Thanks! Hi Lee. Thanks for this review and thanks also for all the time you’ve given me at Glazer’s and your live video last week. It’s been so nice to be able to ask you the specific questions that I’ve had. Like you, I push the Mark II to its limits, but I didn’t do that with the Mark I so, unfortunately, I can’t really say if I’ve had the same experience with the autofocus. I can say pretty confidently that when shooting video, the autofocus with AI Bird Detection is noticeably better on the Mark II. Although, to be honest, it was so bad on the Mark I, that’s not really saying much. - Mick
Once again, much appreciated and it was great meeting you in person! I haven't tried video yet with the OM-1 Mark II so can't comment intelligently on that issue. I am looking forward to continuing to put these beasts to work in Brazil in August!! I always appreciate your generosity. It helps bringing this material to EVERYONE!
Hi Lee, I changed from Canon to OM after getting back from the Amazon with you earlier this year. Got two OM1 markIi bodies with several lens. Went to Grand Tetons with Warner and got some great pictures I don't think I would have got with with my Canon system. Love the OM system. George Jensen
Hey George, great hearing form you! I bet you had a great time with Jennifer, she is a hoot isn't she. She laughs identical to my daughter! I am so glad to hear that!
Thank you for your honest review Lee! Its ambassadors like you who will help OM Systems improve. I'm so glad that you don't throw your hands up and say "I'm Switching!". That doesn't help anyone, it just causes confusion. These are excellent cameras and if anyone can't get good shots with them, they should take some more lessons (with Lee Hoy) and practise! Its actually fun and rewarding!
Well, given the quality of the OM System Ambassador Team, I am going to take that as one of the best photography compliments I have ever received. You humble me and make me grateful. I don't take these comments lighly or for granted. Thanks!
Interesting and refreshingly honest review. On the whole the autofocus for birds is pretty good . Sometimes it surprises me with how well it gets focus spot on against a busy background but some times it surprises me with how it fails to achieve focus on an easy target much like you found. Again I have had the same strange issue of the camera taking extra shots at the end of a long burst so I end up with poorly metered out of focus shots of the floor or the inside of the hide (blind ). I thought it might be me or more worryingly something going wrong with the camera so interesting to see you are getting the same thing. I have got this shooting only at 12.5 fps in SH2.
It isn't just you Mike, (of course, that doesn't mean you aren't crazy)! Hahaha. So why drop to 12.5 FPS for SH2 instead of just using Silent Sequential at 20FPS without the ISO limitation?
@@leehoyphotography Simple Lee, I prefer blackout free which SH2 gives me. I don't use just 12.5 either but I mentioned that because the issues don't just happen at 50fps. Oh , yes, happily admit to a little craziness or I wouldn't be into this hobby!
Always, I have a hard time doing a 5 miinute video, I mean, I am not talking about how to put a battery in a smoke alarm right? ;) Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the in-depth review. I've had the OM-1 mkii for a couple of weeks. Love it. I'm not a bird & wildlife photographer, except for occasional cardinal or finch. Mostly city scapes, street, etc. More urban settings. Yesterday, for example, I paired the OM-1 mkii with the 20mm f/1.4 and spent a day shooting city life around Baltimore. Live GND paired with image stabilization helped me capture a nice scene on a jostling commuter rail, with the inside of the light rail exposed nicely and the GND allowing me capture the sense of scenery movement through the window. Looking forward to more photography, pairing the camera with the 25mm and 45mm primes and the 8-25mm zoom.
I don't have the 20mm F1.4, you loving it huh? See, the OM-1 Mark II is a phenomenal street body!! I had a BLAST in Cuba! the Live GND is just magical! I don't have the 25mm or 45mm but I understand they are awesome! Thanks for watching and commenting!
I appreciate the thoughtful and brutally honest review and your vulnerability as brand ambassador to give a through review. In this day and age, its easy to blow hot air up peoples kilts. I respect that you didn't do that here.
thankyou lee i thought i was going crazy , i found in wasnt getting so much in focus as i did with my om1 , found myself picking the 1 back up many times .. i will keep using it of course , but really like hearing your opinion
Very interesting that you see more reasons to upgrade for landscape and macro shooters than for wildlife shooters. All mark1 vs. mark2 comparison videos I’ve seen so far concentrated primarily on AF and subject detection. Live GND and improvements in dynamic range was mentioned in a side note at best or completely ignored. Your review makes an upgrade for me much more compelling. Thanks.
You can come to this channel for BS free, honest, and thorough reviews, first impressions, etc. I do my best to earn the trust of my viewers by being transparent in all areas. I value authenticity and hopefully that is visible in my images. Thanks for being a part of my online community.
Lee, I two have had the problem of at 50 fps, after a large burst, that after I lift up my finger from the shutter, that the camera keeps taking some photos. I am glad I am not the only one who has had this issue. I never seen this issue at 25fps, but only on 50fps.
Could it be that you maximise the buffer, and since a camera is a computer, that the release shutter button signal is not lett through? That is my thoughts about this issue.
@@sweden_ove2074 But it is only occasionally happening. Not every time, in fact, only some of the time. There is no predictable reasoning. And if it were the buffer that would just take more recording to the card time, not keep taking photos. Think of as taking a bunch of photos, you lift your finger and it still taking images!
@@leehoyphotography indeed i do! it's about the same as the om1, but faster. The Live GND is a nice touch! Just used the Starry Sky AF on the comet.. It didn't like locking onto the comet, but stars were no problem.
That is the Atoll-D (and you need the spacer). You can find my Amazon affiliate link in the video description above! I love that you enjoyed my video that much!
Telling it like it is. Always appreciate that. Great review. In regard to the camera taking pictures while you are dropping it, is it possible that your pinky finger is hitting the shutter release on the vertical battery grip?
Hell yeah! I always will on this channel, you can bank on that! No, it is 1000% never possible, trust me. I have been doing this too long, taken too much images, and I am a control freak about photography.
Hi Lee. Thank you very much for your excellent videos that help to improve photographic technique and to better understand our equipment. I personally have the OM1, and I observe the same problems as you with the OM1 II. Birds in flight with sufficient proximity, large size and even at low flight speed, suddenly go out of focus without giving any explanation to the camera's response. I think I have tried all the settings, even removing the stabilizer to try to make everything focus on the focus and the shot. I don't know if it is a fault of my unit or it is something usual. I hope this is corrected in firmware updates. In the case of video it is almost impossible to keep the bird in flight or even a static animal for more than a couple of seconds without the focus going out although it later returns, which ruins the shot. I hope that OM System continues to improve. I think that a successor body to the EM1X with a dual processor and many more features for video such as 4K at 120 fps would be necessary, something that almost all brands already do with production bodies, even non-professional ones. In Spain, the human team at OM System is fantastic. Thank you very much again.
Very interesting review. I tend to shoot at 25fps and I haven't seen your focus issue. I also think the focus acquisition is better with the mk2. I've kept the mk1 - where else will I find a camera this good for what I'd get for it 2nd hand? I just hope OMS doesn't bury its head in the sand over these issues.
I can assure you they are not. I have had many detailed conversations with them. They listen to use VERY well. They are a great team and I couldn't be prouder to be a part of any other team!
Thanks for your review! A question about the GND because I do not understand the benefit. I usually use the HDR function in such situations and a graduated filter in post-production. Do you expect better results with the GND? What is the difference? Gretings from Germany Alex
Anytime we can improve our base exposure in camera, it always beats improvements in post processing. HDR just rarely looks quite right to my eye. I almost never use. Think of cooking with a recipe. Would you rather try to get the ingrediants right at the start or add something after the fact? It always tastes better when done right to start. There are HUGE benefits to the GND when you don't constrain yourself to thinking like you do with a physical GND or one used in post-processing. You can't put them at the same angle as the built in one. Thanks for watching Alex!
@@leehoyphotography Will be definitely on my watchlist. 👍 "Live gnd beyond skys" would be a snappier title but I'm sure you'll come up with something even better.
Hi Lee. I have had the same problems. I thought it was my lens the M.Zuiko 150-600 F5.0-6.3 so sent it back to Olympus. Later on I used my 40-150 and had problems with that. Also my 12-40 and had focusing problems. Having watched your video it looks like the camera is the faulty unit. Hope they come up with a firmware update to correct the problem.
I don't think I would describe them as faulty units, I still capture a TON of amazing images. I am talking about getting close to the. upper limits of possibilities. I suspect they will at some point.
@@leehoyphotography thanks for your reply. Probably I didn't phrase that very well. I did not mean the cameras are faulty units I was trying to imply it's a camera fault not a lens fault.
I like your passion on the om1 I have both , and most of the lens you have. Here’s my problem see if you can help me. I all so shoot Nikon,Sony,Canon full frame. Because each system has a few lens that I love. And with the micro 4/3 I always fell like I am missing out on image quality.how can I only shoot with one system. I have to many choices, can you give me an ideas on what to do? Not to mention the financial burden of all this gear? Help me I love your channel!
I assure you, you will have the same image quality with OM System as any other gear. I could post my shots with folks with other systems, and you wouldn't know. It is either in the post processing, the shutter speed, etc. Not sure the specifics, but you should easily be able to shoot with the same quality. Watch my video on post processing, travel workflow, shooting at High ISO, etc. When you say image quality, be more specific?
@@leehoyphotography like the sharpness and the silky, smooth backgrounds, it’s like the images have the 3d effect popping out at you with the image separation on full frame. Don’t get me wrong. I love my OM1 especially love the 150 to 400 lens. I’m trying my hand at wildlife photography with it, but mainly I am a portrait photographer. I want to be a micro 4/3 guy full time. And I should sell off all the other gear. And lord knows I could use the money it would bring thanks for you help.
hi Lee I think that at Om-system they are just as surprised as you and everyone else. about the Af problem when shooting at high frame rates. I am positively surprised by your recordings in low contrast situations, they are very good. One consolation is that the major camera brands also have AF problems with all their cameras, especially in difficult circumstances
You know, the issues I have are actually small when compared to the overall. But you know me, I am going to share everything! NO camera is perfect! Yes, high ISO is no issue for me! ;)
Good, honest review. I bet I know exactly where you were when you shot the 'moonbow'! :-) That would be in the Davis Mountains State Park, up on the bluff above Fort Davis? Where the CCC gazebo is? I love that State Park!
I’ve been shooting with the OM 5 for quite a while. I recently added an OM 1 MkII body and I’m absolutely loving it. I’m getting good results with pro capture and auto focus with birds. I’ve been using continuous auto focus with subject detect without tracking and auto focus area set to all. My understanding is that subject detect doesn’t play quite as well with continuous auto focus plus tracking. And that tracking is for instances where specific subject detect is not appropriate. I would be VERY interested in some deeper OM specific mentoring and/or workshops. I’m very much an amateur, newbie photographer, but I’m a PASSIONATE amateur newbie photographer. 😀 So how do we make that happen? Appreciate your content.
Yes, the engineers say to never use tracking with AI Subject Detection. On the OM-1, I had phenomenal results doing that very thing, but I don't on the Mark II. They also say to not use all AF points which I did on OM-1 with great results. I use Large on the Mark II. Thanks for watching!
Also, be sure and check out my OM System Mentorship Program! www.omsystementorship.com. The next video will be about Mastering Your System and related to this mentorship program. Check it out! It is very popular!
Just a (second) thought - when my mk2 doesn't want to focus on a flying bird I get it to focus on something simpler - like trees - at a similar distance. This usually wakes up the autofocus.
I ALWAYS pre-focus between shots at a distance I anticipate a subject, that isn't an issue. I am VERY OCD on this. I keep the AF alwasy ready to go, that is why the issues are bothersome at time. I have given myself EVERY single opportunity to capture focus as quickly as possible. Thanks for watching!
The biggest AF improvement in my view is that mark ii handles partially obstructed subjects much better. It's the first camera I can trust enough to have with full area AF by default.
Ironically, the OM-1 I used all AF points too, but the engineers say don't. Use the large box. I have found the large box to be a bit better. Go figure.
@@leehoyphotography I found that the original OM-1 autofocus drifts a little when there isn’t enough contrast, I missed a few shots just the past weekend using the 100-400 during early morning. So you found the large box area works better than smaller one with OM-1 ?
Hi, Regarding your issue with the OM-1 taking images when you lower the camera after a burst Ive shot Nikon for over 40 years and am very well experienced. Recently I switched to the Sony A1 with motor drive and had exactly the same issue as you which was completely random and very annoying. I even had the camera checked out by Sony and it came back without and issues discovered. After a few weeks the problem came back which was very frustrating and was very random. Again I thought it must be the camera but after a while I finally realised what was happening, when I lowered the camera after a burst the fleshy part of the palm of my hand was pressing against the shutter release button on the grip caused by the weight of the 600mm lens as it was lowerred . This never occurred on my Nikon's as the shutter button on the battery grip was well recessed, but on the Sony it wasn't. So I now always make sure the Grip shutter release switch is turned off. Problem solved, it may be worth looking at this on you OM-1 - Let me know of this helps.
I can 100% assure it wasn't from me still pushing the shutter button. The vertical grip button is located in such a way that the only time I have ever accidentally had this happen was with the camera sitting on my lap in a vehicle! The last firmware update has almost totally eliminated the issue!
Well, that is for the mechanical shutter only, you don't wear out the electronic shutter! I shoot in electronic shutter 95% or more! And it is over the full year, not one trip! Thanks for watching and commenting!
I'm very happy with my mk2 and I'm sure it performs better than my mk1. However, I do find AF oddities occur occasionally. I shoot procapture SH2 at 25fps with the 150-400 CAF+MK bird subject detect on using all focus points I took a number of sequences of a heron (big bird in decent light and reasonably clear foreground and background). These were taken in rapid succession. About 12 images per sequence maybe 2-3 seconds between sequences. First sequence probably 80% really sharp, second sequence all out of focus, third sequence ~80% really sharp. On this occasion this wasn't a problem - not a rare bird and the surrounding sets of images gave me good shots. If it was a rare and skittish bird I might have only got one go and would be frustrated if it was the 0 in focus case. The bird moved slightly between the 3 sets but I have no idea why it lost focus. I find the AF often drifts a little during a sequence but normally there are some that are good. A little while later. a small bird in foliage with only its head clear - probably 50% of the sequence was sharp. My mk1 would not have found the bird at all.
@@crapicantavoid I have the MK-1 and I use it for birding. I have the Olympus 100-400 lens. I do find that I get roughly the same 80% success rate. Some are out of focus or the tracking fails. Not very happy with this camera and lens and I might be checking out the Nikon Z6 iii very soon
It is the losing AF at times when there is a ton of contrast that bothers me at times. This "drifting" confuses me at times. I mean all cameras will drift at times, but where there is dramatic contrast between the bird and background, drifting shouldn't be that often. The newest firmware has helped quite a bit. Thanks for watching.
@@mr.foxwiz1653 The MK-1 is one of the best wildlife cameras made, I suspect settings or issues otherwise. I can capture images with that you will never get with the Nikon.
I have used EVERY single CA-F sensitivity, AF size, etc. On that series, y CAF Sensitivity was set to Zero which I have found to be the best and the Large AF box (which is what the engineers recommend when using AI Subject Detection. Hope that helps Julio.
It looks like on the used market I can get an OM-1 for about $1000 less than an OM-1 mark II. Is the OM-1 mark II that much better? Would it be better to get an original OM-1 and put the extra money toward a better lens? For example that is about the difference in price between the 100-400 and the 150-600. Right now I have an OM-5 and my longest lens is the 75-300. In your opinion, would it be better to get the OM-1 and the 150-600 or the OM-1 mark II and the 100-400?
The first option for you, IF you don't shoot much landscape. I just think the 150-600 is much better than the 100-400. For me that is a no brainer just based on lens choice! IF you remember you will be shooting at much longer mm's so need faster shutter speed!
Well viewers may need a little more info to understand your focus issues. Maybe for birds in flight you are using C AF with sensitivity +2. Using the smaller AF target mode helps acquire focus quicker for me. I do not even have "all" as an option. If you had those settings and then shoot the white bird, it may struggle to focus with +2 sensitivity. If I get a sitting bird I often choose S AF and a single or small box AF target mode. I have not had issues but I do not push shutter speeds to the max. My OM 1 Mark2 is only 3 months old. I enjoy you videos as informative and entertaining.
I have tried EVERY single variation you can imagine. I would never bother switching back to S-AF as I use back button focus and that is such a pain, you wll miss way more shots taking the time to do that. I mention either in this video or another that using CAF Sensitivy on the Mark II at 0 is like +1 or +2 on the Mark I. Glad you are enjoying the videos and thanks!
I have the exact same issue with my new OM-1 Mark 2 .i.e camera takes photos even after I am done , there are many out of focus blank photos mostly of the ground . This happens only in electronic shutter mode 😢. Kindly update if there is a solution
Does the MkII suffer from the same single point C-AF autofocus issue as the MkI? With a simple single point setup (no subject recognition or tracking) the OM-1 I tested would a) often lock focus on items considerably outside of the defined focus area (completely defeating the object of single point focus), and b) Lock focus when nothing at all was in focus. I raised this matter in a forum on DP Review a couple of months back and it started quite a heated debate☺ There were the usual bunch of deniers who would defend their camera choice in the face of of any perceived criticism, but there were also a number of more objective users who agreed there is a flaw in the autofocus system on the OM-1 MkI. Unfortunately, no-one from the latter group seemed to know whether the this bug had carried over into the MkII. Given my use case, this lack of accuracy/reliability in the autofocus was a deal breaker, so disappointedly, I sent the camera back to the store. I've since been wondering whether it's now worth another try with the MkII? I'm also curious to know whether this issue affected the earlier EM-1 models - anyone? If not, then maybe that would be a solution for me (with the added advantage of a significantly lower price point! 😉)
That has certainly been my experience, with the OM-1 Mk II, in low light, somewhat low contrast situations just after the sun has dipped below the horizon. Static bird shots, with bird detect mode on, just will not focus 90% of the time if some foreground branches are close to the subject. Ironically/ frustratingly, the E-M1 Mk II will body focus on the same subject 90% of the time. This is using either the Olympus 300mm F4 at F4 and the 40-150 f2.8 and the 1.4 TC also at F4. Played around with subject detection off/ SAF etc. and was not able to improve the behaviour of the OM-1 Mk II. The low light focus performance has been a huge disappointment, so far, in low contrast situations with the OM-1 Mk II.
@@oz_steve9759 Hi Steve. Sorry to hear you're experiencing autofocus issues too. It must be doubly frustrating for you, given that you've bought a camera that's three generations on from your earlier kit and it doesn't appear to perform as well - the joys of technology, eh?! 🤬 After recognising some issues in real life scenarios, the desktop tests I did were very specific and relatively simple; I was just using C-AF with a single point focus, which I believe should have been about as easy as it can be. The conditions for the tests weren't particularly challenging either - reasonable lighting, good contrast and static subjects. I can point you to the discussion on DP Review, if you're interested. It includes a link to a video I shot of the issue and a lot of interesting discussion with other users - though some, as I say, were determined to defend the camera come what may. It's like I'd insulted their eldest child and heir 😁 Although I'm primarily a Nikon user (whose products also have their issues), I've been a quiet fan of Olympus since the days of the original OM-1. I also had a genuine use case, in that I wanted a smaller, lighter kit as an alternative to my Nikons for macro field walks. As such, I really wanted this to work, but sadly it wasn't to be ☹ Enjoy the remainder of your weekend. David
Do you think the images are stored in the buffer with ProCap and the writing on the card is catching up to the images in the buffer. Check the write speed of your cards to see how fast they are and if it happens on the same brand of card. Just a thought. I have had the same focus issues with my OM 1 Mark II and the 150-400. I had the same issue with the OM 1.
No, it doesn't have anything to do with that in terms of the issues. I always use the fastest cards you can. Yes, ProCap has so many images in the buffer, but I have yet to experience any delay from the recording time. I also don't use ProCap a lot, only for items I can't predict.
No, it isn't a whitish background tha seems to cause, there is really no rhyme to when it might or might not happen. Over 350K images so far, I don't see a specific pattern.
So as far as firmware upgrades go did they do any major ones with mark i and do they do firmware upgrades when needed or are they lacking? I have the shutter issue with my Canon R7 but mine is literally still shooting when l have put camera back in bag and have sent it back twice to Canon they cannot find an issue but it is a slow sensor, problem for me is with such a small buffer it fills buffer so l can no longer shoot, nuisance but not a deal breaker but same as you just not sure of cause, maybe slow sensor readout.
They ahve already done one firmware update as I mentioned that did help and significantly reduce the issue, but still on occasion. This has nothing to do with the sensor or it would happen everytime. Yea, I don't regret leaving Canon in the least. Thanks for watching!
@@isotechimages.9130 OMDS announced that there would be a significant firmware update for the OM1.1 this fall. No exact dates or specifics. Here’s to hoping.
Very informative video sir. However, you are a OM System ambassador. I understand you really can’t slam or talk ill of their products even though OM System may not be as good as the competitors when broken down into genre specific uses. I am a fan of Olympus mirrorless cameras, but in low light, the micro 4/3rd format is really substandard with any ISO over 6400 in low light. This is from my experience doing concept portrait photography. Now if OM System is only marketing the OM-1 II as a wildlife/bird photography camera only, then I would not be interested. However, can you advise on portrait uses for this camera? Thank you.
Were it not for some tests I did yesterday, shooting with the OM-1 Mk2 and the 100-400 at 6400 and 12800 iso, for the first time I've ever shot images at over 3200 iso I might have agreed with you Ed. I did this test just for the hell of it, with no doubt in my mind that the feather detail on the hummingbirds would be soft and the noise beyond excessive. The noise was excessive in the Raw files, but the images were very sharp. I think what made the difference was using Adobe Camera Raw's new AI de-noise feature, which I had never used before as I always shoot at 200 iso and very rarely at 400 iso. I first tried my 2 year old Topaz DeNoise program and the images looked crappy, as I expected they would. It was out of desperation, and partly because I wanted to prove all those OM System Ambassadors wrong that I then ran the files through Camera Raw. The IQ of these files at 12,800 iso processed in Camera Raw while using their AI de-noise was virtually indistinguishable from my normal iso 200 shots. I've never been more surprised in my life. Adobe has been sleeping for too many years with their noise reduction, but this new October release is beyond magic. It's like having full frame image quality with an m43 camera. I honestly thought many of these OM System Ambassadors who were advocating shooting at 3200 and 6400 were either conning me or had very low standards. I could not have been more mistaken. Noise is no longer an issue for me. I can't imagine detail much finer than a hummingbird feather, so to see the noise-free results along with tack sharp images surprised me more than anything I've ever experienced with digital photography. If you have Lightroom Classic or Photoshop I strongly suggest that you download Camera Raw 17.0 and process your images with their AI noise reduction. I think you'll be as surprised as I was.
If you watch my videos, you see that I am honest on all issues regardless of my role. You are VERY wrong on this, I have ISO images over 12800 you couldn't tell from a Sony camera. You just aren't doing one of the following: 1) exposing to the right 2) starting with a sharp shot 3) not cropping the crap out of the image and 4) dont' know how to post process correctly. I have several videos on here that will make you withdraw your comment on high ISO performance. I like to say to folks who say you can't shoot at High ISO with OM, "You may not be able to do so, but I can all day long." ;)
Pretty sure you lost quite a few frames at front of those sequences. it was due to the very noticeable lag in the EVF, ie. what you see in the EVF is long after the bird is gone. Much much slower than other stacked sensor cameras I've compared to. This EVF lag issue needs to be relayed to OMDS so the next version can be improved.
No, I really didn't. There is no lag in the EVF, I have never had an issue with this in the OM-1 and the OM-1 Mark II. Remember, I said this only happens occasionally. That is nowhere near the case that the bird is long gone from the EVF, I have literally 10,000's images that say otherwise. That isn't the issue I am discussing here. These have a very high frame rate on the EVF. I have shot next to many photographers with other systems, this is never an issue for me.
If what you say were true, then it would be virtually impossible to photograph BIF, because your framing would be constantly lagging way behind where the bird actually was -- thus nothing but blank sky photos. That obviously is not the case here.
Lee I've experienced nearly all of the issues you mentioned with my OM-1 Mark II. The OM-1 had a separate C-AF + Tracking option which was notoriously problematic. A separate C-AF+TR option is not provided in the OM-1 Mark II and my understanding is that OMS incorporated the tracking algorithms into C-AF in the Mark II as an always-on feature. I'm wondering if some of these oddities with the new AF and bird tracking is due to this? I love the OM-1 Mark II but I agree, my overall confidence in the new AF system is not what it should be.
Ironically enough, the engineers say when using AI Detection, you shouldn't use tracking on the OM-1. On the OM-1, I had phenomenal success mixing C-AF+Tracking with AI Subject Detection. I will say, I still get a TON of phenomenal images, but I just have an intuition that there was something a little off (I truly think it is just working too fast so it is always adjusting). I am stil happy, but just curious about a few things going on.
I wouldn't say badly, remember, this doesn't happen that often and is only under some very specific circumstances that many people will never experience.
I find it very bad how OM Systems deals with the issues, why It take more then 6months to give a decent firmware update. I understand that not all things can be implemented, but most yes
A company that listens to its Ambassadors, takes step to rectify (the last firmware update already helped some), and this isn't a very common issue. I would say I am very happy with how they are listening and handling it. I know we live in an Amazon society where we order something and you blink and there it is, but that isn't the case for most of life.
Obviously you haven't used it, thus your comment is based on ignoracne (a lack of knowledge) so I will forgive your goofy comment. I am 1005 serious because I have actually used in many situations. I 100% know you have no idea what it does. Maybe, next time before posting a dumbass comment, ask yourself, have I tried this? If not, maybe wait until you have. If you actually listened to the video, you would have heard more caveats; however, I find that comments like this one generally come from people who don't listen well.
Please don't be so aggressive. You're right, I didn't use it on the Om 1 Mk II. But I do use a filter system. Of course the built-in graduated filter has advantages but is it worth the high price for the upgrade. I doubt that. But everyone has to decide for themselves.
@@andreasbelz2110 I agree. A fantastic feature, which I asked for years ago, but not worth $2700 to me, others may think differently. Let's just say if I had $2700 to spend on photo equipment, a filter costing that much wouldn't be what first come to mind. That said a big plus in one's reasons to buy an OM-1mkii.
I have the OM 1 Mark 2 & love the graduated filter. If you do a lot of landscape photography then it most definitely is worth the upgrade. It’s an amazing feature.
Thanks! Hi Lee. Thanks for this review and thanks also for all the time you’ve given me at Glazer’s and your live video last week. It’s been so nice to be able to ask you the specific questions that I’ve had. Like you, I push the Mark II to its limits, but I didn’t do that with the Mark I so, unfortunately, I can’t really say if I’ve had the same experience with the autofocus. I can say pretty confidently that when shooting video, the autofocus with AI Bird Detection is noticeably better on the Mark II. Although, to be honest, it was so bad on the Mark I, that’s not really saying much. - Mick
Once again, much appreciated and it was great meeting you in person! I haven't tried video yet with the OM-1 Mark II so can't comment intelligently on that issue. I am looking forward to continuing to put these beasts to work in Brazil in August!! I always appreciate your generosity. It helps bringing this material to EVERYONE!
Hi Lee, I changed from Canon to OM after getting back from the Amazon with you earlier this year. Got two OM1 markIi bodies with several lens. Went to Grand Tetons with Warner and got some great pictures I don't think I would have got with with my Canon system. Love the OM system.
George Jensen
Hey George, great hearing form you! I bet you had a great time with Jennifer, she is a hoot isn't she. She laughs identical to my daughter! I am so glad to hear that!
Thank you for your honest review Lee! Its ambassadors like you who will help OM Systems improve. I'm so glad that you don't throw your hands up and say "I'm Switching!". That doesn't help anyone, it just causes confusion. These are excellent cameras and if anyone can't get good shots with them, they should take some more lessons (with Lee Hoy) and practise! Its actually fun and rewarding!
There is NO way I would move to any other system! Thank you for the kind words, it means a lot!
You are the best OM system Ambassador!
Well, given the quality of the OM System Ambassador Team, I am going to take that as one of the best photography compliments I have ever received. You humble me and make me grateful. I don't take these comments lighly or for granted. Thanks!
Excellent review Lee, very helpful. Thank you for the time you took to create this 👍
My pleasure John, much appreciated sir!
Interesting and refreshingly honest review. On the whole the autofocus for birds is pretty good . Sometimes it surprises me with how well it gets focus spot on against a busy background but some times it surprises me with how it fails to achieve focus on an easy target much like you found. Again I have had the same strange issue of the camera taking extra shots at the end of a long burst so I end up with poorly metered out of focus shots of the floor or the inside of the hide (blind ). I thought it might be me or more worryingly something going wrong with the camera so interesting to see you are getting the same thing. I have got this shooting only at 12.5 fps in SH2.
It isn't just you Mike, (of course, that doesn't mean you aren't crazy)! Hahaha. So why drop to 12.5 FPS for SH2 instead of just using Silent Sequential at 20FPS without the ISO limitation?
@@leehoyphotography Simple Lee, I prefer blackout free which SH2 gives me. I don't use just 12.5 either but I mentioned that because the issues don't just happen at 50fps. Oh , yes, happily admit to a little craziness or I wouldn't be into this hobby!
Thank u … i appreciate your videos … so thorough!
Always, I have a hard time doing a 5 miinute video, I mean, I am not talking about how to put a battery in a smoke alarm right? ;) Thanks for watching!
Another great and informative video!
Much appreciated Stephen!
Thanks for the in-depth review.
I've had the OM-1 mkii for a couple of weeks. Love it.
I'm not a bird & wildlife photographer, except for occasional cardinal or finch. Mostly city scapes, street, etc. More urban settings.
Yesterday, for example, I paired the OM-1 mkii with the 20mm f/1.4 and spent a day shooting city life around Baltimore. Live GND paired with image stabilization helped me capture a nice scene on a jostling commuter rail, with the inside of the light rail exposed nicely and the GND allowing me capture the sense of scenery movement through the window.
Looking forward to more photography, pairing the camera with the 25mm and 45mm primes and the 8-25mm zoom.
I don't have the 20mm F1.4, you loving it huh? See, the OM-1 Mark II is a phenomenal street body!! I had a BLAST in Cuba! the Live GND is just magical! I don't have the 25mm or 45mm but I understand they are awesome! Thanks for watching and commenting!
I appreciate the thoughtful and brutally honest review and your vulnerability as brand ambassador to give a through review. In this day and age, its easy to blow hot air up peoples kilts. I respect that you didn't do that here.
You can bank on getting that all the time from me! I am grateful for the kind words!
tHanks for all the info
My pleasure, happy to help!
thankyou lee i thought i was going crazy , i found in wasnt getting so much in focus as i did with my om1 , found myself picking the 1 back up many times .. i will keep using it of course , but really like hearing your opinion
You can trust me to always be as thorough as possible and as honest as possible. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Very interesting that you see more reasons to upgrade for landscape and macro shooters than for wildlife shooters.
All mark1 vs. mark2 comparison videos I’ve seen so far concentrated primarily on AF and subject detection. Live GND and improvements in dynamic range was mentioned in a side note at best or completely ignored.
Your review makes an upgrade for me much more compelling. Thanks.
You can come to this channel for BS free, honest, and thorough reviews, first impressions, etc. I do my best to earn the trust of my viewers by being transparent in all areas. I value authenticity and hopefully that is visible in my images. Thanks for being a part of my online community.
You and I would get along. I agree.
Hahaha, if we ever met up, a steak on me!
Lee, I two have had the problem of at 50 fps, after a large burst, that after I lift up my finger from the shutter, that the camera keeps taking some photos. I am glad I am not the only one who has had this issue. I never seen this issue at 25fps, but only on 50fps.
Could it be that you maximise the buffer, and since a camera is a computer, that the release shutter button signal is not lett through? That is my thoughts about this issue.
I think there is something going on that is firmware related, but not sure! Thanks for watching.
@@sweden_ove2074 But it is only occasionally happening. Not every time, in fact, only some of the time. There is no predictable reasoning. And if it were the buffer that would just take more recording to the card time, not keep taking photos. Think of as taking a bunch of photos, you lift your finger and it still taking images!
@@leehoyphotography I hope OMDS find the reason soon and find a solution for firmware.
thanks, very honest.
Dang tootin! Glad you enjoyed!
I've got an OM1ii coming in Wednesday, I'll give you my review Tuesday
Awsome, hope you love it!
@@leehoyphotography indeed i do! it's about the same as the om1, but faster. The Live GND is a nice touch! Just used the Starry Sky AF on the comet.. It didn't like locking onto the comet, but stars were no problem.
Can u provide info on which lens ring u have on ? Thanks . Going to binge watch your videos today . ❤
Love them !
That is the Atoll-D (and you need the spacer). You can find my Amazon affiliate link in the video description above! I love that you enjoyed my video that much!
Telling it like it is. Always appreciate that. Great review. In regard to the camera taking pictures while you are dropping it, is it possible that your pinky finger is hitting the shutter release on the vertical battery grip?
Hell yeah! I always will on this channel, you can bank on that! No, it is 1000% never possible, trust me. I have been doing this too long, taken too much images, and I am a control freak about photography.
Hi Lee. Thank you very much for your excellent videos that help to improve photographic technique and to better understand our equipment. I personally have the OM1, and I observe the same problems as you with the OM1 II. Birds in flight with sufficient proximity, large size and even at low flight speed, suddenly go out of focus without giving any explanation to the camera's response. I think I have tried all the settings, even removing the stabilizer to try to make everything focus on the focus and the shot. I don't know if it is a fault of my unit or it is something usual. I hope this is corrected in firmware updates. In the case of video it is almost impossible to keep the bird in flight or even a static animal for more than a couple of seconds without the focus going out although it later returns, which ruins the shot. I hope that OM System continues to improve. I think that a successor body to the EM1X with a dual processor and many more features for video such as 4K at 120 fps would be necessary, something that almost all brands already do with production bodies, even non-professional ones. In Spain, the human team at OM System is fantastic. Thank you very much again.
Europe does indeed have a great team of folks! I would love to go over and meet many of them!
Very interesting review. I tend to shoot at 25fps and I haven't seen your focus issue. I also think the focus acquisition is better with the mk2. I've kept the mk1 - where else will I find a camera this good for what I'd get for it 2nd hand? I just hope OMS doesn't bury its head in the sand over these issues.
I can assure you they are not. I have had many detailed conversations with them. They listen to use VERY well. They are a great team and I couldn't be prouder to be a part of any other team!
Thanks!
Much appreciated Richard! You are the bomb sir!
Thanks for your review!
A question about the GND because I do not understand the benefit.
I usually use the HDR function in such situations and a graduated filter in post-production.
Do you expect better results with the GND?
What is the difference?
Gretings from Germany
Alex
Anytime we can improve our base exposure in camera, it always beats improvements in post processing. HDR just rarely looks quite right to my eye. I almost never use. Think of cooking with a recipe. Would you rather try to get the ingrediants right at the start or add something after the fact? It always tastes better when done right to start. There are HUGE benefits to the GND when you don't constrain yourself to thinking like you do with a physical GND or one used in post-processing. You can't put them at the same angle as the built in one. Thanks for watching Alex!
Maybe the idea for a new video? Using live GND in situations you never would have used a traditional gnd filter. 😉
@@PGXX8 Yes it is, and it will be done!
@@leehoyphotography Will be definitely on my watchlist. 👍
"Live gnd beyond skys" would be a snappier title but I'm sure you'll come up with something even better.
@@leehoyphotography Hello Lee, thank you for explaining! I will try it as soon I own a OM1 II.
Hi Lee. I have had the same problems. I thought it was my lens the M.Zuiko 150-600 F5.0-6.3 so sent it back to Olympus. Later on I used my 40-150 and had problems with that. Also my 12-40 and had focusing problems. Having watched your video it looks like the camera is the faulty unit. Hope they come up with a firmware update to correct the problem.
I don't think I would describe them as faulty units, I still capture a TON of amazing images. I am talking about getting close to the. upper limits of possibilities. I suspect they will at some point.
@@leehoyphotography thanks for your reply. Probably I didn't phrase that very well. I did not mean the cameras are faulty units I was trying to imply it's a camera fault not a lens fault.
I like your passion on the om1 I have both , and most of the lens you have. Here’s my problem see if you can help me. I all so shoot Nikon,Sony,Canon full frame. Because each system has a few lens that I love. And with the micro 4/3 I always fell like I am missing out on image quality.how can I only shoot with one system. I have to many choices, can you give me an ideas on what to do? Not to mention the financial burden of all this gear? Help me I love your channel!
I assure you, you will have the same image quality with OM System as any other gear. I could post my shots with folks with other systems, and you wouldn't know. It is either in the post processing, the shutter speed, etc. Not sure the specifics, but you should easily be able to shoot with the same quality. Watch my video on post processing, travel workflow, shooting at High ISO, etc. When you say image quality, be more specific?
@@leehoyphotography like the sharpness and the silky, smooth backgrounds, it’s like the images have the 3d effect popping out at you with the image separation on full frame. Don’t get me wrong. I love my OM1 especially love the 150 to 400 lens. I’m trying my hand at wildlife photography with it, but mainly I am a portrait photographer. I want to be a micro 4/3 guy full time. And I should sell off all the other gear. And lord knows I could use the money it would bring thanks for you help.
hi Lee
I think that at Om-system they are just as surprised as you and everyone else. about the Af problem when shooting at high frame rates. I am positively surprised by your recordings in low contrast situations, they are very good. One consolation is that the major camera brands also have AF problems with all their cameras, especially in difficult circumstances
You know, the issues I have are actually small when compared to the overall. But you know me, I am going to share everything! NO camera is perfect! Yes, high ISO is no issue for me! ;)
Good, honest review. I bet I know exactly where you were when you shot the 'moonbow'! :-) That would be in the Davis Mountains State Park, up on the bluff above Fort Davis? Where the CCC gazebo is? I love that State Park!
And that is exactly where I was! I live about 5 miles from it as the crow flies and 55 miles by road!
I find the shutter on the mark 2 to be very touch sensitive moving the RF system.
Yes, it is easy to capture images using the electronic shutter! I like it, but it does take getting use to the sensitivity!
I’ve been shooting with the OM 5 for quite a while. I recently added an OM 1 MkII body and I’m absolutely loving it. I’m getting good results with pro capture and auto focus with birds. I’ve been using continuous auto focus with subject detect without tracking and auto focus area set to all. My understanding is that subject detect doesn’t play quite as well with continuous auto focus plus tracking. And that tracking is for instances where specific subject detect is not appropriate. I would be VERY interested in some deeper OM specific mentoring and/or workshops. I’m very much an amateur, newbie photographer, but I’m a PASSIONATE amateur newbie photographer. 😀 So how do we make that happen? Appreciate your content.
Yes, the engineers say to never use tracking with AI Subject Detection. On the OM-1, I had phenomenal results doing that very thing, but I don't on the Mark II. They also say to not use all AF points which I did on OM-1 with great results. I use Large on the Mark II. Thanks for watching!
Also, be sure and check out my OM System Mentorship Program! www.omsystementorship.com. The next video will be about Mastering Your System and related to this mentorship program. Check it out! It is very popular!
Just a (second) thought - when my mk2 doesn't want to focus on a flying bird I get it to focus on something simpler - like trees - at a similar distance. This usually wakes up the autofocus.
I ALWAYS pre-focus between shots at a distance I anticipate a subject, that isn't an issue. I am VERY OCD on this. I keep the AF alwasy ready to go, that is why the issues are bothersome at time. I have given myself EVERY single opportunity to capture focus as quickly as possible. Thanks for watching!
@@leehoyphotography Thank you for your response. I had no idea this problem was so widely known. I'm very glad you are pressing OMS on this.
But - we shouldn’t have to do that.
Would love to see a deep dive into livecomp . Love your work ❤
Bernie, 100% will be in a future video, probably doing star trails will be the first one!
The biggest AF improvement in my view is that mark ii handles partially obstructed subjects much better. It's the first camera I can trust enough to have with full area AF by default.
Ironically, the OM-1 I used all AF points too, but the engineers say don't. Use the large box. I have found the large box to be a bit better. Go figure.
@@leehoyphotography I found that the original OM-1 autofocus drifts a little when there isn’t enough contrast, I missed a few shots just the past weekend using the 100-400 during early morning. So you found the large box area works better than smaller one with OM-1 ?
Hi, Regarding your issue with the OM-1 taking images when you lower the camera after a burst Ive shot Nikon for over 40 years and am very well experienced. Recently I switched to the Sony A1 with motor drive and had exactly the same issue as you which was completely random and very annoying. I even had the camera checked out by Sony and it came back without and issues discovered. After a few weeks the problem came back which was very frustrating and was very random. Again I thought it must be the camera but after a while I finally realised what was happening, when I lowered the camera after a burst the fleshy part of the palm of my hand was pressing against the shutter release button on the grip caused by the weight of the 600mm lens as it was lowerred . This never occurred on my Nikon's as the shutter button on the battery grip was well recessed, but on the Sony it wasn't. So I now always make sure the Grip shutter release switch is turned off. Problem solved, it may be worth looking at this on you OM-1 - Let me know of this helps.
I can 100% assure it wasn't from me still pushing the shutter button. The vertical grip button is located in such a way that the only time I have ever accidentally had this happen was with the camera sitting on my lap in a vehicle! The last firmware update has almost totally eliminated the issue!
Newbie question. OM says the shutters are rated for 400,000 actuations. If you shoot that many photos in one trip how does that work?
Well, that is for the mechanical shutter only, you don't wear out the electronic shutter! I shoot in electronic shutter 95% or more! And it is over the full year, not one trip! Thanks for watching and commenting!
@leehoyphotography Thanks Lee.
I'm very happy with my mk2 and I'm sure it performs better than my mk1. However, I do find AF oddities occur occasionally. I shoot procapture SH2 at 25fps with the 150-400 CAF+MK bird subject detect on using all focus points I took a number of sequences of a heron (big bird in decent light and reasonably clear foreground and background). These were taken in rapid succession. About 12 images per sequence maybe 2-3 seconds between sequences. First sequence probably 80% really sharp, second sequence all out of focus, third sequence ~80% really sharp. On this occasion this wasn't a problem - not a rare bird and the surrounding sets of images gave me good shots. If it was a rare and skittish bird I might have only got one go and would be frustrated if it was the 0 in focus case. The bird moved slightly between the 3 sets but I have no idea why it lost focus.
I find the AF often drifts a little during a sequence but normally there are some that are good.
A little while later. a small bird in foliage with only its head clear - probably 50% of the sequence was sharp. My mk1 would not have found the bird at all.
@@crapicantavoid I have the MK-1 and I use it for birding. I have the Olympus 100-400 lens. I do find that I get roughly the same 80% success rate. Some are out of focus or the tracking fails. Not very happy with this camera and lens and I might be checking out the Nikon Z6 iii very soon
It is the losing AF at times when there is a ton of contrast that bothers me at times. This "drifting" confuses me at times. I mean all cameras will drift at times, but where there is dramatic contrast between the bird and background, drifting shouldn't be that often. The newest firmware has helped quite a bit. Thanks for watching.
@d-entrecasteaux we will have to see what algorithms hold for us on the AF!
@@mr.foxwiz1653 The MK-1 is one of the best wildlife cameras made, I suspect settings or issues otherwise. I can capture images with that you will never get with the Nikon.
What were your focusing settings when you missed the Albatros? How big was the focusing box?
I have used EVERY single CA-F sensitivity, AF size, etc. On that series, y CAF Sensitivity was set to Zero which I have found to be the best and the Large AF box (which is what the engineers recommend when using AI Subject Detection. Hope that helps Julio.
It looks like on the used market I can get an OM-1 for about $1000 less than an OM-1 mark II. Is the OM-1 mark II that much better? Would it be better to get an original OM-1 and put the extra money toward a better lens? For example that is about the difference in price between the 100-400 and the 150-600. Right now I have an OM-5 and my longest lens is the 75-300. In your opinion, would it be better to get the OM-1 and the 150-600 or the OM-1 mark II and the 100-400?
The first option for you, IF you don't shoot much landscape. I just think the 150-600 is much better than the 100-400. For me that is a no brainer just based on lens choice! IF you remember you will be shooting at much longer mm's so need faster shutter speed!
Well viewers may need a little more info to understand your focus issues. Maybe for birds in flight you are using C AF with sensitivity +2. Using the smaller AF target mode helps acquire focus quicker for me. I do not even have "all" as an option. If you had those settings and then shoot the white bird, it may struggle to focus with +2 sensitivity. If I get a sitting bird I often choose S AF and a single or small box AF target mode. I have not had issues but I do not push shutter speeds to the max. My OM 1 Mark2 is only 3 months old. I enjoy you videos as informative and entertaining.
I have tried EVERY single variation you can imagine. I would never bother switching back to S-AF as I use back button focus and that is such a pain, you wll miss way more shots taking the time to do that. I mention either in this video or another that using CAF Sensitivy on the Mark II at 0 is like +1 or +2 on the Mark I. Glad you are enjoying the videos and thanks!
Lee what did the folks at OM have to say when you shared your impressions with them?
Like I mentioned, they were very responsive and sought a lot more information from me.
I have the exact same issue with my new OM-1 Mark 2 .i.e camera takes photos even after I am done , there are many out of focus blank photos mostly of the ground . This happens only in electronic shutter mode 😢.
Kindly update if there is a solution
Definitely do the lastest firmware update as it does help, it doesn't eliminate the issue, but does reduce it!
Thank you. I updated it initially after buying it , will check if there is another update
Does the MkII suffer from the same single point C-AF autofocus issue as the MkI? With a simple single point setup (no subject recognition or tracking) the OM-1 I tested would a) often lock focus on items considerably outside of the defined focus area (completely defeating the object of single point focus), and b) Lock focus when nothing at all was in focus.
I raised this matter in a forum on DP Review a couple of months back and it started quite a heated debate☺ There were the usual bunch of deniers who would defend their camera choice in the face of of any perceived criticism, but there were also a number of more objective users who agreed there is a flaw in the autofocus system on the OM-1 MkI. Unfortunately, no-one from the latter group seemed to know whether the this bug had carried over into the MkII.
Given my use case, this lack of accuracy/reliability in the autofocus was a deal breaker, so disappointedly, I sent the camera back to the store. I've since been wondering whether it's now worth another try with the MkII?
I'm also curious to know whether this issue affected the earlier EM-1 models - anyone? If not, then maybe that would be a solution for me (with the added advantage of a significantly lower price point! 😉)
That has certainly been my experience, with the OM-1 Mk II, in low light, somewhat low contrast situations just after the sun has dipped below the horizon. Static bird shots, with bird detect mode on, just will not focus 90% of the time if some foreground branches are close to the subject.
Ironically/ frustratingly, the E-M1 Mk II will body focus on the same subject 90% of the time. This is using either the Olympus 300mm F4 at F4 and the 40-150 f2.8 and the 1.4 TC also at F4. Played around with subject detection off/ SAF etc. and was not able to improve the behaviour of the OM-1 Mk II.
The low light focus performance has been a huge disappointment, so far, in low contrast situations with the OM-1 Mk II.
@@oz_steve9759 Hi Steve. Sorry to hear you're experiencing autofocus issues too. It must be doubly frustrating for you, given that you've bought a camera that's three generations on from your earlier kit and it doesn't appear to perform as well - the joys of technology, eh?! 🤬
After recognising some issues in real life scenarios, the desktop tests I did were very specific and relatively simple; I was just using C-AF with a single point focus, which I believe should have been about as easy as it can be. The conditions for the tests weren't particularly challenging either - reasonable lighting, good contrast and static subjects. I can point you to the discussion on DP Review, if you're interested. It includes a link to a video I shot of the issue and a lot of interesting discussion with other users - though some, as I say, were determined to defend the camera come what may. It's like I'd insulted their eldest child and heir 😁
Although I'm primarily a Nikon user (whose products also have their issues), I've been a quiet fan of Olympus since the days of the original OM-1. I also had a genuine use case, in that I wanted a smaller, lighter kit as an alternative to my Nikons for macro field walks. As such, I really wanted this to work, but sadly it wasn't to be ☹
Enjoy the remainder of your weekend. David
DP Review is to photography what Kim Kardashian is to culture! ;)
@@leehoyphotography 😁
Do you think the images are stored in the buffer with ProCap and the writing on the card is catching up to the images in the buffer. Check the write speed of your cards to see how fast they are and if it happens on the same brand of card. Just a thought.
I have had the same focus issues with my OM 1 Mark II and the 150-400. I had the same issue with the OM 1.
No, it doesn't have anything to do with that in terms of the issues. I always use the fastest cards you can. Yes, ProCap has so many images in the buffer, but I have yet to experience any delay from the recording time. I also don't use ProCap a lot, only for items I can't predict.
BIF focus issue whenever there is a whitish background?
No, it isn't a whitish background tha seems to cause, there is really no rhyme to when it might or might not happen. Over 350K images so far, I don't see a specific pattern.
Took 700 images yesterday with a EM1 mk iii and 100 images with an Olympus EM5
Why OM System and not Nikon, Sony, Canon?
That is a long answer but first and foremost, the lack of features on the other brands that OM System has had for a long time and some recent ones!
So as far as firmware upgrades go did they do any major ones with mark i and do they do firmware upgrades when needed or are they lacking? I have the shutter issue with my Canon R7 but mine is literally still shooting when l have put camera back in bag and have sent it back twice to Canon they cannot find an issue but it is a slow sensor, problem for me is with such a small buffer it fills buffer so l can no longer shoot, nuisance but not a deal breaker but same as you just not sure of cause, maybe slow sensor readout.
They ahve already done one firmware update as I mentioned that did help and significantly reduce the issue, but still on occasion. This has nothing to do with the sensor or it would happen everytime. Yea, I don't regret leaving Canon in the least. Thanks for watching!
@@isotechimages.9130 OMDS announced that there would be a significant firmware update for the OM1.1 this fall. No exact dates or specifics. Here’s to hoping.
Very informative video sir. However, you are a OM System ambassador. I understand you really can’t slam or talk ill of their products even though OM System may not be as good as the competitors when broken down into genre specific uses.
I am a fan of Olympus mirrorless cameras, but in low light, the micro 4/3rd format is really substandard with any ISO over 6400 in low light. This is from my experience doing concept portrait photography.
Now if OM System is only marketing the OM-1 II as a wildlife/bird photography camera only, then I would not be interested. However, can you advise on portrait uses for this camera? Thank you.
Were it not for some tests I did yesterday, shooting with the OM-1 Mk2 and the 100-400 at 6400 and 12800 iso, for the first time I've ever shot images at over 3200 iso I might have agreed with you Ed. I did this test just for the hell of it, with no doubt in my mind that the feather detail on the hummingbirds would be soft and the noise beyond excessive.
The noise was excessive in the Raw files, but the images were very sharp.
I think what made the difference was using Adobe Camera Raw's new AI de-noise feature, which I had never used before as I always shoot at 200 iso and very rarely at 400 iso. I first tried my 2 year old Topaz DeNoise program and the images looked crappy, as I expected they would. It was out of desperation, and partly because I wanted to prove all those OM System Ambassadors wrong that I then ran the files through Camera Raw.
The IQ of these files at 12,800 iso processed in Camera Raw while using their AI de-noise was virtually indistinguishable from my normal iso 200 shots. I've never been more surprised in my life. Adobe has been sleeping for too many years with their noise reduction, but this new October release is beyond magic. It's like having full frame image quality with an m43 camera.
I honestly thought many of these OM System Ambassadors who were advocating shooting at 3200 and 6400 were either conning me or had very low standards. I could not have been more mistaken. Noise is no longer an issue for me. I can't imagine detail much finer than a hummingbird feather, so to see the noise-free results along with tack sharp images surprised me more than anything I've ever experienced with digital photography.
If you have Lightroom Classic or Photoshop I strongly suggest that you download Camera Raw 17.0 and process your images with their AI noise reduction. I think you'll be as surprised as I was.
If you watch my videos, you see that I am honest on all issues regardless of my role. You are VERY wrong on this, I have ISO images over 12800 you couldn't tell from a Sony camera. You just aren't doing one of the following: 1) exposing to the right 2) starting with a sharp shot 3) not cropping the crap out of the image and 4) dont' know how to post process correctly. I have several videos on here that will make you withdraw your comment on high ISO performance. I like to say to folks who say you can't shoot at High ISO with OM, "You may not be able to do so, but I can all day long." ;)
Pretty sure you lost quite a few frames at front of those sequences. it was due to the very noticeable lag in the EVF, ie. what you see in the EVF is long after the bird is gone. Much much slower than other stacked sensor cameras I've compared to. This EVF lag issue needs to be relayed to OMDS so the next version can be improved.
No, I really didn't. There is no lag in the EVF, I have never had an issue with this in the OM-1 and the OM-1 Mark II. Remember, I said this only happens occasionally. That is nowhere near the case that the bird is long gone from the EVF, I have literally 10,000's images that say otherwise. That isn't the issue I am discussing here. These have a very high frame rate on the EVF. I have shot next to many photographers with other systems, this is never an issue for me.
If what you say were true, then it would be virtually impossible to photograph BIF, because your framing would be constantly lagging way behind where the bird actually was -- thus nothing but blank sky photos. That obviously is not the case here.
Lee I've experienced nearly all of the issues you mentioned with my OM-1 Mark II. The OM-1 had a separate C-AF + Tracking option which was notoriously problematic. A separate C-AF+TR option is not provided in the OM-1 Mark II and my understanding is that OMS incorporated the tracking algorithms into C-AF in the Mark II as an always-on feature. I'm wondering if some of these oddities with the new AF and bird tracking is due to this? I love the OM-1 Mark II but I agree, my overall confidence in the new AF system is not what it should be.
Ironically enough, the engineers say when using AI Detection, you shouldn't use tracking on the OM-1. On the OM-1, I had phenomenal success mixing C-AF+Tracking with AI Subject Detection. I will say, I still get a TON of phenomenal images, but I just have an intuition that there was something a little off (I truly think it is just working too fast so it is always adjusting). I am stil happy, but just curious about a few things going on.
Sounds brand new OM-1 MK2 badly needs a firmware update.
I wouldn't say badly, remember, this doesn't happen that often and is only under some very specific circumstances that many people will never experience.
I find it very bad how OM Systems deals with the issues, why It take more then 6months to give a decent firmware update. I understand that not all things can be implemented, but most yes
A company that listens to its Ambassadors, takes step to rectify (the last firmware update already helped some), and this isn't a very common issue. I would say I am very happy with how they are listening and handling it. I know we live in an Amazon society where we order something and you blink and there it is, but that isn't the case for most of life.
Do I understand correctly: You recommend an upgrade from Om 1 to MK II because of a graduated filter. You can't be serious.
Obviously you haven't used it, thus your comment is based on ignoracne (a lack of knowledge) so I will forgive your goofy comment. I am 1005 serious because I have actually used in many situations. I 100% know you have no idea what it does. Maybe, next time before posting a dumbass comment, ask yourself, have I tried this? If not, maybe wait until you have. If you actually listened to the video, you would have heard more caveats; however, I find that comments like this one generally come from people who don't listen well.
Please don't be so aggressive. You're right, I didn't use it on the Om 1 Mk II. But I do use a filter system. Of course the built-in graduated filter has advantages but is it worth the high price for the upgrade. I doubt that. But everyone has to decide for themselves.
@@andreasbelz2110 I agree. A fantastic feature, which I asked for years ago, but not worth $2700 to me, others may think differently. Let's just say if I had $2700 to spend on photo equipment, a filter costing that much wouldn't be what first come to mind. That said a big plus in one's reasons to buy an OM-1mkii.
I have the OM 1 Mark 2 & love the graduated filter. If you do a lot of landscape photography then it most definitely is worth the upgrade. It’s an amazing feature.
Just a thought: if you’re not looking for an aggressive response, you probably don’t want to go with “You can’t be serious.”