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

"the black fox"
xmas by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr

Mery xmas Jeff and Jan, lovely tree. Keep the great photos coming Jeff they inspire me to keep trying with my new Olympus system. Have factory reset the camera twice already due to getting lost in the menu changes!
 
GyRob said:
EM1X - I tried focus priory cog C-1 and had a good hit rate for BIF using bird detect , I need to try this a bit more as I don't know for sure if this has an effect or if I was just having a good day .

It's a shame that Olympus don't give a guide for what works best and the Menu settings needed to get the best out of this new Software for birds .

Rob.
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I think I read somewhere the same but to also drop the FPS to 10 rather than 18. The thinking being it gives 'more' time between frames for the AF to keep up.

At this stage I am unsure about Centre Start and/or/neither Centre Priority usage with Bird AI ? In the past I never used all 121 for any subjects let alone BiF so had both those settings turned off.

PS for sure, Olympus should have given a more constructive insight into the functional usage of Bird D&T

PPS in regard to BBF, I was using the L-Fn button because I found it awkward to use the 'normal' one on the back with my thumb. However, the M1X body seems a tad different, ergonomically & button position, as my thumb seems to fall easier on the thumb button. :thinking:
 
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Quote ( At this stage I am unsure about Centre Start and/or/neither Centre Priority usage with Bird AI ? In the past I never used all 121 for any subjects let alone BiF so had both those settings turned off. )

No I don't use this either for Bird AI thinking you have all the VF working and the white box is so fast it seems to find the bird as long as you can see it be it centre or on the edge .
I set mine to 10fps anyway to give it extra time i might even try 8 fps i really want this AI to work to around 80% .

Rob.
 
Christoph said:
"the black fox"
xmas by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr

Mery xmas Jeff and Jan, lovely tree. Keep the great photos coming Jeff they inspire me to keep trying with my new Olympus system. Have factory reset the camera twice already due to getting lost in the menu changes!
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And happy xmas to you to , it doesn’t hurt to keep on changing settings as you get more and more familiar each time and learn from it .. evenyually it all falls into place .. but odds are if something flies in front of you the settings you currently have will the ones you use , sometimes wish I did landscapes it would be easier
 
Is it possible to add custom profiles in the e-m10.2 ? Got a hankering for in camera fiddling

edit - I see it is but not sure it as as customisable as I’d like
 
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damianmkv said:
Is it possible to add custom profiles in the e-m10.2 ? Got a hankering for in camera fiddling

edit - I see it is but not sure it as as customisable as I’d like
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You want an E-M5ii and I can sell you one cheap
 
M1X and C-AF unexpected behaviour :thinking:

finally grabbed a few minutes this morning to put a lens on the M1X and a quick play to feel/see how it performs!

The light was dire but having said that S-AF worked as expected :)

Note ~ on the MK2 and 3 in C-AF it have been used to the AF to lock on and be stable in focus on the subject.

I tested(?) it on some silhouetted starlings on the aerial across the road................but the C-AF just would not settle and with the C-AF&Tr (Bird D&T selected) it would do the same and oddly, in Mode2, when it did stop AF'ing the green square appeared as if it had decided where the focus should be.....!!!

Then as a couple of Blackbirds appeared in the grass in the garden ~ the same test in neither case would the C-AF settle....as it was 'seeking' I could see the bird go in & out of focus and Bird AI did not engage (did I at that point actually have All AF points active :thinking: ).

Changed to Mode3 so that it would persist and also altered the C-AF sensitivity across the range, no effect on the above.

Lastly, on a much nearer subject the shrubbery where for sure I knew the other bodies would settle in focus......it would not do so???

None too sure what is going on here???

TIA for any thoughts & insights :)
 
C-AF sensitivity does not work with Bird D+T

I can get it to work quite well on a bird in a bush but so would single AF but the bird tracking AI after many many tests is just too hit and miss sometimes when the bird is around 1/4 frame or more it gives lots of in focus shots but that's not good enough, I'm using the Olympus 100/400 and it is a sharp lens I will go back to C-AF and see how i get on that's what i use to use .

I just went out with my Sony A9MK II and the 200/600 taking the same sort of shots and nearly every one is sharp I really thought the new A1 on the EM1X Would work like that and that's why i bought it so a bit at a loss at the moment as I love the feel of the camera.

Rob.
 
GyRob said:
C-AF sensitivity does not work with Bird D+T

I can get it to work quite well on a bird in a bush but so would single AF but the bird tracking AI after many many tests is just too hit and miss sometimes when the bird is around 1/4 frame or more it gives lots of in focus shots but that's not good enough, I'm using the Olympus 100/400 and it is a sharp lens I will go back to C-AF and see how i get on that's what i use to use .

I just went out with my Sony A9MK II and the 200/600 taking the same sort of shots and nearly every one is sharp I really thought the new A1 on the EM1X Would work like that and that's why i bought it so a bit at a loss at the moment as I love the feel of the camera.

Rob.
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I will have to 'test' again with better light :)

As for the S-AF ~ the Blackbird this morning was also in one one shrubs, now with the mk2 and normal size single AF point I found that the actual AF 'area' of that single point (same lens, the 300mm f4) would sometimes focus on the branch and not the bird. The M1X however locked onto the birds head and eye even though the edges of the "green" single point box were 'touching' the branch(es). So the size/accuracy or the single AF point just seems better in the M1X?
 
Box Brownie said:
I will have to 'test' again with better light :)

As for the S-AF ~ the Blackbird this morning was also in one one shrubs, now with the mk2 and normal size single AF point I found that the actual AF 'area' of that single point (same lens, the 300mm f4) would sometimes focus on the branch and not the bird. The M1X however locked onto the birds head and eye even though the edges of the "green" single point box were 'touching' the branch(es). So the size/accuracy or the single AF point just seems better in the M1X?
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That's good to know. Keep us posted on how you get on. I suspect there are some settings somewhere that will make a world of difference.

I very rarely use S-Af, in fact if I do it goes back to front button focusing on the EM1ii and iii. Perhaps I should.

I played with the 60mm macro yesterday, a glass of water and Christmas tree lights (for the TP52). It's the first time I've noticed the long focus throw that I know @RedRobin and others found annoying. I've never noticed it before.

20201221BC124277_2_small.jpg
 
UPDATE.....and not a good one :(

I have run a series of lens tests on the Mk3 and C-AF behaves just as anticipated i.e. its snaps into focus without hesitation or hunting NB this is indoors with bright lights and high contrast target. Note ~ mu mk3 is still on FW 1.0

I also checked that all three lenses have the most current FW.

All three lenses fail to focus on the M1X when using C-AF :(

They all exhibit the hunting and failure to obtain any focus.

Lastly, in case I had somehow introduced something odd in my personal setups, I did a full reset of the M1X and that restores all bar date & time to factory settings.

None too pleased is I! :banghead:

All I can is report it to Olympus support and see what their response is? My intention is to invoke consumer law (as I understand) i.e. that it is not of merchantable quality and request a replacement ~ afteral why should a brand new camera body need to be repaired from " out of the box".

I am just hoping that I can at least get and response before Xmas, on the surmise that they have yet to shutdown?
 
Box Brownie said:
UPDATE.....and not a good one :(

I have run a series of lens tests on the Mk3 and C-AF behaves just as anticipated i.e. its snaps into focus without hesitation or hunting NB this is indoors with bright lights and high contrast target. Note ~ mu mk3 is still on FW 1.0

I also checked that all three lenses have the most current FW.

All three lenses fail to focus on the M1X when using C-AF :(

They all exhibit the hunting and failure to obtain any focus.

Lastly, in case I had somehow introduced something odd in my personal setups, I did a full reset of the M1X and that restores all bar date & time to factory settings.

None too pleased is I! :banghead:

All I can is report it to Olympus support and see what their response is? My intention is to invoke consumer law (as I understand) i.e. that it is not of merchantable quality and request a replacement ~ afteral why should a brand new camera body need to be repaired from " out of the box".

I am just hoping that I can at least get and response before Xmas, on the surmise that they have yet to shutdown?
Click to expand...

If a replacement has to come from the far east via DHL you might have a long wait
https://www.itv.com/news/2020-12-21...urope-as-dhl-suspends-road-deliveries-into-uk
 
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I knew that as part of the JIP transitioning that there were scheduled changes to the Olympus webshop, support site etc happening over the Xmas period and some have already started though yet to go fully operational.

So I do hope that does not delay/stymie any much needed response too badly.
 
the black fox said:
You think you got problems we are expecting a new sofa and armchair next weds , so the old ones are sold and going Monday trouble is not even sure the new stuffs in the country yet . Online tracking is only as good as the person inputting the data..might be watching xmas t.v sat on garden chairs and air bed
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.... And then you might realise that garden chairs and air bed do you absolutely fine and so you can cancel the new furniture and buy some camera gear instead! :D
 
GyRob said:
Edit - I use BBF and just found that with the above C-1 setting if you just press the shutter button without engaging the BBF it will take shots even though they are not in focus so for this to work properly you must have the camera looking for focus .

I find this interesting to me because I always pre focus around 40yds and in the heat of the moment sometimes press the shutter as the bird looks focused (but isn't ) a split second before i press and engage the BBF this would explain why sometimes the first few shots are just out of focus .

Of cause its pouring down with rain today so can't check .
Rob.
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.... Surely to ensure a high rate of in-focus shots you need to only press the shutter halfway (a setting option) and use BBF but with the setting which only fires the shutter when focus has been attained.

Don't forget that your Olympus Pro camera is totally rainproof, it really is.
 
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Bebop said:
I played with the 60mm macro yesterday, a glass of water and Christmas tree lights (for the TP52). It's the first time I've noticed the long focus throw that I know @RedRobin and others found annoying. I've never noticed it before.

View attachment 302866
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.... Crikey! When I first saw that image I thought it was a photo of dozens of covid viruses.

So, what do you think about the Olympus 60mm Macro lens long focus throw? Are you okay with it?

It's razor sharp isn't it!
 
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Box Brownie said:
UPDATE.....and not a good one :(

I have run a series of lens tests on the Mk3 and C-AF behaves just as anticipated i.e. its snaps into focus without hesitation or hunting NB this is indoors with bright lights and high contrast target. Note ~ mu mk3 is still on FW 1.0

I also checked that all three lenses have the most current FW.

All three lenses fail to focus on the M1X when using C-AF :(

They all exhibit the hunting and failure to obtain any focus.

Lastly, in case I had somehow introduced something odd in my personal setups, I did a full reset of the M1X and that restores all bar date & time to factory settings.

None too pleased is I! :banghead:

All I can is report it to Olympus support and see what their response is? My intention is to invoke consumer law (as I understand) i.e. that it is not of merchantable quality and request a replacement ~ afteral why should a brand new camera body need to be repaired from " out of the box".

I am just hoping that I can at least get and response before Xmas, on the surmise that they have yet to shutdown?
Click to expand...

That really is annoying to say the least, I too was going to do a reset after todays Bird AI disappointment Peter Forsgard a Olympus visionary who does not shoot birds much says he got 93% sharp shots well i am use to Olympus cameras and very use to birds but no way am i getting 93% I was going to get the 150/400 +tc but that's not going to happen i honestly think the bird AI update needs an Update .

Rob.
 
RedRobin said:
.... Surely to ensure a high rate of in-focus shots you need to only press the shutter halfway (a setting option) and use BBF but with the setting which only fires the shutter when focus has been attained.

Don't forget that your Olympus Pro camera is totally rainproof, it really is.
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That's how i have it set Robin the camera Thinks its in focus so lets me take the shots but most are just out of focus and its not shutter speed 1/3200 to 1/4000 I clearly see the white box find the bird then it goes to green as i press BBF i have even gone to 8fps to give it more time to AF makes no difference my hit rate is very poor .
I will try C-AF when we get a sunny day .

Rob.
 
That's really disappointing @Box Brownie - make a note of the serial number. I hope Olympus sort it out for you speedily.

@RedRobin this is the first time I've noticed the long throw and I concur it is annoying! I suspect that usually I haven't been manually focusing, or else it's been very nearly in focus at the point when I've focused.
That image is slightly cropped but otherwise straight out of camera. Amazing how something so other worldly can be right in front of you! I've no idea where the brown comes from other than perhaps the wood of my furniture? Reminds me of maltesers.
 
Bebop said:
@RedRobin this is the first time I've noticed the long throw and I concur it is annoying! I suspect that usually I haven't been manually focusing, or else it's been very nearly in focus at the point when I've focused.
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.... I find that for close-up and macro, Manual Focus (with Focus Peaking displayed) offers much better DoF control. MF for macro is well established as the best technique among shooters.

I can only think that the Olympus 60mm Macro designers forgot about living subjects and assumed that all macro work would be an inanimate subject shot from a tripod and then such a long focus throw would give much finer adjustment.

It will be interesting to see what the forthcoming Olympus 100mm Macro is like. It's included in their published roadmap and still unknown publicly.
 
RedRobin said:
.... I find that for close-up and macro, Manual Focus (with Focus Peaking displayed) offers much better DoF control. MF for macro is well established as the best technique among shooters.

I can only think that the Olympus 60mm Macro designers forgot about living subjects and assumed that all macro work would be an inanimate subject shot from a tripod and then such a long focus throw would give much finer adjustment.

It will be interesting to see what the forthcoming Olympus 100mm Macro is like. It's included in their published roadmap and still unknown publicly.
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Yes it's weird that I haven't noticed before because I manually focus a lot and use peaking, but I suspect I've done more stacking than anything else with this lens. I certainly haven't used it much for insects as I tend to use longer lenses for those.
 
RedRobin said:
.... And then you might realise that garden chairs and air bed do you absolutely fine and so you can cancel the new furniture and buy some camera gear instead! :D
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Well to cut a long story short , this was a xmas pressie from the daughter , she ordered two identical suites in two different shades of leather well D.F.S turned up dead on time today and delivered them ,and we had to keep clear while they assembled them due to covid rules . All great till they went and we then found out they have mixed them up . We each have the wrong colour hopefully they will sort it out before xmas .. you couldn’t make it up
 
Of all the times for this to happen Jeff .
 
the black fox said:
Well to cut a long story short , this was a xmas pressie from the daughter , she ordered two identical suites in two different shades of leather well D.F.S turned up dead on time today and delivered them ,and we had to keep clear while they assembled them due to covid rules . All great till they went and we then found out they have mixed them up . We each have the wrong colour hopefully they will sort it out before xmas .. you couldn’t make it up
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:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: how the heck did they manage to screw that up :thinking:
 
Box Brownie said:
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: how the heck did they manage to screw that up :thinking:
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God knows we hadn’t even seen it before , the daughter ordered it while we were away and just showed the wife a colour sample over the phone so we didn’t twig till they were gone . Let’s see what they come up with today as a answer ?
 
Christoph said:
"the black fox"
xmas by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr

Mery xmas Jeff and Jan, lovely tree. Keep the great photos coming Jeff they inspire me to keep trying with my new Olympus system. Have factory reset the camera twice already due to getting lost in the menu changes!
Click to expand...

Spent ages looking at this and I still cant find the bird, like the guns though
 
I photographed my local surfers annual competition on Sunday and decided to try shooting at much lower ISO values and also some at Auto ISO. I always use Evaluative metering.
Both images are E-M1X + ED 100-400mm, ISO 200 and backlit.

When I shot some at Auto ISO the camera was giving ISO L64. I'll have to investigate what the L in L64 means.

I shoot surfers in action on my tripod so that I don't have to hold my camera up for 3 or 4 hours. Also, I can fix the horizon to remain level which then offers me panning.

A BIG DOSE OF SALT! by Robin Procter, on Flickr

SETTING THE WAVES ON FIRE! by Robin Procter, on Flickr

More info on Flickr.
 
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RedRobin said:
I photographed my local surfers annual competition on Sunday and decided to try shooting at much lower ISO values and also some at Auto ISO. I always use Evaluative metering.
Both images are E-M1X + ED 100-400mm, ISO 200 and backlit.

When I shot some at Auto ISO the camera was giving ISO L64. I'll have to investigate what the L in L64 means.

I shoot surfers in action on my tripod so that I don't have to hold my camera up for 3 or 4 hours. Also, I can fix the horizontal level.

A BIG DOSE OF SALT! by Robin Procter, on Flickr

SETTING THE WAVES ON FIRE! by Robin Procter, on Flickr

More info on Flickr.
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From memory - I think you'll find you have expanded ISO set up. It enables you to shoot below the normal level of 200.

Just found this:

"Unlike some other cameras these days that feature eye-poppingly high ISOs into six figures, the E-M1X has a fairly modest range from 64 to 25600. Of that, the native ISO range–that is, the true ISO that the hardware sensor is designed to handle, is 200 to 25600. The two lowest settings–64 and 100 (or close-to equivalents) are actually in a Low extended range where software is taking over."
 
Malfis said:
From memory - I think you'll find you have expanded ISO set up. It enables you to shoot below the normal level of 200.

Just found this:

"Unlike some other cameras these days that feature eye-poppingly high ISOs into six figures, the E-M1X has a fairly modest range from 64 to 25600. Of that, the native ISO range–that is, the true ISO that the hardware sensor is designed to handle, is 200 to 25600. The two lowest settings–64 and 100 (or close-to equivalents) are actually in a Low extended range where software is taking over."
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.... Thanks Malcolm - That's very helpful.

I have now checked the M1X Manual and also my camera's Menu where the setting options for 'Low ISO Processing' is found at Cog > E1 > Then either 'Detail Priority' which gives priority to image details, or 'Drive Priority' which gives priority to maximum sequential shooting frames. Mine is currently set to 'Detail Priority'.

Your quoted source stating "where software is taking over" suggests something inferior in quality, for example like digital zoom is inferior to optical zoom is on cameras.

Who is your source please because it is written in the style of a magazine review and not in an official Olympus style.

The M1X Manual states that L64 and L100 "reduce dynamic range" which doesn't sound great to me. I better locate one of my L64 images from Sunday and examine it.

I could exclude L64 and L100 while in ISO-Auto if I could limit the lower threshold - In Menu E1 > ISO-Auto Set you can choose the upper ISO threshold limit but not the lower ISO threshold.

The question I need answered is how much of a compromise is a reduction of dynamic range.

A workaround might be to change my aperture while shooting to then move the ISO away from a L value, but that's a distraction when shooting action.
 
I tried phoning Olympus camera support to nudge on my email to them.

Turns out that they are only available via email due to Covid restrictions but no mention on the message about Christmas 'closed dates'?

So in the lap of the gods, what with Covid and Christmas, as to when I will get a response.

Not that I want to simply return it for a refund but my order date was 9th December and received on the 19th and surmise the "return period" starts on date of receipt!

I just want a working M1X and based on its condition out of the box, that should be a new re placement one!
 
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RedRobin said:
.... Thanks Malcolm - That's very helpful.

I have now checked the M1X Manual and also my camera's Menu where the setting options for 'Low ISO Processing' is found at Cog > E1 > Then either 'Detail Priority' which gives priority to image details, or 'Drive Priority' which gives priority to maximum sequential shooting frames. Mine is currently set to 'Detail Priority'.

Your quoted source stating "where software is taking over" suggests something inferior in quality, for example like digital zoom is inferior to optical zoom is on cameras.

Who is your source please because it is written in the style of a magazine review and not in an official Olympus style.

The M1X Manual states that L64 and L100 "reduce dynamic range" which doesn't sound great to me. I better locate one of my L64 images from Sunday and examine it.

I could exclude L64 and L100 while in ISO-Auto if I could limit the lower threshold - In Menu E1 > ISO-Auto Set you can choose the upper ISO threshold limit but not the lower ISO threshold.

The question I need answered is how much of a compromise is a reduction of dynamic range.

A workaround might be to change my aperture while shooting to then move the ISO away from a L value, but that's a distraction when shooting action.
Click to expand...

If you google ‘expanded ISO on Olympus EM1X’ the first response will be from a website called “havecamerawilltravel.com” - that’s where the quote is.
Obviously there are other responses listed.
I assume you must have been shooting auto ISO - again from memory, when you select the ISO the want, one of the options in addition to auto ISO is the expanded range, rather than the norm starting at 200.
Unfortunately I am unable to physically check as I no longer have any Olympus kit. I keep in touch with the thread as my intention was to come back in the near future - that looks more and more unlikely as the updated autofocus looks to be a slight disappointment.
 
RedRobin said:
.... Thanks Malcolm - That's very helpful.

I have now checked the M1X Manual and also my camera's Menu where the setting options for 'Low ISO Processing' is found at Cog > E1 > Then either 'Detail Priority' which gives priority to image details, or 'Drive Priority' which gives priority to maximum sequential shooting frames. Mine is currently set to 'Detail Priority'.

Your quoted source stating "where software is taking over" suggests something inferior in quality, for example like digital zoom is inferior to optical zoom is on cameras.

Who is your source please because it is written in the style of a magazine review and not in an official Olympus style.

The M1X Manual states that L64 and L100 "reduce dynamic range" which doesn't sound great to me. I better locate one of my L64 images from Sunday and examine it.

I could exclude L64 and L100 while in ISO-Auto if I could limit the lower threshold - In Menu E1 > ISO-Auto Set you can choose the upper ISO threshold limit but not the lower ISO threshold.

The question I need answered is how much of a compromise is a reduction of dynamic range.

A workaround might be to change my aperture while shooting to then move the ISO away from a L value, but that's a distraction when shooting action.
Click to expand...

This may help;

View: https://youtu.be/r6K1Gl7ArXU
 
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