EM1 and Auto ISO, shutter speed, IBIS

[tashley]

So I just re-purchased an EM1 and 12-40 plus 40-150 in a great value kit. I had the camera a couple of years back and used it for a while but ditched it when my Sony 24-70f4 arrived. However, I really missed the incredibly light weight and edge to edge sharpness of the Oly with 12-40 and I missed its good weather sealing. It's the perfect country hike combo for English weather.

But... I never really found a way, and now again can't find a good way, to deal with the fact that auto ISO always selects a shutter speed too high compared to what it should, with great IBIS, allow. That means that it often uses an ISO higher than it needs because it's too conservative with shutter speed.

I found a clunky way around this, which is to use M mode and set the lever position to 2 to allow me to change ISO with the front dial. Trouble is, with a zoom that means constantly switching the lever between 1&2 in order to change shutter speed as zoom length changes.

I keep thinking there must be a way around this. It's a mature system with a good record of FW updates. But I can't seem to find a better method, so my ISO is often 2 or 3 times what it needs to be.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Annna T]

So I just re-purchased an EM1 and 12-40 plus 40-150 in a great value kit. I had the camera a couple of years back and used it for a while but ditched it when my Sony 24-70f4 arrived. However, I really missed the incredibly light weight and edge to edge sharpness of the Oly with 12-40 and I missed its good weather sealing. It's the perfect country hike combo for English weather.

But... I never really found a way, and now again can't find a good way, to deal with the fact that auto ISO always selects a shutter speed too high compared to what it should, with great IBIS, allow. That means that it often uses an ISO higher than it needs because it's too conservative with shutter speed.

I found a clunky way around this, which is to use M mode and set the lever position to 2 to allow me to change ISO with the front dial. Trouble is, with a zoom that means constantly switching the lever between 1&2 in order to change shutter speed as zoom length changes.

I keep thinking there must be a way around this. It's a mature system with a good record of FW updates. But I can't seem to find a better method, so my ISO is often 2 or 3 times what it needs to be.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Welcome back ! Hopefully you will post in the fun with thread again, we missed your countryside pictures.

I have kept my Olympus and MFT lenses, although I use it less since I have the A7rs : I find this system is great and the resell value is rather low, so I decided to keep it. Plus there are so great lenses.

Concerning the ISO, my "solution" is to keep the ISO fixed. On the A7rs and formerly on the E-P3 the direction wheel was rotating and so I could change with a small move of the right thumb. Since Olympus has scrapped that possibility with the introduction of the E-M5, I keep the ISOSs on the right arrow, but changing ISO is more painful than before or than with the A7rs.

 

[tashley]

Welcome back ! Hopefully you will post in the fun with thread again, we missed your countryside pictures.

I have kept my Olympus and MFT lenses, although I use it less since I have the A7rs : I find this system is great and the resell value is rather low, so I decided to keep it. Plus there are so great lenses.

Concerning the ISO, my "solution" is to keep the ISO fixed. On the A7rs and formerly on the E-P3 the direction wheel was rotating and so I could change with a small move of the left thumb. Since Olympus has scrapped that possibility with the introduction of the E-M5, I keep the ISOSs on the right arrow, but changing ISO is more painful than before or than with the A7rs.

Hmmm, that sounds useful but then how do you change the position of the focus point? I use the 4 direction arrows for that....

 

[Annna T]

Hmmm, that sounds useful but then how do you change the position of the focus point? I use the 4 direction arrows for that....

Strike the left arrow, you will see the grid and all four direction arrows move the focus point where you want.. (Hopefully I'm not comfusing with the A7r). But most of the time I have the focus on the center point and use the focus and reframe technique, which is sufficient for me given that I shoot mostly urban and land-scapes where the focus point is rather far away. Plus the MFT bodies have twice the DOF of the A7rs. And I'm probably way less picky than you in matters of sharpness. I don't like the mushy arrows buttons of the E-M5 anyway.

BTW : is your new 12-40mm F2.8 Pro as sharp as the first one you had ? I'm very happy with mine at 12mm it is as sharp if not more than the 12mm prime which I now rarely use.

 

[tashley]

Strike the left arrow, you will see the grid and all four direction arrows move the focus point where you want.. (Hopefully I'm not comfusing with the A7r). But most of the time I have the focus on the center point and use the focus and reframe technique, which is sufficient for me given that I shoot mostly urban and land-scapes where the focus point is rather far away. Plus the MFT bodies have twice the DOF of the A7rs. And I'm probably way less picky than you in matters of sharpness. I don't like the mushy arrows buttons of the E-M5 anyway.

BTW : is your new 12-40mm F2.8 Pro as sharp as the first one you had ? I'm very happy with mine at 12mm it is as sharp if not more than the 12mm prime which I now rarely use.

Hi Anna, thanks for that, I will give it a try! For now I've assigned Fn1 to ISO and that seems really quick and easy.

I discovered today, by the way, that using LOW as the ISO rather than 200 gives a real bump in quality, much more than I would have expected. It'll be my default now, as long as there's enough light, though given that it's effectively a pull I suppose I could just shoot at 200 and +1 EV. Of course it also risks the highlights a bit more. But I kid you not, I took some shots today that looked like they'd been taken on an A7rRII or D800. Really the first time I've been bowled over by the IQ of the camera - and all at ISO100... for e.g. this one which when viewed on a retina screen is better than I thought the Oly could do... http://tashley1.zenfolio.com/img/s11/v3/p2068771555.jpg

My new 12-40 is just as good at every focal length and aperture apart from it is very very slightly soft on the right at 12mm and f2.8 but not enough for anyone but me to notice and not enough to return it. The 40-150 is really really nice.

 

[ptomsu]

Hi Anna, thanks for that, I will give it a try! For now I've assigned Fn1 to ISO and that seems really quick and easy.

I discovered today, by the way, that using LOW as the ISO rather than 200 gives a real bump in quality, much more than I would have expected. It'll be my default now, as long as there's enough light, though given that it's effectively a pull I suppose I could just shoot at 200 and +1 EV. Of course it also risks the highlights a bit more. But I kid you not, I took some shots today that looked like they'd been taken on an A7rRII or D800. Really the first time I've been bowled over by the IQ of the camera - and all at ISO100... for e.g. this one which when viewed on a retina screen is better than I thought the Oly could do... http://tashley1.zenfolio.com/img/s11/v3/p2068771555.jpg

My new 12-40 is just as good at every focal length and aperture apart from it is very very slightly soft on the right at 12mm and f2.8 but not enough for anyone but me to notice and not enough to return it. The 40-150 is really really nice.

Great to see you back in the m43 camp

Will give the LOW ISO a try - actually never did so far but it seems really excellent.

The 12-40 and 40-150 are stellar lenses and the main reason I am staying in m43 land.

 

[Knorp]

Hi Anna, thanks for that, I will give it a try! For now I've assigned Fn1 to ISO and that seems really quick and easy.

I discovered today, by the way, that using LOW as the ISO rather than 200 gives a real bump in quality, much more than I would have expected. It'll be my default now, as long as there's enough light, though given that it's effectively a pull I suppose I could just shoot at 200 and +1 EV. Of course it also risks the highlights a bit more. But I kid you not, I took some shots today that looked like they'd been taken on an A7rRII or D800. Really the first time I've been bowled over by the IQ of the camera - and all at ISO100... for e.g. this one which when viewed on a retina screen is better than I thought the Oly could do... http://tashley1.zenfolio.com/img/s11/v3/p2068771555.jpg

My new 12-40 is just as good at every focal length and aperture apart from it is very very slightly soft on the right at 12mm and f2.8 but not enough for anyone but me to notice and not enough to return it. The 40-150 is really really nice.

Hi Tim,

what buggers me is the rather harsh and noisy transition from the lighter to the darker OOF areas, especially when that area is some what under exposed (m43's Achilles' heel) and using higher ISO values.
I found that using LOW (ISO 100) in general is giving me a smoother and more pleasing result.
Of course YMMV, but I'd like to hear your opinion ...

Kind regards.

 

[Annna T]

Hi Anna, thanks for that, I will give it a try! For now I've assigned Fn1 to ISO and that seems really quick and easy.

I discovered today, by the way, that using LOW as the ISO rather than 200 gives a real bump in quality, much more than I would have expected. It'll be my default now, as long as there's enough light, though given that it's effectively a pull I suppose I could just shoot at 200 and +1 EV. Of course it also risks the highlights a bit more. But I kid you not, I took some shots today that looked like they'd been taken on an A7rRII or D800. Really the first time I've been bowled over by the IQ of the camera - and all at ISO100... for e.g. this one which when viewed on a retina screen is better than I thought the Oly could do... http://tashley1.zenfolio.com/img/s11/v3/p2068771555.jpg

My new 12-40 is just as good at every focal length and aperture apart from it is very very slightly soft on the right at 12mm and f2.8 but not enough for anyone but me to notice and not enough to return it. The 40-150 is really really nice.

Glad you got a good sample again and thank for the tip concerning low ISO. Up until now, I tended to avoid it, thinking that it was just a tweaked over exposed 200 ISO and that thus I would just loose in DR without real advantages. I will give it a try now.

Nice picture BTW, thanks for sharing.

 

[tashley]

Hi Tim,

what buggers me is the rather harsh and noisy transition from the lighter to the darker OOF areas, especially when that area is some what under exposed (m43's Achilles' heel) and using higher ISO values.
I found that using LOW (ISO 100) in general is giving me a smoother and more pleasing result.
Of course YMMV, but I'd like to hear your opinion ...

Kind regards.

I couldn't agree more. Too often the images look a little 'small sensor' even when compared to, say, an rx100 but ISO 100 really seems to cure that, if there is enough light and not to much DR in the subject.

 

[teeraash]

Hi, Tim. Do you mind telling me what is the discounted price of the em1 over there? I'm thinking of getting m43 body with better IS such as the em1, pen-F or the yet to be released, gx80. I'm using the GX8 but it's in-camera IS is next to nothing but the dual OIS is fine. As such, I'm having trouble with non-ois lenses and adapted legacy lenses.

 

[tashley]

Hi, Tim. Do you mind telling me what is the discounted price of the em1 over there? I'm thinking of getting m43 body with better IS such as the em1, pen-F or the yet to be released, gx80. I'm using the GX8 but it's in-camera IS is next to nothing but the dual OIS is fine. As such, I'm having trouble with non-ois lenses and adapted legacy lenses.

I got a special deal kit of em1, 12-40 & 40-150 with flash and battery grip for £1,950. That's so little more than the discounted price of the lenses alone that th camera was almost free, so I will wait until the Autumn when the em1 replacement comes along and buy that. It should have the new sensor.. For me this setup is strictly for bad weather days because I don't trust the A7rii in the rain! Also, for misty, rainy or snowy shots a smaller sensor can actually help the mood of the image...

The body alone with battery but no grip or flash is about £850-900 discounted.

 

[retow]

I used to have a GX8 and the PenF for a short period of time. I shot them exclusively at iso 100 when circumstances would allow, as the IQ was noticeably more pleasing (i.e. more larger sensor alike) to my eye as compared to base iso files.

 

[teeraash]

Thanks retow. I just now enable the iso extended mode to allow iso 100.
Tim, the em1 m2 is a dream camera for many including me. Just got c/y 35, 50, and 85 all f1.4 to play with MB Speedbooster on M43. Should be lot of fun.

 

[drofnad]

I used to have a GX8 and the PenF for a short period of time. I shot them exclusively at iso 100 when circumstances would allow, as the IQ was noticeably more pleasing (i.e. more larger sensor alike) to my eye as compared to base iso files.

These are both new, 20mpx sensors (do we know if same, or Pana vs. Sony resp.?),
and the E-M1 is a Pana 16mpx one; that leaves the E-M5 Sony 16mpx unspoken of.
I see that the GX7 doesn't offer LOW.

-d.

ps: That is one heckuva deal on the E-M1 + lenses + ... ! http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.png

 

[mazor]

I couldn't agree more. Too often the images look a little 'small sensor' even when compared to, say, an rx100 but ISO 100 really seems to cure that, if there is enough light and not to much DR in the subject.

Hmm never thought shots from m43 would look 'small sensor' like but guess maybe noise levels at lower iso may expose the m43 flaws. I personally would only use the extended iso 100 for scenes that did not demand higher dynamic range. There is a small tradeoff where even though images will have lower noise the dynamic range would be less by approx 1 stop.