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

Hi everyone

So a few months back I asked what would be the next best telephoto zoom lens for me to purchase. I already have the Olympus 12-40 Pro, the Olympus cheapy but good 40-150 mm and now need something that will reach further than that. I have come back to looking at this now I am ready to buy :D... the suggestions were as follows:

Panasonic 100-400
Olympus 75-300 mk ii
Panasonic 100-300

Whilst I am sure that the Panasonic 100-400 would be great at £1200 I don't think I can justify this just yet.
Wex are quoting the Oly 75-300mm at £499 and the Pan 100-300 at £487

Do any of you have any preference out of these two? Are there any other contenders I should be looking at?
Many thanks in advance

Charlotte
 
Hi everyone

So a few months back I asked what would be the next best telephoto zoom lens for me to purchase. I already have the Olympus 12-40 Pro, the Olympus cheapy but good 40-150 mm and now need something that will reach further than that. I have come back to looking at this now I am ready to buy :D... the suggestions were as follows:

Panasonic 100-400
Olympus 75-300 mk ii
Panasonic 100-300

Whilst I am sure that the Panasonic 100-400 would be great at £1 200 I don't think I can justify this just yet.
Wex are quoting the Oly 75-300mm at £499 and the Pan 100-300 at £487

Do any of you have any preference out of these two? Are there any other contenders I should be looking at?
Many thanks in advance

Charlotte

Might depend on what make of body you own Charlotte.
I know the Panasonic 100-300 uses its ois in conjunction with some Panasonic cameras with ibis to give dual is
Quite possible the Olympus would work in a similar way with some of their own brand bodies, not interchangeable though
Any extra stabilisation come in handy especially at longer focal lengths
 
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Hi everyone

So a few months back I asked what would be the next best telephoto zoom lens for me to purchase. I already have the Olympus 12-40 Pro, the Olympus cheapy but good 40-150 mm and now need something that will reach further than that. I have come back to looking at this now I am ready to buy :D... the suggestions were as follows:

Panasonic 100-400
Olympus 75-300 mk ii
Panasonic 100-300

Whilst I am sure that the Panasonic 100-400 would be great at £1200 I don't think I can justify this just yet.
Wex are quoting the Oly 75-300mm at £499 and the Pan 100-300 at £487

Do any of you have any preference out of these two? Are there any other contenders I should be looking at?
Many thanks in advance

Charlotte

The Panasonic 100-300 mkII is what I'd go for. I had the mk1 and it was alright, bit sluggish at the longer end and wasn't weather sealed like the mkII - it also has dual IS for Panasonic cameras, this won't matter to you but for the better build quality, WR and nippier AF it's a decent upgrade over the mk1. If you don't mind buying grey, have a look at HDEW, they have the mkII new for £435: https://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/panasonic-g-vario-100-300mm-f4-56-ii-ois-7928-p.asp
 
Sorry I have An Olympus EM5 Mk ii

Either option, the Oly 75-300 or the Pany 100-300 mkII will be just fine on there, they are pretty light lenses considering the focal length. You get a little more width at the short end with the Olympus but I'd prefer to have the extra light at 300. I doubt there's much in it optically though so personal preference, both are pretty good for wildlife - neither are up there with the 100-400 but they are 1/3rd the money so you wouldn't expect them to be.
 
Sorry I don't really know what this means :( ?

The camera body (later ones in the case of Panasonic) has stabilisation as does the lens, when used together they combine and make the stabilisation even more effective.
Only works brand like for like, so both body and lens have to be the same make
 
The camera body (later ones in the case of Panasonic) has stabilisation as does the lens, when used together they combine and make the stabilisation even more effective.
Only works brand like for like, so both body and lens have to be the same make

Ahhh ok understood - thanks for explaining :)

Either option, the Oly 75-300 or the Pany 100-300 mkII will be just fine on there, they are pretty light lenses considering the focal length. You get a little more width at the short end with the Olympus but I'd prefer to have the extra light at 300. I doubt there's much in it optically though so personal preference, both are pretty good for wildlife - neither are up there with the 100-400 but they are 1/3rd the money so you wouldn't expect them to be.

Thanks for this - yes i think weight is an important factor for me as I want to take it hiking and this i why I went for the 4/3 setup in the first place. I need to practice with this range and then if warranted I can move up to the 100-400 mm. I have the 40-150 mm but I still shoot 85% on my pro 12-40 mm which i love, :) so this is to have that extra option but I prob won't use it a huge deal at first. It was thanks to everyone on here that I bought my pro lens at the get-go and I am so glad I did. :)

Ok Panasonic it is..... if I buy from Hdew it is still under guarantee etc right? I probably wouldn't bother with grey for a camera body as living abroad it would be expensive to send back but I may consider it for a lens.

Thanks again
 
Ahhh ok understood - thanks for explaining :)



Thanks for this - yes i think weight is an important factor for me as I want to take it hiking and this i why I went for the 4/3 setup in the first place. I need to practice with this range and then if warranted I can move up to the 100-400 mm. I have the 40-150 mm but I still shoot 85% on my pro 12-40 mm which i love, :) so this is to have that extra option but I prob won't use it a huge deal at first. It was thanks to everyone on here that I bought my pro lens at the get-go and I am so glad I did. :)

Ok Panasonic it is..... if I buy from Hdew it is still under guarantee etc right? I probably wouldn't bother with grey for a camera body as living abroad it would be expensive to send back but I may consider it for a lens.

Thanks again

You get a one year manufacturer's warranty, also the usual 14-day return policy if you're not satisfied with the product. Many people on here have used them and I've never seen any horror stories, they are legit. The lens may be in a white box, depending ... but other than that it will include all extras [hood, pouch, manual, caps] it'll be exactly what you pay more for elsewhere.
 
Ahhh ok understood - thanks for explaining :)



Thanks for this - yes i think weight is an important factor for me as I want to take it hiking and this i why I went for the 4/3 setup in the first place. I need to practice with this range and then if warranted I can move up to the 100-400 mm. I have the 40-150 mm but I still shoot 85% on my pro 12-40 mm which i love, :) so this is to have that extra option but I prob won't use it a huge deal at first. It was thanks to everyone on here that I bought my pro lens at the get-go and I am so glad I did. :)

Ok Panasonic it is..... if I buy from Hdew it is still under guarantee etc right? I probably wouldn't bother with grey for a camera body as living abroad it would be expensive to send back but I may consider it for a lens.

Thanks again

Am I right in saying you are in Switzerland, Charlotte?

if so, how about this from Ebay UK https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SALE-Pan...544682&hash=item2ab105aeaa:g:s0gAAOSw0BdbZDRQ
Keep seeing lenses and cameras that are using Switzerland as the location, presumably no taxes for you
No idea what they are like for warranty etc, but feedback looks ok
 
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Hi everyone

So a few months back I asked what would be the next best telephoto zoom lens for me to purchase. I already have the Olympus 12-40 Pro, the Olympus cheapy but good 40-150 mm and now need something that will reach further than that. I have come back to looking at this now I am ready to buy :D... the suggestions were as follows:

Panasonic 100-400
Olympus 75-300 mk ii
Panasonic 100-300

Whilst I am sure that the Panasonic 100-400 would be great at £1200 I don't think I can justify this just yet.
Wex are quoting the Oly 75-300mm at £499 and the Pan 100-300 at £487

Do any of you have any preference out of these two? Are there any other contenders I should be looking at?
Many thanks in advance

Charlotte
There's a reason that the Panny 100-400m is much more expensive, it is (imo) a much better lens all round. I've owned the 75-300mm and 100-300mm (both first gens) and now have the 100-400mm which I bought from HDEW for just over £900. The 100-400mm has more reach, is better optically and has better AF. The 75-300mm and 100-300mm both infuriated me at the long end as they do hunt a lot.

That being said there are two downsides to the 100-400mm. Firstly it's the cost, it's by no means a cheap lens even if buying grey. Secondly, whilst it's very light for a lens with 800mm effective reach, it is noticeably heavier than the 100-300mm and 75-300mm. My 100-400mm replaced my FF Tamron 150-600mm and so find the weight a godsend, however if you've never used big lenses before you might find it quite heavy. Also I use mine on the EM1-II, with the EM5-II you might not find it so well suited. A grip would help with this though.
 
Had a frustrating day today with the EM1.2. Out on a dog walk decided to try and take some photos of Nelly, our dog but had pretty much no success at all. I suppose it didnt help that the light was poor so camera was set at iso1600 giving a shutter speed of 1,600 and aperture of 5.6 on the panny 45-175 which was at full zoom. Whilst she might not look it she's a very fast dog. I've posted 3 of what was over 100 shots with these being the sharpest but they are by no means sharp

nellyrun-2.jpgnellyrun-3.jpgnellyrun-4.jpg

I had CAF Tracking selected and L continuous framerate.
 
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Had a frustrating day today with the EM1.2. Out on a dog walk decided to try and take some photos of Nelly, our dog but had pretty much no success at all. I suppose it didnt help that the light was poor so camera was set at iso1600 giving a shutter speed of 1,600 and aperture of 5.6 on the panny 45-175 which was at full zoom. Whilst she might not look it she's a very fast dog. I've posted 3 of what was over 100 shots with these been the sharpest but they are by no means sharp

I had CAF Tracking selected and L continuous framerate.

Hi Steve try using CAF instead of CAF + TR. Keep the L continuous framerate.. CAF+TR doesn't always work well and when it works I've noticed that it seems to "lag" for want of a better word - the tracking works but the subject is ever so slightly OOF. I have had some good results with it but CAF without anything else (incl. face detection) is much more reliable.

Also have you fine-tuned the CAF settings? I have made the following changes on my out of the box setup:

CAF Tracking Sensitivity +2 (instead of 0 out of the box) - this made a big difference in my CAF performance
AF Scanner Mode 2 (instead of Mode 1 out of the box)

Alternatively, for moving subjects in the far distance (close to or at infinity focus), I think SAF with a single small focus point might work better.
 
Who says you can’t do shallow DOF with M43. This is one of my first shots with my new EM1X using my 40-150 F2.8 Pro wide open. Straight out of camera jpeg - no editing whatsoever.



Beautiful capture and K9 how you liking the new camera ? I’m guessing that why your Fooj kit has been sold ?
I’m really happy with Fuji gear I have and I do enjoy my Olympus kit but some of it has to go :( keeping 5 systems is ludicrous even to me !
 
Had a frustrating day today with the EM1.2. Out on a dog walk decided to try and take some photos of Nelly, our dog but had pretty much no success at all. I suppose it didnt help that the light was poor so camera was set at iso1600 giving a shutter speed of 1,600 and aperture of 5.6 on the panny 45-175 which was at full zoom. Whilst she might not look it she's a very fast dog. I've posted 3 of what was over 100 shots with these being the sharpest but they are by no means sharp

View attachment 239207View attachment 239208View attachment 239209

I had CAF Tracking selected and L continuous framerate.
Couple of things, did you mean shutter 1/1600? ISO 1600 at 1/1600 and f5.6 doesn't sound 'that bad' light, although of course not great either.

The other thing is did you have it in Continuous Hi or Continuous Lo? Are you aware that in Continuous Hi focus is set at the start and doesn't change?
 
Couple of things, did you mean shutter 1/1600? ISO 1600 at 1/1600 and f5.6 doesn't sound 'that bad' light, although of course not great either.

The other thing is did you have it in Continuous Hi or Continuous Lo? Are you aware that in Continuous Hi focus is set at the start and doesn't change?
Yeah all the shots were with the shutter at 1/1,600 and the ISO at 1600. It wasn't a bright and sunny day unfortunately which is why the ISO was so high. I had Continuous L set.
Hi Steve try using CAF instead of CAF + TR. Keep the L continuous framerate.. CAF+TR doesn't always work well and when it works I've noticed that it seems to "lag" for want of a better word - the tracking works but the subject is ever so slightly OOF. I have had some good results with it but CAF without anything else (incl. face detection) is much more reliable.

Also have you fine-tuned the CAF settings? I have made the following changes on my out of the box setup:

CAF Tracking Sensitivity +2 (instead of 0 out of the box) - this made a big difference in my CAF performance
AF Scanner Mode 2 (instead of Mode 1 out of the box)

Alternatively, for moving subjects in the far distance (close to or at infinity focus), I think SAF with a single small focus point might work better.

Thanks Maarten. It could be a technique problem on my part, but I have photos from my Canon 50D of BIF and my dogs running around and they're perfectly sharp. Although that was around 10m years ago! I found CAF +TR couldn't keep up with my dog and would often lose her but like I mentioned, she is fast.

I haven't changed the tracking sensitivity so that will be my next action. I'm guessing that changing the settings will only effect CAF+TR and not just CAF?

To be honest, its not something I take a lot of photos of, but I bought this camera so I could keep up with the grandkids and the occasional BIF.
 
Yeah all the shots were with the shutter at 1/1,600 and the ISO at 1600. It wasn't a bright and sunny day unfortunately which is why the ISO was so high. I had Continuous L set.


Thanks Maarten. It could be a technique problem on my part, but I have photos from my Canon 50D of BIF and my dogs running around and they're perfectly sharp. Although that was around 10m years ago! I found CAF +TR couldn't keep up with my dog and would often lose her but like I mentioned, she is fast.

I haven't changed the tracking sensitivity so that will be my next action. I'm guessing that changing the settings will only effect CAF+TR and not just CAF?

To be honest, its not something I take a lot of photos of, but I bought this camera so I could keep up with the grandkids and the occasional BIF.
I’ve not taken pics of a dog running around but I did manage BIF pretty easily using the 100-400mm (and 300mm f4 when I tried that) so maybe the 45-175mm isn’t great in this scenario?

With regards to the tracking sensitivity doesn’t that just change how quickly it will change focus if your AF point moves off the subject?
 
I’ve not taken pics of a dog running around but I did manage BIF pretty easily using the 100-400mm (and 300mm f4 when I tried that) so maybe the 45-175mm isn’t great in this scenario?

With regards to the tracking sensitivity doesn’t that just change how quickly it will change focus if your AF point moves off the subject?
I had wondered regarding the lens, which is why I was considering the 12-100. Not as much reach but a far better lens for IQ.
 
Yeah all the shots were with the shutter at 1/1,600 and the ISO at 1600. It wasn't a bright and sunny day unfortunately which is why the ISO was so high. I had Continuous L set.


Thanks Maarten. It could be a technique problem on my part, but I have photos from my Canon 50D of BIF and my dogs running around and they're perfectly sharp. Although that was around 10m years ago! I found CAF +TR couldn't keep up with my dog and would often lose her but like I mentioned, she is fast.

I haven't changed the tracking sensitivity so that will be my next action. I'm guessing that changing the settings will only effect CAF+TR and not just CAF?

To be honest, its not something I take a lot of photos of, but I bought this camera so I could keep up with the grandkids and the occasional BIF.

Apologies it's called CAF Sensitivity and it does affect CAF and CAF+TR as far as I understand it.

When I first got the EM1.2 I was pretty disappointed with the CAF performance as compared to the EM1.1. That changed dramatically when I turned CAF Sensitivity to +2 and I have left it at that setting since. Some more reading on this:

https://www.mu-43.com/threads/e-m1-ii-c-af-sensitivity-is-2-almost-always-best.97112/

Another consideration is that your lens is at f/5.6 so that might make it more difficult for CAF as well but I would first change CAF Sensitivity to +2 before worrying about anything else. Also use the 9-point or 5-point focus patch with CAF.

Also, do you have the latest firmware installed on the camera? That could make a difference as well.
 
Apologies it's called CAF Sensitivity and it does affect CAF and CAF+TR as far as I understand it.

When I first got the EM1.2 I was pretty disappointed with the CAF performance as compared to the EM1.1. That changed dramatically when I turned CAF Sensitivity to +2 and I have left it at that setting since. Some more reading on this:

https://www.mu-43.com/threads/e-m1-ii-c-af-sensitivity-is-2-almost-always-best.97112/

Another consideration is that your lens is at f/5.6 so that might make it more difficult for CAF as well but I would first change CAF Sensitivity to +2 before worrying about anything else. Also use the 9-point or 5-point focus patch with CAF.

Also, do you have the latest firmware installed on the camera? That could make a difference as well.

Maarten

Thanks for your insight and that linked discussion thread.

I was / still using the C-AF sensitivity settings based on Steve Bourne's advice about BiF photography with the E-M1.2 where the sensitivity choice depended on clear background compared to a cluttered one that if your AF point(s) slip off of the subject the AF will switch too quickly to the background if the sensitivity is set too high!

I will have a good read of that linked thread :)
 
I had wondered regarding the lens, which is why I was considering the 12-100. Not as much reach but a far better lens for IQ.

I've not used the 45-175, thought about buying it in the past just for the garden birds, and for casual river walk wildlife - I never get involved with anything like BIF, don't need that frustration in my life! :D But, if it's anything like the 100-300 mk1, which I did own and I think from about the same era, then I'm not surprised it struggles with faster moving subjects. We have cats here and I wouldn't even try get action shots of them in the garden using the 100-300. The 12-100 would eat it alive I imagine, but as you say bit short for anything above general shooting. Would you not be better off going for a 40-150 2.8? if you tend to require a little reach more often? Just use a small prime for anything besides. Just a thought. It wouldn't be any more expensive.
 
Any real world with the Viltrox adapter on the EM series? Struggling to get good AF with it on my canon Lens!!
 
Here's the info from one of those links. Interesting, I normally like my AF to hold focus on moving things especially erratic ones as it's easy to 'slip off' the subject, however Olympus recommend using +2 which changes quickly. Maybe it therefore works differently to what I believe Nikon do (which I'm used to) and that 'locking' the focus not only locks onto the subject it does this by not changing focus quickly so with subjects moving side to side it's OK, but with things moving too and from the camera it doesn't change quickly enough. Just a thought, I'll try it at some point.

C-AF Sensitivity.jpg
 
Apologies it's called CAF Sensitivity and it does affect CAF and CAF+TR as far as I understand it.

When I first got the EM1.2 I was pretty disappointed with the CAF performance as compared to the EM1.1. That changed dramatically when I turned CAF Sensitivity to +2 and I have left it at that setting since. Some more reading on this:

https://www.mu-43.com/threads/e-m1-ii-c-af-sensitivity-is-2-almost-always-best.97112/

Another consideration is that your lens is at f/5.6 so that might make it more difficult for CAF as well but I would first change CAF Sensitivity to +2 before worrying about anything else. Also use the 9-point or 5-point focus patch with CAF.

Also, do you have the latest firmware installed on the camera? That could make a difference as well.

Thanks for the link Maarten, I'm going to look at my CAF sensitivity setting later today. But, I'm beginning to wonder now if my lens is the limiting factor. When you say f5.6 might make it more difficult, do you mean it's not wide enough, or too wide?

.......I was / still using the C-AF sensitivity settings based on Steve Bourne's advice about BiF photography with the E-M1.2 where the sensitivity choice depended on clear background compared to a cluttered one that if your AF point(s) slip off of the subject the AF will switch too quickly to the background if the sensitivity is set too high!.......
I read the Scott Bourne link provided in one of the posts. It seems a lot of faffing to have to change when time may be critical. I know there are the custom settings but using up at least two of them on CAF seems a little limiting for other non CAF custom settings.
 
......Would you not be better off going for a 40-150 2.8? if you tend to require a little reach more often? Just use a small prime for anything besides. Just a thought. It wouldn't be any more expensive.

The 12-40 and the 40-150 f2.8 would be my ideal setup. I doubt for most things I would need anything longer. Financial constraints though means its not gonna happen anytime soon. :(
 
Thanks for the link Maarten, I'm going to look at my CAF sensitivity setting later today. But, I'm beginning to wonder now if my lens is the limiting factor. When you say f5.6 might make it more difficult, do you mean it's not wide enough, or too wide?

My understanding is that having a f/2.8 lens would be better as the camera would be getting four times the amount of light as compared to a f/5.6 lens to feed into the AF system, so f/5.6 might not be "wide enough" in that sense. Having said that if you're out on a sunny day there should be plenty of light even at f/5.6.

Again, I wouldn't worry too much about this until you've tried CAF Sensitivity +2 and CAF without tracking and without face detection. If that does not increase your keeper rate, it might point to the lens also being a limiting factor.
 
My understanding is that having a f/2.8 lens would be better as the camera would be getting four times the amount of light as compared to a f/5.6 lens to feed into the AF system, so f/5.6 might not be "wide enough" in that sense. Having said that if you're out on a sunny day there should be plenty of light even at f/5.6.

Again, I wouldn't worry too much about this until you've tried CAF Sensitivity +2 and CAF without tracking and without face detection. If that does not increase your keeper rate, it might point to the lens also being a limiting factor.
Aperture certainly does affect focus speed as you say, for example the 100-400mm at 400mm (f6.3) does hunt a bit more than at 350mm or whatever it is when it drops down to f5.6. That being said I've never had any issues at f5.6 (y)
 
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I've noticed that my EM1-II gets warm when I've used it for a while, nothing too alarming and nothing like iPhones can get, but I've never had a camera get warm before. I thought it was the LCD screen but if I flick that out the warmth seems to be coming from the back of the camera itself. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm guessing it could be the new bigger battery, 'new' sensor, or maybe improved IBIS?
 
I've noticed that my EM1-II gets warm when I've used it for a while, nothing too alarming and nothing like iPhones can get, but I've never had a camera get warm before. I thought it was the LCD screen but if I flick that out the warmth seems to be coming from the back of the camera itself. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm guessing it could be the new bigger battery, 'new' sensor, or maybe improved IBIS?
I expect its the CPU. CPU heat is a common factor. And heat dissipation affects camera design decisions. The EM1 mk 2 has amazing processing speeds which will generate a lot more heat than previous EMs.
 
I found this link referenced over at DP Review

Enjoy and more than likely for us wildlife (wannabe ;) ) photographers..................especially those with GAS :LOL:
http://www.sulasula.com/en/olympus-e-m1x-autofocus-birds-in-flight/

That guy is exceptionally good, he really makes the Olympus cameras 'sing' as they say. Of course it helps he goes to some great locations with some glorious wildlife, and he says himself the pelicans here are well used to people and let you get really close - like that 8mm close up. Love that one :)
 
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