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E-M1, E-M5, E-M5.2, etc. ... Peculiarities

Knorp

Well-known member
Many thanks Bart.

Agreed, very pleasing images, and a joy to use on E-M1.2.
I don't mind carrying this combination on my walk arounds.
Not too heavy for me. I am using just a hand clutch from Peak Design.
BTW, the Night images were shot with S-AF. Focus works like a charm.

Bart, which of the 6 SHG lenses do you have experience with and recommend?
I am looking forward to more of your E-M1.2 images.
The E-M1.2 with its new sensor has been a game changer for me.
Fast focus and mostly useable up to ISO 6400 made the difference for me.

Of course, I am still looking forward to what Sony will come up with next.
However, Sony will not beat my Olympus gear for long tele shots I suppose.
I find the Olympus tele lens offerings to be stellar.

Although I still have and use quite a few Leica lenses, somehow a new Leica camera doesn't seem relevant for me any longer. However, I am following with interest the Fuji GFX developments.

Thanks again for all your help.

PS: Oh I finally realized I was mucking around too much in post with my images. That not necessarily helped the images and made them look less natural. The raw files coming out of the E-M1.2 IMHO only seem to need the default settings of C1 and sometimes a bit of noise reduction from Nik.
Hi there K-H,

Found no problems using ISO 6400 either: it really is that good as long as you practise ETTR.
As for SHG lenses: 7-14/4.0, 14-35/2.0, 150/2.0

Not sure if I fancy an A7r3, but letting pass an M10-P would be much harder ...

Best regards.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Many thanks Bart.

Agreed, very pleasing images, and a joy to use on E-M1.2.
I don't mind carrying this combination on my walk arounds.
Not too heavy for me. I am using just a hand clutch from Peak Design.
BTW, the Night images were shot with S-AF. Focus works like a charm.

Bart, which of the 6 SHG lenses do you have experience with and recommend?
I am looking forward to more of your E-M1.2 images.
The E-M1.2 with its new sensor has been a game changer for me.
Fast focus and mostly useable up to ISO 6400 made the difference for me.

Of course, I am still looking forward to what Sony will come up with next.
However, Sony will not beat my Olympus gear for long tele shots I suppose.
I find the Olympus tele lens offerings to be stellar.

Although I still have and use quite a few Leica lenses, somehow a new Leica camera doesn't seem relevant for me any longer. However, I am following with interest the Fuji GFX developments.

Thanks again for all your help.

PS: Oh I finally realized I was mucking around too much in post with my images. That not necessarily helped the images and made them look less natural. The raw files coming out of the E-M1.2 IMHO only seem to need the default settings of C1 and sometimes a bit of noise reduction from Nik.
I fully agree with what you say WRT EM1.2 - the game changer - also for me!

While the XT2 has a bit lower noise especially ISO 3200 upwards, the EM1.2 is not far behind, especially when using C1P. And there will not be any similar tele offering from Sony I am afraid, at least not soon. And if they have then this will be big, bulky and heavy as it is FF.

I am also looking interested towards the Fuji GFX and I meanwhile think it would be a good supplement to m43. And definitely not more expensive than jumping back into Leica land. Well all my M lenses cannot be used for the moment and I also was pretty much pi.... by the latest M10 offering - IMHO a big step back in all departments, although praised by many - definitely not by me! So my hope for getting back into Leica land is melting away (the SL is too big for using M lenses IMHO) and I actually do not really care any longer. I had to wait toooooo long! And the GFX will definitely deliver much better IQ at almost the same price.

WRT C1P - I stopped using it when I started with the XT2, as I shot always compressed RAW, which C1P cannot handle. But anyway that Fuji RAW seems pretty cumbersome to handle for RAW converters and it is almost unusable for me when uncompressed (files are too big for my taste). So that means my XT2 will not get much use and as soon as LR7 will be available only subscription based I very likely will not use it any longer but convert fully back to C1P. And then what will happen is pretty clear I think :D:cool:;)
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Hi there K-H,

Found no problems using ISO 6400 either: it really is that good as long as you practise ETTR.
As for SHG lenses: 7-14/4.0, 14-35/2.0, 150/2.0

Not sure if I fancy an A7r3, but letting pass an M10-P would be much harder ...

Best regards.
Thank you Bart for the feedback, as always much appreciated. :)
Yup. as long as one doesn't have to bring up the shadows, one can easily go up to ISO 6400, sometimes even higher. :grin:
As I have the Olympus m4/3 Pro series 7-14, 12-40, and 40-150/2.8 Pro, I don't think I need the 7-14/4.0 as I have the faster newer equivalent.

How do you assess the 14-35/2.0?
I looked up http://www.lenstip.com/260.4-Lens_r...l_ED_14-35_mm_f_2.0_SWD_Image_resolution.html.
That lens seems to have a bit of a flare problem, but otherwise seems to be a top performer.
Generally speaking primes seem to handle flares better than zooms anyway.
So, another option would be really fast 12, 17, 25mm primes.
I already got the PL Nocticron 42.5/1.2 that I really like a lot.

I must say the 150/2.0, my first Olympus SHG 4/3 lens, is a real eye opener for me.

I find the improvement of 2.0 over 2.8 of the 40-150/2.8 Pro actually makes a difference and allows me to shoot higher speeds at base ISO.
It can deliver sharp images wide open. Here is an image of a Sage Thrasher.

E-M1.2 + 150/2.0 @ f/2, ISO 200, 1/1250s, S-AF Silent low.


The next 6 images show a Sage Thrasher letting an approaching American Robin have the water dish for itself.



I wonder whether in this image the right wing feathers of the Sage Thrasher are distorted by the Silent shutter?









E-M!.2 + 150/2.0 SHG @ f/2, ISO 200, 1/2,500s, S-AF Silent low.
 

Knorp

Well-known member
Hi K-H, really I'm not ashamed to admit I'm kind of a pixel peeper fetishist ... :facesmack: :eek:
Shooting at a distance and applying a bit of contrast and sharpening-up, images look okay-ish most of the time, at least to me.
But in close-ups and viewed at 100% it's all about the fine details in f.i. feathers or fur that matters IMO and is decisive whether I'm happy with the image or not.
The reason why in the end I decided to swap the PL for the Oly ... :scry:

Kind regards.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Thanks Bart. It's hard to go back, once one has peeped the pixels! :ROTFL: :LOL: :ROTFL:
Yup, your 2 stunning images of a gull in the other thread won't leave any pixel peeper asking for more and sharper detail, me thinks! :facesmack:
Fabulous masterful images! :salute:
I can understand why you got the 300/4 Pro instead. It's really in a different league from any zoom I am aware of!
Excellent choice!

Here is a crop from a much larger image. :grin:



E-M1.2 + 300/4 Pro @ f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/2,000s, C-AF Silent low.

Now I wonder how the Olympus 300/2.8 SHG lens compares? :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Recall the line out of an Clint Eastwood movie, quote:"I got to know!" :loco:
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
I fully agree with what you say WRT EM1.2 - the game changer - also for me!

While the XT2 has a bit lower noise especially ISO 3200 upwards, the EM1.2 is not far behind, especially when using C1P. And there will not be any similar tele offering from Sony I am afraid, at least not soon. And if they have then this will be big, bulky and heavy as it is FF.

I am also looking interested towards the Fuji GFX and I meanwhile think it would be a good supplement to m43. And definitely not more expensive than jumping back into Leica land. Well all my M lenses cannot be used for the moment and I also was pretty much pi.... by the latest M10 offering - IMHO a big step back in all departments, although praised by many - definitely not by me! So my hope for getting back into Leica land is melting away (the SL is too big for using M lenses IMHO) and I actually do not really care any longer. I had to wait toooooo long! And the GFX will definitely deliver much better IQ at almost the same price.

WRT C1P - I stopped using it when I started with the XT2, as I shot always compressed RAW, which C1P cannot handle. But anyway that Fuji RAW seems pretty cumbersome to handle for RAW converters and it is almost unusable for me when uncompressed (files are too big for my taste). So that means my XT2 will not get much use and as soon as LR7 will be available only subscription based I very likely will not use it any longer but convert fully back to C1P. And then what will happen is pretty clear I think :D:cool:;)

Thank you Peter for your feedback. Much appreciated.
The E-M1.2 is such a remarkable camera that I couldn't go back to a lesser one.
Lesser m4/3 cameras simply lead to too many frustrations when very fast focus of moving subjects is asked for.
As you indicate, coupling the E-M1.2 with Olympus' long and fast tele lenses, makes a compelling case for birding and such.

Today the cranes were flying high and fast, taking full advantage of a good tail wind.
I heard 'em, even got in a few shots when seeing them through the EVF of the E-M1.2.

When taking the following image, I never even saw the cranes through the EVF.
I had activated all the focus points and simply fully pressed the shutter button whenever I saw the dancing green focus rectangles pop up.
Amazing what the focus system of the E-M1.2 with its dedicated fast processor can pull off with such a great lens as the SHG 150/2.0 in front of it.

E-M1.2 + 150/2.0 SHG @ f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/8,000s, C-AF Silent low.

When the cranes come up from the National Wildlife Refuge south of Albuquerque, they fly directly over Bandelier National Monument.
Here is a view of Bandelier if one stays above the canyons.

E-M1.2 + 150/2.0 SHG @ f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/3,200s.

When I took this image a couple of days ago, I could hear the cranes overhead, but never saw them. Oh well.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Thank you Peter for your feedback. Much appreciated.
The E-M1.2 is such a remarkable camera that I couldn't go back to a lesser one.
Lesser m4/3 cameras simply lead to too many frustrations when very fast focus of moving subjects is asked for.
As you indicate, coupling the E-M1.2 with Olympus' long and fast tele lenses, makes a compelling case for birding and such.

Today the cranes were flying high and fast, taking full advantage of a good tail wind.
I heard 'em, even got in a few shots when seeing them through the EVF of the E-M1.2.

When taking the following image, I never even saw the cranes through the EVF.
I had activated all the focus points and simply fully pressed the shutter button whenever I saw the dancing green focus rectangles pop up.
Amazing what the focus system of the E-M1.2 with its dedicated fast processor can pull off with such a great lens as the SHG 150/2.0 in front of it.

When the cranes come up from the National Wildlife Refuge south of Albuquerque, they fly directly over Bandelier National Monument.
Here is a view of Bandelier if one stays above the canyons.

When I took this image a couple of days ago, I could hear the cranes overhead, but never saw them. Oh well.
K-H,

you seem to like the 2/150 quite a bit ;) - it is definitely a great lens, I owned it some 12 years back and it as very often mounted to my E1 at these times. Great to see that it also performs well with a 20MP sensor!

I am looking forward to a few new Olympus m43 Pro lenses over the next years, heard from our local distributor that there are some new 1.2 Pro lenses planned and also gave feedback to them to develop kind of a wildlife Pro zoom - 4/75-300 Pro would be a dream, even for a high price. But I would also take a 4/75-250 Pro or something like that :cool:

Since I have my EM1.2 I no longer shot with the Fuji XT2, although this is a beautiful and very capable camera, but as I already mentioned the EM1.2 does so many things just right and feels lovely to shoot.

I am grateful to the findings of Bart, who moved from the PanaLeica 100-400 to the Oly 4/300. That tells me the 4/300 is so much better and so I can avoid sinking any money into the PanaLeica. I think the big mistake with such lenses is that vendors try to build extreme zooms and then IQ suffers. Especially I found that 6.3 at the long end is not a great thing. Would have maybe been a much better lens if it was just a 100-300.

You live in a very beautiful area, I was visiting there some 10 years ago when I worked for Cisco and was very often flying to the US west coast for that matter. But I definitely will come back, this is on my fixed to-do list :D

All the best

Peter
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Thanks Peter. Here is another image with E-M1.2 and 150/2 @ f/5.6.




E-M1.2 + 300/4 Pro @ f/5.6.


Both are one of a kind terrific lenses that excel on the E-M1.2.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
A very interesting read IMHO.

Olympus Q&A @ CP+ 2017: A deep dive on the E-M1 II, autofocus testing & the future of image processing
http://www.imaging-resource.com/new...e-on-the-e-m1-ii-autofocus-testing-the-future

Down to the FPGA and ASIC level.
Olympus seems technically on top of design and manufacturing, resulting in higher quality and economical gear.
They think over the next 5 years they should be able to improve processor speeds by another factor of 4x over the E-M1.2
In-camera algorithmic improvements become even more important.
Very interesting the discussion about their approach to keep improving AF.
It's clear to me they have quite an R&D and manufacturing effort for their cameras and lenses that justifies their prices.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
These are literally my first 4 shots with E-M1.2 + SHG 300/2.8.
WOW! That's quite a hunk of glass.
A challenge - but I managed to shoot handheld!
IBIS is essential for that.

The un-cropped first shot, reduced linearly in size by half.



The following images are cropped at 50%.








E-M1.2 + 300/2.8 SHG @ f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/6400s, S-AF Silent low. :thumbs: :grin:
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member


E-M1.2 + 300/2.8 SHG @ f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/1250s, S-AF Silent low, handheld.
In C1Pro10 I had to reduce the default sharpening amount from 180 to 60 to avoid over-sharpening. :grin:
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member






E-M1.2 + 300/2.8 SHG @ f/5.6, ISO 320 250 320, 1/250s, S-AF Silent low, handheld.
In C1Pro10 I had to reduce the default sharpening amount from 180 to 60 to avoid over-sharpening. :grin:
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Bluebirds, males and females - shot at an angle through a thick glass window - that wasn't part of the optical calculation! :facesmack: :banghead: :LOL:



E-M1.2 + 300/2.8 SHG @ f/5.6, ISO 1,250, 1/250s, S-AF Silent low, on tripod, IBIS ON. :facesmack:
 
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ptomsu

Workshop Member
K-H

great shots, you seem to like the 2.8/300 SHG - right?

I could buy your no longer in use 4/300 now, am I right ;):cool:;)

Peter
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
K-H

great shots, you seem to like the 2.8/300 SHG - right?

I could buy your no longer in use 4/300 now, am I right ;):cool:;)

Peter
Thanks Peter for your very funny reply! :ROTFL: :LOL: :ROTFL:

After using the 300/2.8 for a few minutes handheld my arms are threatening to fall off.
Yup, it's pretty heavy. Same deal as with APO-Telyt-R 280/4 or Vario-Telyt-R 105-280/4.2.
Of course, those heavy weights I will be primarily using on a tripod or use for weightlifting exercises. :LOL:

The 150/2 SHG and 300/4 Pro I find easy to carry around and shoot handheld.
I have to conclude though that my 2 SHG lenses seem to have a very smooth bokeh, much smoother than e.g. the 300/4 Pro bokeh.

BTW, I bought both lenses used, one from Japan, one from Korea at considerable discounts.
Both seem in good shape to me, now that I have used them for a bit.
Those lenses are still in production and are pretty expensive new - too expensive for me. :banghead:
Over the years I seem to have been pretty lucky buying used. :)
 

Knorp

Well-known member
Thanks Peter for your very funny reply! :ROTFL: :LOL: :ROTFL:

After using the 300/2.8 for a few minutes handheld my arms are threatening to fall off.
Yup, it's pretty heavy. Same deal as with APO-Telyt-R 280/4 or Vario-Telyt-R 105-280/4.2.
Of course, those heavy weights I will be primarily using on a tripod or use for weightlifting exercises. :LOL:

The 150/2 SHG and 300/4 Pro I find easy to carry around and shoot handheld.
I have to conclude though that my 2 SHG lenses seem to have a very smooth bokeh, much smoother than e.g. the 300/4 Pro bokeh.

BTW, I bought both lenses used, one from Japan, one from Korea at considerable discounts.
Both seem in good shape to me, now that I have used them for a bit.
Those lenses are still in production and are pretty expensive new - too expensive for me. :banghead:
Over the years I seem to have been pretty lucky buying used. :)
The shots at 5.6 are pretty awesome, K-H.
I'd like to buy lenses from outside Europe as well, but it's the hefty import duties that are holding me back.
Prices here for the 300/2.8 in 43-mount hover around €4000

Kind regards.
 
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