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

Malfis said:
I thought this might interest my fellow Olympus owners.
I've not posted it as a topic on the main forum as I do not wish to further the recent rumours about the possible demise of Olympus.

It's obviously time for us to scrap our gear and buy smartphones instead. Our cameras do not autofocus, our lenses are too slow etc. etc..

They start talking Olympus at 10 mins 35 secs.
Enjoy!!
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.... Of all people you would have thought that Tony Northrup knew that no smartphone was capable of shooting so much of what dedicated cameras with specific lenses are capable of shooting. When I go to Finland again next year to photograph wild Bears I think I'll just take my iPhone.

It takes much more than just a downturn in financial profits/losses for a company to decide to close a division, especially when it is a large organisation like Olympus. Besides which the losses in the last period are substantially less than in the previous period and therefore the trend is upwards not continuing downwards. Okay, we don't know for certain but my gut feeling is that this reported demise is false news and isn't going to happen.

Tony Northingy is talking through his backside when he says Olympus aren't keeping up with their competitors.
 
Gremlin said:
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RedRobin said:
.... Of all people you would have thought that Tony Northrup knew that no smartphone was capable of shooting so much of what dedicated cameras with specific lenses are capable of shooting. When I go to Finland again next year to photograph wild Bears I think I'll just take my iPhone.

It takes much more than just a downturn in financial profits/losses for a company to decide to close a division, especially when it is a large organisation like Olympus. Besides which the losses in the last period are substantially less than in the previous period and therefore the trend is upwards not continuing downwards. Okay, we don't know for certain but my gut feeling is that this reported demise is false news and isn't going to happen.

Tony Northingy is talking through his backside when he says Olympus aren't keeping up with their competitors.
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Tony will talk through anything to get views, shame really but if thats what he wants.
 
RedRobin said:
.... Of all people you would have thought that Tony Northrup knew that no smartphone was capable of shooting so much of what dedicated cameras with specific lenses are capable of shooting. When I go to Finland again next year to photograph wild Bears I think I'll just take my iPhone.

It takes much more than just a downturn in financial profits/losses for a company to decide to close a division, especially when it is a large organisation like Olympus. Besides which the losses in the last period are substantially less than in the previous period and therefore the trend is upwards not continuing downwards. Okay, we don't know for certain but my gut feeling is that this reported demise is false news and isn't going to happen.

Tony Northingy is talking through his backside when he says Olympus aren't keeping up with their competitors.
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The Northrups are more concerned with numbers than anything so you will see a lot of click bait and dramatic stories to get views.
 
E-M1X + ED 300mm F/4 PRO + MC-14

In my wildlife garden.

Hmm, the image looks sharper and with more detail when viewed on Flickr.

A DUNNOCK LOOKING DAPPER by Robin Procter, on Flickr
 
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RIVER OTTERS IN EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT

The ever elusive wild Otter! Lady Luck was with me this day and I was ready. Dorset UK.

Dare I say that I'm beginning to get the hang of the Olympus M1X and finding it very comfortable.

RIVER OTTERS IN EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT by Robin Procter, on Flickr

[THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO LIKES AND/OR COMMENTS ON MY PICTURES - IT IS ALWAYS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED]
 
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RedRobin said:
RIVER OTTERS IN EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT

The ever elusive wild Otter! Lady Luck was with me this day and I was ready. Dorset UK.

Dare I say that I'm beginning to get the hang of the Olympus M1X and finding it very comfortable.

RIVER OTTERS IN EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT by Robin Procter, on Flickr

[THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO LIKES AND/OR COMMENTS ON MY PICTURES - IT IS ALWAYS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED]
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Thats a great image and beautiful colours! Where abouts on the stour was that taken?
 
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Stunning image Jeff and you have certainly managed to squeeze the most out of the Oly and Panasonic lens in not ideal light....well done mate
 
RedRobin said:
RIVER OTTERS IN EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT

The ever elusive wild Otter! Lady Luck was with me this day and I was ready. Dorset UK.

Dare I say that I'm beginning to get the hang of the Olympus M1X and finding it very comfortable.

RIVER OTTERS IN EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT by Robin Procter, on Flickr

[THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO LIKES AND/OR COMMENTS ON MY PICTURES - IT IS ALWAYS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED]
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What a super image - lovely light and colours. Great pose as well.
 
I'm posting this (not a great image) but it's the first time I've used the MC-20 2x Converter with the 300mm f4 Pro lens - so full frame equivalent 1200mm.
To my eye the results are very acceptable and I look forward to getting further examples.

E M1 ll, 300mm with MC-20, ISO 1250, 1/1000th @f8.

Greenfinch by Malcolm Fisher, on Flickr
 
Malfis said:
I'm posting this (not a great image) but it's the first time I've used the MC-20 2x Converter with the 300mm f4 Pro lens - so full frame equivalent 1200mm.
To my eye the results are very acceptable and I look forward to getting further examples.

E M1 ll, 300mm with MC-20, ISO 1250, 1/1000th @f8.

Greenfinch by Malcolm Fisher, on Flickr
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Can’t knock that at all WD
 
Any E M5 II users here, I am considering a full switch from Fuji X-T3 to one, anything I should be aware of before jumping ship.
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
Any E M5 II users here, I am considering a full switch from Fuji X-T3 to one, anything I should be aware of before jumping ship.
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Perhaps not a good move if you want to shoot action using AF-C, if not its a great camera.
 
mikew said:
Perhaps not a good move if you want to shoot action using AF-C, if not its a great camera.
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We don't do any aircraft photography anymore now we have a dog, so action wont be an issue, whats IQ like compared to the X-T3
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
We don't do any aircraft photography anymore now we have a dog, so action wont be an issue, whats IQ like compared to the X-T3
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Cant help with that as i have never owned one, been around Olympus long enough though to know action it does not do very well, even a dog running i would look into its ability.
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
Thanks Mike, some more pondering to do then.
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The omd1-mkii does do action fairly well though , I certaintly can’t fault it for b.i.f the e.mix is even better . .. and as with every other camera on the market a lot depends on the lenses .mix and match always gives slightly inferior results whatever brand you use
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
We don't do any aircraft photography anymore now we have a dog, so action wont be an issue, whats IQ like compared to the X-T3
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From my experience dogs do move so good AF-C is favourable imo ;) The EM1-II or EM5-III would be a better option imo.

In terms of IQ I prefer Olympus over Fuji, but it’s all preference.
 
mikew said:
Cant help with that as i have never owned one, been around Olympus long enough though to know action it does not do very well, even a dog running i would look into its ability.
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This is true for the E-M10I&II and the E-M5I&II but you get pretty good and consistent CAF on the E-M1II and the E-M1X. The E-M1I's CAF isn't as dependable as the E-M1II's but you will still get good results albeit with a higher miss rate - shot with the E-M1I and CAF:

20170917_094949_138 by Maarten D'Haese, on Flickr
 
So the OM-D E-M1 would do what I need then, I don't want anything as fast just something that is decent all round.
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
So the OM-D E-M1 would do what I need then, I don't want anything as fast just something that is decent all round.
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The EM1 isn’t great for moving targets either, it will be quite a noticeable downgrade from the XT3 in this regard. The only Olympus cameras that can match or beat the XT3 in terms of AF are the EM1-II, EM1x and EM5-III (y)
 
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I'm not after matching the X-T3 as I couldn't use that to its full potential and I hardly touched it, our photography is mainly snapshots now so don't really need that kind of kit anymore, I fancy staying mirrorless, either Oly or Fuji X-T2 if I have to, but don't really want £1000s tied up in kit anymore
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
I'm not after matching the X-T3 as I couldn't use that to its full potential and I hardly touched it, our photography is mainly snapshots now so don't really need that kind of kit anymore, I fancy staying mirrorless, either Oly or Fuji X-T2 if I have to, but don't really want £1000s tied up in kit anymore
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So if I get this right you’re wanting to decrease your kit but still have something that delivers good IQ? If you don’t need all the bells and whistles then the EM10-II would be a good option. The Olympus omd cameras all give pretty much the same IQ, just some are 16mp and some are 20mp. You can get some really good cheap Olympus primes too such as the 45mm f1.8 which you can pick up for around £100 used.
 
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.

HERON STANDING STILL by Robin Procter, on Flickr
 
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Dangermouse1964 said:
I'm not after matching the X-T3 as I couldn't use that to its full potential and I hardly touched it, our photography is mainly snapshots now so don't really need that kind of kit anymore, I fancy staying mirrorless, either Oly or Fuji X-T2 if I have to, but don't really want £1000s tied up in kit anymore
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Don't dismiss Panasonic, G80 could fit the bill and won't break the bank
Been experimenting this week with mine and moving targets, better than I thought it would be.
In fact quite impressed tracking cyclists and vehicles, newer G90 is probably even better, but dearer too
 
tijuana taxi said:
Don't dismiss Panasonic, G80 could fit the bill and won't break the bank
Been experimenting this week with mine and moving targets, better than I thought it would be.
In fact quite impressed tracking cyclists and vehicles, newer G90 is probably even better, but dearer too
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The G80 is pretty good at AF-C, better than the none phase detect Olympus models.
 
RedRobin said:
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.

HERON STANDING STILL by Robin Procter, on Flickr
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HI Robin, this camera is producing some nice pics for you & Jeff, been watching this thread with interest, I am trying to decide which way to go between the M1x and a Sony A9. As we know the Sony AF is excellent but I am struggling to find a AF comparison on utube etc. BIF is an important factor. Have you had enough time with the camera to form an opinion yet on the tracking Bif and Af? Hope you don’t mind me asking. Regards Tony.
 
TONY C. said:
HI Robin, this camera is producing some nice pics for you & Jeff, been watching this thread with interest, I am trying to decide which way to go between the M1x and a Sony A9. As we know the Sony AF is excellent but I am struggling to find a AF comparison on utube etc. BIF is an important factor. Have you had enough time with the camera to form an opinion yet on the tracking Bif and Af? Hope you don’t mind me asking. Regards Tony.
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.... Hi Tony, I am very happy to help in any way I can.

I have only had the camera since the very beginning of this month and have been leaving birds-in-flight shots until I am more familiar with how best to choose the settings for it. Trying to shoot seagulls in flight with a lens reach of 840mm (equivalent) has delivered me lots of failures but locations where I have been primarily shooting have needed that reach. Do I go for the flying bird or the Otter? < Otters win the day.

AF is certainly very good so far in most circumstances but I have made simple mistakes like not returning the focus point to the centre - I now have that action allocated to a button. However AF doesn't feel as direct as it does on a D-SLR (Canon 1DX-2 in my case) but I am determined to get used to it as the whole Olympus system is far more convenient and consequently I find it more enabling.

I am not familiar with the Sony's performance simply because I don't like it physically - For me personally it doesn't feel tactile whereas the M1X does. Being full-frame and glancing at the written specs I would expect the Sony to be superior but as with high performance cars, if it doesn't feel tactile enough it's not for me (I hate electric cars!). I would not like anything smaller than the Olympus M1X which is the same size as my Canon EOS-R + Battery Grip. In time, because I find having two bodies in the field much easier than swopping lenses, I will get an additional M1X body to replace my EOS-R.

We each have individual requirements and preferences and so it is always difficult to categorically state that one camera is better than another. There is no such thing as the perfect camera!

Something which is a huge advantage for me is the M1X extreme weatherproofing as I only shoot outdoors and mostly wildlife - In the real world that durability is extremely enabling.

WET WEATHERPROOFING by Robin Procter, on Flickr
 
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Thanks for the speedy reply Robin, yes I agree it takes a while to get your head around a new camera and controls etc so early days yet. There are plenty of videos on the A9 with the autofocus that seems once locked on to be superb but haven’t found anything showing the m1x. It seems to be great all rounder though and I’m sure you wouldn’t have moved over from Canon without good reason! And results so far are excellent! Make your mind up time is coming soon for me!
Thanks Again!
 
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