By Thomas Stirr One of the interesting capabilities of the Olympus OM-D E-M1X is its in-camera focus stacking function. This feature allows a photographer to capture a range of focus stacked images and process them in-camera. The output is a jpeg file. Other Olympus cameras like the OM-D E-M1 Mark …
Many of our Micro Four Thirds readers have been asking me to test the latest firmware version of the Lumix G9 for birds in flight and I finally found the time after the holiday break.
I rented the camera for a weekend, along with the Leica DG 200mm 2.8 lens and TC 1.4x teleconverter. To make sure I ended up with consistent results, I visited the same red kite feeding station where I test the autofocus of most cameras.
– Written by Thomas Stirr
It’s been a little over six months since I’ve been using the Olympus OM-D E-M1X. During this period I’ve had the opportunity to photograph a range of birds with this camera and the M.Zuiko PRO 40-150 mm f/2.8 zoom lens along with the M.Zuiko MC-20 and MC-14 teleconverters. This article shares an extensive selection of photographs of birds-in-flight as well as static birds, and provides some thoughts on the OM-D E-M1X.
Update: the article now includes an in-depth video tutorial with all the settings to configure as well as an analysis of the performance of the E-M1 mark III. You’ll find the video and a step by step guide with images at the bottom of this article.
The OM-D E-M1 II is an impressive camera in many ways, but there is one area that has always disappointed me, and that is the autofocus performance.
It was a good step forward from its predecessor, the original E-M1, but not enough to stay ahead of the competition. In fact, many mirrorless models, including mid-level products such as the X-T20 and the a6300, offer better performance.
Among the various improvements brought to autofocus technology over the years, I consider eye detection one of the most interesting. Why is this?
Well, the explanation is quite simple: when you take a picture of a person, achieving correct focus on the eyes is essential. If the eyes are out of focus, even just slightly, part of the identity of the person being photographed can’t be read and as a consequence, the emotional connection the eyes transmit is lost. Of course there can be exceptions if the photographer is trying to communicate a specific message, but the general rule is that a good portrait must have the eyes in focus.
