Is anyone exploring the Olympus OM-1 for birds and wildlife?

[Tom Reynolds]

I am looking at the OM-1 as a replacement for my Nikon D-500/500pf rig. The OM-1 impressions/specifications/images etc. are quite valuable for me. Thanks all for your posts.

Many of the posts/specifications both here and on FM are for older Olympus cameras. Th Olympus ProCapture on the Om-1 seems to work differently than older models and is constrained by whatever lens is used.

Essentially it looks like:
20f/s for 5 sec
25f/s for 4 sec
50f/s for 2 sec (with Oly Pro lens)

Here are the OM-1 Specs
----------------------------

Sequential shooting max speedSequential shooting: approx 10 fps with selectable 1-10 fps
Anti-shock sequential shooting: approx 10 fps with selectable 1-10 fps
Silent sequential shooting: approx 20 fps with selectable 5, 10, 15, 20 fps with blackout
Silent sequential shooting SH1: approx 120 fps with selectable 60, 100, 120 fps without blackout
Silent sequential shooting SH2: approx 50 fps with selectable 25, 50, fps without blackout

Pro Capture: approx 20 fps with selectable 5, 10, 15, 20 fps
Pro Capture SH1: approx 120 fps with selectable 60, 100, 120 fps
Pro Capture SH2: approx 50 fps with selectable 25, 50 fps

Silent sequential shooting 20 fps [RAW]: Approx. 108
Silent sequential shooting SH1 120 fps [RAW]: Approx. 92
Silent sequential shooting SH2 50 fps [RAW]: Approx. 96

 

[Mitesh]

Stunning photos, Mitesh! What lens were you using?

Thanks! All taken with 150-400 PRO. It's a fantastic lens and paired with the OM-1, it's a wildlife dream combo in terms of features, focal length versatility, reach, weight, bulk, and overall per-pound performance. Really the only complaint I have about the combo is the loss of fine detail once ISO gets up over 6400, but it's an m4/3 camera, after all. The bear image below is ISO 25,600. As mentioned earlier in this thread, subject detection works very well, although it's not infallible. AF speed is probably on par with a9-level cameras, although it is not quite as "sticky".

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[bdewey]

Wow, I have just finished going through this thread and I am impressed. More by the knowledge and free exchange of information that even by the great quality of the images. I am new to this forum, not to digital photography, I switched to Olympus from Nikon D500's when the M1X came out, until then I did not think the quality was even close for AF and such. One of the main drivers was weight, at my age 60 lbs of gear is a pain, 20 is not.

At any rate, sold my pair of M1X for a pair of OM-1's, already had the 150-400 and was immediately amazed by the clarity of the EVF.

I have just come back from 2 trips, one for baby Red Foxes, the other for baby Sea Otters, will get a few photos up soon. The combo was awesome for both, my only complaint is me, not being stable enough for even all the IS to compensate for on a moving boat.

I have noticed that a fair number of you are using the higher FPS rates for BIF, could you elaborate on that a bit more please?

As to the switch from Nikon, that really hurt, I got very lucky and made the move at a time it was cost effective. For me, now 72, the weight is a big factor. As to quality of images, ease of use. Frankly these cameras are all so amazing that I don't think a "best" really makes any sense at all.

Glad to find this forum that seems to have so many knowledgeable OM-1 users, it would not surprise me at all if some of us have not crossed paths at one point or another.

 

[Tom Reynolds]

Wow, I have just finished going through this thread and I am impressed. More by the knowledge and free exchange of information that even by the great quality of the images. I am new to this forum, not to digital photography, I switched to Olympus from Nikon D500's when the M1X came out, until then I did not think the quality was even close for AF and such. One of the main drivers was weight, at my age 60 lbs of gear is a pain, 20 is not.

At any rate, sold my pair of M1X for a pair of OM-1's, already had the 150-400 and was immediately amazed by the clarity of the EVF.

I have just come back from 2 trips, one for baby Red Foxes, the other for baby Sea Otters, will get a few photos up soon. The combo was awesome for both, my only complaint is me, not being stable enough for even all the IS to compensate for on a moving boat.

I have noticed that a fair number of you are using the higher FPS rates for BIF, could you elaborate on that a bit more please?

As to the switch from Nikon, that really hurt, I got very lucky and made the move at a time it was cost effective. For me, now 72, the weight is a big factor. As to quality of images, ease of use. Frankly these cameras are all so amazing that I don't think a "best" really makes any sense at all.

Glad to find this forum that seems to have so many knowledgeable OM-1 users, it would not surprise me at all if some of us have not crossed paths at one point or another.

Do you know how or even if I can, reassign the exp compensation to somewhere else while in M with Auto ISO mode on the EM-1? I would like to sign to the right press of the multi-selector.
Tom

 

[riseform]

A good review from Scott Bourne, for those who can't get enough...

Private Site

 

[bdewey]

A good review from Scott Bourne, for those who can't get enough...

Private Site

Thank you for posting this. A couple of years ago I met Scott at a presentation he was doing at a local camera store, being a loyal, VERY loyal Nikon user I knew that the M1X, at the time, would not be for me.
Well, his presentation convinced me to research, and it is because of him that I now have the OM-1's I do.
This mini-review to me is refreshing, as was his presentation. From the perspective of a working pro selling images. I wish more reviewers would spend more time on the "why's", than just the "tech-spec hows".

This you for posting this link, it not only matches my thought and experiences, it made me laugh.

 

[fsi22]

Do you know how or even if I can, reassign the exp compensation to somewhere else while in M with Auto ISO mode on the EM-1? I would like to sign to the right press of the multi-selector.
Tom

In the SCP, bottom right icon will let you set C buttons.

The EV comp can be changed to other buttons.

 

[Tom Reynolds]

In the SCP, bottom right icon will let you set C buttons.

The EV comp can be changed to other buttons.

I get the camera sometime on Monday and will try to figure out how to setup EV comp in auto iso mode. I miss Steve Perry's books

 

[LTK]

I'm watching this thread with interest . Currently using an A1 with 200-600. , I love the A1 but finding the 200-600 can be a little slow at times for fast BIF , also I find it can be a little inconsistent at times in lower light . I'm looking at the 600mm f4 GM after having tried one and noticed an obvious difference in focus speed . The OM1 with 150-400 looks very tempting though for the price compared to the 600mm f4 . I've no problems with weight if I got the 600 but presume the OM1 150-400 is going to be better than the A1 200-600 ? Love the 600mm GM but this OM1 150-400 is tempting , also the zoom is useful

 

[Tom Reynolds]

With the 150-400 you can snap an unheard of 50f/s and still retain AF @ F/4.5. You will pay a money $7500 and weight 4.13# penalty compared to the 100-400 @ $1500 and 2.5# but the OM-1/150-400 comes in lighter than the A1/200-600 and about the same price. You will pay a price in effective f/stop because of the smaller sensor and will be able to crop less but the effective reach is 800MM vs 600mm so cropping may not be much of an issue. Apparently, the 150-400 is hard to get.

My choice, the 100-400, is IN MY HANDS. Pictures soon.

 

[G-FOTO.de]

Thanks! All taken with 150-400 PRO. It's a fantastic lens and paired with the OM-1, it's a wildlife dream combo in terms of features, focal length versatility, reach, weight, bulk, and overall per-pound performance. Really the only complaint I have about the combo is the loss of fine detail once ISO gets up over 6400, but it's an m4/3 camera, after all. The bear image below is ISO 25,600. As mentioned earlier in this thread, subject detection works very well, although it's not infallible. AF speed is probably on par with a9-level cameras, although it is not quite as "sticky".

What an excellent collection of shots with the OM-1 and 150-400! Thanks for shwoing what is possible with this combo.

Although a heavily invested Sony shooter, I recently was able to get hold of an OM-1. Unfortunately there is no 150-400 in sight soon. So my comparison between Sony A1 plus 200-600 and 400GM needs to wait. I was shooting m43 back in 2016 when the 300 f4 PRO hit the market. It is a hell of a lens and very capable for wildlife. But unfortunately there has never been the "right" camera for this superb lens. My feeling is that this has changed now with the OM-1.
After a few days I feel already the difference - it feels much more adult in every aspect. Nevertheless the downside of worse high ISO vs. fullframe remains in place. I compared the OM-1 @6400 to my A7 IV and its hard to deny that the OM-1 @6400 looks roughly like the A7 IV at 25600.

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For the time being I ordered an Olympus 100-400mm in order to shoot some wildlife and see if it can team up to the 300 PRO somehow. Although knowing that the 100-400 will require even quicker high ISO values than the 300 PRO. But I would like to see what the 100-400 can do.

A feature of the OM-1 that I really miss on my Sony A1 is Pro-capture. Especially for starting birds its a no brainer and really helps to get the shot. I still do not understand why Sony does not implement this at least into their Top-Bodies.

 

[Palmor]

Well I have an OM-1 kit (with 12-40) and a 300 f4 on order (should be here next week). I'm not new to M43 but have only shot Panasonic in the past so this will be my first Oly. I had sold (G9, 100-400 etc) most of it during the pandemic when I downsized and I wasn't traveling but kept a GX9 and GX850 and a few select lenses. While I loved the output of the G9 I never warmed up to it (with the Pany 100-400) for wildlife when I wanted to go light.

I'm actually more interested in some of the other features like live ND. It will be great if I can ditch the tripod when hiking in the mountains when I want to do some longer exposures on waterfalls/rivers. I'm hoping I like the 12-40 as much as I liked the Pany 12-35, that was a great lens.

 

[Pauhana]

Well I have an OM-1 kit (with 12-40) and a 300 f4 on order (should be here next week). I'm not new to M43 but have only shot Panasonic in the past so this will be my first Oly. I had sold (G9, 100-400 etc) most of it during the pandemic when I downsized and I wasn't traveling but kept a GX9 and GX850 and a few select lenses. While I loved the output of the G9 I never warmed up to it (with the Pany 100-400) for wildlife when I wanted to go light.

I'm actually more interested in some of the other features like live ND. It will be great if I can ditch the tripod when hiking in the mountains when I want to do some longer exposures on waterfalls/rivers. I'm hoping I like the 12-40 as much as I liked the Pany 12-35, that was a great lens.

Congrats, please let us know what you think about the Live ND. Trying to decide myself to stay with Canon or switch to Olympus. Olympus is looking really good

 

[Chris K]

I'm actually more interested in some of the other features like live ND. It will be great if I can ditch the tripod when hiking in the mountains when I want to do some longer exposures on waterfalls/rivers. I'm hoping I like the 12-40 as much as I liked the Pany 12-35, that was a great lens.

I had a 12-40 for years that I used on an E-M1. It’s what I like to call a “boring” lens. Look at the spec sheet and you know exactly what you’re getting. It’s sharp, has no faults, performs well in every way, and feels great in the hand. It’s even a decent close-up lens, thanks to the MFT sensor’s pseudo-free magnification effect.

If you’re expecting portrait results like a 105/1.4 you’ll be disappointed, but if you understand the DOF limits you get from an f/2.8 lens on MFT, you’ll be happy. It’s a rock-solid performer, and I was very happy with it as a travel lens paired with a telezoom.

 

[Palmor]

Congrats, please let us know what you think about the Live ND. Trying to decide myself to stay with Canon or switch to Olympus. Olympus is looking really good

So I spent the week hiking in New Hampshire with the OM-1 and I have to say I really enjoyed it (I got the camera a couple of days before I left so I was learning on the fly). Like I mentioned I'm not new to M43 so I know the pros/cons but I was shooting Panasonic, so no Live ND etc. In short I was happy with Live ND for my purposes. It was great to not have to deal with filters/tripods when hiking (and slowing everyone else up). I didn't compare it against using filters so I don't know if these would have come out better/worse but they're good enough for me in cases like this).

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[Chris K]

How are you liking the 12-40?

 

[Palmor]

I like it so far, sharp and fast to focus so nothing bad I can say about it. On the trip I used the 12-40, Panasonic 8-18, Panasonic 14-140 II and a couple of shots with the Pany 100-300. Since this trip was a lot of hiking in the mountains I did not get a chance to use the Oly 300 f4.

I settled on the 8-18, 12-40 and 100-300 as my hiking kit. Not that the 14-140 is bad (it's quite good actually) but sometimes in the woods the f2.8 can come in handy.

 

[Palmor]

I like it so far, sharp and fast to focus so nothing bad I can say about it. On the trip I used the 12-40, Panasonic 8-18, Panasonic 14-140 II and a couple of shots with the Pany 100-300. Since this trip was a lot of hiking in the mountains I did not get a chance to use the Oly 300 f4.

I settled on the 8-18, 12-40 and 100-300 as my hiking kit. Not that the 14-140 is bad (it's quite good actually) but sometimes in the woods the f2.8 can come in handy.

Since this is supposed to be about birds/wildlife I only took a couple of photos like that. One of our hikes brought us to the top of Frankenstein Cliff where we took a break for lunch. As I'm eating two Peregrine Falcons zoom by so I quickly switch out the lens and manage to grab a couple of quick shots before they zoomed away. These aren't the best photos as it was an awful day to be taking shots of Falcons in the rising air currents (too much head haze) but this was the first time I was able to test out the Bird Subject tracking and it worked great. Locked on quickly and considering the weather conditions and the lens used (the 100-300 is OK but it isn't going to win any awards) the photos are decent, certainly good enough to document what we saw on the hike.

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[StefanSC]

I settled on the 8-18, 12-40 and 100-300 as my hiking kit. Not that the 14-140 is bad (it's quite good actually) but sometimes in the woods the f2.8 can come in handy.

If it is in budget, I highly recommend replacing the 100-300 with the PL 50-200 and associated 1.4x TC

 

[Palmor]

If it is in budget, I highly recommend replacing the 100-300 with the PL 50-200 and associated 1.4x TC

Yup, the 100-300 isn't my first choice. I had bought that lens years ago when I first started getting into M43 (along with a Pany G7). I gave both the camera and lens to a family member after upgrading to the Pany G9&100-400 but recently they decided they just wanted to stick to their point-and-shoot and gave both back... so I had the lens and I figured I'd bring it along as a "just in case".

What it lacks for unlimited IQ is makes up for in size/weight. Not sure what I'll do long term but the 50-200 was always a lens I had my eye on .

 

[Chris K]

Nice, the 9-18, 12-40, and 100-300 was my primary kit when I was shooting the E-M1. It didn’t have the benefit of BEAF, so I made due with single point center, AF and didn’t get many good BIF shots. I found the 100-300 was good so long as you could get close. It was not a lens that could handle cropping. On the other hand, it’s almost half the size and weight of similar APS-C offerings!

I also avoided my 14-140 for the most part, after I got my 12-40. It was a nice video lens, and somewhere I have a photo of it sitting inside my 300/2.8’s lens hood. But an f/5.6 normal zoom on M43 really wasn’t much fun to shoot.

Those shots with the Live ND are pretty cool, by the way. My X100V has a similar feature, but I’d love to have it with all my lenses!

 

[Tom Reynolds]

You ok with this?

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Notice that the camera focused on the eye of the bird not the leaf in front. I was 25-30 feet away. This is less than 10% of the original frame.

This ISO 25,600


Tom

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[faunagraphy]

You ok with this?View attachment 43953
Notice that the camera focused on the eye of the bird not the leaf in front. I was 25-30 feet away. This is less than 10% of the original frame.

This is a great picture! However I have found that the OM-1's Bird AI, which is mostly terrific, gets confused with small birds are in foliage, often mistaking leaves and branches for birds (especially when the coloration is similar). I have a button dedicated to turning Subject AI on/off so that I can continue shooting accurately if the AI starts getting confused.

I have no real complaints, though. For action like BIF, it's absolutely phenomenal!

So I spent the week hiking in New Hampshire with the OM-1 and I have to say I really enjoyed it (I got the camera a couple of days before I left so I was learning on the fly). Like I mentioned I'm not new to M43 so I know the pros/cons but I was shooting Panasonic, so no Live ND etc. In short I was happy with Live ND for my purposes. It was great to not have to deal with filters/tripods when hiking (and slowing everyone else up). I didn't compare it against using filters so I don't know if these would have come out better/worse but they're good enough for me in cases like this).

One significant advantage of Live ND is that you can use it with any lens. So instead of carrying a set of ND filters of different gradations and sizes, you have one mode that can do it all. The other day I was shooting birds and a frog popped up to the pond's surface. I turned on Live ND, took an exposure that smoothed out the water's surface - one at 16 stops and one at 32 stops, then returned to shooting birds. Qualitative differences aside (I'm guessing a quality filter will do a better job), I'll take that flexibility since I'm not a landscape shooter.

View attachment 43910

Juvenile peregrines! Lucky you!

If it is in budget, I highly recommend replacing the 100-300 with the PL 50-200 and associated 1.4x TC

+1.

 

[goatly]

I rented OM-1 and Oly 100-400 to test out. I'm mostly very impressed, but I don't have a camera that is great with bird tracking/focusing to compare to (my camera is A7iii and 200-600). First time I've really been able to get decent shots of flying birds. I love the blackout free evf. Feel like it's more imperative to keep iso low, which is sometimes challenging with the f6.3 aperture. I wish I had rented the 300 f4, or I wish it was possible to rent the 150-400.

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[Tom Reynolds]

Run your shots through DXO Pure Raw 2 or another top quality noise reduction system and you will see that high ISO is not, in itself, the problem.

You cannot get the kind of subject isolation with a f/6.3 lens on a 2.0 cropped sensor that you can on other setups. In fact, I obtained better subject isolation images with my f/5.6 500pf and a Nikon D-500 but these didn't compare to what a FF camera and a 600 f/4 lens can achieve. However, I don't think the OM Systems OM-1 can achieve super subject isolation with any long telephoto lens because the 2.0 cropped sensor precludes it. In fact, my calculations say that the 300mm F/4 will get subject isolation roughly equivalent to a Nikon 500pf on a 1.5 Cropped camera. (Maybe someone better than me can do a better calculation.)

So, if you want subject isolation on a semi-hand holdable camera I suggest a Z-9 and an 800pf f/6.3

Tom