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

Mike.P said:
That's insanely sharp (as in macro sharp) on my phone screen, very impressive.
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.... Hi Mike,
At the risk of sounding like someone being paid by Olympus, I am finding the ED 150-400mm TC Pro to be a very sharp lens indeed and comparible (without doing any scientific technical tests) with even the Oly ED 60mm Macro and ED 300mm Pro primes.

My Red Admiral shots (high hit rate) have been a good first test of mounting the MC-14 AND engaging the built-in TC. I hope to try the MC-20 + 1.25x TC on the lens soon - I found the MC-20 poor on the ED 100-400mm but is excellent on the ED 40-150mm Pro. This leads me to think that the two MC- Pro TCs work best on Pro lenses and are primarily designed to do exactly that.

I always transfer my final JPEGs to both my iPhone and iPad in albums from my Mac and it certainly does look very sharp indeed on them. The image has been cropped by approximately 15%. Sharpening in post-processing has been very minimal, none in Capture One and only using the rather old Piccure+ plug-in Filter via Photoshop CS6. I have tried the AI sharpening options from the likes of Topaz etc but always come back to Piccure+. I think that most AI is overrated and is limited to its library of stereotypes. However, @the black fox Jeff does very well with AI software.

We all have experienced the trap of over sharpening, eh? :D.

Next on my To-Do list is one of the bird images on this same lens combo - Job #432! Shot in poor light yesterday too but big wide glass to the rescue! Will post it here when ready.

I think it's useful for people to see the results with this lens when shot by an amateur (me!) in typical British conditions rather than only by Olympus appointed professionals in exotic parts of the world with equally exotic wildlife subjects < I like those too of course!
 
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Fabulous image, and though that particular lens was not on my radar, it is fuelling my buyers remorse at having traded in my olympus kit for Fuji!!!:rolleyes:
 
I find it very interesting and useful Robin even though I use Sony as i still think Olympus is a great system and this super tele has the wow factor A lens i would have bought .

Rob.
 
Stunning red admiral shot @RedRobin. I think we are all really happy to see that the lens is living up to expectations.

It’s definitely useful to see the results, although I don’t think you can consider yourself to be an average amateur.
 
Olly B said:
Fabulous image, and though that particular lens was not on my radar, it is fuelling my buyers remorse at having traded in my olympus kit for Fuji!!!:rolleyes:
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.... Thanks!

Ah, 'buyers remorse' :D - I think we can all suffer from that if we allow ourselves to. Now that Canon are bringing out the R3 mirrorless version of my much loved 1DX-2 and also their RF L lens range is expanding, it would be easy for me to regret moving to Olympus. But I focus on what the Olympus Pro system offers me and it's more valuable for what I enjoy shooting. And this innovative supertelephoto lens puts any question of other camera systems out of my mind completely.

I have never investigated the Fuji system and didn't even investigate the Olympus system until after wildlife professional Andy Rouse stuck a M1X and 300mm Pro in my hand and it just felt very comfortable and right. I hadn't been thinking of changing brands at all.

There is no such thing as the perfect camera!
 
GyRob said:
I find it very interesting and useful Robin even though I use Sony as i still think Olympus is a great system and this super tele has the wow factor A lens i would have bought .

Rob.
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.... Although it's not my personal preference, Sony offer a great system too! Full-frame and superb quality glass make it a very strong contender. I admire some of the results I see on Sony gear.

Thanks for the feedback that you find my enthusiastic posts about my Olympus gear both interesting and useful - It's appreciated as I don't want to appear to be over doing my enthusiasm.

As you very amusingly initiated with your "pregnancy" analogy, I am still on honeymoon with this lens [and I'm thinking as I write this that traditionally pregnancies usually follow and not precede honeymoons] but I think I might have found something to dislike by now if there was anything. It having "the wow factor" is a good way to describe this lens.
 
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the black fox said:
a grey heron in flight with a mere 100-400 lens ,some p/p using topaz products :LOL: :exit:

heading home by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
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.... :LOL: You do so well with your gear and post-processing Jeff! You really do! You have a natural skill in capturing birds in flight whatever camera gear you use. And it's you who taught me my basic workflow in post-processing. In fact I want to ask you something about Topaz Sharpen AI and will PM you later.
 
Bebop said:
Stunning red admiral shot @RedRobin. I think we are all really happy to see that the lens is living up to expectations.

It’s definitely useful to see the results, although I don’t think you can consider yourself to be an average amateur.
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.... That's good to hear that my posts are useful. We all help each other in a good forum / thread as best we can - What goes round comes around.

Hmm, I am an amateur by definition in that I don't make a living from my photography but the folks at Olympus also tell me I'm not amateur, so I'll take it and feel very encouraged! I'm like a lot of photographers here in that I'm an addicted hobbyist whose very best work can sometimes be described as up to a professional standard. Everybody shoots turds occasionally too don't we! Pass the glitter jar please :LOL:.

I'll only add that I don't want to be considered as average at anything I do in life. :D. My car is red, not beige! And my supertelephoto lens is whiter than virgin snow!
 
ED 150-400mm Pro + MC-14 mounted in addition to 1.25x TC engaged, @320mm (560mm equivalent), distance 5.7m / 18ft.

F/8, 1/500s, ISO 500. Shot from my kitchen window hide into my wildlife garden on a very overcast cloudy day . As I had hoped, this lens performs very well in poor light.

MY RESIDENT BLACKBIRD by Robin Procter, on Flickr
 
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fulmar P/P using the latest version of topaz sharpen Ai I find its best to let it choose what it wants to apply ,in this case it was motion blur ,really brings out the detail
freddy the fulmar by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
 
the black fox said:
fulmar P/P using the latest version of topaz sharpen Ai I find its best to let it choose what it wants to apply ,in this case it was motion blur ,really brings out the detail
freddy the fulmar by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
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.... Personally I find that Topaz Sharpen AI brings out too much detail / sharpening even when on Automatic setting. It can be a bit harsh and unreal / artificial. It's good to rescue an image but. I'm not a fan of Topaz DeNoise AI either on many of my images!
 
Each to there own Robin , I find it works for me but it’s not the be all end all it’s simply another tool which as the dull light of the winter advances will be useful .
Plus they give you six examples to choose from and a couple of different ways to apply it ,, now be a good lad and polish your new toy LOL
 
LONG DISTANCE LOVE!

A Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), one of my favourite butterflies seen in England so I had to quickly grab this shot at 7m / 23ft distance on a Buddleia blossom in a strong breeze. In my wildlife garden in Dorset UK. It is also a substantial enlargement so I am pleased with the result.

Oly 150-400mm + MC-14 + TC engaged, @700mm (1400mm equivalent), F/8, 1/500s, ISO 500.

LONG DISTANCE LOVE! by Robin Procter, on Flickr
 
Nice shot Robin , just looked on Flickr and it’s one hell of a lot sharper on there ,somethings getting lost in translation
 
the black fox said:
Nice shot Robin , just looked on Flickr and it’s one hell of a lot sharper on there ,somethings getting lost in translation
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.... Cheers Jeff! The circumstances were a good real-world field test of the new big white toy (just before I polished it :LOL: ). I'm still in love!

Btw, sharpening I did was very minimal.
 
RedRobin said:
..... This set of 3 are all a classic composition which works very well.
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Thank you Robin for taking time to leave a comment.
im sure if i went back againI could do better well at least i hope I could !
 
Phiggys said:
Thank you Robin for taking time to leave a comment.
im sure if i went back againI could do better well at least i hope I could !
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.... We always think we might do better if given another opportunity and it's very healthy by keeping us striving to always improve if we can.
 
My eldest passed his test last week so what better thing to do than go for a drive.

shot on a lowly e-m10.2 ( which has terrible AF for these type of shots ) and the O17 at 1/40s

Abarth 500 by damianmkv, on Flickr
 
Great to see this thread still going strong. I've not been around for a while because because of losing a number of contracts at the end of last year due to covid I had to sell all my gear. I'm now in a position to buy something to get me going again. Unfortunately funds won't stretch to the EM1 MKII and 70-300mm I had but I was thinking maybe a EM5 MKII to get me back on the ladder so to speak. I'm going to open a wanted thread but I though I'd just put a heads up post in here first.
 
Welcome back Steve there are some good deals on e.bay if you search ,but if your a Olympus E.group member one of the lads is selling a omd1-mk1 for just over a £100
 
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Just after some advice please, I'm after buying my wife either the om-d e m1 iii or the Panasonic S5, she does a lot of macro and product photography, what are your thoughts?

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Sharps said:
Just after some advice please, I'm after buying my wife either the om-d e m1 iii or the Panasonic S5, she does a lot of macro and product photography, what are your thoughts?

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Don't forget to also look at the Panasonic G9, excellent value for money.
 
jakeblu said:
Great to see this thread still going strong. I've not been around for a while because because of losing a number of contracts at the end of last year due to covid I had to sell all my gear. I'm now in a position to buy something to get me going again. Unfortunately funds won't stretch to the EM1 MKII and 70-300mm I had but I was thinking maybe a EM5 MKII to get me back on the ladder so to speak. I'm going to open a wanted thread but I though I'd just put a heads up post in here first.
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That sounds tough, Steve.
Hope you get what you want (y)
 
Box Brownie said:
Simply superb.........even more so if handheld :)
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.... Handheld (not 'pod) but supported by a wicker screen (bendy!). I did do some handheld shots at 1000mm but closer distance subjects (butterflies) and also in overcast light. Also some monopod ones. I did a variety to explore the lens possibilities and, as you would expect, the best were in bright light like this one.

In all conditions it was fast to focus but tricky to nail it on the right spot. Widest aperture at 1000mm is F/11. It's a 'work in progress'.
 
RedRobin said:
.... Handheld (not 'pod) but supported by a wicker screen (bendy!). I did do some handheld shots at 1000mm but closer distance subjects (butterflies) and also in overcast light. Also some monopod ones. I did a variety to explore the lens possibilities and, as you would expect, the best were in bright light like this one.

In all conditions it was fast to focus but tricky to nail it on the right spot. Widest aperture at 1000mm is F/11. It's a 'work in progress'.
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Re: nailing the spot......I found that with the 300mm & x2TC, the FoV is very narrow and though it was challenging I have yet use that enough to improve. I currently only use the x1.4tc on the 300mm

The 150-400mm I surmise perhaps subject to the "subject', though not parfocal, finding the subject at 150 to 200 should be easier then to zoom in.......maybe best with whatever support comes to hand rather HH???

I will look forward to reading/seeing your updates and the imagery :)
 
Good result at that distance Robin . D.o.f will be the problem at these distances .we can’t overcome physics
 
Box Brownie said:
Re: nailing the spot......I found that with the 300mm & x2TC, the FoV is very narrow and though it was challenging I have yet use that enough to improve. I currently only use the x1.4tc on the 300mm

The 150-400mm I surmise perhaps subject to the "subject', though not parfocal, finding the subject at 150 to 200 should be easier then to zoom in.......maybe best with whatever support comes to hand rather HH???

I will look forward to reading/seeing your updates and the imagery :)
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.... Yes, I found the MC-20 + ED 300mm Pro combo too tricky simply because of not having the zoom option to actually find the target in the viewfinder! As we all know, the ED 300mm F/4 Pro is a stunning quality lens but I no longer have any use for it (soon for sale) as my new big expensive white lens has even faster AF (according to Olympus) and its sharpness matches as far as I can see. Plus a zoom is essential for my photography all of the time except for macro. So as Alan Sugar says "It is with great regret that... You're fired".

WET WEATHERPROOFING by Robin Procter, on Flickr

Re my post #23,655, the EXIF data on my Flickr page states "Subject Distance - 43.815 m" so that is what I used - Surely it is the sensor to subject focussed point distance? Whether you give or take a meter, wildlife at 44m is a loooong distance for any camera. All the Olympus Pro zoom lenses which I have used are parfocal.

Regarding using the MC-20, about halfway through my 9hr day shooting I swopped my MC-14 for the MC-20 and then kept it mounted for the rest of the day and just flipped the lens built-in 1:25x lever as I wanted for each shot - I had to keep remembering that I always have the 1:25x option with the 150-400mm Pro, it really is invaluable and of course multiplies whichever xMC-TC is mounted.

I spent a couple of hours in a hide first thing in the morning and used my small Jobu gimbal head mounted on a Skimmer base (looks like a frisbee) on the window sill. Although I also shot some totally handheld while there. In due course I'll post more and with my comments / findings.

My conclusion from the day's very broad ranging session, dependent on location (Somerset Levels present big distances), is to usually have the MC-14 mounted and only swop to the MC-20 when it's really needed. For wildlife I used to keep the MC-14 on the Oly ED 100-400mm as standard and I often have the MC-20 mounted on my ED 40-150mm Pro which works exceptionally well and doesn't need monopod support unless steadying for Focus Stacking - Very useful for close-up insects due to short MFD of about only 28 inches. The Oly 60mm Macro lens is as sharp as a traditional Japanese Samurai blade but often involves being too close and spooking the subject.

I have been asked to photograph someone's Shire Horse at work in a field today and so I must don my gun boots and venture forth soon. Catch ya'll laters :)
 
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the black fox said:
Good result at that distance Robin . D.o.f will be the problem at these distances .we can’t overcome physics
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.... Cheers Jeff. I'll be posting more shot at long distance from yesterday's session in due course.

As usual, the key is to know your gear's limitations, select accordingly, and work within them - Just like driving a car / vehicle. It's only been a week with the Star Wars Warrior lens and In spite of over 2,000 images shot I am still on the learning curve but so far I have absolutely no complaints or regrets about dropping so much money.
 
the black fox said:
Welcome back Steve there are some good deals on e.bay if you search ,but if your a Olympus E.group member one of the lads is selling a omd1-mk1 for just over a £100
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Thanks Jeff. I'm glad to see your still shooting with the Oly but now upgraded to a M1III.
tijuana taxi said:
Don't forget to also look at the Panasonic G9, excellent value for money.
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Looks an impressive camera but a bit out of my price range at the mo.
superpippo said:
That sounds tough, Steve.
Hope you get what you want (y)
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Cheers Alan
Ajophotog said:
Welcome back to Olympus Steve. I still use my e-m1 mk1 which is still a great camera and you can pick up a decent used one pretty cheap. (y)
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I never considered the EM1 Alby, might be a good first step back (y)
 
Seen this morning. Static birds being much more successful than bif. Oly 300mm at f4.5. ISO 1000

Aug 09 2021 P8090094.jpg
 
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