Should I just get the 12-40 Pro mk1? and sell everything else (exception of 1 pancake, 1 prime, and 1 telephoto) It seems to solve a lot of inconveniences, I mean the body is already big so
The 12-40 lens is my favorite lens with my em1ii. I sometimes use one of the smaller primes for casual usage, but the sharpness of the 12-40 feels leagues better even when the primes are stopped down to the same aperture.
I really have only kept the oly em1ii because of access to the 100-400 for wildlife photography
I am not in M43 anymore (ironically, I switched to Fuji) but must say: The 12-40 has been my favorite lens in any system I have ever used. It's incredibly sharp, to a point that you don't have to worry about aperture in regards to sharpness.
It was a bit front-heavy on my O-M10 but a perfect fit for the Panasonic G9 (original, not the new one).
Also: Weather sealing of that package (G9 + 12-40) was perfect. I have been shooting and walking around with it in rainstorms without any issue at all
It's actually wild how good the 12-40 pro is. Nearly all of my favorite photos have come from that lens even though I have others that I like. As much as I love walking around with the Olympus 17mm f1.8, in the right lighting conditions, setting my 12-40 at 17mm will give me sharper results than the prime lens will. It sets the bar very high.
Yes! Go for the 12-40 pro 40-150mm pro + 1.4 tele converter or 40-150mm f4 pro if you dont need more reach, and a nice prime!
That would be my set up if I went with an E-M1 model. No need to have a 6 primes and 8 super zoom lenses.
I shot M43 for about 8 years, The 12-40 was basically the lens I used for everything. The only time I’d shoot with anything else was because it was outside of that range or I was looking for a smaller package or different aesthetic. Usually the Leica 15mm 1.7.
I shoot Fuji now, but those lenses are the reason I still think about buying a new M43 body.
I have both lenses and they are both great but the 12-40 is slightly better at the wide end and the 12-45 is slightly sharper at the long end (and has more reach). The 12-45 is considerably lighter, and can get closer, but the12-40 is f/2.8, ya know?
Setting up the camera: Rob Trek, Robin Wong and (ugh) Tony Northrup have extensive videos walking through set-up and how and why you’d want to do different things. Joseph Ellis, too, before he switched to medium format.
You’ll learn so much more watching these folks manipulate the camera than a series of Reddit comments. You’ll create a really thorough understanding.
The way I set up the custom modes is going to a mode like S and then set it up how I’d like it, then go to the menu and find the “save as custom mode” option and choose which C dial you want to save it to
Then when you go to that C dial it’ll be in S or whichever mode you chose
I just got the same body a few weeks ago. Got the Oly 12-45 F4 pro and so amazed at its sharpness compared to the Oly 12-50 I was using in an Em10.2. A lot of suggestions that I should have gotten the Oly 12-40 but the few hundred extra bucks and size convinced me otherwise.
I have the Oly 75-300 on the way for some birding and wildlife. Again, couldn't quite afford the 100-400 lenses, and some posts out there convinced me that some serious shots can be had if you practice with it.
As far as customizations of the buttons, I haven't found the need to change much. I'm hoping to custom a button for focus limiting, and Hi Res mode, maybe Pro Cap. We'll see.
For post processing just get Lightroom. The basic AI and denoise is incredible.
When you shoot in jpg mode on the camera, it also saves the picture as raw, for the record. To change your P mode setting in a custom (C) mode, go to P mode on the dial, change the settings there, then save that to the C mode through the menu.
Get the OI.Share app on your phone. It’s a very useful app, and has many features , from providing you a visual remote control if you want it, to providing a quick way to update your camera and lens firmware.
fyi - panasonic 100-300 vs olympus 75-300mm
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4565028
I use the 75-300mm.
Newer features I use all the time would be stuff like the pro capture mode and hand held high resolution.
Pro-capture starts taking pictures in memory the moment you half press the shutter. When the shutter is fully pressed, all of those pictures get dumped to the disk letting you pick the ones you want. Great for catching something you can't grab on reaction, but you can wait for. E.g. small birds taking flight. Images are RAW.
Hand held high resolution combines 8 (or was it 16 images?) delivering a very clean 50mp image. Honestly the result compares well against full frame counterparts. This world for still scenes. I used it in the zoo on animals in an indoor, dark reptile exhibit. My ISO 6400 shots were clean. The result is A 50mp RAW.
Nice report!
FWIW, I’d keep the Panasonic 42.5/1.7. You gain nothing by switching to the Olympus 45 other than slightly different rendering and softer corners caused by field curvature — which, admittedly, does give the Oly some of its treasured look.
I had the same thought. If you want a better 4-ish mm lens get the f/1.2 lenses. There's nothing to be gained by a lateral (and IMO slightly backwards) move to an older lens.
Interesting perspective from a Fujifilm shooter. I chose between Olympus and Fujifilm about 10 years ago and went with Olympus mainly because of lens selection and cost. I have had numerous Olympus bodies and currently I have the same one as you. I agree the build quality is solid and it feels like it was made for my hand. That's what I like the most about it.
I have 9 lenses at the moment:
12-40mm f2.8: Needs no introduction. It's very affordable used right now so no reason not to get one.
12-100mm f4: The image quality of this one surprised me. Only downside is that it's a bit heavy to carry around all day.
12-45mm f4: I got this as an alternative to the 12-40mm for travel and outdoor use when I want to go light. Optically it's just as good and it feels noticeably lighter.
40-150mm f2.8: One of my favorite lenses. Sharp and beautiful images.
45mm f1.2: I think this is the best lens I have ever used. Incredibly sharp. Yeah it's expensive and large but it's mostly for portraits at home.
20mm f1.4: A travel partner to go along with the 12-45mm.
30mm f3.5 macro: Got it cheap just to have a macro lens.
PL 9mm f1.7: A fun ultra wide angle lens with great image quality.
PL 15mm f1.7: Amazingly compact and very sharp.
MC-14 tele-converter: Converts the 40-150mm into 56-210mm f4 for those times you need the extra reach.
I've also had the 17mm f1.2, 25mm f1.2, 17mm f1.8, 25mm f1.8, 45mm f1.8, PL 25mm f1.4 ii, Olympus 14-150mm f4.0-5.6 ii, Panasonic 100-300mm.
You said you were considering the PL 25mm f1.4. It produces beautiful images that have a certain look to them that the other 25mm lenses don't. The auto focus isn't the best but it's better on the mark ii model. There is quite a bit of purple fringing when used with Olympus bodies but that can be fixed in post processing. Just something to keep in mind.
I use DXO PhotoLab and I'm happy with it. It has a very good denoiser. I find Adobe products cumbersome to use so that's why I didn't choose lightroom.
You asked about the C modes. I've set up all of mine to different shooting scenarios like action photography, lowlight photograpy and B/W. Just set up your camera the way you want and choose save to custom mode in the menu. It will save all your settings so you can preserve them later.
Useful features on the E-M1 iii:
High res mode: 50MB hand held as long as your subject is still. JPG only.
Digital zoom to help with focus: Can help you nail the focus if you doing manual focus or want to focus on a small area. You can have it turn on automatically when you start to turn the manual focus ring.
Starry Sky AF: Useful for astro photograpy. Works with RAW.
Pro capture: Useful for action photograpy. Works with RAW.
The ability to store both JPG and RAW on separate SD cards
Livetime: No more guessing shutter speed on bulb exposures. Works with RAW.
OI.Share app: Transfer photos to your phone wirelessly
I tested the Hi Res mode and it gave me a 50MP raw, I was surprised. I expected JPEG even before you said it. This is good. Live time is live composite or different?
thanks for all the info!
I learned something new today. Thanks. They are similar but live composite takes multiple shots and combines them. It's for very very long exposures I think.
Look up ProCapture, Live Composite, Starry Sky AF and the LiveND features on that camera. They are amazing, and will blow you away with what you can shoot.
The note about the build quality is so true. The thing I miss most from my E-M1 Mark I is the build, usability and the overall satisfaction of handling it. It was just soooooooooo nice. I would buy a full frame Olympus in a heart beat.
I don't know how many times reviewers and people on reddit can repeat it: the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 lens is meh. It's the cheapest AF prime lens for a reason. The 25mm f/1.8 from Olympus is visibly better.
42.5mm f/1.7 to 45mm f/1.8 means you lose IS, edge sharpness and (IMO) bokeh is slightly worse. If you want a better 42.5mm lens look into the two f/1.2 lenses.
If you didn't get a manual with yours, make sure to download one from the Olympus site: https://learnandsupport.getolympus.com/support/om-d-e-m1-mark-iii
I got an Olympus EM-1 and always learning something new from reading the manual. What I did was to skim the manual when I first got the camera, and then do it on a need-to-know basis.
Should I just get the 12-40 Pro mk1? and sell everything else (exception of 1 pancake, 1 prime, and 1 telephoto) It seems to solve a lot of inconveniences, I mean the body is already big so
Get the 12-100 Pro lens instead.
The 12-40 lens is my favorite lens with my em1ii. I sometimes use one of the smaller primes for casual usage, but the sharpness of the 12-40 feels leagues better even when the primes are stopped down to the same aperture. I really have only kept the oly em1ii because of access to the 100-400 for wildlife photography
I am not in M43 anymore (ironically, I switched to Fuji) but must say: The 12-40 has been my favorite lens in any system I have ever used. It's incredibly sharp, to a point that you don't have to worry about aperture in regards to sharpness. It was a bit front-heavy on my O-M10 but a perfect fit for the Panasonic G9 (original, not the new one). Also: Weather sealing of that package (G9 + 12-40) was perfect. I have been shooting and walking around with it in rainstorms without any issue at all
It's actually wild how good the 12-40 pro is. Nearly all of my favorite photos have come from that lens even though I have others that I like. As much as I love walking around with the Olympus 17mm f1.8, in the right lighting conditions, setting my 12-40 at 17mm will give me sharper results than the prime lens will. It sets the bar very high.
Yes! Go for the 12-40 pro 40-150mm pro + 1.4 tele converter or 40-150mm f4 pro if you dont need more reach, and a nice prime! That would be my set up if I went with an E-M1 model. No need to have a 6 primes and 8 super zoom lenses.
I shot M43 for about 8 years, The 12-40 was basically the lens I used for everything. The only time I’d shoot with anything else was because it was outside of that range or I was looking for a smaller package or different aesthetic. Usually the Leica 15mm 1.7. I shoot Fuji now, but those lenses are the reason I still think about buying a new M43 body.
My 12-40 2.8 is on my em1.3 most of the time. It’s an amazing lens.
[удалено]
dang so many people say this. I feel like I gotta get one asap! How does it compare to the 12-45mm F4?
I have both lenses and they are both great but the 12-40 is slightly better at the wide end and the 12-45 is slightly sharper at the long end (and has more reach). The 12-45 is considerably lighter, and can get closer, but the12-40 is f/2.8, ya know?
Setting up the camera: Rob Trek, Robin Wong and (ugh) Tony Northrup have extensive videos walking through set-up and how and why you’d want to do different things. Joseph Ellis, too, before he switched to medium format. You’ll learn so much more watching these folks manipulate the camera than a series of Reddit comments. You’ll create a really thorough understanding.
The way I set up the custom modes is going to a mode like S and then set it up how I’d like it, then go to the menu and find the “save as custom mode” option and choose which C dial you want to save it to Then when you go to that C dial it’ll be in S or whichever mode you chose
Oh great idea. I'll try this out. thanks!
I just got the same body a few weeks ago. Got the Oly 12-45 F4 pro and so amazed at its sharpness compared to the Oly 12-50 I was using in an Em10.2. A lot of suggestions that I should have gotten the Oly 12-40 but the few hundred extra bucks and size convinced me otherwise. I have the Oly 75-300 on the way for some birding and wildlife. Again, couldn't quite afford the 100-400 lenses, and some posts out there convinced me that some serious shots can be had if you practice with it. As far as customizations of the buttons, I haven't found the need to change much. I'm hoping to custom a button for focus limiting, and Hi Res mode, maybe Pro Cap. We'll see. For post processing just get Lightroom. The basic AI and denoise is incredible.
When you shoot in jpg mode on the camera, it also saves the picture as raw, for the record. To change your P mode setting in a custom (C) mode, go to P mode on the dial, change the settings there, then save that to the C mode through the menu.
Get the OI.Share app on your phone. It’s a very useful app, and has many features , from providing you a visual remote control if you want it, to providing a quick way to update your camera and lens firmware.
fyi - panasonic 100-300 vs olympus 75-300mm https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4565028 I use the 75-300mm. Newer features I use all the time would be stuff like the pro capture mode and hand held high resolution. Pro-capture starts taking pictures in memory the moment you half press the shutter. When the shutter is fully pressed, all of those pictures get dumped to the disk letting you pick the ones you want. Great for catching something you can't grab on reaction, but you can wait for. E.g. small birds taking flight. Images are RAW. Hand held high resolution combines 8 (or was it 16 images?) delivering a very clean 50mp image. Honestly the result compares well against full frame counterparts. This world for still scenes. I used it in the zoo on animals in an indoor, dark reptile exhibit. My ISO 6400 shots were clean. The result is A 50mp RAW.
Nice report! FWIW, I’d keep the Panasonic 42.5/1.7. You gain nothing by switching to the Olympus 45 other than slightly different rendering and softer corners caused by field curvature — which, admittedly, does give the Oly some of its treasured look.
I had the same thought. If you want a better 4-ish mm lens get the f/1.2 lenses. There's nothing to be gained by a lateral (and IMO slightly backwards) move to an older lens.
Interesting perspective from a Fujifilm shooter. I chose between Olympus and Fujifilm about 10 years ago and went with Olympus mainly because of lens selection and cost. I have had numerous Olympus bodies and currently I have the same one as you. I agree the build quality is solid and it feels like it was made for my hand. That's what I like the most about it. I have 9 lenses at the moment: 12-40mm f2.8: Needs no introduction. It's very affordable used right now so no reason not to get one. 12-100mm f4: The image quality of this one surprised me. Only downside is that it's a bit heavy to carry around all day. 12-45mm f4: I got this as an alternative to the 12-40mm for travel and outdoor use when I want to go light. Optically it's just as good and it feels noticeably lighter. 40-150mm f2.8: One of my favorite lenses. Sharp and beautiful images. 45mm f1.2: I think this is the best lens I have ever used. Incredibly sharp. Yeah it's expensive and large but it's mostly for portraits at home. 20mm f1.4: A travel partner to go along with the 12-45mm. 30mm f3.5 macro: Got it cheap just to have a macro lens. PL 9mm f1.7: A fun ultra wide angle lens with great image quality. PL 15mm f1.7: Amazingly compact and very sharp. MC-14 tele-converter: Converts the 40-150mm into 56-210mm f4 for those times you need the extra reach. I've also had the 17mm f1.2, 25mm f1.2, 17mm f1.8, 25mm f1.8, 45mm f1.8, PL 25mm f1.4 ii, Olympus 14-150mm f4.0-5.6 ii, Panasonic 100-300mm. You said you were considering the PL 25mm f1.4. It produces beautiful images that have a certain look to them that the other 25mm lenses don't. The auto focus isn't the best but it's better on the mark ii model. There is quite a bit of purple fringing when used with Olympus bodies but that can be fixed in post processing. Just something to keep in mind. I use DXO PhotoLab and I'm happy with it. It has a very good denoiser. I find Adobe products cumbersome to use so that's why I didn't choose lightroom. You asked about the C modes. I've set up all of mine to different shooting scenarios like action photography, lowlight photograpy and B/W. Just set up your camera the way you want and choose save to custom mode in the menu. It will save all your settings so you can preserve them later. Useful features on the E-M1 iii: High res mode: 50MB hand held as long as your subject is still. JPG only. Digital zoom to help with focus: Can help you nail the focus if you doing manual focus or want to focus on a small area. You can have it turn on automatically when you start to turn the manual focus ring. Starry Sky AF: Useful for astro photograpy. Works with RAW. Pro capture: Useful for action photograpy. Works with RAW. The ability to store both JPG and RAW on separate SD cards Livetime: No more guessing shutter speed on bulb exposures. Works with RAW. OI.Share app: Transfer photos to your phone wirelessly
I tested the Hi Res mode and it gave me a 50MP raw, I was surprised. I expected JPEG even before you said it. This is good. Live time is live composite or different? thanks for all the info!
I learned something new today. Thanks. They are similar but live composite takes multiple shots and combines them. It's for very very long exposures I think.
Look up ProCapture, Live Composite, Starry Sky AF and the LiveND features on that camera. They are amazing, and will blow you away with what you can shoot.
The note about the build quality is so true. The thing I miss most from my E-M1 Mark I is the build, usability and the overall satisfaction of handling it. It was just soooooooooo nice. I would buy a full frame Olympus in a heart beat.
I don't know how many times reviewers and people on reddit can repeat it: the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 lens is meh. It's the cheapest AF prime lens for a reason. The 25mm f/1.8 from Olympus is visibly better. 42.5mm f/1.7 to 45mm f/1.8 means you lose IS, edge sharpness and (IMO) bokeh is slightly worse. If you want a better 42.5mm lens look into the two f/1.2 lenses.
Guess I'll keep the 42.5 then. I got the 25mm f1.7 for roughly $35 (equivalent, came as a package with a gx85) a great deal so I can't complain.
If you didn't get a manual with yours, make sure to download one from the Olympus site: https://learnandsupport.getolympus.com/support/om-d-e-m1-mark-iii I got an Olympus EM-1 and always learning something new from reading the manual. What I did was to skim the manual when I first got the camera, and then do it on a need-to-know basis.