csak egy 1cm-es fejlécet gondoltam postolni de ez a sunyi index blogmtor nem tudja a mértéket. Egyébként maguk a képek annyira nem jöttek be, az eredeti 50-es zuiko makróit sokkal jobban szerettem.
Update (11 March 2012): For the first time in history my blog is experiencing problems loading the photographs, as reported by some readers from the US. I usually host my images on Google's Picasa Web Online, which I would not expect to have issues handling massive bandwidth. Nonetheless, I have re-hosted the images on Imageshack. Hope that solves the problem for the time being. If you have difficulties loading the images do let me know. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Update (9 March 2012): Olympus Malaysia has unveiled their official pricing for the OM-D E-M5 and they are starting to take local pre-order (9 to 31 March 2012). There are promotions with FREE gifts too, choice of MMF-3 adapter or 32Gb Sandisk card. Do check out their official promotional page here (Click).
Important Notes:
1. This is a user experience based review.
2. All images were shot in RAW and converted directly to JPEG Large SF (super fine) via Olympus Viewer 2 version 1.3 (provided by Olympus Malaysia).
3. General camera settings, Noise Filter = OFF, Contrast/Saturation/sharpness = 0, White Balance = Auto (with an option maintain warm color = OFF), Gradation = Normal
4. No post-processing applied to the images. All images were as good as straight out of camera, with minimal cropping for better presentation.
This entry is the Part 3 installment of my Olympus OM-D E-M5 review series, if you have not read the previous entries; please go to Part 1 (here) and Part 2 (here). In the previous entries, I have discussed about Dynamic Range, Resolution/Sharpness and also High ISO shooting of the E-M5.
In this Part 3, I have brought the Olympus E-M5 to the Butterfly Park, KL and did some serious macro shooting there. You can see me in action with the following video:
Check out me shooting macro in Butterfly Park with Olympus OM-D E-M5. Also the video was fully recorded by another E-M5 unit by Sanjit, hand-held at all times. For the video recording, the 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 lens was used. Thanks Sanjit, you rock !!
I personally love macro photography, because it gives you a glimpse preview into the tiny world of insects and nature, which normally our naked eye cannot see.
The reason why I chose macro photography to test the E-M5 is because shooting macro is very challenging for any cameras. For extreme magnification (1:1x) the camera has to handle manual focusing well, as even if the autofocus was fast, you will not get in focus image with extremely shallow depth of field issues, due to the slightest movement. Lighting control is another problem, as most of the chosen macro subjects (insects, spiders, etc) do not pose nicely for the camera, and they are usually found hiding underneath a leaf, or inside a narrow opening of bushes. Ambient light is very limited in shades where we find most of the macro subjects and flash photography comes in play to fill in the much needed boost of light. Tripod was not allowed into the Butterfly Park, hence I had to shoot hand-held all the way.
Here I shall explore the strengths of using Olympus E-M5 and how it has helped me in shooting macro in the butterfly park:
1) New 5-Axis Image Stabilization system
2) Built in Electronic View-Finder for manual focusing
Before we go on further, allow me to explain the techniques on how I shot some of the extreme magnification images. For general shooting where extreme magnification is not required, I used standard AutoFocus to lock my subjects. Do bear in mind that the following technique is only employed for high magnification images such as full 0.5x magnification on the Olympus 50mm F2 macro lens.
Gear Setup
Body: Olympus OM-D E-M5, with the bundled flash attached, and switched ON all the time
Lens: Olympus Zuiko 50mm F2 macro, attached to body via the new MMF-3 (4/3 lens to micro 4/3 body adapter)
Flash: Olympus FL-36R flash (unfortunately the FL-600R flash is not ready for review at the moment)
The reason why I chose the Olympus 4/3 lens 50mm F2 is mainly due to its amazing sharpness, even when used for challenging macro shooting. We all know how slow this lens is when it comes to AF, hence I have shot mostly with manual focus instead. This is also the perfect opportunity to test how good the E-M5 is when it comes to manual focusing.
If you have watched the above video of me shooting macro in action, you would have known how I executed most of my macro shots in this entry. Nonetheless, the detailed description is as follows:
1) Olympus E-M5 with 50mm macro lens was held single-handedly by my right hand
2) External flash, FL-36R was held by my left hand, with wireless TTL mode activated and ready to fire. I have al-cheapo omnibounce flash diffuser cap on the flash head all the time. The flash was aimed at the subject mostly from the side, slightly above their head level.
3) General camera settings: Shutter Speed from 1/60sec to 1/125 sec (to capture a little bit of ambient light, if possible for a more natural look), Aperture from F8-F/16 (to control and maximize depth of field required), ISO200.
4) Manual Focus, with the lens set to the amount of magnification required, mostly full 0.5x magnification. I rocked myself back and forth until the zone of focus-interest was seen clear/sharp on my viewfinder, and I fired the shutter button.
The best thing that has ever happened to this camera, when it comes to macro shooting experience, would have been the live, real time preview of the Image Stabilization while shooting was in action. For the first time in camera history, the effect of the in body-based Image stabilization can be seen through the viewfinder or the camera live view screen. This has improved my comfort of shooting by a great deal. For those shooting with 50mm F2 macro lens at full magnification (0.5x, but 1x on 35mm equivalent) you would know how shaky the view through the viewfinder or live view would be in older Olympus bodies where the effect of the IS cannot be seen while shooting. I am very impressed, and certainly the effect of the IS has helped me to be more assured when I shoot in manual focus and also composition in general. The “smooth and steady” view while shooting at high magnification (and I suspect this would help greatly for tele-photo lens as well) is a huge plus in comparison to older Olympus camera’s “jumpy and shaky” view. Being comfortable while composing through the Electronic Viewfinder also means having more motivation to shoot more and more !!
I also find the IS to be very effective, and I did not encounter any shots which were blur due to hand-shake. The slowest shutter speed I have dragged was 1/60 sec, but if you have been shooting at very high magnification factor, and using only one hand to hold the camera and the lens (that 50mm F2 lens is not exactly so light), then add to that an awkward standing position that may even be challenging for most Yoga masters while you shoot, I must say that getting away with almost all sharp images show that the IS was doing its job. The reason why I used 1/60 sec (or slightly faster) was to gather as much ambient light to maintain the background color, instead of washing them out into the sea of blackness. Although I use flash prominently throughout my macro shooting, I still emphasize on the “natural” look and feel of the photograph, and being outdoor during the day time, it is important to have a natural looking background with tones of pleasing green.
The Electronic Viewfinder was very bright, and has more than enough resolution which helps a lot in my composition. I prefer to shoot through a viewfinder than using the camera backscreen (live view). When steadying the camera is the priority, placing the camera near to your face is the simplest and easiest technique to stabilize your shots physically, and shooting through the viewfinder surely helped a lot in this regard. I also found that the improved refresh rate (120Hz vs older VF2’s 60Hz) has produced very smooth movements as seen through the viewfinder. I also like that the Electronic Viewfinder is as large as the E-5 and has 100% coverage (with 1.2x default magnification), which was crucial for my composition as I do minimal cropping in my post-processing.
I have no problem at all confirming my manual focus through the Electronic Viewfinder. I have very high hit-rates, and the misses, not many, were mainly my own fault. However, I still think that an optical viewfinder is better for extreme macro shooting, mainly due to the fact that what you see is exactly what you get through the optical viewfinder. Nothing beats that experience of “real view”, at least for now. Nonetheless, having a built in Electronic Viewfinder adds a lot more function-ability and makes a huge world of difference to the camera as it surely improves the shooting experience of the photographer when he does macro a lot.
I also understand how some people have wished they have focus-peaking (as introduced by Sony) in Olympus cameras. I have tried the focus peaking, and to be honest I was not too impressed by it so far (perhaps it could be improved further). For general manual focusing, it works, but for macro photography where high magnification is prioritized, the focus peaking does not really deliver. Those who shoot REAL extreme in manual focusing, such as full magnification in macro, would know that the focus peaking is actually useless, and will NOT work accurately at all. You still need to trust your eye to confirm the focus, and having a bright, clear, real-life viewfinder is unbeatable in this regard. If you have shot extreme macro, you will surely relate to this.
Olympus E-M5 body by itself is actually very small and light, and is not very well balanced when coupled with the 50mm F2 lens mounted via the MMF-3 adapter. The feeling is awkward and it actually felt like the lens was dragging the camera down all the time. However, this problem was instantaneously solved when I attach the landscape grip of the HLD-6. The overall handing with the extra beefed up hand grip was very good, and I immediately felt the comfort of shooting especially with the larger grip from a DSLR, which is actually a good thing for single handed shooting. The extra portrait portion of the HLD-6 grip would have been too huge to be used with one hand; hence I stayed with just the horizontal grip.
For some unexplained reason the current trend is begging for smaller and lighter cameras, which is not necessarily a good thing. Yes, we want a camera that can be easily stored in a carry bag, or even fit into a jean’s pockets, but there is a trade-off between size and usability. I honestly think that the E-PM1 and E-PL3 are too small for serious shooting. E-P3 was alright, but I have also mentioned that a beefier grip would have improved the shooting comfort by far. Therefore, the added battery grip HLD-6 is a smart move by Olympus to please the two very different crowds. Those who want it small and light, can stick to the original camera body only without any add-ons, and the E-M5 is only slightly larger than E-P3, which is considered very small by today’s camera standards. Alternatively, for those who treasure solid handling and comfort for shooting in challenging situations when steady grip is needed, then the HLD-6 will fulfill such needs.
The camera feels very solid in hand. Even with the landscape grip attached, the whole combination felt like a single unit with no creaking or loose part feeling. The Olympus E-M5 is probably the tankiest camera body in mirrorless (compact camera system) world at this moment. I do feel that some of the buttons were too small, and preferred them to be larger, but this just needs some getting used to. Apart from that, I like the rubbery, springy feel of the buttons (much similar to E-5) where you need to press harder to use the buttons, due to the possibly rubber padding used underneath the buttons for weather-sealing purposes. This may cause some discomfort for first time users, which should not be an issue after getting used to it.
From the images captured in this macro shooting session, I observed that the colour output is much more similar to the E-5. We all know that E-P3 has different color rendering which may appear very vivid and rather punchy. The color from E-M5 is very neutral, less saturated, and it seemed as if it is trying to imitate as close to real life colors as possible. I am not sure how accurate the colors are, but I am very pleased with it. The signature Olympus color is still well maintained, despite the slight variations over the past few camera body models.
As I have mentioned in Part 1, the dynamic range of the image has significant improvement, and this is evidently seen in my macro shooting. Though I use the external flash, I rarely find any highlight blown outs, and the flash output has blended very well with the ambient light. The overall image is very balanced. This is very important to me, as I am trying to shoot the macro subjects as naturally as they are, by gathering in as much ambient light as possible to prevent the background to be lost into ugly patches of black. The flash is important to evoke the 3-dimensional depth to the subject, as most of the light from the flash was directional, and positioned from the side. Most people may have neglected the importance of shooting with wireless flash, but having it as a built in feature inside the camera sure comes in very handy, as I have demonstrated in this macro shooting session. Taking the flash off the camera can open up a world of possibilities.
I think by now everyone should have no question when it comes to sharpness of Olympus produced images, with the condition that the right lens was used together with the camera. Huge amount of details were able to be captured by the 16MP sensor and the fine details as revealed in the 100% crops are simply amazing.
I strongly believe that the Olympus OM-D E-M5 fares very well as a macro shooting machine. Having effective in body new 5-Axis Image Stabilization with its effect able to be seen while shooting, comfortable and functional Electronic Viewfinder, very good handling especially with the add-on battery grip HLD-6 and with advanced features such as built in wireless TTL flash control and much improved image quality, the Olympus E-M5 really is well suited for macro photography.
For your further scrutiny of the fine details in the macro shots, I have inserted full size images (straight out of the camera RAW converted directly to JPEG via Olympus Viewer 2), the download link is as follows:
The only thing lacking from Olympus is a dedicated M.Zuiko macro lens. Give us that 60mm F2.8 macro already !!
Coming up in my final part of this Olympus OM-D E-M5 review series, I shall be discussing about how the E-M5 performs as a street photography machine.
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to say something in the comment section on this blog entry, or email me directly at hamish7ian@gmail.com
a katonaság népség fanyalog a fujura a m43 pletykalapon. A képminőség csúcs, de a felépítése és a fókusz sebessége nem teccik az úri közönségnek. Meg kellene már fogdosni irl is..
