Fun with 4/3rds cameras/ Image Thread

[biglouis]

The 40-150 is indeed another beast in sharpness and IQ. Love this lens and weight is really something to forget about considering that we are dealing with an effective 2.8/300. And the TC makes it ideal for wildlife zoom, getting a 4/112-420, with no noticeable degradation in IQ.

The 4/300 is even better to handle as the max diameter is smaller and it is lighter overall. Plus IQ should even top the 40-150, which I have no doubt at all. I am tempted to get this lens as well.

I must admit that I am beginning to wonder if I should sell my 12-35/2.8 and get the 12-40 pro. The sharpness of the 7-14 is a real eye-opener, as are Anna's crops from above of the 40-150.

LouisB

 

[ptomsu]

I must admit that I am beginning to wonder if I should sell my 12-35/2.8 and get the 12-40 pro. The sharpness of the 7-14 is a real eye-opener, as are Anna's crops from above of the 40-150.

LouisB

The 2.8/12-40 is in the same league WRT sharpness as the other Olympus PRO lenses, maybe sharper than the 12-35/2.8 Panasonic. But keep in mind that the size is also a huge bit larger.

I never regretted to own and use the 12-40. Remains my workhorse lens on the EM1 and maybe future whatever Olympus m43 camera

 

[scho]

A 3 shot focus stack in Helicon Focus. Panasonic GF1 with Contax G 35mm f/2 Planar @ f/5.6. I should have set ISO to 100, but forgot and AUTO ISO used 640.

 

[Knorp]

What an excellent result, Carl !

 

[UHDR]

Scotland
GF3 +14mm

 

[Knorp]

This must be the Glenfinnan Viaduct ? Steam train coming from Mallaig heading for Fort William ?

 

[biglouis]

A 3 shot focus stack in Helicon Focus. Panasonic GF1 with Contax G 35mm f/2 Planar @ f/5.6. I should have set ISO to 100, but forgot and AUTO ISO used 640.

That is a lovely still life. On the screen the noise appears as fine grain. When you pixel peep it is more visible. I wonder how this would print and at what size the noise would actually be visible?

LouisB

 

[scho]

That is a lovely still life. On the screen the noise appears as fine grain. When you pixel peep it is more visible. I wonder how this would print and at what size the noise would actually be visible?

LouisB

Good point Louis. I just made a 12x16 inch print, without any resampling, and it looks good with no visible noise at normal viewing distance.

 

[mazor]

A 3 shot focus stack in Helicon Focus. Panasonic GF1 with Contax G 35mm f/2 Planar @ f/5.6. I should have set ISO to 100, but forgot and AUTO ISO used 640.

Nice product shot. Interesting how much grain is visible at ISO 640. I would have thought that the stacking of images may have helped reduce some of that noise.

 

[scho]

Nice product shot. Interesting how much grain is visible at ISO 640. I would have thought that the stacking of images may have helped reduce some of that noise.

Yes, but in fact the fine grain noise is greater in the stack image compared to the originals. I don't know the details of what Helicon Focus is doing under the hood.

Edit: I tried using the weighted average method instead of focus map and resulting stack image was slightly better in terms of grain.

 

[mazor]

thats true, I have had a few "plays"with my E-M1's new focus bracketing and in camera stacking. Seems pretty impressive. Not sure why Olympus released such amazing updates so long after it was released.

 

[Annna T]

I must admit that I am beginning to wonder if I should sell my 12-35/2.8 and get the 12-40 pro. The sharpness of the 7-14 is a real eye-opener, as are Anna's crops from above of the 40-150.

LouisB

I got the 12-40mm, after looking carefully at their respective performances. The 12-35mm is slightly lighter which attracted me. But I compared their respective sharpness at DXO and while at the longer end the Panasonic has a sharper center, the 12-40mm offered better uniformity with sharp corners. That is a lens that is good from wide open up to F8 and at all the focal lengths, performances are slightly lower at 40mm, but then the Panasonic doesn't offer it either.

I own the Panasonic 7-14mm F4 since a long time and so didn't get the Olympus version. There are drawbacks to the Panasonic, especially the fact that it produces big blue/magenta blobs quite easily on Olympus bodies when the sun or a bright light is near of the frame, but in matters of sharpness the reviewers always said that the Panasonic was better. Although as for the 12-35/12-40mm it may depends for what you are looking for : which focal lengths and whether you care more for center sharpness or for frame uniformity. The 7-14mm Panasonic is better at the short end than at the long end from what I remember.

I was also tempted to add the 35-100mm because it has a very good reputation and would make a lighter alternative to the Olympus 40-150mm, but in the end I preferred to get more reach. Also since I'm shooting less with the E-M5 nowadays, I decided it wasn't worth spending for that.

 

[scho]

A 3 shot focus stack in Helicon Focus. Panasonic GF1 with Contax G 35mm f/2 Planar @ f/5.6. I should have set ISO to 100, but forgot and AUTO ISO used 640.

I updated Helicon Focus to latest version and ran the 3 source images through a new workflow, starting with the raw image files and exporting to DNG instead of TIFF. I think noise is much better controlled.

 

[biglouis]

^^^^ Carl, really nice ^^^^

I am having a blast with the Oly 7-14. At last, a lens that is actually worth the money I paid for it(!).

I've also cracked and bought back from ebay a 20/1.7 first version (ridiculously under-priced lens) and the PanaLeica 45/2.8 which was a great favourite of mine.

- - - Updated - - -

OT: but do I take it that there are no lens profiles for Olympus in Lightroom current version?

Seems a bit odd.

LouisB

 

[scho]

^^^^ Carl, really nice ^^^^

I am having a blast with the Oly 7-14. At last, a lens that is actually worth the money I paid for it(!).

I've also cracked and bought back from ebay a 20/1.7 first version (ridiculously under-priced lens) and the PanaLeica 45/2.8 which was a great favourite of mine.

- - - Updated - - -

OT: but do I take it that there are no lens profiles for Olympus in Lightroom current version?

Seems a bit odd.

LouisB

Thanks Louis. That 7-14 is looking really good. Are you having early spring this year? I also wondered about the lack of Oly lens profiles in LR.

 

[biglouis]

Yes, a very early spring. Mind you the temperature has dropped but I seriously doubt we will see hard frost, or even any frost in London this winter.

LouisB

 

[Annna T]

^^^^ Carl, really nice ^^^^

I am having a blast with the Oly 7-14. At last, a lens that is actually worth the money I paid for it(!).

OT: but do I take it that there are no lens profiles for Olympus in Lightroom current version?

Seems a bit odd.

LouisB

You don't need to add a profile for MFT lenses : they are applied automatically by LR thanks to the info contained in the raw. This means one can't choose not to apply the profile however.

 

[Annna T]

Last summer, as I was playing with the new Olympus 40-150mm and testing it on a few paragliders, I suddently heard a highpitched rumbling noise :


20150626_094i
by rrr_hhh, sur Flickr

there was someone flying and swirling a model airplane around the paragliders. I'm not sure they appreciated.


20150626_100i
by hhh rrr, sur Flickr


20150626_094i
by hhh rrr, sur Flickr


20150626_087i
by hhh rrr, sur Flickr

 

[UHDR]

This must be the Glenfinnan Viaduct ? Steam train coming from Mallaig heading for Fort William ?

yep! took that a little while ago on a family trip. highly recommended for those who can spare the time and don't mind some unburnt coal on the front of the lens LOL:thumbup:

One more here:

 

[scott kirkpatrick]

This must be the Glenfinnan Viaduct ? Steam train coming from Mallaig heading for Fort William ?

Is it still this train?

The picture was taken with my long-gone E-1 and the 11-22 lens at 11 mm, in 2004.

scott