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

cliffG said:
Be aware there is currently a bit of a hoo-har over the change in pricing model with Topaz, charging per year for upgrades instead of free.
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Oh that’s is disappointing. That was a real selling point.

I purchased the Topaz suite when they were on offer as a bundle. I tried them first as my computer is only on the cusp of required specifications. There were a few shots that otherwise would have been binned, so for me I felt it was a worthwhile purchase.

I didn’t think I’d ever use Gigapixel, but a neighbour asked me to help with an old photo for a funeral, and it worked really well on a small, otherwise unprintable file.
 
cliffG said:
I have both Topaz Denoise AI and Sharpen AI and use for most of my shots with the EM1mk2 (and G9), they really do help, but don't always produce a better result than simple C1/LR/PS adjustments, and you do need to not overdo it (must take my own advice here!). I find the denoise can also help when you crop heavily a low ISO shot, but mainly just on the background, as per Tree Sparrow pic.

Be aware there is currently a bit of a hoo-har over the change in pricing model with Topaz, charging per year for upgrades instead of free.

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Cheers yes fully aware of that . Done lots of playing with it so far , as long as it continues to run after I purchase it then hopefully it will be worth buying .
 
Bebop said:
Oh that’s is disappointing. That was a real selling point.

I purchased the Topaz suite when they were on offer as a bundle. I tried them first as my computer is only on the cusp of required specifications. There were a few shots that otherwise would have been binned, so for me I felt it was a worthwhile purchase.

I didn’t think I’d ever use Gigapixel, but a neighbour asked me to help with an old photo for a funeral, and it worked really well on a small, otherwise unprintable file.
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Will take a look at gigapixel bebop
 
cliffG said:
I have both Topaz Denoise AI and Sharpen AI and use for most of my shots with the EM1mk2 (and G9), they really do help, but don't always produce a better result than simple C1/LR/PS adjustments, and you do need to not overdo it (must take my own advice here!). I find the denoise can also help when you crop heavily a low ISO shot, but mainly just on the background, as per Tree Sparrow pic.

Be aware there is currently a bit of a hoo-har over the change in pricing model with Topaz, charging per year for upgrades instead of free.

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just e/mailed there customer services re- this matter ,lets see what they come up with
 
Re changes to the Topaz pricing structure/business model

This as you might image has created a stir (DP Review has a discussion thread) not least on the Topaz community forum here
https://community.topazlabs.com/t/ongoing-product-value-and-paid-upgrades/13299

I first noticed it on DP Review where folk were talking of the email notification, which I had not received, which was new to me!

Personally I do not have a big beef about the change provided they "play fair" in regard to the modus operandi of the way ahead. NB QImage from the outset had their stated new newer model.............though their were interim fixes before the anniversary dates. Photodex Producer on the other hand timed their next major releases to coincide with the next purchase date......and of note Photodex have now ceased business.

In neither of the above examples did the 'in use' versions required registration verification to function, they both had user entered reg codes to work.

I am content that the Topaz products I bought do what I want (subject maybe to any bug fixes to tweak the functionalities) on the images I need them for ~ like all PP'ing the tools used will vary by what the image needs to create the desired output.
 
@Box Brownie I received an email, but you had to click through to see the details - which I have now done, thanks to @cliffG . When it said a change to updating, I thought it meant just the updating and not a new way of paying for them. I think it will be hardest on those who have just 2 pieces of software at $99 for an upgrade. With more, it seems more economic.

I must say I couldn't see how they would finance themselves once they have saturated their market with people buying once, and we can choose at which point we decide we need to upgrade. .
 
@Bebop
I have checked any emails from Topaz and nothing re: pricing policy changes! Out of curiosity, was it a general one "from Topaz" or 'from' Eric Yang the main man???
 
Box Brownie said:
@Bebop
I have checked any emails from Topaz and nothing re: pricing policy changes! Out of curiosity, was it a general one "from Topaz" or 'from' Eric Yang the main man???
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General, but announcement was from Eric Yang. Link clicks through to here - hope that works!
Edit.:I'll forward the email if you PM me your email address if you'd like.
 
interesting reading , I have also noted that when I downloaded my free trial the price was $59.99 it has since jumped just over a week to $79.99 . they have offered to honour the first price but makes me wonder if its the death throes of a company on the edge .. and after reading through the comments in box .b's link it seems i'm not alone . not yet taken it up I have 20 days trial left to look at alternatives ???
 
Bebop said:
General, but announcement was from Eric Yang. Link clicks through to here - hope that works!
Edit.:I'll forward the email if you PM me your email address if you'd like.
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Interestingly, that link goes to the same topaz community thread I posted a link to a few posts above!
 
My these are really good Mike .
Rob
 
Love them and quite an unusual subject.
 
Sootchucker said:
Love them and quite an unusual subject.
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GyRob said:
My these are really good Mike .
Rob
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Thanks

This was a first try out with the 60mm macro that I just bought on TP.

We have then as pets - they are really entertaining to watch.

But are challenging to photograph because they are very unpredictable.
 
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killy said:
This was a first try out with the 60mm macro that I just bought on TP.

We have them as pets - they are really entertaining to watch.

But are challenging to photograph because they are very unpredictable.
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.... Excellent composition and image quality on that first pic at F/14. The second shot demonstrates what DoF the lens delivers at F/11. Dare I say that (imo) these two Olympus images look better than your earlier ones of them on the Nikon.

You must have bought that Oly 60mm Macro which I missed seeing on TP earlier and because I had just bought a new one the day before! It had your name on it rather than mine! :D

I have only done a few test shots so far but it's clear that it's a lens which offers supreme image quality even when not shooting very close up or macro 1:1.
 
I emailed Olympus a few days ago regarding the shutter count resetting itself and I received an interesting reply.

May I please advise, that Olympus does not use a shutter count with our cameras as the majority of people will never wear out their shutter.

You may hear a lot of talk about the service menus, I would not recommend following this up as you may void your warranty and upset the balance within the camera you have.

Wonder how accessing the service menus could damage your camera.
 
jakeblu said:
I emailed Olympus a few days ago regarding the shutter count resetting itself and I received an interesting reply.

May I please advise, that Olympus does not use a shutter count with our cameras as the majority of people will never wear out their shutter.

You may hear a lot of talk about the service menus, I would not recommend following this up as you may void your warranty and upset the balance within the camera you have.

Wonder how accessing the service menus could damage your camera.
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When I first saw reference to accessing the Service Menu(and used it to see what I could read about my Mk2 ;) ) ....................as far as I recall there was a caveat along the lines of 'beware that clicking to access anything not covered by this method could have unknown consequences......................as we have no idea what those other pages are for and the effect of changing anything......'

So I suppose the risk is that you could "brick it"???
 
Has anyone experiences of the 17mm f1.8 ? I have a Sony RX100mk2 as my "travel camera" but i don't like it too much so it never leaves the house. I have a d500 and d600 but these are pretty weighty so was thinking about an e-m10 mk2( again... :coat: I used to have one but sold it as I thought my iphone 11 Pro might suffice but of course it doesnt )

Sooooo, am thinking about the 17mm and maybe a P12-32 for my lightweight set up...
 
The 17mm is really nice in terms of construction, size and ergonomics. I think IQ wise it’s very good rather than exceptional but never disappointing. Depending what your priorities are it might be worth also looking at the panny 14mm, the leica 15mm and the sigma 16mm. The latter is quite big for m4/3 but it’s a cracking lens.
 
Box Brownie said:
When I first saw reference to accessing the Service Menu (and used it to see what I could read about my Mk2 ;) ) ....................as far as I recall there was a caveat along the lines of 'beware that clicking to access anything not covered by this method could have unknown consequences......................as we have no idea what those other pages are for and the effect of changing anything......'

So I suppose the risk is that you could "brick it"???
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.... What or where is this 'Service Menu' they talk about please? Onboard the camera's Menu somewhere?

Not that I want to fiddle with it - When something works I don't mend it! Just curious and always thirsty for knowledge - Knowledge is Power!!! :D
 
jakeblu said:
I emailed Olympus a few days ago regarding the shutter count resetting itself and I received an interesting reply.

May I please advise, that Olympus does not use a shutter count with our cameras as the majority of people will never wear out their shutter.

You may hear a lot of talk about the service menus, I would not recommend following this up as you may void your warranty and upset the balance within the camera you have.

Wonder how accessing the service menus could damage your camera.
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Well this is very confusing as every Olympus camera I've had has recorded the shutter count and is easily accessed via the camera (plenty of info on google). Also why then do their cameras have life expectancy (durability) listed on their very own website if people never wear out the shutter? I think the rep emailing you hasn't got the correct info?

From the EM1-II page.
Screenshot 2020-02-17 at 13.30.40.png
 
damianmkv said:
Has anyone experiences of the 17mm f1.8 ? I have a Sony RX100mk2 as my "travel camera" but i don't like it too much so it never leaves the house. I have a d500 and d600 but these are pretty weighty so was thinking about an e-m10 mk2( again... :coat: I used to have one but sold it as I thought my iphone 11 Pro might suffice but of course it doesnt )

Sooooo, am thinking about the 17mm and maybe a P12-32 for my lightweight set up...
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A full gallery to review the 17mm https://www.mu-43.com/threads/olympus-17mm-f-1-8.38371/
 
RedRobin said:
.... What or where is this 'Service Menu' they talk about please? Onboard the camera's Menu somewhere?

Not that I want to fiddle with it - When something works I don't mend it! Just curious and always thirsty for knowledge - Knowledge is Power!!! :D
Click to expand...

Ah! the power of knowledge ;)

It is all about a specific sequence of pressing various of the buttons on the camera, some of which need to be pressed in a timely manner ~ that then opens access to the service technicians menu of which two pages (as far as I remember) reveal the mechanical shutter count, electronic shutter count, number of shutter with flash fired. All are prefixed with slightly arcane 'titles'?

There are apparently other pages to be seen/found but the 'author' of the method had no insight on what they revealed or indeed what making changes to anything would cause to happen o_O:thinking::oops: :$:oops: :$
 
jerry12953 said:
That's 17mm on full format, I presume? 34mm on m43....?
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other way round..17mm on m43 But yes, 34mm ff equivalent

It’s a tricky one really - I used to have the p12-32 which is great but then there were times when I wanted less DoF, lower iso and then sometimes more reach.. 14-42 EZ I hear people say but 28mm isn’t always wide enough

since getting rid of my m43 gear I’ve found I hardly take any photos as my 16 year old uses both of my Nikons every weekend and I miss photography..

maybe it’s just GAS...
 
snerkler said:
Well this is very confusing as every Olympus camera I've had has recorded the shutter count and is easily accessed via the camera (plenty of info on google). Also why then do their cameras have life expectancy (durability) listed on their very own website if people never wear out the shutter? I think the rep emailing you hasn't got the correct info?

From the EM1-II page.
View attachment 268976
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I'm not sure he was wrong, just that Olympus don't officially record the shutter count and accessing the Service menu is obviously a no-no for them. Actually the fact that my shutter count has been reset, makes me wonder how many others have suffered the same fate and with what degree of reliability we can trust the figure the Service menu . Regarding the life of a shutter, I would imagine there are very few who have actually had them replaced because they have 'worn out' which was the point he was making.
 
damianmkv said:
other way round..17mm on m43 But yes, 34mm ff equivalent

It’s a tricky one really - I used to have the p12-32 which is great but then there were times when I wanted less DoF, lower iso and then sometimes more reach.. 14-42 EZ I hear people say but 28mm isn’t always wide enough

since getting rid of my m43 gear I’ve found I hardly take any photos as my 16 year old uses both of my Nikons every weekend and I miss photography..

maybe it’s just GAS...
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I was interested in this until I realised it would have been the equivalent of 34mm on m43.

https://www.ukdigital.co.uk/laowa-1...rrVHlxKQuVFf5uflfPmN1JSbwxqWQfO8aAvVSEALw_wcB

What lenses do people use for wider than 24mm (12 mm in m43 speak)?
 
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damianmkv said:
Has anyone experiences of the 17mm f1.8 ? I have a Sony RX100mk2 as my "travel camera" but i don't like it too much so it never leaves the house. I have a d500 and d600 but these are pretty weighty so was thinking about an e-m10 mk2( again... :coat: I used to have one but sold it as I thought my iphone 11 Pro might suffice but of course it doesnt )

Sooooo, am thinking about the 17mm and maybe a P12-32 for my lightweight set up...
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I love my little 17mm 1.8. So small and I think mine is pretty sharp. I love having the clutch for manual focusing - with peaking this is brilliant for music events.

I have now bought the 1.2 upgrades of both the 17 and 45 lenses, but will keep the 1.8s for travel and live music events.
 
RedRobin said:
.... What or where is this 'Service Menu' they talk about please? Onboard the camera's Menu somewhere?

Not that I want to fiddle with it - When something works I don't mend it! Just curious and always thirsty for knowledge - Knowledge is Power!!! :D
Click to expand...
This is how I have found the service menu on all my OMD cameras. But, you may want to research it further to see if its the same for the EM1X
 
damianmkv said:
other way round..17mm on m43 But yes, 34mm ff equivalent

It’s a tricky one really - I used to have the p12-32 which is great but then there were times when I wanted less DoF, lower iso and then sometimes more reach.. 14-42 EZ I hear people say but 28mm isn’t always wide enough

since getting rid of my m43 gear I’ve found I hardly take any photos as my 16 year old uses both of my Nikons every weekend and I miss photography..

maybe it’s just GAS...
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Also have a look at the Panasonic 12-60 f/3.5-5.6: IQ is similar or better than the 12-32 and it's still compact and portable. I don't like the Oly 14-42 EZ because it's a powerzoom.

I have the Oly 17 f/1.8 and the Oly 25 f/1.8; for sharpness I would favour the 25 f/1.8.
 
maarten.dhaese said:
Oly 9-18 is very compact and portable and IQ on my copy is very good.

Oly 7-14 f/2.8 is sharper and better built but is expensive and flares easily due to the bulbous front element.
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I was asked last year what I had changed in my landscapes and initially I thought nothing then I realised I had switched from the 9-18 to the Panasonic 8-18 which takes filters and is great quality.
 
alfbranch said:
I was asked last year what I had changed in my landscapes and initially I thought nothing then I realised I had switched from the 9-18 to the Panasonic 8-18 which takes filters and is great quality.
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I bought the Oly wide angles before the Panasonic 8-18 f/2.8-4.0 came out; I might have been tempted to go for the Panasonic 8-18 f/2.8-4.0 over the Oly 7-14 f/2.8 if I had the choice at the time because as you say it takes conventional filters and IQ is supposed to be excellent as well.

There is also the older Panasonic 7-14 f/4.0 lens which is reportedly very good, but it isn't weathersealed.
 
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