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as I said I only dabble into macro when the mood takes me . but I do see where your coming from unfortunately that sigma in four thirds mount is like hens teeth .. each to there own
as I said I only dabble into macro when the mood takes me . but I do see where your coming from unfortunately that sigma in four thirds mount is like hens teeth .. each to there own
I had a laowa 100mm f 2.8 macro robin in MFT fit but didn't like the results and it was to heavy and fully manual . so then I would have needed a tripod plus lights all adding to the weight . as stated for the dabbling I do the 60mm is fine
Cant help you with the recommendations, but I've had two EM1.2 the first had no screen protector, I was unsure if it might be a hinderance to closing the LCD with the screen hidden. The 2nd one which I still have does have a screen protector, fitted by the previous owner. Whilst thats probably completely unhelpful I can say that the LCD closes fine with a fitted screen protectorDoes anyone have a glass screen protector on their EM1 mk ii and if so any recommendations?
Yes I use an Expert Shield one, and you have reminded me I haven't bought one for my Em1iii yet. I've bought those ones for years now as they stay on and are invisible. The touch still works.Does anyone have a glass screen protector on their EM1 mk ii and if so any recommendations?
Cant help you with the recommendations, but I've had two EM1.2 the first had no screen protector, I was unsure if it might be a hinderance to closing the LCD with the screen hidden. The 2nd one which I still have does have a screen protector, fitted by the previous owner. Whilst thats probably completely unhelpful I can say that the LCD closes fine with a fitted screen protector
Yes I use an Expert Shield one, and you have reminded me I haven't bought one for my Em1iii yet. I've bought those ones for years now as they stay on and are invisible. The touch still works.
Edit: and it closes fine!
Robin I use a Sony fit Laowa 60mm with an adaptor, like Alf says it is fully manual so has an aperture ring to set the aperture on the lens. The 60mm Olympus was a pain as I have only really ever use manual focussing with macro. The STF-8 screws on the front filter threads as it is 62mm. I did use a Canon Mp-e 65 for a while with a commlite adaptor so you could get one and use your Canon 100mm macro lens. The laowa 65mm 2x macro lens has good reviews, they also do a 2x -5x macro lens for getting really close that is a lot cheaper than the Mp-e65 which I might get one day to have a play with.
These are absolutely fantastic.... Lots of photographers get on extremely well with the Olympus 60mm Macro for live minibeasts but so far I do not. If anything, the heavier M1X body helps, particularly regarding handheld grip. The M1X is exactly the same size and weight (give or take 4mm and 50g) as my Canon EOS-R with grip fitted.
I have got telephoto close-ups with Olympus well covered (as my attached 840mm equivalent images illustrate) but it's the 'macro' shots which I also want < I don't care whether what the ratios are such as 1:1 etc - That's academic as far as I am concerned, I just want to be able to fill the frame with a fly's head and occasionally use in-camera focus stacking/bracketing.
Lens reach is what I'm after for 'macro'.
The other evening I tried out my Olympus 12-40mm (24-80mm) on a roosting butterfly and no time was wasted faffing around with focus. I shot it at 40mm (80mm) and it filled the frame and even included great habitat surroundings showing its shelter from the elements. My best shots of just its head were done on my compact TG-6.
Btw Jeff, you recently asked me whether I thought focus stacking with focus bracketed files was better done in post-processing rather than in-camera. So far, I favour the post-processing workflow if the shots are handheld. I use Affinity and it handles my RAW files and merges them in a wide choice of combined image formats. I usually Export the merged file as a 16bit TIFF back into Capture One (where all the component RAW files originated) ready for any adjustments < That's gotta be better for post-p than a JPEG in-camera. It is wise not to do any adjustments on the component files before any merging/stacking.
The following are only slightly cropped to aid composition, so no significant enlargements done :
THE APTLY NAMED FEMALE BROAD-BODIED CHASER by Robin Procter, on Flickr
THE REWARD FOR PATIENCE .... by Robin Procter, on Flickr
THERE ARE TIGERS AT THE BOTTOM OF MY GARDEN! by Robin Procter, on Flickr
Yep thats the one .. nowhere near as sharp as the Olympus .. but it may have been me .. don’t rush to sell your 60mm till your happy with whatever you get .. did that with the em- mk1 now looking at having to buy another.... I am seriously interested in the Laowa 100mm F/2.8 Ultra Macro 2:1, is that the same lens you had Jeff? :
https://www.ukdigital.co.uk/laowa-100mm-f28-2-1-ultra-macro-apo-lens-canon.html
Surely not heavier than the Canon EF 100mm F/2.8L IS Macro? Which I used 95% of the time with a Kenko 1.4x and sometimes with a Canon control ring adapter on my EOS-R with grip.
What specifically did you not like about the results please?
I wish I could get macro results as good as yours on the Olympus 60mm Macro!
I thought you bought a G9?Yep thats the one .. nowhere near as sharp as the Olympus .. but it may have been me .. don’t rush to sell your 60mm till your happy with whatever you get .. did that with the em- mk1 now looking at having to buy another
Sent it back Steve ,wasnt happy with the e.v brightness levelI thought you bought a G9?
Yep thats the one .. nowhere near as sharp as the Olympus .. but it may have been me .. don’t rush to sell your 60mm till your happy with whatever you get .. did that with the em- mk1 now looking at having to buy another
Possibly more to do with holding it steady for macro due to weight robin , as I said you will probably need a tripod with it .. as for focus stacking that’s something I have only embraced since getting the 60mm. And obviously with the canon you would lose I.s which makes that lens exceptional ...... Hmm, I have yet to read any other reports or reviews which suggest that the Laowa 100mm Macro is any less sharp than any of the other brands of highly rated macro lenses. In fact they all say that this Laowa lens is as sharp if not sharper. Certainly all the samples I have seen by independent photographers support it being very sharp indeed.
One reason you could have experienced softer sharpness might be down to diffraction at certain apertures. All macro lenses have apertures within their whole range which they are sharper at. Banging a lens up to F/22 plus to increase DoF doesn't help if it then gets unsharp.
I need to check but not having auto aperture control via an adapter with electronic comms might mean that focus stacking isn't possible and that would be a deal breaker for me.
Other options are if I can find a Canon EF > m4/3 adapter so that I could mount my Canon EF 100mm F/2.8L IS Macro on my Olympus.
Also, the Irix 150mm F/2.8 Macro might be worth considering if it will support focus stacking.
Possibly more to do with holding it steady for macro due to weight robin , as I said you will probably need a tripod with it .. as for focus stacking that’s something I have only embraced since getting the 60mm. And obviously with the canon you would lose I.s which makes that lens exceptional ..
what ever path you take there will be compromises the only real winners being the retailer .. every choice I make these days is based on two criteria performance and weight the 60mm being the winner for me for general purpose work
Macro lenses by their very nature are pretty darn sharp, l gone through quite a few and never really had a soft one..... Hmm, I have yet to read any other reports or reviews which suggest that the Laowa 100mm Macro is any less sharp than any of the other brands of highly rated macro lenses. In fact they all say that this Laowa lens is as sharp if not sharper. Certainly all the samples I have seen by independent photographers support it being very sharp indeed.
One reason you could have experienced softer sharpness might be down to diffraction at certain apertures. All macro lenses have apertures within their whole range which they are sharper at. Banging a lens up to F/22 plus to increase DoF doesn't help if it then gets unsharp.
I need to check but not having auto aperture control via an adapter with electronic comms might mean that focus stacking isn't possible and that would be a deal breaker for me.
Other options are if I can find a Canon EF > m4/3 adapter so that I could mount my Canon EF 100mm F/2.8L IS Macro on my Olympus.
Also, the Irix 150mm F/2.8 Macro might be worth considering if it will support focus stacking.
This is how I feel about it too. So I suspect I will sell mine.Macro lenses by their very nature are pretty darn sharp, l gone through quite a few and never really had a soft one.
Olympus has in body stabilisation so will continue to have a form of IS. II is the flash that freezes the action and a tripod just wouldn't work for me for standard macro insect shooting. I even take shots sometimes quickly for stacking by rocking forward slowly through the scene shooting as l go, as long as you don't twist the camera they will align.
The 60mm Olympus is a great lens but the controls for using it fast suck. The times l spotted something to photograph would be gone because after trying to find the subject in the viewfinder, I would find the lens had come out of the 1:1 end of the scale. That really was the cause for me to get rid of it along with the terrible manual focussing. Maybe l was doing something wrong but now just a twist of the focus ring gets me just where l need the lens to be. If you want in camera focus stacking you should keep it though.
Macro lenses by their very nature are pretty darn sharp, l gone through quite a few and never really had a soft one.
Olympus has in body stabilisation so will continue to have a form of IS. II is the flash that freezes the action and a tripod just wouldn't work for me for standard macro insect shooting. I even take shots sometimes quickly for stacking by rocking forward slowly through the scene shooting as l go, as long as you don't twist the camera they will align.
The 60mm Olympus is a great lens but the controls for using it fast suck. The times l spotted something to photograph would be gone because after trying to find the subject in the viewfinder, I would find the lens had come out of the 1:1 end of the scale. That really was the cause for me to get rid of it along with the terrible manual focussing. Maybe l was doing something wrong but now just a twist of the focus ring gets me just where l need the lens to be. If you want in camera focus stacking you should keep it though.
At least after tomorrow your allowed out to travel and take your photos again ,up here we are still in enforced lockdown and although I’m only 5 miles from the English border it’s not worth the chance of getting a pull just to take some photos ,as the plod are preparing for a influx of tourists this week ..... That is EXACTLY the focussing problem I have with it. But I also don't like its lightweight balance on the M1X.
I don't need to keep my Olympus 60mm Macro because my Olympus TG-6 Tough is always in my pocket and focus stacks if/when I want. It also doesn't spook minibeasts anything like as much and has its own flash accessories. Oh, and it shoots RAW as well.
I will take Jeff's advice and hang on to my 60mm Macro until I am certain about my Canon 100mm Macro + Metabones Adapter combo being enjoyable for me. With the Metabones I also have a future option of swopping the Canon lens for a Laowa or Irix macro. I ordered a used Metabones for less than half price from WEX this morning and they'll take it back if I don't like it, no questions asked.
At least after tomorrow your allowed out to travel and take your photos again ,up here we are still in enforced lockdown and although I’m only 5 miles from the English border it’s not worth the chance of getting a pull just to take some photos ,as the plod are preparing for a influx of tourists this week .
FabSlight crop, taken with my 6 year old balancing on my shoulders!
20200509_094901 by alligator1975, on Flickr