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

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
 
the black fox said:
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
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.... I have just had a half-hour chat to a very helpful guy at ukdigital who sell Laowa. If your Sigma is a Canon fit then why not buy a Novo EF to m4/3 dumb adapter for just under £30? But you would have to operate your Sigma totally manually I think.
 
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
 
the black fox said:
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
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.... 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!
 
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superpippo said:
Does anyone have a glass screen protector on their EM1 mk ii and if so any recommendations?
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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 :)
 
superpippo said:
Does anyone have a glass screen protector on their EM1 mk ii and if so any recommendations?
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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!
 
jakeblu said:
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 :)
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Bebop said:
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!
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Thanks both., particularly the point re the articulating screen closing properly, which is a point I considered, never having had a camera with a screen of this type.
 
Ajophotog said:
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.
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.... Thanks Alby, that's a great help.

As I need physical distance to reduce spooking my minibeast targets, the Laowa 100mm F/2.8 Ultra Macro 2:1 greatly appeals. On my m4/3 it would instantly give me an equivalent of 200mm focal length and so good reach. As I shoot Manual-mode 99% of the time anyway, selecting the aperture physically on the lens (possible on the Nikon mount version) rather than on camera body should not be a problem. Also, lack of AF is not a problem for macro and close-up work because the M1X Focus Peaking would still show in the viewfinder, as would the histogram. I would 'default' the Laowa lens to F/8 as the most likely sweetspot and adjust as and when needed.

https://www.ukdigital.co.uk/laowa-100mm-f28-2-1-ultra-macro-apo-lens-nikon.html

There have been reports of some adapters, Metabones for example, not working fully with Laowa lenses and so I think that a 'dumb' non-electronic comms adapter such as the Novo would be best for me :

https://www.ukdigital.co.uk/nikon-lens-m43-adapter.html

Who wants to buy an excellent condition Olympus 60mm F/2.8 Macro lens?
 
RedRobin said:
.... 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
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These are absolutely fantastic
 
RedRobin said:
.... 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!
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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
 
the black fox said:
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
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I thought you bought a G9?
 
the black fox said:
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
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.... 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.
 
RedRobin said:
.... 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.
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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
 
the black fox said:
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
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.... I absolutely agree - It's always horses-for-courses and what best suits the individual photographer.

I often use a Gitzo Traveller monopod rather than a tripod when on walkabout hunting for wildlife, especially in the wilderness of my backyard - It can hang off my belt when not in use. It makes it easy to maintain a shooting position too and also I can quickly pop my second M1X + 300mm on it when needed.

Regarding IS, the M1X has excellent IBIS so perhaps that is sufficient on its own but my Canon EF 100mm F/2.8L Macro has its own IS and the Metabones adapter has full electronic comms and so the Canon lens IS might still help - I won't know until the Metabones arrives in the next few days - I bought a good condition used one for £148 from WEX instead of £339 new.

The option I will lose when mounting the Canon 100mm Macro on the M1X is Focus Bracketing/Stacking but my pocket-sized Olympus TG-6 has handheld in-camera stacking if I want it and I now have a GorillaPod Mini tripod which also can be held as a pistol grip which makes a big difference snaking the camera towards the minibeast.

Another benefit of adapting my Canon 100mm Macro is that I get an equivalent reach of 200mm and if I also mount my Kenko 1.4x .... 280mm reach is possible. I don't care if an image is called 1:1 etc as I'm only after pictures which please to look at - For me, '1:1' is academic.

According to which I am happier with out there in the real world I can then later sell either my Olympus 60mm (+ STF-8) or my Canon 100mm. The Metabones EF>m4/3 Adapter could be useful to keep - They are reputed to be the very best adapters currently available.

Not focus stacked but a macro shot on my TG-6. I don't feel that every shot needs to be focus stacked and that not doing so can add to the atmosphere - It depends what you want to achieve with each shot that Lady Luck presents you with :

Fly_TG100851.jpg
 
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RedRobin said:
.... 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.
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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.
 
Ajophotog said:
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.
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This is how I feel about it too. So I suspect I will sell mine.
If I shot flowers I would keep it.
 
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Ajophotog said:
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.
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.... 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.
 
RedRobin said:
.... 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.
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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 .
 
the black fox said:
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 .
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.... The lockdown has only meant that I haven't driven anywhere to take photos. I have being walking across fields and walking to local deserted places I know for wildlife for as long as I wanted to regardless of 'lockdown' - I spent 6 hours out with my cameras on early Sunday. I go where there is no-one who can challenge me and I've always had no problem not going even outside my front door for several days at a time - I live in my own bubble and don't read newspapers or follow the news. I do realise that I am very lucky and privileged to live how I want to and am grateful for every day because no-one is guaranteed tomorrow < The death of my son taught me that.
 
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Only just got around to processing this one. Think it was taken on my 1st day of working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Is our girl Daisy who's nearly 2 years old now (how time flies). This was taken indoors with my new EM1 MKIII and the 40-150 F2.8 at full reach @ ISO 3200 and wide open at F2.8

 
Very nice Al
 
a experiment today to see how far I could crop a shot and still retain detail but lose noise . this is near as damn it a 100% crop down to 1024 pixels on the longest side ,yes unprocessed it was bloody noisy but results speak more than words
bugsy by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
 
Help please.
I've been trying to get some shots of the Blues-tits coming and going from the nest box on the side of the house but I'm struggling to get any decent results. (The box is on the shadey north wall of the house so it doesn't get the best light.) The main problem I'm getting is with very high noise as a result of having to keep the ISO up around 3200 - 6400. I'm using an EM5 mkii with a Panosonic 100-300 f4 lens.To capture the bird in flight I'm shooting in manual at 1/2000 f8 and ISO 3200 or 6400. I manually focus on the nest box with the camera approx 4m from the box and take a series of exposures in high speed mode via a long cable release. I've tried reducing the exposure to 1/1250 with the associated lowering of the ISO but it only seems to give a marginal improvement in noise. Can anyone suggest a better approach to this?
 
yep simples really ,invest in topaz de-noise Ai .it really does work and worth every penny
 
trying to get my hand and eye co-ordination back working together after a long lockdown lay-off ,down the estuary this morning in bitter cold winds and bright sunlight ,with a good few slices of bread to keep the gulls attention .took a few shots ,deleted lot of them .need more practice ..
the explorer by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
 
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