Latest with the E-M1 Mark II and 12-100mm f4 M. Zuiko

The S-OVF setting also works really well for composing outdoors in heavy shade. One can use the regular view to set the exposure, lock that exposure or shoot manually like I do, and then one-click into S-OVF mode to brighten the view to make accurate composition easier.

The S-OVF setting also works really well for composing outdoors in heavy shade. One can use the regular view to set the exposure, lock that exposure or shoot manually like I do, and then one-click into S-OVF mode to brighten the view to make accurate composition easier.

Thanks Greg. Please pass on any practical and useful tip.

In the cogs menu, A3, there is a "preset MF Distance" setting I have set to 999.9 meters (infinity) a

This shortcut will be useful to me - say for nightsky photography, which I like to do. Hwvr, I do have a concern because the optimum Infinity setting may not be at the furthest infinity indicator of the lens. Has this been a problem or does Olympus take care of it when it's set to 999.9? Thanks.

There's also a distance graph below the distance you set with an infinity mark, and you can set the distance in either feet or meters. When I set it to 999.9 meters, the graph shows it being set to infinity. I do not enable the touch screen, but if you do have touch screen enabled, you MAY be able to just drag the distance marker all the way to the right to the infinity mark, but setting to 999.9 meters does the same thing.

 

The times I've utilized the one-touch manual focus with the FN2 button it's seemed to work fine and been at true infinity. The camera seems to refocus the lens/reset infinity as you zoom. Since these are all varifocal lenses and not "true" zooms, that makes sense.

Man I have a LOT to learn.

Sounds about right if you are not continuously shooting. But make sure you have the fully charged backups - the route you are taking has awesome views along the way.

 

I think I'm finally set on power

Total of 3 batteries + 2 chargers.

So in a pinch I will be able to charge 2 batteries at the same time.

 

Now waiting for Christmas, so that I can ask Santa for the 12-100 f/4 ;)

BACK from vacation.

 

I'm glad I took your advice.

The battery in the E-M1 lasted about 4 hours under heavy use.

Battery-1 went empty about 11am, battery-2 went empty about 4pm, and man was I glad to have a 3rd battery. And 2 chargers that night, and a few times later.

The next day I brought a charger with me, so that I could charge the battery in the train.

Both Rocky Mountaineer-Gold Leaf and AMTRAK roomette had an AC outlet for the charger.

 

So 3 batteries + 2 chargers worked out just fine.

A LONG day, away from AC power, may require a 4th battery.

 

Now the HUGE task of editing down the pix to a manageable number.

Due to the train motion, I shot a LOT of pix, expecting to have to edit out a lot of shots.

 

I would have loved the 12-100.

But by the last couple of days, I was so worn out that just the E-M1 + Panasonic 12-60 felt heavy.

I'm going to have to look into the E-M10-mk2.

I picked up an EM10-mk2 + 14-42EZ on sale, at less than Olympus refurb price. :) The store was closing out its Olympus stock. I think they could not sell enough to meet the Olympus dealer requirement. So I got my "small" m4/3 camera and lens.

That 14-42EZ is a "small" lens, I like it. But the power zoom takes getting used to. It is a little fiddly, as it works like the zoom on a P&S. I much prefer a smooth manual zoom.

I took the EM10 + 14-42EZ out with us for dinner, and it was really nice how light and compact it was to carry. And I thought the EM1 + 12-60 was small and light, compared to my D7200 + 18-140.

 

Man I am building this m4/3 system faster than I ever built a camera system before.

And Christmas is around the corner, and hopefully my 12-100 f/4 :D

Congratulations Gary.

Gary, looks like you are doing well. :) Have to say these camera equipment can be so tiny they can get lost.

As much as I like the Nikon, as I've gotten older, the Olympus is so much easier to handle.

 

I can't wait for Dec 25 :D

A used 12-100 is on its way to me. yay. :)

I will check it out, then have to put it under the Christmas tree.

It is going to be torture to look at the box for a month. :(

The 12-100 is out from under the Christmas tree :)

Now to start playing with it. :D

I have a soccer game to shoot on the 29th. This is a day game, so it is a good test of the lens, in good light conditions, before I shoot a night game with it.

The 12-100 lens was great, the EM1 wasn't.

 

Shooting soccer, the EVF of the EM1 in Sequential Low + Rec View off, showed the last frame for about 1/2 to 1 second. That was just enough time to block the action, so I could not see the moving player, and I lost track of the player. I had to wait for the EVF to go back to live view, then REacquire the player and track him. Very frustrating.

 

I think I will go shoot something other than sports with it.

I've never used Olympus M43 for sports other than a badminton match with the 75mm lens. However, the EM1 Mark II supposedly has improved remarkably for action shots. Not sure if these discussions shed some light on other people's experiences.

 

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3955603#forum-post-57145245

Yes Mary, the EM1 worked just fine on my vacation in Canada. Just the sport that I used it in (soccer) found a weak link in the mk1. I was hoping to not have to upgrade to the EM1-mk2, at all. The plan was to concentrate on lenses and skip a generation (the mk2), and wait for the mk3 to come down in price, then get that.

 

My fall back is to keep using my D7200 for sports.

I'm editing the soccer pix that I shot with the 12-100/4, and I am amazed at how deep I can crop the image and still see details in the image. :)

Man using pro grade glass is a completely different world than the consumer grade glass that I normally use.

I'm now convinced of the superiority of the pro glass, but the $$$$ cost and added weight/bulk is the hurdle.

Happy New Year Mary and Greg

Thanks for all your help as I build my Olympus kit.

Happy New Year to you too!

 

Pretty soon you will get a good feel for what you need, or would like to have. Best of luck Gary!