I like the handling of the OMD, and the color, and the IQ, but I have problems with the large AF-point-size when using faster lenses.
The "focus on eye"-face recognition setting does NOT work reliable in my experience.
Just returned from 10 day winter vacation and the OMD with 12-35 and 35-100 and got just too many images which were just slightly out of focus.
For me quite disappointing.
For comparison the Nex or Leica X1/X2 have much smaller AF-points which allow much better to focus on a face or on an eye.
I feel to have so much more control with a 5DIII to focus where I want to focus.
Not only are the focus points much smaller, I can also see much better if the subject is in focus or not.
I could use manual focus with the OMD with magnification-but I dont like that because it makes framing difficult for non-static subjects.
AM I doing something wrong???
Are there others who have the same problem?
The E-M5 is a quite complicated camera with a lot of features and customizable parameters. The manual is not always so helpful when you want to pick up the best settings for your style of shooting.
One of the best online ressource is
Gary Ayton's webpage on how to configure the E-M5 : After general remarks concerning the super control panel, the VF and LCD, he exposes systematically and task by task which are the best settings for what you want to do. Scroll down to the chapter entitled "Optimising focus"
I'm using Mysets (to save a group of options adapted for different tasks and allow quick changing from one set up to the other) and have different configurations for face detection AF and usual SAF.
For general photography, I use SAF, with the AEL/AFL set to mode three and to the Rec button. This allows me to lock focus with the Rec button (easier to access than the Fn1 button) and the Fn2 button set to the magnifier.
- One short pressure on Fn2 shows up the green target for the magnifier, which is also the AF target. You can then move it with the arrows keys. I prefer to keep it on the center point and recompose since the arrows keys are a little fiddly.
- A second short pressure brings you in magnified view. You can then adjust the magnification level up to 14x. Then you get a very small AF target.
- I then use the Rec button to lock focus.
- A long pressure on Fn2 brings you back to your previous display (out of the magnified view).
Once you have positioned the AF/Zoom target, it will be memorized. Each time you activate the Fn2 button, you will find it again at the right size and in the right position. (Center point 14x) in my case. For me now focusing has got really easy : Short pressure on Fn2, point at target, short pressure on the Rec button to lock focus with the small target and one long pressure on Fn2 to return to my previous display.
This doesn't work well with the face detection, because once you see the white target indicating that a face has been discovered, you have to get the lens to focus to that square and focus is only correctly locked once this target becomes green. This is ehy I keep the focus lock on the shutter button instead of the Rec button for face detection (and have a Myset for that). I have found that using my other usual technique quite often by the time I have pressed the Rec button the person is no more in focus.
Also, I don't know how the Panasonic F2.8 zooms work, but some lens will get shuttershock at some critical speeds, producing what looks like misfocused pictures. Those critical speeds change with the lenses used. They are usually between 1/60 and 1/160 sec. You can prevent it using the 1/8sec. antishock. I keep it always on with general photography, but take it off in my face detection Myset.
If you want more help you should show us some example of the focus problems you are getting, with the EXIF info (shutterspeed, aperture, ISO and focal length of the lens used, etc. ) Still subjects ? Or moving subjects ? Which AF used ? Etc...