Olympus OM-D E-M1 in 2020 and beyond!

My 'new' Olympus OM-D E-M1 system is coming together nicely, and I'm almost there in terms of a fully rounded kit. I purchased the body, HLD-7 grip and Panasonic 45-150 f4/5.6 OIS together in Christchurch.Then quickly added the 12-50mm f3.5/6.3 EZ to use as my 'standard' walk-around lens. This was the lens I used when I had my E-M5 Mk2 and it's a great landscape lens, since it starts at 12mm (24mm fov) at the wide end.

Lake Brunner Yacht Club, Moana. Olympus E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-50mm f3.5/6.3 EZ. f8 @ 125th

It's spring here in New Zealand at the moment, and spring on the west coast means one thing - rain! Great weather for the ducks, and for our native rain forests, but not so great if you want to get out and take photos. Even with a weather-sealed camera like the E-M1. Fortunately it doesn't always rain (although sometimes it sure does feel like it), and last weekend (as I write this) was a gorgeous, clear spring day. Time to take the new camera and lens combo out for a spin!

Lake Brunner Yacht Club Jetty. OM-D E-M1 with 12-50mm EZ. f5.6 @ 125th, ISO 200  

As mentioned, this is a combination that I have used before, so I already know what to expect. Still, it's nice to get some images with the system 'in the bag' so to speak - and there is always an initial settling in period when you are reacquainting yourself with the manufacturers way of doing things.

I had spent about an hour the previous night configuring the E-M1 to fit my style of shooting. Just little things, but they make a huge difference out in the field. For example, because I can preview the exposure before taking the shot, I turn 'image review' off completely. I don't need to see a sample of what I've just taken, since I've already seen what it will look like in the gorgeous 2.6m dot EVF before pushing the shutter.

I've also reversed the front and rear control dial functions. I prefer to have the front dial change the aperture (I shoot in aperture priority 99.9% of the time) and the rear dial change exposure compensation (it's the other way around by default).

R & R Sally. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. f8 @ 125th, ISO 200

Since I never intend to shoot video with the E-M1, I have also re-configured the video record button to bring up the ISO. And with the 'super control panel' activated, I'll never really need to go back into the Olympus menu system again. So a camera that many people find overwhelmingly confusing to navigate, can in all actuality be very simple to use if you take some time to set it up right.

The touch screen on the back is a great addition which also simplifies navigation, as is the 'touch to focus' function. And finally, I have the 'Function 1' button set to quickly re-center my autofocus point. So all-in-all, it is a very intuitive shooting experience, and an absolute joy to use.

The Pub on the Lake. OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. f8 @ 1/50th, ISO 200

I don't want to harp on about 'softness' issues with my Fujifilm X-E2 - I've covered that already in my  previous post here. Suffice to say that the files from the Olympus E-M1 are super sharp, and that's with the relatively inexpensive 12-50mm 'kit' lens. Dynamic range isn't bad either. No, it's not as good as you would get from a full-frame sensor, but I do believe it easily competes with most other 16MP APS-C sensors for recoverable shadows and highlights.

The image above had some fairly dense black shadow areas in the black boat and water, since I exposed to preserve the highlight detail in the white boat and clouds. But they 'opened up' easily, and cleanly - especially since it was shot at the E-M1's native ISO of 200. You can shoot 'low' ISO of 100, but I don't see the point - unless you are trying to extend the shutter speed time for some long exposure shots?

Waiting patiently. OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. f6.3 @ 1/250th, ISO 200

One other 'feature' worth mentioning on the E-M1 is the 5-axis image stabilization that is good for about four extra stops of hand-holding (probably more with excellent technique). This is a brilliant to feature to have 'in-body', since all your lenses are now image stabilised. Olympus has class-leading image stabilisation, and even though I didn't need it on this particular morning, it's great to know that it's there when required.

Apparently some of the newer Olympus bodies (the EM1x and the E-M5 Mk3) can be hand-held down to four or five seconds and still give sharp results! And some have even claimed to have achieved sharp images at 10 seconds!?! That's just crazy talk!

Boathouse, Te Kinga. OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. f8 @ 1/80th, ISO 200

I thoroughly enjoyed my morning spent reacquainting myself with the Olympus OM-D E-M1. The ORF (Olympus Raw Files) are sharp, colourful, contrasty and exhibit a decent dynamic range for post-processing. It has a 16MP sensor - more than enough for most people's image requirements if you're not a huge cropper of your images (you shouldn't be). It also features class-leading image stabilisation, a big, bright and clear evf, fantastic ergonomics for a mirrorless camera (especially with the grip attached), and a well implemented live-view with tilting touch-screen. The body (and certain lenses) is weather-sealed and freeze-resistant (down to -10 degrees). It shoots at up to 10fps, has decent autofocus tracking, a huge selection of excellent optics, and is one of the most customisable cameras on the market. Really, what more do you want!?

Since it's built to pro-grade specifications, with a shutter rated for at least 150,000 actuation's (it's done 20k so far) I'm sure that it will last me at least ten years and still be going strong. That's not to say that I'll still be using it in ten years - I go through camera systems far too frequently to make that sort of claim. But what I can say, with a certain amount of confidence, is that it could see me through that long - at least - and still be producing beautiful images. Of that I'm sure.

Jet boat, Te Kinga. OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. f8 @ 1/80th, ISO 200

I said at the start that my O-MD kit was 'coming together' nicely - and to that end, I've got a couple more items coming this week to complete the system. First off I ordered an after-market lens hood for the 12-50mm. I've had one of these in the past and it works well - if just a little tight to begin with - and is certainly a lot cheaper than the ridiculous amount Olympus charges for theirs! 

Second, I ordered two after-market batteries - again for the same reasons that I ordered the after-market hood. I've used grey market batteries in all my cameras in the past, and they work fine. No, they probably don't last as long as the manufacturers ones do, and maybe they don't hold as much of a charge - but generally they do the job. And since you can get about six of them for the price of one Olympus battery, you can afford to chew through them a bit quicker.

Cashmere Bay, Te Kinga. OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-50mm. f8 @ 1/250th, ISO 200

Finally - and probably most importantly - I've got another lens coming for the E-M1. And it's another lens that I have owned previously when I had my first E-M1. With the Olympus 12-50mm and the Panasonic 45-150mm I've got most things pretty well covered. But you couldn't call it 'fast' glass. So to round out my system, I've purchased the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 prime lens - a 'nifty fifty' for micro four thirds. I almost dropped the extra $$$ for the Panasonic Leica f1.4 version, but in the end, decided that the f1.7 would be 'fast enough' for what I am likely to use it for. So I saved myself almost half the cash by getting the f1.7 version (for $200NZ).

As I said, I've owned it before, and it's a lovely lens. So no regrets in not going for the Leica f1.4. With the money I saved, I may look around for an external flash, which is about the only piece of the puzzle left to fill in. Once that's achieved, then I'll have a fantastic 'do it all' kit that should see me right for a very long time. Here's hoping....