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

.... I have my Auto ISO at the recommended ISO 200 lowest too but an upper limit currently set at ISO 1600 and it's very easy to use the ISO button to change values on the fly while shooting. I shoot Manual-mode RAW and watch the histogram as a guide. I'm happy to shoot at very low shutter speeds sometimes such as 1/250s but it depends on the subject's action.

I too am learning when not to bother taking a shot because it's too distant. Bring on that ED 150-400mm+1.25x PRO!!! I have kept my monopod in readiness!

Jeff, a very good gimbal head for lightweights such as these Olympus toys ;):ROFLMAO: is the Jobu Jr3 Deluxe - It's the smallest on the market but very strong. I use mine most on a Skimmer in hides and in my Kitchen Hide.

Otherwise I use a Gitzo Traveller + Flexline (same as our mutual friend Andy Rouse).

http://www.jobudesign.co.uk/BWG-J3KDLX-Jr.3-Deluxe-Kit-(with-HMJ3D-upgrade)
I have mine set to 200-6400, my feelings are that if it needs the higher ISO it needs it, doesn’t matter if the cabers selects it or I do it manually. I do reduce shutter speed if needs be to ‘control’ the ISO but I’d rather have a shot than a blurry mess (y)
 
An article in this week's AP about a wildlife photographer who now uses an EM1X

Thought it one of those "advertorials" for a minute or two, hard to distinguish at times

.... I didn't find it very informative and it was more about Japan than the M1X. He kept banging on about Live ND. I'm glad I didn't buy the mag but was lent it by a friend.

Apart from slow down the shutter speed, what does ND do that's worthy of all the fuss anyway? Am I right in thinking it's a feature which landscape photographers like?
 
.... I didn't find it very informative and it was more about Japan than the M1X. He kept banging on about Live ND. I'm glad I didn't buy the mag but was lent it by a friend.

Apart from slow down the shutter speed, what does ND do that's worthy of all the fuss anyway? Am I right in thinking it's a feature which landscape photographers like?
Yes it’s for landscape togs. Useful if you’ve forgotten your filters, plus it negates any possibility of colour cast from the filter. How it compares in the final image when compared to using proper filters I don’t know.
 
Robin I already use a jobu jnr. Gimbal your two years to late with advise LOL

.... :LOL: But you already know I'm a late developer, Jeff. I'm at least two years late with everything. I'm 70, not 72yo. Or am I a dyslexic 27 year old?

The Jobu Jr is really good isn't it. I have had mine for at least two years. Mine wears a neoprene lenscoat so my hands don't get too cold.
 
I give up! 63 pages of catch up, anything interesting happened? Anyone else work and have kids?

.... I don't have time to work - I'm too busy taking and post-processing photographs. My daughter is 28yo and runs her own frighteningly successful business in Bristol and I am happily divorced and master of my own destiny.

But I am new to both m4/3 and the Olympus M1X (and I love it!!). Ex Canon EOS system (which I also loved). Love the one you're with! (as sung by Stephen Stills of CSNY in the happy hippy days of my youth).
 
Yes it’s for landscape togs. Useful if you’ve forgotten your filters, plus it negates any possibility of colour cast from the filter. How it compares in the final image when compared to using proper filters I don’t know.

.... I only occasionally shoot a landscape if I happen to come across a view which inspires me. But I'm off to Bulgaria and Greece with friend professional Guy Edwardes in January and he is seriously good at landscapes (and wildlife). I plan to try out the M1X's 50Mpx High Res feature plus Live ND on a landscape while there and will have his help. He only shoots Canon D-SLR (and will no doubt be teasing me about going small!).
 
I give up! 63 pages of catch up, anything interesting happened? Anyone else work and have kids?
It's great how much activity there is here, but I try have a look every day as a good reason to have a break from work. It's like a bubble though, so many people using Olympus here yet not much chatter by large online photo news sites & commentators. Maybe I missed a corner of the internet where it does happen?
 
Yup, as mentioned it annoys me that printed manuals, in regard to the manufacturer, have gone the way of the Dodo. I think my brother ended up buying a third party camera usage guide!

PS bear in mind the manual is a 300 odd page A5'ish tome!


Olympus have offered to get one printed for me (free of charge) from Old Timer Cameras. I'll bet its a photocopied A4 thing though!

I remember that name from decades ago. They must still be doing the same thing.
 
It's great how much activity there is here, but I try have a look every day as a good reason to have a break from work. It's like a bubble though, so many people using Olympus here yet not much chatter by large online photo news sites & commentators. Maybe I missed a corner of the internet where it does happen?

.... I'm not sure what you mean by this (probably me being thick). I don't think there are any "large online photo news sites & commentators" members on TP anywhere but I stand to be corrected.
 
.... I'm not sure what you mean by this (probably me being thick). I don't think there are any "large online photo news sites & commentators" members on TP anywhere but I stand to be corrected.

No, was saying that outside of this excellent community I don't think there is a as much noise about Olympus by news sites & professional commentators when their should be. I feel I notice this most by the constant flow of posts that pop up on my phone during the day here but less so from other sources.
 
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The fact that this is a Sony thread, but happens to have become a social thread for everyone, does make me smile. Many here posting, who don't even own a Sony camera :rolleyes:



.

ERRRR this is the Olympus thread .. WAKEY WAKEY :thinking::thinking::ty::ty::olympus:
 
ERRRR this is the Olympus thread .. WAKEY WAKEY :thinking::thinking::ty::ty::olympus:

Well that has made me very much LOL! What on earth have I done there?? I'll blame my phone app for some reason. What a plonker; I'll get my coat and retire.. back to the native thread.

Edit: realise that somehow I responded via the app from the ‘unread’ section and not ‘participated’ section along the top. How? Who knows??
 
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Another good reason for getting the OM1.ii - it is fully compatible with my non-subscription version of Lightroom.....

Indeed it is Jerry, Panasonic G9 is too with LR v6.14, the last of the perpetual versions.
Not the GX9 though which is what I have, sounds about right :)
 
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.... Loving the atmosphere and mood captured.
Thanks Robin - now all the leaves are coming down hoping to get some Kingfisher shots as see them most times I head down, including today but no hides and too far away today.
 
Well that has made me very much LOL! What on earth have I done there?? I'll blame my phone app for some reason. What a plonker; I'll get my coat and retire.. back to the native thread.

Edit: realise that somehow I responded via the app from the ‘unread’ section and not ‘participated’ section along the top. How? Who knows??
Made me chuckle too :LOL:
 
Thanks Robin - now all the leaves are coming down hoping to get some Kingfisher shots as see them most times I head down, including today but no hides and too far away today.

.... One of my first Kingfisher shots on an Olympus quite recently. I don't agree with some D-SLR user's criticism claiming a lack of bokeh. Bokeh is influenced by where you position yourself and the distance to a background :

A KINGFISHER KEEN ON FISHING by Robin Procter, on Flickr

Probably looks better on Flickr and the settings etc are public.
 
That's an absolute belter Robin - love the composition as well.
 
superb robin ,love it
 
.... One of my first Kingfisher shots on an Olympus quite recently. I don't agree with some D-SLR user's criticism claiming a lack of bokeh. Bokeh is influenced by where you position yourself and the distance to a background :

A KINGFISHER KEEN ON FISHING by Robin Procter, on Flickr

Probably looks better on Flickr and the settings etc are public.
Lovely photo.

I'm not sure if you're misinterpreting the 'criticism' regarding bokeh tbh. M4/3 is capable of lovely bokeh, and bokeh that can look as nice as FF. And yes you're right there are a lot more variables than sensor size such as background distance etc, however the fact of the matter is that if you shot a bird from the same position using the Olympus 300mm f4 and say a Canon 600mm f4 the Canon lens is going to blur out the background and foreground much more, and for a lot of people this is more pleasing. As you know with wildlife you are not always fortunate to position yourself in the perfect spot to get the background etc that you want and as a result you might be grateful of the ability to blur it more.

It's why for example I prefer to shoot sports using my Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 rather than my Olympus 40-150mm f2.8. Often you're stood in a crowd unable to get closer.
 
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Any M43 owners chip on on whether the Panasonic 14-140 is a sound budget alternative to the Olympus 12-200?

For comparison, I have the Olympus 40-150mm/f4-5.6 and I'm happy with the IQ on that. And 150mm tele is enough, so the extra reach of the 12-200mm is not essential.
 
I've written a post in the equipment forum generally, but it might be worth sharing this bit here too. I've discovered that charity bands nicely cover the lugs when you remove the tripod collar from the 40-150 pro lens. They're much cheaper than the £20 decorative band, help make it feel grippy and help a charity too!
Just a phone pic...

IMG_4232-3.jpg
 
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That's an absolute belter Robin - love the composition as well.

.... Thanks Andrew! The format and composition is inspired by Japanese woodblock prints. I have a large collection of such printed originals mostly hanging on my walls by Ohara Koson 1877-1945 and all are of animals and birds. His work captures and conveys the character of his subjects and they are not accurate scientific images, hence why I like them so much and also because it's what I strive to do as well with my camera. I started collecting inspired and helped by a Japanese girlfriend many years (decades!) ago.

https://www.roningallery.com/artists/koson

I have just noticed that I have some (quite a few!) of the same prints as the Ronin Gallery. My print copies there are all marked as sold. Hmm, an unintentional financial investment perhaps.
 
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Lovely photo.

I'm not sure if you're misinterpreting the 'criticism' regarding bokeh tbh. M4/3 is capable of lovely bokeh, and bokeh that can look as nice as FF. And yes you're right there are a lot more variables than sensor size such as background distance etc, however the fact of the matter is that if you shot a bird from the same position using the Olympus 300mm f4 and say a Canon 600mm f4 the Canon lens is going to blur out the background and foreground much more, and for a lot of people this is more pleasing. As you know with wildlife you are not always fortunate to position yourself in the perfect spot to get the background etc that you want and as a result you might be grateful of the ability to blur it more.

It's why for example I prefer to shoot sports using my Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 rather than my Olympus 40-150mm f2.8. Often you're stood in a crowd unable to get closer.

.... No I'm just being defensive about such m4/3 bokeh criticisms now that I am in the Olympus camp. I used to have a Canon 500mm F/4L II until a month ago. I think that just as it was fashionable to take photos of a bird-on-a-stick not that long ago, the featureless smooth background is currently fashionable/popular among some wildlife photographers (not all). Generally I always prefer a hint of the habitat at the very least.

As you say, with wildlife in particular you have to work with what you are presented with. Or not bother to shoot it because it doesn't excite you enough.
 
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.... No I'm just being defensive about such m4/3 bokeh criticisms now that I am in the Olympus camp. I used to have a Canon 500mm F/4L II until a month ago. I think that just as it was fashionable to take photos of a bird-on-a-stick not that long ago, the featureless smooth background is currently fashionable/popular among some wildlife photographers (not all). Generally I always prefer a hint of the habitat at the very least.

As you say, with wildlife in particular you have to work with what you are presented with. Or not bother to shoot it because it doesn't excite you enough.
I must admit I’m in the shallow DOF camp BUT I’m in the weight saving camp also so it’s about compromise. Even if I could afford a 500/600mm f4 I wouldn’t buy one as I’m not willing to have the weight and I’d rather carry something much lighter and ‘put up with’ a busier background.
 
I must admit I’m in the shallow DOF camp BUT I’m in the weight saving camp also so it’s about compromise. Even if I could afford a 500/600mm f4 I wouldn’t buy one as I’m not willing to have the weight and I’d rather carry something much lighter and ‘put up with’ a busier background.


I think the M43 deeper depth of field is a bonus but maybe that's just me.

I'd happily keep the Olympus gear if I could afford it but I'm having so much fun with the A7ii I'm not fussed about letting it go really.
 
I must admit I’m in the shallow DOF camp BUT I’m in the weight saving camp also so it’s about compromise. Even if I could afford a 500/600mm f4 I wouldn’t buy one as I’m not willing to have the weight and I’d rather carry something much lighter and ‘put up with’ a busier background.

.... There's no such thing as the perfect camera, or perfect lens! eh?

I didn't mind carrying the 500mm but it began to limit me when wanting to also have extra lenses with me.

You have hit the nail on the head - We accept things like a busier background occasionally or not being able to work so well in poorer light but I don't have a problem with that. It's better to focus on what we do have rather than what we don't and the m4/3 is very much more enabling.
 
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