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

I know a lot of us that still use olympus (seems to be diminishing on here) also use topaz de-noise for p/p however since getting the mk3 body and getting out again I began to wonder why my results were sub par and wondering if I had done the right thing .. anyway had a special offer come through from topaz this morning to upgrade (mine lapsed in feb.) so I bit the bullet luckily I had done a couple yesterday that were sub par for posting so I had a good comparison . shot 1 is yesterdays shot two is after upgrade
foraging by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr

foraging 2 by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
 
I know a lot of us that still use olympus (seems to be diminishing on here) also use topaz de-noise for p/p however since getting the mk3 body and getting out again I began to wonder why my results were sub par and wondering if I had done the right thing .. anyway had a special offer come through from topaz this morning to upgrade (mine lapsed in feb.) so I bit the bullet luckily I had done a couple yesterday that were sub par for posting so I had a good comparison . shot 1 is yesterdays shot two is after upgrade
foraging by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr

foraging 2 by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr

.... Dare I say that I prefer shot1 pre-upgrade. But I'm not a great Topaz fan either way and am happy being back with Imageonic Noiseware and sharpening independently.

ON1 are about to launch NoNoise AI which claims to be better than any other ever released! Marketing hype probably - I wasn't especially impressed by their video demo.
 
@theblackfox how is the rubber on your II? Im wondering it I should send mine in, but I guess I should ask you in two years time to see if it has come unstuck again!
 
@theblackfox how is the rubber on your II? Im wondering it I should send mine in, but I guess I should ask you in two years time to see if it has come unstuck again!
all came back o.k ,its now redundant though as I bought a new mkiii from h.dew at a super price with 3 year u.k warranty .. if the rubbers go on that I will order plastic replacement grips from Australia
 
They just normal sized wristbands Alby .. avaiable from where ?
 
I got them from Amazon, J&R Wristbands, adult size.
they all the same size as the lens end and hood are different diameters ? do they stretch ?
 
Well, my how time flies since I posted any images to share....................

However, I now have my new M1X and only just got round to trying it out with my 300mm f4 and the x2 TC

The combo is a bit of beast as the FoV is so narrow and my muscle tone ain't what it used to be :LOL:

These first two images are of some plants in the garden in S-AF and shutter priority and for added stability I was leaning against the kitchen door frame.

This is the full frame at approx 16ft away
FullFRame_LBX0071.jpg

This is a cropped version of the above
Cropped_LBX0071.jpg

Again full frame and the plant was about 20feet away?
FullFrame_LBX0078.jpg

Again cropped
Cropped_LBX0078.jpg

I also wanted try the C-AF on the few garden birds about and I typically use a 3x3 or 5x5 AF target but found that I had too cluttered a FoV so the AF was non too settled...................so tried C-AF (Tr) with Bird Ai Detection.

My initial attempts were mixed as the Bird AI tended to jump around the target frame and was 'uncertain'. I then recalled something I had read at DP Review forum that it was best to set the C-AF sensitivity to +2 and that settled it down very nicely (based on my limited usage and so far trying)

This first Starling was on my immediate neighbours roof

Full Frame
FullFrame_LBX0153.jpg

And cropped

Cropped_LBX0153.jpg

Next I tried on a Starling on a chimney top across the road..............I tried again with C-AF and it was never quite in focus likely due the fact I was not managing to hold the combo steady enough with the 5x5 target so the C-AF was not holding/locking on the bird. In S-AF it looked AOK by comparison.

So back to the Bird AI and it 'held on the bird' but just as I was giving up on the bird flying (I was hoping for a BiF shot) it took off and frankly I kind of mashed the shutter and the Bird AI acquired the bird giving me this.....

Full Frame


FullFrame_LBX0242.jpg

And cropped to 'taste'
Cropped_LBX0242.jpg


Suffice to say I have far from mastered the combo and I think at least in the field I might need at least my monopod...............but just maybe the combo will work best when tripod mounted i.e. my x1.4 TC perhaps will see more use than the x2 TC ???

Having said that I intend to take it for a wander around the nearby lake soonish, though a few weeks back there was little by way of waterfowl to be seen :(
 
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Well, my how time flies since I posted any images to share....................

However, I now have my new M1X and only just got round to trying it out with my 300mm f4 and the x2 TC

The combo is a bit of beast as the FoV is so narrow and my muscle tone ain't what it used to be :LOL:

These first two images are of some plants in the garden in S-AF and shutter priority and for added stability I was leaning against the kitchen door frame.

This is the full frame at approx 16ft away
View attachment 319245

This is a cropped version of the above
View attachment 319246

Again full frame and the plant was about 20feet away?
View attachment 319247

Again cropped
View attachment 319248

I also wanted try the C-AF on the few garden birds about and I typically use a 3x3 or 5x5 AF target but found that I had too cluttered a FoV so the AF was non too settled...................so tried C-AF (Tr) with Bird Ai Detection.

My initial attempts were mixed as the Bird AI tended to jump around the target frame and was 'uncertain'. I then recalled something I had read at DP Review forum that it was best to set the C-AF sensitivity to +2 and that settled it down very nicely (based on my limited usage and so far trying)

This first Starling was on my immediate neighbours roof

Full Frame
View attachment 319249

And cropped

View attachment 319250

Next I tried on a Starling on a chimney top across the road..............I tried again with C-AF and it was never quite in focus likely due the fact I was not managing to hold the combo steady enough with the 5x5 target so the C-AF was not holding/locking on the bird. In S-AF it looked AOK by comparison.

So back to the Bird AI and it 'held on the bird' but just as I was giving up on the bird flying (I was hoping for a BiF shot) it took off and frankly I kind of mashed the shutter and the Bird AI acquired the bird giving me this.....

Full Frame


View attachment 319251

And cropped to 'taste'
View attachment 319252


Suffice to say I have far from mastered the combo and I think at least in the field I might need at least my monopod...............but just maybe the combo will work best when tripod mounted i.e. my x1.4 TC perhaps will see more use than the x2 TC ???

Having said that I intend to take it for a wander around the nearby lake soonish, though a few weeks back there was little by way of waterfowl to be seen :(
Thanks for sharing your first thoughts. It makes me feel vaguely better about recently using a monopod or tripod with my EM1iii with the 300 + 1.4 extender on it. It's ok to briefly hold it, but if I am staying really still, trying not to be detected by the wildlife, my muscles aren't up to it :ROFLMAO: I do find it a bit unwieldy though and would prefer to hand hold if I could.

The bird AF appears to have nailed the focus on the starling - looks like a situation where Pro Capture would be useful too. Can the Em1x do both at the same time?

I quite fancy a 2x extender.... and an Em1x :)
 
Thanks for sharing your first thoughts. It makes me feel vaguely better about recently using a monopod or tripod with my EM1iii with the 300 + 1.4 extender on it. It's ok to briefly hold it, but if I am staying really still, trying not to be detected by the wildlife, my muscles aren't up to it :ROFLMAO: I do find it a bit unwieldy though and would prefer to hand hold if I could.

The bird AF appears to have nailed the focus on the starling - looks like a situation where Pro Capture would be useful too. Can the Em1x do both at the same time?

I quite fancy a 2x extender.... and an Em1x :)

I suppose the potential to use a monopod when needed is a bit like the camera itself........ i.e. versatility.

Re: using Bird AI with ProCap, I don't recall that being mentioned anywhere so your question is an interesting one. I'll have to get back to you on that one :thinking:
 
Yes they stretch, the one covering the screws is a good fit and the hood ones need a good stretch. ;)
Just ordered ,many thanks will neaten it up
 
What have you set the 2 buttons on the front of your camera between the grip and lens to? Mine are; one touch white balance and depth of field preview. I'm sure there are better uses for them.
 
not yet done any programming on my mkiii not yet had enough decent weather to settle on what works best
 
I suppose the potential to use a monopod when needed is a bit like the camera itself........ i.e. versatility.

Re: using Bird AI with ProCap, I don't recall that being mentioned anywhere so your question is an interesting one. I'll have to get back to you on that one :thinking:

@Bebop and @RedRobin

I have done a quick test of using ProCap Lo and C-AF (Tr) Bird AI in combination.

This/these observations are far from definitive or conclusive.

Yes, they can be run together.

Using the BBF to "AF Start" the Bird AI did its thing of locating and 'holding' on to the bird (I should test C-AF (Tr) without Bird AI 'on') and the half press of the shutter button started ProCap running.

In the case of a bird just flexing & stretching (I was hoping it was about to fly) ~ IMO normal C-AF would have been more useful................but as mentioned I was waiting for a flight/take-off.

I also managed with a rest to take off.....................as the bird leaves the perch so quickly I was not 100% sure that the Bird AI actually tracked the bird (i.e. I could not discern the green target frame moving to cover the bird???) Again , as above based on using the Mk2 with ProCap and C-AF, that may be a better choice. Though being able to accurately track the bird would be a big bonus hence maybe standard C-AF & Tr might keep up with the rapid take-off and initial flight.

Todays weather the back garden birds being too few did not give me enough chances to try out a broader range of settings :(

PS thinking about it............. I should setup 3 almost identical custom sets with the prime difference being one each @:-
C-AF
C-AF(Tr)
C-AF(Tr) & Bird AI
NB with/without ProCapLo ???

Reachable from S-AF and using 'allocated custom set buttons to toggle "sets".
 
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@Bebop and @RedRobin

I have done a quick test of using ProCap Lo and C-AF (Tr) Bird AI in combination.

This/these observations are far from definitive or conclusive.

Yes, they can be run together.

Using the BBF to "AF Start" the Bird AI did its thing of locating and 'holding' on to the bird (I should test C-AF (Tr) without Bird AI 'on') and the half press of the shutter button started ProCap running.

In the case of a bird just flexing & stretching (I was hoping it was about to fly) ~ IMO normal C-AF would have been more useful................but as mentioned I was waiting for a flight/take-off.

I also managed with a rest to take off.....................as the bird leaves the perch so quickly I was not 100% sure that the Bird AI actually tracked the bird (i.e. I could not discern the green target frame moving to cover the bird???) Again , as above based on using the Mk2 with ProCap and C-AF, that may be a better choice. Though being able to accurately track the bird would be a big bonus hence maybe standard C-AF & Tr might keep up with the rapid take-off and initial flight.

Todays weather the back garden birds being too few did not give me enough chances to try out a broader range of settings :(

PS thinking about it............. I should setup 3 almost identical custom sets with the prime difference being one each @:-
C-AF
C-AF(Tr)
C-AF(Tr) & Bird AI
NB with/without ProCapLo ???

Reachable from S-AF and using 'allocated custom set buttons to toggle "sets".
Thanks for that - that is interesting and makes it even more powerful (and desirable). There are so many combinations aren't there?

At one point on my EM1iii I set the Lens function button to switch to Custom setting 1 (which I had set up with C-Af + Tr) so that I could quickly go from C-Af to C-Af with tracking. Currently I've been playing with using it to limit focus distance - less useful to me I think though.
 
got a trip to the tip of anglesey planned for weds ,hopefully getting terns flying across the sea so set mine to cluster points to see how that works .. also programmed the lower front button to turn the live ND on and off .. plenty to play with so far
 
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I have noticed mention on DP Review that the Panny G9 is due to get some significant AF improvements in an upcoming (in June) firmware update.....

I wonder OM-DS are due to respond with some improvements(?) in the Mk3 and the M1X ??? It would be welcome by all I am sure :)
 
Oh yes please
 
some terns from todays long trip out .. if im honest I have to say I haven't yet gelled with the mkiii and done a total reset tonight but plod on regardless
all tern up by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
 
@Bebop

Re: combined usage of Pro Cap Low & Bird AI

I have now found a site where they have used the combo to good effect. Currently reading and digesting.......


And this one where he emphasises it as his primary BiF method now.


Looks like I will need to get checking and trying more for myself.

PS @RedRobin just a heads up as possibly of interest :)
 
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@Bebop

Re: combined usage of Pro Cap Low & Bird AI

I have now found a site where they have used the combo to good effect. Currently reading and digesting.......


And this one where he emphasises it as his primary BiF method now.


Looks like I will need to get checking and trying more for myself.

PS @RedRobin just a heads up as possibly of interest :)
That’s really interesting. Thanks for sharing. Looks worthwhile. I’ve been using Pro Capture L a bit more often recently.

I notice he is at f/9 for some of the shots - is that wide open at f/6.3 at full extent with the extender on, or one stop in? I try never to go past f/8. Perhaps I should!

edit - reading the comments he says he shoots wide open and doesn’t use back button focusing.
 
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I would think that f9 is the 100-400 +1.4 tc that’s wide open for that combo
 
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I don't think it would work as well as hoped. The chicks hear something and think they are about to be fed and stretch up to the nest box hole.

I had been watching my Great Tit box but was unable to stop this. just ordered some guards

windhager-predator-protection-for-birdhouses-1-pc-883652-en by Mike Killelea, on Flickr

woopecker predetor plus slow motion edit by Mike Killelea, on Flickr

I have not seen that design of 'protector' before but does look like am excellent one compared to the standard plate reinforcement type.
 
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