OLYMPUS - testing micro thirds in the Lake District
04th July 2018
I was recently invited by Olympus and Wilkinson's Cameras to join them alongside a landscape workshop run by Steve Gosling in the Lake District....to test out their new micro thirds OM-D E-M5 Mark II.
despite the rain we were able to run through a lot of its functionality, very impressed.
[nb The 72 res image posted is just a jpeg test and is a crop of that]
A total treat. The camera is akin to how a yorkie terrier is really a lion in disguise.
Immediately exciting points:
- 50 megapixel possible on non-moving subjects. (20 megapixels normally)
- Focus stacking
- LIVE BULB: Watch the image develop on the screen before you with histogram moving along so you can see the microsecond when to cut the exposure. SLO-MO without risk!
- FOCUS POINTS: 121
- SHUTTER: 1/8000 to 60 secs (instead of the more usual 30secs.)
- can extend to 60 FRAMES PER SECOND in electronic.
- IMAGE STABILISATION: on longer focal lengths is very good...
handheld at 200mm improves by 4-5 stops
handheld at 300mm improves at 5-6 stops.
All kicked off with a 'super control panel' on the screen, which once you've worked through it a first time dispels fears of complicated interface. The additional functionality for customisation is really good and would save you a great deal in having to work through those settings anyway .
Nice weight and size too for those longer hikes carrying kit.
All I can think of for any improvement is to extend the 50mp option so that it could enable Night sky shots at that res to not exceed the 30secs and so avoid any star trailing.
(It works by taking 8 shots at 8sec intervals =64 seconds. If they could reduce the interval to say 4 seconds you might just get away with it).
So thank you to Olympus for the opportunity, a cracking piece of equipment, lots of clever innovation and a great step forward for the mirrorless future.
despite the rain we were able to run through a lot of its functionality, very impressed.
[nb The 72 res image posted is just a jpeg test and is a crop of that]
A total treat. The camera is akin to how a yorkie terrier is really a lion in disguise.
Immediately exciting points:
- 50 megapixel possible on non-moving subjects. (20 megapixels normally)
- Focus stacking
- LIVE BULB: Watch the image develop on the screen before you with histogram moving along so you can see the microsecond when to cut the exposure. SLO-MO without risk!
- FOCUS POINTS: 121
- SHUTTER: 1/8000 to 60 secs (instead of the more usual 30secs.)
- can extend to 60 FRAMES PER SECOND in electronic.
- IMAGE STABILISATION: on longer focal lengths is very good...
handheld at 200mm improves by 4-5 stops
handheld at 300mm improves at 5-6 stops.
All kicked off with a 'super control panel' on the screen, which once you've worked through it a first time dispels fears of complicated interface. The additional functionality for customisation is really good and would save you a great deal in having to work through those settings anyway .
Nice weight and size too for those longer hikes carrying kit.
All I can think of for any improvement is to extend the 50mp option so that it could enable Night sky shots at that res to not exceed the 30secs and so avoid any star trailing.
(It works by taking 8 shots at 8sec intervals =64 seconds. If they could reduce the interval to say 4 seconds you might just get away with it).
So thank you to Olympus for the opportunity, a cracking piece of equipment, lots of clever innovation and a great step forward for the mirrorless future.