Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 Mini Review

 

My iPad is back, hurrah, now I can use the brilliant Blogsy app and post more frequently. It's a silver iPad Air with the handsome looking iOS 7 (although some apps still look old fashioned, and uses the old keyboard, hmm, like Blogsy for example).

 

Today I will show you a few of my favorite pictures taken with the Olympus 45 1.8, one of the best lenses you could ever get for your MFT camera. Hit the jump for the full post.

David & Goliath

 

When I first bought into the MFT system, I bought two primes, the Panaleica 25 1.4 as my all-round 50mm equivalent lens, and the Olympus 45 1.8 as my portrait lens, and to have some background blur when needed. I love longer lenses because of the compression they do, add a fast aperture for some background blur and you get some nice portraits. The lens cost me $399 new, while the famous 75 1.8 cost $900. I decided to get the cheaper one.

 

From left: 12-50, 40-150, 25 1.4, 45 1.8

 

P.S. Excuse the mediocre quality of the product shots, I took them a very long time ago and I am too lazy to go take better ones. Here's one last product picture.

Compared to the RX100

 

As you can see, the lens is extremely tiny, one of the many reasons I like it. It has a 37mm filter thread, that's the same size as a large coin. It is made of high quality plastic, and has a metal mount, it feels solid enough. The focusing of this lens is blistering quick, it never hesitates or hunts, ever.

 

Now let us talk about images, the lens is very sharp wide open with almost no chromatic aberrations except in the most extreme situations. It doesn't ship with a lens hood, and it can lose some contrast when shooting directly into the sun, but what lens doesn't. The most impressive factor about this lens is it's background rendition, it has some of the nicest background blurs I've ever seen, in any situation. It reminds me of my Canon 100L f/2.8 Macro, just smooth pleasing backgrounds.

 

Wide open, background was less than one meter behind the subject

 

I don't know what to say else about the lens other than that it is an exceptional lens, sold for an exceptional price, and it is a must for any MFT user shooting such a focal length.

 

Now I will leave you with some images, I apologize for the lack of different subjects, but 80% of the images shot with this lens are of my family, and most of them are personal and can't be posted here. I hope these will do.

 

Street portrait, f1.8, 1/15 sec, ISO 5000, hand held

 

Drinking juice, wide open

 

Cold, wide open

 

Party, wide open, bounce flash

 

Polish plant, wide open

 

Cinematic, wide open

 

Swing, wide open

 

Wondering look

 

Nail polish

 

Fountain portrait

 

Trip computer

 

I hope you enjoyed the images, and I hope I will be posting more, now that I have an iPad once more.

 

Posted with Blogsy

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2013: The Camera Year

Blockbuster

This year has witnessed an incredible range of very interesting camera releases (can you guess how many?), there are a lot of tidal shifts in the market, players that are becoming stronger, and others that are referred to as stagnant and old fashioned. I am not attempting to analyze the market and company strategies in this post, instead I will be thinking aloud, analyzing what is going on around, what to do regarding any further camera purchases, and where to head to. The more I think about the new camera releases in 2013, the more I get confused, so I decided to get a white paper and a pen, and jot it all down so I can be able to make a clear analysis. Hit the jump to continue reading, and be astounded with the sheer amount of cameras released in 2013.

Before I begin though, one word about the opening picture, this is my niece in the foreground, and my daughter at the back. I have been trying to emulate movie images and posters recently (as a result of seeing some beautiful cinematic-looking images, but more about that later), and this was one of my favorites. I will be posting another one midway.

Back to the cameras. I headed over to the internet to find out what cameras have been released this year, and I found dpreview's camera releases timeline very helpful, so this is where I started. I decided to skip any camera with a sensor smaller than 1/1.7" (the one found in Canon's G and S series cameras), so what you're going to see below are cameras with the following sensor sizes: (1/1.7", 2/3", 1", Micro Four Thirds, APS-C, Full Frame). I will write a very short description beside each camera, so here goes.

P.S. Cameras are sorted in ascending order by the release date, starting from Jan 2013 till Oct 2013.
P.P.S. ILC = Interchangeable Lens Camera, usually goes with a mirror-less compact camera.

1. Samsung NX300 (APS-C, 20MP, ILC, no VF)
2. Fuji X100S (APS-C, 16MP, 23mm f/2 fixed lens, hybrid VF)
3. Fuji X20 (2/3", 12 MP, 28-112mm f/2-f/2.8 fixed lens, OVF)
4. Nikon 1 S1 (1", 10 MP, ILC, no VF)
5. Nikon 1 J3 (1", 14 MP, ILC, no VF)
6. Sony NEX 3N (APS-C, 16MP, ILC, no VF)
7. Sony SLT A58 (APS-C, 20MP, DSLT, EVF)
8. Nikon D7100 (APS-C, 24MP, DSLR, OVF)
9. Nikon Coolpix A (APS-C, 16MP, 18.5mm f/2.8 fixed lens, no VF)
10. Canon 700D (APS-C, 18MP, DSLR, OVF)
11. Canon 100D (APS-C, 18MP, tiny DSLR, OVF)
12. Panasonic GF6 (MFT, 16MP, ILC, no VF)
13. Samsung NX1100 (APS-C, 20MP, ILC, no VF)
14. Ricoh GR (APS-C, 16MP, 18,3mm f/2.8 fixed lens, no VF)
15. Panasonic LF1 (1/1.7", 12MP, 28-200mm f/2-f/5.9 fixed lens, lousy EVF)
16. Panasonic G6 (MFT, 16MP, ILC, EVF)
17. Samsung NX2000 (APS-C, 20MP, ILC, no VF)
18. Olympus E-P5 (MFT, 16MP, ILC, no VF)
19. Leica X Vario (APS-C, 16MP, 28-70mm f/3.5-f/6.4 fixed lens, no VF)
20. Pentax K-500 (APS-C, 16 MP, DSLR, OVF)
21. Pentax K-50 (APS-C, 16 MP, DSLR, OVF)
22. Pentax Q7 (1/1.7", 12MP, 23-69mm f/2.8-f/4.5 fixed lens, no VF)
23. Galaxy NX (APS-C, 20MP, ILC, EVF, Android OS)
24. Fuji X-M1 (APS-C, 16MP, ILC, no VF)
25. Sony RX100 II (1", 20MP, 28-100mm f/1.8-f/4.9 fixed lens, no VF)
26. Sony RX1R (Full Frame, 24MP, 35mm f/2 fixed lens, no VF)
27. Canon 70D (APS-C, 20MP, DSLR, OVF)
28. Panasonic GX7 (MFT, 16MP, ILC, great EVF)
29. Canon G16 (1/1.7", 12MP, 28-140mm f/1.8-f/2.8 fixed lens, lousy OVF)
30. Canon S120 (1/1.7", 12MP, 24-120mm f/1.8-f/5.7 fixed lens, no VF)
31. Sony NEX 5T (APS-C, 16MP, ILC, no VF)
32. Sony Alpha A3000 (APS-C, 20MP, ILC, poor EVF)
33. Sony QX100 (1", 20MP, 28-100mm f/1.8-f/4.9 fixed lens, no VF, mobile phone add-on)
34. Olympus OM-D EM-1 (MFT, 16MP, ILC, best EVF)
35. Fuji X-A1 (APS-C, 16MP, ILC, no VF)
36. Nikon 1 AW (1", 14MP, ILC, no VF, waterproof)
37. Pentax K-3 (APS-C, 24MP, DSLR, OVF)
38. Nikon D610 (Full Frame, 24MP, DSLR, OVF)
39. Sony RX10 (1", 20MP, 24-200mm f/2.8 fixed lens, EVF)
40. Sony A7 (Full Frame, 24MP, ILC, EVF)
41. Sony A7R (Full Frame, 36MP, ILC, EVF)
42. Panasonic GM1 (MFT, 16MP, ILC, no VF, tiny)
43. Nikon D5300 (APS-C, 24MP, DSLR, OVF)
44. Fuji XQ1 (2/3", 12MP, 25-100mm f/1.8-f/4.9 fixed lens, no VF)
45. Fuji X-E2 (APS-C, 16MP, ILC, great EVF)

Olympus Stylus (1/1.7", 24-300mm fixed lens, EVF)?
Nikon DF (Digital Fusion) Hybrid (Full Frame, OVF, F-Mount, D600 AF)?

Can you believe that? 45 new cameras with large sensors released till now, and there are still two full months remaining in 2013. The rumors about the new Nikon full frame compact, and the Olympus Stylus are almost confirmed, it's just a matter of time, we'll see them in November.

Now let us do some quick stats, out of 45 new cameras:

• 10 have mirrors (DSLR/DSLT), 21 mirror-less ILCs, 14 fixed lens compacts (except for the RX10).
• 4 have Full Frame sensors, 23 have APS-C sesnors, 6 have MFT sensors, 6 have 1" sensors, 2 have 2/3" sensors, 4 have 1/1.7" sensors.
• The most common APS-C sensors are 16MP (variance from 16MP to 24MP).
• 23 have built-in view finders, 11 of them are optical (9 DSLRs + Fuji X20 + Canon G16), and 12 are electronic.
• A handful of the ones without a built-in VF have the option of an accessory EVF, or even an accessory OVF (Sony RX1R).

Cinema Style?

And now is the time for some quick thoughts on a few select cameras and systems, this is where I think in a loud voice.

1/1.7" AND 2/3" SENSORS

These cameras were great and sought after two years ago, maybe even one year ago. But with today's tiny and much larger sensor cameras (RX100, Olympus PEN, Panasonic GM1, fixed lens APS-C or FF like the Nikon Coolpix A or the Sony RX1), they are not the rave anymore. Don't get me wrong, they still produce great images, and with a camera like the Canon G16 with a fixed f/1.8-f/2.8 zoom lens, it is a great choice. There are people (even proffesionals) that still buy them and use them, but for me, having owned a G11 and used it's RAW files, they are behind the larger sensors.


FIXED LENS APS-C OR FULL FRAME

Doesn't make sense to me because of the 35mm equivalent focal length, no matter how great the camera and the lens are. I said before that I wish Sony made their RX1 with a 50mm f/1.4 lens, and that would be something I'd buy and use exclusively (I know I can sort of do this with the A7 and the Zeiss 55 f/1.8, but I'll keep this discussion for later).

Famous cameras in this category are the Fuji X100/S, Sony RX1/R and to a less degree, the Nikon Coolpix A and the Ricoh GR. However they make sense to street photographers and people who make use of such a wide focal length, not me.


DSLR CAMERAS

After living with the OM-D EM-5 and great small lenses for almost a year, I have lost all feelings and attractions towards DSLRs. Whenever I handle my brother's 60D, it feels too big and bulky, and when I don't see the playback of the picture in the viewfinder, I am a little taken back, when I don't see the blinking highlights and blocked shadows when composing, it feels ancient.

That's not to say that I don't miss my 5D Mark III when I'm shooting my running kids and the EM-5 fails to track them, or when I want to completely eradicate a busy background with the 50mm f1/.4 lens. As I see it now, the main attractions for DSLRs is that they are getting better and better sensors, they have a huge range of established lenses to pick from, they produce great video footage, and they are becoming more affordable at the same time. Canon's 100D is a good try in providing the DSLR experience but in a small package.

As I see it now, MFT sensors are competing with APS-C sensors image quality wise, they are not behind anymore, and the DOF difference is not really that different, and most MFT prime lenses have exceptional image quality starting from wide-open. That puts an APS-C DSLR out of my radar forever. However, that being said, the falling prices of full frame DSLRs, along with the increasing prices of high-end MFT cameras are really appealing. Assuming that size and weight are not an issue, wouldn't you be inclined to get a $1,400 Nikon D600 or a $1,500 Canon 6D over the $1,400 Olympus OM-D EM-1? Just for that full frame look? Tough choice.


FUJI X, SONY NEX AND SAMSUNG NX (ALL APS-C CAMERAS)

Great performers, great image quality, interchangeable lenses and comes in a small package. What's not to like? The lens line-up, that's what. Fuji has produced very good lenses, and are doing good work developing more, but right now, there are like 5 lenses, and if they don't cover what you need you're out of luck. The Fujis also have that famous X-Trans sensor, the internet says it has very high quality, but there are RAW issues when used with Adobe's Camera RAW engine, which is what I use for 100% of my photos.

The same lack-of-lenses argument goes for the Sony NEX, I've been following Kirk Tuck's adventures with the NEX series (BTW, he sold all of them after a long love story), and before I decided on buying my EM-5, I was really considering the NEX 6 (as it was the cheapest one with an EVF), but the lack of lens choices, the weird flash hot-shoe compatibility issues and my general feeling that Sony won't be in a hurry to improve the issues, I decided to head to MFT instead. And now Sony have ditched the NEX series completely.

As for the Samsung NX, funny enough, Kirk Tuck is testing them out for us, he's the one who brought it to my attention. I didn't notice before that Samsung had an APS-C interchangeable lens camera. He tested the finder-less NX300 and the Android powered Galaxy NX, and is reporting they have great image quality, and that the 18-55mm kit lens is very good. However, lens choices for these cameras are very limited, and quite expensive in my opinion. I had a chance to shoot a friend's NX1000 with the kit lens, and it is erm.. bad.


SONY A7/R FULL FRAME MIRRORLESS GOODNESS

Sony is a mega electronics company, and they used to make (still make) great weird gadgets, I have always lusted after their products in the 80s and the 90s. So when they came up with the RX1 35mm f/2 fixed lens full frame camera, the internet went berserk, and despite the lack of a built-in VF and the astronomical $2,800 price, it sold very well and was praised in the reviews.

And now they've done it again. What was the hottest ILC camera on the internet a few months back? The Olympus EP-5 with the exceptional VF-4 viewfinder. Then Panasonic released the cheaper, better looking, tilt-able EVF GX7, and the EP-5 sort of went down the drain, as if it was never announced, I can't remember reading a blog about the EP-5 one month after the GX7 release. Next comes the $1,400 Olympus EM-1 and the whole world applauds, but the GX7 didn't have anything to fear because of the $400 price differential. A lot of people pre-ordered the EM-1.

Then Sony comes a little late to the party, bag in hand, shows everyone two full frame mirrorless cameras that are the same size as the Olympus EM-5 and (sorry for the expression) pisses on the party, or at least that's how it felt when they announced the $1,700 and $2,300 prices for the 24MP A7 and the 36MP A7R respectively. The internet went even more berserk, people were cancelling their EM-1 orders, and pre-ordering the Sonys.

For $300 more than an EM-1 you can get a full frame mirrorless camera that is smaller in size, has a built-in VF that is quite good. Who wouldn't want that? The crazy thing is that the entry prices are much much cheaper than the big boy full frames, the Canon 5D3 and the Nikon D800, and the 24MP A7 is even cheaper than bot the Canon 6D and the Nikon D610! Want to know a more crazy thing? The Sony A7 plus either the Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 or 55mm f/1.8 is cheaper than the Sony RX1R. And when Sony released the A7, it claimed that it focuses much faster than the RX1R, now that's a company that's innovating, not afraid of competing with its self and not crippling it's own products to make you buy another of its products.

So after all this gushing, am I going to buy one? Nope, won't happen I'm afraid. For starters, it is a very new product that is not available yet, and is destined to create a huge tidal wave in the market, during which I would prefer to be eating popcorn and watching the market go crazy. Then there are the lenses, the only interesting one right now is the $1,000 55mm f/1.8 Zeiss, I'd rather wait and see, remember, it's Sony we're talking about here, they have no issues killing or creating a whole eco-system whenever they feel like it. And then there's the Nikon DF that shall be announced by the 6th of November, the key advantage I see here is the F-Mount, with all their lenses available for immediate use. We'll see.


MICRO FOUR THIRDS

And I finally reach my current system of choice. The EM-5 is serving me really well, and I'm extremely happy with the images I am getting, if you haven't seen my 43rumors article, please do, it is the perfect summary of how I feel about the MFT compared to owning APS-C and FF DSLRs.

I have posted before about the GX7, and my expectations from the EM-1 before, so I'm not going to repeat them, but I've not commented on the EM-1 yet. I still have doubts about the looks of the EM-1 leather finish (top view looks even sexier than the EM-5 though), it just looks odd in the photos or the videos I've seen, maybe it looks better in hand, but that will have to be a leap of faith. I have promised myself since the day I bought my EM-5 and discovered the faulty eye-sensor that I would buy it's successor. The EM-1 is not the EM-5's direct successor, and at $1,400, it is expensive for a MFT camera, so I am not yet sure I am ready to buy one, especially with all the shifting in the market. Maybe the $1,700 full frame Sony A7 will force the EM-1 to lower its price? I have a feeling that Olympus might quickly drop $200 from the EM-1's price after the holidays, or even earlier, but that's just a hunch based on zero facts.

As for why I'd want an EM-1, here are the reasons in the order of their importance:

1. Focus tracking that works, and 6.5 fps with continuous focus, 10 fps without.
2. The best EVF ever, detailed, true colors, large magnification (same as FF DSLR).
3. Better ergonomics and customizable buttons.
4. Wi-fi, would be very useful during product shoots, where I can show the pictures on my iPad immediately.
5. Better video options, mic input, levels, someone said you can touch to focus during recording.
6. Better LCD resolution, the EM-5 weakness appears at 100% magnification.
7. Larger buffer, the EM-5 gets filled up in two seconds after a 9 fps burst.
8. Better IBIS and focusing speed.
9. Slightly better image quality.

So, unless sudden GAS hits me (with my friend traveling to NYC mid-November, it might just happen), I won't be getting the EM-1 that soon. We should hear about an EM-5 successor next year.


Now that I've said all I have, what do you think?

P.P.P.S. I have not had time to proof-read the post, so please excuse any mistakes, it took me a long time to prepare and write this post.

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I'm Back, Olympus 75 f/1.8 & Some Camera Musings

First of all, I would like to apologize for the long hiatus period, I was (and still am) deeply bothered with the events taking place in Egypt, and with a 7 pm - 6 am curfew, which has been in effect for almost a week now, and shall continue for 3 more weeks, there is barely an energy outlet for me or my family, especially the young kids who get bored by sitting still for just one minute.

That's why I decided to spend a few nights (despite my heartache) taking photos at home, and posting on this blog again instead of going crazy. As for Mic, he's quite busy nowadays and has no time to post here, I (or he) will let you know if there are any updates, but for now, you'll have to bear with me.

I received my Olympus 75mm f/1.8 last Saturday, and it's given me enough spark to ignite my interest in photography again during these hard times. As expected, I didn't have enough time to shoot with it in real world situations, so I will keep the full impressions for a later time. The lens feels quite hefty and well-built, and with a relatively huge front element, it looks classy and very cool, it immediately reminded me of the Canon 85 1.8 and the 200L 2.8 which both have a large front element. As all reviews have mentioned, it is very sharp wide-open (it might even beat the 200L, but I have yet to shoot more photos). Focus is not as instantaneous as the Olympus 45 1.8 or the PanaLeica 25 1.4, but I consider it a quick focusing lens, considering that I only shot with it indoors.

And to let you know how lucky US citizens are when it comes to purchasing electronics and gadgets, here's a snapshot of what I paid for the lens (by the way, after I placed my order on Amazon, the lens price got reduced to $799 the day after, lucky me).

The "Our Fees" part are the fees of the shipping company, and I ended up paying $15 for international shipping fees, it is calculated after the item arrives and gets weighed, you pay $7.5 for each 0.5 kg. And at the end of the day, you don't get local warranty because it is bought from the US of A. And no, it is not available from Olympus Egypt (which doesn't exist).

You've all seen the new Panasonic GX7 camera, now that's a well-specced, very good looking camera, especially the silver version. I've said before that I would buy the OM-D EM-5 successor which was rumored to be announced next month. Would the GX7 be a worthy upgrade for me? Reviews said it has comparable image quality to the OMD, a viewfinder inferior to the Olympus VF-4 (which is the major point for me), inferior image-stabilization system compared to the EM-5 and the EP-5, and it doesn't have phase detection auto-focusing. Additionally, my Olympus flash and intervalometer would probably not work with it, so it is not worth the hassle.

However, if I were in the market today for a new high-end MFT camera, I would consider the GX7. The EP-5 is a great camera, but when you add the VF-4, it becomes oddly large and expensive, and the VF-4 takes up the hot-shoe, I use my OMD a lot with my Olympus FL600R flash mounted on top. And that brings us to the upcoming Olympus camera, the leaked OM-D EM-1, it will supposedly sit above the EM-5 and cost somewhere around $1,500!!! It better has some super capabilities at this price point. Rumors say the EM-5 successor will come some time next year, hmm.

I would consider the EM-1 if it achieved the following points (sorted by order of importance to me):

• Size not larger than the EM-5 with the hand grip installed.
• PD focusing that works and can track moving subjects like a DSLR can.
• Similar EVF to the current VF-4.
• Lower base ISO and higher maximum shutter speed.
• Better video options (mic input, manual audio levels, focus peaking, touch to focus, 1080p @ 60 fps, etc...)
• Better image quality (they say it won't have an anti-aliasing filter).
• Uses same battery as the EM-5.

Otherwise, I would wait for the EM-5 successor, or wait until GAS hits me. Which brings us to a more important point. With the increasing price points of high-end MFT cameras, and the expensive quality glass, what edge does the MFT system have over an APS-C camera other than the obvious size and weight difference? You can get a D7100 or a 70D body for $1,200, and you'd get a larger sensor, more resolution and higher image quality.

As I see it now, high-end MFT systems are facing tough competition, with a few advantages that can be argued both ways, but I will leave that to another topic. I will be away for a while. I am preparing a guest post for 43rumors.com that will take some time to finish, I will let you know when it's up.

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Different Cameras & Lenses, Same Point of View

This should be an interesting post to some of you, see that swing in the picture? I take pictures of my daughters ever year in the summer on this exact swing, where they spend the summer vacation time by the seaside. I wanted to make a comparison between the different pictures taken from the spot, with different cameras and lenses, over the years.

What camera/lens combination would you say was used to capture the above picture?


Just a quick note before we get on with the pictures, I didn't pick all the pictures I took of my daughters riding this swing, but I only picked the ones taken in daylight (to show the background) and with the same relative subject size. I have other pictures taken at night, lit up with flash, close-ups, etc...

Let's start with this, and look for clues. Wide angle, infinite depth of field, completely blown-out highlights, bad focus, and a bad composition. This indicates a tiny sensor, slow focus, and an inexperienced photographer, the camera was my old 5 MP Sony Ericsson C905 feature phone, back then, it had good performance compared to regular point and shoots of the period.

Next one, less background with a hint of background blur, that's my Canon G11 at full zoom (100mm equivalent if I remember correctly).

Next, a sudden leap in background blur, and a different model altogether (that's my younger daughter by the way). That's the 5D Mark III and 50 f/1.4 wide open, and apart from the weird lighting pattern on my daughter's face, I like how the background turned out. Dang, I miss full frame already, I wish a miracle would happen and camera manufacturers could make MFT-sized full frame bodies and lenses.

Regular readers already know I had a couple of APS-C camera before the 5D, however, I didn't find any pictures with the same subject size taken with the 550D or the 60D.

Woah, look at this background, a fast telephoto lens, my favorite method for shooting portraits, the background compression and blurry backgrounds caused by the long focal length and fast aperture makes a good portrait in my opinion, that's the 5D3 and the infamous 200L f/2.8 wide-open, don't you just love how the lens renders the scene?

Final picture, any guesses? Yes, that's the OMD and the Olympus 45 f/1.8 wide-open, it might not look as punchy as the one above, but actually the desaturated colors are intentional, I reduced both the contrast and the saturation a bit to get this old-feeling look. I'd say the OMD passed the shallow DOF test, won't you say? If I could just get my hands on that 75 f/1.8!

What do you think? Which one do you prefer? I know I'd pick the 200L any day.

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Olympus OM-D: First Impressions & Comments on DOF

Olympus 45mm f/1.8 wide-open

You probably already know my story with the DSLRs and why I suddenly decided to switch, and start a new life with micro four thirds and Olympus, here's the link if you haven't already read it before.

These are my first impressions on the Olympus OM-D, I have not had a chance to thoroughly use the camera, I only used it 3 times briefly, at home, at work and at a petrol station where the picture above is from. Hit the jump for a quick, fun read.

Can you guess the car? Panleica 25mm f/1.4 wide-open

DISCLAIMER: Excuse the pictures in this post, they are not the best, but this is what I have to show during my very brief time with the OM-D.

QUICK IMPRESSIONS:

• If you don't already know, the crop factor of m4/3 is 2x, just keep that in mind when reading, multiply any focal length by 2.
• The system is incredibly tiny, especially the lenses, the 45mm f/1.8 is very minute, it has a 37mm filter thread, that's the same size as a large coin, incredible.
• The 12-50 kit lens is very nice, it sells alone for $500 and for $250 as a kit with the body, I got it for the following reasons, wide angle, general walk-around zoom (especially for video, it has both mechanical and smooth electrical zoom) and macro which is very useful, 0.72x magnification and a suitable min. working distance of ~ 20cm.
• Focusing is incredibly quick and accurate, and by quick I mean "high-end DSLR + high-end lens" quick and sometimes even faster, and since it's a contrast detection based focus, it is most accurate, there are no front or back focusing issues. Focus tracking is where DSLRs pull ahead, they say, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet.
• It can auto-detect faces despite the selected focus point (during normal focusing modes, no need for a special face detect focus mode), and can focus on the nearest eye on it's own, this is incredibly handy and very accurate. I gave the camera to a friend to try it out, and he took the following picture of me, he didn't choose any focus points, he just pointed the camera at me and snapped away.

That's me, Olympus 45 1.8 wide-open

100% crop of the image above

• That's also one of the benefits of a smaller sensor, you don't have to stop down to get both eyes in focus, and lose shutter speed, there is a biting sharpness with the fast lenses wide-open on m4/3.
• There are 35 focusing points by default, positioned in a 7x5 matrix filling 90% of the frame apart from the very extreme edges, you can focus anywhere you want without recomposing. And the focus point size can be changed by a single button press, using the smallest size I can move it into one of 1100 positions!!
• Lenses don't have a manual focusing switch (they are all focus by wire), so I configured it to one of the function buttons, since there is an EVF, you can get a magnified view by up to 14x to help in accurate focusing.
• I am still not used to the EVF, but it is amazing in displaying all sorts of useful information during shooting, the most useful for me are the live histogram, showing the blown-out higlights and blocked shadows real time, and finally a quick playback of the image after pressing the shutter.

Olympus 45 1.8 wide-open, again auto close-eye detection

• The camera is incredibly customizable, you can change the functions of a lot of buttons, you can select what each of the dials do in every mode, you can switch the dial rotation direction, and you can even change the focusing ring rotation direction.
• I can choose how many fps I need for the low speed setting (1-4 fps) and the high speed setting (5-9 fps), the 9 fps is crazy, I don't use it because I can't take a single shot, the fastest shutter press I can manage takes 2 shots at least.
• It has the best AWB I have ever seen, even under tungsten lighting, a first for me, colors are excellent as well, I hope to see good color tolerance when I mix flash with available light.
• Noise performance is incredible, people saying it is a match for the 7D are not giving it full credit, the 7D noise performance is no match for the OM-D at all, forget about charts and DXO, from my own experience on lightroom, this camera is much closer to my 5D2 up to 3200 ISO, haven't tried 6400 yet, and even then, the noise is very fine grain that doesn't look obtrusive at all.
• In body image stabilization is working very well, I find myself shooting at much lower shutter speeds that I was used to on the 5D3.
• It has abysmal battery lifetime, but I am still breaking it in, still on my first charge, but people who use it as a DSLR (i.e. use EVF only to shoot, and LCD for playback, otherwise both are turned off) claim upwards of 600 shots (some say 1200 shots) per charge, we'll see, anyway I have ordered a couple of 3rd party spare batteries plus a car charger for just $25.
• My OM-D has a defect, the eye sensor doesn't work properly to switch between the EVF and the LCD, it only works in direct sun light or near strong light sources, but I will not return it since I would disable this functionality anyway, and I don't want to stay without a camera anymore.

Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 wide-open

DOF ON MICRO FOUR THIRDS (UPDATED):

This is always a much discussed issue, and I have made my own conclusions based on shooting with APS-C and FF for a long time, and now the micro four thirds. I don't care about DOF calculators or any technical measures, I am talking about DOF from my own perception POV.

There is shallow DOF and then there is SHALLOW DOF, you can see from the examples above that you can get significant shallow DOF even with the smaller m4/3 sensor, it looks the same as f/2.8 ~ f/4 on FF, and very similar to what I used to get with APS-C and fast lenses. This is the shallow DOF that I want, and would not sacrifice it by any means.

Now the really shallow DOF advantage of FF shows when using really fast apertures f/1.2 ~ f/2, and on wide angle lenses (35mm or wider) with fast apertures, anything slower than that like f/2.8 can be achieved with smaller sensors and faster lenses. FF look at f1.2 or f/1.4 cannot be matched by any smaller sensor.

Below is an example to illustrate my point, I picked a picture for my daughter shot one year ago using the 5D2 and the 50 1.4 wide-open, then another one shot with the OM-D and the Panleica 25 1.4 wide-open (50mm equivalent). Subject size is almost the same in both, the major difference however is lighting, the 5D2 is well lit with flash, while the OM-D is lit with a mix of available and tungsten light, I still haven't received my Olympus flash.

UPDATED: due to popular request, I updated my daughter's picture to be shot in the same place as the 5D2 picture, so the background is the same distance behind the subject in both shots, the angle is slightly different however (check the mirror on the right in the OM-D picture, this is not captured on the 5D2).

Canon 5D Mark II and 50mm f/1.4 wide-open, with soft lighting

Olympus OM-D and Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 wide-open

The FF picture @ f/1.4 displays crazy thin DOF, not possible at all with m4/3, but do you always want this thin DOF? Do you want the rest of the face to be OOF? If the answer is yes, then you would better use FF and fast lenses.

You can draw your own conclusions, but for me, both pictures have "sufficient" shallow DOF, the advantage of the smaller sensor is having enough of the face in focus, while still maintaining shallow enough DOF, and enough shutter speed and/or low ISO.

I will be testing a lot more and taking lots of pictures before I do the full review. My next post will be about the Yongnuo RF-603 flash trigger.

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The Full-Frame, Large Sensor Bonanza!!!

Credit: photokina.com

 
THE YEAR 2012
 
This year's Photokina exhibition certainly was different, a few months ago, both Canon and Nikon each announced two new high-end full-frame DSLRs (Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 1DX, Nikon D800, Nikon D4), then just before the end of the year each of them announced a more affordable (not really) full-frame DSLR again (Canon 6D, Nikon D600). And to make matters more exciting, Sony announced the revolutionary A99 full-frame DSLR, and the sweet, expensive RX1. A full-frame Leica completes the picture. Do you see a trend here?
 

On the other hand, the mirror-less world has never been more exciting, earlier this year, we had the Canon G1X, the Sony RX100, the Sony NEX-5n, the Fuji X-Pro and the Olympus OM-D. However, the Photokina announcements gave us a huge dump of larger-than-average-sensor compacts and mirrorless, most notable the new Olympus XZ-2, E-PL5 and E-PM2, the Fuji XE-1 & XF-1, the Panasonic GH3, and the Sony NEX-6.
 
You can read a quick summary about most of these cameras on Roger Cicala's blog.
 
 
WHAT DO I THINK?
 
You might know I already have a lovely Canon 5D Mk II, whereas before I had a couple of APS-C Canons and a larger-than-average-sensor Canon G11. I love full-frame sensors, I get better image quality, sharper images, more exposure latitude and lower noise than I ever got with any of my previous cameras, amazing, but there's a huge caveat, shallow depth of field!
 

Too shallow a DoF? Miss focus from my 5D2 ruined the shot, I would have loved to have both eyes in focus, and that's @ f/2.8, two stops down from wide open!!

 
 
I know, you will tell me that we all seek the shallow DoF, and that I am lucky to have a full-frame camera, ok, it's sometimes useful to have that shallow DoF, just not all the time, it is now more difficult to shoot large groups, macro objects, and generally lots of stuff where you need more DoF. I can, of course, stop down and increase the DoF, but that way I will suffer from lower shutter speeds and higher ISOs.
 
I was jealous - and still am - of those Olympus m4/3 users, they can use the excellent Olympus/Panasonic sharp lenses wide-open and still get sharp shots with just enough DoF, and the correct amount of background blur. I know the same can be done with APS-C, I was more comfortable shooting wide-open with my APS-C cameras, but I am seriously intrigued with the small sizes of Olympus m4/3 bodies and lenses, and I love the concept of the EVF, maybe Kirk is an evil-genius writer, but he succeeded in making me like them without ever trying them, the whole WYSIWYG concept (exposure, white balance, real-time information, histograms, etc...) without lifting your eye from the view finder is intriguing, and that's probably an under-estimation.
 
M4/3 cameras keep getting excellent lenses all the time, did you see that luscious 60mm Macro? I would buy one because of the looks alone, did you see how sharp the new 75mm f1/.8 lens is? Did you see the crazy 24-70mm f/2.8 & 70-200mm f/2.8 35mm equivalent lenses from Panasonic? They mean serious business. And now one can't complain about the focusing speed or accuracy anymore (except for tracking moving subjects, in which DSLRs are still king). I have been contemplating getting a m4/3 system for a long time, and I am sure the time will come sometime within a couple of years, however, I would rather have a full-frame camera for the following reasons:

• Image Quality: despite achieving quantum leaps in image quality (OM-D sensor), they can now match the larger APS-C sensors, but they are no match for their larger brothers yet.
• Egyptian Market: zero presence for such cameras or lenses, only Canon & Nikon DSLRs, no Olympuses, Sonys, Fujis or Panasonics. If I buy a system from abroad, I would never be able to sell it.
• Flashes: I shoot a lot with flash, sometimes I am a hard-core strobist, and most of the time, I'm a Neil Van Niekerk bouncer, I am not sure that those systems have the same flash hardware, capabilities and prices as the trusted Canon & Nikon speedlites.

So it remains full-frame for me until we get better, smaller sensors. I have a 5D Mark II, which is an excellent camera, image quality wise. However, I was worried before I bought it from the so-so focusing system, I am not a focus-recompose person, and I love to put a focus point directly where I want my focus to be, despite the 60D having only 9 points, they were 9 great points, all of them were cross type (i.e. more accurate), however with the 5D Mark II, you only get an accurate center point, and the outer points are either horizontal or vertical points, they miss a lot and they completely suck in tracking my kids, even if they are just moving their heads when I am composing. Which brings us to the next part.
 

5D Mark II + 100 Macro L, f/11, Canon 580EX II

 
 
DARN YOU CANON, DARN YOU NIKON
 
Before I bought the 5D2, I waited for Canon's imminent full-frame announcement to see if I would buy that instead, they announced the 5D3 which was way out of my budget, so I only had the option to buy the 5D2, end of story.
 
When I heard about Canon's rumored "affordable" full-frame, I was really excited, it would be the same price as the 5D2 (sell mine, buy new, no loss), and would certainly have more features like a pop-up commander flash, swivel screen, and more importantly, a much better focusing system, rumors mentioned the 7D's great focusing system, I was very happy and excited, until Nikon announced the D600.
 
I am quite impressed with the D600, I see it as an excellent move by Nikon, and I assume it will sell like hot cakes, Mic has received his, and it seems very nice. Am I jealous? Mmmaybe. Do I want one? Certainly. Will I buy one? Unfortunately not, the cost of replacing all of my lenses and flashes with Nikon ones will be huge, and I will lose a lot of money selling my own stuff, so I have to stay still for now, maybe one day I will only have one camera and one lens, switching would be much easier then, I would even buy the Sony A99, drool. Darn you Nikon for producing such a nice teasing camera.
 
Now the Canon, after the D600 announcement, I saw an entry on canonrumors.com that stated the 6D would have 11 AF points, my heart sank at that moment, my only hope in the new full-frame was broken to pieces, and true, the 6D in my opinion is a fail on several levels, but I don't doubt it will sell well amongst hard-core Canonistas, and at some time in the future completely replace the 5D Mark II. Here's what I like/hate about both the Canon 6D and the Nikon D600, and take care that both cameras sell for the same price, so the comparison is relative:
 
Canon 6D - Me Likey:
 

• Full-frame sensor, will probably have excellent image quality, can't imagine it will be better than the 5D3 however.
• Built-in WiFi & GPS, genius, the Wi-Fi remote capabilities with smartphones are excellent.
• Small, light body.
• 4.5 fps, faster than the 5D2 at least.
• Same battery as 5D2, 5D3, 7D & 60D, thanks Canon.
• Silent Shutter taken from 5D3.
• EV -3 sensitive center focusing point.
• Weather sealing.

Canon 6D - Me Not Likey:

• Crappy outer focusing points, a no-go for me.
• 1/4000 max shutter speed, I checked my photos and I shoot a lot of 1/6400 and faster shots in full sunlight.
• Crappy outer focusing points, oh, I mentioned it before.
• LCD auto brightness not available, a very nice feature on the 5D2, sucks not to have it.
• Loss of joystick.
• 97% viewfinder, come on, I hate it when I carefully frame a shot only to find out that I have to crop something I didn't notice while shooting.
• Crappy outer focu..., oh well, you get the idea.

 
Nikon D600 - Me Likey:

• Sony 24 MP full-frame sensor, I expect amazing things.
• 100% viewfinder.
• Can mount DX lenses.
• Can switch between DX & FX modes.
• Commander pop-up flash.
• Dual SD UHS cards, bravo Nikon.
• 5.5 fps, woot.
• Weather sealing.

Nikon D600 - Me Not Likey:

• 1/4000 max shutter speed, however, for Nikon purists, previously they had a base ISO of 200 and a max shutter speed of 1/8000, now that the base ISO is 100, they can get away with 1/4000.
• Center clustered AF points, although it has 9 cross type points, they are all very close to the center point, so they can be considered as one large cross type point.
• EV -1 focusing compared to Canon's EV -3, although I don't it won't differ 90% of the time.
• No dedicated AF-ON button.
• Can't change aperture electronically during live view, you have to have a lens with an aperture ring.

 
As you can see, both cameras are comparable, with a clear edge towards the Nikon, now when someone tells me they want to switch to full frame, I will certainly point them to the D600, at least they can use their DX lenses, bravo Nikon.
 
Oh, I wish Sony makes an RX1 with a 50mm Zeiss lens, and sell it for $1000, I would buy one.
 

 

Posted with Blogsy

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