Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

[mrtoad]

i have a lumix G1 and the 14-45 kit lens
i use it on iso 100 and am hesitant to go to higher iso's..my photography prior to digital was 35mm kodachrome64 and fujichrome100 to get fine grain

my idea is to buy a body of the above and use the kit zoom i already have
i understand the above olympus model has a far better sensor and good performance at higher iso's

what i would like to know from any users
in good daylight conditions what iso is preferable or should i say practicable to get good results with apparent fine grain
i am talking about landscape, and general photography hand held

any help really appreciated
cheers
geof

 

[damianmkv]

Hi Geof

Can't you just set the camera at iso200 for default ? I don't own this camera ( had the mk1 ) but assume there little difference between the Oly models

 

[snerkler]

The EM10-II should be noticeably better at higher ISO going by DXO figures as it scores 842 vs 463 of the G1. However depending on how much you pixel peep you can see noise on the ollies even at base ISO (which is 200 not 100). I'd hazard a guess that this is probably true of the G1 too. That being said I didn't notice it really until I started using FF then went back to m4/3. I've not used the EM10-II but have owned the EM10, EM5-II and EM1 and am 'happy' to shoot at ISO 3200 in extreme situations.

 

[Nawty]

Start at base ISO of 200 and work upwards, it's up to you where noise becomes unacceptable.

IQ will be significantly better compared to what you are used to.

 

[mrtoad]

all replies...thanks chaps...and that really was good info...
you know what its like when you want to upgrade and you dont want to be frivolous
but i think my move will be justified by perhaps some better results in cases where the G1 has its shortcomings
and those are the ones which frustrate me...noise at iso 400 say
in any event i appreciate your help
cheers
geof

 

[gad-westy]

all replies...thanks chaps...and that really was good info...
you know what its like when you want to upgrade and you dont want to be frivolous
but i think my move will be justified by perhaps some better results in cases where the G1 has its shortcomings
and those are the ones which frustrate me...noise at iso 400 say
in any event i appreciate your help
cheers
geof

Olympus cameras have something of a trick up their sleeves when it comes to high ISO noise, and that is the incredible effectiveness of the IBIS system. Obviously if you're trying to freeze movement it's not much use but for stuff that is less critical on shutter speed you can find yourself shooting several stops slower than 'normal', maybe even as long as 1s on a wide angle lens. The reality of the that is that if you team the camera up with a fast prime lens (take your pick, they're all good wide open and depth of field is usually plentiful because of the small sensor) you can be shooting in quite dark conditions at base iso and getting very clean images. It's one thing I loved about having an EM5. I could walk around in blue hour with a fast prime attached and never need a tripod and yet still be shooting the same settings I would have used if I had a tripod with me.

When you do need high iso, the 16mp sensor does okay I think. Comparable to APSC sensors from not so long ago. You should notice a big difference.

 

[mrtoad]

Olympus cameras have something of a trick up their sleeves when it comes to high ISO noise, and that is the incredible effectiveness of the IBIS system. Obviously if you're trying to freeze movement it's not much use but for stuff that is less critical on shutter speed you can find yourself shooting several stops slower than 'normal', maybe even as long as 1s on a wide angle lens. The reality of the that is that if you team the camera up with a fast prime lens (take your pick, they're all good wide open and depth of field is usually plentiful because of the small sensor) you can be shooting in quite dark conditions at base iso and getting very clean images. It's one thing I loved about having an EM5. I could walk around in blue hour with a fast prime attached and never need a tripod and yet still be shooting the same settings I would have used if I had a tripod with me.

When you do need high iso, the 16mp sensor does okay I think. Comparable to APSC sensors from not so long ago. You should notice a big difference.

thanks...i appreciate that type of hands on information..i had an olympus 4/3 with kit lens and it seemed a bit better than the micro lumix G1..
maybe my imagination...its funny it can make a cloudy day sunny...it was an oldish one the E 420..but my files show some results at slower speeds hand held quite sharp...to my standards anyway...i can only view my work on a laptop or ipad...the reason i changed was what i thought might be a steadier body without the mirror so i went micro... and here we are!!
thanks again
cheers
geof