn LE NR on in camera :whistle:
 
Quite a lot of NR applied ( something like 67 iirc ), my own fault for forgetting to turn LE NR on in camera :whistle:

67 is pretty high alright. How is the in cam processing on these Oly's? I don't think I've ever used it on any camera
 
Makes a good difference..but if you're going for LE of over 30 seconds, the m5/m10 are better than the 1.1 from what I've seen.
 
Don't you manually focus with macro? I set mine at 1:1 and then move myself closer/further away to focus.
With the Nikon, yes as I didn’t have a macro lens. With the O60, I used AF...got frustrated and sold it.

Then again, who gives a toss about ants anyway..
It's all about jumping spiders don't you know ;) I would never use AF on a macro lens for macro photography.

I only used MF with my Sigma 105 f2.8 but I am improving technique with the Zuiko 60mm f2.8 and getting some decent results using back button AF and rock technique. I still find it frustrating that the MF on the 60mm f2.8 is soooo slooow at closer than about 1:4.


Spider covered in dew by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Frogghopper by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Honey bee 1 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

ringhia campestris by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
Some great shots folks :)

Just justifying myself out loud...

I just ordered an Oly 14-150 ii to use on my EM5ii for my upcoming work trip to Tokyo, I'm a big advocate of a superzoom plus fast prime for travel but I know I'll be thinking of my 12-40 pro as I head to the airport.

I'm sure it will be fine...
 
I took a couple of test sots on an EM5 mk2 outside Jessops with my card at 200 ISO and the resulting images are quite noisy.

After Looking at Donnie's photos I'm wondering where I went wrong, is it processing?

Those shots are superb!

I'm suffering with my back occasionally nowadays and really can't see me having my FX gear for long, especially if you can get results like those.

Any help appreciated.
 
Depends how far you push the processing, Terry. IMO, the m43 don't take as much PP as APS-C ( I have no FF experience ) before they get noisy. I have found that generally, in good light, the Oly files are great but when the light levels drop, noise creeps in.

Of course, it's all relative - probably the average Joe wouldn't notice..
 
If you look at 100% then the EM5ii has noise even at base ISO, especially when compared to a FF camera.

The reason m43 users stay happy is that they don't scrutinise at 100% and enjoy the other benefits instead.
 
Thanks chaps,

Yes I am guilty of looking at 100%, wish I didn't.

I'm thinking of chopping a 17-40L Canon lens in with Wex and getting a 2nd hand EM10 Mk2 for around the same money. It's a lens I hardly ever use so wouldn't miss it.

I already have a 14-45 Panny lens I use on my G3 IR camera and it's a damn sharp lens.

I think this is a relatively cheap way to find out more about M43 (I've always loved the output from my Panny G3)
 
Go for it, I ended up selling all my FF kit after buying an EM10 'just to try'.

The EM1 is the second hand bargain of the moment in Oly m43, silly value for money but the EM10 will give you something different so a good one to try.
 
Cheers Ned. Is there any real difference in IQ between the EM1 mk1 and the EM10 mk2?

There appears to be more noise in Donnie's Flickr images from the EM10 compared to his recent EM1 shots.
 
Cheers Ned. Is there any real difference in IQ between the EM1 mk1 and the EM10 mk2?

There appears to be more noise in Donnie's Flickr images from the EM10 compared to his recent EM1 shots.


Basically the IQ and noise is the same unless you get beyond 30 second exposures in which case the EM1 pretty much falls apart. Never heard a good reason why but it is true, I've seen it myself.

IN fact, the EM10ii is said to be the best for ISO noise out of all the recent 16mp models (the 20mp ones are better but a lot more expensive).
 
I took an IR shot of the Milky Way in Dorset this summer. Wasn't good but it worked (noisy as hell though)

Also took the same shot with the Canon 6D - again rather noisy but only had an F4 lens and no Nikon sensor
 
Some great shots folks :)

Just justifying myself out loud...

I just ordered an Oly 14-150 ii to use on my EM5ii for my upcoming work trip to Tokyo, I'm a big advocate of a superzoom plus fast prime for travel but I know I'll be thinking of my 12-40 pro as I head to the airport.

I'm sure it will be fine...
Depends what you look for in images. The 14-150mm won't render as nicely but if it's just for snap shots then the versatility could be more useful. Tbh when I go on trips I take my 12-40mm and 40-150mm but never actually need my 40-150mm
I took a couple of test sots on an EM5 mk2 outside Jessops with my card at 200 ISO and the resulting images are quite noisy.

After Looking at Donnie's photos I'm wondering where I went wrong, is it processing?

Those shots are superb!

I'm suffering with my back occasionally nowadays and really can't see me having my FX gear for long, especially if you can get results like those.

Any help appreciated.
M4/3 shots do have noise even at base, start pushing the PP and of course it gets even more noticeable. Tbh though I didn't really notice until I bought FF but now it's obvious. I had the A77 alongside the Olly before and noise handling of these was pretty comparable, the Sony was a bit poor for an APS-C due to the translucent mirror.

If you look at 100% then the EM5ii has noise even at base ISO, especially when compared to a FF camera.

The reason m43 users stay happy is that they don't scrutinise at 100% and enjoy the other benefits instead.
I scrutinise at 100% but am still happy since I gained perspective and realised I can't expect m4/3 to compare to FF. M4/3 are good enough though imo.

Cheers Ned. Is there any real difference in IQ between the EM1 mk1 and the EM10 mk2?

There appears to be more noise in Donnie's Flickr images from the EM10 compared to his recent EM1 shots.
I believe the EM1 is the noisiest of all the OMD's (at least on test scores), correct exposure and minimal PP recovery is essential.
 
I took a couple of test sots on an EM5 mk2 outside Jessops with my card at 200 ISO and the resulting images are quite noisy.

After Looking at Donnie's photos I'm wondering where I went wrong, is it processing?

Those shots are superb!

I'm suffering with my back occasionally nowadays and really can't see me having my FX gear for long, especially if you can get results like those.

Any help appreciated.

I wouldnt say they are superb as such, I put them in my snaps category :) But when it comes to processing I do very little. My workflow tends to be crop and straighten those that need it, then I will hit auto on the exposure slider, the shadows and highlights slider and the levels slider. If any of them don't look quite right I will tweak very slightly but honestly thats it, then I may apply some minimal sharpening though on those ones from the steam weekend I didn't bother, of course theres some automatic sharpening when you go from the raw files to jpeg anyway.
Recently too, Ive noticed with the em1 and 12-40 combo that some of my shots white balance come out a little too blue / cool, Im guessing thats mainly due to the shot and f2.8 so theres the occasional one I need to warm up, but that I believe is part of my learning curve of this setup.

If you look at 100% then the EM5ii has noise even at base ISO, especially when compared to a FF camera.

The reason m43 users stay happy is that they don't scrutinise at 100% and enjoy the other benefits instead.

This. I never scrutinise at 100%. Can't be doing with pixel peeping. Its either acceptably sharp or its not.

Go for it, I ended up selling all my FF kit after buying an EM10 'just to try'.

The EM1 is the second hand bargain of the moment in Oly m43, silly value for money but the EM10 will give you something different so a good one to try.

EM1 really is a bargain currently, got mine with 12 month warranty for £375!

Cheers Ned. Is there any real difference in IQ between the EM1 mk1 and the EM10 mk2?

There appears to be more noise in Donnie's Flickr images from the EM10 compared to his recent EM1 shots.

dunno about the em10 mark 2, dont forget mine was a mark one, so mark 2 iq may have improved?
 
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