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

nc_killie said:
Perhaps a silly question, but before I start dicking about I would like to try and get a starting point - What is the highest ISO (on a EM1 mkIII) that gives good quality photos without excessive post processing?
Thanks in advance
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I think you need to qualify what you mean by "excessive post processing"?
nandbytes said:
Personally I'd not go above ISO1600 on m43 (similarly I wouldn't go higher than ISO6400 on FF).
But people do shoot at higher ISOs and you can get good results with some processing.
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In general I would tend to agree with you but in the case the Canon 5D3 IIRC with minimal NR ISO 10,000 was worth using.

But with the more recent crop of editing software & the NR mFT has come into its own. In 2016 I bought my Olympus E-M1 mk2 on the basis of how well DxO PhotoLab 4 handled noise....it was a revelation.

Therefore, the choice of raw processor & its NR needs equally careful thought when considering mFT.
 
Had a visitor to the garden earlier (wondered why the sparrows and starlings were going mental) - OM-1 shot through double glazing.



 
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Out of interest what is it ? Is it a juvenile sparrow hawk ?
 
Box Brownie said:
I think you need to qualify what you mean by "excessive post processing"?

In general I would tend to agree with you but in the case the Canon 5D3 IIRC with minimal NR ISO 10,000 was worth using.

But with the more recent crop of editing software & the NR mFT has come into its own. In 2016 I bought my Olympus E-M1 mk2 on the basis of how well DxO PhotoLab 4 handled noise....it was a revelation.

Therefore, the choice of raw processor & its NR needs equally careful thought when considering mFT.
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I bought ON1 as the version of PS elements I had did not work with the Olympus files. By ’excessive post processing’ I mean using no other specialist software or being a post processing expert spending lots of time on a single photo.. my post processing skills remind me of my distant school report cards ‘could do better’!
thank you for your responses these give me a starting point to see where I. Can getacceptable results. Cheers
 
nc_killie said:
I bought ON1 as the version of PS elements I had did not work with the Olympus files. By ’excessive post processing’ I mean using no other specialist software or being a post processing expert spending lots of time on a single photo.. my post processing skills remind me of my distant school report cards ‘could do better’!
thank you for your responses these give me a starting point to see where I. Can getacceptable results. Cheers
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FWIW

Over the years with whichever software I have I still follow the KISS principle i.e. I never or rarely find I will or need to use every tool in the softwares armoury.

Yes, I use different tools in different software to achieve my printable files but that means my files for the web are finalised slightly differently. But for sure, in the main, my workflow is simple I don't spend more than a few minutes per image......or at least not too many minutes :thinking:
 
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Having the 1-mkiii , I find that most files taken in poor light need some NR so choosing a iso value is irrelevant . The best and easiest software that works as a plug in is topaz de.noise Ai . That will sort out files up to and over iso 6400 ..

PP is an extension of your camera and taking the time to learn how to properly will give more benefit than a new camera or lens

Also asking for advice on a photography forum is like throwing sand in the air and expecting it to make a beach , every single person on here will have a different computer /software/ method/ and skill level . There is no easy answer . Find something that works for you and gives repeatable results ,then gradually change settings to see if it improves the results if not change back
 
I agree with Box Brownie and Black Fox. I was a Lightroom user for years, hated the subscription model, and moved to DXO Photolab. However I have recently gone back to LR as my main processing software, partly because LR has developed quite a lot since going subscription, and partly because there were elements of Photolab which I found limiting.

However, the denoising / sharpening that DXO is capable of is so much better than Lightroom, so I plan to use a combination of it and LR in the future. Yes, using two programmes CAN be confusing but the smaller sensor size of m4/3 cameras means that using the best possible NR software is critical. If I was still using full-frame equipment I might still be using Lightroom for everything.

Had I known then what I know now, a combination of DXO PureRaw and Lightroom might have been the one to go for.
 
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jerry12953 said:
Had I known then what I know now, a combination of DXO PureRaw and Lightroom might have been the one to go for.
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That's what I use, recently paid up for the PureRaw 2 upgrade and it works as a plug in with LR.

I also have a fairly recent version of Photo Ninja which includes Noise Ninja.
The raw converter demosaicing has a look all of its own and use it for certain subjects
 
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Since I got my OM1 I've really been missing being able to use a tripod. As far as I can see its not yet possible to get hold of a QR plate for the OM1 that fits across the whole of the camera's baseplate. (Come on, Chinese manufacturers.....get your act together!) RRS are in the processing of producing one, but in the meantime its possible to easily adapt an EM1mk2 plate to fit an OM1 by removing a small section of metal from it. I friend did this for me and he said it took him 10 minutes. This allows full access to the battery compartment.

I got the idea from someone on the internet and he had gone the whole hog by filing off the whole of the rim that surrounds the inner side of the EM1.2 plate, but I don't think that's strictly necessary.
 

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Sootchucker said:
Had a visitor to the garden earlier (wondered why the sparrows and starlings were going mental) - OM-1 shot through double glazing.



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Those are fabulous images Andrew.
 
couple of weeks ago I decided to buy a DSLR but an olympus one the E-620 I already had two four thirds lenses the 11-22 and 40-150 which I used with a mmf2 adaptor so it made sense to buy a dedicated camera for them and as a super deal came up for one at CEX I bit the bullet and went for it .quite a complex camera in some ways and advanced for its time even the buttons illuminate in the dark. so I now have another lens the 14-42 and a dedicated bag for it all.not as yet used it much but a trial run in the front garden yesterday got me these two shots will try to add to them later today.love the vibrant colours it produces
well I was popping out but the heavens just opened grrrrrrr
620 40-150 by jeff cohen, on Flickr

40-150 by jeff cohen, on Flickr
 
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managed to get out for a hour today to test out the E-620 with my 3 available lenses the 14-42 ,11-22,and 40-150 landscapes or scenery is out of my normal comfort zone so quite pleased with the results I obtained and i'm sure with a bit of playing around that will improve .. so four shots below of flint castle . proves 12mp still holds good even in this day and age
castlegate by jeff cohen, on Flickr

north rampart by jeff cohen, on Flickr

south tower by jeff cohen, on Flickr

observation tower by jeff cohen, on Flickr
 
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jerry12953 said:
Since I got my OM1 I've really been missing being able to use a tripod. As far as I can see its not yet possible to get hold of a QR plate for the OM1 that fits across the whole of the camera's baseplate. (Come on, Chinese manufacturers.....get your act together!) RRS are in the processing of producing one, but in the meantime its possible to easily adapt an EM1mk2 plate to fit an OM1 by removing a small section of metal from it. I friend did this for me and he said it took him 10 minutes. This allows full access to the battery compartment.

I got the idea from someone on the internet and he had gone the whole hog by filing off the whole of the rim that surrounds the inner side of the EM1.2 plate, but I don't think that's strictly necessary.
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.... I'm not sure this Arca-Swiss plate will suit your needs but I use a 3-Legged Thing which works well for me a short lens is mounted and when I want to use a tripod :


It has the added advantage of being able to attach Peak Design Loops. I always use a HLD-10 Battery Grip. Not the best photo of it but all I currently have - It's bright orange aka copper :
 

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First time using pro-capture. These starlings were all collected in the top of local trees, then something spooked them and they all flew away. Quite some distance away (even with a 600mm effective focal length), so heavy crop then up-res’d in Topaz Phot AI.

 
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Oh and whilst this image will never win any awards, I thought I’d post it just to demonstrate the OM-1’s brilliant tracking. This pigeon flew right by me and I only had chance to swivel and rattle off 12 frames (at 20fps)- so less than a second burst, before it was gone from sight, and the camera had to grab focus first, and everyone was tack sharp even though they were all against this really messy background.

 
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Sootchucker said:
Oh and whilst this image will never win any awards, I thought I’d post it just to demonstrate the OM-1’s brilliant tracking. This pigeon flew right by me and I only had chance to swivel and rattle off 12 frames (at 20fps)- so less than a second burst, before it was gone from sight, and the camera had to grab focus first, and everyone was tack sharp even though they were all against this really messy background.

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That’s impressive performance.
 
Stephen L said:
This is another from our Whitby trip. E-M5iii, Laowa 10mm, ISO3200

Whitby Abbey Lightshow by Stephen Lee, on Flickr
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.... Very nice indeed! Very effective.

This is not a criticism but, subject to which RAW editor you use, you could Keystone the perspective to counteract the vertical perspective (taller buildings leaning away). Personally I think doing so would make your picture even stronger.
 
RedRobin said:
.... Very nice indeed! Very effective.

This is not a criticism but, subject to which RAW editor you use, you could Keystone the perspective to counteract the vertical perspective (taller buildings leaning away). Personally I think doing so would make your picture even stronger.
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Thanks Robin. I did do some keystone correction in LR - about as much as I thought I could get away with without introducing artificial distortion. :)
 
Stephen L said:
Thanks Robin. I did do some keystone correction in LR - about as much as I thought I could get away with without introducing artificial distortion. :)
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.... I agree, keystoning should be used very carefully and the aim should always be to avoid any hint of distortion.

I don't use LR and the Keystone feature in ON1 2023 is excellent. AI is proving to be the way forward. < 'AI' is Artificial Intelligence not Adobe Illustrator! :D
 
More a record shot than anything, but I think (if the ID is correct), this is my first Song Thrush. Deep in the undergrowth and at max magnification and significant crop. It won't of course win any awards but was quite please I not only spotted it but that the camera managed to lock onto it.

 
got conned into going out today with the son and my mrs to the local reserve in the wood .light was totally diabolical couldn't even get the 100-400 to focus so resorted to the nikon 300mm a.f.s F4 plus the olympus 1.4 tc ..worked quiet well using focus peaking in M/F heres one from today a female blackbird
mrs black by jeff cohen, on Flickr
 
Tree creeper from earlier today

 
another shot from yesterday 1-mkiii +nikon 300mm f4 a-fs + olympus mc-14 teleconverter , hand held manual focus using focus peaking in extremely poor light .. p/p in LR classic and P/S with topaz de-noise Ai and topaz sharpen Ai

pole dancer by jeff cohen, on Flickr
 
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Just a quick update on the above MF shots what I didn’t realise at the time as I was getting the shots . Is that due to the really poor light ( don’t suppose adding the t.c helped ) what I should have done is upped the i.s.o .as I was shooting in auto . The blue tit above is only 1/100th sec at 500i.s.o .. it’s a learning curve so hopefully lesson learnt
 
RedRobin said:
.... I'm not sure this Arca-Swiss plate will suit your needs but I use a 3-Legged Thing which works well for me a short lens is mounted and when I want to use a tripod :


It has the added advantage of being able to attach Peak Design Loops. I always use a HLD-10 Battery Grip. Not the best photo of it but all I currently have - It's bright orange aka copper :
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Yes, I tried the 3LT Ellie but as the plate doesn't extend all the way across the bottom plate the camera falls over when you put it down on a flat surface!
 
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