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

I always turn down the sharpening and noise reduction (on any camera I'm using, not just the Oly) and I use the 'muted' JPEG setting. I also turn off the extra warming feature. I find it's quite easy to get a smooth, beautiful file from the OMD, thanks to the fact it's so customizable.
 
Engineer73 said:
Ian
Many thanks for the offer to help me compare the X1Pro and the EM5 but I don’t think I will need to impose on you. As it happens I was able to spend an hour with both cameras in John Lewis yesterday with a very helpful salesperson. Obviously it is not an ideal environment but it was useful. I liked the simplicity of the X1 but its operation is slow as you said and I found it irritating too. Apparently my Lightroom software will have trouble with RAW files from the X1 as well. Also there is no IBIS and no dioptre adjustment. Overall it’s just too quirky for me. I think I will go with the EM5 which I really liked and will probably start with the Leica Panasonic 45mm.
Now I have to keep control of myself and sell my Canon stuff before I splash out on the 5!
I looked on your blog. The photos are really excellent. Were any made with the EM5?
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Hi Jeff,

As mentioned Lightroom is/will be much better when the next official release comes out. There still seem some issues to the pixel-peepers but to be honest I thought the old version did a perfectly good job (I don't do much lanscape work where the issues were most noticeable). I missed in-body IS when I left Sony/Minolta for Canon but then got more used to not having it so Oly's IBIS is a bonus for me but I feel I can ramp the iso on the Fuji without issues to compensate for not having it.

Thanks for the comments on the pictures on my largely forgotten blog. Those are all old and must have been with Canon gear. I haven't got anything decent with the Oly yet as time has been tight and the weather awful. After Easter I have a long stay in Toulouse so I am hoping for some decent light for that trip.
 
ianmarsh said:
Hi Jeff,

As mentioned Lightroom is/will be much better when the next official release comes out. There still seem some issues to the pixel-peepers but to be honest I thought the old version did a perfectly good job (I don't do much lanscape work where the issues were most noticeable).
Click to expand...

Ian, thus far LR is not notably better than the previous release, but there has been 'some improvement' as I mentioned there would be several weeks ago following my talks with Fuji. Fortunately some of us do take quite a lot of time (on a significant overhead) to review/test and identify issues and where able we push to get the remedies expedited. I think it's slightly unfair to regard us as merely 'pixel peepers'! You may think the old version, and this one, does a perfectly good job but the thing is subject matter will differ, output methods will differ, standards differ, and pro and advanced photographers remain largely reluctant to adopt this system when it remains problematic (in several areas). Obviously any camera purchaser should get what suits them, but I wouldn't be too quick to play down some of the ongoing problems which certain models are (in)famous for.
 
Hi Lindsay,

As I said, my comments on the suitability of the old version are largely because I tend not to shoot in the situations where it had problems. I don't do much detailed investigation of my shots at 100% as I print them to A3+ max and, to be honest, I am much more concerned with whether I have coaxed a good expression out of my subjects than whether there is some colour-bleeding. I fully agree that your mileage may differ. My clients don't care.

But the new version seems to be substantially better from other expert opinions on the web. Again, your mileage may differ:

http://www.lightroomqueen.com/2013/02/26/whats-new-in-lightroom-4-4-rc/

"The new Fuji sensor design provided plenty of challenges for all raw converters. Although Adobe was one of the first third-parties to introduce support, the early results showed some color smearing and a watercolor effect. 4.4 has made great strides, and although the improvements result in slightly softer images, that can easily be offset with a little extra sharpening."

And from the DPR analysis she links to:

"While it's important to recognize that ACR 7.3 and earlier was certainly very usable for many types of X-Pro1 images - especially if they weren't subjected to 100% view scrutiny - there's no question that with the 7.4 release candidate, Adobe has substantially improved their raw processing for the camera's X-Trans sensor. Our hats are off to Adobe for committing the not-insignificant resources necessary to improve support for X-Trans sensor cameras with relatively limited market share. The results speak for themselves and we feel confident in saying that ACR 7.4 RC is the update that X-Pro1 users have long been waiting for."

Personally, I would suggest that the RAW processing problems are not enough to rule out using a Fuji camera (and equally don't make it the right solution for all).

If the Fuji has problems totalling 100 my personal subjective allocations would be about 50 to AF issues, 40 to idiosyncratic operational choices (like exposure bracketing limited to +/- 1 stop, no minimum shutter speed on auto-iso) and 10 to RAW processing. If those 10 have dropped to 7 with the new lightroom it is great but not significant (for me).

As for what pro and advanced photographers choose to use, well I simply have no idea - do we know sales volumes to each market segment?
 
and quoting from him:

"So really, it's a choice, and that's a big win for users, and a massive step forward from just a few weeks ago. Nine months ago, my comment on the X-Trans was that with a good raw developer, it was almost as good as a conventional sensor. And "almost as good" is actually mostly enough - practically, with the new raw developers, the difference between a conventional sensor and a X-Trans sensor is small enough to get lost in differences in lens performance, etc. There are now enough good raw developers that most users will be able to find one that works for them."

Edit - in fairness, he doesn't rate Lightroom highly, even the new version.

but this is an OMD thread so I guess we should talk more about that camera...
 
Last edited:
Keith

Thanks for this. I've got time so I will look around for this camera. There still seem to be issues around RAW however see below.

Best wishes

Jeff



Jeff
 
ianmarsh said:
Hi Jeff,

As mentioned Lightroom is/will be much better when the next official release comes out. .
Click to expand...
Ian
I'm currently running Lightroom 3 and am quite satisfied with it for my 7D. Once I get my EM5 I thought I would just experiment and see if I need to upgrade.
I've read some commentary that Lightroom 4 is very slow but possibly only on some computers and I have time to wait for further upgrades so I will.

Best wishes

Jeff
 
Makes sense to me Jeff. I think LR4 is a step up from 3 and have been lucky not to have the slow running problems. I don't know whether 3 will read files from the newer bodies like OMD or Fuji though.
 
Ian

I guess restricting coverage of new camera bodies is one way to persuade us to upgrade. I will see what happens

Thanks for all your help

Jeff
 
I am as guilty as the next for not posting many photos shot on my OMD into this thread, but are there many other OMD shooters here still shooting images?
 
antc said:
I am as guilty as the next for not posting many photos shot on my OMD into this thread, but are there many other OMD shooters here still shooting images?
Click to expand...

Motorsport season kicks off for me soon so my EM-5 will be very, very busy in the coming weeks (HLD-6 arrives tomorrow, looking forward to it). A bit of warmth outside would be nice, though.
 
I'm using my OM-D a fair amount, but as my photos are;

1. Of my baby daughter, or
2. Holiday snapshots, and
3. Rubbish

I don't post any up here!
 
antc said:
I am as guilty as the next for not posting many photos shot on my OMD into this thread, but are there many other OMD shooters here still shooting images?
Click to expand...

Sadly just haven't had any time of late, hope to get an opportunity this weekend.
 
ukaskew said:
Motorsport season kicks off for me soon so my EM-5 will be very, very busy in the coming weeks (HLD-6 arrives tomorrow, looking forward to it). A bit of warmth outside would be nice, though.
Click to expand...

Cant wait to see some motorsport shots on the OMD, going to give it a try at that myself!

Llamaman said:
I'm using my OM-D a fair amount, but as my photos are;

1. Of my baby daughter, or
2. Holiday snapshots, and
3. Rubbish

I don't post any up here!
Click to expand...

Fair enough.

Dave in Wales said:
Cheap as chips.....£227....superb build quality and excellent IQ.

Only taken 2 shots so far, but I'm over the moon.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=473184
Scroll down.

More examples here....
http://www.mu-43.com/f80/samyang-7-5mm-f-3-5-image-thread-16458/
Click to expand...

Pretty damn cool, and wow at that software!!! (y)

Greytop said:
Sadly just haven't had any time of late, hope to get an opportunity this weekend.
Click to expand...

Me too! :) (y)
 
Anyone used a Lensbaby on the OM-D (or other MFT). One review on Amazon claimed the out-of-focus area was cropped out by the smaller sensor (which would make the Lensbaby a bit pointless!). Can anyone confirm or refute this?
 
theoldman said:
It's a fact that the sweet spot is bigger, but the lensbaby works brilliantly when stopped down. It's not far off the look of a full frame. Check this picture out, taken with an OMD E-M5, composer pro, double glass optic and a 12mm macro converter.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=473818.

I'm selling mine shortly as I've just bought the 60 macro. Watch out for it on here.
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Fantastic work, just left a comment on the thread you posted. (y)
 
ukaskew said:
After owning it a few weeks I finally got to take the EM-5 out for the day yesterday. The HLD-6 completely transforms the camera for me from almost unusable to perfectly balanced (particularly with the 100-300 attached)...


Manor House Wildlife Park by Harry_S, on Flickr


Manor House Wildlife Park by Harry_S, on Flickr


Manor House Wildlife Park by Harry_S, on Flickr

Really pleased with it, I now feel ready for my first afternoon of motorsport tomorrow.
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Hi, First two out of the three are the picks for me, nice colours, lovely diffused backgrounds and the subjects are absolutely pin sharp!!!

Third image I find a little distracting due to the twigs/branches in the foreground, but thats just me, others may not have that issue.

Can I ask you how you are getting on with that lens. I am looking for a long lens but am not sure which is best to go for :bonk:
 
antc said:
Hi, First two out of the three are the picks for me, nice colours, lovely diffused backgrounds and the subjects are absolutely pin sharp!!!

Third image I find a little distracting due to the twigs/branches in the foreground, but thats just me, others may not have that issue.

Can I ask you how you are getting on with that lens. I am looking for a long lens but am not sure which is best to go for :bonk:
Click to expand...

Love/hate, to be honest. In good light it really is special considering the reach/size of the thing, but in less than ideal conditions it can be an absolute dog. Having such a long reach in such a compact package does require practice, but the EM-5 IBIS makes it easier than it has any right to be. Definitely more love than hate though, having that reach in my bag without even really noticing it opens up so many opportunities, just yesterday we went for a walk and happened across an area full of robins, a quick change of lens and I ended up with a whole bunch of nice keepers, such as this...


Bosherston - Robin by Harry_S, on Flickr
 
Is anyone using Nikon lenses with their OMD?
 
antc said:
Cant wait to see some motorsport shots on the OMD, going to give it a try at that myself!
Click to expand...

Spent 3 hours at Castle Combe yesterday, brutally cold so not ideal conditions to experiment, but the OM-D / 100-300mm combo seems pretty reliable and quick.

OM-D Motorsport Flickr Set

There are so many settings it's hard to know what will work best, but I think I have a pretty good selection of settings stored in MySet now. As mentioned before the 100-300 really comes into its own in bright conditions, so I'm patiently waiting for a nice sunny, warm event to get the best out of it.


Castle Combe Howard's Day by Harry_S, on Flickr
 
Looks rather good to me, nice and sharp, good motion blur, good exposure! Seems the opinions of people who said the OMD wouldnt be any good for sports when it first came out were wrong! :bonk:

That lens is next on my list and I now cant wait!

ukaskew said:
Spent 3 hours at Castle Combe yesterday, brutally cold so not ideal conditions to experiment, but the OM-D / 100-300mm combo seems pretty reliable and quick.

OM-D Motorsport Flickr Set

There are so many settings it's hard to know what will work best, but I think I have a pretty good selection of settings stored in MySet now. As mentioned before the 100-300 really comes into its own in bright conditions, so I'm patiently waiting for a nice sunny, warm event to get the best out of it.


Castle Combe Howard's Day by Harry_S, on Flickr
Click to expand...
 
Also, if you get time ukaskew, I don't suppose you would care to list the "magic" settings used for this type or work?

I am really wanting to make sure I have this lens by the time all the aviation shows come around! :)
 
antc said:
Also, if you get time ukaskew, I don't suppose you would care to list the "magic" settings used for this type or work?

I am really wanting to make sure I have this lens by the time all the aviation shows come around! :)
Click to expand...

I'm going to write all the settings up this week (there are a lot!) so I will post it up once done.
 
Great set of shots (y)

I went and sold my OMD a few months ago to concentrate on one system but since i reluctantly sold my M43 gear im rarely take anywhere near the same amount of photos, so im thinking i should sold the Canon gear instead really now:thinking: ....Even my RX100 sees more use than my Canon equipment !
 
ianmarsh said:
Hi Lindsay,

As I said, my comments on the suitability of the old version are largely because I tend not to shoot in the situations where it had problems. I don't do much detailed investigation of my shots at 100% as I print them to A3+ max and, to be honest, I am much more concerned with whether I have coaxed a good expression out of my subjects than whether there is some colour-bleeding. I fully agree that your mileage may differ. My clients don't care.

But the new version seems to be substantially better from other expert opinions on the web. Again, your mileage may differ:

http://www.lightroomqueen.com/2013/02/26/whats-new-in-lightroom-4-4-rc/

"The new Fuji sensor design provided plenty of challenges for all raw converters. Although Adobe was one of the first third-parties to introduce support, the early results showed some color smearing and a watercolor effect. 4.4 has made great strides, and although the improvements result in slightly softer images, that can easily be offset with a little extra sharpening."

And from the DPR analysis she links to:

"While it's important to recognize that ACR 7.3 and earlier was certainly very usable for many types of X-Pro1 images - especially if they weren't subjected to 100% view scrutiny - there's no question that with the 7.4 release candidate, Adobe has substantially improved their raw processing for the camera's X-Trans sensor. Our hats are off to Adobe for committing the not-insignificant resources necessary to improve support for X-Trans sensor cameras with relatively limited market share. The results speak for themselves and we feel confident in saying that ACR 7.4 RC is the update that X-Pro1 users have long been waiting for."

Personally, I would suggest that the RAW processing problems are not enough to rule out using a Fuji camera (and equally don't make it the right solution for all).

If the Fuji has problems totalling 100 my personal subjective allocations would be about 50 to AF issues, 40 to idiosyncratic operational choices (like exposure bracketing limited to +/- 1 stop, no minimum shutter speed on auto-iso) and 10 to RAW processing. If those 10 have dropped to 7 with the new lightroom it is great but not significant (for me).

As for what pro and advanced photographers choose to use, well I simply have no idea - do we know sales volumes to each market segment?
Click to expand...

Ian, I take a cautious approach to many of the so-called reviewers out there, particularly if they have an affiliation with a particular manufacturer or, in the case of one of your examples, a particular software house. What matters far more to me is a period of real world experience of the equipment (or software) in question. I've had a fair amount of hours with almost all of the X cameras (and several years with LR) and my view remains that what Fuji provides should meet "reasonable expectations" when measured against the current market and predicted user base. Incidentally applying a bit of extra sharpening does nothing to bring out detail which is missing, but it does introduce some quite horrible artefacts (which again will go largely unnoticed by many users). This is partly why I find it harder to be so accepting of the many ongoing issues which we are still seeing in most of the X cameras.

You're quite correct though, less demanding or less experienced users may not be so susceptible to the irritations which have plagued many. And I would guess this is what Fuji relies on. Over the last few months I've received a reasonable volume of e-mails usually on a daily basis from users of both X Trans and OMD systems. Of all of them, I think I've seen two OMD users who have returned their camera (with regret) due to ergonomics and I have had quite a huge volume of correspondence from people who have expressed considerable disappointment with the XE1 (this is the one I've done the most testing on). From what I've seen there are very few professionals who have been able to adopt the X system as thoroughly as they would like to, and many have tried. However as I have already said, and as you have rightly acknowledged, it does simply come down to what suits any individual and their needs. But I do feel that Fuji needs to do better, and they need to be a little less bold in their marketing hype! It's such a shame they didn't stick with the incredible Bayer sensor of the original X100, renowned worldwide as a gem (one of the reasons I still use my X-100 quite extensively). Fuji attempt to be "innovative" but all too often they forget that they are serving photographers and not just "geeks". In that respect, Olympus are in a different league, and are reaping the rewards.
 
A couple from me

8624932109_30fb347183_c.jpg
[/url] sunset by Thunderbird_010, on Flickr[/IMG]

8624936183_09c663784e_c.jpg
[/url] tulip by Thunderbird_010, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
Hi Alan,

I did same as you sold my M43 gear but i was planning to stick with Canon and a RX100 but that's just changed now as i never was taking hardly any photos after i sold the M43 gear :LOL:

I picked up a OMD with kit lens on Saturday at a bargain price and wont be selling it again as i really missed having it, Im starting too sell my Canon gear and invest in loads new glass for M43 :)
 
Throttle said:
Hi Alan,

I did same as you sold my M43 gear but i was planning to stick with Canon and a RX100 but that's just changed now as i never was taking hardly any photos after i sold the M43 gear :LOL:

I picked up a OMD with kit lens on Saturday at a bargain price and wont be selling it again as i really missed having it, Im starting too sell my Canon gear and invest in loads new glass for M43 :)
Click to expand...

Hey David, there really is something magical about the micro four thirds system.

I have used the rx100 rarely in the last few months but not to the same extent as I did with the m43 kit - it is obviously a very capable compact at the top end of the range but just doesn't inspire me like the OM-D did (I know I didn't use that much either but more than the rx100!)
 
The RX100 is excellent and gives excellent photos for a compact its best by far from what i have tried but i agree i much prefer the M43
I got my RX100 at the very end of December yet its only got little over 300 shots on it and its only had its second charge less than a week ago lol
Its a great little camera but i just don't show it much interest yet i think if i sold it id miss it :thinking:
 
Hello strangers :)

I've just come back from a family week away in Dorset. I contemplated not taking any m43 gear, just my RX100. In the end I took the E-P3, G5 and OM-D each with a lens. Only managed one day using my m43 gear, but used the RX100 every day. When you've got young children, something like the RX100 is godsend :)
 
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