Testing out the OMD E-M1 with Four Thirds Glass

Olympus OMD E-M1 with some legacy goodness - the Olympus 50-200mm 

I spent the past weekend testing out the new Olympus OMD E-M1 and it was a blast.  I posted my initial impression on the camera here and nothing has really changed since.  When I pre-ordered the camera, I made sure to take advantage of the free-with-purchase (after mail in rebate) offer they had going with the four thirds to micro four thirds adapter.  A fellow friend and talented photographer who, to this day, uses Four Thirds gear with great success inspired me to make the purchase.  Last Sunday, she graciously handed over her Olympus 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 to try out during one of the Mad T Party sets and I was blown away at how well it performed adapted on my OMD.  Here are some of my favorite shots from the night

Team favorite - Nathan Shrake as the Mad Hatter

Another favorite - Sheena Loza as Alice

 

All the shots were taken at ISO 1000 at or close to wide open throughout the zoom range (I was shooting between 60-150mm).  I kept the shutter speed around 160th - 200th of a second and adjusted the aperture for exposure.    I was particularly impressed at how quickly I was able to lock on to my subjects.  I was expecting a huge delay or lag, but under adequate light it was almost an instant lock. I would go as far to say that its AF speed was comparable to my Sony a58 and that's no slouch.  I haven't had much of a chance to try it out under low-light conditions, but I suspect it would hunt in a similar fashion to the a58. You might notice slight hints of magenta in their faces and this is not the fault of the lens.  The stage lighting favored this particular color and I was able to restore most of these shots since I shot in RAW.  

This lens is SHARP.  One of the sharpest zooms I have ever used, but boy was it heavy.  I was just happy this camera has in-body image stabilization because it definitely took some muscle to keep it from shaking (I am almost certain the 5-axis system did most of the heavy lifting for me).  Mounted on my friend's E-3, the camera-lens combination made for a balanced set up, granted it is a more robust system.  Regardless of how heavy it was, I had a blast shooting with it.  I am extremely happy I have access to the four thirds line of lenses and I wouldn't hesitate investing in legacy gear.  I applaud Olympus for not fully abandoning their DSLR line and it is safe to say that the E-M1 truly is the successor to the E-5.  Stay tuned for more sample photos from the weekend and another special thank you to Rachel Brogan for allowing me to use her awesome lens. Thanks for stopping by.

So say we all,

Dino