My OM-D Family increases

As I start to enjoy getting back into the Olympus OM-D micro four thirds system more and more, my desire for putting together a more nimble 'travel' kit has increased.

Now don't get me wrong, the OM-D E-M1 is by no means a bulky or heavy camera. But I prefer to shoot it with the grip attached. Which does add to the bulk and weight. When I'm about to leave the house for a stroll around the neighborhood, reaching for the E-M1 with grip attached and carrying that around just on the 'off chance' that I might get an image, isn't all that appealing. Yes I can (and do) take the grip off and go without - slimming down the camera considerably. But it's a bit of a faff when I just want to grab-and-go. So I end up not taking a camera at all.

Hence my desire for a more nimble travel/walk-about kit.

In the past, this would have meant looking at something like the Olympus Pen E-P3. I think I've owned this camera twice in my photography career, and I have a love-hate relationship with it. I've written about the E-P3 before on this blog - the last time was here and here. 

I love the look of the Pen series, and especially the E-P3. It's just a gorgeous camera. Beautifully designed and crafted. A joy to own - which is probably why I've had two of them. The E-P3 is also the point at which Olympus got the autofocus on the Pen series right. Prior to the E-P3, the contrast detect AF of the Pen series was fairly slow. With the E-P3 they sorted that out well and truly.

But (isn't there always a 'but'), I really dislike shooting without a dedicated viewfinder. And that's putting it mildly. Having to use the LCD screen to compose and shoot on the Pen's is a real killjoy to the way I like to shoot. Sadly. But there it is. So as much as I am attracted to the aesthetic of the Pen series, I don't find them much fun to shoot with. Small, and light, and great for travel. but not much fun.

Having said all that, I still considered getting one. For two reasons. a) the aforementioned size and weight, ideal for compact travel shooting. And b) the price is right. Nice, minty Pen bodies come up fairly often, usually for a very good price (the exception being the digital Pen F).

But just as I was considering my next Pen purchase, I saw an online auction for a mint condition OM-D E-M10, at a fantastic price. Why hadn't I considered the E-M10 before? It is, in fact, the perfect solution to my desire for a smaller OM-D 'travel' camera. So yeah, I got one 😁 

I didn't pull the trigger right away though. I 'ummd and 'arrrd' for a few days while I mulled the decision over in my tiny brain. Why the hesitation? Well, I know I'm about to contradict everything I've just said about wanting to get a smaller travel camera. But I hesitated because I was worried that the E-M10 might be a bit too small? Yeah, I know, I'm a complicated creature...

But one of the things I've learnt about myself over the years, is that I don't like cameras that are 'too' small. On the one hand I want small and light. And on the other I want something chunky enough so as not to be too fiddley! Told you I was complicated.

So what made up my mind about the E-M10? Simple. I brought the extra grip attachment, the ECG-1 for it before I even brought the camera. And I'm hoping that this will be the difference between having a 'useable' small travel camera, and it feeling too small as to be not enjoyable to use (for me).

I know the OM-D E-M10 is a small camera. That's the point. That's what I'm looking for. But I also know that my tolerance for 'too small' on a camera is fairly low. For me, the OM-D E-M5 was too small, until I attached the grip. And then it was just right. And yes, I know, the E-M10 is even smaller. Hence the ECG-1 grip.

I have, however, in the last few years, redefined my definition of "too small" in a camera system somewhat. Before moving back to the Olympus OM-D E-M1, I was rocking a couple of Fujifilm XE rangefinder-style bodies (with the Fuji grips attached), and really enjoying them. I didn't find them too small at all. Although I think they might actually be a bit bigger than the E-M10? (Actually, I've just Googled it, and it's so close as to be negligible). So my definition of 'small' in a camera my be evolving somewhat?

In any case, the addition of the ECG-1 to the Olympus OM-D E-M10 will be crucial in my enjoyment of the camera, and I wouldn't have purchased it without the grip as well. Even Robin Wong, in his review of the E-M10, claimed that the ECG-1 grip was an essential, must-have accessory for better handling. If it's good enough for Robin, it's good enough for me!

As for the rest of the specs associated with the E-M10 - well, they tick all the right boxes for me as far as I'm concerned. Same 16MP sensor and processing engine as in the E-M1 - check. This means there will be consistency of images between both cameras, if I end up shooting them together. The E-M10 also has the same menu system (which is good as far as I'm concerned), has 3-axis IS (good enough for me), the same tilting LCD screen as the E-M1, and more than good enough AF, sequential shooting and video (not that I'll use the video features). In most respects, it is exactly what it's meant to be - a baby E-M1 with the same image quality that will slot in perfectly with my existing kit. What more could I have asked for?

Well, actually, it would have been nice if they had shared the same battery, but I understand why this isn't the case. Smaller body, smaller battery - still same number of images per battery. Fair enough.

I'm very excited about adding the Olympus OM-D E-M10 to my micro four thirds family. I think it will work in perfectly with the E-M1, and I can't wait to shoot with it. Expect an 'initial thoughts' post on this blog when I do.

Super Flower Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse with Olympus OM-D E-M1

Last Wednesday (as I write this) the world witnessed an astronomical phenomenon (wow, that's two big words put together) when a 'Supermoon' in May (also referred to as a Flower Moon) coincided with a total eclipse. The total lunar eclipse represented a rare 'trifecta': a full moon, a blood Supermoon, and a total lunar eclipse occurring simultaneously.

How rare was this event? One figure I heard was that this specific event won't happen again for another 40 years. There will be another two total lunar eclipses in 2022 - one in May 16 and one in November 8th. But it will be another 12 years before we see the next total lunar eclipse with a Supermoon (October 2033 according to NASA). So yeah, it's rare enough.

Start of the total lunar eclipse. E-M1 with Lumix 45-150mm

With such a rare event I was, of course, going to have to try and capture it. Now this may seem obvious, but even though it was going to be a Supermoon, and therefore closer to the Earth than normal, it's still a very, very, long way away (approximately 360,000 kilometres). So I was going to have to use my longest lens (biggest zoom). Which just so happens to be a Panasonic Lumix 45-150mm f4/5.6. Not very 'long' at all. But it's the best I've got, so it'll have to do.

We were very lucky here in New Zealand, in the Southern Hemisphere, as we were scheduled to have ideal weather conditions to watch the event unfold. This itself is nothing short of miraculous on the West Coast of the South Island where I live. We get a lot of rain - and clouds - so a completely clear night for star gazing is something of a rarity. Fortunately, on this occasion, we were blessed. Clear skies, no clouds, and not too cold (since we are coming into winter here in the Southern Hemisphere).

Blood Red Flower Moon. E-M1 f/5.6 @ 2.5secs, ISO 100

Having established the 'what' (camera and lens), the next consideration was 'how'?

It was always going to be tripod mounted - that's a given. And since it was also likely to be difficult lighting conditions, I also decided to shoot full manual - and manual focus.

As stated earlier, the moon is very far away, and so was quite small in the viewfinder. Despite this, it's also surprisingly very bright. With the camera set at its largest aperture (f/5.6 at 150mm), there was more than enough light to keep the ISO at 200 (or even the 'Low' 100 setting) - which was something of a surprise. The shutter speed ranged from a couple of seconds to only half a second - long enough to get enough light on the sensor, but short enough to keep the moon sharp.

Since the camera was on a tripod, I turned Image Stabilization off, and also set the camera to a 2 second self-timer release so I wasn't touching the shutter at the moment of release.

So the camera settings were fairly straight forward. What was a little more of a struggle was the manual focusing. For some reason, I really struggled to get the moon focused manually? I'm not sure whether the high brightness areas were making the lens struggle or what it was? I wouldn't have thought that it would make any difference if you were focusing manually? Maybe the 'throw' for manual focusing on the Lumix 45-150mm wasn't good enough for critical manual focusing work? It's not really a manual focusing lens to be fair. But whatever it was, manual focusing on the 45-150mm was difficult.

I did get there in the end though, And I'm very happy with the final blended montage I created of the eclipse.

Flower Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse montage. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Lumix 45-150mm

So why does the moon appear red? Blood Moon isn't a scientific term, but in recent years has been used to refer to a total lunar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse happens when the moon travels through the Earth's shadow (umbra) blocking all direct light from illuminating the Moon's surface. Some light still reaches the Moon's surface indirectly via the Earth's atmosphere, bathing the Moon in a reddish, yellow or orange glow.

However it happens, it's pretty cool to watch - and photograph. And I'm very glad that I stayed outside in the cold night air to capture a rare and spectacular phenomenon.

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....

Landscape photography with the Olympus OM-D E-M1: Part 3

We have had an incredible run of gorgeous, clear, sunny Saturday mornings here on the West Coast in the last month. After working all week, and with a busy weekend ahead, I'm finding it exciting and energizing to plan where I will be to take photos as the sun rises on another glorious Saturday morning. This week I headed in-land, to Lake Brunner, Moana.

Kahikatea Grove - Te Kinga. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. 1/10th @f6.3, ISO 200. 0.9 ND Soft Grad

First off I went to the settlement of Te Kinga - one of my favourite places to shoot. Sunrise was scheduled for 7.40am, and the above image was taken at about 7.30am - 10 minutes before sunrise. I've been having fun using filters (see last post), and had decided that I was going to make good use of them to extend the exposure and smooth out the water.

Kahikatea Grove Long Exposure. 8 seconds @ f6.3, ISO 200. Cheap plastic ND+16 (-4 stops) filter

I love the way the long exposure has flattened out the water and produced nicer reflections, but I hate the strong colour cast and the way that it's sucked all the definition and colour out of the trees themselves. Compare the colour in the first image with the second - taken with a cheap plastic ND filter, and you'll see what I mean. Damn! I guess that means I am going to have to spend some serious money to get a decent ND filter after all.

Winter Sunrise - Te Kinga. Olympus E-M1 with Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. 1/10th @f8, ISO 200. Polarizer & 0.9 Soft ND Grad

Having established that I couldn't use the ND filters, I decided to just stick with the Cokin 0.9 soft grad, in conjunction with a Cokin circular polarizer. The polarizer was cutting out 2 stops of light, giving me slightly slower shutter speeds anyway, so I just went with that combination. Cokin are also considered a 'cheaper' alternative to the likes of LEE and NiSi filters, although they do offer a more 'premium' grade glass filter. Their 'Nuances' range of ND's are every bit as expensive as the LEE Big and Little Stoppers (-5 and -10 stop neutral density filters), so I may have to start saving my pennies for a Cokin -5 stop ND (since I already own the filter holder and lens adapters).

Te Kinga Jetty & House Boat. OM-D E-M1 with 12-50 EZ lens. 1/100th @ f6.3, ISO 100. Polarizer

Once the sun was up, I moved around to the jetty to take some pictures of the lake bathed in early morning light. I kept the circular polarizer on the lens to intensify the blues of the lake and sky and was able to ditch the tripod and start shooting hand-held. I moved around the jetty trying out various compositions, but ended up preferring this vertical image with the jetty used to lead the eye into the image, where it then moves to the houseboat.

I prefer to keep my images as simple as possible - I guess that's my 'style'- (if I have a style), and when I'm composing an image it's usually more about what I leave out than what I include. I often have this internal dialogue when I'm shooting that discusses what I should or shouldn't be including before I take the photo. I guess I also look for strong leading lines and am a firm follower of the golden mean (and rule of thirds). All pretty standard stuff...

Te Kinga Frost. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Zuiko 12-500mm EZ. 1/320th @f6.3, ISO 100. Polarizer

I am also trying to be a bit more spontaneous with my photography as well.What does that mean? Often when I go out to shoot, I'm quite single-minded and have certain images already in my minds-eye that I'm going to get. I've driven past literally hundreds of beautiful photos and not stopped to take them because they weren't 'what I was looking for'. But I'm trying to stop more often when I glimpse something out of the corner of my eye - and the above photo is one such image. Driving out of Te Kinga to get to Lake Brunner, the 'old me' would have simply kept on driving past a scene like this because a 'lake' shot was the next on my list. But the 'new' me stopped and took the photo. And you know what - the new me is glad I did. It might just be my favourite image from all the ones I took that morning.

Lake Brunner - Moana. Olympus OM-D E-M1. 1/100th @f8, ISO 100. Polarizer

I did eventually make it to Moanna and get my lake shot - and yes folks, I think it's now official: I'm obsessed with jettys! Although honestly - what's not to like? General theme of all my images in the last month; a) they are very blue, and b) they have a jetty in them. Easy....

Lake Brunner Reflection. OM-D E-M1. 1/80th @ 88, ISO 100. Polarizer

See what I mean about everything I shoot being blue at the moment? Even the boat is blue! I wanted to make sure I got all of the tree and its reflection in the vertical image - so yes, that means a lot of blue sky and a lot of blue lake - enhanced even more by using a polarizing filter. In fact, it pays to be careful when using a polarizer, because you can occasionally got too far with it and make blues turn almost black. Just keep spinning the filter and watching the effect in the viewfinder of your camera. And remember, you can dial the effect down as well as up.

Shoe Fence, Moana. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. 1/500th @ f5.6, ISO 100. Polarizer

My last images of the morning were more of the spontaneous variety. On the way home I saw this fence, laden with shoes, and thought it would make a great shot, but kept on driving! So the new me told the old me to turn the car around and take some darn photos! So I did. And once again, I'm glad. The complementary blue and green, with the leading lines on the fence posts and wire, mixed in with the colour and shapes of the shoes, makes for a quirky and compelling image. And a great way to end another successful landscape shoot with the Olympus OM-D E-M1.

Fun with Filters

As a serious landscape photographer you'd think that I'd have an equally serious arsenal of filters. A polarizer, LEE Big & Little Stopper (-6 and -10 stop neutral density filters), plus a good selection of hard and soft graduated ND filters - at the very least!
 

Cokin 'P' Series Holder with Graduated ND filters

Well yes, I do have a polarizer, and a 0.9 (-3 stops) soft grad - both of the Cokin 'P' variety. But that's it. And if I'm honest, I don't even use them very often either! And that's generally down to laziness. Yes folks, I admit it, I'm a fairly lazy photographer. If I can get away with it, I won't use a tripod. I won't use a filter. Heck, I will even try not to use any accessories (like remote releases). I won't even use a polarizer even when I know it would be beneficial for the final image! Why not? Because, well, it's just too much of a hassle. You've got to get it out of the bag, set up the filter holder, fiddle around with adapter rings, etc... You get the point.

Laziness aside for a moment, the 'other' issue I have with filters is the expense. Have you seen the price of the LEE Big Stopper! Over $200NZ for one filter! Buy the Big Stopper, Little Stopper and a couple of hard and soft grads, plus the filter holder and adapter ring for your lens and your looking at well over $1000NZ. And I'm not just picking on LEE. Filters from Cokin and NiSi are similarly priced. When we start talking that amount of money, I start thinking of lenses not filters.

Yet having said all of that, I've been thinking very seriously lately about using filters a lot more in my photography. Why the change of heart? Well, it has a lot to do with the landscape photography vlogs I've been watching on Youtube lately. They all - and I mean ALL - make great use of filters (as well as tripods and cable releases), and I'm beginning to think there might just be something to all this fiddling about before you taker a photo (I jest - but just a little).

So I'm turning a new leaf this year. No more lazy landscape photographer. I've already got a Polarizer and a soft grad ND, so I'm halfway there with the filters. I'm seriously considering getting a 10 stop ND filter to go with them, for long exposure photography (probably a Cokin 'Nuances' 1024), but in the meantime I've dipped my toe in the water already with a recent internet purchase.

A whole set of 'ND' filters for the Cokin P system

If you use the Cokin 'P' (for Professional - I kid you not) square filter system like I do, then you will find a lot of cheap Chinese rip-off filters for sale on the interwebs. You will, of course, get what you pay for. And for practically a tenth of the price of the 'real deal', you can't really expect much. But then again, they must do something - right? If I'm going to pay $200+ for one filter down the road, then I'm going to damn well make sure I like using it! So what better way to practice than on the cheapy stuff first. And you can't get much cheaper than $25NZ for 7 no-name ND filters that a guy was selling recently on Trademe. I snapped them up, knowing full well that they were going to be flimsy, plastic (the more expensive filters are made from either resin or glass), horribly inaccurate in terms of neutral colour, and probably worse than useless. But I also figured that if I enjoyed using them, and wished I had better ones, then I would know that any serious money spent down the track would be well worth it. That's the theory anyway.

Long exposure with ND16 + ND8 + Polarizer. Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Zuiko 12-50mm EZ. 30secs @f11, ISO 100

Long story short - I've only had them for a couple of days, but I'm having a blast! And surprisingly, the results actually aren't half bad (with a couple of caveats). The above image is a 30 second exposure made in the middle of a very bright day, and the cheapo plastic ND filters combined with my Cokin P circular polarizer have done a decent job. And the colour cast is actually pretty minimal - especially compared to a 'Tian Ya' ND filter I also have which has a horrible brown sepia cast to it.

Cobden Beach at Midday. OM-D E-M1 with Zuiko 12-50mm f3.5/6.3 EZ. 1/250th @ f11, ISO 100. No filter

Above is the 'control' image - the shot of the beach with no filter. This gave a reference point for how the colours should look once I started adding filters.

With Polarizer. 1/60th @f11. ISO 100

Simply adding the Cokin circular polarizer improves the image dramatically. It also has the added benefit of slowing the shutter speed by 2 stops.

With ND16 (-4 stops). 1.6secs @f11, ISO 100

Adding the ND16 neutral density filter has again slowed  the shutter down, now to the point of blurring some of the movement in the waves. In terms of a colour cast, it's introduced a very slight magenta tint to the white clouds, but overall not too bad.

With ND16 + Cokin 0.9 (-3stop) soft ND Graduate. 1.3 secs @f11. ISO 100

Adding the Cokin 3 Stop soft grad has helped to lower the density in the highlights, especially in the clouds (obviously) - but hasn't effected the overall shutter speed too drastically. Again,colours are looking pretty good.

ND16 + ND8 + Polarizer. 30secs @f11, ISO 100

Remember that caveat I mentioned earlier. Well, here it is in all its glory! That's some pretty serious flare spots. And they were present on quite a few of the images I took using the plastic ND filters. A lot - but not all. This was a very extreme torture test, in very bright conditions, at the time of day that I wouldn't normally be shooting at. So the nasty flare stuff doesn't really surprise me at all. Also, on closer inspection, lots of tiny bits of fluff and lint had adhered themselves to the plastic filters which probably didn't help matters.

Same as above, yet without the strong sun flares....

A quick clean, another shot done with the same settings - and viola, a different result. To be honest, I did clone out one lone flare spot in the sky, and a few are creeping into the top of the frame, but it's nowhere near as bad as the previous shot - with a simple clean!

So did I have fun with my new plastic ND filters? You betcha! Will I use them again? You betcha - can't wait. Except next time I won't try them under such torturous conditions. This lazy photographer may be turning a new leaf. Watch this space...

First landscape shoot with the OM-D E-M1

I have had the Olympus OM-D E-M1 for about a month and hadn’t really used it out in the field yet. I planned to rectify that this past weekend, and fortunately it seemed that we were going to get some clear weather here on the West Coast – even though the rest of the country was experiencing some of the worst (wettest) weather on record!

Despite this predication, the day dawned cloudy and grey. I hadn’t planned on getting up before sunrise anyway, but when I looked out on grey skies I almost flagged the whole idea. Fortunately I decided to go out anyway, although I also decided to not travel very far (only 5 minutes down the road) since it didn’t look very promising.

My local beach (Cobden) has a track that leads up to a lookout over the coast (an area known as Point Elizabeth). You can stop at the lookout and take in a great view of the coastline, or you can continue through to Rapahoe beach on the other side of the Point. It had been a long time since I had visited the lookout on the Cobden beach side, so that’s where I decided to shoot. I figured that even if the images weren’t any good, the walk would be worth it.

Lowepro Sling 100AW

My ‘landscape’ kit has evolved since getting the E-M1. It now consists of the E-M1 body with grip attached (I could get away with not using the grip, but prefer the ergonomics it brings to the camera, as well as the extra battery life), Olympus Zuiko 12-50mm f3.5/6.3 EZ, and Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-200mm f4/5.6. This is a super light-weight kit, and fits easily into a Lowepro Sling 100AW camera bag (with room to spare). I also carried a Manfrotto tripod with the Vanguard SBH100 ball head. The Vanguard SBH100 is a new edition that I purchased recently (second-hand), simply because I wanted to pass on my previous ball-head (Benro BH-1) to my son Joshua. The Vanguard isn’t necessarily a better ball head, although its recommended capacity (20kgs) is slightly more than the Benro (16kgs). Both, however, are more than I will need for my mirrorless or DLSR set up.

The Zuiko 12-50mm f3.5/5.6 EZ is my main landscape lens (at the moment), given that it starts at a very respectably wide 24mm (my favourite wide angle focal length). Landscapes require a larger depth of field, with smaller apertures (of around f8 to f16), so the relatively ‘slow’ variable aperture of the 12-50mm isn’t a big deal for landscapes. Actually, it’s a bonus, since a micro-four-thirds sensor exhibits a greater depth of field natively. The depth of field achievable at f5.6 with the E-M1 is the same as f11 on a full frame sensor using the same focal length (i.e 24mm). So you can get greater depth of field without having to stop down as much as you would on a full frame system.

Panasonic Limix 45-200mm f4/5.6

Even though when I think of landscape images I automatically think ‘wide’, there is still a place for a telephoto lens in any landscape photographer’s bag. Not long after getting the OM-D E-M1, I also purchased a Panasonic Lumix 45-200mm f4/5.6. This is another ‘slow’ variable aperture lens, which again, doesn’t bother me for landscape photography. It also doesn’t bother me for sports and action, as long as there is a decent amount of light. I don’t imagine it will be a great indoor sports lens, but outside during the day it should cope just fine. Especially if my previous experience using the Olympus 40-150mm f4/5.6 kit lens is anything to go by. That lens is super sharp and worked perfectly when I used it to shoot motor-cycle street racing (see the post here). The Panasonic 45-200mm f4/5.6 isn’t said to be quite as sharp as the Olympus, but it does give the extra reach, which may come in handy for sports.

Given what I’ve already said about only thinking ‘wide’ when I shoot landscapes, means I often don’t even take a telephoto with me on a landscape shoot. But since micro four thirds gear is so small and light, it’s no big deal to carry one with you, even if you don’t end up using it (the same can’t really be said for DSLR gear). I’m so glad that on this occasion I did, because I ended up using it more than the 12-50mm – much to my surprise.

Cobden from Point Elizabeth track. Olympus E-M1 with Lumix G 45-200mm. 1/50th @f5.6, ISO 100 - 200mm

The initial track starts with a very steep gradient up the side of the cliff before you get into the bushwalk itself. The top of this incline offers stunning views looking back to the suburb of Cobden and the distant mountains (one of which in New Zealand’s famous Mt. Cook, Aoraki). I had almost decided not to go and photograph because of the weather, but when I reached the top of the incline and looked back towards Cobden I was greeted with a fantastic view with some decent light. I shot a few wide images with the Zuiko 12-50mm, but it was only when I decided to attach the Panasonic 45-200mm and zoom out all the way to 200mm that I got the image that I wanted. The telephoto lens has compressed the perspective within the scene, making it seem like the mountains, township and coastline are a lot closer to each other than they actually are. They now appear almost ’stacked’ on top of each other, whereas in reality they are obviously separated by a great distance.

Relieved to have captured at least one image I was happy with already, I continued on to the lookout. The sky continued to remain overcast, even though it was trying to clear in the east. The track itself didn’t offer up any photo opportunities, although a dedicated macro photographer would have probably had a wonderful time exploring the numerous flora. My destination, however, was the wide open vista of the Point itself.

Coast from Pt. Elizabeth lookout. Olympus E-M1 with Lumix G Vario 45-200mm. 1/320sec @f6.3, ISO 100 - 45mm

At the lookout I switched back to the Zuiko 12-50mm to capture the wide shot that I had come to take. Yet once again, it wasn’t really working for me. The light wasn’t right for capturing the whole vista. I zoomed the lens to 50mm and in doing so simplified the scene for a more pleasing composition, but I still felt that I could simplify even further. So once again, out came the Panasonic 45-200mm for landscape duty.

Rapahoe from P. Elizabeth. Olympus E-M1 with Lumix G Vario 45-200mm. 1/2000th @ f6.3, ISO 200 - 55mm

Once I isolated the subject and concentrated on the interesting light that was developing in the east, I had a much stronger image. All I had to worry about then was the strong contrast and tricky dynamic range of the early morning light. Presently I don’t have any ND filters for the E-M1, so I decided to bracket my exposures instead. The E-M1 has its own HDR mode, but I decided to do this myself later on in Lightroom. So I took advantage of the bracketing feature built into the camera and shot a series of 5 bracketed images in 1 stop increments (-2, -1, normal, +1, +2). This gave me detail in the shadows and the highlights, and a decent starting point for processing the final HDR image back in Lightroom.

Rapahoe from Pt. Elizabeth B&W. Olympus E-M1 with Lumix G Vario 45-200mm.  Shot 1:1 format

At the beginning of the day, it didn’t look like it was going to amount to much. In fact, I almost didn’t bother going out to take photos. But I was desperate to start using the E-M1, so I went anyway. And I’m very glad that I did. I got some OK images that I am reasonably happy with. I also got some much needed exercise. But finally, and perhaps most importantly, I began to discover the importance of using a telephoto lens for landscape photography. That’s valuable experience that I can take with me to improve my photography in the future. Worth getting out for I reckon!?