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

Box Brownie said:
In an email update about Olympus day there was a link to a Tesni Ward movie about Olympus bodies re: use in wildlife photography.

One thing that caught my attention was about the EM1X, she called the Bird Detection AI "birds in flight AF"

View: https://youtu.be/3Xc0Ym1HAww
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.... Hmm, in my direct experience having spent a 1-to-1 day with her, I do not trust her. She is a very good wildlife photographer but is only interested in making money out of you. Turning up an hour late and then taking me to a nearby RSPB reserve and leaving me there is not what I paid over £100 for!! I learnt nothing from her and felt conned but her arrogant and highly competitive character is such that I didn't think it worth the effort complaining - She is not the sort who would apologise and give you a refund. She is an ex Team GB javelin thrower.

Perhaps she uses the ' CAF Tracking Birds Eye Detect' feature for her birds-in-flight shots, who knows. At the time we were both shooting Canon.
 
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RedRobin said:
.... Hmm, in my direct experience having spent a 1-to-1 day with her, I do not trust her. She is a very good wildlife photographer but is only interested in making money out of you. Turning up an hour late and then taking me to a nearby RSPB reserve and leaving me there is not what I paid over £100 for!! I learnt nothing from her and felt conned but her arrogant and highly competitive character is such that I didn't think it worth the effort complaining - She is not the sort who would apologise and give you a refund. She is an ex Team GB javelin thrower.

Perhaps she uses the ' CAF Tracking Birds Eye Detect' feature for her birds-in-flight shots, who knows. At the time we were both shooting Canon.
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Having never met her I can only judge by what read and see of/about her and indeed any that expect the be paid for their services or are designated as 'guru'.

I did not find her writing or presentation style to my liking.

Based on what you say of your 'paid for 121 day' I wonder what her booking terms say.......if they were explicit I'm what was being supplied and she did not do so I think she needs calling out for her failure especially if that was an official Olympus 121 ! I can only surmise there would have been others equally disappointed and that could reflect badly on the Olympus brand???
 
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Box Brownie said:
Having never met her I can only judge by what read and see of/about her and indeed any that expect the be paid for their services or are designated as 'guru'.

I did not find her writing or presentation style to my liking.

Based on what you say of your 'paid for 121 day' I wonder what her booking terms say.......if they were explicit I'm what was being supplied and she did not do so I think she needs calling out for her failure especially if that was an official Olympus 121 ! I can only surmise there would have been others equally disappointed and that could reflect badly on the Olympus brand???
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.... At the time she hadn't become a 'guru' or 'ambassador' for Olympus and we both were shooting Canon. It's 4 or 5 years ago now. In hindsight I should have called her out at the time.
 
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RedRobin said:
.... At the time she hadn't become a 'guru' or 'ambassador' for Olympus and we both were shooting Canon. It's 4 or 5 years ago now. In hindsight I should have called her out at the time.
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Ah! devil in the details ;)
 
RedRobin said:
.... Hmm, in my direct experience having spent a 1-to-1 day with her, I do not trust her. She is a very good wildlife photographer but is only interested in making money out of you. Turning up an hour late and then taking me to a nearby RSPB reserve and leaving me there is not what I paid over £100 for!! I learnt nothing from her and felt conned but her arrogant and highly competitive character is such that I didn't think it worth the effort complaining - She is not the sort who would apologise and give you a refund. She is an ex Team GB javelin thrower.

Perhaps she uses the ' CAF Tracking Birds Eye Detect' feature for her birds-in-flight shots, who knows. At the time we were both shooting Canon.
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You can't expect any of these so-called "Ambassadors" to be objective........
 
jerry12953 said:
You can't expect any of these so-called "Ambassadors" to be objective........
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.... This is true. When I bought my car (new) and started performance modifying and writing online reviews about it I got invited to car shows and either didn't pay for parts or got huge discounts. I even got free servicing (because VW Racing don't have to pay for the oil supplied by their race series sponsor). I had carte blanche to write anything I wanted in my reviews but my attitude was fundamentally positive towards the suppliers - Afterall I cose modifications because I believed in them. It must be said that I was genuinely very satisfied (and still am!) with the components added/replaced on my beloved car.

It's natural to be well disposed towards any company or person that helps you out with their product regardless of whether money changes hands or if there is a written agreement or not.

Olympus don't give me anything except the excellent technical support which they do their best to give everyone.

:olympus:
 
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not been doing much of late due to living in a tourist hot spot combined with not much about so having a mini break till I go away in a week or so .. but to relieve the boredom and in conjunction with a friend , I have started a mini diorama project for trams and buses to take me into the winter months ( model trains are now for the wealthy) after hunting round the house and garage for my model making tools and buying a few bits to get me started , construction began yesterday .. so heres a teaser after day 1
boyz toyz by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
 
the black fox said:
not been doing much of late due to living in a tourist hot spot combined with not much about so having a mini break till I go away in a week or so .. but to relieve the boredom and in conjunction with a friend , I have started a mini diorama project for trams and buses to take me into the winter months ( model trains are now for the wealthy) after hunting round the house and garage for my model making tools and buying a few bits to get me started , construction began yesterday .. so heres a teaser after day 1
boyz toyz by jeff and jan cohen, on Flickr
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.... I'm going to love following this! Is that coach a Guy or a Dennis? Nice quality image.
 
RedRobin said:
.... Did you initially focus on the wing tip closest to the camera or the eyes?
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Robin I should think if it’s a in camera stack the middle of the body would be the focus point .as it moves forward then backwards during the stack
 
RedRobin said:
.... Did you initially focus on the wing tip closest to the camera or the eyes?
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Nearest eye is where is went but I probably don't think enough about with a shot like this as I switched from C2 to C1 focused and hoped I and it didn't move too much.
Nothing ventured nothing gained.
 
the black fox said:
Robin I should think if it’s a in camera stack the middle of the body would be the focus point .as it moves forward then backwards during the stack
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.... Not according to OlympusUK techsupport - I had an actual phone conversation with them on this very point. However, I recall one of their 'ambassadors' saying online it is how you describe and that relates to only Focus Bracketing in-camera and not combining the slices as a Stack in-camera. If you think about bracketing (only) anything in-camera, exposure for example, what I am saying makes sense (for a change!) :D.

Sorry, but I don't entirely trust the knowledge of most of their 'ambassadors' however well intentioned they are. They don't have the in-depth technical knowledge or in-house training.
 
RedRobin said:
.... Not according to OlympusUK techsupport - I had an actual phone conversation with them on this very point. However, I recall one of their 'ambassadors' saying online it is how you describe and that relates to only Focus Bracketing in-camera and not combining the slices as a Stack in-camera. If you think about bracketing (only) anything in-camera, exposure for example, what I am saying makes sense (for a change!) :D.

Sorry, but I don't entirely trust the knowledge of most of their 'ambassadors' however well intentioned they are. They don't have the in-depth technical knowledge or in-house training.
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As far as can tell from what I have seen the focus only seems to move further away from the camera.
 
As i've not used my Olympus MC-20 converter much since i bought it, thought I'd give it a try today on the 300mm F4 Pro and the EM1 MK III. Nothing special, just a sparrow, but for 1200mm (effective) and handheld, I'm pretty impressed with the sharpness of the combo if you have enough light.

 
RedRobin said:
.... Nice behavioural Hare shot - I have yet to photograph a Hare! Not your pet Hare with a red collar is it? :D

Exactly as you say about straining to hold a fixed position and my solution is to carry a lightweight, although substantial, carbon Gitzo GM4562 telescopic monopod with long spike foot. I mount on the monopod quite often just to steady a long reach shot or to steady a close-up. The monopod also works very well with my unmentionable bright white big envy lens to carry on my shoulder sometimes - It just depends what subjects I am looking for.

You mention the Oly 300mm Pro being much lighter weight than the big white one and it is significantly so on paper. But, on Saturday Jeff @the black fox asked me to do a test for him between the Oly 300mm prime and my big white zoom set at 300mm and I was very surprised by the feeling of an insignificant weight different in the hand. This is because the big zoom is extremely well physically balanced with the M1X by conscious design. I better shut up or you'll be feeling even more envious!

Btw, Jeff asked for the test because some keyboard warrior on the hyperinterwebbynet was claiming that 300mm on a prime had a larger image area than on a zoom. This is certainly not the case on these two Olympus lenses when compared on a locked down tripod on the same subject.
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Sorry for the late response. We are mid decorating and my camera gear and computer are not very accessible.

Someone else mentioned they thought it looked like a collar on the hare :LOL: I did start using a monopod after this, although in this instance it probably would've been even trickier to lower myself to the ground manhandling the monopod at the same time, without the hare seeing me.

That is interesting to hear about the balance of the lens. I know what you mean. I don't have an EM1x, so I'm not sure if the same would be true on an EM1iii. I have been considering selling off some of my Canon kit and buying the lens (I might have mentioned already). It will be a long wait though. You only live once don't you?

Good to hear the keyboard warrior was not correct.
 
alfbranch said:
As far as can tell from what I have seen the focus only seems to move further away from the camera.
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.... That's exactly what Olympus UK TechSupport told me too and my results so far back that up. However, my stacking failures are due to my error usually - Too much movement either by the subject or by me.
 
I’m very excited to get back into the 1. Series with a mk2 which will be a massive step up from my 10.2

i briefly used a 1.2 back in 2017 but chose a d500 over it but this time I was looking for an upgrade and couldn’t resist the opportunity
 
RedRobin said:
.... That's exactly what Olympus UK TechSupport told me too and my results so far back that up. However, my stacking failures are due to my error usually - Too much movement either by the subject or by me.
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My failures are my fault too.
 
I’m totally certain that I watched a video from Olympus that demonstrated in camera focus stacking and it showed a middle of target start point that then moved forward and back to rear of subject .will have a look for it in the week if possible
 
the black fox said:
I’m totally certain that I watched a video from Olympus that demonstrated in camera focus stacking and it showed a middle of target start point that then moved forward and back to rear of subject .will have a look for it in the week if possible
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It is a while since I’ve played with it, but I thought the in camera focus stacking was like this, as you say, but the focus bracketing was different.
 
the black fox said:
I’m totally certain that I watched a video from Olympus that demonstrated in camera focus stacking and it showed a middle of target start point that then moved forward and back to rear of subject .will have a look for it in the week if possible
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.... Are you sure you aren't mixing it up with the '0' middle setting for selecting the Focus Differential (distance between each image slice in the bracket/stack)?

Of course I stand to be corrected on this but I am reporting what I was told when I asked Olympus this specific question.
 
Due to its MFD (Minimum Focus Distance) of 0.7m I find that the combo of ED 40-150mm F/2.8 Pro + MC-20 makes a very useful close-up lens (not strictly 'macro' if you want to adhere to the 1:1 definition). Here is an example where the subject distance was 0.945 m at 300mm zoom :

RUFOUS GRASSHOPPER FEMALE NYMPH by Robin Procter, on Flickr

But due to the MFD of 1.6m plus the far greater reach of the ED 150-400mm TC Pro, I find this much larger lens equally useful for close-up but with the flexibility of much more reach, especially if a distant bird or animal suddenly presents a photo opportunity whereby the other lens is limited. Here is an example where the subject distance was 1.685 m at 536mm zoom :

FIELD GRASSHOPPER (Chorthippus brunneus) by Robin Procter, on Flickr

I might do some simple tests to compare how much the same inanimate subject can fill the frame with each lens at its MFD. But if I am out on a general wildlife walkabout as usual, I prefer to take the big white lens because of its flexibility in shooting a wider variety of subjects. I shall definitely still keep the 40-150mm lens though.

Of course you can shoot on the ED 60mm Macro and get much much closer but too many creatures then spook and so I usually find the 60mm somewhat limited. When Olympus bring out their rumoured ED 100mm Macro that will make a difference but it needs to be able to mount a TC and most true macro lenses physically can't.
 
Bebop said:
It is a while since I’ve played with it, but I thought the in camera focus stacking was like this, as you say, but the focus bracketing was different.
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Yep I was right , just watched a Robin wong u.tube video where he clearly states re in camera stacking aim at the middle point as it moves forward and back . It’s not the video I was looking for but I’ll find that later, just asked the question on the u.k faceberk group as well see what comes back
 
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Bloody Hell Robin

That Rufous Grasshopper is absolutely stunning.
 
the black fox said:
Yep I was right , just watched a Robin wong u.tube video where he clearly states re in camera stacking aim at the middle point as it moves forward and back . It’s not the video I was looking for but I’ll find that later, just asked the question on the u.k faceberk group as well see what comes back
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Is this the one Jeff

View: https://youtu.be/nz7SELV6_Gs
 
No I think there was another one where the target was laid out horizontally and it showed the motion as it went from the middle point forward to the front then all the way to the rear point . I think this was to be double sure on the nearest point being the most detailed..
 
Right finally got five minutes spare to wobble my head , yes the general consensus on Facebook Olympus group is I’m correct stacking is done from a central point as it works forward then backwards, bracketing is done from the nearest subject point ..
A experiment i did when I had the 60mm macro was to lay a pair of nutcrackers out at a 45 degree angle away from me ( there about 6 inches long) aim at the central point and let the camera stack . The whole lot was sharply in focus . I’ll see if I can find it
Also took some caterpillar shots in the garden using the same technique . Only part slightly out was it’s head moving
 
the black fox said:
Right finally got five minutes spare to wobble my head , yes the general consensus on Facebook Olympus group is I’m correct stacking is done from a central point as it works forward then backwards, bracketing is done from the nearest subject point ..
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^ ^ ^ That is exactly what I said earlier in my Reply #23,700 as follows :
RedRobin said:
.... Not according to OlympusUK techsupport - I had an actual phone conversation with them on this very point. However, I recall one of their 'ambassadors' saying online it is how you describe and that relates to only Focus Bracketing in-camera and not combining the slices as a Stack in-camera. If you think about bracketing (only) anything in-camera, exposure for example, what I am saying makes sense (for a change!) :D.
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In other words the camera behaves differently in Focus STACKING than it does in Focus BRACKETING. The confusion may be because when you set it up in the Menu, the first selection you switch 'On' is termed 'Focus Bracketing' and then further on you can select/enable the term 'Focus Stacking'.

Btw, that video in Reply #23,713 is very brief and does not explain the difference in image capture behaviour. Again, so much for 'Gurus' and I can't say I am impressed!
 
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And here is a Focus Stacked (in-camera) photo of the same Bee :

ARTICHOKE OR ALCOHOL DRUNK BEE! by Robin Procter, on Flickr

I actually prefer my non-Focus Stacked (FS) image. I find that stacking too often makes the subject look unreal and the layering also changes the colours. I will still continue to toggle FS On/Off though when I think there's a good chance of it working, afterall it only takes one button to toggle all my C1 settings.
 
Hmmmm the stacked image is o.k TILL you look at the translucent petals on the legs .once seen can’t be unseen
 
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