Grizzly bear, Denali National Park | OM-1 with Olympus 100-400mm lens
Many of you know that I purchased an OM Systems OM-1 body and lenses in April of this year. Now that I’ve had some time with the system, I wanted to share my experience using this camera. I’ve now used my OM System kit for travel, portraits, and wildlife photography, and I’ve been astonished by the results. Many of the concerns I had about this small format sensor are simply not issues when using today’s gear and software.
I recently presented a webinar on my personal experience with the Olympus OM-1 kit, and you can watch the replay below.
Here are some of my recommended kits for OM Systems/Olympus Users
This week, we took our annual overnight trip to Mt. Evans (made possible by our sponsors) and photographed wildlife and landscapes in the alpine tundra above 13,000′ elevation. Joining us this week on the show is Dr. Shalah Parker, who recently got back into photography and is using the OM Digital Solutions OM-5 micro four-thirds format camera, and was with us on the shoot. You can find some of Shalah’s work at her Facebook page, Side Quest Photography.
These small prime lenses for Micro 4/3rds format open up a wide range of creative possibilities
Three prime lenses for Micro 4/3rds mount: Panasonic/Leica 9mm f/1.7, Olympus 17mm f/1.8, Olympus 45mm f/1.8
Earlier this year, I purchased an OM Systems (formerly known as Olympus) OM-1 flagship mirrorless camera, along with a set of zoom lenses that are perfect for the majority of my photographic needs. One thing I hadn’t considered at the time was the prime lenses for Micro 4/3 format from Olympus and Panasonic.
Prime, or fixed focal length, lenses generally serve to either extend the range of your kit (ie, adding wide or telephoto prime to a zoom kit), or to provide a way of getting a different look to your images, usually because they are designed with a fast maximum aperture. You can also use primes for dedicated purposes; most portrait photographers will have at least one fast portrait lens (like an 85mm f/1.8 or faster) to deliver nice subject isolation.
Introduction
A few years ago, before I switched to using a mirrorless system, I frequently put a 50mm f/1.8, a.k.a the “Nifty Fifty.” In my bag when traveling. But when I got my Nikon Z kit, I stopped using a 50mm prime, even though I’d purchased the outstanding Nikon 50mm f/1.8S Nikkor Z. Why? Because it was just too darned big to bring along as an extra lens, and using the F-mount version required a lens mount adapter, adding weight and bulk to my kit.
This week, we answer a listener question about the future of DSLRs. Given the overwhelming trend towards mirrorless cameras by all of the major camera manufacturers, it’s a good time to ask whether there’s a future for DSLRs.
New Olympus 8-25mm f/4 Lens for Micro 4/3 Format
Olympus officially announced their newest pro-level wide-angle zoom lens, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO Lens. We’ll take a look at the specs and pricing for what should be an excellent wide-angle lens for micro four-thirds shooters.
Updates to Adobe Lightroom
Lightroom got some significant updates this week, too. Adobe added the new Super-Resolution feature (discussed here) along with 70 new creative presets for portrait, travel, and cinematic looks.
