I am not a macro photographer, but when I tested the OM SYSTEM 90mm lens I was surprised at how easy it was to photograph macro. By this I mean the technical side, AF, stacking, etc., not the actually creative part. That is still something the photographer has to do.
I have the OM-D E-M1 mkii and can confirm that the IS is absolutely nuts. I've managed nice sharp photos at 1/15s hand-held (12-40mm lens). The grip on the camera is also the best I've ever experienced, it's the nicest camera to hold in your hand.
Hi Micael, Olympus has already been in the times of film cameras revolutionary, when it came to macro photos. The ratio of 2:1 in MFT means in " Fullframe" 4:1. But you can combine the new 90mm Macro with the two Converters 1x4x and 2x. That means, you can reach easy 4:1 in MFT, what means 8:1 in 24x36!! With AF and Focus Stacking. You can also use Focus Bracketing with up to 100 Frames!! And with this function, you only scratch at the surface of all the possibilities of the OM-1. I photgraphed a hunting dragonfly with 50 frames/sec. with AF, which recognized the eye of the dragonfly! There is no 24x36 Camera, which could reach these functions. The dynamic range is about 12 stops! The top speed sre 120 frames/sec.. This combination beats everything in macro photography! And, if necessary, you can clean your camera with lens under your water tap. No problem!
Way too much diffraction at those magnifications even with wide aperture. Aps-c is a good middle ground for resolution and zoom. Canon R cameras have amazing built in focus stacking but require a tripod and takes too long with moving subjects.
@@brodylockwood14I don't think so! With MFT you are much quicker in these extrem magnifications. If you take the 60mm Makro with a Rynox and Extension Tubes, you will get also an extrem Ratio with excellent results! With the new 90mm you don't need a Rynox and Extension Tubes. And you have a longer distance to your objekt. Believe me, they built excellent lenses! You have to except, that there is more than 24x36.
I'm sooooooo looking forward to this lens. Great to hear that you liked it. I bought the OM-1 last year particularly for macro. But I was much more impressed with it than I would have expected. The announcement of this lens made my decision even more perfect.
Yeah I felt after 10 minutes of using this setup that I must get an OM1 camera. Also I feel the raw files are a lot better than anything from Panasonic.
@@MicaelWidell 😁 I went right to "Olympus" because so many macro photographers were using it. I was surprised at how much you can get out of the RAW files and also how different Lighrroom handles the RAW files compared to my Sony files. For example the "white" slider behaves totally different in my opinion. I hardly ever use it with my Sony files, but it works pretty good on the Olympus files. Interesting stuff for my nerdy brain 🤣
I'm glad to hear you really like the OM1 camera and the new macro lens. A friend of mine said the same thing as you, it's like cheating, when I explained the Pro Capture feature! If you decide to buy an OM1 I would love to see your macro work. I am a fan of your work!
I have the OM-1 and the 60mm Macro, but preordered this new lens as soon as it was launched. Great to get your views on it, Michael, ‘it feels like cheating’ can’t be bad thing 😂
You nailed it in your video! Most underrated feature in Olympus Cameras "the inbody focusstack"! ...and you dont have to go for the OM1 (even when it makes sense). I use the combination of the OM-D EM1 Mark III paired with the 60mm (occationaly I put a raynox 250 and some distance rings on to come realy close). Best flash for that (and i really recomend to give this a try) is the very affordable TT350 from Godox. There are the same reflectors available like you showed in your short video here. ...final conclution --- yes, it feels like cheating!
That is the only reason I still have my Olympus. I have the 60 and the EM and a tiny tripod and I get perfect little product shots for people almost instantly.
I am so happy to play with this lense since 2 weeks because I got my lense shipped now 😀. I will test my teleconverters (1.4 & 2.0) for 2.8 and 4.0 magnification this weekend.
The company also provides an excellent full featured and free OM Workplace software for the users of its cameras which will allow you to focus stack and edit your images.
Olympus should be the first to have focus stacking built-in many years ago but now some cameras of other brands may have this feature too. M43 with its inherited greater depth of field has big advantage in macro photography compared with FF. I also consider Olympus's E-M1 mark II (maybe you can buy a used one as it is no longer produced) together with its 60mm macro lens should be the cheapest combination to get the similar experience and results.
Great to see your professional review of the lens (and camera). Focus Stacking handheld out of camera works already with the 60mm macro. Hope the OIS increase the precision even further to get a sharp result out of camera. How do you sort & stack the photos taken with focus stacking? The focus is not linearly increasing distance in this mode. Hope you get another chance to test the system with the 2x Teleconverter attached to increase magnification further. Thanks for the review Micael!
I also have my eye on an OM-1. Also, I am enjoying the 1.4x Canon 100mm autofocus macro lens. On the R7 APSC or the R6 markII full frame, it will focus stack in the camera. It outputs a JPG. You have to use the electronic shutter which does not work with flash on those cameras so it's best to do your handheld stack outdoors in great light or on a tripod with long shutter times. I've used this feature for light macro and landscape photography with some success. Using a lens that doesn't have much focus breathing helps. Great video as always Micael!
I had an Olympus before I got my Sony, and although I'm happy with my decision to switch, I think people often underestimate the quality & abilities of Olympus cameras because they're not one of the "big three."
I don't do macro ( tried it, sucked at it) but I watched tis video because I was curious to see what OM did with this lens. I have gotten a kick out of some of these comments though. It's very common that people do not give m 4/3 a second look. All the main marketing is a push to FF. If people would actually take the time to research systems they would know that the OM-1 is a pretty amazing photographic tool. The built in ND filters, the AI focus tracking, focus stacking, starry auto focus and my favorite live composite. I have a friend who shot nikon dslr who has wanted to get into light painting. He was blown away by my live composite feature. He made the switch..... to Nikon Z system and still cannot light paint to save his life. lol
You can get the om1-mark2 or 3, or the em5-mark2-3 older sensor much cheaper, very similar image quality and the work with the 60 and 90, even with automatic focus stacking
You seemed to have a teleconverter pouch on the table but didn't mention anything about the use of the teleconverters, working distance and nothing about ip53 rating of weathersealing
Bear in mind that if you want more pixels there are two hi-res shooting modes available. I don’t know that either is compatible with in-camera focus stacking, but should work with focus bracketing and macro photography in general.
I do like OM systems approach for making more software-based features like internal focus stacking. Another big feature I like is their live exposure composition or double exposures. Makes doing lighting paintings and other shots so easy and fun. I wish Sony would do this, but I did read a rumor about a new A7iv firmware coming that will have in camera focus stacking. Would be the first camera ever from Sony to have that built-in
Thanks for the thorough review! I switched to Olympus years ago, never looked back. The only reason I carry a tripod now is just to preserve my position and composition for multiple shots when the light is changing, but most of the time I just use it hand held. I have the 60mm and I love it, but more reach would be awesome...I just have to convince my wallet...
Are you using the OM-1 ? Im Going crazy with om-1 and 90mm .I’ve done every setting and it won’t focus stack at all! Last week I rented it with the 60 mm and it worked
I like that AK diffuser. I went to their site and they had no set ups for Nikon. I see that you have Pope Shield diffusers listed in your "In My Bag." Which diffuser do you like best? Micro 4 Thirds is a great format for macro work! The in camera stacking is awesome!
Uh-oh. Your Laowa addiction has been broken! 😉 Thanks, I enjoyed your review! Now to get a chance to review the camera+lens with living, moving insects outdoors... 😃
The A7RV has focus bracketing, but not focus stacking like the OM-1. With the Sony you need to use external software to create the focus stack from the individual shots, rather than getting the stacked image in camera. For me focus bracketing does the job, but it's the in camera focus stacking that has impressed Micael here.
The thing that irks me about Sony is that the A7IV and the A7RV have the same CPU / ISP, but they chose not to give the A7IV focus bracketing. The flagship 6K A1 doesn't even have it. I HATE market differentiation :-/
For macro, E-M1 MK III or MK II should be as good as OM-1. Unless you do wildlife/sport, pick Olympus E-M1 MK III to save some money, then you can buy 90mm to have 2x magnification. As macro shooter, 90mm should be your main target. You make interesting videos, Micael. It's a pleasure to follow up your macro channel, a lot of interesting informations. Thank you !
Thanks for the kind words! I ordered an OM-1 anyway, because I got a really good deal. Going to begin with the 60mm lens, and if I still love it after some use, I will get the 90mm as well.
You might know this already, but 1:1 on MFT is actually 2:1 on FF (and 2:1 is 4:1 on FF, and so on). 1:1 on MFT fills only a 17mm x 13mm area, but on FF 1:1 fills a 36mm x 24mm area. Therefore on FF you need 2:1 to get the same 17 x 13mm subject to fill the frame.
Well if you'd have a 80mp ff sensor then not, cause you can crop it to same mp and view, so a a7r4 61mp is almost same with laowa 2:1 cropped to 20mp, this "advantage" of mft is slowly going away with each higher mp sensor
@@mmd90 But the lenses are way bigger and if FF megapixels goes any higher, so will MFT. There's already a 25mp MFT sensor on the GH6, you would need a 100mp FF sensor to get a 25mp MFT crop out of it.
I don't really like that math since it it doesn't follow the definition. By definition, the enlargement is calculated for the image _on the sensor_. It doesn't depend on the image if you look at your screen. You can only get an 8.5 x 6.5 big bug on the 4/3 sensor if you shoot at 2:1. But it will look bigger on the screen.
There is also an App for Sony Cameras which works with almost all Sony Cameras, that can do something like semi-auto-focus stacking... You'll have to stitch the pictures later on your own, but you can set up the camera in position, run the app and set how many pictures in which focus-range should be make and the app doesw take the pictures for you...
I'm surprised you flash would cycle anywhere near fast enough to keep up with the stacking sequence, but you don't say what frame rate that was. My Lumix G9 has an in camera stacking feature that's resolution-limited, plus a focus bracketing mode that I prefer to use for shooting stacks with raw files. Unfortunately, you can only get the best stabilization with an Olympus lens on an Olympus body. The Micro Four Thirds standard apparently didn't extend to having dual IS work on all bodies. So is this a $1600 lens, or a $3500 lens if you have to buy a camera body to extract it's full performance. I like working with my G9 and the Olympus 60mm macro. But I worry that with the extra working distance (a little camera motion amplified by the telephoto reach) and the extra magnifcation that the 90mm would be very usable on my G9. I'd only get lens IS, not dual IS as the OM1 provides.
The Canon R6 which I use has focus stacking but I have the Laowa lenses, the Canon 100mm macro with AF is not as sharp or controls chromatic aberration as well as the Laowa lenses which is the reason why I've not gone for Canon macro lens. The RF 100 macro might be a contender though
I used to have the Sony a1 and sold it to buy the om1 and some lenses I've never looked back. The sharpnes on that new sensor im not afraid to crop even at 20mp
Canon and Fuji now offer stacking in camera too, unfortunately the canon r7 won’t let you use flash, I’m not sure if Fuji does. Ii seems a great bonus to be able to do flash stacking in camera, no waiting around for the pc to tell you the stack failed, no more helicon…
A7rv will not combine images in camera, you set the camera to take bracketed focus images at will take a raw images that can be stacked in apps like Photoshop. Please correct me if I’m wrong but if it’s stacked in camera it will be in jpg format.
I would not call that focus "stacking" what the Sony does. It is only "bracketing" ie taking a series of pictures with different focus planes. OMD (aka Olympus) cameras are doing the "stacking" within the camera right after finishing the "bracketing". And yes, the results are JPEG, but you have the RAWs as well in case you want to manually redo the stacking with your favorite stacking program.
Has anyone switched from Canon to Olympus? I had an Olympus point and shoot camera some 15 years ago that was pretty good already for that category and had better macro capabilities than other brands I tried at the time. But then I got a Canon T6 in 2018 and have been using that with the old Canon 100mm USM (hand-held). Some pictures are sharp but there’s no IS either on the camera or lens so I have to take 10-15 pictures before I’m happy with one. I also have the Zuiko 50mm f/1.2 (from the 70’s maybe) that is a great lens in many ways but I’m not a big fan of the colours. I suppose the 60mm has similar colours. Still, I do wonder if I’d be better off switching to Olympus. Do you guys think an intermediate micro 4/3 Olympus Camera combined with the 60mm would give me sharper results than my set up right now? Then I could upgrade to this new 90mm which seems so impressive. On the other hand, Olympus cameras seem heavy in comparison which will make it harder for a short woman like me to take sharp pictures hand-held. What do you think?
For many 'fool framers' micro four thirds has been frowned upon...just read countless forums. Turns out, all formats have advantages and disadvantages and with mft (Olympus/OMD and Panasonic G mount) you get features like ibis earlier and better than most plus other in body AI functions like stacking in the camera or astro tracking.... a seriously underrated system mft, despite also having disadvantages in other areas. Would love to see a long term review of the lens paired with an om system/Olympus camera...
Seemed more about the camera than the lens review. = VID TITLE. Still Oly has some good features that make shooting other genres of photography easier. Maybe Astro & Wildlife.
That technique works well, but personally I wish Olympus didn't disable focus peaking whenever back button focus is used. Peaking can be activated again with a function button to more easily check focus while moving the camera, but then it's disabled again the next time AF is activated.
Since swaping to Olympus I've been nothing but impressed by the camera. Sticking with the 60mm for now, the compact size is just unbeatable. Only drawback of the 60 is its odd MF system.
Yeah right now I think I am going to buy a OM-1 camera and the 60mm. I tried the 60mm earlier and also did not like the MF focusing. How do you deal with this? What is the best way to focus with that lens?
I am an amateur dabbling with macro. I have only used Oly cameras from 2012, and now use the E-M1x and E-M1ii. I got the 60 mm early on. My modus operandi is to frame the picture with the AF, then push the button/dial I have programmed to swap between AF and MF. Then I move the camera until I have focus and press the shutter. Alternatively, I use the stacking but not for the composite picture but for the one with best focus.
An Oly flash will control the stacking speed, and not fire unless the flash is ready. I have the old FL50R (too heavy for macro) and FL600R (smaller and more nimble). Generally, I have the flash in my left hand (connected with a cord) and the camera in my right. I suggest the current mid range flash FL700WR.
@@MicaelWidell i've had really good luck with the v860-o III from godox with the 60mm macro and the em-5mk3 for macro - should work the same with the OM1
@@MicaelWidell I do super-macro pictures of minerals with a 8:1 automatic system I built on a GH5. This is very interesting ! You can go in another world with this new lens and teleconverter.
I have very shaky hands. And the Olympus provides a decent image stabilization even with the 60mm lens on my nearly 7 year old em-5 mark ii. So happy to see You starting to use the latest from this system. But at the price tag, a bit out of my reach! Looking forward to the proper long term review with some spectacular photos from this lens.
@@thomaskehl69 It works best with Olympus flash units because only they fully communicate with the Olympus camera. I have both Godox and Meike, but with Olympus there is no comparison.
@@pasza9534 i dont know exactly which model Mikael was using in the video, but the price tag is surely 3 times higher than Godox tt350o. I can easy buy a controller together with the flash for a lower price...
@@thomaskehl69 Yes. The price of this flash is its serious disadvantage, but we gain excellent cooperation with the camera and water resistance. In most cases, Godox will be more than enough.
He was using a Meike 320 which is smaller and cheaper than the Godox 350. I like his idea of setting the duration of 1/10 sec between flashes- something I hadn’t thought of trying. Think I’ll give that a go before splashing out on an Olympus flash.
Trust me, the only reason you are getting any focus stacking 'fails' is because of your movement during the exposures. If the camera is placed on a tripod the focus stacking works every time in my experience. Obviously, your subject and shooting circumstances will dictate whether you can use a tripod. If you don't want to (or can't) tripod mount your camera, then you need to simply work on your holding technique to be as steady as possible while the camera is doing the stacking exposures. It's an amazing feature that really produces stunning results.
@@MicaelWidell Interesting. When it fails, it is pretty much always due to camera or subject movement that renders shot to shot alignment impossible. It must have to do with the lens itself, as I have a number of other Olympus lenses that offer in-camera focus stacking -- 30mm f/3.5 macro, 60mm f/2.8 macro, 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro, 12-100mm f/4 Pro, and 100-400mm f5-6.3 -- none of them fail focus stacking if on a tripod, assuming a subject that is not moving in the wind, etc. Perhaps it has something to do with the insanely shallow DOF of the 90mm -- or maybe there will be a firmware update in the future to improve the function.
Jeg byttet alle olympus objektiv og kjøpte fujifilm x-t5 pluss objektiv. Men har foreløpig beholdt om-1 og 60 mm macro. Usikker på om jeg selger den....
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I am not a macro photographer, but when I tested the OM SYSTEM 90mm lens I was surprised at how easy it was to photograph macro. By this I mean the technical side, AF, stacking, etc., not the actually creative part. That is still something the photographer has to do.
I have the OM-D E-M1 mkii and can confirm that the IS is absolutely nuts. I've managed nice sharp photos at 1/15s hand-held (12-40mm lens). The grip on the camera is also the best I've ever experienced, it's the nicest camera to hold in your hand.
Hi Micael, Olympus has already been in the times of film cameras revolutionary, when it came to macro photos. The ratio of 2:1 in MFT means in " Fullframe" 4:1. But you can combine the new 90mm Macro with the two Converters 1x4x and 2x. That means, you can reach easy 4:1 in MFT, what means 8:1 in 24x36!! With AF and Focus Stacking. You can also use Focus Bracketing with up to 100 Frames!! And with this function, you only scratch at the surface of all the possibilities of the OM-1. I photgraphed a hunting dragonfly with 50 frames/sec. with AF, which recognized the eye of the dragonfly! There is no 24x36 Camera, which could reach these functions. The dynamic range is about 12 stops! The top speed sre 120 frames/sec..
This combination beats everything in macro photography! And, if necessary, you can clean your camera with lens under your water tap. No problem!
Way too much diffraction at those magnifications even with wide aperture. Aps-c is a good middle ground for resolution and zoom. Canon R cameras have amazing built in focus stacking but require a tripod and takes too long with moving subjects.
@@brodylockwood14I don't think so! With MFT you are much quicker in these extrem magnifications. If you take the 60mm Makro with a Rynox and Extension Tubes, you will get also an extrem Ratio with excellent results! With the new 90mm you don't need a Rynox and Extension Tubes. And you have a longer distance to your objekt. Believe me, they built excellent lenses! You have to except, that there is more than 24x36.
I photographed flying dragonflies with my R6. You can do it with many hybrids. And it was not hovering, it was non stop moving
This is like a dream for macro photographers
Up to 999 frames. Not 100
I'm sooooooo looking forward to this lens. Great to hear that you liked it. I bought the OM-1 last year particularly for macro. But I was much more impressed with it than I would have expected. The announcement of this lens made my decision even more perfect.
Yeah I felt after 10 minutes of using this setup that I must get an OM1 camera. Also I feel the raw files are a lot better than anything from Panasonic.
@@MicaelWidell 😁 I went right to "Olympus" because so many macro photographers were using it. I was surprised at how much you can get out of the RAW files and also how different Lighrroom handles the RAW files compared to my Sony files. For example the "white" slider behaves totally different in my opinion. I hardly ever use it with my Sony files, but it works pretty good on the Olympus files. Interesting stuff for my nerdy brain 🤣
I love my OM-1 and the 60mm but can't wait to get hold of the 90mm! Good mini review 👍
Wow, really interesting to focus stack in the camera. Those are some really neat features.
I'm glad to hear you really like the OM1 camera and the new macro lens. A friend of mine said the same thing as you, it's like cheating, when I explained the Pro Capture feature! If you decide to buy an OM1 I would love to see your macro work. I am a fan of your work!
I ordered one. Can’t wait to try it
You can go for 2nd hand O-M1 mark II and 60mm lens for like 800-900 eu and enoy same functionality. Love Olympus kit for macro
Add Raynox 250 and 2:1 is there too.
You can also use teleconverters with certain extension tubes to hack more Magnification with autofocus on 60mm lens
The 90mm 3,5 can't be used with Foto Stacking with the EM-1 II!
@@im2p Wouldn't there be a firmware update?
This was the answer of a german Olympus Product Manager at a Presentation of the 90mm in a Live Chat. I think, you can do Photo Bracketing.
I have the OM-1 and the 60mm Macro, but preordered this new lens as soon as it was launched. Great to get your views on it, Michael, ‘it feels like cheating’ can’t be bad thing 😂
Love that focusing clutch mechanism. It's on the Sony 90mm macro g and it's sooo nice
Thank you for review Bruce.
You nailed it in your video! Most underrated feature in Olympus Cameras "the inbody focusstack"! ...and you dont have to go for the OM1 (even when it makes sense). I use the combination of the OM-D EM1 Mark III paired with the 60mm (occationaly I put a raynox 250 and some distance rings on to come realy close). Best flash for that (and i really recomend to give this a try) is the very affordable TT350 from Godox. There are the same reflectors available like you showed in your short video here. ...final conclution --- yes, it feels like cheating!
That is the only reason I still have my Olympus. I have the 60 and the EM and a tiny tripod and I get perfect little product shots for people almost instantly.
It is indeed interesting when someone releases equipment, which makes 2:1 macros more easy.
I am so happy to play with this lense since 2 weeks because I got my lense shipped now 😀. I will test my teleconverters (1.4 & 2.0) for 2.8 and 4.0 magnification this weekend.
The company also provides an excellent full featured and free OM Workplace software for the users of its cameras which will allow you to focus stack and edit your images.
Olympus should be the first to have focus stacking built-in many years ago but now some cameras of other brands may have this feature too.
M43 with its inherited greater depth of field has big advantage in macro photography compared with FF.
I also consider Olympus's E-M1 mark II (maybe you can buy a used one as it is no longer produced) together with its 60mm macro lens should be the cheapest combination to get the similar experience and results.
Great to see your professional review of the lens (and camera). Focus Stacking handheld out of camera works already with the 60mm macro. Hope the OIS increase the precision even further to get a sharp result out of camera.
How do you sort & stack the photos taken with focus stacking? The focus is not linearly increasing distance in this mode.
Hope you get another chance to test the system with the 2x Teleconverter attached to increase magnification further.
Thanks for the review Micael!
I also have my eye on an OM-1. Also, I am enjoying the 1.4x Canon 100mm autofocus macro lens. On the R7 APSC or the R6 markII full frame, it will focus stack in the camera. It outputs a JPG. You have to use the electronic shutter which does not work with flash on those cameras so it's best to do your handheld stack outdoors in great light or on a tripod with long shutter times. I've used this feature for light macro and landscape photography with some success. Using a lens that doesn't have much focus breathing helps. Great video as always Micael!
Oh it's a shame it doesn't support flash when stacking.
I had an Olympus before I got my Sony, and although I'm happy with my decision to switch, I think people often underestimate the quality & abilities of Olympus cameras because they're not one of the "big three."
The focus stacking work with flash? Wow! Awesome!
Wish i went with Olympus and not sony a7iv. I didn't know about olympus' photostacking feature 😭
Which pope shield product do you use with that lens? Could you post a link please?
In this video I used the AK diffuser. akdiffuser.com/
I think if you use certain Olympus flashes you dont have to set the flash delay time. I have the EM1.3 and 60mm but I dont use Olympus flashes yet.
I don't do macro ( tried it, sucked at it) but I watched tis video because I was curious to see what OM did with this lens. I have gotten a kick out of some of these comments though. It's very common that people do not give m 4/3 a second look. All the main marketing is a push to FF. If people would actually take the time to research systems they would know that the OM-1 is a pretty amazing photographic tool. The built in ND filters, the AI focus tracking, focus stacking, starry auto focus and my favorite live composite. I have a friend who shot nikon dslr who has wanted to get into light painting. He was blown away by my live composite feature. He made the switch..... to Nikon Z system and still cannot light paint to save his life. lol
You can get the om1-mark2 or 3, or the em5-mark2-3 older sensor much cheaper, very similar image quality and the work with the 60 and 90, even with automatic focus stacking
You seemed to have a teleconverter pouch on the table but didn't mention anything about the use of the teleconverters, working distance and nothing about ip53 rating of weathersealing
Yeah sorry didn’t have time to test it with the teleconverter. Perhaps in a later video!
@@MicaelWidell really hope to see a proper review from you on the lens and om1 and maybe mc14
Hey, was ist das für Blitztunnel? Selbstbau oder Nachbau eigene Umsetzung, wüßte gern mehr davon. Danke
By Blitztunnel I assume you mean the diffuser. It is the AK diffuser, I made a video about it earlier.
Bear in mind that if you want more pixels there are two hi-res shooting modes available. I don’t know that either is compatible with in-camera focus stacking, but should work with focus bracketing and macro photography in general.
Looks amazing. Am curious how it performs in the field though
I do like OM systems approach for making more software-based features like internal focus stacking. Another big feature I like is their live exposure composition or double exposures. Makes doing lighting paintings and other shots so easy and fun.
I wish Sony would do this, but I did read a rumor about a new A7iv firmware coming that will have in camera focus stacking. Would be the first camera ever from Sony to have that built-in
Thanks for the thorough review! I switched to Olympus years ago, never looked back. The only reason I carry a tripod now is just to preserve my position and composition for multiple shots when the light is changing, but most of the time I just use it hand held. I have the 60mm and I love it, but more reach would be awesome...I just have to convince my wallet...
Interesting, but when going to 2x, how small is the focus plane? Or doesnt it affect focus plane 1x or 2x ?
Focus plane will be thinner the closer you focus
@@MicaelWidell Hmm iofs självklart nu när jag tänker efter. Tack
Are you using the OM-1 ? Im
Going crazy with om-1 and 90mm .I’ve done every setting and it won’t focus stack at all! Last week I rented it with the 60 mm and it worked
Strange. Works for me. Contact Olympus support.
I like that AK diffuser. I went to their site and they had no set ups for Nikon. I see that you have Pope Shield diffusers listed in your "In My Bag." Which diffuser do you like best? Micro 4 Thirds is a great format for macro work! The in camera stacking is awesome!
I like the pope shield. But also the Cygnustech diffuser I just reviewed in my latest video. I think the cygnustech is my favorite at the moment.
@@MicaelWidell Thanks Michael. I’ll check out the Cygnustech.
Plz i have a question .. your camera is omd om1 mark ii ??
My camera is a om-1 mark 1
Very nice video review of a lense I certainly can't afford. But one day🌄
Uh-oh. Your Laowa addiction has been broken!
😉
Thanks, I enjoyed your review!
Now to get a chance to review the camera+lens with living, moving insects outdoors... 😃
The Sony A7RV has built in focus stacking as well...the true king of macro. I imagine it will be in all future Sony bodies from now on.
The A7RV has focus bracketing, but not focus stacking like the OM-1. With the Sony you need to use external software to create the focus stack from the individual shots, rather than getting the stacked image in camera. For me focus bracketing does the job, but it's the in camera focus stacking that has impressed Micael here.
@@davekendall5273 Oh I see. Meh...I don't use anything sooc anyways. I'll stick to having control.
The thing that irks me about Sony is that the A7IV and the A7RV have the same CPU / ISP, but they chose not to give the A7IV focus bracketing. The flagship 6K A1 doesn't even have it.
I HATE market differentiation :-/
The OM1 is much faster. With the 40-150 2.8 pro with snap on lens it makes 40 shots per second focus bracketing. That means giant handheld stacks.
do you also get the raw files of each pics to stack at home later? or only the stacked jpg?
You get all individual raw files, plus the stacked JPG :)
For macro, E-M1 MK III or MK II should be as good as OM-1.
Unless you do wildlife/sport, pick Olympus E-M1 MK III to save some money, then you can buy 90mm to have 2x magnification. As macro shooter, 90mm should be your main target.
You make interesting videos, Micael. It's a pleasure to follow up your macro channel, a lot of interesting informations. Thank you !
Thanks for the kind words! I ordered an OM-1 anyway, because I got a really good deal. Going to begin with the 60mm lens, and if I still love it after some use, I will get the 90mm as well.
Will this lens work with E-M1 MK III?
Of course it will work.
Doesn't the flash charging time limit the usage of in-camera focus-stacking?
Yes, you need a really good flash. Currently testing some of the best flashes - will make a video about it later.
You might know this already, but 1:1 on MFT is actually 2:1 on FF (and 2:1 is 4:1 on FF, and so on).
1:1 on MFT fills only a 17mm x 13mm area, but on FF 1:1 fills a 36mm x 24mm area. Therefore on FF you need 2:1 to get the same 17 x 13mm subject to fill the frame.
Yes thank you, I am familiar with this 😄
Well if you'd have a 80mp ff sensor then not, cause you can crop it to same mp and view, so a a7r4 61mp is almost same with laowa 2:1 cropped to 20mp, this "advantage" of mft is slowly going away with each higher mp sensor
@@mmd90 But the lenses are way bigger and if FF megapixels goes any higher, so will MFT. There's already a 25mp MFT sensor on the GH6, you would need a 100mp FF sensor to get a 25mp MFT crop out of it.
I don't really like that math since it it doesn't follow the definition.
By definition, the enlargement is calculated for the image _on the sensor_. It doesn't depend on the image if you look at your screen.
You can only get an 8.5 x 6.5 big bug on the 4/3 sensor if you shoot at 2:1.
But it will look bigger on the screen.
@@te0pol159 laowa 85 mm f5.6 is smaller and lighter
Great lens 👌
Can you do macro without a viewfinder? I have a sony zve10, it only has the lcd display.
Yes it is definitely possible. I do it here for example: ruclips.net/video/oWgSwtLn-64/видео.html
Does the IS work with Lumix cameras(eg.G9)?
Mike in Oz
If you mix brands you have to choose, either lens is or body is.
Sync is only works with Oly lenses on Oly bodies and Pana lenses on Pana bodies.
I can advise flash from Samsung nx they work on Olympus younger models and there is a small flash from Panasonic with LEDs for backlighting!
OM-1,90mm
カッコイイ
FROM JAPAN
I have the Olympus 60mm 2.8 my question is how much more working distance will you gain with this 90mm with this lens? Thanks in advance.
Not a whole lot. I would guess 50%
There is also an App for Sony Cameras which works with almost all Sony Cameras, that can do something like semi-auto-focus stacking... You'll have to stitch the pictures later on your own, but you can set up the camera in position, run the app and set how many pictures in which focus-range should be make and the app doesw take the pictures for you...
Unfortunately the ability to have apps was removed in the latest Sony cameras.
@@MicaelWidell OH, okay, didn't know that... I'm still on my A6000
@@MicaelWidell sony apps yes , but there is other called B8Stack but it is very cumbersome to use in practice
Welcome to have "seen the light" ! 🙂 From a Sony and mostly Oly shooter 😉
I'm surprised you flash would cycle anywhere near fast enough to keep up with the stacking sequence, but you don't say what frame rate that was. My Lumix G9 has an in camera stacking feature that's resolution-limited, plus a focus bracketing mode that I prefer to use for shooting stacks with raw files. Unfortunately, you can only get the best stabilization with an Olympus lens on an Olympus body. The Micro Four Thirds standard apparently didn't extend to having dual IS work on all bodies. So is this a $1600 lens, or a $3500 lens if you have to buy a camera body to extract it's full performance. I like working with my G9 and the Olympus 60mm macro. But I worry that with the extra working distance (a little camera motion amplified by the telephoto reach) and the extra magnifcation that the 90mm would be very usable on my G9. I'd only get lens IS, not dual IS as the OM1 provides.
There is a 1/10 s pause between each shot. So 10 shots per second. I get this performance with the Meike mk320 and GP Photo Flash batteries.
The Canon R6 which I use has focus stacking but I have the Laowa lenses, the Canon 100mm macro with AF is not as sharp or controls chromatic aberration as well as the Laowa lenses which is the reason why I've not gone for Canon macro lens. The RF 100 macro might be a contender though
I use camera connect & control on my Nikon d5500 from my iPhone and it will let be do focus interval shots and the camera alone won’t
I used to have the Sony a1 and sold it to buy the om1 and some lenses I've never looked back. The sharpnes on that new sensor im not afraid to crop even at 20mp
Canon and Fuji now offer stacking in camera too, unfortunately the canon r7 won’t let you use flash, I’m not sure if Fuji does. Ii seems a great bonus to be able to do flash stacking in camera, no waiting around for the pc to tell you the stack failed, no more helicon…
With the 40-150 2.8 pro (with snap on lens for macro) the OM1 makes 40 shots per second in focus bracketing mode.
Sony A7RV can do Focus Stack :)
Will it combine the images in camera as well?
A7rv will not combine images in camera, you set the camera to take bracketed focus images at will take a raw images that can be stacked in apps like Photoshop. Please correct me if I’m wrong but if it’s stacked in camera it will be in jpg format.
I would not call that focus "stacking" what the Sony does. It is only "bracketing" ie taking a series of pictures with different focus planes. OMD (aka Olympus) cameras are doing the "stacking" within the camera right after finishing the "bracketing". And yes, the results are JPEG, but you have the RAWs as well in case you want to manually redo the stacking with your favorite stacking program.
OM1 makes 40 fps bracketing sequences with a fast lens. That makes ha dheld stacks of 40 shots and more possible.
I told you OM1 system is the best for macro! A lot of macro photographers using it! Have a god time dear Micael...Grathings from Canary Islands
lol I just ordered this lens :D
Has anyone switched from Canon to Olympus? I had an Olympus point and shoot camera some 15 years ago that was pretty good already for that category and had better macro capabilities than other brands I tried at the time. But then I got a Canon T6 in 2018 and have been using that with the old Canon 100mm USM (hand-held). Some pictures are sharp but there’s no IS either on the camera or lens so I have to take 10-15 pictures before I’m happy with one. I also have the Zuiko 50mm f/1.2 (from the 70’s maybe) that is a great lens in many ways but I’m not a big fan of the colours. I suppose the 60mm has similar colours.
Still, I do wonder if I’d be better off switching to Olympus.
Do you guys think an intermediate micro 4/3 Olympus Camera combined with the 60mm would give me sharper results than my set up right now? Then I could upgrade to this new 90mm which seems so impressive.
On the other hand, Olympus cameras seem heavy in comparison which will make it harder for a short woman like me to take sharp pictures hand-held. What do you think?
For many 'fool framers' micro four thirds has been frowned upon...just read countless forums. Turns out, all formats have advantages and disadvantages and with mft (Olympus/OMD and Panasonic G mount) you get features like ibis earlier and better than most plus other in body AI functions like stacking in the camera or astro tracking.... a seriously underrated system mft, despite also having disadvantages in other areas. Would love to see a long term review of the lens paired with an om system/Olympus camera...
Micael, waiting for the sony system to develop this type of automated in-camera stacking.
Yeah that would be awesome. I think they have something similar in the A7R 5. But their lenses only have 1x magnification.
Seemed more about the camera than the lens review. = VID TITLE. Still Oly has some good features that make shooting other genres of photography easier. Maybe Astro & Wildlife.
Use back button focus for AF and move back and forwards if nesessary for insects
That technique works well, but personally I wish Olympus didn't disable focus peaking whenever back button focus is used. Peaking can be activated again with a function button to more easily check focus while moving the camera, but then it's disabled again the next time AF is activated.
Since swaping to Olympus I've been nothing but impressed by the camera. Sticking with the 60mm for now, the compact size is just unbeatable. Only drawback of the 60 is its odd MF system.
Yeah right now I think I am going to buy a OM-1 camera and the 60mm. I tried the 60mm earlier and also did not like the MF focusing. How do you deal with this? What is the best way to focus with that lens?
Also, I want to ask if you can recommend a flash for macro on Olympus?
I am an amateur dabbling with macro. I have only used Oly cameras from 2012, and now use the E-M1x and E-M1ii. I got the 60 mm early on.
My modus operandi is to frame the picture with the AF, then push the button/dial I have programmed to swap between AF and MF. Then I move the camera until I have focus and press the shutter. Alternatively, I use the stacking but not for the composite picture but for the one with best focus.
An Oly flash will control the stacking speed, and not fire unless the flash is ready.
I have the old FL50R (too heavy for macro) and FL600R (smaller and more nimble). Generally, I have the flash in my left hand (connected with a cord) and the camera in my right.
I suggest the current mid range flash FL700WR.
@@MicaelWidell i've had really good luck with the v860-o III from godox with the 60mm macro and the em-5mk3 for macro - should work the same with the OM1
Hi Micael ! You forgot that it is compatible with the MC-20 M.Zuiko 2x teleconverter !!!
Yeah I forgot to mention that. Honestly that feels almost overkill considering the native features of this lens.
@@MicaelWidell I do super-macro pictures of minerals with a 8:1 automatic system I built on a GH5. This is very interesting ! You can go in another world with this new lens and teleconverter.
I have very shaky hands. And the Olympus provides a decent image stabilization even with the 60mm lens on my nearly 7 year old em-5 mark ii.
So happy to see You starting to use the latest from this system. But at the price tag, a bit out of my reach!
Looking forward to the proper long term review with some spectacular photos from this lens.
You must try this setup with original Olympus flash.
The Godox system for Olympus or Panasonic works also well !
@@thomaskehl69 It works best with Olympus flash units because only they fully communicate with the Olympus camera. I have both Godox and Meike, but with Olympus there is no comparison.
@@pasza9534 i dont know exactly which model Mikael was using in the video, but the price tag is surely 3 times higher than Godox tt350o. I can easy buy a controller together with the flash for a lower price...
@@thomaskehl69 Yes. The price of this flash is its serious disadvantage, but we gain excellent cooperation with the camera and water resistance. In most cases, Godox will be more than enough.
He was using a Meike 320 which is smaller and cheaper than the Godox 350. I like his idea of setting the duration of 1/10 sec between flashes- something I hadn’t thought of trying. Think I’ll give that a go before splashing out on an Olympus flash.
This sure looks like the perfect macro lens for hunting live insects.
Waoooo just amazing but for this lens 1500 EU...in 🇨🇭 in my opinion it is a bit expensive..but if u want something good u know what u need too do...
Yeah it is very expensive. But worth the money if you are serious about macro photography and need the features
Trust me, the only reason you are getting any focus stacking 'fails' is because of your movement during the exposures. If the camera is placed on a tripod the focus stacking works every time in my experience. Obviously, your subject and shooting circumstances will dictate whether you can use a tripod. If you don't want to (or can't) tripod mount your camera, then you need to simply work on your holding technique to be as steady as possible while the camera is doing the stacking exposures. It's an amazing feature that really produces stunning results.
Of course I tested with the camera steady on a tripod or supported on a table as well. Did not affect the fail rate.
@@MicaelWidell Interesting. When it fails, it is pretty much always due to camera or subject movement that renders shot to shot alignment impossible. It must have to do with the lens itself, as I have a number of other Olympus lenses that offer in-camera focus stacking -- 30mm f/3.5 macro, 60mm f/2.8 macro, 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro, 12-100mm f/4 Pro, and 100-400mm f5-6.3 -- none of them fail focus stacking if on a tripod, assuming a subject that is not moving in the wind, etc.
Perhaps it has something to do with the insanely shallow DOF of the 90mm -- or maybe there will be a firmware update in the future to improve the function.
what flash is that??
Meike mk320
Wouldn't it be a better result to focus bracket, rather than to focus stack? Bracketing will result in a raw file rather than a useless jpeg.
Sure
It's hard for me to believe that an Olympus could be the king of anything. 😅
Jeg byttet alle olympus objektiv og kjøpte fujifilm x-t5 pluss objektiv. Men har foreløpig beholdt om-1 og 60 mm macro. Usikker på om jeg selger den....
If you want to stay in full frame territory Canon R6II can also do in body focus stacking. Also the apsc size R7.
But will they combine the actual stack in camera?
@@MicaelWidell yes :) In a jpeg format. But I guess that's the same for the oly cams?
@@csjoe But you can't use flash with the bracketing function...
@@julianloboguerrero oh I didn't know that. That's disappointing.
@@julianloboguerrero the ability to use flash is awesome!
Another video already? Awesome 😁
Pixel density wins!
So they stole the iFunction button on the lens from Samsung. Samsung the innovator.
The Auto stacking certainly is a nice feature, but I kinda feel like OM is already a dead system.
Focus stacking is cheating.
Nah, not for me. Not over the Sony or Nikon or any high megapixel full-frame. It will not compare.