• 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)

The Magnify function I was using with the EM-5 is not very good: at a minimum of 5X introduces too much vibration. The Digital TC, at 2X, is much better. The tests I did yesterday lead me to believe that it is even better when combining Digital TC with Peaking - that way, accurate focus is not dependent on my eyesight.

Regards
Jules
Hi Jules,

I tried the digital TC function the past weekend on my EM-5 and although it indeeds magnifies 2x the final effect as presented to user in the viewfinder is a degradation compared to not using the TC. Yes, the image is magnified but the quality is worse ("pixelized").

Also tried in combination with the Art 11 filter (as subsitute for real focus peaking) but the precision is not good enough to be used in our application area.

Lastly the only button that can be assigned is F1, which is kind of hard to access and operate while operating the shutter release button.

So back to where I started - using the F2 button for 5X, works great in combination with engaging IS.

But thanks for the hints anyway.

/Tord
 
The whole point of IS at half-press would be to help with focusing, but as you say, 2x is usually enough.
I think the IS system is simply not up to the demands placed on it by a 600mm lens. The "vibration" Olympus talks about on page 67 is for sure just the normal humming if the IS and not the strong shuddering I have experienced and as is visible in Tord's video. I have always felt that the key is getting the ISO up and thus the shutter speed, and as sensors progress, the need for IS will decrease.
The has been a LOT of discussion on the German Olympus thread about "shutter shock" and the E-M1 seems to be plagued with it quite badly. There are many factors involved in it, but i can't help but feel that one big factor is the nature of the E-M1's IBIS. The sensor is "suspended" in magnetic fields and it seems to me that would make it much more susceptible to vibration caused by the shutter than a fixed sensor.
The IS is a great help, but I have yet to see a picture with it that is a sharp as one without it, as long as the shutter speed is sufficient.

Off to the woods! Spring is here!!
Hi,

This is another update on the IS subject.

Updated the EM5 to FW 2.0 and went out on a photo session, weather was nice though a bit windy.
  1. Started with the TL APO 80mm F/6. Set FL to 500. Used with tripod, floating head, also beanbag as well as some shots handheld. IS worked as it should, no vibrations, stabilized image in EVF/LCD.
  2. Next some longe range pictures with the TS 102mm F/7. Set FL to 800. Used with tripod, floating head. Vibrations started to appeared, followed by IS disengaging. Adjusted FL to 600, which helped a bit but still vibrations and disengaging IS. Set FL to 500, still some vibrations, IS disengaging sometimes, sometimes not.
  3. Next the SW 80mm F/7.5 (600mm). Set FL to 600. Tripod, floating head. No signs of vibrations, IS working as it should for 2 hours.
Taking out battery, changing batteries did not help. Did not reset the camera between change of scope.

Could it be that the weight/inertia plays an important role in how the IS performs? The TS102 + adapter & CNC rings weighs more than 6 kg, the TL 80 and SW 80 around 2.5 kg.

I will probably stick to using the E5 with the TS102 moving forward.

/Tord
 
"Could it be that the weight/inertia plays an important role in how the IS performs?"
This is precicely what I have been saying all along!B :)
 
Hi Jules,

I tried the digital TC function the past weekend on my EM-5 and although it indeeds magnifies 2x the final effect as presented to user in the viewfinder is a degradation compared to not using the TC. Yes, the image is magnified but the quality is worse ("pixelized").

Also tried in combination with the Art 11 filter (as subsitute for real focus peaking) but the precision is not good enough to be used in our application area.

Lastly the only button that can be assigned is F1, which is kind of hard to access and operate while operating the shutter release button.

So back to where I started - using the F2 button for 5X, works great in combination with engaging IS.

But thanks for the hints anyway.

/Tord

Regarding the Digital TC, I'm not surprised you didn't like it because the EVF on the EM-5 is not as good as the one on the EM-1. The mock Peaking function is a pain... since you have to hold the Fn1 button. The buttons on the EM-1 behave differently: they toggle between ON and OFF so you don't have to hold them - big difference !
 
It works very well as long as there is good light and the background is not too busy. That makes it hard to see. It seems accurate.
I have Fn2 set to 5x, Movie set to peeking, and Fn 1 to 2x TC. Everything I could want right there under the fingers.
 
It works very well as long as there is good light and the background is not too busy. That makes it hard to see. It seems accurate.
I have Fn2 set to 5x, Movie set to peeking, and Fn 1 to 2x TC. Everything I could want right there under the fingers.

Since I often use Auto Focus with the 100-300mm lens, I use different settings for the buttons:
- Fn1 = MySet3

- Fn2 = AF Home (...)
- One Touch White Bal button (top front) = Digital Teleconverter

- Preview Button (Bottom Front) = Peaking

Fn1 instantly sets the camera for BIF with settings stored in MySet3:
- Mode: A
- f/8.0
- AF Mode = C-AF
- Metering: Spot
- S IS = OFF
- AF Area = 3X3
- Set Home: 3X3 Rec View = OFF

Fn2 = AF Home (...) is very important for Auto Focus to quickly bring back the focus box to center.
 
I haven't even begun to look into the whole MySet business. Since I have had such bad luck with AF with my 50-200, I haven't thought about setting it up for BIF. NO chance of that!
My setup is specifically for the scope and other MF lernses.
 
Digiscoping newbie question:

If the autofocus is in the camera body/house (and not in the objective ), is the image sensor moved back and forth trying to achieve focus ? If the scope is too much out of focus then the limitations of the movement of the image sensor may cause the image to not get into focus, it is not possible, what happens then...will the camera move the sensor back and forth while trying to focus, can it get into oscillations for a longer time then..until it finds focus ?

Anders
 
Digiscoping newbie question:

If the autofocus is in the camera body/house (and not in the objective ), is the image sensor moved back and forth trying to achieve focus ? If the scope is too much out of focus then the limitations of the movement of the image sensor may cause the image to not get into focus, it is not possible, what happens then...will the camera move the sensor back and forth while trying to focus, can it get into oscillations for a longer time then..until it finds focus ?

Anders
Hej Anders,

The image stabilizer has nothing to do with auto-focus. It only mitigates the effect of blur caused by shaking (hand shake, wind, vibrations...)

The sensor is mounted "floating", that is, suspended in a magnetic field. The magnetic field controls the angle and position of the sensor in relation to the focal plane.
  • Angle: Yaw, pitch and rotation around the optical axis
  • Position: Horizontal and vertical shift
Check out here: http://asia.olympus-imaging.com/products/dslr/em5/feature/04/
 
Tord,

That was impressive, suspended in magnetic field !!

The OM-D's IS system helps you to focus on a subject, and because it is activated at the moment when the shutter button is half-way pressed*3, you can determine the photo composition while viewing a stabilized image.

Is the 5-axis IS connected to focus (the sixth axis) function in any way ?

Anders
 
The IS is not connected to the AF in any way. If half-press is activated, the image becomes "stabilized" in the viewfinder and is easier to see, that's all. It has no effect on the AF but is very useful with manual focus.
 
EM-1 focus peaking?

@ Dan, Jules (and possibly others that have EM-1)

I am very pleased with my EM-5 however its EVF has its limitations when it comes to moving subjects. I refer to delay and also precise focusing at 5X is at high risk losing track of the subject).

Have you used the EM-1 focus peaking on birds in flight, and if so, how did it perform? If not, how would you assess its usefulness?
 
@ Dan, Jules (and possibly others that have EM-1)

I am very pleased with my EM-5 however its EVF has its limitations when it comes to moving subjects. I refer to delay and also precise focusing at 5X is at high risk losing track of the subject).

Have you used the EM-1 focus peaking on birds in flight, and if so, how did it perform? If not, how would you assess its usefulness?


The EVF on the EM-1 is a huge improvement over the one on the EM-5. Contrary to Dan, I'm satisfied with it. I have not observed any of the shortcomings he describes - If they are there, they don't bother me.

Peaking works well, much better than the mock version on the EM-5. It can be toggled ON/OFF with a button and it is still possible to see the image when it is ON. Still Winter here and I have not tried it with BIF.

Regards
Jules
 
I find tracking birds in flight with the EVF much harder than with an OVF. It flickers, the bird gets lost on the background, or go completely black against the sky. Forget about trying to focus while tracking. I am afraid that for me it is a benefit for stationary subjects only. BIF is not what our scopes and the OM-Ds are made for.
I agree that the E-M1 EVF is a big improvement over the E-M5, but it is far from where it could/should be. It might get there, but it will take some time.
 
Forget about trying to focus while tracking. I am afraid that for me it is a benefit for stationary subjects only. BIF is not what our scopes and the OM-Ds are made for.
I agree generally speaking, but if conditions are right, with good planning and anticipation of the action you can take advantage of the EVF.

The pictures in post 1208 in this thread http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=194789&page=49 are taken while magnifying 5X in the EM-5 EVF. On that particular session I had above 20% keeper rate, but I must confess the wind conditions where favorable.

However in general a bright OVF is easier to use to assess focus is OK. To achieve perfect focus with a single frame is a game. Shooting sequences while re-focusing is probably preferrable for BIF. 10% keeper rate should be feasible if you are prepared and have experience of your setup and the "feeling" left by a correctly focused composition.
 
I tried BIF a few times without any success except once, when photographing Snow Geese. They were all flying along the same path 75-100 m. away, flock after flock, so I was able to pre-focus. I ended up with a large percentage of keepers. Here is one of them, which I have posted before.

All other tries were desasters and I have great respect for those, like you Tord, who can do it. I also tried hand holding and didn't get to fire a single shot.
 

Attachments

  • 001-131005aa288kf.jpg
    001-131005aa288kf.jpg
    154.6 KB · Views: 122
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.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top