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....

Mirrorless wins! Again.

In my last post I was travelling to Christchurch to choose a new camera. For most of the post I discussed leaving the Fujifilm mirrorless system, and possibly moving back to the Nikon DSLR system. I had my eye on a couple of Nikon D7000s, as well as a possible Nikon D610 full frame. And then, at the end of the post, I made a throw-away comment regarding an Olympus E-M1.

Turns out it wasn't such a throw-away comment after all. When I got to the store in Christchurch (shout out to Greg and the team at Photo & Video) on Monday morning, the weekend had seen a run on their secondhand Nikon gear. Both D7000's were gone! Just as well I did have a plan 'B'.

And actually, the more I had thought about it over the weekend, the more I had come to the conclusion that my plan 'B' was really my plan 'A'. So when I arrived in store and was told that both the Nikon's were gone, I was actually relieved. The decision had quite clearly already been made for me 😄

Helping Hands. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic 45-150mm. f6.3 @ 1/250th, ISO 200

My positive impressions of the micro four thirds system had been rekindled with my recent testing of camera sensors (see last post here). Having looked back over a lot of landscape images from the last few years, I was impressed with how good the photos taken with my E-M1 looked compared to other (larger) imaging systems. Turns out that for what I use my images for, micro four thirds quality is plenty good enough. And that's not damning with faint praise.

Above is the first image I took on my 'new' E-M1. And it's sharp. Super sharp. Sharper, I believe, than the files from my X-E2 would have been. Maybe that has something to do with the extra depth of field you get from the smaller sensor - where f6.3 is really more like f13 in full-frame. But I also think that the actual pixel-level detail is clearer and sharper than what I was getting from the Fujifilm X-Trans II sensor. The E-M1 files just look 'crispier'? Not 'overly' digital at all, but certainly less 'smeary' than the  images I was getting out of the X-E2.

Gnarly Tree, Botanic Gardens. Olympus E-M1 with Panasonic 14-150mm. f5.6 @ 1/60th, ISO 200 

I used the Olympus micro four thirds system for about two years - probably about two years ago - first with the OM-D E-M5 Mk2, and then with the E-M1. So I'm fairly familiar with the layout and how they work. Many complain about the Olympus menu system being difficult to navigate, but I don't find that at all. I'd call it 'dense' rather than difficult. But even I will admit to now having to go through a fairly steep 're'-learning curve on the E-M1.

Fortunately, every button and dial on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 can be re-programmed and configured to work exactly how you would like it to. This is great, but is also where some of the confusion with the menu system comes into play. But if you are methodical, take your time, and set things up exactly how you like, then the E-M1 becomes an intuitive joy to use.

Christchurch Rose Garden. E-M1 with Panasonic 45-150mm. f6.3 @ 1/125th, ISO 200

My previous E-M1 was an all-black body, whereas this 'new' one is the more retro-looking silver and black version - which I actually prefer. The camera store did also have an all-black version, for a cheaper price, but it had done twice as many shutter actuation's (42k as opposed to 20k) and certainly looked the worse for wear. So I opted for the slightly more expensive silver-black version, and I'm glad I did.

To my surprise, and great delight, they also happened to have an HLD-7 grip secondhand. It wasn't showing on their website, so I thought I was going to have to fork out for a brand new one - at more than three times the price! But there it was, sitting on the shelf, ready and waiting for me 😊

I've written quite a lot over the years about my struggles with changing to mirrorless - mainly due to the smaller sizes. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to carry around smaller, and lighter gear. But even though I'm not a big guy and don't have large hands, there quickly becomes a point for me where the cameras are too small, and buttons and dials become too fiddly! The Olympus OM-D E-M1, without the grip, is ok. But, with the grip attached, it's perfect as far as I'm concerned. Just the right amount of weight, heft and button/dial sizing.

Some might even say that it's getting a bit too big for a mirrorless system camera? But not me. I'm quite happy to add some weight to the camera body itself, since the lenses are where most of the weight-saving occurs anyway. The Panasonic 45-150mm lens I purchased with the E-M1 body is tiny! It's an ultra lightweight and ultra compact (90-300mm f4/5.6 equivalent) lens with optical image stabilisation included (although the E-M1 reverts to its own superior in-body stabilisation instead). Its overall length is only 73mm and it weighs in at a tiny 200 grams. That's just crazy talk for a 90-300mm, even at f4 to f5.6!

Hansen Park, Christchurch. E-M1 with Panasonic 45-150mm. f5.6 @ 1/400th, ISO 200

When I knew that I was going to replace my Fujifilm X-E2, I sat down and made a list of all of the 'features' I wanted in a camera. Since I mostly enjoy going out and shooting landscapes, I wanted a camera that was suited to this kind of photography. But it also had to be 'general' enough to shoot whatever else I might need to cover - from family snaps to the occasional sporting event.

I thought that the Nikon D7000 fit the bill perfectly - since it's weather-sealed, has a good 16MP sensor, high frame-rate, uses SD cards (dual card slots), and has a live-view function. But then I read more about the appalling implementation of live-view on Nikon's mid-range bodies and I started having serious doubts. You can't, for example, change the aperture value when shooting with live-view enabled! Seriously!!? You don't get a histogram on the back of the screen when you have live-view enabled. AND, what's even worse, you can't see the change in exposure on the screen in real-time with live-view enabled! WHAT!!!???? What's the point of even having live-view if that's the case? These features are available on all other cameras with live-view, at any price point. But Nikon reserves these 'special' features for their top-of-the-line (read expensive) DLSR camera bodies! Bugger that Nikon!

Who you looking at? Olympus E-M1 with Panasonic 45-150mm.

Fortunately, the Nikon D7000 isn't the only camera with all the features I'm after. The Olympus OM-D E-M1 also has 16MP, a weather-sealed body, high frame rates, used SD cards (only one slot though), and has excellent live-view functionality - as well as a tilt screen for helping with ease of viewing on a tripod. A tilt-screen isn't a feature I would have considered a 'must-have' even a few years ago. But the older I get, the more I appreciate any compositional aid that will help me shoot more easily from tricky camera angles. In fact, a flippy-out screen like the one on the E-M1 Mk3 (and many Canon's) would be even better! But I'll certainly make do with the tilt-screen on the E-M1 in the meantime.

Red Rose. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Panasonic 45-150mm. f5.6 @ 1/25th, ISO 200

The images in this blogpost are some of the first taken with my new E-M1 setup with the Panasonic 45-150mm lens. To say that I'm happy with them would be an understatement. I'm more than happy. They are clear, crisp and sharp in a way that I honestly don't think that the files from my X-E2 were.

So yes, I think I've very much made the right decision switching (back) to micro four thirds. The E-M1 is an incredible camera, and a delight to use. I am enjoying reacquainting myself with it and am very much looking forward to taking it out on its first landscape shoot. I'm hoping that will be this very weekend....

Alas dear Fuji, I knew you well.

It's been a while since I posted on nzdigital (about three months), but I haven't been quiet during that time - anything but. I've been posting, instead, on my 'other' blog; The Fuji X-Files. It made sense, since I had invested heavily into the Fuji mirrorless system with the X-E2, and had a Fuji-centric blog waiting and ready to go.

And I enjoyed the Fujifilm X-E2, I really did. Well, at least I thought I did - until recently. Let me explain...

Lake Kaniere. Sony a99 with Minolta 17-35mm. f11 @ 1/80th, ISO 200.

A few weeks ago I decided to film a video for my Youtube channel, comparing images taken with a full frame, APS-C and micro four thirds camera. I just happened to have all three sensor sizes together at one time, and thought it might make for an interesting video? And it certainly was interesting, and enlightening, but not quite in the way I had envisaged it would be. 

I went into the 'experiment' with a fairly clear idea of what I thought the outcome would be (not very scientific, I know), since I've shot on all three sensors over the years and know that they can all perform fantastically. All can produce clean, clear and sharp (more on that soon) images - at least at the sizes I need to print or display my work at. I took all the images at the same focal length, with the same effective aperture, and all in RAW so I could get the very best out of each sensor.

The three cameras I tested were the 24MP full frame Sony a99, my 16MP Fujifilm APS-C X-E2, and my son's Olympus OM-D E-M5 16MP micro four thirds. Above is the edited RAW images, with a 100% crop from the extreme left edge of the frame, from each camera. The full frame 24MP image has the edge in sharpness and clarity - of course it does. But having said that, the Olympus E-M5 micro four thirds image gives an impressive performance - with the very cheap 14-45mm kit lens no less - and isn't that far behind. But what shocked, surprised, and upset me, was how poor the Fujifilm X-E2 result was! It might not be quite as obvious from the images here on the web, but compared to the Sony and Olympus, the X-E2's 100% crop from the left edge is horrible! Soft, mushy and just plain horrible! Bugger 😞

On closer inspection, it looks as if the Fujinon XC16-50mm kit lens that I've been using has a slightly de-focused left side of the image, since the right side edge was indeed sharper. So chalk that up to a lens issue and move on. Whew!

Things will surely get better if we look at the central portion of the image - all shot at an f11 effective aperture, all on a tripod. Well, hang on there Bucky. Not so fast. Once again, it might be hard to tell from these web images, but - once again, the Sony and Olympus look very sharp, while the Fujifilm X-E2... not so much.

This time the result is not so much blurry, as just every so slightly 'mushy'? Detail just isn't as distinct and 'crisp' on the Fuji as in the Sony and Olympus images. On-screen, they all look fine. Sharp and clear enough. But pixel-peep at 100% and the Fujifilm X-trans sensor is definitely more 'mushy' in rendering detail. If I was being kind (hey, I'm trying), I'd say it produces a more 'painterly' image - maybe more filmic, than the other two? Great if that's the look you're going for.

Now normally I'm not a pixel-peeper. Really, I'm not. And I'm also not someone who has to have the 'cleanest' image possible with zero noise/grain present. In fact, with the Fujifilm cameras, I'm actually purposefully going the other way and introducing grain into the image. I like the fact that they can produce very film-looking images straight out of camera - when I want that look. But I'm also not the first to have noticed a general 'softness' with Fuji RAW files that aren't there with other systems.

This image softness has mostly been attributed to Adobe Lightroom's handling of the Fujifilm RAF files (yes, I'm using Lightroom). It's a common, and oft discussed issue, with a couple of work-arounds.

First, third-party plug-ins can take over the RAW development engine inside of Lightroom to process the RAF files. This is the 'fix' preferred by those who wish to stay within the Adobe ecosystem.

Second, ditch Lightroom all together and move to Capture One for processing RAF files in the future. Capture One has worked closely with Fujifilm, and are known to have a much superior RAW processing engine for RAF files than Lightroom. People have reported much sharper images processing in Capture One than Lightroom. So fortunately, there is a fix.

Having said all that, I'm not laying the blame only at the foot of Adobe. I have to at least consider that the lens has something (a lot) to do with IQ and sharpness. I've been shooting the X-E2 mostly in jpeg, and letting the camera process the image. If you do this, then a lot of the inherent lens issues will be 'minimised' by the processing software. So that what you get out of camera should be fairly sharp, corrected images. Not so with RAW. The RAF's are unadulterated data - warts and all - and it seems that maybe the XC16-50mm has quite a few warts?

So, having established this, I made two decisions immediately. One - get a new lens, and two - start processing RAF files in Capture One.

And that's exactly what I did. I purchased the 23mm f2 prime (35mm equivalent fov) and downloaded Capture One Pro for Fujifilm (which just happened to be on special). Problem solved - right?

Well actually, no. On the lens front, I'm sure that I am getting sharper results with the 23mm prime than I was with the XC16-5mm kit lens. No doubt. It's a lovely little lens, and a joy to use.

But, when I went back and re-processed the RAF file in Capture One, I got the exact same result as I had when I used Lightroom. The Fuji file still looked 'painterly' rather than crisp and sharp. Bugger (again) 😢

After that, it was a bit like one of those inkblot tests. Once I had seen it, I couldn't 'un' see it. I started going through my back catalog of images and looking at photos at 100% (I really am NOT a pixel peeper!). If I clicked on an image at random, then I could almost always tell if it had come from the Fuji because of the painterly pixel structure. If I clicked on an image, enlarged it, and thought "great, that looks better" then it was invariably from another camera sensor (usually a Nikon). And once I started playing the 'spot the Fuji fuzziness" game, then that was really the beginning of the end for me and Fuji.

Motukiekie Beach. Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XC16-50mm

I've had a lot of fun using the Fujifilm X-E2, and made a lot of amazing images with it. It's been another piece of my mirrorless journey puzzle, and shown me that I can get along with smaller cameras. But it's also been a bit of a struggle, I'm not gonna lie. The X-Trans sensor is a unique beast, and many struggle to tame it satisfactorily. It's especially difficult if you're an otherwise satisfied Lightroom user. 

Shooting jpegs and using images SOOC (straight out of camera) is a serious option to consider with Fujifilm - their film profiles are really that good. And boy, have I had a lot of fun (and wasted a lot of time) with custom film profiles. The combinations are almost endless. Which again, unfortunately, presents something of a problem. I've programmed, changed, and reprogrammed the custom film settings on the X-E2 dozens of times - tweaking, reshooting, tweaking and reshooting again - only to end up changing them all later anyway. They are fun, but for me they've also been time-wasters, and something else for me to obsess about with my photography (me, obsessive? never!?).

So I've decided - for better or worse - to move on from Fujifilm (what a shock). I've used it for about a year now, which is fairly good going for me and a camera system historically 😕 I haven't really been a one-camera-one-system guy for years now. Variety is, as they say, the spice of life.

There is, however, one love that I have returned to time after time. And I think she is calling me again... 

I'm pretty sure I was using a Nikon before I switched to Olympus, and I know I was using a Nikon D300 before switching to the Fujifilm X-E2. My first digital 'love' was the Nikon D70, tearing me away from my 20 year affair with Canon. Nikon has been the stable home in my system-swapping career, and I hear her calling me again... 

I've also thoroughly documented my struggle (love and hate relationship) with 'going' mirrorless, since I'm still convinced (as are many) that mirorrless is the future of photography. But... having grown up using SLR style cameras, the DSLR has a strong emotional, and physical, attachment to me. As soon as I pick up a solid, hefty, magnesium alloy DLSR body, it feels like coming home. They just feel so 'right'. So wonderfully good in the hand. And try as I might - and I have tried - mirrorless cameras, with all their bells and whistles, just do not feel as good to hold and use. This is a hugely underrated part of enjoying photography. How does the camera 'feel' in you hands. Does it make you want to pick it up and use it for long periods of time? For me, Nikon's just do.

Of course all of this would be moot if money was no object. It would, of course, present a whole new raft of problems - but if money was no object, then I would definitely be buying a mirrorless camera. But not a tiny wee thing like a Fujifilm XT30 or Olympus E-M10III - something solid like an Olympus EM1x or Fujifilm XT4 with grip attached. Actually, what I think I would do is wait for the new Nikon Z9. I think that's going to be a stellar camera for Nikon. But alas, I haven't won lotto (that I'm aware of anyway), so budget is, as always, a major factor.

I'm going to Christchurch this weekend (as I write this). I've sold my Fuji gear already, have a few other bits and pieces to sell, and with the money I am going to buy another camera and lens(s). I don't know exactly what I will get, but at the moment I'm thinking it will be a Nikon DLSR. Something like the D7000 pictured above. Or maybe, if my budget can stretch and I can be convinced that its sensor is clean, a full-frame Nikon D600? It will all depend on what the store has in its secondhand department at the time.

Then again, there's a very nice black and silver Olympus OM-D E-M1 for sale as well. And, as we all know, the future is mirrorless!