The following is a dialog with Bart van Leeuwen from the MyOlympus mailing list. Bart was able to acquire an E-M5 body and wrote these first impressions to me. With permission, they are published here on Zone-10. Bart writes:

Yesterday evening I got note from one of the local Olympus resellers that they received a small number of E-M5s and that I should be at their shop early in the morning :-)

So.. after 'playing' with one for some 2 hours, I found that it does get many things right with regards to 'speed of operation', and in general is an extremely nice camera to use. But man, its tiny! An E-P1 actually feels bigger and more substantial. That said, it handles quite nicely.

Can't say much about image quality yet, beyond whats on the net already, but the outdoor event season has started here, and some good opportunities will arise soon for that.

Anyway, the various AF point selection modes work very well, and similar to the E-x models can be controlled with the 2 dials.

C-AF and AF tracking don't work with 4/3 lenses of any kind it seems, S-AF works with all 4/3 glass that supports some form of AF. AF performance of non CDAF enabled lenses feels very similar to that of CDAF enabled lenses on a G2, which might make it usable for quite a few but definitely not all situations.. CDAF enabled 4/3 lenses do a bit better, and seem faster then on the G2 at least.

Oh, and they finally fixed some usability quirks for live view/evf cameras with manual focus lenses with regards to things like magnification (now optionally canceled by a half press). Not so sure if I like the new 'modernized' look of the menus, but in actual operation, the user interface is rather familiar with a few nice functional improvements.

I did get the 12-50 in the end, may sell it if I don't like it, but so far it seems a nice walk-around lens, and its 'electronic zoom' is actually quite workable, not to mention, it also supports manual zoom, selection works by moving the zoom ring for/backward, similar to focus snap on the 12mm prime.

There is only one small flaw that I noted so far. The included mini-flash uses both the hotshoe and the expansion connector, which means having to fiddle with the cover of the expansion connector. This cover (and the one of the mini flash itself) easily gets lost.

[Regarding the grip, in another email, Bart continued to explain]

If you have big hands its gonna be somewhat crampy with regards to the grip. Slightly more so then my E-P1, but not enough to bother me. Because it doesn't try to be a miniaturized DSLR shape, but much closer to the OMs, it is less fiddly and cramped then the G1/2 imo, in a way similar to how the G3 is less cramped and fiddly then the G1/2, but the control layout of the E-M5 with its dual dials is much better in my opinion, and currently the best you'll get on any m4/3 camera. The only slight complaint that I have is that the rear wheel is a bit too far away for my thumb.

I bet the optional grip changes this, but that will have to wait for a bit for me. I'm definitely going to get one, but probably won't be using it except when using the camera for a prolonged time (ie, during events). As it is it seems to provide nearly everything that makes PENs attractive to me, and most of the things for which I have an E-3, in a package no larger then a PEN (tho slightly differently shaped)

Now if only there was some native fast tele-zooms..

One thing is clear, it is a photographers camera, and one that has Olympus written all over it. It does seem to have a few quirks (among which a firmware bug that makes the magnified view mode refuse to work at times), but it does seem to get pretty much all the really important things in its interface totally right, and quickly starts getting out of the way. This is probably helped in my case because you can set it up like a stripped down, miniaturized E-3 for most things you need while composing/shooting. Some of the quirks, for example the way you select how the EVF eye sensor is used, turn out to be 'slightly odd but smart' in a rather typical Olympus way.

Its interesting to compare equivalent features between the E-M5 and G2 work. For example, the G2 has similar AF tracking, and it is very close to equal in reliability and performance, but the interface is ever so slightly different. On the G2 you have to mark an object, which then gets followed (and you have to press a button that requires significant thumb movement to cancel the selection), half press to focus lock (and tracking stops, this can be changed at the expense of an unpredictable but quite noticeable shutter lag). On the E-M5 the interface works like using focus + recompose, half press to select an object, start tracking and keep in focus, full press locks + exposes. Same bullet-list item, but the E-M5 implementation is very easy and natural in how it works and seems quite useful if it turns out to be reliable enough, where the G2 implementation is cumbersome and something I quickly stopped bothering with.

Bart van Leeuwen

April 30, 2012

Spring is arriving here in the Northern Hemisphere. Nearly every photographer will venture forth with camera in tow and take pictures of the glorious colors and patterns nature greets us with every year. It's a venerable feast for the eyes and the pixels.

I went out this evening for some lens testing and as part of the testing shot pictures of this flowering pear tree. The camera and lens for this shot is the Olympus E-1 and an OM Zuiko 100mm F2. Aperture was set at F5.6 and the camera chose 1/100 for the shutter speed. Distance was set to one meter.

This picture was about a half-hour before sunset, well within the golden hour. The conversion was done in Olympus Studio using only the settings available within the camera itself. Resizing and minor editing was done in Picture Window Pro.

Spring is Made for Zuikos, Olympus E-1, Zuiko 100mm F2. 1/100 at F5.6.

Raccoon River Fireworks, Olympus OM-4T, Zuiko 24mm F2.8, Fujichrome Provia

The biggest problem with scanning Kodachrome is the cleaning. The infrared channel used for normal film cleaning methods doesn't work properly with Kodachrome or conventional B&W films. But what hasn't been widely known is that VueScan (www.hamrick.com) has undergone continued improvement and one thing that has been greatly enhanced is the ability to scan and clean Kodachrome. Unlike the regular methods of RGB minus IR channel with gap filling substitution of surrounding pixels, VueScan uses a much more advanced algorithm.

The following image was scanned on the Nikon Coolscan V-ED with VueScan 9.0.89, which is the current version as of this writing on March 24, 2012. Improvements to the algorithm have been seen in 9.0.12, 9.0.13 and 9.0.31. And those are just since Version 9.0.0.

Riverflats at Sunrise. Olympus OM-2S with Zuiko 24mm F2.8 Lens, Kodachrome (no infrared cleaning)

Now the same image with VueScan performing infrared cleaning.

Olympus OM-2S with Zuiko 24mm F2.8 Lens, Kodachrome (infrared cleaned)

To the right side of the image is a distant cell tower. The infrared cleaning left it alone. The only variance I found in the scans is a slight lightening in the cleaned version, but not enough to worry about as it is easily corrected in the editor as we make final adjustments for output. As I had some auto adjustments turned on, that may be responsible for the lightening too. These images are straight out of VueScan and resized (with sharpening), bordered, logo'd and saved for web display. No further editing performed.

As a final high-quality print, I would still look at the image at 100% and fix details and the odd speck that VueScan either didn't catch or had an abnormal repair, but this sample scan represents a substantial time savings in cleaning the image.

I highly recommend VueScan. I've been using it for many years. The Professional Edition is USD $79.95 which includes unlimited upgrades. The Standard Edition is USD $39.95. I recommend the Professional Edition for the upgrades and additional ICC features. See www.hamrick.com for purchase.

Ken Norton

www.zone-10.com

Yo! Olympus OM-4 

This Featured Picture of the Week will feature three. They are somewhat a set. Maybe it's a stretch that they are a set, but they do represent what late winter can look like here in Iowa.

The first picture was taken about 30 minutes after sunset. Iowa farmers have been adding large grain bins to their land to hold some of the harvest till later when commodity prices increase. This bin could stand a little maintenance. What looks like noise in the image is actually the pattern of the galvanized steel. The white balance was kept near normal.

Rusting Bin, Olympus E-1, Zuiko 100mm F2 Lens. 1/1.3 at F4

Saturday was a beautiful day. One of the first "shorts weather" days we've had this year. On a walk with my wife we passed a college farm. These two shots caught my interest. The camera being carried was the Olympus E-1 with a Zuiko 50mm F1.4 lens.

Barbed Hat, Olympus E-1 with Zuiko 50mm F1.4 Lens. 1/1000 at F4

Finally, what farm scene would be complete without a fence row shot?

It's a Fence Of Course With No Horse, Olympus E-1 with Zuiko 50mm F1.4 Lens.

1/4000 at F2

All three images converted in Olympus Studio. Downsizing, cropping (center image only) and border addition performed in Picture Window Pro.

Ken Norton

www.zone-10.com

In 1983 an event occurred which stunned not just the members of the New York Yacht Club, but all observers of the America's Cup seventh and final race. When defending a race in sailing you NEVER leave the challenger. Especially when the winds are not cooperating. Dennis Conner made the fateful decision to split away in an attempt to seek improved winds as well as have cleaner, quicker tacks. Failing to cover the opponent resulted in a 41 second loss. John Betrand, skippering the Australia II was equally as surprised that Conner made such a rookie mistake.

In the camera world, Canon is the defender. Having held sway over the DSLR camera industry for the past decade Canon is now watching the challengers go a different direction. Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras are becoming the new norm. It's now race seven and Canon has chosen to not cover the challengers attempting to block their wind.

Who are the challengers? Leading the pack is Olympus. The new OM-D series featuring the first camera the E-M5 is at the moment the one gathering the most attention. Is it a worthy challenger? Time will tell, but if the camera yields results as good as expected, it signals the return of Olympus to relevance. Panasonic is a stout challenger too, but lacks finesse in ergonomics and image quality. The Nikon 1 system will likely find success in the low-end. Sony is every bit the equal of Olympus in this race and capable of going toe to toe with Canon. Ricoh, Fujifilm and others are attempting systems of their own.

Canon's response? The G1X.

As my teenage daughters would say, “REALLY?”

On the professional camera lines, Canon and Nikon are releasing nearly identical cameras. They are covering each other very well, never letting the other get too far away. But Nikon's D800 is the challenger to the Canon 5D line. Canon's response? The 5D Mark III.

In both cases, Canon is failing to cover the challengers. No doubt the G1X and 5D Mark III will be stout cameras in their own right, but the competition has tacked to port while Canon has tacked to starboard. Ten years ago, it was Canon that challenged Kodak and won. Now Canon has found itself in the position of being in race seven, light and shifty winds are wrecking havoc with the course and Canon is choosing not to defend its position. Conner hoped that the winds would be better further over. That turned out to be a false hope, but it could have turned out to be better and the outcome of the race would have been different. It really doesn't matter, though. Because as the defender, you must cover your challengers tack for tack. NEVER leave your challengers in a tight race.

Olympus is not going to be the sole winner of this race. Olympus currently has such a tiny fraction of the market that it is almost irrelevant. Fujifilm? Same way. Ricoh? Even less. Panasonic? Panasonic could dominate the market if it followed the European and American methods of marketing and product management, but instead allocates production runs so tightly that a successful selling product will never achieve large-scale sales success. Products are back-ordered so long that the competition is able to eventually fill the gap for them. Even Sony, by itself isn't going to hurt Canon very deeply. Yet, altogether, the impact is huge.

The OM-D is going to be an important product for Olympus. This is a camera that I'm very interested in trying and will likely get for myself if it performs as well as it looks. I'm not looking for nostalgia—no need to as I'm still heavily shooting with the OM system with cameras such as the OM-4Ti and the OM-3Ti. An OM-4Ti the OM-D is not. What the OM-D does provide is a smartly spec'd camera in a compact and lightweight package with ergonomics and image-quality that fits the legacy of both the OM system and the E-system.

Great questions remain as to the long-term viability of Olympus as a camera manufacturer. The OM-D may be the one last opportunity for the camera division to prove itself and present itself as worthy of survival. If past sales performance over the last decade is any indication of future performance, it isn't. I don't like being this blunt, but if Olympus fails with the OM-D, they really don't deserve to exist anymore. I'm hoping that they don't screw this one up. If they do, then the OM-D will be a one-camera deal. The new board of directors won't tolerate a division that makes no profit—even with an otherwise successful product.

I'm liking what I see with the OM-D. The tilt stabilization has been predicted here on www.zone-10.com for quite some time. In fact, much of this camera is what was written about on this site. The OM-D is very much what the E-5 was supposed to be. If they do release the E-7, which is most certainly ready for market, it too will have the same set of features. The EVF is excellent and Olympus is being very smart about keeping the in-viewfinder data off the image area. The OLED touchscreen monitor is also very welcome. I would still like to see the upcoming global shutter and a release of the reduction optics for legacy full-frame 35mm lenses. There is also the not-so-minor point about the abandonment of the Four-Thirds lens line and failure to adequately support those lenses on the Micro Four-Thirds line.

Olympus isn't THE challenger to Canon's hold on the trophy, but it is one significant member of the flotilla of challengers. Whether Olympus is able to cross the line first or even at all is not Canon's concern, but the Olympus mirrorless products do represent a major sea-change. All eyes are on Olympus to see how successful the OM-D is, and I have no doubt that every manufacturer has equivalent products developed and waiting.

Including Canon.

Canon's current direction may or may not lead them to stronger winds, but Canon is failing to follow the one most basic rule of business and yacht racing. Never leave the challenger alone in a tight race.

Ken Norton
www.zone-10.com

 

A rather unusual experience. Not to be behind the camera but in front. Transformed from being the photographer into being the model. The reason was an interview with me a national newspaper in the Netherlands is going to publish. About my Henny-project: the woman I am documenting now for over 35 years. The photographer in charge is currently probably the most famous in the Netherlands. His name is Joost van den Broek and indeed, he makes stunning pictures. He is specialized in portraits he still makes on film with a Mamiya C330 camera on a Manfrotto tripod. When his portraits are published in a newspaper or magazine, the eyes immediately are drawn to it and the mind and heart become intrigued and fascinated.

Therefore a most interesting experience to be photographed by this gentleman photographer to observe how the hell he manages to make such fabulous portraits.

It was educational and surprising.

Joost van den Broek seems not to be nervous. We first went to a restaurant where he ordered hot chocolate milk with cream on top and a delicious apple pie also covered by sweet cream. He seemed not to be in a hurry although he had been carefully studying the space we were in.

From my experience I was concluding the restaurant was not a good location: mainly because it was too dark inside.

After slowly drinking the chocolate milk and eating the apple pie and chatting about life and photography he decided the moment had come. And to my uttermost amazement he selected the darkest corner in the restaurant as the place to make the portrait. He used his Mamiya C330 on a tripod although the shutter speed was not very slow. Besides, he used a Nikon D3s with a F1,2 lens shooting from his large beautiful hands at random.

I have no clue what he has made: haven’t seen any results yet. Later he made pictures outside as well on two different locations but it seemed this was not because he was doubtful about the portraits he had been shooting inside.

Of course I took the opportunity to make portraits of this immensely talented and pure photographer. He had no objections and posed freely and easy.

This is what I managed to make....

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Question or comment?

"What The World Has Never Seen" is currently in production with Michel and his team travelling around the world. To keep up with the latest from Michel Szulc Krzyzanowski and the project "What The World Has Never Seen", please visit his blog at:

http://whattheworldhasneverseen.wordpress.com/

Some people say that no good deed goes unpunished. I say every problem is an opportunity to grow. I guess it all depends on if you look at the glass as half empty or half full.

Right smack in the middle of moving in to the studio, my PC decided to commit suicide. Images and data were safe, everything is backed up, but oh, how inconvenient! Truthfully, if it had to happen, this is the best season, business wise. I had all but 2 clients wrapped up for the Holidays, and just a few sessions to do in the month of December, none of them needing prints until after the Holidays. So, I limped through the 2 clients that still hadn't finalized their Holiday orders by utilizing a crummy laptop and relying on my wonderful local lab to aide me where I had fallen short.

Then...on to making a purchasing decision. To stay PC or go MAC, this was the dilemma. For years I had been wanting to switch to a MAC, but there was no reason to justify the purchase until now. The problem with going MAC is that I have a ton of expensive software, all windows based. Not to mention I had a pretty solid workflow set up. If I went PC, all of my software would still be usable, and my externals would be plug and play. If I went MAC, I would need to repurchase necessary software for the MAC.

Decisions, decisions.

Asking for opinions on this is like asking the masses if I should cut my hair. 50/50 either way. Most people presented valid arguments in support of their preference. So, it was my decision, alone, to make.

I went MAC.

I won't tell you here how much I love my iMac, or all the reasons why, but I am very happy that I switched. The initial investment was pricey, and then purchasing necessary software was expensive, as well. I am holding off purchasing any software that I don't absolutely *have* to have right now. There are a few PC only programs that I miss a good deal, but I am confident that I can find a MAC equivalent or better, if I am patient and continue searching.

Now, the learning curve begins...all the while business must go on. Conducting it on a 27 inch screen has a way of making the transition a bit less painful.

Candace Lemarr is contributing articles to www.zone-10.com on the continuing efforts to convert this space into an effective studio as well as writing other articles about the business of photography. She is based in Grand Junction, Colorado.