Upgrading from Bridge Camera to M43 (6 Viewers)

[C B Allen]

Just came upon this thread. While I now use an OM-1, I previously had an EM-1 Mk2 & Mk3 used with both the 300mm f4 PRO and (for a while) the Oly 100-400 and regularly took them out in the rain without worrying about (or having) any problems. Last year we spent 3 weeks in Costa Rica including a few days in cloud forest with several hours of light/medium/heavy rain (albeit with the OM-1) and again no problems. Just my experience of course but reassured me that there is some truth in the claims of good weatherproofing.

I don't know where you are in terms of post processing software but most products allow a free trial period so worth trying some out and seeing which (if any) you feel most comfortable with. Most products seem to work remarkably well these days and are particularly useful for allowing you to use much higher ISO settings than used to be the case - which is particularly handy for bird photography when you want to try to keep shutter speeds on the fast side.

For fun I downloaded your Black Phoebe & ran it through DxO Photolab 5 and ON1 (the 2 products I currently use). Results below - DxO followed by ON1. Not sure how much compression there is loading to Bird Forum!

Chris

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

Just came upon this thread. While I now use an OM-1, I previously had an EM-1 Mk2 & Mk3 used with both the 300mm f4 PRO and (for a while) the Oly 100-400 and regularly took them out in the rain without worrying about (or having) any problems. Last year we spent 3 weeks in Costa Rica including a few days in cloud forest with several hours of light/medium/heavy rain (albeit with the OM-1) and again no problems. Just my experience of course but reassured me that there is some truth in the claims of good weatherproofing.

I don't know where you are in terms of post processing software but most products allow a free trial period so worth trying some out and seeing which (if any) you feel most comfortable with. Most products seem to work remarkably well these days and are particularly useful for allowing you to use much higher ISO settings than used to be the case - which is particularly handy for bird photography when you want to try to keep shutter speeds on the fast side.

For fun I downloaded your Black Phoebe & ran it through DxO Photolab 5 and ON1 (the 2 products I currently use). Results below - DxO followed by ON1. Not sure how much compression there is loading to Bird Forum!

Chris

CB, thanks for the info and the image processing. Both images look great. It's good to know that there are options out there. When the time comes, I'll head into bad weather with more confidence.

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

Time for an update.

There are a couple of things I miss about the bridge camera. First, the weight, or lack thereof. My bridge camera weighed 1 lb., while my micro 4/3 setup weighs almost 4 lbs. I have gotten used to the extra weight, but if I ever go back to a bridge camera, I'll be so glad for the weight. Also, I really dislike changing lenses. The fear of dropping a lens, or getting dust in my camera basically means my 100-400 mm lens is on 99% of the time. I've started taking landscape photos at 100 mm just to avoid changing lenses. It was nice to have all those capabilities in one lens on the bridge.

I have also gotten better at processing images, and I am not afraid of indirect lighting and overcast days. I would have never attempted this backlit image of an egret with my bridge camera; I would have just walked around to its lit side. The question begs to be asked: would I have gotten similar results with my bridge camera? Perhaps it was my lack of experience instead of the bridge camera's capabilities, but having a camera with a larger sensor made me think I could pull off a shot like this.

This shot of the golden-crowned sparrow I took on a completely overcast day at ISO5000, which allowed me to use 1/800 shutter speed. That is 3-2/3 stops over ISO400, which means I would have used 1/50 on my bridge camera, with a higher likelihood for motion blur.

I think this shot with the battling raptors would not have been possible using my old bridge camera. The sun was about to set, and the combatants were far away. The image was taken at ISO6400, and the extra megapixels (20 vs. 12) allowed me to crop heavily. The autofocus was able to pick out the birds from the background (thanks to the white kite, I bet), which probably would have been missed by my bridge camera.

This image shows the limits of my M43 camera. It was a rainy day, At ISO6400, I could use 1/640 shutter speed, not quite enough to freeze the water or the cormorant. I had such a nice view of the takeoff, and the bird gave me ample warning it was about to take flight. I captured the entire takeoff and this was the only sharp shot, which is actually soft.

It made me ask, what could I have done better? Prop myself against a tree? Use a faster shutter and underexpose? One change I made after this was to go from Auto-IS to panning mode (vertical axis IS only). It is too early to tell if this is an improvement, but I am certainly not getting worse results. One thing about my Olympus E-M1 mark II is that it is a professional grade camera, and there are 4x more settings compared to my bridge camera. I am still learning how to get the best results.

 

[njlarsen]

Great post! Regarding the last image, this is one where the OM1 or the G9-ii might have been better at focusing on the bird. With those newer cameras I would likely allow an even higher ISO because of the newer sensor.
At least if I had one of those cameras
Niels

 

[Missy_MT_AK]

View attachment 1537435

Today I tested the weather proofing of my camera and lens. It was a light drizzle when I set out, but it became light rain. I called my sister, who is a pro photographer. I told her I was walking in the rain with my camera, and she warned me not to push my luck. Even though my E-M1 ii and Zuiko 100-400 are weather sealed, unnecessary exposure to rain seems like asking for trouble. For the rest of the walk, I shielded my camera as best I could.

The camera/lens performed as usual and don't seem to show any ill effects. I managed to snap this shot of a mallard with raindrops beading on its back. I can see the appeal of inclement weather photography, because you are treated to opportunities unique to these conditions. I was hoping to see a frog or snake in the water, but not this time. I shot this photo at 1/40, which does not yield many keepers. Next time I will probably shield my camera with a poncho until it is time to take a photo. It seems more prudent this way. Needless to say, I would never have tried this with my unsealed bridge camera.

I am still having fun with my used bridge camera that I bought for $200. I like it because if it gets wet and ruined, not that big of a deal.
Because it is relatively inexpensive, it is with me on my hikes, canoe trips. cross-country skiing, etc. Eventually I will upgrade as you did,
but for now I'm still learning and having fun.

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

I am still having fun with my used bridge camera that I bought for $200. I like it because if it gets wet and ruined, not that big of a deal.
Because it is relatively inexpensive, it is with me on my hikes, canoe trips. cross-country skiing, etc. Eventually I will upgrade as you did,
but for now I'm still learning and having fun.
View attachment 1572293

That is great! The main thing is to keep shooting photos 😊

 

[Missy_MT_AK]

Time for an update.

There are a couple of things I miss about the bridge camera. First, the weight, or lack thereof. My bridge camera weighed 1 lb., while my micro 4/3 setup weighs almost 4 lbs. I have gotten used to the extra weight, but if I ever go back to a bridge camera, I'll be so glad for the weight. Also, I really dislike changing lenses. The fear of dropping a lens, or getting dust in my camera basically means my 100-400 mm lens is on 99% of the time. I've started taking landscape photos at 100 mm just to avoid changing lenses. It was nice to have all those capabilities in one lens on the bridge.

I have also gotten better at processing images, and I am not afraid of indirect lighting and overcast days. I would have never attempted this backlit image of an egret with my bridge camera; I would have just walked around to its lit side. The question begs to be asked: would I have gotten similar results with my bridge camera? Perhaps it was my lack of experience instead of the bridge camera's capabilities, but having a camera with a larger sensor made me think I could pull off a shot like this.

This shot of the golden-crowned sparrow I took on a completely overcast day at ISO5000, which allowed me to use 1/800 shutter speed. That is 3-2/3 stops over ISO400, which means I would have used 1/50 on my bridge camera, with a higher likelihood for motion blur.

I think this shot with the battling raptors would not have been possible using my old bridge camera. The sun was about to set, and the combatants were far away. The image was taken at ISO6400, and the extra megapixels (20 vs. 12) allowed me to crop heavily. The autofocus was able to pick out the birds from the background (thanks to the white kite, I bet), which probably would have been missed by my bridge camera.

This image shows the limits of my M43 camera. It was a rainy day, At ISO6400, I could use 1/640 shutter speed, not quite enough to freeze the water or the cormorant. I had such a nice view of the takeoff, and the bird gave me ample warning it was about to take flight. I captured the entire takeoff and this was the only sharp shot, which is actually soft.

It made me ask, what could I have done better? Prop myself against a tree? Use a faster shutter and underexpose? One change I made after this was to go from Auto-IS to panning mode (vertical axis IS only). It is too early to tell if this is an improvement, but I am certainly not getting worse results. One thing about my Olympus E-M1 mark II is that it is a professional grade camera, and there are 4x more settings compared to my bridge camera. I am still learning how to get the best results.

I'm still having fun learning from my mistakes with my used bridge camera.
This was from this morning's hike...forgot to up the shutter speed before the Canvasbacks took off.

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

Since I have moved up to my E-M1 Mark ii and the M.Zuiko 100-400 f5.6-6.3, I have used this setup several times a week. The only way to get better is to keep taking photos. Since my switch to M43, I have photographed a number of species in a variety of conditions, and posted a new daily photo to my Instagram account for 173 days and counting. Overall, I am happy with my progress and how my rig is performing.

Social media is a humbling place. There are many people in the same genre, and the best work in the world is being showcased. It is natural to wonder, what are these people doing to get these results? Would a larger sensor, more megapixels, or longer lens close the gap? Have I already outgrown my camera?

No. Gear is but one dimension to the art of photography. I’m sure a nicer lens or body would yield better results, but not to the extent that I would hope for. Technical excellence is good, but it does not compensate for composition, lighting, color, timing, storytelling, or creativity. Since we are photographing birds, understanding behavior, choosing the right location, and getting close to the subject pose extra challenges. I have just scratched the surface of what makes a good bird photograph, and there is much more to learn.

Could I have gotten more out of my bridge camera? In retrospect, yes. But, it is now helping a young person enjoy photography, and I do enjoy the better controls, autofocus, and image quality of my professional grade M34 camera. It is now up to me to develop my skills and get the most out of this equipment. Thomas Stirr’s Small Sensor Photography blog is a source of inspiration. He uses similar equipment as I do, and gets awesome results. Until I can consistently make images up to his standards, there really is no need for a better camera, just a better photographer.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

Until I can consistently make images up to his standards, there really is no need for a better camera, just a better photographer.

'Seems very sensible and honest to take responsibility as opposed to blaming the camera. That old saying that you (general you) can't solve a problem if you don't know the problem, applies to camera use.

What I would add to your post, MM, is that the more time you spend around birds the better your judgement becomes. You get a sense of what they're going to do, where they're going to go and when is the right time to stay motionless and when is the right time to inch forward. It really helps to know good places for birds and the best times of the day for them also. Social media sites are good that sort of thing as well as doing your own walking and taking notice.

It's not easy and it's all very time consuming. When you consider searching out good places, being out taking pictures, improving editing skills and then editing the pictures; that's a 24 hour day job. Maybe there's an element of realism needed in terms of what is realistically possible, particularly when working full time.

Another factor is what you're (general you're) like as a person. I'm not a perfectionist and I'm not competitive with other people: good is good enough for me; that's what I aim for and it's not really in my nature to strive for anything better than that. That's another consideration: anyone striving for excellence, particularly when starting more or less from scratch, is probably setting themselves up for failure and that's going to take away from the enjoyment of being out in nature and watching the birds and other animals.

 

[Missy_MT_AK]

Since I have moved up to my E-M1 Mark ii and the M.Zuiko 100-400 f5.6-6.3, I have used this setup several times a week. The only way to get better is to keep taking photos. Since my switch to M43, I have photographed a number of species in a variety of conditions, and posted a new daily photo to my Instagram account for 173 days and counting. Overall, I am happy with my progress and how my rig is performing.

Social media is a humbling place. There are many people in the same genre, and the best work in the world is being showcased. It is natural to wonder, what are these people doing to get these results? Would a larger sensor, more megapixels, or longer lens close the gap? Have I already outgrown my camera?

No. Gear is but one dimension to the art of photography. I’m sure a nicer lens or body would yield better results, but not to the extent that I would hope for. Technical excellence is good, but it does not compensate for composition, lighting, color, timing, storytelling, or creativity. Since we are photographing birds, understanding behavior, choosing the right location, and getting close to the subject pose extra challenges. I have just scratched the surface of what makes a good bird photograph, and there is much more to learn.

Could I have gotten more out of my bridge camera? In retrospect, yes. But, it is now helping a young person enjoy photography, and I do enjoy the better controls, autofocus, and image quality of my professional grade M34 camera. It is now up to me to develop my skills and get the most out of this equipment. Thomas Stirr’s Small Sensor Photography blog is a source of inspiration. He uses similar equipment as I do, and gets awesome results. Until I can consistently make images up to his standards, there really is no need for a better camera, just a better photographer.

Excellent post! As a newbie, I think opportunity, skill, and equipment as a triangle. Living 5-minutes from a National Wildlife Refuge here in Montana, I have plenty of opportunity. But as a newbie, skill is my "weak link" so learning from my mistakes with a used bridge camera. The nice thing about the bridge camera is that it is very portable and I take it mountain biking, canoeing, hiking, cross country skiing, etc. I will upgrade because I take wildlife photos at least 5 mornings a week and it is so much fun. This cinnamon teal was take with my old used bridge camera:


As far as a newbie learning, I've learned the most from Tin Man Lee who has won many awards and is so inspiring:

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

I finally found a use for the Olympus Pro Capture feature. There is a Vaux's swift living inside a chimney in my neighborhood (it took me 5 days to realize this). After a sortie to catch insects, it would dive inside to feed its hungry chicks, emerging moments later to repeat the cycle. This was taken by aiming at the chimney, half pressing the shutter to start buffering images, and pressing the shutter once I saw the swift. As long as my reaction time was within one second, I would capture the swift entering or exiting the chimney. This shot would have been extremely difficult without the Pro Capture feature. I only wish I could have gotten closer to get a better quality shot, but it's not my house.

This little swift is an amazing animal. Each high speed dive into the chimney is breathtaking; I have no idea how it decelerates quickly enough to land inside.

 

[BogBean]

I experimented with pro capture at the weekend, for just general birds in flight shots. The number of shots in focus went up thru the roof. Some bursts, they were pretty much all consistently in focus.
Albeit, much slower and predictably straight flying birds like gulls and terns as opposed to a Swift!

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

I experimented with pro capture at the weekend, for just general birds in flight shots. The number of shots in focus went up thru the roof. Some bursts, they were pretty much all consistently in focus.
Albeit, much slower and predictably straight flying birds like gulls and terns as opposed to a Swift!

View attachment 1588631

Yeah I think pro cap is great if you can reliably predict where the bird is going, like to a favorite perch or nest.

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

More Pro Cap fun:





I find myself using Pro Capture H, which does not continuously autofocus, but captures at a faster frame rate. It is 3.3x faster than Pro Capture L, so I am able to dissect a wing beat into more intervals. I don't get great photos every time, but this tool allows me to capture action that I would otherwise miss. There is a learning curve for how to best apply this tool; I am just getting started.

It's funny that it took me almost a year to starting using this feature, as if my mind was closed to it until now. Perhaps more fundamental building blocks needed to fall in place before I can get useful results from Pro Cap.

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

14 images taken with Olympus E-M1 mkII, Pro Capture H. I also learned to process this batch of photos using the same settings in my editing software, which will come in handy later.

Not all photos with Pro Capture turn out nicely, but it is something I am using more often. It is now one of my custom presets.

 

[njlarsen]

Nicely done!
There are claims that the percentage of shots in a series like this that will be perfectly focused increases with some of the latest models.
Niels

 

[lmans66]

I think the images shared look great.... the question is, what do you want to do with the images? If you are content in just having them for yourself and use as ID or hang on the wall or whatever, do you need perfect images?

Have you looked at the new Olympus lens and the results of that?

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

Nicely done!
There are claims that the percentage of shots in a series like this that will be perfectly focused increases with some of the latest models.
Niels

Pro capture H (high) only focuses once at the start. Once the bird flies out of the depth of field, that's it. I shot these at f/10. I'm not sure how newer models would improve on this, except for a faster low (C-AF) mode, which I'm sure they do.

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

I think the images shared look great.... the question is, what do you want to do with the images? If you are content in just having them for yourself and use as ID or hang on the wall or whatever, do you need perfect images?

Have you looked at the new Olympus lens and the results of that?

I think the overall impact of a photo is more important than technical perfection. I ultimately want to monetize my work, but I realize I am still learning.

I am not going to upgrade for a while, just keep working on my skills and artistry with what I have.

 

[njlarsen]

Pro capture H (high) only focuses once at the start. Once the bird flies out of the depth of field, that's it. I shot these at f/10. I'm not sure how newer models would improve on this, except for a faster low (C-AF) mode, which I'm sure they do.

Maybe I have misunderstood. I thought the newest model allowed combination with C-AF or tracking.
Niels