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

snerkler said:
I had the EM5-II and then the EM1. As a whole I like the EM5-II better, BUT if you're going to be using the heavier lenses (12-40mm f2.8 and bigger) then the form factor of the EM1 is much better, and why I went for this on my second venture with Olympus rather than having another EM5-II.
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I like the EM5ii with the 12-40 f2.8 if you support the lens with your left hand
 
Mike.P said:
I have to say a really superb shot Robin , the detail in that is amazing.
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.... Thank you Mike! Although the light in Greece helped a lot it changed every day, as did the lake appearance. It tested the Olympus colour science.

Olympus really have tried their very best with their flagship Pro range and it gets excellent results in my opinion. I have never used any other m4/3 gear and so can't offer meaningful comparisons. I only shoot RAW and I obviously do post-processing, converting and adjusting in Capture One. Topaz DeNoise AI is very effective at helping any ISO noise presence.
 
alfbranch said:
I like the EM5ii with the 12-40 f2.8 if you support the lens with your left hand
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Yeah, I find the 12-40 okay on E-M5ii as well though I'd say it really does suit some the tinier zooms and primes even better. Some of those lenses can look and feel odd on the E-M1. I enjoy the fact that with a pancake zoom or something like the 14mm 2.5, the E-M5ii is almost pocket sized and yet packs most of the same punch as the E-M1. I'd still pick an E-M5ii myself but the bigger/longer lenses do suit the EM1 better.
 
alfbranch said:
I like the EM5ii with the 12-40 f2.8 if you support the lens with your left hand
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I found it ok too but there’s no doubt in my mind that the 12-40mm feels better on the EM1 (y)
 
c22w1 said:
I've managed to bag myself a few olympus 4/3 AF lenses. Which is the best adapter to allow AF from 4/3 to M43 please?
Seen this on Amazon for just under £21 is it ok or is there a better alternative?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fotga-AF-Olympus-Adapter-replacement/dp/B00K61ZJGI
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Your probably better off seeking out genuine Olympus ones to ensure a good fit .i use the mmf.3 which is fully sealed , how it all works also depends on which lenses you use .i do have a list of compatible lenses found on the web , and some still go for very good prices indeed . At the moment I have the 50-200mm f2.8 SWD and the 12-60mm f2.8 SWD plus a EC.14 tc all work well
 
Thanks Jeff, I got a complete kit locally inc body, 4 lenses (2x good 1x decent and 1x not so good) reflectors, tripods, etc.
The 3 worthwhile lenses are - 50-200mm SWD 2.8 with padded case, Sigma 50mm f1.4, Olympus, 14-54mm f2.8. Also a 2x telecon EC-20.
The mmf-3 is bloody expensive though on first look lol, it's more than I paid for the lot. I'll keep an eye on used ones on ebay. Thank you for the info.
the black fox said:
Your probably better off seeking out genuine Olympus ones to ensure a good fit .i use the mmf.3 which is fully sealed , how it all works also depends on which lenses you use .i do have a list of compatible lenses found on the web , and some still go for very good prices indeed . At the moment I have the 50-200mm f2.8 SWD and the 12-60mm f2.8 SWD plus a EC.14 tc all work well
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snerkler said:
I found it ok too but there’s no doubt in my mind that the 12-40mm feels better on the EM1 (y)
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Just sold my 12-40, mainly used on a Panasonic GX9, felt too big and front heavy.
Panasonic 12-35 is a much better match and pretty much the same quality wise, another plus is the dual IS on compatible bodies,
Olympus Pro lenses like the 12-100 are very nice, but a bit on the large size for the smaller m4/3 cameras
 
c22w1 said:
Thanks Jeff, I got a complete kit locally inc body, 4 lenses (2x good 1x decent and 1x not so good) reflectors, tripods, etc.
The 3 worthwhile lenses are - 50-200mm SWD 2.8 with padded case, Sigma 50mm f1.4, Olympus, 14-54mm f2.8. Also a 2x telecon EC-20.
The mmf-3 is bloody expensive though on first look lol, it's more than I paid for the lot. I'll keep an eye on used ones on ebay. Thank you for the info.
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your probably gonna find the 50-200 fast becomes your favourite lens Chris .. it is mine lightning fast and sharp as a razor . also takes the 1.4 without losing speed or sharpness.. coming back to convertors they also do a mmf-1 and a mmf-2 which are not weather sealed although the amazon one is probably worth a punt if its supplied by amazon for next day delivery , heard of some cheap Chinese ones that dont line up properly so be careful read the comments before buying.
if you got it really cheap your lucky the 50-200 goes for between £200 -£500 on its own
 
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I am LOVING my new 12-100 on the Em1ii. I've bought it as a travel lens and have been walking with just the one lens on camera, a travel tripod (as yet unused on this trip) and a few screw on filters.

Here are a few so far with this lens.

I had a lot of trouble panning and 99% shots failed. This one was one of the sharpest although not a great pic. After the event, I worked out I had left the IS to be on in all directions :banghead::banghead::banghead: I knew I was doing something wrong but couldn't work it out at the time. Testament to the amazing IS, most shots of the background were sharp even though I was panning.

The next day I turned off the horizontal IS and you can see I had much better results with the go-kart.

Finally I had a go at handholding and managed this water shot at 1/6s. I know many of you may do better, but I'm not usually that capable, and this was as I kept sniffing with my nose running in the cold :LOL:

I also love the extra reach. I am so impressed with this lens. Thank you to everyone who recommended it.

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Showing off the image quality offered by the Olympus 300mm F/4 Pro shot at F/4. Handheld on M1X. Lake Kerkini, Greece.

There would have been smoother softer bokeh if shot on full-frame equivalent (600mm) but the m4/3 system offers a slightly deeper DoF and that can actually be an advantage sometimes - It depends what floats your boat.

DALMATION PELICAN HEAD PORTRAIT by Robin Procter, on Flickr

[THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO LIKES AND/OR COMMENTS ON MY PICTURES - IT IS ALWAYS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED]
 
Yeah got it REALLY cheap. £200 for the lot. Looking at the prices the 2x converter goes for on ebay I can maybe swap that for the adapter. The 50-200mm works well on the E620 body that came with it. The sigma 50mm f1.4 works well too.
the black fox said:
your probably gonna find the 50-200 fast becomes your favourite lens Chris .. it is mine lightning fast and sharp as a razor . also takes the 1.4 without losing speed or sharpness.. coming back to convertors they also do a mmf-1 and a mmf-2 which are not weather sealed although the amazon one is probably worth a punt if its supplied by amazon for next day delivery , heard of some cheap Chinese ones that dont line up properly so be careful read the comments before buying.
if you got it really cheap your lucky the 50-200 goes for between £200 -£500 on its own
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snerkler said:
Not that we need to be told the results, but I found this video comparing prints from a Canon 5DIV and EM1-II and it seemed to surprise them (I skipped most of it tbh and just viewed from the bit when they actually start comparing prints).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGn3yPl59ZM
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Well, that is reassuring. I've not used my Em1ii much yet but I have had some disappointing results. I longed to have some canon files from one location. Must be user error!
 
RedRobin said:
Showing off the image quality offered by the Olympus 300mm F/4 Pro shot at F/4. Handheld on M1X. Lake Kerkini, Greece.

There would have been smoother softer bokeh if shot on full-frame equivalent (600mm) but the m4/3 system offers a slightly deeper DoF and that can actually be an advantage sometimes - It depends what floats your boat.

DALMATION PELICAN HEAD PORTRAIT 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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Wow that's fabulous!
 
just after doing the above shot , I sat back in the car and was doing some chimping ,I began to notice that the shots where I had missed focus tended to be sharper than the ones where it was critically on the eye .. the penny dropped although I have been getting sharp shots the soft ones have been bothering me .MICRO ADJUST came to mind . I went home and this time checked shots on the computer against focus points on camera (Lightroom plug in dont work for Macs and olympus) yep I wasn't imaging it . got my micro adjust gear out and have found it was front focussing quite a bit . set the camera just need to check it out in the field now
 
the black fox said:
just after doing the above shot , I sat back in the car and was doing some chimping ,I began to notice that the shots where I had missed focus tended to be sharper than the ones where it was critically on the eye .. the penny dropped although I have been getting sharp shots the soft ones have been bothering me .MICRO ADJUST came to mind . I went home and this time checked shots on the computer against focus points on camera (Lightroom plug in dont work for Macs and olympus) yep I wasn't imaging it . got my micro adjust gear out and have found it was front focussing quite a bit . set the camera just need to check it out in the field now
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Is this your Em1ii that went back for repair or your new Em1?
 
the black fox said:
just after doing the above shot , I sat back in the car and was doing some chimping ,I began to notice that the shots where I had missed focus tended to be sharper than the ones where it was critically on the eye .. the penny dropped although I have been getting sharp shots the soft ones have been bothering me .MICRO ADJUST came to mind . I went home and this time checked shots on the computer against focus points on camera (Lightroom plug in dont work for Macs and olympus) yep I wasn't imaging it . got my micro adjust gear out and have found it was front focussing quite a bit . set the camera just need to check it out in the field now
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Jeff as you aware I have just moved over to Olympus gear have to say pleased so far but is there any tips going forward with any lens to check and correct front focus/back focus on Olympus systems or do you have standard check that you use no matter what system you have had. I have used the 3 batteries in a row test and adjusted around this but given that M 3/4 gives a slightly more increased depth of field if my 3 battery test is a worth check and test.

I was spoilt on my Canon system using Focal to dial in lenses and it did work really well. Just curious if there is a better way in case I need it
 
Bebop said:
Is this your Em1ii that went back for repair or your new Em1?
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on the mk2 bebop apparently its a common fault .. now set to -2 and on the test bed looks far better time will tell in general use
 
Didn't think you could micro adjust focus on a mirrorless camera and lens.
Always seen it as one of the selling points, none of that messing about two clicks one way, three the other.

Never seen it on any menu from my Panasonic cameras, nor Fuji for that matter either.
Maybe Olympus are different, if so glad I don't have any left now
 
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mazdaman said:
Jeff as you aware I have just moved over to Olympus gear have to say pleased so far but is there any tips going forward with any lens to check and correct front focus/back focus on Olympus systems or do you have standard check that you use no matter what system you have had. I have used the 3 batteries in a row test and adjusted around this but given that M 3/4 gives a slightly more increased depth of field if my 3 battery test is a worth check and test.

I was spoilt on my Canon system using Focal to dial in lenses and it did work really well. Just curious if there is a better way in case I need it
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I have a graduated test card Terry ,. I have noticed softness on distant birds that was not noticeable on the g.80 and also the mk1 body seems better with the lens to hence my checking today . hopefully I can let you know more later in the week
 
tijuana taxi said:
Didn't think you could micro adjust focus on a mirrorless camera and lens.
Always seen it as one of the selling points, none of that messing about two clicks one way, three the other.

Never seen it on any menu from my Olympus or Panasonic cameras, nor Fuji for that matter either.
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yes you can on the mk1 and mk2 , cog wheel AF focus adjust
 
tijuana taxi said:
Never knew that, presumably because they use a different AF system to the Panasonic DFD
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not only can you micro adjust lenses on the mk1 and mk2 you can also stipulate near or tele adjustments . and also put in if required different adjustments for EVERY SINGLE FOCUS POINT ..for instance you could make a central cluster of 9 points at -5 then de-focus all other points at i.e +20 a extreme example but its possible .
I have long had a nagging niggle that something wasn't quite right ,and although getting sharp shots its been difficult to find out why others were soft . I have now made a initial adjustment but cant test till the light improves again it made need more work done ,but I won't let it beat me .
 
tijuana taxi said:
Didn't think you could micro adjust focus on a mirrorless camera and lens.
Always seen it as one of the selling points, none of that messing about two clicks one way, three the other.
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Nikon and Olympus offer AF fine tune for mirrorless, that I know of.

It's discussed in the Reikan Focal blog (but with the focus on Nikon) . https://blog.reikanfocal.com/2018/10/the-new-nikon-z7-investigating-with-reikan-focal/ . The relevant bits are hidden well down the blog, so I have posted them below.



Why AF Fine Tune on the Nikon Z cameras?
As I said above, it’s generally assumed that cameras with the autofocus sensor built into the image sensor (i.e. mirrorless cameras) do not need any AF calibration. There’s no chance of the AF sensor being misaligned or the pre-programmed internal calibration between the AF sensor and image sensor to be incorrect like there is in a DSLR (which has a separate AF sensor in it’s base). However, Nikon has included AF Fine-Tune in their Z6 and Z7 cameras – so why is that, and is it really needed?

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If the camera uses purely contrast-detect AF (CDAF), you wouldn’t need any sort of calibration. CDAF works in the same way as a human focusing a lens – you look at how sharp the image is, and if you’re not satisfied with the sharpness you move the focus point a bit in a random direction and see if it gets sharper or not. You repeat this process until you get a sharp image. This is a closed-loop, iterative process – closed loop means you adjust and then check your result, and iterative means you repeat the process until you’re happy with the outcome. The end focus position is probably about as good as you’re going to get (although you can never be quite sure as you have to adjust the lens to check, which might then mess up the focus!). The down sides are that CDAF is quite slow and requires good light.

Phase-detect AF (PDAF) looks at two paths of light coming to the sensor and with a single measurement can determine both the magnitude (how much you need to adjust the focus) and the direction (towards the camera or towards infinity). So one quick measurement can give you everything you need to know – then you drive the lens the right amount in the right direction and voila, perfect focus…

… not quite. This is an open-loop system. It’s fast, but it relies on your measurement being accurate and the lens doing exactly what you tell it to. When the camera says move x amount in this direction, it assumes that x is the perfect amount, and the lens will correctly move to this point.

So what happens if your lens motor/gearing is a bit worn and doesn’t behave quite the same as it did when it was new? What if the lens mount or lens elements are fractionally misaligned due to manufacturing tolerances or an accidental knock 6 months ago, and the focus isn’t measured quite correctly or the movement of the motor doesn’t quite move the lens element where is should be? These are the sorts of things can result in a fractional offset of the focus position, and an out-of-focus image.

But as long as the focus error is fairly consistent, then AF Fine Tune is your knight in shining armour to get that perfect focus back!

Other mirrorless cameras offering AF Calibration
There are a few other mirrorless cameras which offer AF tuning. Cameras like the Olympus OM-D E-M1 even have the capability to adjust calibration for each individual focus point!

I’ve consistently seen reference to Sony mirrorless support AF Fine-Tune but this isn’t technically correct and I wanted to clarify here. There are a few lens mount adapter available for Sony cameras, and at least 2 of them (LA-EA2 and LA-EA4) use Sony’s “Translucent Mirror” technology and incorporate a PDAF sensor in the base of the adapter. When you use AF Fine Tune on a Sony mirrorless, this adapter PDAF sensor is what you are actually calibrating, so it’s only of use if you’re using one of these specific adapters.
 
I found this Canon switcher to Olympus user site where the question of AF adjust is blog posted.
https://unlockingolympus.com/2017/12/reader-question-should-i-use-af-adjustments-for-m-zuiko-lenses/

He explicitly talks about the need to do so is using 4/3 lenses with a mFT adaptor as that relies on the PDAF rather than the CDAF. And if I understood correctly because Olympus are a tad vague about how the camera may go from CDAF to PDAF there may be a need to Focus Adjust if needed???

Copied this part but do read the whole blog post ;)
"So now we come to mirrorless. When I first started using mirrorless cameras I was amazed that I never felt like my focus was wrong. Nor did I feel compelled due to the images to check my lenses. It all just seemed right. Contrast detect focus works. However, we have cameras like the E-M1 series that also have AF adjustments built in. The E-M1 was touted as the successor to 4/3 SLRs and it is compatible with the excellent lens range. If you are using 4/3 lenses with an adapter, I would absolutely be using a lensalign to adjust focus. I would do so as a whole for all the points together, and not for individual points. No reason to go through all that work. Unless you have some exotic reason that one point needs to front or back focus intentionally. Very rare cases. 4/3 lenses when mounted with the adapter use the phase detect focus exclusively.

Using m.zuiko lenses, or other native m4/3 lenses like panasonic, sigma, etc… there is conventionally no need to use this adjustment. Contrast detect focus is working from the sensor data directly for focus. (most basic explanation) This inherently makes it much more accurate when focus is achieved, and I have never felt or seen a lens not be right if the lens was in proper order. (if you drop a lens and there is a misaligned element, that is totally different) This is also why we can focus these cameras while shooting in infrared and not need to make adjustments. They are shooting based on the live sensor data.

When it comes to on-chip phase detection and contrast af, Olympus provides no data that I am aware of that says how much is one used over the other. Being that it is on-sensor phase detection, it makes me wonder if this form of phase detection is more accurate since it is using the image on the sensor as well I would think. I feel Olympus is using the phase to quickly get to 90% and then fine focus based on contrast. This would eliminate the need to use the adjustments as well. During continuous shooting, I have heard that only phase is used. In this case an adjustment might be merited, but the problem is how would you use a lensalign with continuous autofocus? If the camera switches to contrast when in single autofocus, we have no hard way to test and adjust for pure phase on a native lens. It would be great if we had more insight as to how the autofocus system works.

I might have to give my lens align a try with continuous autofocus and since neither camera nor target move during testing, I wonder if continuous focus would freeze enough to get a proper reading."
 
For what it's worth, page 492 of the E-M1X manual PDF says that whereas it "can fine-tune the phase-detection AF" it warns that doing so "may prevent the camera focussing normally" and that "normally there is no need". I expect this is especially so with current modern Olympus lenses mounted. Certainly I have experienced no need and I have the option switched to Off as advised by an Olympus Visionary. I'll try and remember to raise the question when I next speak with Olympus.
 
FWIW

I have found that Michael Tapes software tool "Focus Tune" does include the E-M1 and its Mk2 brother in the list of supported cameras
https://www.mtdhelp.com/hc/en-us/ar...and-are-Supported-FocusTune-v4-0-22-Jan-2019-

Obviously he is recommending his Lens Align focus target for use with his software but apparently the software like FoCal can be used with more 'homemade' type of targets.....or at least I think that is what the info says ? ;)
 
This mainly seems to affect the Panasonic 100-400 lens I have long suspected something not quite right and the FACT I get different results on my mk1 and mk2 bodies has made me delve deeper .. it’s also fine doing the checks tests on focus scales ,but nothing beats actual field tests . I have a contact on the other side of the world who gets the same results as me so it’s not just a one off .. I’m also hoping to get installed a lightroom plug in for focus points that make any adjustments more accurate . I do stress that this seems to be a problem with just the Panasonic lens .olympus lenses seem to work better straight out of the box it’s not something I would recommend do on every lens .
 
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mazdaman said:
Olympus Pro price increase coming soon to the UK/Europe? Hence me pulling the trigger on the 300mm PRO last night as it was on my list of lenses I intended to purchase $400 (£300ish) price increase on the 300mm seems steep to me.

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/olympus-confirms-price-rise-for-pro-lenses-on-01-february
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FWIW
Here Olympus list the instant discount being offered on a range of lenses
https://shop.olympus.eu/en_GB/promo.html?id=12920&icid=UK-WinterLensSave-2019-Shop-KeyVisual-Banner

Then when you click through to here
https://shop.olympus.eu/en_GB/lenses/om-d-pen-lenses/m-zuiko-digital-ed-300mm-f4-is-pro

The price is already discounted, from which when as it says once in the basket they discount the £225

I can see them in common with other manufacturers having a discount push but to, the day after the promo, to increase the prices by such a marked amount seems a tad odd???
 
" to increase the prices by such a marked amount seems a tad odd" agree if it actually happens for the UK, maybe the US prices have been low for sometime and Olympus are looking to pull prices into line with the rest of the world. The move to from China to Vietnam with an increased cost base would surprise me as it was quoted in the article (I work in manufacturing for a global player our plant network is across the globe and our Vietnam plant has one of the lowest base costs)
 
just done some preliminary testing on static subjects . it hasn't altered the close focus ability . and I use a dog fouling sign on the green opposite the house as a long range tester . there are two posters on it if there readable around 200 metres distant then it seems to have worked ,they are just need some birds to settle at distance now. unfortunately SWMBO has other plans for me so limited today
 
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mazdaman said:
" to increase the prices by such a marked amount seems a tad odd" agree if it actually happens for the UK, maybe the US prices have been low for sometime and Olympus are looking to pull prices into line with the rest of the world. The move to from China to Vietnam with an increased cost base would surprise me as it was quoted in the article (I work in manufacturing for a global player our plant network is across the globe and our Vietnam plant has one of the lowest base costs)
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A price realignment, perhaps, as you say???

Though the webshop I linked is the whole of the EU one i.e. it has separate section per EU country.....

I have just had a look at (as an example) the Belgium page and that shows the promo as 15% off 'everything' but with no similar initially reduced price as per the UK site
https://shop.olympus.eu/fr_BE/objec...lympus-pen/m-zuiko-digital-ed-300mm-f4-is-pro

So, makes me wonder because the Belgium offer runs until 2nd February if the UK offering of slashed prices before the added discount is more to do with Brexit. Having said that with the end date of 2nd February for (an)other EU nation and not the 31st Jan will EU prices go up as inferred in the link you found???

PS just did the calculation on that Euro price of 2399..........take 15% off and then convert to £ gives £1,723.62
So almost equal to the UK figure based on the 'reduced' price minus the £225 equals £1749
A result of Brexit, anyone care to guess what the post 31st Jan prices will be ;) NB I am going to take a screensave of the UK page :LOL:

PPS
I also had a look at a couple of the other EU country pages and it seems that of those I looked at no two are the same in the promotional mixes................and as for the German prices, be pleased we live in the UK :( On the face of the current UK promo is excellent but what next after 31st Jan...........................................................????
 
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