Micro four thirds and macro photography (by Eugene Kitsios).

Olympus 60mm f/4 ISO 200 (Image courtesy: Eugene Kitsios)

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Eugene Kitsios sent me that great article about macro photography. All 43rumors reader are welcome to send me full articles at 43rumors@gmail.com. Thanks!
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Micro four thirds and macro photography (by Eugene Kitsios)
This article is purely based on user knowledge and experiences. If there are any mistakes or whatsoever, please do correct me. I am definitely not a camera/lens expert and to be honest this is my first ‘review’ ever. I am just an (amateur) photographer who loves to spend time taking pictures and I wanted to share my experiences with the people that are interested in doing macro photography with the micro four thirds system.

Olympus 60mm f/4 ISO 200 (Image courtesy: Eugene Kitsios)

Introduction and why I love the micro four thirds system for macro photography
Before I dove into the micro four thirds world I was a happy owner of an Olympus E-5. When I switched systems I did not sell all of my native four thirds lenses, but kept three. This included one special lens, the Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro.
I think micro four thirds is a wonderful system for macro photography. One ‘con’ that is often given to this system is the fact that you can’t get the same shallow depth of field (DoF) as with a full frame camera. However to me, especially for macro photography, this is a real benefit and I will explain why. For macro photography working distance is usually really close so this will automatically result in a shallow depth of field. When using an aperture of f2.8 with a micro four thirds camera you will get the equivalent depth of field as an f5.6 lens on a full frame camera, but the speed stays the same (f2.8). Since you already have quite a shallow depth of field (because of the close working distance), I find it to be really handy to have the speed of an f2.8 lens but less shallow DoF as compared to a full frame camera. For example, this means that in addition to the eyes of that particular dragonfly or that particular ant, also the mouth will be (partly) in focus, depending of course on the focus distance you are using.
Furthermore, since micro four thirds cameras have a crop factor of 2x you can get your subject quite largely into the frame or you don’t have to approach it too closely (e.g. butterflies that might fly away).

Olympus 60mm f/4 ISO 200 (Image courtesy: Eugene Kitsios)

The lenses
There are currently three native micro four thirds lenses that are designed for macro use. Also there are macro lenses from the four thirds system, which can be used on a micro four thirds camera via an adapter. The downside of using a four thirds lens on a micro four thirds camera is slower autofocus. However, for macro photography I tend to use manual focus a lot so for me this is not a problem at all and with the upcoming EM-1 autofocus should be working great again.
For people looking for a macro lens for their micro four thirds camera I thought it would be handy to have a small list of the available choices. Of course there are more options if you count in all the lenses of other brands that can be used via an adapter, but this list includes only native (micro) four thirds lenses.
Micro four thirds:
– Olympus 60mm f2.8 (Store links: [shopcountry 33616])
– Panasonic Leica 45mm f2.8 (Store links: [shopcountry 14794])
–  Yasuhara Nanoha X5 (Store links: [shopcountry 41837])
Four thirds:
– Olympus 35mm f3.5 (Store links: [shopcountry 41838])
– Olympus 50mm f2.0 (Store links: [shopcountry 41841])
– Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 (Store links: [shopcountry 41839])
– Sigma 105mm f2.8 (Store links: [shopcountry 41840])
– Sigma 150mm f2.8 (Store links: [shopcountry 41842])
I personally own the Olympus 60mm f2.8 and the Sigma 150mm f2.8. Both of these lenses have great image quality. The Olympus I use mainly for small insects which can be approached from a close distance and the Sigma I use mainly for larger insects which might fly away (like butterflies or dragonflies).

Sigma 150mm f/5.6 ISO 400 (Image courtesy: Eugene Kitsios)

Olympus OM-D EM-5
The Olympus OM-D EM-5 is the first OM-D camera from Olympus, released in 2012. In this part I will discuss its handy features and give some general tips when using this camera for macro work.
For macro photography generally a tripod is used. However, there are some times when you can’t use a tripod because for example an insect is positioned in an awkward way or you just don’t have time to set up the tripod. This is where the image stabilization system shines. Olympus has designed an amazing 5-axis image stabilization. I think this is the best feature of this camera, at least for macro work. Not only does it counter shaky hands but it has one more really handy feature. In the menu you can turn on something called halfway release image stabilisation. What this does is that it activates the image stabilisation when you press the shutter halfway and therefore stabilizes the camera before you take the image. This is really handy, since it makes focussing a lot easier. When you are done with focussing, just press the shutter fully and voila you end up with a sharp image.
Another feature that is great for macro photography is the ability to enlarge an area on the screen. Olympus gives the option to enlarge a particular part of the image to 5x, 7x, 10x or 14x. This makes manually focussing a lot easier since you can really nail down the focus. One feature however that would be handy to have is the ability to use focus peaking. There is a way of getting a suchlike mode on the OM-D which I would refer to Google to anybody interested in this. Again, the upcoming EM-1 will have focus peaking.
Olympus has put a 16 megapixel Sony sensor in the OM-D. In previous 12 megapixel sensors noise was a problem at higher ISO values. However things changed with the arrival of this sensor. Not only does it have more megapixels, but noise is also controlled better for. I would have no hesitation in using ISO 800. Even ISO 1600 looks really good and ISO 3200 is still pretty usable. Put this sensor in the weatherproof body of the OM-D, put on a weatherproof lens like the 60mm and you’re ready to go.
Not to forget is a feature all micro four thirds cameras share: size! I just wrote down that I think that the image stabilization is the best feature for macro work but this comes really, and then I mean really close. I remember doing macro photography with my E-5. When I did not use a tripod, after a while my hands really started shaking when trying to focus the image correctly. Now when I use my OM-D with the 60mm I don’t have this problem anymore, which is not strange considering that this combination is less than half the weight of the E-5 with a macro lens attached.

Sigma 150mm f/4 ISO 400 (Image courtesy: Eugene Kitsios)

Results
I attached some of my macro work to give an idea what the OM-D is capable of. These images have only had minor post processing. Mostly what I do is add a bit of contrast and apply a bit of sharpening when needed. When not using a tripod, I always have the image stabilisation turned on and use the magnify function to double check the focus.

Sigma 150mm f/5.6 ISO 400 (Image courtesy: Eugene Kitsios)

Conclusion
I love my OM-D. For me it performs wonderfully for macro photography. If somebody would give me the option to change my OM-D macro gear to full frame macro gear for free, I would not do it. That is how much I love it. The small size and weight, the image stabilisation, the weatherproof body, the sensor, it’s just the whole package.
I hope this article will help anyone thinking of doing macro photography with the OM-D or even people that are thinking of joining the micro four thirds system. I am sure I will enjoy lots and lots of more time using my OM-D in the insect world and I hope you will do too.


43rumors note: Many Thanks to Eugene for that very well written article!

E-M1 with Four Thirds Lens Test (Robin Wong).

Four Thirds Lens owners will be very interested to se Robin Wongs E-M1 FT Lens test (Click here). He tested these four FT lenses and you can see the results on the video I embedded on top:

1) Olympus ZD 7-14mm F4 ([shoplink 41751 ebay]here on eBay[/shoplink])
2) Olympus ZD 14-35mm F2 SWD ([shoplink 41752 ebay]here on eBay[/shoplink])
3) Olympus ZD 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 II ([shoplink 41753 ebay]here on eBay[/shoplink])
4) Olympus ZD 50mm F2 macro ([shoplink 41754 ebay]here on eBay[/shoplink])
5) Olympus ZD 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD ([shoplink 41755 ebay]here on eBay[/shoplink])
6) Olympus ZD 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 (non-SWD) ([shoplink 41755 ebay]here on eBay[/shoplink])

And the conclusion is:

“The focusing speed of Four Thirds lenses on the E-M1 is NOT as fast as how they are on DSLR E-5, E-3 or E-30. It may not have fulfilled my expectations, but in all seriousness, the focusing speed was FAR from disappointing. In comparison to previous focusing on any micro Four Thirds camera, the focusing speed on E-M1 has increased by quite a far leap, and is now very fast and reliable. For some lenses, the focusing speed was very close to the DSLR E-5. The fastest focusing lens out of the series tested was undoubtedly the ZD 14-35mm f2 SWD lens”

Robin writes that the reason why the E-M1 cannot match the E-5 performance is:

“Looking at Olympus DSLR E-5, it has 11 point AF, and each point has TWIN CROSS sensor, meaning FOUR lines of phase detect sensor were installed in each point to maximize the focusing potential. Looking at the specifications of the new Phase Detect in E-M1, it was not the same, and rather completely different. It has 37 selectable points, which covered quite a large area of the frame. Now here is the main difference, the AF points are NOT Twin Cross, in fact, they were not Cross points at all. Again, knowing these facts, to expect the autofocusing performance to match DSLR E-5, was starting to look more and more difficult to happen.”

I guess most FT Lens owners are not surprised by these results. Already Dpreview mentioned that the AF wasn’t as fast as on the E-5. We may need an E-M2 or E-M7 before we see an AF performance as fast as on the E-5!
Please take time to read the full test at Robin Wong’s site (Click here).

Preorder Links:
Dedicated page at Amazon.
Olympus E-M1 body at Amazon, Adorama and BHphotoAmazon DE (via DL), Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL), WexUK, Topshot FI, CameraWorldUK.
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, AmazonDE (viaDL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-40mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK and CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-50mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK, CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus EP-13 Eyecup for E-M1 at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus HLD-7 Battery Grip for E-M1 at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LC-62D Metal Front Lens Cap for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LH-66 Lens Hood for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.

New E-M1 test roundup. New E-7 protoype image. And a new bag with MFT mount for hardcore fans :)

On that youtube video (Click here) you can see the E-7 prototype. it’s an official Olympus video where the E-M1 creators talk about the camera (found via Fotopolis via Phototumors). I guess some 43rumors reader would love to have an E-7 too :)

New E-M1 tests:
UPDATED: Olympus Magazine issue with the E-M1.
UPDATED: Fashion Photos with the E-M1
Full Size Image samples at SystemKameraForum.
Studio shots at Imaging Resource.
12-40mm lens review by Ming Thein.
An In progress review by Gordon on CameraLabs.
Olympus UK event pics by Implausibleblog on FB.
E-M1 vs E-M5 manual comparison at Seldomescenephotography.
German report of the E-M1 event in Castle Leslie by Pen And Tell (part one and part two).

Hardcore MFT fanboys can also buy the just launched new MFT bag from Olympus! As you can see on the picture it has a real MFT mount on it:


Image courtesy: ePhotozine.

Preorder Links:
Dedicated page at Amazon.
Olympus E-M1 body at Amazon, Adorama and BHphotoAmazon DE (via DL), Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL), WexUK, Topshot FI, CameraWorldUK.
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, AmazonDE (viaDL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-40mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK and CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-50mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK, CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus EP-13 Eyecup for E-M1 at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus HLD-7 Battery Grip for E-M1 at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LC-62D Metal Front Lens Cap for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LH-66 Lens Hood for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.

E-M1 news: Robin Wong review part two. Picture of an exploded E-M1. Dpreview corrects AF statement.

Image courtesy: ePhotozine

This what you can expect to find inside your E-M1 if a truck rolls over your camera :) This picture belong to a set of exploded E-m1 images posted by ePhotozine (Click here). They also posted a panning video test on youtube and a 10fps sample. Edmond Terakopian shared some Image samples and Olympus press event pics at Castle Leslie on Flickr (Click here).

Robin Wong (Click here) posted the second part of his ongoing E-M1 review (Image Sharpness, Handling and Continuous Autofocus with Tracking). You can also download the full size test and image samples.

And our reader BLI (Thanks!) just noted an important change at Dpreview AF first impression article. Dpreview originally suggested that the AF of 43 lenses was *slower* on the E-M1 than on the E-5. It now seems like they have changed their opinion: they state that their first claim was based on “memory” of using E-5, not actual comparison. After reusing 43 lenses on the E-5, they tend to suggest equally fast AF for 43 lenses.

Preorder Links (updated with Amazon UK and ES):
Dedicated page at Amazon.
Olympus E-M1 body at Amazon, Adorama and BHphotoAmazon DE (via DL), Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL), WexUK, Topshot FI, CameraWorldUK.
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, AmazonDE (viaDL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-40mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK and CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-50mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK, CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL), Amazon ES (via DL).
Olympus EP-13 Eyecup for E-M1 at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus HLD-7 Battery Grip for E-M1 at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LC-62D Metal Front Lens Cap for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LH-66 Lens Hood for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.

Ian Berry talks about the GX7 (+ new camera reviews)

Let’s take a break from Olympus news! Panasonic just posted that youtube video with Ian Barry. Great video!

There are also four new camera reviews from Photoxels, Focus Numerique (French), Fotovideo (Dutch) and Photographyblog. Photographyblog rates the camera as Essential and writes:

In short the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 is one of our favourite cameras of 2013, judging it against both its compact system and DSLR competition.

Focus Numerique writes that up to ISO 3,200 there is little difference between the GX7 and the Olympus E-P5. But if go higher the GX7 shows a better performance.

GX7 preorder list (Click on store name to open the GX7 price, specs and preorder page):
Silver GX7 body at Amazon US, BHphoto, Adorama, Samys, Wex Deutschland, Wex UK , Amazon JP.
Silver GX7 with 14-42mm lens at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Samys, Henrys, Wex Deutschland, WexUK, Amazon UK.
Black GX7 body at Henrys, Wex Deutschland, Wex UK, Amazon UK, Amazon Japan.
Black GX7 with 14-42mm lens at Henrys, Wex Deutschland, Wex UK, Amazon UK.
Black GX7 with 20mm lens at Henrys, Wex UKAmazon UK, Amazon Japan.
Silver GX7 with 20mm lens at Henrys, Wex UKAmazon UK, Amazon Japan.

New E-M1 test roundup (D600 vs E-M1)….and Robin Wong got more outgoing clicks than Dpreview :)


E-M1 unboxing video by Damian McGilliCuddy.

Let’s catch up with some new E-M1 tests:

Mig Thein (Click here) posted the second part of his ongoing E-M1 review and made a JPEG comaprison between the E-M1, D600 and E-M5:

What I do notice though is the highlight rolloff of the E-M1 seems to be the best of the three, though it shares the densest shadows with the E-M5; the E-M5′s highlights are a bit dull, and the D600 seems to clip abruptly. Differences in native tonal response? Probably. Though the two M4/3 cameras are pretty close on resolution, I’d give the E-M1 a hair in acuity and microcontrast; it must be a mix of the lack of AA filter and new image processing engine; fine detail just doens’t seem as coarse as the E-M5. The D600 is clearly resolving a little bit more than the other two – look at all of the number plates – but it’s really surprisingly quite close.

Also DSLRmagazine (google translation here) posted an E-M1 and E-M5 ISO comparison. And they write that the difference is noticeable

More new E-M1 tests:
Full size image samples can be downloaded at Cameras.reviewed.com.
DCfever (google translation here) posted an E-M1 test.
Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital 40-150mm f/2.8 Hands-on Photos at Photographyblog.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Photos at Photographyblog.

Yesterdays most clicked links by 43rumors readers. Stats via GetClicky

I just checked my stats to see what link to E-M1 (p)reviews got more clicked. And to my surprise Robin Wong’s E-M1 preview got more clicks than the preview at Dpreview. (Stats via GetClicky). And also Ming Thein and Pekka Potka did quite well. Amazing to see how one man blog can beat a huge website owned by Amazon :) Well done Robin!

 

Preorders in US and Europe (Click on the store name to read price and specs):
Dedicated page at Amazon.
Olympus E-M1 body at Amazon, Adorama and BHphotoAmazon DE (via DL), Amazon UK (via DL), WexUK, Topshot FI, CameraWorldUK.
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, AmazonDE (viaDL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-40mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK and CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL).
Olympus E-M1 with 12-50mm Lens kit at Amazon DE (via DL), WexUK, CameraWorldUK, Amazon UK (via DL).
Olympus EP-13 Eyecup for E-M1 at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus HLD-7 Battery Grip for E-M1 at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LC-62D Metal Front Lens Cap for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.
Olympus LH-66 Lens Hood for 12-40mm at Adorama and BHphoto.

Panasonic GH3, G6, GF6, G5 camera reviews.

I guess most of you already forgot that there is a new GF camera. And many months after the official release the camera still isn’t in Stock in USA (see Amazon or BHphoto). And than companies complain that mirrorless isn’t selling well :)

Anyway, there are new GF6 review to read. Not only, there are actually new reviews on all G cameras:
Panasonic GF6 review at CameraLabs, Trustedreviews and Pixinfo.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 Review by DigitalPhotographySchool.
Panasonic G5 review at Photographic Central.
Panasonic GH3 review at Imaging Resource.

Reminder: one more new GX camera will come within the next few months! And I am certainly not talking about the just announced GX7 :)