• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Micro Four-Thirds (2 Viewers)

I shoot at 1/20 - 1/80 second 80% of the time, because I take photographs in the morning and almost always at relatively long distance (30-70 meters), so high magnification and consequently high f/value (up to f/18.5). To prevent shutter shock to occur, I always use 'super high burst' mode, with only electronic shutter (camera Panasonic DMC G3). Works well.
 
Om my 600-700mm setup I was able to achieve results free from shake blur as low as 1/50s with EM-5 IBIS at IS.1. Without IS I would need to aim at 1/250s or shorter.
 
Tord said:
No, should I? Many of the subjects I capture are non-static.
Click to expand...

You should probably test it. I have seen shutter shock with the SW and the 100-300 at speeds around 1/100-200 s. However, I hate the delay it brings, like a P&S camera. This is why I try to avoid low shutter speeds.
 
I find this whole shutter shock business with the OM-D E-M5 disturbing. I hope they got it sorted out with the E-M1, otherwise.... I would hate to have to be worrying about the shutter causing problems in the 1/100-1/200s range all the time. I unfortunately have to use it a lot.
 
DanC.Licks said:
I find this whole shutter shock business with the OM-D E-M5 disturbing. I hope they got it sorted out with the E-M1, otherwise.... I would hate to have to be worrying about the shutter causing problems in the 1/100-1/200s range all the time. I unfortunately have to use it a lot.
Click to expand...

Dan,

It is not that bad but it will show up with some lenses in a short range of speeds. One has to be careful and use the shutter delay in those cases. But we don't have mirror slap...
 
I got my EM-5 back the other week, IBIS was checked and no fault was found. An expert from Japan happened to be on site at the workshop and had a deeper look at my case.

I had an interesting discussion with Olympus Sweden support today - what measures to take in case the IBIS exhibits the behavior that caused me to send the camera to repair twice.

I was told that the workshop have identified issues related to using the EM-5 in combination with long focal lengths (1000mm). I am close to that (and actually even above at times when combining my scope with EC14/EC20 for more extreme conditions). A firmware update that remedies the issue might be released, but this is not yet confirmed.

I also was told that you can come quite close to resetting to factory settings you remove the battery for at least 24h (I did not know about this, the workshop have electronics/SW tools to force a reset).

My thinking: since the behavior was identical at both occasions, it could be that the IBIS was not defect the first time, and that the workshop exchanged it to be on the safe side. And the issue might have to do with SW rather than electro-mechanics (hence the potential firmware update).

Should it happen again, I will patiently wait 24 hours before being out of camera for the two weeks it takes to get it fixed. And keep you posted of progress and status if anyone is interested.
 
Tord said:
I got my EM-5 back the other week, IBIS was checked and no fault was found. An expert from Japan happened to be on site at the workshop and had a deeper look at my case.

I had an interesting discussion with Olympus Sweden support today - what measures to take in case the IBIS exhibits the behavior that caused me to send the camera to repair twice.

I was told that the workshop have identified issues related to using the EM-5 in combination with long focal lengths (1000mm). I am close to that (and actually even above at times when combining my scope with EC14/EC20 for more extreme conditions). A firmware update that remedies the issue might be released, but this is not yet confirmed.

I also was told that you can come quite close to resetting to factory settings you remove the battery for at least 24h (I did not know about this, the workshop have electronics/SW tools to force a reset).

My thinking: since the behavior was identical at both occasions, it could be that the IBIS was not defect the first time, and that the workshop exchanged it to be on the safe side. And the issue might have to do with SW rather than electro-mechanics (hence the potential firmware update).

Should it happen again, I will patiently wait 24 hours before being out of camera for the two weeks it takes to get it fixed. And keep you posted of progress and status if anyone is interested.
Click to expand...


Interesting ! Thanks for the info.
 
It's back... somehow.

The other day I took pictures with the TS102 / E-M5 combo, the first pictures with this setup since the camera came back from repair. After a few pictures it came to my mind the need to adjust the IBIS to match the lens FL, so I changed it to 800 (closest value to 700). I immediately noted that after the IBIS engages, producing a stabilized image, it disengages after a second, two at most, leaving the image unstabilized. This time there was just a gentle humming preceding the disengagement, not the ugly vibrations I experienced last time.

There seems to be something fishy with the IBIS (SW).

Anyone else?
 
Tord said:
It's back... somehow.

The other day I took pictures with the TS102 / E-M5 combo, the first pictures with this setup since the camera came back from repair. After a few pictures it came to my mind the need to adjust the IBIS to match the lens FL, so I changed it to 800 (closest value to 700). I immediately noted that after the IBIS engages, producing a stabilized image, it disengages after a second, two at most, leaving the image unstabilized. This time there was just a gentle humming preceding the disengagement, not the ugly vibrations I experienced last time.

There seems to be something fishy with the IBIS (SW).

Anyone else?
Click to expand...

Hi Tord,

I'm sorry to hear that your problem is not fixed after two repairs...

When I was using my EM-5 with the scope, it behaved as specified in the manual: "You may notice an operating sound or vibration when the image stabilizer is activated". At times, it sounded like a low key "Clac, Clac, Clac" when IBIS was active for a long time.

I learned to set the camera so that IBIS is ON only when the shutter is half pressed and I took the habit of using it only when needed for focusing. Focusing became a two operation process: pre-focus without IBIS then tweak the focus with IBIS only if vibration warrants it. That way, the noise was rarely present. When I had the noise, it was a simple matter to release the shutter and half-pressing it again to get rid of the noise.

The noise was also present sometimes with a regular lens like the 100-300mm when IBIS was active for many seconds.

With the EM-1, I also experienced noise and vibration a few times when IBIS was active for a long time.

I have not used the EM-1 with the scope yet as I am either not available or the weather is not appropriate. We are having a tough winter so far: lots of snow and very cold temperatures. Today it is -29 C. :C Not good for birding !

Regards
Jules
 
Hi Jules,

The way the IBIS behaves is as follows. I usually have the setting Menu E -> "Half Way Rls With IS = ON", unless using the LCD as main viewfinder, usually operating the shutter release with the touch panel.

When I half press the shutter, a low volume, high pitch sound is emitted, I think it comes from the gyro(s) spinning. That sound has been there all the time, on all cameras, pre- and post repair. The sound was more pronounced on the first camera body (the one that got stolen) than on the second one, but has never really bothered me.

Within a fraction of a second the image in the viewfinder stabilises. The result is noticeable, when using magnified viewfinder the ability to focus and evaluate the finest details without shake is stunning.

The times I have had the IBIS engaged for instance when panning/following subjects, would be typically 10 seconds, one minute at most. I have never heard any clac-clac sound, and have never experienced the (healthy) IBIS disengaging either. If the IBIS is set to continuously work I would turn off the camera between pictures (to save battery and reduce heat dissipation).

I have been extremely happy with the IBIS performance, until the faulty behavior, manifested by humming/vibrations, after initial stabilization the IBIS disengages within a section, clearly visible in the image in the viewfinder.

I have used the camera with scopes requiring the focal length to be set from 500-1000mm, and the higher the setting, the more frequent/pronounced the behavior is. If I set a low value (lower than required e.g. 300) then the IBIS will stay engaged, but at the expense of less IS taking place (also visible in the viewfinder).

I will provoke a full reset by removing the battery 24 hrs (according to guidelines from Olympus support) and keep you updated of progress. I may be a SW defect, some calibration parameter that is set incorrectly and causes the problem, and that will be reset to default value after reset. Fingers crossed...
 
Tord said:
Hi Jules,

The way the IBIS behaves is as follows. I usually have the setting Menu E -> "Half Way Rls With IS = ON", unless using the LCD as main viewfinder, usually operating the shutter release with the touch panel.
I also set IBIS that way but I don't operate the shutter with the touch panel. I don't see how you can have Half Way Rls using the shutter panel.

When I half press the shutter, a low volume, high pitch sound is emitted, I think it comes from the gyro(s) spinning. That sound has been there all the time, on all cameras, pre- and post repair. The sound was more pronounced on the first camera body (the one that got stolen) than on the second one, but has never really bothered me.
I also have some humming and I believe it is normal. Same with the EM-1.

Within a fraction of a second the image in the viewfinder stabilises. The result is noticeable, when using magnified viewfinder the ability to focus and evaluate the finest details without shake is stunning.
Same here.

The times I have had the IBIS engaged for instance when panning/following subjects, would be typically 10 seconds, one minute at most. I have never heard any clac-clac sound, and have never experienced the (healthy) IBIS disengaging either. If the IBIS is set to continuously work I would turn off the camera between pictures (to save battery and reduce heat dissipation).
IBIS is not made to be used when the camera is not moving at all, like on a tripod - I don't think is is wise to keep it engaged for a long time, like 1 minute. This is why I pre-focus without IBIS. I don't see why you would set IBIS to continuously work since it is only useful when focusing - IMO, this is looking for trouble.

I have been extremely happy with the IBIS performance, until the faulty behavior, manifested by humming/vibrations, after initial stabilization the IBIS disengages within a section, clearly visible in the image in the viewfinder.

I have used the camera with scopes requiring the focal length to be set from 500-1000mm, and the higher the setting, the more frequent/pronounced the behavior is. If I set a low value (lower than required e.g. 300) then the IBIS will stay engaged, but at the expense of less IS taking place (also visible in the viewfinder).
I set it for 600mm or 900mm when using the TN. Sometimes I forget to change the setting and it does not seem to matter.

I will provoke a full reset by removing the battery 24 hrs (according to guidelines from Olympus support) and keep you updated of progress. I may be a SW defect, some calibration parameter that is set incorrectly and causes the problem, and that will be reset to default value after reset. Fingers crossed...
Click to expand...

See my comments in red above.
J
 
Great for you guys !

I love mine. It is indeed a great camera. I haven't been able to use it with the scope in the field yet because of the Canadian Wx but I have been playing with setting it up for use with the scope. This is not an easy task because there is so much to learn with all these setup options and buttons. I started with my usual setup for the EM-5 and adjusted it to take advantage of the new functions on the EM-1.

Here is where I am now in the setup:
  1. Set the Mode Dial to A and ISO to at least 800.
  2. Set the focal length of your scope in IS for non MFT lens. It is important to get IS to work properly with your scope.
  3. Set FN1 to Digital TeleConverter
  4. Set the One Touch White Balance button to Magnify (this is the top front button)
  5. Set the Preview Button to Focus Peaking (this is the bottom front button)
  6. Set Half way Rls with IS to ON in Custom Menu C - This way, IS will turn on only when you half press the shutter button.
  7. In Custom Menu A, set MF Assist to Magnify = OFF and Peaking = OFF.
IMO, setting the camera his way gives you the best flexibility when used with a scope. Here is how it works.

First, the A mode will take care of exposure and it will always be correct. You can then be concerned only with focusing. You only have to make sure your shutter speed is fast enough to avoid shutter shock. I like it to be at least at 1/500 s. and I crank up ISO as needed.

If you need magnification to assist in focusing, start with the Digital TeleConverter assigned to FN1. You will get a 2X boost in the EVF and it will have no effect on the recorded image if you shoot RAW. 2X should be enough most of the time to assist in focusing.

If you need more assistance, switch the TeleConverter OFF and use Magnify and/or Peaking with the 2 front buttons. You can set Magnify up to 14X but I set it to 5X - more than that amplifies the vibrations too much.

If vibrations cause problems with focusing, half press the focus button to engage IBIS. Keep it short because it is not make to be used on a tripod.

From test on my favorite light post, it seems to be the most effective method to use the EM-1 with a scope. I'm eager to try it in the field.

I also suggest you consider investing 50$ in this grip for the OM-1. It is well made, cheap, weight is insignifiant and it improves handling a lot.
http://www.thephoblographer.com/2013/11/02/j-b-camera-designs-new-grip-olympus-omd-em1/

Regards
Jules
 
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

S
Using iPad as monitor for DSLR Digiscoping
Replies
0
Views
540
SwannyVancouver
S
MelospizaMelodiaFan
Upgrading from Bridge Camera to M43
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Missy_MT_AK
M
O
Canon EOS 80D always slightly "fuzzy"
Replies
14
Views
2K
nikitasius
N
C
AX Visio: is it really as bad as some reviewers claim??
2 3 4
Replies
68
Views
7K
Canip
C
W
Considering a Partial Camera Upgrade - D500 w/ 200-500mm lens
2
Replies
34
Views
4K
BriLee
B

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top