New'ish user of OM-1 mk 1. Need some advice on useful settings.

[UncleVanya]

I shoot Sony FF (A7RV, A7RIII), Sony APSC (a6600, a6300 infrared), Pentax APSC (KP, K-3),Sony 1" (RX100 IV, and VI), and now m43 (OM-1).

I had dropped m43 a while back just to simplify my sprawl. But my dad's OM-1 is mine now and I can't really give it up. I have the 12-40 Pro 2.8 II and the 40-150 Pro F4 lenses. I have been experimenting with it and I'm still learning.

C1 is setup for mostly static subjects. Mechanical Shutter with Antishock enabled. S-AF, Single Point target. Aperture preferred.

C2 is action oriented. Cross type target, Mechanical continuous shutter, antishock, C-AF + TR, no subject recognition enabled. (I was shooting birds and surfers this weekend, didn't want to try to swap back and forth). Shutter preferred, base 1/1000th.

Lots of people seem to hate C-AF+TR - it's clunky compared to even my a6600 in many ways, but it seems the best option if I want to focus and then recompose but track the subject. Point, acquire, reframe, pan to keep subject in the frame... Am I missing something else that works? I tried C-AF with Large target - but hitting the target is spotty. I tried smaller targets but then it wouldn't stick to it if I recomposed.

The higher speed all electronic blackout free continuous mode was recommended but 50FPS is too much for me to sort through. It makes me crazy and the buffer is really small at that point. I prefer shooting a few frames at a time, sometimes 10-20.

Fully Electronic Shutter was also a consideration for the S-AF mode - is there a big advantage over the Mechanical with anti-shock? My understanding is that this mode uses ECFS but there was some discussion of fully electronic shutter below 1/350th?

I shoot Raw + SF because if I can use SOOC - I will, but I like having the raw for more tinkering if needed/desired.

I am trying to avoid expanding this system too much.. but the 25/1.8 and perhaps a 45/1.8 may be on the horizon at some point. My past m43 gear included a 20/f1.7, a 12-32, a 12-35 vario f4-5.6, a 12-35/2.8, a 17/2.8, a 60/2.8 Macro, a 30/2.8 Sigma, a 45-175, a 42.5/1.7, etc. I don't want to drop down that hole again as I am feeding too many systems already.

This week was an experiment into figuring out how well this works for travel.

Conclusion: It's bigger than the old EM1 or GX8 or GX7 I traveled with. The Pro lenses are quite good. The 40-150f4 Pro is a good long lens but a little shy of what is needed for surfers and birds in many cases but I made it work. Wider and Longer I own already for other systems.

The GX7 or GX8 or EM1 with the 12-32, 35-100 or 45-175, a 20mm prime and maybe the 9mm fisheye body cap - was lighter and smaller and wider range - but the OM-1 has a few tricks that make it nicer in many ways.

 

[David5833]

A few days ago I was shooting some RC sailboats with the OM-1i plus 300mm lens and accidentally discovered that the bird recognition setting was picking out and tracking the sailboats pretty reliably and gave much better results than I was getting without it. I don't know if any of the subject recognition modes would be similarly useful for surfers, but it might be worth a try. I don't know how the OM-1's face recognition would work with surfers, someone else will have to advise about that. In any case, you can assign subject recognition on/off to a button, so it would be easy and very quick to switch back and forth. I can imagine that it would be difficult to remember what various custom settings do with each of your different systems, but the OM-1 is very complex and customizable so things like the Super Control Panel, My Menu, custom button assignments, Fn Lever assignment, etc. allow less menu diving if you can remember what does what.

There are many You Tube videos that can provide setup tips and tricks; Rob Trek's have been especially useful for me.

 

[tammons]

I keep it simple.

I generally keep my camera on aperture mode.

I only shoot raw.

ISO auto is set to ISO 8000 max and I use DXO PL to process.

I have c1, c2, c3 set with custom settings. C1 is set to bird detect AF with a middle speed e shutter speed sequence shooting and CAF that allows AF between each shot. C2 is similar but set to animal detect. C3 slower and people detect. C4 is macro. I never thought that the fastest continuous mode that does NOT AF between shots was worth it.

I have a back button set up to flip back and forth between my normal current aperture priority wander around setting and C1 for bird photography.

If you get overwhelmed with the number of sequence photos, use the OM program sharp focus sort function (or whatever it is called) to weed out the losers. It misses so you will still need to quickly review the images, but it is faster.

 

[Ianm]

The higher speed all electronic blackout free continuous mode was recommended but 50FPS is too much for me to sort through. It makes me crazy and the buffer is really small at that point. I prefer shooting a few frames at a time, sometimes 10-20.

The SH2 electronic continuous mode can be configured to run at a slightly more pedestrian 25fps if that makes more practical for you. The black out free viewfinder makes it so much easier to track fast moving subjects when doing high speed shooting.

Ian

 

[ahaslett]

I use MFT and FE - OM5, OM1, A7CR, A7Riv.

I have the rear lever set to switch between CAF with a smallish target and SAF with the next size up from single point. The OM1 AF system is very different from Sony and from any previous Olympus body. The mk i and mk ii also have differences.

Sounds like you want ProCapture SH2 with a lower frame rate and tight limits on frame count. 0.3s is a typical reaction time - works for me.

I have the Custom Modes set up to avoid fiddling with settings. You can keep a library of them on a PC and swap them using Workspace.

The SCP is like the Fn menu and My Menu is handy too.

HHHR is useful in darker places and produces a pseudo-RAW. Watch out for the 12bit clip on the mk i, solved in the mk ii. Using UniWB avoids that problem.

A

 

[Trevor Carpenter]

If you get overwhelmed with the number of sequence photos, use the OM program sharp focus sort function (or whatever it is called) to weed out the losers. It misses so you will still need to quickly review the images, but it is faster.

what is the sharp focus sort, is it part of OM-workspace?

 

[tammons]

If you get overwhelmed with the number of sequence photos, use the OM program sharp focus sort function (or whatever it is called) to weed out the losers. It misses so you will still need to quickly review the images, but it is faster.

what is the sharp focus sort, is it part of OM-workspace?

Yes, but it only works for sequences.

 

[cc99]

(I was shooting birds and surfers this weekend, didn't want to try to swap back and forth).

On the OM-1.1, enabling subject detection disables face detection, so putting subject-detect on a button, with face detect on, lets you switch back and forth with a single press.

On the OM-1.2, human form detection is part of subject detection, so to switch I think you would have to hold a button while rotating a wheel.

 

[UncleVanya]

People detect? That’s not an option on the mk 1. Do you mean face detect?

 

[cc99]

People detect? That’s not an option on the mk 1. Do you mean face detect?

tammons has the OM-1.2 , so he presumably uses Human Subject detection. He is giving you his own preferred settings. An OM-1.1 user would have to use face detect.

 

[Woody Meristem]

First, stop using the mechanical shutter; I have two OM-1s and neither has ever taken a photo with the mechanical shutter.

Second, don't use tracking; subject recognition will be enough.

Third, shoot large superfine (LSF) if you want to use JPG, not just SF.

Fourth, why on earth do you use four, now five, different systems? Settle on one or two and you'll get better photos.

 

[UncleVanya]

If you get overwhelmed with the number of sequence photos, use the OM program sharp focus sort function (or whatever it is called) to weed out the losers. It misses so you will still need to quickly review the images, but it is faster.

what is the sharp focus sort, is it part of OM-workspace?

Yes, but it only works for sequences.

Can you explain more about this and how it’s used?

 

[UncleVanya]

People detect? That’s not an option on the mk 1. Do you mean face detect?

tammons has the OM-1.2 , so he presumably uses Human Subject detection. He is giving you his own preferred settings. An OM-1.1 user would have to use face detect.

Thanks. I wondered what he meant. I knew the OM-1 II had added that.

 

[UncleVanya]

First, stop using the mechanical shutter; I have two OM-1s and neither has ever taken a photo with the mechanical shutter.

There are times that rolling shutter will be an issue with some subjects. I’ve seen the proof. But generally, I expect you’re right.

Second, don't use tracking; subject recognition will be enough.

Humans? Also when I enable subject detection, I assume I need to use a large focus target? I didn’t see it stick to a subject when I panned away to reframe the subject like tracking did. (Birds).

Third, shoot large superfine (LSF) if you want to use JPG, not just SF.

I actually am. I meant that but forgot the correct label.

Fourth, why on earth do you use four, now five, different systems? Settle on one or two and you'll get better photos.

You’re certainly not wrong in general. But I have reasons and I’ll stick with them for now. Details:

Pentax was my only brand for a long time. I have 30+ lenses for that system. I really like some aspects and while I need to thin the herd, I don’t see exiting entirely as a reasonable option.

M43 was my second foray into mirrorless after trying the Samsung NX series. I loved it. But after getting pushed into Sony, it was too much to have yet another ecosystem. I one had a lot more m43 gear.

Sony ff was given to me by a well meaning dad. He misunderstood a comment I made and bought it for me. Dad was broke, he saved up for a long time to do this. It meant a lot to him so I tried it and shared my passion with him. He later bought another Sony (an upgraded body) and swapped it taking the older one for himself. Sony ff was too large for him as he got less mobile. He has passed on and I’m sentimental. It’s also my highest quality output system. I’ve added to it and I shoot with it a lot. The apsc stuff cane for two reasons; the 800nm infrared body was available at a price I could afford, and infrared LED light sources inside the a7r series can spoil long ir exposures. The a6600 was added to see if I could migrate off my Pentax apsc bodies using a monster adapter. I couldn’t.

The rx100 iv and vi came from my dad. They are why m43 was ultimately dropped. I found the quality high enough to replace my gx1 and 12-32/35-100 combo. RX100’s are not as good but they are close and portable.

The OM-1 kit was my dad’s last passion.

So at the heart of it, my deceased father drove my spark by handing me his cast offs. He would get motivated and passionate about some gear, buy into it and then abandon it. He has Pentax along with me for a while then gave all his to me (which exploded the size of my collection).

I have sold a few things off, but it’s sentimental. I try to learn the gear enough to use it, and while my expertise my bed refreshers, I’m quite capable of using multiple brands and interfaces. I don’t trick myself into thinking I’m expert right away however. This is what drove me to ask here about advice.

 

[UncleVanya]

The higher speed all electronic blackout free continuous mode was recommended but 50FPS is too much for me to sort through. It makes me crazy and the buffer is really small at that point. I prefer shooting a few frames at a time, sometimes 10-20.

The SH2 electronic continuous mode can be configured to run at a slightly more pedestrian 25fps if that makes more practical for you. The black out free viewfinder makes it so much easier to track fast moving subjects when doing high speed shooting.

Ian

Is that true on the mk 1? I thought that was only the mk II. And even 25 is faster than I want. The mk 1 bigger is smaller and the number of files to sift is too much. I tend to fire short bursts of 3-5 shots and still it can be overwhelming. In one afternoon I shout 500 images of surfers and kept only about 5. The conditions were meh and the shots - while in focus and showing the action - were pointlessly boring for the most part.

 

[UncleVanya]

I use MFT and FE - OM5, OM1, A7CR, A7Riv.

Glad to have your input.

I have the rear lever set to switch between CAF with a smallish target and SAF with the next size up from single point. The OM1 AF system is very different from Sony and from any previous Olympus body. The mk i and mk ii also have differences.

They do. And yes i know the systems are different.

Sounds like you want ProCapture SH2 with a lower frame rate and tight limits on frame count. 0.3s is a typical reaction time - works for me.

ProCapture adds precapture right? It’s certainly something I’ll look at. But for now keeping frame rate lower and tracking the subject are already a challenge.

I have the Custom Modes set up to avoid fiddling with settings. You can keep a library of them on a PC and swap them using Workspace.

Sure. But I’m still grappling with what to put into these slots. 4 is a lot, and keeping them straight is already a baseline I’m not certain of. Adding more to swap in and out is beyond where I am right now.

The SCP is like the Fn menu and My Menu is handy too.

Thanks. I have never figured out what to put in the my menu.

HHHR is useful in darker places and produces a pseudo-RAW. Watch out for the 12bit clip on the mk i, solved in the mk ii. Using UniWB avoids that problem.

How does that solve 12bit?

 

[UncleVanya]

(I was shooting birds and surfers this weekend, didn't want to try to swap back and forth).

On the OM-1.1, enabling subject detection disables face detection, so putting subject-detect on a button, with face detect on, lets you switch back and forth with a single press.

On the OM-1.2, human form detection is part of subject detection, so to switch I think you would have to hold a button while rotating a wheel.

Thank you. Help me understand how subject detection and tracking differ in use. I am clear on them being different, but the fiber points of using subject detection elude me.

With tracking, I can use a small focus selection area like cross or even single point. One I point at the subject and tracking begins, I can compose the frame however I like and tracking attempts to keep them in focus despite no longer being in the original focus area. If tracking losses then, I must recompose and restart tracking from there.

When I tried face detection on the surfers, I first tried with cross and had some limited success getting some recognition but not always. Using large or the full sensor it was hard to get the correct target to be picked, and even then it didn’t seem sticky.

 

[cc99]

With tracking, ...

Olympus C-AF+Tr is so flaky I only use it for macro on windy days. With surfers, I would try using a static AF target area, because it's more reliable if more work. It's how they did it in DSLR days.

When I tried face detection on the surfers, ...

Face detect only works at close range with a clean face looking towards you. Surfing really requires Human Subject detection, and this is a good reason to upgrade to the OM-1.2.

(I'm waiting for the OM-1.3.)

 

[ahaslett]

With tracking, ...

Olympus C-AF+Tr is so flaky I only use it for macro on windy days. With surfers, I would try using a static AF target area, because it's more reliable if more work. It's how they did it in DSLR days.

When I tried face detection on the surfers, ...

Face detect only works at close range with a clean face looking towards you. Surfing really requires Human Subject detection, and this is a good reason to upgrade to the OM-1.2.

(I'm waiting for the OM-1.3.)

OM1.1 CAF-Tr is well ahead of the OM5 but well behind an A7Riv. I agree with your analysis of FaceEyeAF, also well behind an A7Riv.

OM1.2 CAF-Tr is equal to an A7Riv.

OM1.2 Human subject detection is quite good. I’d have to have more experience with an OM1.2 to compare it with my A7CR. I suspect it’s context dependent.

The OM1.2 splits subject detection from tracking, so you can have one or the other. Sony have an integrated AF system, which can produce some weird effects on Auto subject selection but is really handy using specific subject modes.

The OM1.1 is really quite good with birds in my limited experience.

Having bought the OM1.1 as my general body, I find the OM5 and A7CR get used more often. The OM5 is smaller and FaceEyeAF is OK for close up work. The A7CR has better AF and much higher resolution (in a lighter body).

The OM1s and OM3 have small sensor low light AF advantage, especially with the huge QBPDAF array.

I guess one day, I’ll upgrade OM1.1 to OM1.2 but there is no pressure. The OM1 is highly configurable, badly documented, and handles well with larger lenses. The A7CR handles well with smaller lenses and quite well with medium sized ones using the grip extension. Never been sure whose hands Sony uses to test ergonomics, not mine for sure.

TLR The OM1.1 should have been an OM1.2 from the beginning, but I guess tracking and human subjects were not front of mind at launch.

Andrew

 

[ahaslett]

I use MFT and FE - OM5, OM1, A7CR, A7Riv.

Glad to have your input.

I have the rear lever set to switch between CAF with a smallish target and SAF with the next size up from single point. The OM1 AF system is very different from Sony and from any previous Olympus body. The mk i and mk ii also have differences.

They do. And yes i know the systems are different.

Sounds like you want ProCapture SH2 with a lower frame rate and tight limits on frame count. 0.3s is a typical reaction time - works for me.

ProCapture adds precapture right? It’s certainly something I’ll look at. But for now keeping frame rate lower and tracking the subject are already a challenge.

I’ve never understood what non-SH ProCapture does but it can have lower burst rates.

I have the Custom Modes set up to avoid fiddling with settings. You can keep a library of them on a PC and swap them using Workspace.

Sure. But I’m still grappling with what to put into these slots. 4 is a lot, and keeping them straight is already a baseline I’m not certain of. Adding more to swap in and out is beyond where I am right now.

The SCP is like the Fn menu and My Menu is handy too.

Thanks. I have never figured out what to put in the my menu.

I use it for things that I need occasionally, like Airplane mode, pixel mapping, Starry AF,…

HHHR is useful in darker places and produces a pseudo-RAW. Watch out for the 12bit clip on the mk i, solved in the mk ii. Using UniWB avoids that problem.

How does that solve 12bit?

It reduces the DR of the intermediate files in compositing the shots to a pseudo-RAW. If you want the details, I think knickerhawk did an investigation.

As an FF user, you might want to set a Custom UniWB anyway. There can be 2 stops of DR difference between exposing for jpeg using auto-WB and for RAW using UniWB. You need to avoid other jpeg settings that affect the way that highlight RAW channels get converted into highlight pixels. I only use it for high DR scenes at base ISO.

A