My 2014 Mirrorless Journey with Panasonic, Olympus, Sony and Fuji

2014 was without a doubt a very fun year. I was fortunate enough to acquire different mirrorless cameras through trades, which my group of friends like to call "Trade Up Tuesdays", and a bit of luck with great used deals. Although I have been a fan of mirrorless cameras since the beginning, I will be the first to admit that they do not come without limitations. Several times during the year, friends have come to me for camera buying advice. While I am inclined to recommend a m43 camera or some of the newer Sony Alpha crop sensor bodies, I always ask what their budget and their intended use is. If anyone tells me they want to eventually shoot sports, weddings/events or wildlife on a full time basis, then I can't help but recommend a DSLR from Canon or Nikon. For anything else, whether it be street, travel or portraiture work I'm betting my money on mirrorless cameras. 

You might be wondering why I love these mirrorless cameras so much and it really boils down to 4 simple aspects:

1. Weight - these cameras are so light weight, you won't mind bringing them anywhere. Even with an additional battery grip and the heaviest lens, these things are feathers compared to their DSLR "equivalent"
2. The EVF (Electronic View Finder) - some love it and some hate it.  As for me, I simply can't live without it. I would rather see what the sensor is picking up rather than looking through the lens. 
3. Adapting Vintage/Manual Focus Only Glass -  I have held the opinion since using the Panasonic GF-1 that mirrorless cameras offer the best user experience for adapting old and new manual lenses. From focus peaking to the fine focusing aids, these cameras have brought new life to what I believe was a niche photographic tool.
4. Autofocus Accuracy - because the AF system is sensor based, you don't need to worry about back/front focusing or fine tuning each lens, especially fast primes, by doing micro adjustments. It goes without saying that the continuous AF has a long ways to go (I rarely ever use this except for video), but the single AF can be incredibly fast and incredibly accurate.

While most higher end DSLRs are fully capable of covering all types of photographic genres, I personally don't find them enjoyable to use (your mileage will most definitely vary). As for me, I can't live without the aforementioned perks and use each of my mirrorless gear for varying situations. Instead of trying to convince you how these are better or worse than their mirrored brethren, I decided to go the Zack Arias route and explain how each fit in my workflow.  

Olympus OMD E-M1

The Olympus OMD is my main workhorse. On many occasions I have been asked which out of all my cameras I would keep if I could only choose one and my answer is always the OMD E-M1. While it does not have the highest image quality, it does so many things perfectly in my eyes and has the highest usability factor.

Favorite Len(s): Olympus 75mm f/1.8, Olympus 12-40mm Pro f/2.8, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Intended Use: Events, Studio Portraits & Headshots, Product Photography, Concert

Favorite Features: The E-M1 has the best single AF out of all the cameras I have used. This camera can lock focus with ease in low light and is the primary reason why this is my preferred camera for events. The face detect is extremely quick/accurate and is the most used feature whenever I do headshots. The high flash sync of 1/320 is incredibly handy if you want to over power ambient light. Ergonomically speaking, the E-M1 in my opinion is one of the best, if not the best, I have ever used. The touch to focus and/or shutter release was perfectly implemented and useful when handing the camera over to others. Need I mention the in body image stabilization and the new tethered shooting function. There's just so much to like about the E-M1 and I have gushed over this camera over several posts. 

Olympus Pen E-P5

The Olympus Pen E-P5 was in my gear bag for a little under 6 months. I originally purchased the camera as a back up/secondary body to the OMD. It shared a lot of similar features to the E-M1 like the two control dials, the flash sync speed of 1/320 and 5 axis in-body image stabilization. If there was one thing I think Olympus dropped the ball on it would have to be the fact they did not integrate a rangefinder style EVF. Speaking strictly for myself, I would have sacrificed the pop-up flash for the view finder. Although the E-P5 was traded in to acquire the A7, I remember really enjoying it.

Favorite Len(s): Olympus 45mm f/1.8, Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4, Panasonic 20mm f/1.7

Area of work: Secondary body for Events and Travel   

Favorite Features: In many ways the E-P5 is just like the OMD in a smaller package, so I won't repeat myself. I wouldn't use the E-P5 as a my primary body, but as a travel companion it takes the prize. The form factor, size and weight are the selling points for me.

Panasonic Lumix GX1

The Panasonic GX1 is a relatively old micro four thirds camera that I acquired through Trade Up Tuesday =). It's interesting to note that this camera sold for a premium when it was announced (I recall approximately $800 - $1,000) and I was able to acquire this body by trading an old, legacy Olympus lens. Not bad if you ask me. This camera is just a breeze to use and is one of my fiancée's favorite cameras to use. Full disclosure, I haven't had much field time with this camera so it's hard to speak to both its strengths and weaknesses. 

Favorite Len(s): Sigma 30mm f/2.8*

Intended Use: Travel and fiancée's camera

Favorite Features: Based purely on aesthetics, I love how tiny and pocket-able the body is especially when you pair it with the Panasonic 14mm prime lens. *During our trip to Disneyworld, the GX1 and the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 lens were permanently around Heather's neck and the only lens we've used. Both the E-P5 and the E-M1 will surpass it in features and can easily run circles around this camera, but Heather seems to like the snappy single AF, the intuitive menus and the user friendly operation. If you are on a tight budget and want a good introduction to micro four thirds cameras, you really can't beat the GX1 with its going rate of ~$120 used on Ebay. However, if you are like me and need an electronic view finder, I'd say save up a little more and get the recently discontinued GX7.

Sony Alpha A7

The Sony Alpha A7. The first mirrorless, automatic AF, full frame camera that really shook up the photography world. Quite frankly, Sony is growing to be one of my favorite companies because they are truly willing to take risks. The A7 series, in my eyes, was a shot across the bow of Canon and Nikon's ship. It's not a perfect camera and I'll be the first to criticize it for its weaknesses, but boy does it scream innovation. This was the first camera marketed as an "open source" system, in which its greatest strength is that it can adapt almost any legacy glass. Some may argue this was a ploy to divert attention from the fact it has a limited number of native lenses, but speaking only for myself it has brought new life to my arsenal of vintage gear and I believe has made most of them viable creative and professional tools.

Favorite Len(s): Zeiss FE 55mm f/1.8, FE 70-200mm f/4 G, Olympus OM 24mm f/2.8, Olympus OM 50mm f/1.4 and the Takumar M42 mount 105mm f/2.8

Intended Use: Product photography, on-location portrait and engagement work.

Favorite Features: Out of all my mirrorless cameras, I find the Sony A7 does the best job resolving images with adapted legacy glass. I no longer have to think about the crop factor or depth of field equivalence. A 50mm is a 50mm and f/1.4 is f/1.4. By virtue of having a full frame sensor, I enjoy having that shallower depth of field which I find is something my engagement and portrait clients seem to prefer. Comparatively, I find the RAW files have richer colors and far more latitude to recover details from shadows and highlights. I am not surprised it is clinically sharp given its high ranking on DxO's website (11th best sensor to date).

From an ergonomic standpoint, I am rather fond of the A7 body. Sony's design team evidently created it to be used with the EVF in placing its shutter above the body as opposed to forward the body like the E-M1. Try composing with the back of the screen and you'll find your wrist contorting in a strange fashion to actuate the shutter. But bring it to your eye, it all starts to feel right in my book. Like the E-M1, I customized the A7 so that I can change the ISO, shutter speed, aperture and focus points without taking my eye away from the view finder. This is a huge plus and in some ways slightly better implemented than my venerable OMD with the scroll wheel assigned to ISO. The battery grip is also a welcomed addition when mounting heavier lenses. While the E-M1 has a better feel, I much prefer having two batteries in the vertical grip as opposed to having a battery in both the body and grip. The design feels far more secure and doesn't wiggle like the Olympus HLD-7.

Overall, it's a good first generation full-frame mirrorless camera with a lot of room to improve. The implementation of the in-body 5 axis image stabilization and auto focus improvements in the A7 mark II is an exciting move in the right direction. 

Fujifilm X-T1

The Fuji X-T1 is a conundrum to me. In many ways it falls perfectly in the middle of the micro four thirds cameras and the Sony Alpha A7. The APSC sensor is larger than my OMD but smaller than the A7. The auto focus in both low and decent light will lock on noticeably faster than Sony's full frame camera, but will not hold a candle to the E-M1. In other ways, the X-T1 offers a far different photographic experience with its retro-modern design that I find difficulty articulating why I enjoy using. This camera ranks incredibly low on the "Need" scale, but quickly shoots up the "Want" and "Fun-to-use" ladder. 

Favorite Len(s): FujiFilm 56mm f/1.2, Olympus OM 50mm f/1.4 and the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4

Intended Use: I am still trying to figure out my intended use for having the X-T1, but it is fully capable of doing Product Photography, Portraits, Headshots and possibly Events. With the 56mm lens, it fills my need for an 85mm equivalent prime. 

Favorite Features: I joined the Fuji camp in November with only two manual lens adapters in my gear bag, the Olympus OM and the Fuji M mount. There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary to express how fun it was to use manual lenses on this camera. The EVF size/quality and focus aids are simply incredible and are the contributing factors for my raving opinion. Nothing could improve the experience more besides having in body image stabilization but I suspect Fuji will be joining the party soon enough.

Shortly after purchasing the camera for an incredible price, I found out Fuji would be releasing firmware 3.0 which was touted to be ground breaking and it is. It's difficult to compare the X-T1 with pre 3.0 firmware and post 3.0 because I acquired a native lens for it late in December. With that being said, there are a lot of standout improvements had they not fixed would have driven me mad like the face detect feature. I have read reports that you cannot move focus points if face detect is on - that's just silly and I'm glad it's done away with. However, the real stand out feature for me would have to be the complete silent mode. Being able to take photographs without making an audible sound would have been instrumental during my studio shoot at Chapman University for the final taping of We're Alive. I was told not to take pictures during the actual recording as the mics were sensitive enough to pick up the sound of the shutter. I would have loved taking shots of the actors emoting and really getting into character. Fuji's 56mm f/1.2 lens, while not necessarily loud, makes enough noise auto focusing that it would not have been useful but I always have the option to manually focus or adapt. 

From the small amount of time I have had with the body, I am honestly very happy with the experience. Although part of me feels like I am still in the honeymoon stage of the relationship, I am confident my opinion will not change much. Time will certainly tell. 

Conclusion

Having been with in the mirrorless world since the Panasanic GF-1, I have seen these cameras evolve dramatically. They are no longer relegated to the my back-up or travel camera status. Whether you are Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, Fuji or even Samsung, these companies are producing photographic equipment that are viable professional tools. The DSLR is not dead or anywhere near their deathbed. Canon and Nikon will be the king of the hill for the foreseeable future but even they are aware there is a growing paradigm shift. It would behoove them to adapt, expand or think about ways they join the mirrorless camp before their competition pulls too far away from them. Consumers and professionals alike are seeing the benefits of smaller cameras but some are still clutching to their DSLRs for very good reason. A lot of these emerging companies have been addressing their system limitations, including some of my personal gripes, namely first party support. Hopefully 2015 will be the year where we see partial or full professional support for the working mirrorless photographer. For now I am just excited to see the growth and proliferation of really neat technology. It is an exciting time to be a photographer.

So say we all,
Dino

PS - the blog title is a little wink to one of my new favorite websites dedicated to mirrorless cameras. Give Eric Cote a hello over at www.mirrorlessjourney.com

Olympus OMD E-M1 Firmware Update 2.0 - How to shoot Tethered with Olympus Capture Software

Screen grab from DP Review

Not too long after one of the biggest photography expos, Photokina, Olympus released a new firmware update for all Olympus OMD E-M1's, which is already included with the newly announced Silver OMD pictured above. While I have always been a fan of the black & silver two tone look, I don't think I will be do doing a purely aesthetic upgrade. Firmware 2.0 for the OMD E-M1 is a move in the right direction for the flagship camera that will undoubtedly make aspiring professionals and professionals alike extremely happy. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA UPDATER  

The following information has been greatly summarized by my internet buddy, Mike Hendren, on his blog Thru Mikes Viewfinder and I will summarize it below.

8 New Functions:

• Tethered Shooting via the new Olympus Capture Software 
• Live Composite mode
• Keystone Compensation (digital shift) to correct vertical distortion.
• 2 New Art Filters: Vintage and Partial Color.
• Aperture Lock function has been added to Aperture Preview.
• Panning Shot shooting mode has been added to SCN mode.
• Old Film effect has been added to movie effect.
• New Photo Story mode features: Zoom In/Out and Layout framing options. Save (complete partway through), Temporary Save, and Resume functions.

16 Operability Improvements:

•  EVF image display time lag reduced to 16 milliseconds (when frame rate setting is set to high speed)
• Multiple simultaneous settings now available in Live Guide.
• Exposure compensation (±3 EV) is now available in HDR 1/HDR2 shooting.
• A function has been added to cancel Color Creator and return to the original Picture Mode by pressing the MENU button when using Color Creator function.
• Movie Tele-converter can now be used simultaneously when Art Filter is set to Picture Mode.
• AF function for each frame was added to Custom Self Timer. In Drive Mode's Custom Self Timer settings, you can now press the INFO button to change settings.
• MF Assist is now supported in magnified frame position.
• 3x has been added to high resolution magnified Live View.
• The Peaking display frame rate has been improved.
• Electronic zoom speed setting function was added. An icon appears on the LCD monitor when using an Olympus electronic zoom lens.
• When the arrow pad is set to Direct function, the Underwater/Underwater macro functions can be used with the left and down button on the arrow pad.
•  Double tap is now supported in touch operations on the Super Control Panel.
• The level gauge and histogram can now be displayed during magnified frame display. The Touch Off icon was added to magnified frame display.
• A function was added so that shooting information recorded in HDR1/HDR2 can be viewed in the playback screen.
• Information on composited number of shots for images recorded with Live Composite was added (Can be checked in Olympus Viewer3).
• When the BKT button is held down, the BKT menu now appears.

DOWNLOAD FIRMWARE 2.0 HERE 

Among the many features I will be using in my home studio, I believe the new tethered mode takes the cake. The new Olympus Capture Software is pretty much everything I wanted since I started doing studio photography with the OMD and I wanted to run you through the initial stages and how I personally set up the software. I would also take the time to watch the video in the link provided below and consider purchasing a new cord to extend the distance you can operate being physically tethered to you computer. I purchased this longer CORD and this USB ADAPTER for the extra reach and can attest they work perfectly well. 

DOWNLOAD OLYMPUS CAPTURE SOFTWARE HERE

I know this typically goes without saying, but make sure you have a full charged battery when connecting to the computer. Unlike the Sony A7, this will not charge you battery nor will it run on your PC power. Once connected you want turn the camera on and select the the third item down that shows the the icon of a camera wired to a computer.

I am incredibly impressed that I now have the option to actuate the shutter and take control from either the camera or from the computer. It covers pretty much all the bases I need and more. You can select your focus point, change white balance, ISO, shutter speed and aperture. I haven't found anything the computer can't do that the camera can, but I will admit I have had very limited exposure to the new software. I will update as I spend more time with the software.   

Since I spend most of my time doing studio portraits, I prefer to spend as little time looking at the computer and most of my time interacting with my model(s). My intended use for tethering is to make sure that my lighting is spot on. I have learned not to trust what I see on the back of my LCD screen as I have experienced a handful of instances of over exposed portraits. When shooting RAW + JPEG, the software allows you to immediately transfer the JPEGs to a designated folder on your computer for immediate review. The transfer rate is quick especially when you are shooting SMALL JPEG. Below are steps to configure the software for the aforementioned set up (from a PC user perspective):

1. Create a folder dedicated to transfer anywhere on your PC
2. Access the Options menu in the upper right corner of the software
3. Select Transfer Settings on the LEFT column of the menu
4. Select "ON" - Transfer images automatically from camera
5. Under the Transfer Destination section find the folder you created in Step 1
6. Optional (my preferred setting) - Click the check box Create subfolder with shooting date automatically. 
7. I opted for the default selections under: File Name After Transfer and Rule When The Same File Name Exists
8. Under Download Settings, I opted to Omit Raw Files as to speed up the review process. Transfer Raw files will takes significantly more time especially with consecutive shooting. 
9. Select RAW + JPEG either on your camera or on the computer and you are ready to go. 

I would love to hear what the rest of you think of the new software. I have only done a quick 10 minute portrait with my fiance, but I already think this is a fantastic addition to my home studio. I hope this helps and I would love to hear about your experience. Happy tethered shooting.

So say we all,

Dino

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Canon 5D Mark II vs. the Olympus OMD E-M1 - It's not a matter of what's the best camera, but what's best for you

Not too long ago, I was recruited by a friend to take some studio style shots for an upcoming jump rope competition. To create a uniformed look, he requested that I shoot with one of his Canons, particularly the 5D MarkII.  A little part of me was really excited at the opportunity of shooting with a full frame camera and another part of me was afraid if this will have an ill effect on my wallet. Long story short, I am not convinced DSLRs are the right camera for me. This post is not an exhaustive comparison of the two cameras in terms of image quality, noise levels or other DPreview test factors, rather an explanation of how it fits or doesn't fit into my workflow and personal preference.  I will qualify my statement by explaining below what I do like about using the Canon 5D Mark II or 5D2 for short.

The tiny yet mighty Olympus OMD E-M1

Let’s start with the things I like. I know one of the selling points of a mirrorless camera is the form factor and size. The battery grip is permanently attached to my E-M1 because it not only improves the functionality of the camera, but also prevents my pinky from awkwardly dangling beneath the body. The 5D2 I am borrowing has the battery grip attached to it and I love how secure it feels in my hand even with the 24-105 f/4 lens attached. The buttons also have an amazing tactile feel to it, something that was definitely missing in the OMD E-M5 (but improved tremendously with the E-M1).  I dedicated all of my time shooting manually with the 5D2, since I will be doing so at the competition and I found changing Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO effortless.  Even more significant was the ability to change said settings including the focus points without having to take my eye away from the viewfinder. Ergonomically and functionally speaking, Canon just hit this camera out of the park.

Godox DE300 / Neewer DS300 Monolight Review

I would say 2013 and 2014 is the year of the light.  If you have been following my blog, you will notice that I have been very fond of the Godox/Cheetah speedlight and barebulb flash units.  Not only are they extremely portable, they are powerful units that can essentially replace my need for monolights while out on the field. However, in studio, rather in my condominium, I have found it rather difficult to compose my models and friends through the Electronic View Finder because of my preferred exposure settings. I have been extremely fond of the high key look and it requires the use of 3 to 4 lights to expose both my background and my subject.   In order to achieve this desired look, I have to choose an ISO, Aperture and Shutterspeed that will give me a completely black frame without the lights (only my external light source will be exposing the image and not the ambient light). Because the EVF gives you a preview of what the image will look like prior to pressing the shutter release, you get a nearly dark view. Thus framing and posing your model as you look through the view finder becomes somewhat challenging. 

My Experience with Four Thirds Glass: 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko EZ Zoom and the 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 ED Zuiko Zoom

Blowing a kiss to my brand new lens

When I purchased the Olympus OMD E-M1, I was given the option to purchase the Olympus MMF-3 weather sealed adapter and receive a mail in rebate for the full cost of the adapter.  If I didn't already have the FL-600r, I would have taken advantage of the free with rebate FL-300 flash. I originally neglected the adapter thinking I would never use this thing, let alone an "old" Olympus four thirds lens, until I found myself a very inexpensive one on ebay.  I made an offer of $40 thinking it would be rejected, but to my surprise it was accepted with free shipping. The 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko EZ zoom came right in time for a special event at my buddy's Crossfit gym so I decided to give this lens a whirl.

Some of Crossfit Nerd's super friends

I usually shoot in manual, single auto focus mode, but I didn't want to worry about too many factors given I was working with a new-to-me lens.  I locked the camera in Aperture Priority mode and stopped the lens down to around f5.6 (I wanted to really test the sharpness of the lens, so I stopped it down a bit).  An important thing to note about these four thirds glass is that they are optimized to work on phase detect auto focus system cameras unlike my original OMD E-M5, which has contrast detect. The OMD E-M1 has a hybrid sensor that has both phase detect and contrast detect (native to the Micro Four Thirds) pixels. Unlike what I am used to, most of the phase detect pixels reside within the center of the sensor, so all the focus points are within the middle of the frame.  I found a brief description on dpreview regarding the differences between the two and it's summarized below:

"Contrast-detect autofocus uses the image sensor and tells the camera to keep changing focus until the contrast from one pixel to the next is the highest possible"

"Phase-detect autofocus uses a completely different sensor that splits the light into two images and focuses until the two images come together on the focus sensor ... it can measure how far apart the 2 images are and knows which direction to focus."

Friday Night Lights at Paradiso Crossfit - Something a Little Different

Sometimes you just want an excuse to go out and shoot and I used our local gym's competition as a means to do something different. I typically go out to Paradiso Crossfit with intentions of shooting the athletes in motion.  This time around, I wanted to just take portraits of the amazing people that make up the gym. I thought it would be neat capturing people post workout, but decided to integrate an idea of giving people a voice.  Not only did I have a great time doing it, it was well received by the Paradiso community. Below are some of my favorite shots of the night.    

A rant about sensor size and why you shouldn't care about it

Before I decided to get into photography I was, and still am, an avid paintballer.  My time on the field has been limited due to work and other side projects, but I still to try to make an effort to get out and play whenever I have a free weekend.  My brother first introduced the sport to me back in 1995 when fields were opened in the outskirts of Los Angeles.  Acres of empty land were transformed into simulated battlefields, all peppered with makeshift bunkers for players to hide behind. I never purchased my own gear or played on a regular basis as the financial barrier to entry was just too high at the time.  Fast forward 10 years - Smart Parts, formerly a powerhouse maker of professional paintball markers, released their first entry level, tournament grade gun called the Ion. It was the first gun, sub $300, to offer "professional" level features all in a lightweight plastic body. This was it.  This was the gun that I could finally afford to get into sport.  

An old shot from my days with Bolo Brigade. 

Before the Cheetah Lights, there was the Olympus FL-600r - an Enthusiast Review

Before I purchased the Cheetah lights, I bought the Olympus FL-600r to go with my OMD E-M5.  If there was one piece of gear that helped improve my photography, I would say this flash was it. When I first started shooting, I was obsessed with getting the best and newest lens whether it be a prime or zoom. I lie, I still obsess about glass and I am currently drooling over Panasonic's 42mm f1.2 lens, but I digress. Adding a flash was and continues to be the great equalizer.  A particular lens' strength in sharpness becomes less apparent when I stop down the aperture and introduce specular highlights from an external light source like a flash (the strobist blog explains specular hightlights extremely well).  For all m43 users, nothing can beat the versatility of this accessory, save for the re-badged Panasonic versions and the third party offerings from Metz. Below I have outlined of all the strengths and weakness of the this particular unit and you will see I have added more from my previous post.

"Better lighting trumps better gear" - wise words from my friend Joe Gunawan. 

Pro:

1. Compact - a great complement to my OMD E-M5 and currently the E-M1
2. Effective and smart TTL and TTL-FP mode (essentially high speed sync)
3. Built very well and feels like a quality product
4. Great RC/Slave mode for studio work or off camera photography (Still has TTL mode when set off by the proprietary clip on Olympus Flash). Giulio from Small Camera Big Picture has a terrific explanation of how to use the RC mode with the OMD E-M5 - here
5. Ability to control the power from the camera in RC mode
6. Syncs perfectly with the E-M1 at 1/250th of a second in manaul mode and 1/200th of a second in TTL
7. Power is controllable from the OMD and up to three are programmable from the camera
8. Lasts a long time off one set of batteries.  
9. Built in LED lighting can be activated for video (though I have never used this feature)
10. Locking flash head positions.

Shot using TTL mode 

Cons:

1. Optical Slave does not work well in bright sunny days
2. Abysmal recharge rate from half to full power.  This gets worse as the battery starts to drain
3. True guide number in the mid 30s at ISO 100.
4. Takes AA batteries.  OH How I HATE AA BATTERIES   

So how does this flash fit into my workflow? I always believe in using the right tools for the job and I believe the FL-600r really shines with event photography where your subjects are in a constant flux. For the following shots, I rely on TTL or through the lens metering to give me the power I need to light my subject. However, I rely on manual shutter, aperture and ISO control to determine not only my depth of field but the amount of ambient light I want to capture in my photo. The following shots were all taken at various events (see caption below for my technique). 

This shot was taken on the top deck of yacht.  I wanted to expose for  the killer sunset

leaving my model pretty much under-exposed.  The light from the flash balanced 

out the ambient and subject.  In this situation, it would have been impossible to 

capture this shot without adding light.  If using only available light, I would 

either have a nicely exposed background with an underexposed subject or a nicely

exposed subject and a blown out background. 

For this shot,  I had very little light to work with.  I wanted to create some bokeh 

(also known as background blur) from the twinkle lights behind the subject.  

Pointing the flash directly at her would not have been very pleasing, so I opted

to bounce the flash using the low, white ceiling above me to soften the light.  

Isolating the subject was my goal for this shot.  So I decided really bring down 

ambient light by increasing my shutter speed (increasing the speed also helped 

with capturing this shot, as it did not last very long). For this shot I used a stofen 

flash diffuser to help soften the light.  

This was honestly a difficult shot for me, as this capoeira performer was 

about 60 feet away from me and was moving an extremely fast pace. I did

not dare shoot manually with my flash and relied on TTL to help expose for the 

shot. I started out with the flash head zoomed out to 24 with a stofen modifier,

but noticed I was not getting enough reach. So I decided to remove the 

modifier and zoomed my flash head to 105mm to focus the light and got this

interesting shot with a vignette built in.   

I rarely use this technique, but find it quite fun to use when people are dancing. 

In this shot, I purposefully set the shutter to 1 second and rotated my camera 

upon pressing the shutter release to create this ethereal look.  I had to stop

down a bit, as not to over expose the ambient light, but the flash of light "froze"

the subject.  I use this sparingly, but throw it in to mix things up a bit.

Although I prefer to shoot manually whenever I can, I see the importance of having a unit that has TTL capabilities. I don't always have the luxury of time to take multiple exposures to get it right in camera and the metering system is highly capable of getting it right or good enough. This flash unit is a great complement to any micro four thirds camera, especially if you have one of the larger bodied ones.  Don't get me wrong, it is a very light weight unit, but would be taxing on the hands if you are using a GX-1 or an E-P5 for extended periods of time.  

So now the big question, would I recommend this to a professional event photographer?  I give this a qualified yes.  As an advanced amateur, I would say it is perfect for my needs, as I only shoot a handful of events a year and I value its small, but powerful-enough stature along with it's TTL FP or High Speed Sync mode.  I don't think this cycles fast enough for those photographers who run and gun with their shutter.  Wedding photographers will not get many bursts at full power, but may be able to get away with low burst speeds at under half or quarter power.   For these particular situations, I would recommend looking into a micro four thirds Metz flash.  I hear they are a lot more powerful and have a faster re-cycle speed, but sacrifice size and weight.

Metz 50 AF-1 on an Olympus OMD E-M5.  Thank you Fed for the photo.

If I had any say in the creating an updated version of the FL-600r, I would make the following recommendations to improve the speedlight.  

• Please ditch the AA batteries and move towards a lithium ion battery pack so we have faster recycle times. Please follow Godox's lead and possibly have the BLN power the flash. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, it would be sublime to have one set of batteries for my OMD and FL-600r.
• Allow for the built in LED light to be used as a focus assist light for stills photography that coordinates with the shutter release on the camera.  
• Built in receiver for radio control. I believe the Yongnuo brand of flashes have this and is quite impressive
• A GN rating of 50 or higher at ISO 100 (or Low on Olympus cameras)

I hope this blog post about the Olympus FL-600r helps you determine whether or not this speedlight will fit in your workflow and/or needs.  For the occasional event photographer, this is the flash for you.  Thanks for stopping by.

So say we all,

Dino

Welcoming a New Member to Our Family...the Olympus Pen E-P5

Introducing the Olympus Pen E-P5

When I sold my OMD E-M5 to my brother to purchase the E-M1, I told myself that if the E-M5 ever went on sale for under $600, I would jump at the opportunity to get it back.  During the last Presidents' Day holiday weekend, Olympus offered a 20% discount on all of their reconditioned gear.  Well, the better featured (well, in my opinion that is) Pen E-P5 fell way under that price and I jumped on it.  Think of the E-P5 as a smaller OMD without the electronic view finder.  

Twin dials 

Some of the major selling points to for me were the following:

• Wifi connection to my phone/tablet for pulling files on the go and wireless control
• Max shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second
• Flash sync speed of 1/320th of a second (similar to the OMD)
• Twin Dials
• Sexy retro look

This camera is gorgeous with the Voigtlander 40mm f1.4 prime lens

When I first opened the package, I was surprised to see the camera look pristine and brand new, as if it never left the factory.  The main difference I saw was the packaging, which had "Reconditioned" stamped all over the box.  I was also shocked to see how much heft there is to this body; definitely feels high quality. I'll be out shooting at a local crossfit gym to document the 2014 Open competition.  Expect a review once I give the Pen some time. Thanks for stopping by.

So say we all,

Dino

A weekend with the Cheetah V850 and the Barebulb CL-360 (and more Importantly Nathan Shrake)

In my last post (see blog entry HERE), I was raving about how amazing the Cheetah/Godox lights are.  In theory, they are everything I could ask for in a portable lighting system:  they are light weight, powerful and user friendly. Last weekend, I had the pleasure of not only trying out these lights, but helping a friend with a photo shoot. This was a perfect opportunity to really see what these lights were capable of doing.  

For this shoot, being nimble was of utmost importance since we had to move from location to location.  Just in case you were curious, here's what I brought for the shoot:

1. 2 FT-16 Triggers/Receivers for myself and Rachel to remotely fire the lights
2. Cheetah CL-360 with the PB 960 batter pack
3. 2 Cheetah V850s
4. 2 lights stands 
5. 2 umbrella style soft boxes
6. OMD E-M1 shooting primarily with the Olympus 75mm f1.8

Our first location was at the Getty Museum, down here in Southern California.  It was an overcast day and the available light was flat and unflattering; a perfect opportunity for these lights to give us a bit of drama and dimension. I originally set up the CL-360 on a light stand and soft box, but was quickly asked to break it down as it was considered professional equipment and they had zero tolerance for tripods (clearly they don't know what a tripod is and were fine with us hand holding the flash).  I didn't know light modifiers were so threatening and professional.  Mind you, we were outdoors and not shooting anywhere near any paintings or sculptures (needless to say, it was a rule that had a number of holes in it). I decided to switch to the V850s as it was easier for our photo assistants to hold up and I had more options as far as zooming the flash in and out.  

Olympus answers our "issues" with long exposure noise

I know it has been a while since I've posted anything to the blog.  I have been extremely fortunate to have had event photography gigs and engagement sessions to keep me extremely busy during the winter holiday.  Although I wish I could make photography a full-time job, my current 9-5 position keeps the bills paid and the hobby going, thus the blogs neglect. I appreciate those of you following for being patient and understanding.  

Not too long ago, I posted a blog post about long exposure noise with the Olympus OMD E-M1 with the camera set to Noise Reduction off.  Well, it seems Olympus was listening to our complaints, but not in the way some astro-photographers would appreciate.  Below is a list of all the updates Olympus has made with Version 1.1:

• Live Bulb image quality while noise reduction is on has been           improved 

• Improved AF operation 

• Image stabilisation in sports, children mode and C-AF has been        improved 

• Chromatic aberration caused by LUMIX G VARIO 14-140mm         1:3.5-5.6 ASPH/POWER O.I.S (H-FS14140)

It is quite interesting to see a firmware upgrade that addresses an issue that crosses lens brands in the Panasonic 14-140mm. However, I find it puzzling that they did not address a major complaint that many photographers have made on forums about the noise issue when taking long exposures.  As a quick reminder, many astro-photographers choose not to turn the NR On, as it doubles the length to process a LE shot (IE - a 10 second shot takes 20 seconds to write to the memory card).  This is problematic for shooting star trails or certain landscapes.  Again, NOT a problem for me, as I shoot mainly landscapes and structures that do not move.  It's still early in the E-M1's lifecycle to worry that this will not be fixed. The following images were all taken at night with exposures longer than 5 seconds.  There seems to be a certain range where hot pixels and noise becomes truly apparent, but I haven't found a definitive length.  

Despite my apparent complaint about the camera, I must admit, after several months of use I am floored about the usability of the camera.  The button layouts and the dedicated HDR/Bracketing function facilitates its use and makes it a joy to shoot in bracketing mode.  When I had the E-M5, I remember it being a chore navigating in and out of the menus to get to the desired HDR mode; heck, the Panasonic G5 did a better job in this department.  With the E-M1, I now think about HDR as a primary goal during an outing rather than an afterthought or "something cool and different to try out".  I went to Disneyworld with every intention of trying this out and I think it functioned like a dream.
    

Thanks again for stopping by.  I definitely plan on being more up to date and active on the blog in 2014.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and an even better new year.    

So say we all,
Dino

Engagement Session Teaser with the Olympus OMD E-M1

The Royal Couple - taken with the 75mm

A simple and short blog post dedicated to two good friends of mine.  I don't normally do engagement photography, but was honored to do a session with these two wonderful people.  In a following post, I will give my thoughts on using both the Olympus OMD E-M1 with my newly acquired Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 lens.  Spoiler alert, this lens is fantastic and has replaced 2 of my primes.  

I was extremely nervous about doing this shoot because I had never done one and feared missing THE shot. But having confidence in your gear, a game plan and a decent relationship with the couple went a long way.  The photograph above is her favorite and mine too.  I still have a several more to edit, but once I'm done you will definitely get a field review from me. Thanks again for stopping by.

So say we all,

Dino

Long Exposures and HDR with the Olympus OMD E-M1

The moment we booked our trip to Orlando, I knew I would be taking a ton of pictures to document our experience/pilgrimage to Disneyworld.  Among the many things I wanted to do, taking long exposures and creating HDR shots was something I really wanted to delve into as I hardly get the opportunity to do so.  When the OMD featured a dedicated button to help facilitate taking bracketed shots, I was ecstatic because it was such a chore to get into bracketing mode with the E-M5.  I think the worst part of it all is I would forget that I left it on and would be wondering why my shots would be so over/under exposed.  I welcome this one click on/off feature on the E-M1. 

So this post does not come without any frustration, which is mostly my fault and I'm not talking about lugging around 3.5 pound tripod for 8+ hours a day.  Going into this trip, I knew I would be taking long exposures, ranging anywhere from 1 second to 60 seconds depending on the time of day.  I normally always set my camera to reduce noise for long exposures (or LENR - Long Exposure Noise Reduction) as a default.  I know many people on micro four thirds forums have complained about the hot pixels and snow effect that the E-M1 produces on these long shots and I can confirm this has happened to me.  It is a fact that the E-M5 handles these types of photos a lot better whether or not the LENR is turned off (some even think that off does not necessarily mean off, but I haven't found evidence to prove this). Some expect the removal of the Low Pass filter is the cause of this, but I have definitely ruined some shots by not turning this feature on.  See the sample shot below to understand what I am talking about.  You will clearly see both the hot pixels (Red and Blue), in addition to the white specks littered throughout the building and sky.

 Take a closer look and you will see issues - White Snow and Hot Pixels

This effects are really only a problem at exposures 10 seconds or longer. I can confirm that turning on LENR does solve any problems I had. I performed two tests: 1)Taking a 30 second shot with the lens cap on and 2) Taking a 60 second shot with very little light.  The files are clean and free of any unusual noise.  So what does that mean for me or for you?  Does this make it a deal breaker for the E-M1? For me, I can say absolutely not.  With LENR turned on, it takes double the time to process a long exposure shot, so a 30 second exposure will take 60 seconds to completely write on your memory card.  This may pose a problem to Astro Photographers and I can see how this is a massive let down for a flagship camera.  Even as a self-proclaimed Olympus Fanboy, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. I know that cameras are tools and you always have to use the right tool for the right job, but it's a shame that I would, in theory, have to switch over to the E-M5 if I ever wanted to delve into shooting the stars.  At the end of the day, I would still pick up the E-M1 99% of the time, as I feel this small setback does not outweigh its plethora of improvements.  

Another view of Cinderella's Castle, but from the back - Truly sexy clouds

To a certain extent, I feel the forums have blown this issue way out of proportion, since you can remedy the problem with one simple move in the settings.  I understand how this camera is not usable to some because of this issue, but you have to ask yourself how often you plan on do Astro Photography or any other photography that requires a shorter window between shots.  The beauty is we have options and that's a good thing.  I will continue to praise and recommend this camera to both pros and prosumers alike.  Will I continue to take Long Exposures and bracketed shots at night? You bet.  Lucky for me most of my shots are static.  

When I come back, I will be eating here at Be Our Guest in the Magic Kingdom

The LENR feature can be found in Section E of the E-M1 menu, under the heading Noise Reduction.  I will be sure to post an update after spending a little more time with the camera.  Thanks for stopping by.

So Say We All,
Dino