Mathieu, you made the best and most complete reviews about OMD focusing systems. Congratulations and many thanks for the tips ! I have one comment about AF limiter. Is good not only to keep the focus away of the background, but it also helps to have a much better visibility of the subject in the viewfinder when the subject is out-of-focus. So when you set-up a range, the bird will be already visible in the EVF before you even focus on it or...if the focus is lost, you still see the bird.
Interesting article. Af limiter is huge with swallows and closer subjects. I have 0 - 7m, 7 - 30m, 27m - infinity. An example of where the af limiter is especially amazing, butterflies close up, another option i have set, is pre focus. set to 0, which is extremely useful when doing a close up. The best advice for anyone, learn your camera and you will find what works for you.
Great Video Mathieu, I have a Nikon D500 and it is amazing for birds in flight, however I have just purchased an Olympus EM1 MK2 with pro lenses. My keeper rate is not as good as the D500, but the overall enjoyment using the Olympus is in my experience much better. I have learned a quite a few things from this video so hopefully my keeper rate will improve. I won't be selling the D500 but I can see me not using it as much especially when hiking. Once again great video, thank you:-)
Dear Mathieu, it is really nice to see you did such a detailed BIF analysis on the Olympus body, especially under the any sensor but M43 and full frame hype era.....
Thanks for the excellent tutorial. I may have an explanation why shots with busy backgrounds have a better keeper rate. I was at Gigrin Red Kite Rehab Centre recently with the same kit - what an amazing place! It was a new experience for me, so was only focussing on getting kite photos with sky background. I thought the AF was great, my problem was a few underexposed shots - now after seeing your video, I'll know to try S-OVF and smart-metering instead of spot, so thanks for that. Regarding the AF, it was pointed out to me that the OM-Ds will analyse the first few frames of a burst to determine the front of a moving subject, and so having some background detail will help the processor determine this and thus improve the speed of correct focus acquisition. The downside is that often the first 1-3 shots will be OOF or slightly OOF so it's a good idea to ride the buffer and get on the shutter button early. With that taken into account, not as good for % keeper tests (unless you were to take a lot more photos) but I found it a dependable BIF system that stuck to my subject once it figured it out, and stayed shooting all day and have around 3000 images to sort and edit! :)
Thanks. I've been to Gigrin Farm many times, a great place indeed and you are so close to the action. If my memory serves me well, the E-M1 III, just like the E-M1X, analyses the shots that are being recorded in addition to live view to correct focus more quickly if there is need to. Perhaps it is only the first frames as you say, I thought it was doing that continuously but I could be wrong.
Dear recently Olypmus em1 mark2, sony A6400 and panasonic G9 so i am considering 3 of these camera for video mostly i have canon 80D but its i need 4k which 80D does not have so which one should go with ?
Pretty good review. Don’t agree with all of it, but that’s fine. The thing I’m surprised you didn’t suggest was to set up one of the Custom Dial settings with these parameters so you just turn the dial to that setting and the camera is ready to go. Of course with the EM-1 Mark III you can also configure that custom setting to either stay fixed at those settings or automatically memorize any adjustments you make while using that custom setting option. It makes all this “complexity” of settings a one time thing. I don’t think it is any more complex than Canon and I shoot both systems.
Hi Keith. Yes the Custom dials are very useful, I didn't dig into the customisation topic but the E-M1 III has lots of possibilities regarding this. About the complexity of settings, it's more about the time consumed testing all of them in comparison to other systems that are more straightforward to use. Once you find the one that you like, everything becomes easier. Out of curiosity, what are the things you don't agree with? Always happy to hear other opinions.
Top video Mathieu: thanks a lot. I own an EM1X and EM1 mark III (I've returned to Olympus having previously owned a Sony A9 and A7R4) and some of my settings were slightly different to yours. I have changed my settings in order to give yours a go. I have to say that in practice, I don't find a huge difference in keeper rate between my Olympus and Sony cameras. I am still able to capture Swallows flying just above the ground and Dragonflies in flight quite readily. I am really pleased with my my EM1X and EM1.3, but I look forward to the release of the bird recognition update for the EM1X.
@Pete Draper - What made you return back to Olympus from Sony? I am a Olympus user but I've been constantly wondering in the last days whether to buy Sony A7RIII+ the lens 200-600 mm f5.6 lens for wildlife (seems that the AF and sharpness, plus smoother background and low light conditions) are my main reasons to consider checking Sony. Price in UK for used body and lens is about the same right now for both systems (Body+lens). Hence, I'm curious to hear your reasons for returning back to Oly. Thanks
Hi Mat, we can also use C-AF+MF, C-AF Center Start and C-AF Center Priority on the E-M1ii since FW v3. See the pages 199-200 in the manual. I hope that OM Digital Solutions will release AF-C update for the E-M1iii in 2021. Good work as always!
You're right! I have the updated version of the manual but I didn't realise they added the new settings only at the end of the manual, rather than updating the various sections directly. Thanks for letting me know!
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Your're welcome. Our mu-43 fellow Phocal suggests that you should perform micro focus adjustment not only for the 300mm lens + 1.4TC but also for the lens alone. Number of out of focus images should go down. See the detail in his thorough article: www.mu-43.com/threads/em1-micro-focus-adjustment-why-and-how-to-perform.95155/
Hmm I thought that only applied to 4/3 lenses. I would obviously need to try this but the camera and lens are going back now so I probably won't have time. Plus, even if true, it would reinforce what I said at the end of the video. Other camera systems work better without fussing with autofocus settings too much. By all means, having this possibility is better than nothing but I think Olympus needs to improve its AF, or as Phocal said, come up with a clear explanation on how and why micro adjustments are also valid for m4/3 lenses. But I guess right now they have other concerns....
Hi great video very informative and easy to follow instructions on all the modes that are a “minefield” love the EM1 mk 3 which baught recently I was particularly attracted to the stary sky AF feature because of my interest In getting into Astro photography however I’ve still not quite sure how to use it. Be great if you could do an in-depth tutorial on this feature because there aren’t any on TH-cam that really go into detail on exposure or settings such as manual mode or aperture priority ext?
Dear Mathieu, thanks for the tip on the focus point 5x5. I didn't change any of my other settings at all. I have been using 5 points and All area (with AF-ON2). With 5x5 I tried it the other day and improvement was noticeable when using 300mm f4 IS with TC14. I didn't have much of an issue with my previous setting w/o TC14. So, I can only imagine that with 5x5, my hit rate using just 300mm F4 will only be better. Cheers
Hey Mathieu. Great video, excellent information, thank you very much. I'd like to add that the "C-AF Center Start" and "C-AF Center Priority" options are available in my E-M1 Mk.II's (Custom Menu A1, firmware 3.2). Check your video from around 06:11. Keep up the good work!
An excellent video, Mathieu. Your settings are about 50% different to mine, so I will give yours a try. I have recently changed to BBF. Do you simply hold the button down whilst pressing the shutter button, or do you effectively alternate? The lens button BBF is an interesting idea - I might have to give it a try too. I must admit, my slightly soft proportion is much higher than yours, but my panning skills are not so good yet. I possibly haven’t had a fast enough shutter either.
You must hold the button down for as long as you want the camera to track focus, if you stop pushing the BBF, the camera won't continue to focus. Another advantage of the BBF is that you can have S-AF and C-AF in one without changing the focus mode. Just press one time quickly (similar to S-AF), or press and hold for C-AF. I do this a lot with various cameras.
4-16-21 photography & video em1x 1st track meet 99% sharp photos With a Tamron 70-300mm via VILTROX adapter Im selling all my Panasonic gear canon and fuji gear to fund the 150-400mm Have not read the em1x manual No custom settings yet No my menu set up I love my new em1x focus was fast enough for long jump Continues focus work Video worked Tracking worked And I have no clue how to go into the new menu to refine my settings Im very impressed with the new supper control panel.
Very helpful video, thank you. The Pro capture feature is a good reason to have this camera as it allows you to capture birds that are very difficult to otherwise get. Not necessarily in flight, but when you want to capture them as they leave the perch they are on.
Yes it is a very nice feature. Even when they are in flight, if for example you want to capture the exact moment in which the bird grabs something out of water.
Awesome, been wondering about the EM1iii in comparison to my G9 for wildlife/action. This was comprehensive enough for me to get an idea on menu settings/performance without having to rent it and figure it all out myself.
Very nice and informative video. I have a E-M10 2, so a little different to the named camara's. Still a complex AF menu and to much settings. AEL/ AFL. Did not know what to set. This video makes much sence. I did change some settings because i have a lot of problems with the AF point running around the frame all the time and i had to focus again and again. Did not know what i did touch or do to make that happen? Thanks!
Do you think the olympus e-m5 mark iii could be a great sports photo camera as great as a Canon 80d for example? With enough light fore shure, it could have a AF as eficient than the canon?
I don't have experience with the Canon 80D so I can't comment on that. I think the E-M5 III can be a decent camera for sports, as long as you avoid the AF Tracking mode.
Thanks this is very useful I will try out your suggested settings as they are slightly different from what I have been using. You are right so many AF settings on the Olympus system, I have had many missed shots from accidentally changing an important AF setting to the wrong thing!
I had hoped Olympus would score higher against other makes eg Sony. It was a v interesting and useful video, particularly as there big changes hoping on wit Olympus. I have the OMDE M1 M2 and had hoped their latest cameras would be better.
The 25 area is for birds in flight. You can try to move a smaller AF point on the eye of a bird while it is flying, but I'm pretty sure you're going to find that very challenging. Plus in many cases, considering the distance, you'll have head, eye and body in focus.
A question, What is the best overall lens for bird photo and wild life photp (sharpness) for omd em1 series? Maybe the 300mm f4? I was considering the 100-400mm but im.a bit confused
Hello Mathieu, I own the OM-D E-M1 III + M. Zuiko 40-150 F 2.8 PRO with the MC-14. How to procede with the firmware updated ? Please explain me how to do (Camera Body + Lens or Camera Body + MC-14 + Lens ?)
You need a computer and the Olympus Digital Camera Updater software. You can find all the information here: cs.olympus-imaging.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/download/software/camera/cameraupdate.cfm
There is a firmware update coming for the E-M1X that will improve the Intelligent Subject Detection mode to include birds. If it works well and improves the AF and keeper rate for BIF, the E-M1X would go a step above the E-M1 III. If you're not in a hurry, you can wait to see how the new firmware improves the performance of the E-M1X, and go from there. If you are in a hurry, I would focus on the size and how often you'd use the battery grip. If you plan to keep the HLD-9 grip attached all the time, then perhaps the E-M1X is the better choice because the size difference is less significant, and if the firmware doesn't improve much, you still have an excellent camera built like a tank and with the same features.
Considering that the E-M5 II has contrast detection AF only, I suspect the keeper rate would be much lower. Yeah I know about the 12-45, haven't found the time yet.
Can you please do a comparison between E-M1 iii and E-M1 X with the new "bird recognition" firmware update? Is ti worth getting the E-M1 X instead of the E-M1 iii for that purpose?
Great content! How in your opinion Olympus 100-400mm compares in terms of optical quality to Olympus 300mm? I am in the market for wildlife lens for my E-M1 II but have limited budget. I was thinking about Leica 100-400mm (it tends to be cheaper in aftermarked that Olympus 100-400mm) but in your comparison it seems way softer and zoom ring stiffness worries me. I wonder how much a compromise in IQ would be Olympus 100-400mm over 300mm. BTW I already own 40-150mm and considered buying MC-20 as in some tests it produces much better results than simply cropping in post from 150mm.
I don't think there is a big difference between the Oly 100-400mm and the 300mm Pro in terms of IQ. I think the 300mm is a bit sharper, it has the advantage of a faster aperture and you get better stabilisation when paired with the E-M1 II. But the 100-400mm is excellent value for money if you want to spend less, and you can still use the teleconverters for extra reach. The MC-20 is good, although I find it is not as sharp as the MC-14. Think about the maximum reach you need, and how much you want to spend. The MC-20 with your 40-150mm is the most affordable solution. If you can afford it, the 300mm is an excellent lens. The 100-400mm is a good compromise and you get extra reach if you need it.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Oh! If 100-400 is not much worse than 300 that would be awesome! Also with teleconverter it is all about the distant subjects. MC-14 may degrade IQ less but after cropping I get worse results than with MC-20. At least with 40-150 PRO. With 100-400 it may be a different story.
Olympus urgently needs to update their approach with tracking if they want to keep up with the competition. The afc + traking is decorative. Hopefully so, if not I will have to think about changing the system and I do not want to because I love it. Greetings and great video
That is a singularly magnificent review of functionality and settings of that Olympus product, and also quite useful in comparing it to other brands. Especially useful information throughout all the video. Very important to look at the tack sharp Vs. soft images ratio as you did. Thanks for the information. One wonders how the R5 will do, especially with those new fixed aperture plastic lenses. One does wonder though, given the crop factor with m43, generally perhaps subject size in the image, even at 20MPX, that M43 may give one a larger subject i.e. bird than the other sensor sizes and when one is done cropping the larger sensor image to get the same size you get from M43 -how does the detail look? I can see that you may actually get more detail with the M43 since it needs less cropping, depending. Best wishes, really nice video and review. Thanks!
Thanks. I think it all depends on the reach you can get with the two systems. An E-M1 III with 300mm Pro and MC-14 gives you a 840mm equivalent field of view. If you get a similar reach with the R5 and Canon lenses (RF 800mm f11, or other lenses with teleconverters), then the the higher megapixel count of the R5 is a significant advantage.
Do you think it's a fair to compare hit rate percentages at different effective focal lengths? Would be interesting to see the keeper rate of the other cameras you mention at 600mm - 840mm.
I test most of the cameras with a 600mm equivalent. And in my experience, using a shorter focal length never changed the score dramatically. It can be 2% or 4% better or worse, and there are other variables like the location (I go to two mainly, in one of the them you are a bit closer to the action), weather conditions, how the birds behave that particular day etc. It's not a scientific test, but I think it gives a fair overview on how these camera perform, and I've been doing this for the past four years. You can read more about it here: mirrorlesscomparison.com/best/mirrorless-cameras-for-birds-in-flight/
For birds in flight no, I always get a lower score. There is a new firmware that I haven't tested yet, but somehow I doubt it will make a huge difference (although I'll be happy to be proven wrong). I got better results with other type of action such as football.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons thanks. I am looking to get it for family (kids running around, more frequent use) and birding (occasional). Would you say EM1 Mark III is a better choice? I thought of EM1 II too but Mark III seems to have much better focus
Excellent review Mathieu. I look forward to you doing a follow up review of the E-M1X with the new Bird AF tracking which was released to the public today - December 3rd 2020. Would be good to see if there's an improvement in the figures you have published.
Thank you Matthew. Very helpful video on BIF. I have tried a number of settings for BIF with little success so I am looking forward to trying your settings. Just one question - are you in Manual/Aperture/Shutter priority? Apologies if this question was answered in the video or the comments section.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Thank you Mathieu. I thought it was manual/Auto ISO. I have already tried your setting with some success. I think a little more practice is required😁. I have tried Bird Detect for BIF with no success whatsoever. Perhaps this due to my timing/skill etc. I am really enjoying you videos.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Ok. I have assumed it would have no effect. But I’ve seen some comments on the internet that it does. Some claim it successfully picks up animal eyes, others claim it degrades focus to have it on. You seem to perform rigorous tests, so I thought you might be able to clear up the confusion.
No sorry, knowing it is only for people, it never occured to me to try Face/Eye AF for other type of subjects, and I never heard it could have a positive effect in trackign birds. I find it a bit hard to believe to be honest, but then again I didn't try it.
Wow, what an overwhelming mess of settings to learn, consider and test! I love your conclusion to want a better AF system with less variables to try, for it to just work.
Hi Monica, I think they still do fine with shutter priority. I find focus priority to give me a better keeper rate but if you prefer the other way around the other settings should remains valid.
Thanks for this excellent Video! Do you have experience with using all AF fields with C-AF and cluster AF for bif? Is the camera fast enough for tracking the bird?
Yes I tried the All Target mode with cluster activated, but I still find the 25-Target mode (5x5) to give me better results (that is consistent with E-M1 II, E-M1X and E-M1 III).
Thank you for your video, very clear and interesting. I'm a sports photographer (volleyball) so I shot at fast shutter speed and high iso with the 40-150 f2,8 pro. The only problem is that the caf sometimes lost the focus acquired on the first frame. I use a separate button to activate focus. Probably the problem is to choose the right AF c lock (+2 +1 0 +1 +2) could be?
I shoot 🏀 for about 6 years. I use +2 on the base line (basket line😂) and -2 on the long side line. Using the the 45mm/1.2 mostly. C-AF, low shutter speed (6fps is enough), mode 2 on the C-AF.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Yes, but when you point it to the sky, the auto ISO most likely underexpose, and won't manage to compensate 3 stops up by it self, will it, unless you nail it with spot metering every time? On my G9 i can actually dial in exp. comp. even in full manual, but my E-M1ii doesn't have that option.
Mathieu Gasquet In my case it’s when I need to shoot at an exact aperture, say the optimal is f/8, and a fast enough shutter, and at the same time use (semi) auto iso.
Ok, in that case I do the same. With the E-M1 III and 300mm for example, I was in Manual mode with aperture to f4, shutter speed to 1/2000s (or 1/2500s) and Auto ISO. So the exposure compensation in this case affected the ISO. To answer your question about the sky, it depends on the weather condition. If it's cloudy, most camera's tend to underexpose a lot, if the sky is bright blue on a sunny day, the exposure is more balanced. Generally, I underexpose a little when there is a lot of contrast and the bird has some white parts on its body, to make sure the highlights are not clipped.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons you are welcome! I like what Sony has to offer, but as a person who believes in crawling through brush, walking out on ice covered Jetties and laying down in the snow to get shots of birds... I will take the Olympus and the G9 everywhere I go. Great video and the right lens system.
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Correction: "C-AF Center Start" and "C-AF Center Priority" are available on the E-M1 II since firmware 3.0.
Mathieu, you made the best and most complete reviews about OMD focusing systems. Congratulations and many thanks for the tips !
I have one comment about AF limiter. Is good not only to keep the focus away of the background, but it also helps to have a much better visibility of the subject in the viewfinder when the subject is out-of-focus. So when you set-up a range, the bird will be already visible in the EVF before you even focus on it or...if the focus is lost, you still see the bird.
Thank you, that is an interesting point.
Interesting article. Af limiter is huge with swallows and closer subjects. I have 0 - 7m, 7 - 30m, 27m - infinity. An example of where the af limiter is especially amazing, butterflies close up, another option i have set, is pre focus. set to 0, which is extremely useful when doing a close up.
The best advice for anyone, learn your camera and you will find what works for you.
Great imformation but I stil prefer olympus one reson light ps.I am 70 yrs old still going because olympus thank you
Great Video Mathieu, I have a Nikon D500 and it is amazing for birds in flight, however I have just purchased an Olympus EM1 MK2 with pro lenses. My keeper rate is not as good as the D500, but the overall enjoyment using the Olympus is in my experience much better. I have learned a quite a few things from this video so hopefully my keeper rate will improve. I won't be selling the D500 but I can see me not using it as much especially when hiking. Once again great video, thank you:-)
Thanks! Let me know how your keeper rate improves. I have used the D500 in the past, superb AF system!
Isn't there a new firmware coming out in December for Birds on the EM1 MKIII ???
That's only for the E-M1X.
Dear Mathieu, it is really nice to see you did such a detailed BIF analysis on the Olympus body, especially under the any sensor but M43 and full frame hype era.....
it's so sad people are hyped about better focusing and better image output cameras huh
Mathieu so great you are the best.... thank you.. I use olympus since 2013 what a nice system.. merci beaucoup encore
Thank you Mathieu! I Love my em1 iii. I‘m also very curious about the new Z6 II and waiting your review!!
Thanks. Curious too to see how the Z6 II has improved concerning the AF.
Merci beau coup Mathieu. The settings worked very well on my EM1 mark II, with the bargain Olympus 40-150mm f/4-5.6. Just letting you know.
Excellent! Thank you for letting me know!
i just got my EM1 mkIII for wildlife and thanks to your intuitive video im all set up, thank you for sharing.
Great to hear! Thanks!
Saludos desde España y muchas gracias por sus interesantes videos
How do you delete a large number of pictures at once? It is only one at a time or on the computer .
Rather late but you can tap the record button to select multiple images in camera.
Great information, Mathieu. Thank you for sharing the comprehensive settings.
Thanks for the excellent tutorial. I may have an explanation why shots with busy backgrounds have a better keeper rate. I was at Gigrin Red Kite Rehab Centre recently with the same kit - what an amazing place! It was a new experience for me, so was only focussing on getting kite photos with sky background. I thought the AF was great, my problem was a few underexposed shots - now after seeing your video, I'll know to try S-OVF and smart-metering instead of spot, so thanks for that. Regarding the AF, it was pointed out to me that the OM-Ds will analyse the first few frames of a burst to determine the front of a moving subject, and so having some background detail will help the processor determine this and thus improve the speed of correct focus acquisition. The downside is that often the first 1-3 shots will be OOF or slightly OOF so it's a good idea to ride the buffer and get on the shutter button early. With that taken into account, not as good for % keeper tests (unless you were to take a lot more photos) but I found it a dependable BIF system that stuck to my subject once it figured it out, and stayed shooting all day and have around 3000 images to sort and edit! :)
Thanks. I've been to Gigrin Farm many times, a great place indeed and you are so close to the action.
If my memory serves me well, the E-M1 III, just like the E-M1X, analyses the shots that are being recorded in addition to live view to correct focus more quickly if there is need to. Perhaps it is only the first frames as you say, I thought it was doing that continuously but I could be wrong.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Could be. Your slightly OOF shots occur midway through a burst sequence?
It's a bit random, sometimes in the middle, sometimes at the beginning or the end.
Hi there and 🎉 for this great tutorial!
When engaging IS in-camera, should I disengage IS on my lens (Olympus 100-400)?
Very useful. Thanks! I’m saving this for future reference as well.
Dear recently Olypmus em1 mark2, sony A6400 and panasonic G9 so i am considering 3 of these camera for video mostly i have canon 80D but its i need 4k which 80D does not have so which one should go with ?
Pretty good review. Don’t agree with all of it, but that’s fine. The thing I’m surprised you didn’t suggest was to set up one of the Custom Dial settings with these parameters so you just turn the dial to that setting and the camera is ready to go. Of course with the EM-1 Mark III you can also configure that custom setting to either stay fixed at those settings or automatically memorize any adjustments you make while using that custom setting option. It makes all this “complexity” of settings a one time thing. I don’t think it is any more complex than Canon and I shoot both systems.
Hi Keith. Yes the Custom dials are very useful, I didn't dig into the customisation topic but the E-M1 III has lots of possibilities regarding this.
About the complexity of settings, it's more about the time consumed testing all of them in comparison to other systems that are more straightforward to use. Once you find the one that you like, everything becomes easier.
Out of curiosity, what are the things you don't agree with? Always happy to hear other opinions.
Top video Mathieu: thanks a lot. I own an EM1X and EM1 mark III (I've returned to Olympus having previously owned a Sony A9 and A7R4) and some of my settings were slightly different to yours. I have changed my settings in order to give yours a go. I have to say that in practice, I don't find a huge difference in keeper rate between my Olympus and Sony cameras. I am still able to capture Swallows flying just above the ground and Dragonflies in flight quite readily. I am really pleased with my my EM1X and EM1.3, but I look forward to the release of the bird recognition update for the EM1X.
Let me know how do you find my settings.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons. Will do.
@Pete Draper - What made you return back to Olympus from Sony?
I am a Olympus user but I've been constantly wondering in the last days whether to buy Sony A7RIII+ the lens 200-600 mm f5.6 lens for wildlife (seems that the AF and sharpness, plus smoother background and low light conditions) are my main reasons to consider checking Sony. Price in UK for used body and lens is about the same right now for both systems (Body+lens). Hence, I'm curious to hear your reasons for returning back to Oly. Thanks
Great video . . . I just purchased the 100-400mm and I'm looking forward to using these sets on my M1M3. Thanks.
'
Hi Mat, we can also use C-AF+MF, C-AF Center Start and C-AF Center Priority on the E-M1ii since FW v3. See the pages 199-200 in the manual. I hope that OM Digital Solutions will release AF-C update for the E-M1iii in 2021. Good work as always!
You're right! I have the updated version of the manual but I didn't realise they added the new settings only at the end of the manual, rather than updating the various sections directly. Thanks for letting me know!
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Your're welcome. Our mu-43 fellow Phocal suggests that you should perform micro focus adjustment not only for the 300mm lens + 1.4TC but also for the lens alone. Number of out of focus images should go down. See the detail in his thorough article:
www.mu-43.com/threads/em1-micro-focus-adjustment-why-and-how-to-perform.95155/
Hmm I thought that only applied to 4/3 lenses. I would obviously need to try this but the camera and lens are going back now so I probably won't have time. Plus, even if true, it would reinforce what I said at the end of the video. Other camera systems work better without fussing with autofocus settings too much. By all means, having this possibility is better than nothing but I think Olympus needs to improve its AF, or as Phocal said, come up with a clear explanation on how and why micro adjustments are also valid for m4/3 lenses. But I guess right now they have other concerns....
Hi great video very informative and easy to follow instructions on all the modes that are a “minefield” love the EM1 mk 3 which baught recently I was particularly attracted to the stary sky AF feature because of my interest In getting into Astro photography however I’ve still not quite sure how to use it. Be great if you could do an in-depth tutorial on this feature because there aren’t any on TH-cam that really go into detail on exposure or settings such as manual mode or aperture priority ext?
I wrote an article about this feature on my website:
mirrorlesscomparison.com/stories/olympus-omd-em1-iii-starry-sky-af/
Dear Mathieu, thanks for the tip on the focus point 5x5. I didn't change any of my other settings at all. I have been using 5 points and All area (with AF-ON2). With 5x5 I tried it the other day and improvement was noticeable when using 300mm f4 IS with TC14. I didn't have much of an issue with my previous setting w/o TC14. So, I can only imagine that with 5x5, my hit rate using just 300mm F4 will only be better. Cheers
Thank you for your feedback. Glad to read that the 5x5 area gave you better results.
good Mathieu
Hey Mathieu. Great video, excellent information, thank you very much. I'd like to add that the "C-AF Center Start" and "C-AF Center Priority" options are available in my E-M1 Mk.II's (Custom Menu A1, firmware 3.2). Check your video from around 06:11. Keep up the good work!
You're right. I checked the AF section of the manual rather than the firmware notes at the very end. Thanks.
Thanks Mathieu, most informative. I’ve reset my M1 Mk2 and I’m looking forward to trying it in the field.
Very helpful for someone new to birding& using EM5iii. Merci beaucoup!🏴
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very helpful information, thanks a lot...
An excellent video, Mathieu. Your settings are about 50% different to mine, so I will give yours a try. I have recently changed to BBF. Do you simply hold the button down whilst pressing the shutter button, or do you effectively alternate? The lens button BBF is an interesting idea - I might have to give it a try too. I must admit, my slightly soft proportion is much higher than yours, but my panning skills are not so good yet. I possibly haven’t had a fast enough shutter either.
You must hold the button down for as long as you want the camera to track focus, if you stop pushing the BBF, the camera won't continue to focus.
Another advantage of the BBF is that you can have S-AF and C-AF in one without changing the focus mode. Just press one time quickly (similar to S-AF), or press and hold for C-AF. I do this a lot with various cameras.
4-16-21 photography & video em1x
1st track meet 99% sharp photos
With a Tamron 70-300mm via VILTROX adapter
Im selling all my Panasonic gear canon and fuji gear to fund the 150-400mm
Have not read the em1x manual
No custom settings yet
No my menu set up
I love my new em1x
focus was fast enough for long jump
Continues focus work
Video worked
Tracking worked
And I have no clue how to go into the new menu to refine my settings
Im very impressed with the new supper control panel.
Very helpful video, thank you. The Pro capture feature is a good reason to have this camera as it allows you to capture birds that are very
difficult to otherwise get. Not necessarily in flight, but when you want to capture them as they leave the perch they are on.
Yes it is a very nice feature. Even when they are in flight, if for example you want to capture the exact moment in which the bird grabs something out of water.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons that’s true. The only disadvantage is the amount of images you end up with 😂
Haha, I know!
Excellent video. Thank you so much for your work! Using the lens button as AF Start is brillant!
Awesome, been wondering about the EM1iii in comparison to my G9 for wildlife/action. This was comprehensive enough for me to get an idea on menu settings/performance without having to rent it and figure it all out myself.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video. Thanks a lot.
Great job! Will you test the EM1X again now that it has Bird tracking in the latest firmware?
Check my latest video 😉
Very nice and informative video. I have a E-M10 2, so a little different to the named camara's. Still a complex AF menu and to much settings. AEL/ AFL. Did not know what to set. This video makes much sence. I did change some settings because i have a lot of problems with the AF point running around the frame all the time and i had to focus again and again. Did not know what i did touch or do to make that happen? Thanks!
Do you think the olympus e-m5 mark iii could be a great sports photo camera as great as a Canon 80d for example? With enough light fore shure, it could have a AF as eficient than the canon?
I don't have experience with the Canon 80D so I can't comment on that.
I think the E-M5 III can be a decent camera for sports, as long as you avoid the AF Tracking mode.
This video is of great value, thanks so much
Thanks this is very useful I will try out your suggested settings as they are slightly different from what I have been using. You are right so many AF settings on the Olympus system, I have had many missed shots from accidentally changing an important AF setting to the wrong thing!
The video provides detailed explanation of the AF settings. It is super helpful. Thanks!
I had hoped Olympus would score higher against other makes eg Sony. It was a v interesting and useful video, particularly as there big changes hoping on wit Olympus. I have the OMDE M1 M2 and had hoped their latest cameras would be better.
What i do not understand about the "25 area focus" is that surely you need to focus on the eye of the bird not somewhere else in the 25 area?
The 25 area is for birds in flight. You can try to move a smaller AF point on the eye of a bird while it is flying, but I'm pretty sure you're going to find that very challenging. Plus in many cases, considering the distance, you'll have head, eye and body in focus.
A question, What is the best overall lens for bird photo and wild life photp (sharpness) for omd em1 series? Maybe the 300mm f4? I was considering the 100-400mm but im.a bit confused
If you want the very best, I'd say he 300mm f4 Pro or the Pana-Leica 200mm 2.8.
The 100-400mm zooms are also very good.
Have you done a test with the cluster af function enabled, I've seen comments that it's the best for birds etc? Stay safe and well.
Yes I did, I always have it active but it affects the All-Target mode only, and the 25-Target (5x5) gives me better result. Stay safe too!
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Unfortunately I'm old and shaky. I struggle with both! 🤣
Mathieu, this video is a keeper.
thank you!
I tried birds in flight with my em5-i
How is the battery life on this camera? I know they increased the size by a bit compared to my 1st gen EM-1
Hello Mathieu, I own the OM-D E-M1 III + M. Zuiko 40-150 F 2.8 PRO with the MC-14. How to procede with the firmware updated ? Please explain me how to do (Camera Body + Lens or Camera Body + MC-14 + Lens ?)
You need a computer and the Olympus Digital Camera Updater software. You can find all the information here:
cs.olympus-imaging.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/download/software/camera/cameraupdate.cfm
Still a better camera than the OM-1.
Wow, very good video! Sounds to me like a person just looking at Olympus, would not be giving up a lot by starting out with the Mark ll version.
Do you have an E-M1X on hand to test the new AI Bird Detection AF?
Yes I’m testing it tight now.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons wonderful! I hope to see a video from you on it. Thank you for your detailed videos and keep up the great work.
Yes I'm preparing one for that and the new 150-400mm lens.
Have you tested the Cannon 90 D for BIF ? Or the M6 ?
Not watched you guys for a while, you get better and better 👍🏻 if i ever see you around wales, I’ll buy you both a drink 😁
Thanks!
Mathieu with the current pricing of the E-M1 lll with the HLD-9 grip vs the E-M1X, which would you get for BIF? Thanks
There is a firmware update coming for the E-M1X that will improve the Intelligent Subject Detection mode to include birds. If it works well and improves the AF and keeper rate for BIF, the E-M1X would go a step above the E-M1 III.
If you're not in a hurry, you can wait to see how the new firmware improves the performance of the E-M1X, and go from there.
If you are in a hurry, I would focus on the size and how often you'd use the battery grip. If you plan to keep the HLD-9 grip attached all the time, then perhaps the E-M1X is the better choice because the size difference is less significant, and if the firmware doesn't improve much, you still have an excellent camera built like a tank and with the same features.
I wonder what the keeper rate is for the E-M5 II (my camera) and surprised you haven’t reviewed the mzuiko 12-45 f4. Thanks for the video!
Considering that the E-M5 II has contrast detection AF only, I suspect the keeper rate would be much lower. Yeah I know about the 12-45, haven't found the time yet.
Can you please do a comparison between E-M1 iii and E-M1 X with the new "bird recognition" firmware update? Is ti worth getting the E-M1 X instead of the E-M1 iii for that purpose?
I hope to get my hands on the E-M1X with the new firmware soon.
Great content! How in your opinion Olympus 100-400mm compares in terms of optical quality to Olympus 300mm? I am in the market for wildlife lens for my E-M1 II but have limited budget. I was thinking about Leica 100-400mm (it tends to be cheaper in aftermarked that Olympus 100-400mm) but in your comparison it seems way softer and zoom ring stiffness worries me. I wonder how much a compromise in IQ would be Olympus 100-400mm over 300mm. BTW I already own 40-150mm and considered buying MC-20 as in some tests it produces much better results than simply cropping in post from 150mm.
I don't think there is a big difference between the Oly 100-400mm and the 300mm Pro in terms of IQ. I think the 300mm is a bit sharper, it has the advantage of a faster aperture and you get better stabilisation when paired with the E-M1 II. But the 100-400mm is excellent value for money if you want to spend less, and you can still use the teleconverters for extra reach.
The MC-20 is good, although I find it is not as sharp as the MC-14.
Think about the maximum reach you need, and how much you want to spend. The MC-20 with your 40-150mm is the most affordable solution. If you can afford it, the 300mm is an excellent lens. The 100-400mm is a good compromise and you get extra reach if you need it.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Oh! If 100-400 is not much worse than 300 that would be awesome! Also with teleconverter it is all about the distant subjects. MC-14 may degrade IQ less but after cropping I get worse results than with MC-20. At least with 40-150 PRO. With 100-400 it may be a different story.
Incredibly helpful and interesting. Thanks again Mathieu!
My pleasure!
Olympus urgently needs to update their approach with tracking if they want to keep up with the competition. The afc + traking is decorative. Hopefully so, if not I will have to think about changing the system and I do not want to because I love it. Greetings and great video
Thanks. Yes I agree, the AF-C + Tracking is not very useful when you need it the most. The Sony one is impressive on the other hand.
Nice sharp images but the background separation is not good. I guess it's caused by the smaller sensor.
Tommy? Or Tony?? :) Background separation depends on many things. Photographer skills,for example…
Well done 👏 👏👏
Thank you Mathieu. I don't understand 1 Function: D1) LV-Off-Info what doesn't mean?
When set to off, it disables the control panel that appears on the screen when pressing the OK button.
I learnt again something, thank you very much Mathieu!
Glad to hear that! Thank you for watching!
Thanks!
Thank you for the kind donation!
you are one of the best.. congrats...
Thank you so much 😀
That is a singularly magnificent review of functionality and settings of that Olympus product, and also quite useful in comparing it to other brands. Especially useful information throughout all the video. Very important to look at the tack sharp Vs. soft images ratio as you did. Thanks for the information. One wonders how the R5 will do, especially with those new fixed aperture plastic lenses. One does wonder though, given the crop factor with m43, generally perhaps subject size in the image, even at 20MPX, that M43 may give one a larger subject i.e. bird than the other sensor sizes and when one is done cropping the larger sensor image to get the same size you get from M43 -how does the detail look? I can see that you may actually get more detail with the M43 since it needs less cropping, depending. Best wishes, really nice video and review. Thanks!
Thanks. I think it all depends on the reach you can get with the two systems. An E-M1 III with 300mm Pro and MC-14 gives you a 840mm equivalent field of view. If you get a similar reach with the R5 and Canon lenses (RF 800mm f11, or other lenses with teleconverters), then the the higher megapixel count of the R5 is a significant advantage.
Are you going to do a video showing the setting up of the camera for general bird photography?
Great! Thanks a lot!
so does a6600+FE200-600 ($1000 less expensive than E-M1m3+300f4 pro) perform better while being more flexible and offering more reach?
It would certainly do better when it comes to the AF performance.
Probably. But it will give you 10cm more in size, 600gr more in weight…
Do you think it's a fair to compare hit rate percentages at different effective focal lengths? Would be interesting to see the keeper rate of the other cameras you mention at 600mm - 840mm.
I test most of the cameras with a 600mm equivalent. And in my experience, using a shorter focal length never changed the score dramatically. It can be 2% or 4% better or worse, and there are other variables like the location (I go to two mainly, in one of the them you are a bit closer to the action), weather conditions, how the birds behave that particular day etc. It's not a scientific test, but I think it gives a fair overview on how these camera perform, and I've been doing this for the past four years. You can read more about it here:
mirrorlesscomparison.com/best/mirrorless-cameras-for-birds-in-flight/
Excellent, thank you.
Great review. Do you think this camera performs better than Panasonic G9 for birding and general action based auto-focus?
For birds in flight no, I always get a lower score. There is a new firmware that I haven't tested yet, but somehow I doubt it will make a huge difference (although I'll be happy to be proven wrong). I got better results with other type of action such as football.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons thanks. I am looking to get it for family (kids running around, more frequent use) and birding (occasional). Would you say EM1 Mark III is a better choice? I thought of EM1 II too but Mark III seems to have much better focus
Thanks Mathieu Nice job where was your first AF POint? are these pro capture or normal bird photography?
Normal bird. What do you mean by first AF point? Like where it was positioned on the frame?
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Yes that is what i mean. Are you using same pro capture method?
Excellent review Mathieu. I look forward to you doing a follow up review of the E-M1X with the new Bird AF tracking which was released to the public today - December 3rd 2020. Would be good to see if there's an improvement in the figures you have published.
Coming soon! ;-)
can the mk2 do 60fps?
Yes
Great video, really helpful.
Does this work with the mark 5 iii
Well the title says “also for E-M5 III” so…..
There are some settings that are not available and it’s mentioned in the video, where relevant.
Thank you Matthew. Very helpful video on BIF. I have tried a number of settings for BIF with little success so I am looking forward to trying your settings. Just one question - are you in Manual/Aperture/Shutter priority? Apologies if this question was answered in the video or the comments section.
Manual with Auto ISO.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Thank you Mathieu. I thought it was manual/Auto ISO. I have already tried your setting with some success. I think a little more practice is required😁. I have tried Bird Detect for BIF with no success whatsoever. Perhaps this due to my timing/skill etc. I am really enjoying you videos.
Great tutorial. Thanks. It appears you also have the Face/Eye Detect set to Off. Was this a result of your testing?
That is only for human subjects.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Yes, I know. But I was wondering if you had done any testing with it On for BIF.
No.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Ok. I have assumed it would have no effect. But I’ve seen some comments on the internet that it does. Some claim it successfully picks up animal eyes, others claim it degrades focus to have it on. You seem to perform rigorous tests, so I thought you might be able to clear up the confusion.
No sorry, knowing it is only for people, it never occured to me to try Face/Eye AF for other type of subjects, and I never heard it could have a positive effect in trackign birds. I find it a bit hard to believe to be honest, but then again I didn't try it.
Wow, what an overwhelming mess of settings to learn, consider and test!
I love your conclusion to want a better AF system with less variables to try, for it to just work.
Very useful
Dear Mathieu, this settings works orso in "Shutter - priority mode" ?
Hi Monica, I think they still do fine with shutter priority. I find focus priority to give me a better keeper rate but if you prefer the other way around the other settings should remains valid.
You maybe recount the score after olympus em1x firmware update to new v2. 0 with bird tracking
I'm getting this request a lot. The good news is, I'm testing the camera at the moment ;-)
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons nice... I was testing it also... Hit rate have improved, i waiting your compare again sony
Kann man das Video auch in Deutsch übersetzt haben
:(. Useful video but How disappointing.
What is disappointing? The AF?
Wasn't it tested in - 30 degrees, without problems?
The official rating for the camera is -10˚C I believe.
Great work!
Thanks for this excellent Video! Do you have experience with using all AF fields with C-AF and cluster AF for bif? Is the camera fast enough for tracking the bird?
Yes I tried the All Target mode with cluster activated, but I still find the 25-Target mode (5x5) to give me better results (that is consistent with E-M1 II, E-M1X and E-M1 III).
Mathieu Gasquet Thanks for answering, I will try it next time with your settings.
Be interested to see your testing with the EM1 X with the new bird in flight algorithm.
I hope to test that soon!
Thank you for your video, very clear and interesting. I'm a sports photographer (volleyball) so I shot at fast shutter speed and high iso with the 40-150 f2,8 pro. The only problem is that the caf sometimes lost the focus acquired on the first frame. I use a separate button to activate focus. Probably the problem is to choose the right AF c lock (+2 +1 0 +1 +2) could be?
Could you tell me the settings you are using? Like Focus area and continuous shooting speed mode.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons AFC area 9 boxes, Burst L at 10 fps
I shoot 🏀 for about 6 years. I use +2 on the base line (basket line😂) and -2 on the long side line.
Using the the 45mm/1.2 mostly.
C-AF, low shutter speed (6fps is enough), mode 2 on the C-AF.
What about the bird AI with the EM1X ?
It's in my video review of the 150-400mm lens, from minute 7.45:
th-cam.com/video/X6Eyl2MNxGc/w-d-xo.html
Thanks! But how do you engage exposure compensation when shooting in manual?
I set the ISO to Auto.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons Yes, but when you point it to the sky, the auto ISO most likely underexpose, and won't manage to compensate 3 stops up by it self, will it, unless you nail it with spot metering every time? On my G9 i can actually dial in exp. comp. even in full manual, but my E-M1ii doesn't have that option.
But if you dial in the exp. compensation in full manual, what are you compensating then?
Mathieu Gasquet In my case it’s when I need to shoot at an exact aperture, say the optimal is f/8, and a fast enough shutter, and at the same time use (semi) auto iso.
Ok, in that case I do the same. With the E-M1 III and 300mm for example, I was in Manual mode with aperture to f4, shutter speed to 1/2000s (or 1/2500s) and Auto ISO. So the exposure compensation in this case affected the ISO.
To answer your question about the sky, it depends on the weather condition. If it's cloudy, most camera's tend to underexpose a lot, if the sky is bright blue on a sunny day, the exposure is more balanced.
Generally, I underexpose a little when there is a lot of contrast and the bird has some white parts on its body, to make sure the highlights are not clipped.
Would have loved to see the keeper rate with the Panasonic G9
You can see the G9 keeper rate on our website:
mirrorlesscomparison.com/best/mirrorless-cameras-for-birds-in-flight/
Also this might be of interest:
mirrorlesscomparison.com/stories/panasonic-g9-birds-in-flight-firmware/
Honestly that «slightly soft focus» category sucks. You want perfectly sharp images that's all
Yep, but that category is very useful to analyse the performance more in-depth, especially when comparing to other cameras.
I came back to Olympus because of your Grey Seal video. I am impressed with this tutorial! Amazingly on spot.
Thank you. I admit I'm still impressed by the performance of the Olympus kit in that video.
@@MathieuGasquetMirrorLessons you are welcome! I like what Sony has to offer, but as a person who believes in crawling through brush, walking out on ice covered Jetties and laying down in the snow to get shots of birds... I will take the Olympus and the G9 everywhere I go. Great video and the right lens system.
Great video Mathieu, very well made and very informative, thanks !
Very good explanation, thanks, but I would love it if you could speak a bit more slowly.