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

AMcUK said:
Hi Roxanne, I'm an E-M10ii user. I have very rarely used the Continuous AF with or without Tracking. I don't shoot planes or birds but do a little bit of motorsports.
In that circumstance I found that the camera wasn't very good at isolating the subject - I suspect the shape of the car changes too much and too fast for the camera to recognise it reliably.
FWIW I use a group of focus points and S-AF and Sequential Low to shoot in short bursts of 5fps.
Sequential low acquires focus for each frame, if you use Sequential High then the focus is set by the first frame, so if the subject distance changes then things can get worse (or better) over the burst with no adjustment.
I also find sorting through the hundreds of frames tedious so I try and shoot fewer shorter bursts even at the expense of missing some action - I'm shooting for fun not money so it doesn't matter too much to me.

It's also worth looking into focus peaking if you're focusing manually - it puts a highlight around a high contrast areas of the frame indicating the focus.
I've assigned it to the Fn2 button to the right of the shutter button.

Finally in Menu Cog C I have "Rls Priority" set to OFF for both C and S.
With that setting ON the camera will release the shutter even if it doesn't think anything is in focus.
In general I'd prefer not to take a shot than take one that is completely out of focus.
When the camera won't shoot it prompts me to slow down and work out what the problem is - rather than assume what I go in the EVF was OK (it can fool you) then find a blurry mess on the PC days later when it's too late to do anything about it.
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Oh fantastic I shall certainly have a look into this at the weekend. Thank you so much for you advice this thread is such an interesting read so thank you all.
 
Think I’m going to return the Sigma 56mm f1.4 . Maybe got carried away with “the FF look” but the FL isn’t really for me so I’ve used it maybe twice in 2 weeks..

Shame really it’s it’s very very sharp but perhaps I need to think more carefully before my next purchase..
 
I thought I ask some advice in here as you are probably the experts on Olympus. I’m considering buying into the Olympus system but I don’t have an experience what’s good or not.

I’ve got to a point with my photography that I still enjoy it but don’t do it as much as I used to. Photography is my way to get me out of the house seeing great places but getting a photo is not necessarily the main objective.

During lockdown Ive had time to think what I what from photography. I’ve realised I have thousands of £’s sitting in the cupboard and it’s getting an outing probably once a month on average.

It’s not a slight on Olympus in any way (this thread shows what can be done with it) but I’d like to downgrade financially rather than quality wise as I’d like to carry on with photography as a hobby. Currently I have a Sony A9, 24-105 and 100-400. Having read some of this thread and got advice on other threads it’s lead me to think of this potential kit:

EM-1 MK2
12-40 f2.8
40-150 f2.8

I’ve had a look around and it seems I’d be looking at about £1600-1700 used for these. Would it be worth looking at the EM-1 Mk3 which is probably £500-600 more?
 
The two lenses are both pro quality and you Can add a 1.4 tc to the 40-150 at later date ..the mkii body is a good choice BUT you might be better off getting the mkiii which is getting good reviews from all users so far .. take into account warranty deals to .i bought my mkii from LCE last year and got 66 months warranty ,yes 5 years 6 months
 
the black fox said:
The two lenses are both pro quality and you Can add a 1.4 tc to the 40-150 at later date ..the mkii body is a good choice BUT you might be better off getting the mkiii which is getting good reviews from all users so far .. take into account warranty deals to .i bought my mkii from LCE last year and got 66 months warranty ,yes 5 years 6 months
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The EM-1 MKiii looks likes it’s nice camera. The only downside is the extra cost. I will research prices to see how I could purchase them via new and used. Extra warranty does seem nice.

Has anyone done the ‘test and wow’? I’m not 100% sure how it works so would love to hear from others.
 
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rob-nikon said:
The EM-1 MKiii looks likes it’s nice camera. The only downside is the extra cost. I will research prices to see how I could purchase them via new and used. Extra warranty does seem nice.

Has anyone done the ‘test and wow’? I’m not 100% sure how it works so would love to hear from others.
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I had the EM1-II and it did everything I asked from it (y)
 
snerkler said:
I had the EM1-II and it did everything I asked from it (y)
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I’ve stumbled across the 12-100 f4 whilst reading this blog about the EM-1 mk II earlier. It sounds like my ideal all in one lens for landscapes. For the last couple of years I’ve wanted a lighter setup as hiking up hills and mountains isn’t something I find fun with camera kit. Having just one camera and lens sound perfect as minimises weight and lens changes. I want to get back to the time I enjoyed photography. the last couple of years it’s just feLR like a chore humping lots of weight around.
 
rob-nikon said:
I’ve stumbled across the 12-100 f4 whilst reading this blog about the EM-1 mk II earlier. It sounds like my ideal all in one lens for landscapes. For the last couple of years I’ve wanted a lighter setup as hiking up hills and mountains isn’t something I find fun with camera kit. Having just one camera and lens sound perfect as minimises weight and lens changes. I want to get back to the time I enjoyed photography. the last couple of years it’s just feLR like a chore humping lots of weight around.
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I know absolutely what you mean. I was in the same boat. I now have the em1.2 / 12-100 combo. I've found that I'm a bit frustrated by the quality compared to the FF Canon kit which I've now sold. I don't know if others have found the same thing but viewing the files at 100% sometimes leaves me a bit underwhelmed. I suppose its inevitable with the difference in sensor size. Strangely I find using the EM1.2 with the Panasonic 100-400 zoom for wildlife more satisfactory, although you have to remember that at the long end its the equivalent of a 800 mm lens so you do have to get everything right! But on the plus side I can carry the body and two lenses with me on almost any photography trip; with the canon's i had to make a decision whether I was likely to need the long zoom in advance or not.

Another thing I have had to get used to is using the 12- 100 at f8 or wider. f8 is the equivalent of f16 in FF terms so you have to bear in mind the effects of diffraction at narrower apertures.
 
The PL 100-400 is my main lens ,light ,fast accurate with good close focus ability , .. the tern shots above were taken with it and the butterfly and insect shots a bit further back ,, with MFT you have to process accordingly , topaz de.noise Ai helps in this and is a godsend . If your going to compare to FF all the time then Forget buying into this system
 
jerry12953 said:
I know absolutely what you mean. I was in the same boat. I now have the em1.2 / 12-100 combo. I've found that I'm a bit frustrated by the quality compared to the FF Canon kit which I've now sold. I don't know if others have found the same thing but viewing the files at 100% sometimes leaves me a bit underwhelmed. I suppose its inevitable with the difference in sensor size. Strangely I find using the EM1.2 with the Panasonic 100-400 zoom for wildlife more satisfactory, although you have to remember that at the long end its the equivalent of a 800 mm lens so you do have to get everything right! But on the plus side I can carry the body and two lenses with me on almost any photography trip; with the canon's i had to make a decision whether I was likely to need the long zoom in advance or not.

Another thing I have had to get used to is using the 12- 100 at f8 or wider. f8 is the equivalent of f16 in FF terms so you have to bear in mind the effects of diffraction at narrower apertures.
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I hadn't thought about the effect on DoF for landscapes. I’d thought about it regarding shallow DoF for wildlife f2.8 is equivalent to f5.6 (It’s something like the equivalent of two steps isn’t it?).

the black fox said:
The PL 100-400 is my main lens ,light ,fast accurate with good close focus ability , .. the tern shots above were taken with it and the butterfly and insect shots a bit further back ,, with MFT you have to process accordingly , topaz de.noise Ai helps in this and is a godsend . If your going to compare to FF all the time then Forget buying into this system
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ive had a look at the longer options. The 100-400 is probably too long for me as I’ve only used up to 400mm on full frame. I noticed in the lens road map there are two future lenses highlighted around 50-200. Those would be perfect for my wildlife use.

I’m not one for looking at image files in too much detail so I’m hoping I would be comparing to full frame that much. As long as high ISO isn’t unusable I would be happy.
 
rob-nikon said:
I hadn't thought about the effect on DoF for landscapes. I’d thought about it regarding shallow DoF for wildlife f2.8 is equivalent to f5.6 (It’s something like the equivalent of two steps isn’t it?).


ive had a look at the longer options. The 100-400 is probably too long for me as I’ve only used up to 400mm on full frame. I noticed in the lens road map there are two future lenses highlighted around 50-200. Those would be perfect for my wildlife use.

I’m not one for looking at image files in too much detail so I’m hoping I would be comparing to full frame that much. As long as high ISO isn’t unusable I would be happy.
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My other useable lens is a four thirds 50-200 f2.8 SWD. That I use via a mmf.3 adaptor stunning super sharp lens and a alternative to a 40-150 at around a quarter of the price
 
rob-nikon said:
I hadn't thought about the effect on DoF for landscapes. I’d thought about it regarding shallow DoF for wildlife f2.8 is equivalent to f5.6 (It’s something like the equivalent of two steps isn’t it?).
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Yes there is the DoF effect as well. My personal opinion (I'm stressing the personal here) is that if your speciality is landscapes I would be wary of using m4/3; having said that the 12-100 / EM1.2 combo has fantastic IS. Hand held exposures at up to 2 seconds - yes, they are possible!
 
I used Test and Wow, over a weekend i had an extra day. It wasn’t long enough to really try out the camera, but it was enough for me to know I would use the kit. Borrowed an OM-D 1 II and when I took it back I picked up a Pen F and was smitten.
 
jerry12953 said:
Yes there is the DoF effect as well. My personal opinion (I'm stressing the personal here) is that if your speciality is landscapes I would be wary of using m4/3; having said that the 12-100 / EM1.2 combo has fantastic IS. Hand held exposures at up to 2 seconds - yes, they are possible!
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hmmm one from yesterday I dont do landscapes this was with the PL100-400 hand held just a snap really no thought gone into it . lets see how it fares on flickr .
all fall down by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
 
rob-nikon said:
I’ve stumbled across the 12-100 f4 whilst reading this blog about the EM-1 mk II earlier. It sounds like my ideal all in one lens for landscapes. For the last couple of years I’ve wanted a lighter setup as hiking up hills and mountains isn’t something I find fun with camera kit. Having just one camera and lens sound perfect as minimises weight and lens changes. I want to get back to the time I enjoyed photography. the last couple of years it’s just feLR like a chore humping lots of weight around.
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Hi Rob as a convert to Olympus in the early part of the year from 30+ years of Canon ownership the Olympus OMD EM1 Mark 2 with the 12-100 is a really good option as your go to hiking set up its what I use when out hiking I really do not miss the weight of my Canon Kit. I did a lot of research before making the change in systems and found this site to be useful in help me make my decision The site does a have a good review of the 12-100. As you are aware a lot is made of the sensor issues by non users of the M4/3 system and high ISO Topaz denoise gets mentioned a lot on the forum and this bit of software really does help with any high ISO issues. Like all systems each has pluses and minuses when using any giving system Olympus menus initially when first using the camera are not intuitive to begin with but make sense once you read up and use the system. I am amazed at the features that the camera has built in

MirrorLessons – Mirrorless camera reviews right at your virtual doorstep!

Mirrorless camera reviews right at your virtual doorstep!
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jerry12953 said:
Yes there is the DoF effect as well. My personal opinion (I'm stressing the personal here) is that if your speciality is landscapes I would be wary of using m4/3; having said that the 12-100 / EM1.2 combo has fantastic IS. Hand held exposures at up to 2 seconds - yes, they are possible!
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As a Landscape/Seascape photographer who shoots in terrible weather I have been happy to stick with Olympus.
 
Tha
mazdaman said:
Hi Rob as a convert to Olympus in the early part of the year from 30+ years of Canon ownership the Olympus OMD EM1 Mark 2 with the 12-100 is a really good option as your go to hiking set up its what I use when out hiking I really do not miss the weight of my Canon Kit. I did a lot of research before making the change in systems and found this site to be useful in help me make my decision The site does a have a good review of the 12-100. As you are aware a lot is made of the sensor issues by non users of the M4/3 system and high ISO Topaz denoise gets mentioned a lot on the forum and this bit of software really does help with any high ISO issues. Like all systems each has pluses and minuses when using any giving system Olympus menus initially when first using the camera are not intuitive to begin with but make sense once you read up and use the system. I am amazed at the features that the camera has built in

MirrorLessons – Mirrorless camera reviews right at your virtual doorstep!

Mirrorless camera reviews right at your virtual doorstep!
www.mirrorlessons.com www.mirrorlessons.com
Click to expand...
thanks I will have a look at that. I’m around 70-80% sure it’s the right move but I still have some doubts to overcome before committing.
alfbranch said:
As a Landscape/Seascape photographer who shoots in terrible weather I have been happy to stick with Olympus.
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The weather proofing does look good,
 
ask red robin about the weatherproofing he has photos to prove it works
 
the black fox said:
ask red robin about the weatherproofing he has photos to prove it works
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There was also a member (crumbs has been a while since I recall seeing his posts and can't remember his name???) who regularly photographed at wet(downpour) conditions motor racing tracks! One picture I recall showed his combo sitting, clearly very wet, on the ramp of a trailer!
 
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We had a biblical downpour recently that resulted in floods. I was more worried about my boots than my camera, as I was out recording the floods.
 
one from today 1-mkii+ 50-200SWD+ec14 tc hand held .. dont think I have ever caught damsel flies mating before .. plenty of dragonflies but never these tiny beasts .
the game of life by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
 
rob-nikon said:
The weather proofing does look good,
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I have stood getting soaked at football matches with my Olympus gear and not worried about it - just make sure I have a microfibre cloth in case any rain gets on lens.
U12s, so kid's faces blurred - horrible light and visibility. Taken with the 40-150pro and the EM1ii. The focus was the lad on the floor's face, so it's possible it will all look a bit blurry ha ha!

200105115959-BC055954.jpg
 
I set up my software to view at A3 print size and find m4/3 to be perfectly acceptable, in fact I'm very happy with it
No interest in looking at 100% apart from some aspects of editing, can't see any reason for it

Most of my photography is travel related and apart from the occasional bigger print I just make A4 photo books.
Suppose it depends on your requirements, but weight and size also plays a part in my choice of gear.
 
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My E-M1 suffered like this for 6 years and has a new home where life will be easier

splash by Alf Branch, on Flickr

A wipe with a damp cloth and it will be fine

At Niagara falls I just left it dry off in the sun after cleaning the lens it never missed a beat
That was a lot of water too worse than the worst downpour I have ever been in

Close-to-the-horseshoe by Alf Branch, on Flickr


Before it got so wet

The-maid-heading-for-the-mist by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
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