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

I reckon I could give oly a go again. Love see some low light high ISO from some u guys pls [emoji108]
 
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rookies said:
I reckon I could give oly a go again. Love see some low light high ISO from some u guys pls [emoji108]
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It's worth bearing in mind that high ISO is needed less often on Olympus cameras thanks to IBIS. If you have a moving subject, obviously you have little choice but for other stuff I often find myself shooting at base ISO for comically long shutter speeds handheld. Really helps keep images clean without the faff of a tripod.

This isn't the best photo ever, I accept but it's a good demonstration of how well the IBIS works with even the most ham fisted of operators. 1/6 at ISO 200, 12mm. I've had reasonable success right down to 1/2s.


IBIS sixth by gad-westy on Talk Photography
 
Greats images there folks.
 
That looks ace. With this live comp do we have to set it up by telling it how long etc or does the camera does it all?
 
you have to set the base exposure time, i think the minimum is 1/2 second
 
rookies said:
That looks ace. With this live comp do we have to set it up by telling it how long etc or does the camera does it all?
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You just set the base exposure time, which I think is anywhere between 0.5 and 30 seconds (set your aperture and ISO to whatever you like depending on the scene), it asks you to press the shutter once, which records an image for that set amount of time for noise reduction purposes, then press the shutter again and let it run.

The beauty, as with Live Time, is that it updates the LCD screen with the image at that point every single time your base exposure time elapses (i.e. every 4 seconds), then carries on. So you can check on its progress whenever you like, then just hit the shutter one final time to finish. It's also silent, unlike a DSLR on intervalometer timing, so doesn't attract my cat, which is a bonus!

You can leave it for up to 3 hours. I forgot and went to bed last night, remembered just before I fell asleep and went and retrieved my camera from the garden!

It's really easy to use and very intuitive. I arrived in London on Saturday having never used it or read up on it and just fired away.
 
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I was doing light painting with some other photographers, most of whom had DSLRs. They were all wowed, and crowded around my camera watching the live time display build up on the screen. I guess DLSRs dont have it.
 
ianp5a said:
I was doing light painting with some other photographers, most of whom had DSLRs. They were all wowed, and crowded around my camera watching the live time display build up on the screen. I guess DLSRs dont have it.
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Nope though I cannot see why some these features haven't been pinched for live view on DSLR's. I can't see any particular reason why not.
 
gad-westy said:
Nope though I cannot see why some these features haven't been pinched for live view on DSLR's. I can't see any particular reason why not.
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I'm more surprised they haven't appeared on other mirrorless cameras yet. Maybe Olympus have some very good patent lawyers.
 
ukaskew said:
I'm more surprised they haven't appeared on other mirrorless cameras yet. Maybe Olympus have some very good patent lawyers.
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Possibly. Olympus do seem pretty good with interesting innovations. I must admit I'd dismissed a few of these features as a little gimmicky before I tried them but the live comp and live time in particular are really great features.
 
ianp5a said:
This video puts me off buying an Olympus PEN E-PL8
I'm not pouty enough for it.
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Does this have live view and live comp do
People know pls
 
rookies said:
Does this have live view and live comp do
People know pls
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In theory it should as its is essentially a restyled EPL7 with a firmware update. If you can get to a shop to try one, put it into manual mode and turn the dial to slow down the shutter speed (past 60 seconds) and you can see if the live modes are there...

According to the Olympus website, the specs say that the EPL8 has Live Comp (see the shutter section):
http://asia.olympus-imaging.com/product/dslr/epl8/spec.html

And someone has taken a live comp photo with the EPL8 and put it on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wonglp/29724554692
 
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alsuser said:
In theory it should as its is essentially a restyled EPL7 with a firmware update. If you can get to a shop to try one, put it into manual mode and turn the dial to slow down the shutter speed (past 60 seconds) and you can see if the live modes are there
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so that the way we get this Live Mode and Live Comp working
 
rookies said:
so that the way we get this Live Mode and Live Comp working
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Yes. It doesn't work on Shutter or Aperture priority modes, only manual. Also, when Live Comp is selected, press the menu button to select the exposure time
 
Hello all :) - just dipping my toe into mirrorless / M43 for the first time.

Amazed by how configurable these little things are compared to my Nikons - really looking forward to using it.

I have a few questions :)
Do people us the electronic shutter for landscapes?
Has anyone compared the 12-40 to running with a few primes (12/17/25/45)? - I got the 17mm with the camera.

No doubt I will think of more - just downloaded the manual so will give it a good read.

Thanks

Dave.
 
Dave Semmens said:
Hello all :) - just dipping my toe into mirrorless / M43 for the first time.

Amazed by how configurable these little things are compared to my Nikons - really looking forward to using it.

I have a few questions :)
Do people us the electronic shutter for landscapes?
Has anyone compared the 12-40 to running with a few primes (12/17/25/45)? - I got the 17mm with the camera.

No doubt I will think of more - just downloaded the manual so will give it a good read.

Thanks

Dave.
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Glad you're enjoying it. Great little cameras. Which body did you go for?

I tried both primes and zooms routes and preferred the primes but there are a few personal considerations here.

The 12-40 is a really nice lens. Works well in any scenario and bomb proof but I felt that the combination when fitted to my E-M5ii was bigger than I wanted for a camera to just take anywhere but was perfect when I was going out just to take photos. It's worth bearing in mind that the 12-40 is substantially cheaper than a set of 12,17 and 45mm lenses. In hindsight I might have been best served by having the 12-40 and a 17 1.8 for travelling light...

I then went down the route of 12mm, 17mm and 75mm with a 75-300 zoom as well. The 45mm would have perhaps been a more sensible option than the 75mm but the 75 is soooo nice. My stuff is now going to be up for sale (moving back to the darkside) but I'm full of praise for that set up. The 17mm 1.8 in particular stands out as a lens that can just live on the camera and cover most scenarios but its tiny and a joy to use.
 
I find I rarely need quicker than 1/8000s, especially for landscapes so for me, no. I've only used it a handful of times when I was shooting at f1.4 on sunny days OR if I was shooting wildlife that I didn't want to disturb. Can't say I noticed any image quality issues.

Regarding primes, i used to have the o25 before I got the 12-40. OK, you will get better separation and they're smaller but for me the convenience of the 12-40 won. I didn't find a whole lot of difference in DoF either

olympus 25 mm f1.8 vs 12-40 mm f2.8 PRO by damianmkv, on Flickr

olympus 12-40 mm f2.8 pro vs olympus 25 mm f1.8 by damianmkv, on Flickr
 
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Thanks for the replies :)

Electronic shutter was more of interest as it would create less movement when fired (as far as I am aware) and may give a better result from a tripod for landscapes? Always looking to gain any advantage :)

I have no plans to sell my Nikons and will continue to use them for planned photography outings.

I bought the Pen F so I can take it with me when out with the wife / family - I normally take my D810 and 24-70 which is quite a size and doesn't always get used.

I plan to shoot it in RAW and Jpeg and try using some of the colour / mono modes - just trying to break myself from the processing in LR and bring more fun back to family snaps / outings. If any shots stand out then I can tinker with the Raw.

From my previous experience I know that the zoom will be the better option as I don't like changing lenses, but I know the Pen is built for small primes :)

The 12-40 does look nice though - and cheaper than the prime route - although I already have the 17mm with the camera and a used 12mm + 45mm may not be far away from 12-40 prices?

Graham - if you are going back to Nikon then there may be a deal to be had with a lovely 85mm 1.4G in the Nikon sales area - I know he is looking for some M43 lenses ;)
 
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Dave Semmens said:
Thanks for the replies :)

Electronic shutter was more of interest as it would create less movement when fired (as far as I am aware) and may give a better result from a tripod for landscapes? Always looking to gain any advantage :)

I have no plans to sell my Nikons and will continue to use them for planned photography outings.

I bought the Pen F so I can take it with me when out with the wife / family - I normally take my D810 and 24-70 which is quite a size and doesn't always get used.

I plan to shoot it in RAW and Jpeg and try using some of the colour / mono modes - just trying to break myself from the processing in LR and bring more fun back to family snaps / outings. If any shots stand out then I can tinker with the Raw.

From my previous experience I know that the zoom will be the better option as I don't like changing lenses, but I know the Pen is built for small primes :)

The 12-40 does look nice though - and cheaper than the prime route - although I already have the 17mm with the camera and a used 12mm + 45mm may not be far away from 12-40 prices?

Graham - if you are going back to Nikon then there may be a deal to be had with a lovely 85mm 1.4G in the Nikon sales area - I know he is looking for some M43 lenses ;)
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The Pen F is lovely. I've only played with one in a shop but it feels like a camera built for primes to me. I'd imagine the metal 12mm and 17mm primes feel very at home on that body.

I used to use the shutter in anti shock mode with 2 sec delay set for landscapes. Had that set as one of my custom setting banks. It probably only makes a difference for a certain range of shutter speeds. Bear in mind that electronic shutters can induce some odd effects with stuff moving during the exposure.

Funnily enough I also set a custom menu for mono shooting where I would output jpeg and raw files. Really nice seeing the image in mono in the view finder and brought a whole new level of fun to shooting and as you say ditching the tedium of processing every image.

I'd love an 85mm 1.4 but I have a Nikon 70-200 that serves me well for longer stuff so I will keep the wallet closed on that one and drool from afar.
 
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I am hoping rolling shutter shouldn't be a problem for landscapes :)

I agree about the Pen and primes - I am leaning that way atm but need to sell my lens / save up so have time to decide :)

I have a custom setting for Manual with auto ISO, with image stabilisation on and RAW / JPEG then 3 other modes for landscapes (Raw only, 2 sec timer, image stabilisation off etc)

I prefer to shoot auto ISO when on the move and have the shutter control on the front dial and aperture on the back dial.

The AE button is not ideally placed for back button focusing but I think I will use it for landscapes and leave focusing on the shutter button for walking around.

The camera is so configurable and the data it saves in the custom modes covers everything.
 
Dave Semmens said:
I am hoping rolling shutter shouldn't be a problem for landscapes :)

I agree about the Pen and primes - I am leaning that way atm but need to sell my lens / save up so have time to decide :)

I have a custom setting for Manual with auto ISO, with image stabilisation on and RAW / JPEG then 3 other modes for landscapes (Raw only, 2 sec timer, image stabilisation off etc)

I prefer to shoot auto ISO when on the move and have the shutter control on the front dial and aperture on the back dial.

The AE button is not ideally placed for back button focusing but I think I will use it for landscapes and leave focusing on the shutter button for walking around.

The camera is so configurable and the data it saves in the custom modes covers everything.
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Sounds like you have it set up quite like my own. I never got used to BBF on the EM5 either. The natural back button was too awkward to reach. You can set it up with the front button but I didn't fancy doing that. Shutter button works okay and as you say you can pretty much get it working exactly how you want.
 
gad-westy said:
Nope though I cannot see why some these features haven't been pinched for live view on DSLR's. I can't see any particular reason why not.
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Because those makers are sitting back and doing as little innovation as possible. Compared to Sony, Panasonic, Fuji and Olympus, who are competing with each other to keep the customers supplied with new goodies each time. And in between with fully loaded firmware updates.

Dave Semmens said:
Amazed by how configurable these little things are compared to my Nikons - really looking forward to using it.
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as an example.
 
I've not really used my primes (I have/had most of them) since getting the 12-40, it is equally sharp as the best of the primes and mine was sharper and has much less CA than the 17mm I have. Also, the zoom is weather resistant, which the primes aren't and it comes with a lens hood, which the primes don't.
 
Dave Semmens said:
I think the 12-40 is the option I will go with. Even if the image quality is not quite up there with the primes I am sure that not having to swap lenses will keep me happier.
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To be honest, the zoom is as sharp as the best primes and you couldn't tell them apart on anything other than the the primes can give shallower dof. It really is a stupendous lens, bettered only by the 40-150...
 
Nawty said:
To be honest, the zoom is as sharp as the best primes and you couldn't tell them apart on anything other than the the primes can give shallower dof. It really is a stupendous lens, bettered only by the 40-150...
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Dave Semmens said:
I have a used 12-40 arriving tomorrow - just wish we had a better weather forecast this weeend
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There have been reviews that have said the 12-40 was like a series of prime lenses.
 
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i had the panny/Leica 25mm, oly 12, 45 and the up to 150 and up to 300 cheaper zooms sold the lot and kept the 12-40 pro it really is a series of primes. plus the small collapsible pancake zoom punches well about its weight, adding an auto lens cap turns m43 into a really high end point and shoot
 
My oldest has taken a shine to my M10, he has now borrowed it a few times over using his low end Nikon DSLR. Quite impressed with this for one of his first pictures with it of his new car.


 
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