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

Excuse my ignorance Greytop, but I assume the Tokina 300mm F2.8 ATX in your above shot is a manual focus lens and in Canon FD fitting (so I guess you have a canon / M4/3 adapter fitted ?
 
Greytop said:
It looks quite compact until you fit the hood :D
With regard to the focal length, being pedantic I guess I would phrase it as the same field of view as 600mm FL on a 35mm frame ;)
I have used it with a single Canon FD x1.4, here's an example
Robin by Huw Prosser, on Flickr
I have also used a x2 Tokina and the Canon x1.4 for Moon shots giving around 840mm on 35mm.
That most recent Moon shot was taken with my Oly MC-14 and the Canon x1.4 to give around 590mm on 35mm with the Tokina.
Using it with the E-M1 is a breeze, peaking or zoom to x5 or so if necessary.
Click to expand...

How much would you say you need an f2.8 lens, rather than any of the long f4 lenses? I guess it's a matter of gaining a stop of ISO to help with noise, which I don't like to exceed 3200 on my EM1. I imagine that with a TC attached and fast shutter speed you're already getting up there unless it's a really bright day, so I'm thinking that f2.8 would be very advantageous, but I'd like to hear from someone with experience on this...
 
Xenon54 said:
How much would you say you need an f2.8 lens, rather than any of the long f4 lenses? I guess it's a matter of gaining a stop of ISO to help with noise, which I don't like to exceed 3200 on my EM1. I imagine that with a TC attached and fast shutter speed you're already getting up there unless it's a really bright day, so I'm thinking that f2.8 would be very advantageous, but I'd like to hear from someone with experience on this...
Click to expand...
Better subject isolation too.
 
snerkler said:
Better subject isolation too.
Click to expand...

Didn't think that was a big problem at >600mm (equiv) focal lengths? Don't you often have to stop down to get the whole subject in focus anyway?

(ps - I'm not a birder or anything so I've not had lots of experience with very long FLs).
 
Xenon54 said:
How much would you say you need an f2.8 lens, rather than any of the long f4 lenses? I guess it's a matter of gaining a stop of ISO to help with noise, which I don't like to exceed 3200 on my EM1. I imagine that with a TC attached and fast shutter speed you're already getting up there unless it's a really bright day, so I'm thinking that f2.8 would be very advantageous, but I'd like to hear from someone with experience on this...
Click to expand...

I considered a long f/4 (or even slower lens) before I picked up the Tokina. Might have even gone for something like an 400mm but after reading seeing these new (old stock) Tokina going at Ffords I did some research and went for it.
The way I figure it is apart from the size everything else is positive, image quality is excellent, you have the flexibility of f/2.8 @ 300 if you want it, then add a few quality tele-converters and you have more options, 420 @ f/4, 600 @ f/5.6 etc.
That Robin shot was tripod mounted 1/125s @ ISO 400, I tend to keep the ISO under 1000 (certainly below 1600) where you might be cropping quite a bit.
Here's a Long-tailed tit shot at ISO 640 with the Tokina + Canon x1.4 and my old E-M5.
Long-tailed tit by Huw Prosser, on Flickr

Just to add I'm not a birder as such, I just enjoy capturing the odd wildlife shot now and again.
 
Last edited:
That is a superb shot Huw, considering LTT's very rarely stay still for long. It's almost as though he is going to come through the screen and say "Hello!"
 
Hi all,
Thinking of upgrading the 14-42ez pancake zoom, to the 12-40 2.8 does anybody have experience of this lens on an gripped EM10? Slightly worried the lens might be too heavy for the body.
 
joncro said:
Hi all,
Thinking of upgrading the 14-42ez pancake zoom, to the 12-40 2.8 does anybody have experience of this lens on an gripped EM10? Slightly worried the lens might be too heavy for the body.
Click to expand...

On a gripped EM10 it is perfect, although half the time I didn't actually bother with the grip.
 
Cheers Nawty, i have hands like shovels so need the grip at all times! I will watch some youtube reviews of the lens in question.
 
joncro said:
Cheers Nawty, i have hands like shovels so need the grip at all times! I will watch some youtube reviews of the lens in question.
Click to expand...

The lens is properly amazing, it lacks a little of the je ne sais quoi of the primes and is a little bulky comparatively but outright image quality is as good if not better than all of them in the same range (17mm 1.8 in particular which isn't THAT sharp and suffers from CA wide open). I use mine pretty much all the time despite having the full range of primes.
 
Xenon54 said:
Didn't think that was a big problem at >600mm (equiv) focal lengths? Don't you often have to stop down to get the whole subject in focus anyway?

(ps - I'm not a birder or anything so I've not had lots of experience with very long FLs).
Click to expand...
It's not a big problem at all, but gives you the flexibility if you want it. Depth of field also depends on subject distance of course.

I've never shot at f2.8 at 600mm, but in terms of depth of field it would only be the same as f5.6 roughly on full frame. People tend to stop down with these lenses to get the sharpest images rather than worrying about DOF too much.
 
Nawty said:
The lens is properly amazing, it lacks a little of the je ne sais quoi of the primes and is a little bulky comparatively
Click to expand...

I agree. The strength of the 12-40 f2.8 is it's sheer versatility and wide shooting envelope. Just stick it on your camera and shoot it at any settings or in any conditions and you'll get decent results (comparatively). It's a proper set-and-forget or run-and-gun type lens that gets out of your way so you don't have the think about it. When using some lenses you have to think about their sweet spot or avoid certain conditions, but not so much with this one. Its not perfect, obviously, and sometimes lacks some x-factor, but I've been very happy with mine and use it a lot.
 
I use the 280s and 95s sd cards from Sandusky and Lexar but I do like the U3 Kingston
 
Last edited:
joncro said:
Hi all,
Thinking of upgrading the 14-42ez pancake zoom, to the 12-40 2.8 does anybody have experience of this lens on an gripped EM10? Slightly worried the lens might be too heavy for the body.
Click to expand...

I like the pancake zoom on the E-M5 but also use the 12-50 or 12-40.

Here is the E-M5 compared to the E-M1 with varius combos with the 12-40 and 12-50 I did not have the 14-42 EZ at the time

Boby-only-compare by Alf Branch, on Flickr

No-grip-3 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Gripped E-EM1 compared to a non gripped E-M5 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

No-grip-1 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

No-grip-2 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

2015-01-01 17.13.40 by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
Thanks. As all I could find before was the square LH-55B that Olympus said was for the 12-50 as well as the 9-18.
I'm also looking for a petal hood for the 14-150 if you know of one.
 
I just bought the EM-M10 mkii + 2 lens bundle from Wex so will be joining this thread hopefully soon.
Just 2 quickies to save me trawling through this long thread :
1. I want to get a couple of spare batteries, can anyone recommend the best ones to get?
2. Also want a case of some description - again, any suggestions would be welcome.
 
Hi Chris,

I've never had a problem with Ex - Pro batteries if you don't mind non originals and Amazon have got a couple of the smaller Kata bags at under £20.

Stu.
 
Thanks for that - I have no problem with 3rd party batteries so I'll look at the ex pro ones.
 
SRS Microsystems have put the price of pretty much every Olympus lens and body down to their lowest levels, much cheaper than Amazon etc, might be worth a nosey.
 
rugeyes said:
The xpro white ones are better than the black I've found.
Click to expand...

It's funny, I have expro White for my em1 and find them not very good whereas the normal expro ones for my em10 seem good. Probably they are the same but the white ones set expectations higher.
 
Nawty said:
It's funny, I have expro White for my em1 and find them not very good whereas the normal expro ones for my em10 seem good. Probably they are the same but the white ones set expectations higher.
Click to expand...
I've had both too and found the opposite :-)
Maybe they should rename them expro lucky dip
 
I have the grey ExPro and find them just as good as the Olly ones for my EM5-II
 
Advice time..

Went to see Santa yesterday with the kids and it was at temple Needham in Leeds, took lots of photos got told off for using flash as it hurts the pictures, I also asked santa for my Porsche GT4 but instead he gave me a sand filled lizard... Anyway I was shooting in A wide open 2.8 and the iso was flashing at 6400, if I switched to I auto the iSo dropped to 1600 both were fine.

Why does A detect at a high iso? If I manually altered to match the Iauto it was fine.
But why does one detect high and the other low... Does Iauto do something diff, or is it my settings.


Also anyway to fix centre focus on I auto or does it always reset to all area once you toggle modes....
 
I would guess that in a semi-auto mode the auto iso defaults to 1/focal length equivalent and iauto it defaults to 1/60 shutter speed or something similar.
 
littleted said:
Advice time..

Went to see Santa yesterday with the kids and it was at temple Needham in Leeds, took lots of photos got told off for using flash as it hurts the pictures, I also asked santa for my Porsche GT4 but instead he gave me a sand filled lizard... Anyway I was shooting in A wide open 2.8 and the iso was flashing at 6400, if I switched to I auto the iSo dropped to 1600 both were fine.

Why does A detect at a high iso? If I manually altered to match the Iauto it was fine.
But why does one detect high and the other low... Does Iauto do something diff, or is it my settings.


Also anyway to fix centre focus on I auto or does it always reset to all area once you toggle modes....
Click to expand...
Depends what your min shutter is set to.
 
Where is that then, I see min and max iOS but not min shut?
 
littleted said:
Where is that then, I see min and max iOS but not min shut?
Click to expand...
Maybe I'm getting confused between cameras. My D750 definitely has it, will check my Olly at some point.
 
Doesn't have it I'm afraid. Olympus's implementation of Auto ISO isn't as advanced as Nikon's as all you can do is choose the ISO sensitivity span but can't actually set either a min shutter speed or a shutter speed that corresponds to focal length. I guess the built in algorithms try to compensate as best they can, but you can't manually select a min shutter speed.

I think there is a trick where you can set the minimum flash sync speed and that has an effect on the lowest shutter speed the camera will chose, or use the new fully electronic shutter but that uses scarily low shutter speeds to keep the ISO low (and obviously no flash).
 
Sootchucker said:
Doesn't have it I'm afraid. Olympus's implementation of Auto ISO isn't as advanced as Nikon's as all you can do is choose the ISO sensitivity span but can't actually set either a min shutter speed or a shutter speed that corresponds to focal length. I guess the built in algorithms try to compensate as best they can, but you can't manually select a min shutter speed.

I think there is a trick where you can set the minimum flash sync speed and that has an effect on the lowest shutter speed the camera will chose, or use the new fully electronic shutter but that uses scarily low shutter speeds to keep the ISO low (and obviously no flash).
Click to expand...

I was a little worried about this as it drove me mad with the Panasonic bodies with absolutely no control over minimum shutter speed, but the flash sync trick works perfectly, and exactly as expected. It prioritizes the high ISO limit over the minimum shutter speed, but that's to be expected, but as long as you're on or below your highest configured ISO setting it will never go below the flash sync speed.

It's obviously not as sophisticated as Nikon's approach, and I've honestly no idea why everyone else is being so slow to catch up (Panasonic don't do it at all, Sony have only just added it with the a7RII), but as a workaround it's nice to have.
 
Am I right in thinking I cant use manual focus on my Panasonic 100/300 on a em1 body, no matter how I try I cannot get it to work?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top