Olympus OMD EM-5 focus peaking

[ajohnw]

I have a look around the web every now and again to see if anyone has found "features" in cameras I own. Features are a software term - something that happens, is useful and may not be what was intended. Focus peaking allows manual focusing without using a magnified view. That is normally needed because the viewfinder has 1.4mp and the sensor 16. At least a 7x magnified view is needed to be fairly sure of an accurate focus. Fine on short focus lenses but awful as they get longer even with the IS active. Things are much worse using the screen as it has fewer pixels.

I found a post about adding focus peaking to the EM-5 and spent 10 mins trying to set it up and couldn't as the options were not available in the menu system. It then found another post that mentions how to set the mode dial before setting the rest up. The steps needed are as follows.

Set the mode dial to A - auto

On menu one set Picture mode to ART 11 mode 2

If a 2x magnified view is needed as well set the digital converter on. Also in menu one

Again in menu one select Reset/Myset and set up Myset1 to the current settings

In menu B set up the Fn1 button to select MySet1

Go back and reset the Picture Mode to what what ever you normally use and the digital converter off and the mode dial to what ever is wanted.

With the camera set up like this the Art filter is selected while the Fn1 button is pressed and drops back to normal when it's released. IS is also available via the 1/2 shutter release. My camera is set up with manual focus assists and using the focus ring doesn't cause the magnified view to pop up while the Fn1 button is pressed. The basic idea is to focus with Fn1 pressed and take the shot with it released. It works with the camera set up for manual focus too. The focus adjustment on Olympus lenses is nice and fine.

An alternative is shown here - set the Art filter, shoot jpg + raw and throw the jpg away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpOqo6gA92Y

It looks like the jpg could still be used to judge the results.

I just tried the Fn1 manual focusing. It probably needs a bit of practice but this is a 100% crop focused on the lettering in the table / the gear wheel diagram. Straight from the jpg with all camera processing off. I should have knocked the ISO back 1st really.



One instance where this could be really useful is macro work. The Olympus lens is 60mm leaving little working space at 1:1. I have used a 100mm late Pentax macro lens plus adapter manually with some success but trying to focus with a 7x view = 1400mm in full frame terms is rather difficult even with IS. Can never be sure where the subject is in the frame.

John
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[Glenn NK]

John:

I've been semi-seriously looking at the Oly OMD series for quite a while, so this may be useful if I proceed in that direction. I've bookmarked this thread. Thanks for posting.

I've also read quite a few comments on the menus of the OMD's, and while the consensus is that they are complicated, the camera can be very much customized to one's specific requirements.

Thanks for the info.

BTW, have you looked at the E-M1? Are there any differences with respect to the focus peaking?

Glenn

[ajohnw]

I have been tempted to go for the E-M1 several times. That has focus peaking built in. It shows a "line" on the contrast edge that the camera is focused on. From dpreview it can be used with manual lenses but a button has to be pressed. Not sure if it has to be held in or is just button selected. It seems to be similar to the Sony Nex shown well here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWHDEOLREGk

and on the EM-1 here but there is also the mention of shimmer which is something else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DzkMXPqkPs

This is a much better demo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UulKj5zHKU

I really can't make my mind up about the EM-1. I'm surprised Olympus released it so soon as EM-5's were selling well at a higher price than where they currently are. The EM-1 has more buttons but apart from focus peaking nothing else really that I am aware of. I also wonder what will come next. More buttons isn't much of an advantage as I see it. I use P mode so compensation is on the front thumb wheel. I set the movie button for iso and am happy with the default settings for the multiway.

Being fair to the 75-300mm I took the focus peaking shot with there is some flare from an overhead strip light directly over the lathe. Olympus being something of a miserable company don't provide lens hoods with lenses. They also seem to be reluctant to provide firmware updates which add facilities.

John
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[Sponge]

The EM-1 has more buttons but apart from focus peaking nothing else really that I am aware of. I also wonder what will come next. More buttons isn't much of an advantage as I see it.

There are a few other advantages as well. The things I'd like to have on my E-M5 from the E-M1 are the improved EVF, max 1/8000 shutter speed, focus peaking and clicks on the dial dedicated to MySet presets. Other differences include on-sensor PDAF, improved in-body IS, dedicated HDR button and better processing engine but these are less important to me at the moment.

Olympus will announce a lower end OM-D model (EM10) by the end of the month but it doesn't sound like it will have much to offer over the E-M5 and with discounted and low used prices on E-M5's I'm not sure how much success it will have.

[ajohnw]

I don't think that the extra pixels in the viewfinder will make much difference other maybe being able to focus manually with 5x magnification. 7x would certainly be more reliable than on the E-M5.

There are mixed reports on the phase sensitive focusing. Not so much the camera but more related to the available lenses that need it. This is why I feel they should throw the 4/3 adapter in with the camera. There are also reports that lenses designed for contrast AF aren't too happy using phase.

I haven't seen any claims that the IS is any different to the EM-5 which actually is pretty good - other than auto panning. Problem with that is that I have panned in the normal mode without any apparent problems. Some positions on the EM-1's mode dial can be set to mysets rather than modes. I'm not so sure that is much of an advantage really. I use P mode which gives full control of the camera, aperture or speed priority and if those can't be set as desired the ISO needs changing - as they would in the other modes. Haven't tried it with a limited range of auto iso's yet. In camera HDR on other makes tends to produce cartoon style colouring which isn't my thing. In P mode it's easy to bracket using the front thumb wheel if needed. That's how I set exposure compensation anyway.

Looking at reviews I get the feeling that in some ways the ergonomics of the EM-1 button wise are better than the EM-5 - eg the thumb grip doesn't get in the way of the fn1 button. Wifi is nice if images can be uploaded to a PC - in other words it's behaves like an FTP server or similar. I get the impression it proprietary a little like USB data transfers used to be. Curiously the flash sync style socket does appeal as I have a hammer head that could be used on it. Saves the need for an adapter.

To me it's all a bit of a dubious reason to upgrade. Not saying I wont.

Best thing to do is read the dpreview review and make your own mind up about the points I have mentioned. One thing that concerns me a little on the peaking videos is that the review shows a different sort of peaking indication. Probably down to the circumstances under which it was used.

John
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[Glenn NK]

I played with an M1 briefly a couple of weeks ago (I had previously tried out an M5); I found the EVF on the M1 to be very good, bright and quick.

Also preferred the deeper right hand grip on the M1. And from using SLR's (most recently a Canon A-1), I still like the somewhat retro look of the M1. Sheesh I even like the look of the Nikon Df - and it's a Nikon.

Seriously what attracts me is the size/weight - when using a tripod for macro work the camera size/weight isn't an issue, but I've always enjoyed street/candid work and the Oly would be excellent for that. Sure a cellphone would work, but I still have to maintain my pride and some standards.

Another thing that intrigued me is in how the camera can be set up so that the JPEG on the LCD will look like a developed RAW. A lot of info here: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/fo...?topic=85282.0

Cheers

EDIT:

Just found this:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/023...mpus-om-d-e-m1

[Manfred M]

Focus peaking is a great feature when manually focusing (something that video shooters tend to do). I have it on my Panasonic AF100P and the only thing better would be to use a large external field monitor.

That being said, it uses the camera's AF technology, so I don't see it being a major advantage for general shooting. Trying to get a sharp manual focus on the EVF is damn near impossible.

[Shadowman]

Does Olympus only make high-end cameras? I've yet to see a four-thirds system (not talking about micro 4/3rds) under $1,000.

[ajohnw]

Focus peaking doesn't really use all of the AF technology only the contrast aspect. Actually it might be using something entirely different, That focus on the lathe plate I posted was done manually using focus peaking. The dof is about 110mm in total as it was taken and the slightly out of focus knob is about 60mm from the engraved plate. It's a 100% pixel peeping crop so the actual depth of field is less than that. Pretty accurate focusing. Where it could be useful is if I wanted to focus on the knob as the contrast AF would probably try and lock onto the engraved plate or in similar situations. It's obviously a big advantage if some one wants to use a manual focus lens as well. As you say trying to focus with the magnified view is a bit difficult. I have done it see here. 7x mag view on a pen using a 100mm macro lens set to 2:1. Excuse the DOF problems. looks like F16 is needed. I thought 11 would be ok.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4899461...7630929803532/

and here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4899461...7631535313006/

Also tried a 500mm mirror lens at 7x here - pretty impossible but the IS is ok. Hand held seated.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4899461...7631549554197/

The kids and ball were refocused with software. The stripes in the tee shirt were too fuzzy to see before that. I just included it in the set as an oddity. Some other shots missed focus all together as there is only a few inches of DOF available at the distances to the subjects.

Can't wait to try focus peaking when weather and time permits.

On 4/3 cameras I'm not even sure if Olympus produce them any more. The latest replacement instead of upgrading the previous top of the line is the m 4/3 EM-1. Frankly I don't think I would buy a 4/3 camera. I suspect the electronic view will win out in the end over conventional DSLR's. That is a bit of a problem. Olympus have obviously known what they were going to add to future models some time before they were released. I'm pretty sure more is to come. Another reason for me not buying an EM-1 and just sticking with the EM-5. I'd rather wait and see what the EM-1 replacement can do.

John
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[Glenn NK]

John:

Have you see this?

http://thenewcamera.com/category/olympus-rumors/

Glenn

[Shadowman]

John:

Have you see this?

http://thenewcamera.com/category/olympus-rumors/

Glenn

Slightly above $1,000 USD for the E-M10 body only. Lowest I've seen so far. Thanks for the link.

[ajohnw]

John:

Have you see this?

http://thenewcamera.com/category/olympus-rumors/

Glenn

Looks like an EM-5 replacement that now has phase contrast AF as well as contrast detection. Personally given the current cost of the EM-5 I would still buy that. I can't get excited about the phase contrast focusing. The amber "search light" built into the em-5 works well. The other aspect is the cost of the adapter and some doubts about just how well that set up will work.

I saw a Stylus in a camera shop. That did excite me until I realised it uses a tiny sensor.

John
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[ajohnw]

Slightly above $1,000 USD for the E-M10 body only. Lowest I've seen so far. Thanks for the link.

It's micro 4/3. You might find 4/3 as new old stock.

John
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