New OM-1 (2 Viewers)

[Jefrs]

I have the Lumix G9 and have looked very,very hard at the OM-1 and so far the OM-1 has not knocked the G9 off the top spot.
I like Olympus a lot and do use three Ollie cameras but when it comes to wildlife it is the system. Olympus/OMDS only provide Sync-IS with a few of their top very expensive Pro lenses whereas Lumix go Dual-IS with practically all of their OIS lenses. And that Dual2 is utterly insane, I can wave the Leica 100-400 around like a ping-pong bat hand-held whilst shooting. That stability aids focusing whilst panning.
The image quality is basically the same. The G9 has a a very slight edge over the OM-1 on dynamic range and read noise, etc. Check the numbers over at "Photons to Photos".
For instant focusing and taking pictures of the cat in the coal hole at midnight, again the G9 has a slight edge. Where the G9 has lost the plot taking birds in flight, it's usually where the wrong focus mode is used. It has no less than four customisable AFC/AFF focus modes.
Random snapshot point camera up and push the button, sooc jpeg. And it had to be quick because we were suddenly invaded by the flock of seagulls, and then they were gone, no time to set up, just point and shoot.
G9 PL100-400 at 400mm f/8 1/1000 ISO 800 hand held.

 

[Tony Knight]

Final question I promise . So i've set up C1 for perched bird and C2 for BIF. Front cogwheel changes exposure, back cogwheel changes aperture (rare I will use that). I think the only thing missing is the quick single button press to switch to single focus point/S-AF quickly for part hidden subjects. Presume you programme the "Home-AF" or "AF-On" buttons for this and once programmed you just press to switch and then press again to switch back to standard C1 or C2 ? Thanks.

Is the quickest way to change from small focus area to single focus area, to repurpose the AF-On button ? This still requires this button to be pressed and then the back cog to be turned each time. There's no single button that can be pressed to switch it ?

 

[Jefrs]

Is the quickest way to change from small focus area to single focus area, to repurpose the AF-On button ? This still requires this button to be pressed and then the back cog to be turned each time. There's no single button that can be pressed to switch it ?

On the G9 we have AF-Near and AF-far too. I don't know that the OM-1 has that, my E-M5ii does not nor the PEN-F. I do use those but not AF-ON (been there), the half press shutter does this. Back-button focus is over-rated, often a waste of a Fn button. Using a cable release?
On the G9, GH4, G7 we have AFS/AFC/MF switch. The E-M5ii has a lever switch which can go from AF to MF but the PEN-F does not and we have to go through the SCP. To switch area an the G9, other Lumix, we hit left arrow and scroll along. On an Ollie left arrow then Info then muck about cycling through and not so many choices. Likewise with Lumix to switch exposure metering mode, hit a button then scroll, on Ollie go though the SCP, Ollie cannot put meter mode on a button, nor quick change the focus area.
Custom memory (MySet) is a good option. You will also be able to set a custom minimum shutter speed there too, A perched one will obviously be able to have a slower shutter, and may well want spot meter.
I tend to put the +/-EV on the back right because if you have a dedicated knob (PEN-F) that is where it is. Then the front dial for the mode parameter (usually aperture). G9 has three customisable dials, so in Manual mode they'd be aperture, shutter, EV. I like to set up all the cameras with the knbs and dials and buttons doing the more or less same job in the same places.

 

[C B Allen]

Is the quickest way to change from small focus area to single focus area, to repurpose the AF-On button ? This still requires this button to be pressed and then the back cog to be turned each time. There's no single button that can be pressed to switch it ?

Sorry - been away & only just seen your recent msgs. TBH as I don't have mine set up that way I can't really advise. I think sometimes having so many options plus the easy ability to reprogram how the camera can be used can be almost too much. In practice I've never tried (needed?) to change the focus area while in the same custom mode but accept that is probably just how I use the camera (I'm very comfortable with how it's currently set up even if other users might think I'm missing a trick or two.

Just from my experience (with this, the EM-1.2/3 & Canon 7D2 a few years ago) I can't imagine using anything other than back button focussing for bird photography: separating focus and shooting just seems so obvious and while it felt odd the first few times I used it I can't imagine ever going back. In particular it makes shooting in complex foreground/background situations with single focus point so much easier and where you want to re-frame after acquiring focus on static targets. Just my opinion of course.

 

[Jefrs]

My issue with back-button is the delay between focus lock and shooting. My G9 does have its infamous hair trigger shutter but my Ollies have the traditional two stage half press and release. If we are using the AFS/S-AF which is the quickest and most accurate we need to release the shutter immediately after focus lock and before the bird moves even slightly. With AFC/C-AF there is more lee way as it continues to focus right up to shutter release.
The half-press is AF-ON. Whilst framing the shot it is not easy to press and hold one button whilst gently controlling a finger on the shutter.
Where I do assign AF-ON is to the lower front button on the G9 where I can operate it with the left hand, but this is only to workaround the hair-trigger shutter button in some situations, not some great benefit to focusing.
If we are on the tripod then a cable or wireless release is the thing, and we do not want to be jabbing buttons on the camera.

 

[Tony Knight]

Sorry - been away & only just seen your recent msgs. TBH as I don't have mine set up that way I can't really advise. I think sometimes having so many options plus the easy ability to reprogram how the camera can be used can be almost too much. In practice I've never tried (needed?) to change the focus area while in the same custom mode but accept that is probably just how I use the camera (I'm very comfortable with how it's currently set up even if other users might think I'm missing a trick or two.

Just from my experience (with this, the EM-1.2/3 & Canon 7D2 a few years ago) I can't imagine using anything other than back button focussing for bird photography: separating focus and shooting just seems so obvious and while it felt odd the first few times I used it I can't imagine ever going back. In particular it makes shooting in complex foreground/background situations with single focus point so much easier and where you want to re-frame after acquiring focus on static targets. Just my opinion of course.

Thanks Chris. Earlier you'd said ".....but where I need to pick out a partially obscured bird (where the bird detect sometimes struggles) I turn bird detect off and use S-AF with a single focus point." I guess what I was asking was how you do that quickly in practice. This is the only issue I think I haven't satisfactorily resolved in my mind given I've set up C1 perched and C2 BIF and know how to quickly change exposure. I have currently repurposed the AF-ON button so I can press that and then turn the back cog to switch to single point focus and back quickly. Is there a better way ?

 

[C B Allen]

My issue with back-button is the delay between focus lock and shooting. My G9 does have its infamous hair trigger shutter but my Ollies have the traditional two stage half press and release. If we are using the AFS/S-AF which is the quickest and most accurate we need to release the shutter immediately after focus lock and before the bird moves even slightly. With AFC/C-AF there is more lee way as it continues to focus right up to shutter release.
The half-press is AF-ON. Whilst framing the shot it is not easy to press and hold one button whilst gently controlling a finger on the shutter.
Where I do assign AF-ON is to the lower front button on the G9 where I can operate it with the left hand, but this is only to workaround the hair-trigger shutter button in some situations, not some great benefit to focusing.
If we are on the tripod then a cable or wireless release is the thing, and we do not want to be jabbing buttons on the camera.

Is that just a G9 thing (the delay between focus lock & shooting)? I haven't noticed it with the OM-1. I appreciate that the full stabilisation benefits only apply to a limited number of Oly lenses but TBH for most people shooting birds they're going to be using either the 300 PRO or the 150-400 big-white so will have the full 7/8 stop stabilisation (& even the lesser stabilisation using the 100-400 is pretty good). Personally I haven't used a tripod in over 2 years and a few months ago removed the tripod collars from both my 300 & 100-400 (saves over 200gr) so not an issue.

I know the G9 is a super little camera: my wife shoots a G9 with the 100-400 pan/leica & often gets great results but it can't compete on BIF's and struggles when trying to pick up small mobile birds in complex or similarly lit background situations (of course that may be just her settings ... ). Basically they're both pretty damned good systems despite both (as with all other brands/formats) having some imperfections.

 

[C B Allen]

Thanks Chris. Earlier you'd said ".....but where I need to pick out a partially obscured bird (where the bird detect sometimes struggles) I turn bird detect off and use S-AF with a single focus point." I guess what I was asking was how you do that quickly in practice. This is the only issue I think I haven't satisfactorily resolved in my mind given I've set up C1 perched and C2 BIF and know how to quickly change exposure. I have currently repurposed the AF-ON button so I can press that and then turn the back cog to switch to single point focus and back quickly. Is there a better way ?

I'm sure there is a better way & that my way is probably pretty damned stupid and probably wouldn't recommend anyone copying what I do - it's just what I started out with and have got so used to that so I'm reticent to change it in case the new settings don't buy me any benefits. Maybe during some quieter time over winter I'll have a re-think but only when I have the time to get some serious experimentation/practice in.

I certainly don't make use of all the buttons but by keeping things simple and stable I can change settings that I regularly use without having to give it any conscious thought. So, I have C1 single focus point S-AF and bird detect off, C2 small square focus point C-AF bird detect on and C3 (BIF) all focus points S-AF and bird detect on. All things being equal C2 is my walk-around default. I don't currently have buttons set to switch custom mode at all as I find it easy enough to just rotate the main mode dial with my finger to C1 or C3 as required. In practice I find it's pretty rare to need to change mid-shoot and I'm sure this wouldn't work for a lot of people, but for me I've got so used to it that's it just works (and means I don't have to overload my aging brain with what lots of other controls do). As always, just my opinion ...

 

[Tony Knight]

I'm sure there is a better way & that my way is probably pretty damned stupid and probably wouldn't recommend anyone copying what I do - it's just what I started out with and have got so used to that so I'm reticent to change it in case the new settings don't buy me any benefits. Maybe during some quieter time over winter I'll have a re-think but only when I have the time to get some serious experimentation/practice in.

I certainly don't make use of all the buttons but by keeping things simple and stable I can change settings that I regularly use without having to give it any conscious thought. So, I have C1 single focus point S-AF and bird detect off, C2 small square focus point C-AF bird detect on and C3 (BIF) all focus points S-AF and bird detect on. All things being equal C2 is my walk-around default. I don't currently have buttons set to switch custom mode at all as I find it easy enough to just rotate the main mode dial with my finger to C1 or C3 as required. In practice I find it's pretty rare to need to change mid-shoot and I'm sure this wouldn't work for a lot of people, but for me I've got so used to it that's it just works (and means I don't have to overload my aging brain with what lots of other controls do). As always, just my opinion ...

Thanks Chris. That makes a lot of sense actually, and simpler than my button & cog" method ! I'd used C3 as general wildlife and forgotten there were 4 "C" options so will follow your set up and just move general wildlife to C4.

 

[Jefrs]

Is that just a G9 thing (the delay between focus lock & shooting)? I haven't noticed it with the OM-1. I appreciate that the full stabilisation benefits only apply to a limited number of Oly lenses but TBH for most people shooting birds they're going to be using either the 300 PRO or the 150-400 big-white so will have the full 7/8 stop stabilisation (& even the lesser stabilisation using the 100-400 is pretty good). Personally I haven't used a tripod in over 2 years and a few months ago removed the tripod collars from both my 300 & 100-400 (saves over 200gr) so not an issue.

I know the G9 is a super little camera: my wife shoots a G9 with the 100-400 pan/leica & often gets great results but it can't compete on BIF's and struggles when trying to pick up small mobile birds in complex or similarly lit background situations (of course that may be just her settings ... ). Basically they're both pretty damned good systems despite both (as with all other brands/formats) having some imperfections.

No it is your finger. The delay between you getting the AF focus lock with the half press or back-button AF-ON and you pressing the shutter release. That delay can let a bird move out of focus with AFS (S-AF).
The way to get BIF with the G9 using AFS is to press the shutter to do AF and release in one go with "One Area" to set the size of the focus box with Detect On, using a a fast shutter 1/1000 to 1/2500.. That is alleged to achieve focus in like 0.04s
To get BIF with AFC (C-AF) there are four customisable AFC/AFF focus modes each with four parameters. The default mode is not the one to use. I use Set2 +1 +1 +1 ( with the other settings much as above). The AFC will keep focusing until you or rather the subject is ready for you to release the shutter. And then we have pre-burst but to focus every frame we need to use one of the slower burst rates.
The G9 has two Detect modes and they are a little different to each other in the how, what, where, when, why. They are more (cof) intelligent than the Ollie system in that they are automatic, you don't select which eye, they just do it.
I do shoot with both Panasonic and Olympus and have to swap brain, mental shuffle, with camera.
I used the sooc snapshot of the seagull as a fortuitous example a couple of posts above, random point in direction of bird and push button..

 

[Jefrs]

I'm sure there is a better way & that my way is probably pretty damned stupid and probably wouldn't recommend anyone copying what I do - it's just what I started out with and have got so used to that so I'm reticent to change it in case the new settings don't buy me any benefits. Maybe during some quieter time over winter I'll have a re-think but only when I have the time to get some serious experimentation/practice in.

I certainly don't make use of all the buttons but by keeping things simple and stable I can change settings that I regularly use without having to give it any conscious thought. So, I have C1 single focus point S-AF and bird detect off, C2 small square focus point C-AF bird detect on and C3 (BIF) all focus points S-AF and bird detect on. All things being equal C2 is my walk-around default. I don't currently have buttons set to switch custom mode at all as I find it easy enough to just rotate the main mode dial with my finger to C1 or C3 as required. In practice I find it's pretty rare to need to change mid-shoot and I'm sure this wouldn't work for a lot of people, but for me I've got so used to it that's it just works (and means I don't have to overload my aging brain with what lots of other controls do). As always, just my opinion ...

Yes that is the way to do it with any MFT. That is what the "C" memory slots are for. Sometimes we have to make a lot of changes, such as to shoot movie, and it takes a month of Sundays to change back to normal. I have two preferred movie setups, and one for astrophotography.

 

[njlarsen]

I'm sure there is a better way & that my way is probably pretty damned stupid and probably wouldn't recommend anyone copying what I do - it's just what I started out with and have got so used to that so I'm reticent to change it in case the new settings don't buy me any benefits. Maybe during some quieter time over winter I'll have a re-think but only when I have the time to get some serious experimentation/practice in.

I certainly don't make use of all the buttons but by keeping things simple and stable I can change settings that I regularly use without having to give it any conscious thought. So, I have C1 single focus point S-AF and bird detect off, C2 small square focus point C-AF bird detect on and C3 (BIF) all focus points S-AF and bird detect on. All things being equal C2 is my walk-around default. I don't currently have buttons set to switch custom mode at all as I find it easy enough to just rotate the main mode dial with my finger to C1 or C3 as required. In practice I find it's pretty rare to need to change mid-shoot and I'm sure this wouldn't work for a lot of people, but for me I've got so used to it that's it just works (and means I don't have to overload my aging brain with what lots of other controls do). As always, just my opinion ...

I am surprised by your BIF settings. I use SAF for everything else but CAF for BIF - I usually shoot in series of images and with BIF they would not all be in focus without the CAF. (I should add I use a pana G85 so no bird detect - I am considering whether the G9 or the OM1 should be my next camera).
Niels

 

[C B Allen]

I am surprised by your BIF settings. I use SAF for everything else but CAF for BIF - I usually shoot in series of images and with BIF they would not all be in focus without the CAF. (I should add I use a pana G85 so no bird detect - I am considering whether the G9 or the OM1 should be my next camera).
Niels

Whoops - my typo! Of course C3/BIF is set to C-AF ... would be a pointless nightmare set to S-AF!! I'm getting 85%+ in good focus with BIF's on the OM-1 even for fast or unpredictable targets like hummers and close to 100% for more predictable targets like fly-by herons & large raptors. In all cases much better than I ever got with the EM-1.2/3

 

[Stonefaction]

Finally bit the bullet and got myself an OM-1. Only managed an hour or so to try it out yesterday but very impressed with it even though it needs more in-depth setting up. The bird tracking is quicker than I expected and very impressive. However, one thing I'm not as impressed with is OM Workspace for processing the photos. I'm used to Nikon Capture NX-Studio which I find really easy to use (and customisable) and also very quick to use (now that I have a reasonably fast computer). I managed to process my first batch of photos with OMWS but it took so much longer than NX-Studio, and not just because I'd never used it before. I managed to find a list of other programs which can handle OM RAW files but the ones I looked at are a bit too much like Photoshop for me (with lots of features I don't need and will never use) and appear to be £100+, or subscription based. What is everyone else using?

 

[Jefrs]

Finally bit the bullet and got myself an OM-1. Only managed an hour or so to try it out yesterday but very impressed with it even though it needs more in-depth setting up. The bird tracking is quicker than I expected and very impressive. However, one thing I'm not as impressed with is OM Workspace for processing the photos. I'm used to Nikon Capture NX-Studio which I find really easy to use (and customisable) and also very quick to use (now that I have a reasonably fast computer). I managed to process my first batch of photos with OMWS but it took so much longer than NX-Studio, and not just because I'd never used it before. I managed to find a list of other programs which can handle OM RAW files but the ones I looked at are a bit too much like Photoshop for me (with lots of features I don't need and will never use) and appear to be £100+, or subscription based. What is everyone else using?

I only use Workspace for basic functions, reading the SD, updating camera. I do not use it for raw conversion, the camera does that job better. It does show information. To be honest I lose my patience with raw-converters and post-editing, I can usually get a better jpeg out of the camera than by converting the raw. I shoot raw+jpeg but shoot for the jpeg. I set the camera up to take the best photo, mark 1 eyeball, and that's the jpeg taken care of. If it doesn't need fixing, don't bust it.

 

[katastrofa]

Finally bit the bullet and got myself an OM-1. Only managed an hour or so to try it out yesterday but very impressed with it even though it needs more in-depth setting up. The bird tracking is quicker than I expected and very impressive. However, one thing I'm not as impressed with is OM Workspace for processing the photos. I'm used to Nikon Capture NX-Studio which I find really easy to use (and customisable) and also very quick to use (now that I have a reasonably fast computer). I managed to process my first batch of photos with OMWS but it took so much longer than NX-Studio, and not just because I'd never used it before. I managed to find a list of other programs which can handle OM RAW files but the ones I looked at are a bit too much like Photoshop for me (with lots of features I don't need and will never use) and appear to be £100+, or subscription based. What is everyone else using?

DxO Photolab 5.

 

[Jefrs]

DxO Photolab 5.

It's DXO Photolab 6 now. Problem is all such software need paying for upgrades. Photolab probably has the best de-noise but then you only need to de-noise if you have noise - and MFT probably have the quietest read noise (see over at "Photons TO Photos"). MFT show little noise up to ISO 6400 (see Mike Lane, set max ISO 3200). Some cameras promise telephone number ISO but in practise, not usable.
The Noise Reduction (or Noise Filter in Ollie-speak) is usually a bit everyman and OTT. I drop Pan NR-1 and Ollie to "low" to avoid artefacts. NR is a form of sharpening/selective gain.
Olympus and Panasonic (& Fujifilm) produce "extended-raw" and many raw-converters (notably Adobe) do not know how to handle them properly so we are back to square one processing them practically manually. At least Photolab has profiles for each camera-lens combination, but this falls down if we use an adapted lens.

 

[MikeInPA]

It's DXO Photolab 6 now. Problem is all such software need paying for upgrades. Photolab probably has the best de-noise but then you only need to de-noise if you have noise - and MFT probably have the quietest read noise (see over at "Photons TO Photos"). MFT show little noise up to ISO 6400 (see Mike Lane, set max ISO 3200). Some cameras promise telephone number ISO but in practise, not usable.
The Noise Reduction (or Noise Filter in Ollie-speak) is usually a bit everyman and OTT. I drop Pan NR-1 and Ollie to "low" to avoid artefacts. NR is a form of sharpening/selective gain.
Olympus and Panasonic (& Fujifilm) produce "extended-raw" and many raw-converters (notably Adobe) do not know how to handle them properly so we are back to square one processing them practically manually. At least Photolab has profiles for each camera-lens combination, but this falls down if we use an adapted lens.

Does ISO12800 count as 'telephone number ISO'?

Nikon Z9 ISO12800 1/4000th f/7/1 no adjustments other than crop to 2048.

 

[WildPhotographer]

Finally bit the bullet and got myself an OM-1. Only managed an hour or so to try it out yesterday but very impressed with it even though it needs more in-depth setting up. The bird tracking is quicker than I expected and very impressive. However, one thing I'm not as impressed with is OM Workspace for processing the photos. I'm used to Nikon Capture NX-Studio which I find really easy to use (and customisable) and also very quick to use (now that I have a reasonably fast computer). I managed to process my first batch of photos with OMWS but it took so much longer than NX-Studio, and not just because I'd never used it before. I managed to find a list of other programs which can handle OM RAW files but the ones I looked at are a bit too much like Photoshop for me (with lots of features I don't need and will never use) and appear to be £100+, or subscription based. What is everyone else using?

Congratulations to you! It is a brilliant camera and extremely capable. After a few days with mine, I took the decision to divest all my Canon gear as the AF was superior on the OM-1. It takes a bit of setting up and after long chats with OM-System, I am now running 1 or 2 day training sessions on the camera with their support. In terms of processing, OM Workspace is like most camera-included software - it works well, but very slow and not intuitive. Camera designers are unfortunately not post-production software engineers. Nikon's NX is the best of a rather mixed group. Othes have suggested DxO which is good software. By my detailed testing it is excellent great for sharpness and noise, quite poor though for colour. The cloud version of Lightroom is relatively simple to use, works beautifully with OM-1 files, stores everything securely and allows you to access and edit on Phone, tablet, computer or on a web page. It also gives you RAW shooting from your smart phone, if your phone dates from the last 5 years or so. I find most of my training clients find it easy to use. It is a subscription £9.98/ month or an annual payment, but virtually everything is and the functionality is excellent. In the interests of trasnparency, I work with Adobe in a very technical capacity, developing Lightroom (both versions) and Photoshop. I get no benefits from recommendations. I include Lightroom training with my OM-1 workshops.
Nick.

 

[WildPhotographer]

The Noise Reduction (or Noise Filter in Ollie-speak) is usually a bit everyman and OTT. I drop Pan NR-1 and Ollie to "low" to avoid artefacts. NR is a form of sharpening/selective gain.
Olympus and Panasonic (& Fujifilm) produce "extended-raw" and many raw-converters (notably Adobe) do not know how to handle them properly so we are back to square one processing them practically manually. At least Photolab has profiles for each camera-lens combination, but this falls down if we use an adapted lens.

I'm puzzled by your comment on extended RAW? Adobe Camera RAW, the engine behind Lightroom and Photoshop handles all the information that these cameras generate, including the pixel-shift high res files, HDR and extended ISO files from Olympus. I'm testing this every day and have encountered no issues. In terms of noise reduction, DxO is excellent in DeepPrime mode (is that the correct name?) as is Topaz. What will surprise people is the results from ACR / Lightroom / Photoshop's built-in Sharpening and Noise reduction can match these tools very closely with a little practice and knowledge.
Nick.