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Olympus OM-D EM-1 (1 Viewer)

I think you have summed up the appealing features of the E-M1 very well Dave. I don't think there is much point updating from the E-M5 at the moment as I doubt that there will be any great improvement in the image quality.

My E-30 is four years old and, although I really like the handling, the sensor is now lagging well behind the latest models. It also developed a fault in the on/off switch recently and, although I managed to cure that, I don't trust it completely. It just felt as if it was the right time to invest in a new camera.

I have downloaded the Owners' Manual and, boy, it is complicated. Every control is programmable and can be set up in different ways. I hope I can get my head around it when it arrives!

Ron
Hi, just wondering how it's going with the EM1/ I was lucky enough to get one for Christmas, but, oh my, very complex programming system! Have you mastered the whole shabang yet? I'm in the Hertfordshire area. Does anyone give instruction? Have had a look around, but as everyone seems to be 'Canon', this new Olympus seems to be a bit esoteric.
 
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Hi Queenfisher. I am slowly getting to grips with the E-M1 but I certainly haven't mastered everything yet. I would recommend having a look at this article. If you sit down with it (you can print the pdf if required) and work through it stage by stage using your camera's menus, he explains the settings much more clearly than the manual. He also suggests his preferred settings and why.

You could also take a look at the official UK Olympus users site. There are plenty of E-M1 owners there discussing their cameras and the problems and suggestions that they have. If you like it you can join for free and ask any particular questions which you have.

Good luck and keep trying.

Ron
 
Got to try out my E-M1 with the 50-200 SWD yesterday. In good light, the continuous AF is close to, but not quite up to DSLR levels. All things considered, it's quite a good showing for a mirrorless camera, although I'll be sticking to my Nikon D7100 for serious BIF work. Here are some Heermann's and Common Gulls in flight from Monterey.
 

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Got to try out my E-M1 with the 50-200 SWD yesterday. In good light, the continuous AF is close to, but not quite up to DSLR levels. All things considered, it's quite a good showing for a mirrorless camera, although I'll be sticking to my Nikon D7100 for serious BIF work. Here are some Heermann's and Common Gulls in flight from Monterey.

Use the 50-200 with adapter to m4/3 will slow down the focus speed a bit. The upcoming (mid-year) m4/3 40-150mm f2.8 pro should be a better choice & a perfect match with 12-40mm f2.8
 
By the way, what is the image stabilization effectiveness of the IBIS of the OM-D EM-5 and/or EM-1 when a 300mm lens is used?
 
Hello Hor and Ron

this shot was taken at 1/160 sec, ISO 400, f 6.7, ev +0.3, with the setting Ron me told me about. the bird was under the shade, and thus the slow shutter speed.

The second shot is the same but after apply Auto sharpen by PS element 7.
 

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Nice.

Everyone has to make their own trade offs, but I would probably have set a higher iso and a faster shutter (using the pana 100-300, I rarely go below 1/400 but on the GH2 I go all the way to iso 3200 if needed). If you have not tried, that might be worth a try, even if you might need the RAW image to get the most out of it with higher iso.

Niels
 
Nice.

Everyone has to make their own trade offs, but I would probably have set a higher iso and a faster shutter (using the pana 100-300, I rarely go below 1/400 but on the GH2 I go all the way to iso 3200 if needed). If you have not tried, that might be worth a try, even if you might need the RAW image to get the most out of it with higher iso.

Niels

Sorry Niels i put this reply in the wrong thread, i was replying to Hor as he asked me how the images come out on slow shutter speed. Bs thanks for the advise.
 
Good enough for me. I guess the 300mm f4 will give you superior pics when it does eventually come out in a year or two from now.
 
I'm sorry if this has been asked before (I'm a bit late to this thread!) but is it possible to use the Panasonic m4/3 lenses on Olympus bodies like the EM1 without any loss of function or the need for an adapter? (I am seriously tempted by the EM1 and would hope my 100-300mm would work with it).
Many thanks
Hobbes
 
Not owning an EM1, there should not be any problem with using the 100-300 on oly cameras. If you are using jpg, then there are slight differences in which type of automatic corrections an oly camera and a pana camera will do. Given that I use RAW and use a raw converter that does not automatically apply those types of correction, I can attest that very little is needed for this lens anyway. Problems might be bigger if you were using wide angle lenses.

Niels
 
Not owning an EM1, there should not be any problem with using the 100-300 on oly cameras. If you are using jpg, then there are slight differences in which type of automatic corrections an oly camera and a pana camera will do. Given that I use RAW and use a raw converter that does not automatically apply those types of correction, I can attest that very little is needed for this lens anyway. Problems might be bigger if you were using wide angle lenses.

Niels

Thanks Niels :t:
 
(I am seriously tempted by the EM1 and would hope my 100-300mm would work with it).
Hobbes, I think you should be aware that there is an on-going issue with lock-ups with the E-M1. There is a poll on the E-group forum and almost 50 percent of those who have responded have reported at least one lock-up. Clearing it usually involves removing and re-inserting the battery. However, sometimes any special settings may be lost.

Olympus are looking into the problem and hopefully there should be a fix sometime soon. Personally, my camera hasn't suffered from the problem so far (touch wood) but I thought you should be aware of the situation as the E-M1 is far from a cheap camera.

Ron
 
Hobbes, I think you should be aware that there is an on-going issue with lock-ups with the E-M1. There is a poll on the E-group forum and almost 50 percent of those who have responded have reported at least one lock-up. Clearing it usually involves removing and re-inserting the battery. However, sometimes any special settings may be lost.

Olympus are looking into the problem and hopefully there should be a fix sometime soon. Personally, my camera hasn't suffered from the problem so far (touch wood) but I thought you should be aware of the situation as the E-M1 is far from a cheap camera.

Ron

Thank you, Ron. I appreciate you letting me know. I'm probably at the "can I really afford to buy a new camera" stage but will certainly hold fire on a decision until the EM1 issue is resolved. What a shame. I do hope they find a straightforward fix. I'm glad you haven't been affected.
All the best
Hobbes
 
I know this is the wrong forum, but I am looking forward to seeing the full review of the GH4 when it comes out. If the still photo side of that camera is as good as hinted, then the OM1 has serous competition.

Niels
 
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