Bird Detection AF For Olympus M1X
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- How to setup and use the new Bird Detection AF feature on teh Olympus M1X
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I took my M1-X out to La Jolla cove a couple of days after updating the firmware and put it through its paces. Almost all of the photos of birds on the ground were perfect, but birds-in-flight were hit and miss - sometimes in the entire sequence the bird would be in focus; others would have dropped frames at the beginning or end, and occasionally in all photos the bird would be out of focus. No question that I did have better luck getting usable flying shots than when I attended your workshop in January, but there were times when the system would draw the white box around the bird and yet still fail to lock on. It’s definitely a step forward for Olympus users, but no panacea for a lack of skill and experience. I’ll try again using your tips and see if I can do better.
your experience seems to echo Mathieu Gasquet's. He finds that for the E-M1x the performance of Bird Detection AF is inferior to CAF for birds in flight.
@@Vincenzo-bm1up I saw that video, and DP Review also released a review that came to a similar conclusion. It’s a worthwhile update, but could use some refinement. I doubt we’ll get one, though, given the current state of Olympus and M43.
I've also been a bit disappointed by Bird AF with birds in flight so far. I don't think it's as much of an improvement as hyped. User error/inexperience is a possible explanation for my reaction. I will try it some more. (I'm using the Oly 300mm f/4 PRO with and without either tele, 1/3200, f/8 or f/11, Auto ISO, and body and lens stabilization set to AUTO and ON.)
For the E-M1X using C-AF+TR and Bird AF compared to C-AF without tracking, in focusing birds in flight (always particularly challenging for any gear of course), I think the improvement is minor at best, and I can't argue with those saying it could even be a little worse. Either way, you get some and miss many.
With a bird stationary or slowly moving in water, Bird AF and C-AF+TR does better, but that's much easier, and C-AF works very well with that subject too. I'm not sure yet about the promised improved head/eye focus rather than body/wing focus, which I still get most often in flight. I need to practice more with slower, larger birds, waiting for that third small, square green box over the head, as Tim says in this video. I'm probably firing too soon when I only have the rectangular green box on the body.
People complaining that they're not getting Bird AF on the E-M1 Mark III may not be missing much. The E-M1 Mark III does about as well with birds in flight anyway, if you just set it to C-AF. I agree with others who have said Tracking on the E-M1 Mark III sometimes helps, often doesn't, with birds in flight. It works better with slower moving subjects.
Thanks for the tips, Tim. I have gotten some experience with the new FW, and I think I am guilty of fighting the new focus algorithm rather than letting it work. It still worked great for me. More practice needed on my part.
Good video,learned a few tricks. Going to Santee lakes for some bird shootin on Monday morn, went to lake Cuyamaca today, but there were no birds to shoot.
Guess you hail from my neck of the woods. 😊 Is Santee Lakes accessible now? I went by there a few months ago and it had been closed-off to traffic.
Not sure I believe the need to set all AF points active. I’ve tried it with a single point active shoved way off in the corner and bird detect AF still behaves exactly the same. That’s the whole point of tracking is not relying selecting an AF point. It’s much like focusing on the back of the camera using your finger to touch a point to focus on. That method doesn’t care what AF points are active.
I was surprised by this recommendation too, because Bird AF's focus boxes seem to follow a bird over all AF points in the grid anyway, regardless of the AF grid setting. I will test this too to see what I think.
@@sounderdavis5446 I’ve since learned that his statement that you need to enable all AF points active is absolutely false. If you use a small set of points (one, one with 4 surrounding, 3x3, etc) and move it around you can influence where the bird tracking AF will go if there are multiple birds in the frame. It isn’t an absolute guarantee that the bird tracking will try to focus closer to where you’ve placed the active smaller area of AF points, but it clearly does influence it. I’m not saying the active AF points need to be on the bird, just which side of the frame you’d like to bias the tracking to. If the frame is filled with a lot of birds, then I just turn bird AF off as the flashing white boxes are just a distraction with no mechanism to indicate which one you’d like to focus on.
@@NatPhoto56 Thank you! I'm not surprised that you don't need to activate all AF points and appreciate the nuanced clarification about how the AF point selection and Bird AF can work with birds in flight. I've also had that experience that Bird AF is confused by flocks. You can either get none of them, or you can get one you weren't trying for.
Tim, I have my M1X set up exactly the same as yours, including the AF sensitivity at -2. It does seem to struggle when photographing a large group of birds. I was trying to photograph a large group of Common Goldeneyes and it kept jumping from bird to bird trying to focus on all of them especially if there was 2 or 3 birds close together. Other that struggle I do like the update. Now if we can only get the 150-400 f/4.5 I preordered mine early, so hopefully at the end of January they will still release the first order!
You live up to your handle if you can afford that thing!😊
@@michaelhall2709 I'm selling my home and some raw property, it's the only way I can afford the lens!
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It seems you must limit the focus area size to select which bird to focus on, otherwise the camera will prioritise those nearest the centre of the frame.
@@LexTNeville Yes, that’s right. I’d suggest a 3 x 3 grid. So long as you keep that in the center, the tracking will work the same as if you have the whole grid of focus points selected; i.e. the camera will automatically focus on the bird closest to the center. But it will also allow you the flexibility to move the focus cluster to select another bird, if you have more than one in your composition.
Thank you very much... 👍👍👍🙏 Very good video... 👍👌 Fantastic camera the Olympus OM-D E-M1X ... 💖💖💖👌👌👌 Health and Greetings from Spain... 👋👋😃 "Saludos... nuevo suscriptor..." 👋👋🙌🙌😃
Thanks for the information. What AF scan mode do you use?
Great tip thank you
Hi Tim
Regarding Tracking sensitivity you set - 2 Olympus says it does not work with continues + tracking and only in C-AF it's in there Guide.
rOB.
Okay, thanks
So far work with brid that stationary on brid in flight CAF is the best for me
I haven't had a chance to work a lot with birds in flight yet. But I think experienced bird photographers are still gonna use Continuous AF most of the time. C-AF just gives us more control. Hopefully I'll get some Birds in flight time with it today.
Hi Tim - great video. Now that you've had several months with the M1X, which would you recommend for bird photography the M1X or the E-M1 MIII? I can see you told one viewer the E-M1 MIII, but I was wondering after using the camera for several months, if you have another opinion. I currently shoot Nikon, but am looking for lighter gear with I go into the FL swamps.
I reccomend the M1X first of ergonomics,and resistance ,you can drop it in lava and it will be OK
Hi Tim, I am about to in 2 days, going to buy the em1x - or E-M1 MkIII, I am a bird photographer and I shoot from a 4X4 WHEELCHAIR. I noted from your videos that you have both em1x and em1 mkIII. AT THIS POINT I AM CONVINCED THE EM1X IS BETTER FOR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY. Please, FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE IS THE mkIII a BETTER CHOICE. I ask just in case I am missing something.
your opinions would be appreciated.
cheers Hanz
Hope I''m not too late for you but, I always grab the M1 Mark III first, I have 2 M1X's and I use them when I have to For bird photography, the lighter M1 Mark II i can do everything the M1X can. The new bird detection AF isn't that great, and if you are used to focusing on birds already, you'll be faster then the AF. For me it's not not worth an extra pound of weight. Sorry for the de3lay in getting back to you,I've been dealing with family medical issues.
@@GodwitMediaLLC Hi Tim, I went to camera house and got their opinion looked at specs reviews and tried different cameras. Between the X1 the E-M1 mklll and the Panasonic G9. The G9 came into the equation because of the Panasonic lenses I have, one being the P leica 100mm-400mm. The sort of it is, the G9 performed for me the best. I was dead set on the MX1 but after trying the G9 I was hooked. Especially the way you can custom the focusing (not just the focusing points) but the way it holds focus. Anyway thought I would reply, and thank you
Hanz
Except for the Bird Detection AF, in the M1X they are virtually the same. I use the M1 Mark III more because it's lighter.
@@hanzkilian1806 I haven't used the Panosonics so can't say. but, if you find it works for you and how you shoot, then it's great.
@@GodwitMediaLLC I bought the M1X yesterday because it's on sales, $1,000 off. The main reason I bought it was for the bird detection. I was hoping it was going to be a game changer for me. I haven't taken any bird photos yet. Now I am concerned. Maybe I should return it and stick with my EM1 Mark II based on your comment.
there will also be bird detection for OMD EM1 MARK III
or not
I understand that it is only available for the EM1X because it requires two processors.
It's only on the M1X, I wish it were on the M1 Mark III too
Just like for the star mk3 only 555
The old Lumix G9 has Animal AF... It should not be so difficult, with only one processor, to bring it to the em-1 iii.
Tim are you right about sensitivity at -2 should it be +1+2?
I interpret the -2 setting as meaning low sensitivity so more "stickiness" once the focus is established. Camera won't jump to another object as quickly.
@@JoeMustang99 I think it is the opposite... +2
In a previous video, when Tim was first evaluating bird photography - well before the firmware update, Tim said the Sensitivity should be +1. So, this point is a bit confusing to me too. Maybe the firmware improvements even prior to the latest have improve C-AF sensitivity.
Same here every recommendation I have read states between +1 & +2 so has something changed?
So the manual says to use +2 to catch sudden movement. And to use -2 if you want your initial target to be followed...as in sticky. So...less sensitive apparently means not easily distracted by other objects. Of course, less sensitive also means less of a reaction when the bird you are focused on moves. So..you need to decide how your bird subjects are moving so you can set the sensitivity for your situation.