Testing new lens - opinions?

[jcuknz]

I have noted previously my lack of finance, or unwillingness to borrow, when I was moving from film to a good digital which spared me from exchanging my SLR for a DSLR but to getting a DSLR Like. I found that Nikon bridge camera quite tremendous to use but they didn't upgrade it the way I thought I wanted [ going for tight framing ] so I switched to Panasonic which over three models kept me happy except for the obvious problem of noise and small sensors. So in going to MFT I got a larger sensor without the weight and expense of doing it with a DSLR body. I had a basic D60 whose only purpose was to use extension tubes/bellows from film days and was given away to a 'good cause' when I got MFT.



The bridge goes to 430mm while the MFT is 280, but my original Nikon also is 280 and serves me well after a decade and I can add either legacy or current longer lenses and of course extension tubes/bellows with MFT.

My rig[s] suit me because I am less interested in ultimate IQ which I consider a fools errand but tools to capture what I see at a reasonable IQ standard. So MFT is both lighter and cheaper than DSLR and more than adequate and has opened up high ISO ventures which the bridge was incapable of.

EDIT As I dredge this photo out of my files I see it is not up to my 'reasonable standards' Sorry!

[davidedric]

Hi Manfred,

Only just read your comment on shared safari vehicles. I promise you, it depends where you go. Sharing a mini bus with a bunch of day trippers with camera phones - no thanks. Four people plus guide in an open land cruiser works well for me. It may be that you can get better photos as you describe (did you have a guide? Guess not really needed in Etosha?) For us the shared experience of the bush (good grief, my tablet just capitalised Bush, that is scary) enhances the trip, especially if your companions are novices. My wife doesn't take photographs, so that also makes a difference, I suspect.

Dave

[ajohnw]

The focus area(s), i.e. rectangles go from white to green when focus is confirmed. If the rectangle goes red = focus failure

Pinpoint focus view magnifies automatically (which is a PITA to use), the time that it remains magnified can be set, but the minimum is around 1/2 sec.

Focus peaking shows the in-focus areas in blue by default, but the colours can be set to green or yellow. On the pro video cameras, Panasonic uses red in the peaking indicator.

Have to laugh. The magnified live view timing on the Olympus is fixed and disappears more or less as soon as the focus ring is still - just as I am making my mind up if it really is in focus so I can see why they would add a variable time to it. Despite that on the few times I use manual focus I have found reversing the default focus direction helps me. I have gained the impression that lower and maybe more usable magnifications can be used with faster lenses.

I generally set magnified live view on a button. That way I can switch when I want too. Not used much of late. On earlier cameras this needed 2 presses to activate as the 1st one offered position and magnification changes - I found that particularly annoying but I suppose some wouldn't.

I have a feeling I have seen red focus squares on the E-M1. Not something I think about. As mentioned I set for no exposure if out of focus. It's only a pain at times when I shoot macro. Not so often now I have got used to it. Initially I might press the shutter button half a dozen times now and again before the shot was taken particularly in one shot AF. I actually wonder if this was a software bug really as I don't recollect it happening recently.

Bursts I haven't used at all as the rate even with focusing is too high. I believe I can set the rate now so might try that again. I'm no where near trying out a number of settings as I feel each change needs a lot of shots to see if it's worth while.

Size - shape - I gave auto focus slr's a complete miss. I did buy what I suppose would be called a bridge camera for my wife with it but my feeling were what on earth would I want that for having managed for years without it. Actually if they could add some sensible way of doing it I would still focus manually 90% of the time. Probably nearer 100% really. Focus by wire has adequate travel so I don't see that as a problem. A good candidate for various settings. I also feel that with a bit of thought they could add this to live view cameras. Even the magnified view in the whole view can work out if the numbers are right but that gets difficult as the pixel counts increase. I have a now old canon bridge camera that works remarkably well like this. Faultlessly in fact. Pity about the crummy optics as the sensor is not too bad. It's from the point when zooms were cheapified.

John

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