Questions re: OM-D E-M5 focus and digital teleconverter (1 Viewer)

I'm considering the above Olympus for bird photography with the lumix 100-300. (Thinking it might be an upgrade over my Panasonic G3). I had a few questions.

1. For bird photography one typically wants autofocus mode set to require focus in a small central area of the viewfinder. On another thread it was suggested that while this mode can be set on the camera, it must be reset every time the camera is turned off. Can others confirm or disconfirm this?

2. The camera manual indicates it has a feature called "digital teleconverter" which increases magnification 2x. My Panasonic has a similar feature but you have to select small picture size and shoot in JPEG only format. The Panasonic manual also states that there is no image degradation using this feature. I'm wondering if the Olympus digital teleconverter is similar in that it also involves no image degradation, and am also wondering whether it works in RAW mode – the manual seems to suggest it does but indicates that only a portion of the file records the picture. I'm wondering exactly how this works and how it appears in the viewfinder.

3. Finally, I read that the camera is sealed against weather. Does this mean the camera body is okay in the rain? I assume the entire camera would be weatherproof only if the lens were also weather sealed.

Jim

I've had this combo for a short while, now and I'll comment as best as I can from the limited experience I've gained.

Centre focus spot should be selected automatically each time you switch on if you've selected it as your option. The 4-way selector is the tool used to move the direction of the focus spot by default - I'm left-handed and also, thus, 'left-eyed' so more of my face comes into contact with the back of the camera than right-eyed folk when using the EVF. It's quite easy to accidentally knock the selector over to another point - but easy to shift it back again (the square lights up every time you press the shutter to auto-focus). It's possible to customise the 4-way buttons for other functions - I tried using it for quick access to changing the ISO but this doesn't 'beep' or light up if you accidentally catch it so I don't recommend this if you have the same trouble as I did!

No matter - the red 'video' button can be used for ISO changing and it's not easily activated accidentally. I've customised the 2 function buttons for manual focus and 2x digital converter and these come in useful for getting focus with the 100-300 lens. To my mind the auto-focus area is too large for some situations (and as far as I can ascertain is not alterable apart from using the touch-screen - which I really don't want to use as I prefer the EVF). The auto-focus can stubbornly stick with whatever it has chosen to focus on, but over-riding with the manual focus ring on the lens until your subject is about sharp helps considerably in convincing the camera what you want!

The 2x digi-converter only applies the magnification to the JPG image (and the viewfinder image) so shooting raw and JPG combined will give you one of each and I can't say that the 2x digital image is any better (or worse) than interpolating the image afterwards in Photoshop. The auto-focus square also doubles in size when the converter is activated which is frustrating.

If anyone with more experience of this camera has found a way to reduce the size of this auto-focus area in 'normal' still-shooting or has found a custom option to set a function button to auto-focus independently from the shutter-button (as in the 'AF' button on Canon cameras, for instance) then please tell us here as this would be a great help!

Thanks for the detailed response Adey! You don't say how small the focus square is, but the one on my G3 is quite small (maybe 5% of EVF area)--I sometimes wonder if I should make it bigger. So it sounds as though there are some significant differences on that score. Though just as with the Olympus I have a problem with accidentally moving the square by pushing stray buttons.

In any event, you've given me some things to think about!

Best,
Jim

While I don't own that particular camera, my E-3 and E-1 have been out in almost all weathers and never had a problem. I was using the sealed pro series lenses of course.

I just dry them off with kitchen roll when I get in. Whether you use a protective filter or not is usually a moot point, if you do your regular wiping won't damage the lens, if you don't, the lens hood protects the more deeply recessed lens far more effectively, it all depends on how 'horizontal' the weather is.

I believe the OM-D is constructed to a very similar standard, but clearly that will only be of use if the lenses you use are equally capable. I would imagine the slr pro series and above lenses on the m 4/3 convertor might be OK, but have not tried it.

Clearly in truly terrible conditions I try to use something that is submersible, either a waterproof housing or submersible camera, but for normal rain they have been OK.

Being left eyed has been a pain all my life too.

Shots below are the rear screen of the EM 5 with the autofoucus area selected (with and without 2x converter) highlighted.

I've got both the kit 12-50mm and 60mm macro lenses that are weather-sealed to match the camera body. Both have internal focus (and internal zooming on the kit lens) mechanisms and both are tighter to fit to the camera than the 100-300mm, though the larger lens does give you a better grip anyway.

I think these are about the only 2 weatherproof lenses available at present, though (unlike the 100-300mm) neither of them comes with a lens hood as standard so I haven't tested them out in wet weather yet. The kit lens takes the same hood as the 9mm-18mm zoom and the macro has its own specially designed sliding hood (in the UK - from 'Warehouse Express' - they're £34.95 and £48.99 respectively + postage!)

As mentioned in another thread, there may well be a new OM-D model coming out soon. It will be interesting to see if they've addressed any of the issues noted - the lack of a seperate AF button is the most serious in my view (and a printed copy of the full instruction manual should be included in cameras of this price!! - oh, and a nice high-quality prime lens of at least 300mm to compliment the new body rather than having to put up with the longest end of a 'consumer-level' zoom lens).

There are two Pana brand water (or at least splash) proof lenses, the 12-33 and 33-100 (I have neither).

I rarely go to DPReview forum at the moment, but this thread caught my interest as relevant for this discussion: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3533700#forum-post-51996531

Niels

Thanks for the additional comments and screenshots. The focus area on my G3 looks to be about one fourth the size of the smallest area on the Olympus. And it does not become bigger when the teleconverter setting is selected. I guess that's one point in favor of Panasonic.

Best,
Jim

Jim M. said:

Thanks for the additional comments and screenshots. The focus area on my G3 looks to be about one fourth the size of the smallest area on the Olympus. And it does not become bigger when the teleconverter setting is selected. I guess that's one point in favor of Panasonic.

Best,
Jim

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i have the em5 and can confirm that the smallest focus point is far smaller than shown in the above thumbnails,i have it set to the function 1 button and is just one press to activate it,its olso as small as pannys small focus point,i would not have bought the camera if the focus point was not ajustable. its just not as intuitive to set as in pannys...i dont understand"lack of a separate autofocus button" the camera is highly customisable so any button you wish could be used,,and olympus own telezoom, the 75-300mm is sharper than pannys 100-300mm and just half a stop slower(not noticable in the real world).the fast lens you and i want will be the 40-150mm (80-300)f2.8 out end of 2014...overall the em5 has few if any real flaws...

welshdai said:

i have the em5 and can confirm that the smallest focus point is far smaller than shown in the above thumbnails,i have it set to the function 1 button and is just one press to activate it...i dont understand"lack of a separate autofocus button" the camera is highly customisable so any button you wish could be used...

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Hi, welshdai, I'd be grateful if you'd run through the procedure for setting-up these two functions as I couldn't seem to find them on the customising menus in the camera

EDIT: Just re-visited this now that I'm a bit more familiar with the camera, and the auto-focus button selection is best decided after reading page 93 of the instruction book (the AFL/AEL preference has to be set first, then applied to a function button in the custom menu - no wonder I couldn't find it in the 'button function' section before!).

I've set 'mode 3' in the 'S-AF + MF' mode and assigned it to 'function button 1' which allows the fore-finger to hover over the shutter button and the thumb to do the same for the AF button.

welshdai said:

i have the em5 and can confirm that the smallest focus point is far smaller than shown in the above thumbnails,i have it set to the function 1 button and is just one press to activate it,its olso as small as pannys small focus point,i would not have bought the camera if the focus point was not ajustable. its just not as intuitive to set as in pannys...i dont understand"lack of a separate autofocus button" the camera is highly customisable so any button you wish could be used,,and olympus own telezoom, the 75-300mm is sharper than pannys 100-300mm and just half a stop slower(not noticable in the real world).the fast lens you and i want will be the 40-150mm (80-300)f2.8 out end of 2014...overall the em5 has few if any real flaws...

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Which of the two m4/3 long zooms that is better seems to be a question of who you ask. I saw something recently by (from memory, so hope I am right) Lens-Rentals that had the pany as the sharper lens.

Niels

Hi Adey,bit busy at the moment but will post a "how to" within the next day or so.The em5 menu has many options and can be rather daunting but once you understand what is where its not so bad...

njlarsen said:

Which of the two m4/3 long zooms that is better seems to be a question of who you ask. I saw something recently by (from memory, so hope I am right) Lens-Rentals that had the pany as the sharper lens.

Niels

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Hi Niels,,the panny is slightly faster but the oly is considered slightly sharper at the long end.In the real world probably you would only notice if you pixel peep to the max.As for lens reviews (olso sensor reviews) i go to DXO mark,a comprehensive sensor/lens test site...

Compare these two links, and be sure to click resources on each of them to see their measurements. However, I am not a tech freak, so I do not know what the system really measures -- but I have read other more tech minded people say that DxO has a strange way of either testing or presenting their results.

http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/micro-four-thirds/lenses/telephoto/panasonic-100-300mm-f4-5.6-ois
http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/micro-four-thirds/lenses/telephoto/olympus-75-300mm-f4.8-6.7-ii

Niels

Its horses for courses,choose what suits you,interestingly,the panny produces sharper results on the omd than any panny model...Olso that guy on lens rentals does not say panny is sharper,(which it is'nt),but that its the best for micro 4/3's,firstly thats just his view,secondly that he probably bases it on price and the fact its a slightly faster lens..But that being said you would not be dissapointed with either lens...

welshdai said:

As for lens reviews (olso sensor reviews) i go to DXO mark,a comprehensive sensor/lens test site...

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DxO mark gives both lenses the same overall score, though it does suggest the Oly version II (note that the original version is clearly an inferior lens) is slightly sharper over a wider range of conditions, but has more distortion.

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Lenses/Compare-Camera-Lenses/Compare-lenses/%28lens1%29/1110/%28brand%29/Olympus/%28camera1%29/677/%28lens2%29/447/%28brand2%29/Panasonic/%28camera2%29/677

ePhotozine also has reviewed both lenses and gives the panny 4 stars vs. 3.5 for Olympus.

dont look at the overall score,look at the sharpness chart,especially the field map.this shows the sharpness.overall score is a balance of the whole package...

welshdai said:

Its horses for courses,choose what suits you,interestingly,the panny produces sharper results on the omd than any panny model...Olso that guy on lens rentals does not say panny is sharper,(which it is'nt),but that its the best for micro 4/3's,firstly thats just his view,secondly that he probably bases it on price and the fact its a slightly faster lens..But that being said you would not be dissapointed with either lens...

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I did try to direct you specifically to the page with the measurements ... However, that takes one more click than just reading his summary impression.

Niels

welshdai said:

Hi Adey,bit busy at the moment but will post a "how to" within the next day or so.The em5 menu has many options and can be rather daunting but once you understand what is where its not so bad...

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Hi welshdai, as you've probably gathered from my edit in post #9, I've found out how to get a function button to perform the auto-focus, but I haven't found out how to reduce the size of the auto-focus area yet. I'm going on holiday tomorrow, so I'll have chance to try out my revised settings during the next few days, but as I don't have any portable sort of computer/smartphone my 'instruction book' will remain at home on the desktop computer!

I really hope that Olympus decide to include a printed manual with cameras such as the newly-announced E-M1, which seems to have even more function buttons than the E-M5, as it's very frustrating not being able to look-up something in the book when one is out and about with the camera.

Adey Baker said:

I really hope that Olympus decide to include a printed manual with cameras such as the newly-announced E-M1, which seems to have even more function buttons than the E-M5, as it's very frustrating not being able to look-up something in the book when one is out and about with the camera.

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I wouldn't hold your breath for that to happen. If you have a smartphone or tablet, consider downloading the manual to your portable device.

Jim M. said:

I wouldn't hold your breath for that to happen. If you have a smartphone or tablet, consider downloading the manual to your portable device.

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It's bizarre, isn't it - I got a thick manual provided with the E-M5 which looks like the full job, but is actually just the 'quick' basic guide in about 27 different languages! And when I bought my camera I took advantage of the time-limited free offer of both a spare battery (which is more or less essential) and the 45mm F1.8 lens (which is one of their finest m4/3rds optics), so it's not as though they couldn't afford to throw in a printed manual if they wanted to :eek!: