Mike, from one old guy to another, just want to say I love your laid-back style. So refreshing in a world of super hype. Thanks for this nice review. I've seen the huge improvement you have of the OM-1 over the E-M1X. And I too have thought the OM-1 will just get better with a firmware tweak here and there. It's a great start for OM Digitial Solutions. I absolutely love the OM-1 for its size and weight and the phenomenal 150-400mm. So much so I bought three of bodies and got rid of the other Lumix bodies I had as well as all other Olympus bodies.
The two if you are my most respected opinions and it is so good to read this comment by you on this specific topic in this channel. I so hope you put out a review of your own on the om1 autofocus. Loved your previous review on the 150-400 lens. Love you two and your channels!
Pretty miraculous results for an initial firmware release. Then there's price: Olympus OM1 (£1999 new) vs Sony A1 (£6500 new) ... added to which the Sony lens prices are beyond the means of a lot of people.
Although that is true for the bodies alone, the price difference of the Oly 150-400 vs the Sony 200-600 + 1.4TC which nets you about the same bokeh (M43 vs FF) and same FOV will even out the investment in lens + body for wildlife/bird photography.
@@daycreek yes! AND with the Sony combo (Full Frame) you will get better separation/bokeh in the cases where you can get closer to the subject. Cropping works great in many cases (i am considering a m3/4 camera myself, as a complementary camera for certain situations) but it's no magic solution - it comes with penalties!
During my first week of ownership I managed to get some of the best bird in flight pictures that I have ever taken. The only downside is that I prefer the build quality of the 1X, especially the tactile nature of the front and rear wheels.
Fantastic review, dear Mike I just upgraded from the E-M1ii to the OM-1 A quantum step forward. I'm so happy that I just ordered the 150-400/4.5 Pro :-)
Thank you for a candid and impartial assessment. My first SLR was an OM 1n bought in the mid 70s. I brought a scale and weighed Nikon, Canon and others. Olympus was the lightest and compact. I bought one. 50 years later it is back! I hope you get the fulfillment with the OM 1 as you get with your Sony. If money and weight were not barriers I would have one too. I carried my OM 1n over hundreds of miles in the Sierras in California over 30 plus years. Today, I consider myself fortunate to walk a few miles from a parking lot with a OM 1 and the 150 to 400 f4.5.
I’ve been waiting for your autofocus evaluation of the OM1 and you did not disappoint. You even anticipated the in-focus rate per second argument in favour of the Olympus. 😊 Thanks Mike!
Thank you! As many here I have been waiting for your review. I got my om1 the 7 of march via om system norden preorder launch, but had to wait for the extra battery. As a novis in photograpy when it comes to practical use I'm realy amazed over the image quality and for the first time I have managed to take pictures of my little fast running dog that's sharp. A little more training and I will catch some birds too. I think it's hard to understand wath settings that works best and when to use which settings and why it's better in just that situation. But whit training and a lot of good youtubers to learn from like you I will learn and understand more. Love your videos and the beautiful pictures you take, they are amazing. Sometimes you are lucky to find new camera gear used at a good price. I have bought most of my olympus gear used even the 150-400 mm lens when it only had been on the market for a couple of mounths, maby even the only one sold on the used market until now in Sweden as I know of. I just had to have it you know. 😉 I wish more people checked out the used camera market, at least via camerastores. I check almost every day for used camera gear that I don't have and maybe need for my photography. (I'm not a shopoholic... 🤣). Looking forward for your future videos.
Very nice job Mike! This absolutely shows what a great camera the OM-1 is. I don't put it in the exact same level of Sony A1 and Nikon Z9 only because of their more than double resolution. But this camera for less than half the price of a Canon R3 is really amazing and I think is a better buy for wildlife any day.
Great analysis Mike. I've also noticed the drift in and out of focus of the OM-1 but overall the focus accuracy is is excellent. The solution I've used for focus drift is to take multiple short bursts rather than one long one, so that the focus resets. I have just taken around 6000 shots over a couple of days at the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Hampshire, and assessed the focus accuracy of all of them. This is a pretty challenging environment particularly with Peregrine Falcons coming in at full speed, and also Kites shooting vertically upwards chasing after scraps of chicken. In these circumstances, speed of acquisition is critical. I've not tested an A1 in this environment but I did test an A9 with the 200-600 here last year. The OM-1 achieved a hit rate of around double the A9's hit rate for these birds (80% vs 40%), a pretty remarkable performance, largely down to the speed of focus acquisition. Also I would note that for those who who are bothered about high ISO performance, if you use the Sony 200 to 600 at f6.3 you will be running at about 1.3 stops higher ISO than if you use the Olympus 300mm F4. The noise difference between the two cameras between 3200 and 6400 ISO is also 1.3 stops (or less - see DxO for EM1ii). So there is no high ISO advantage for the Sony in typical circumstances for birds in flight. I'd also point out that at 6400 ISO the noise on the Sony A9 was dreadful, and I would assume the A1 is similar. Like you Mike, I've been waiting to to test the OM-1 in detail, and then decide whether to spend 6.5k either on the A1 and the 200-600 or on the Oly 150-400 lens. Given my experience so far I'm staying with the Olympus. Even if it's only 90% of the the A1 in focus accuracy, it's got Pro Capture at 25, 50, or 120 fps which trumps the the missing 10% by a significant margin.
@@alanryder Alan, because the flight modes of the birds at the HCT change so rapidly, I kept the sensitivity at 0. The general rule of thumb on this is that a setting of -2 is good for extra focus 'stickiness' for birds in steady flight and +2 is good for rapidly changing fast moving subjects. I've recently published some data from testing 3000 images at Bempton cliffs for Gannets in steady flight for the EM1x and there was a 10% improvement in focus accuracy between -2 and 0. I don't know if the same effect will be there for the OM1, but I'll be checking on it this summer at Bempton again. You can see the data for the EM1x and also for my A9 focus accuracy testing at HCT at my website mcaughtry.photo in the posts section.
I pre-ordered my OM1 from Wex before the release date and I am still waiting. I sold some equipment first before ordering and now regret not pre-ordering straight away.
Thanks for this test, finally someone who confirms my impressions, I tried the Om-1 with 300mm f4 in similar situations and I encountered the same problems. especially in situations where the bird flies in the direction coming towards the camera. With Sony A9ll these problems do not exist.
I enjoyed this comparison made all the more remarkable, in my mind, by the fact that the Sony A1 costs roughly three times more than the OM. I look forward to your followup comparisons. Maybe comparing the weight of relatively comparable lenses.
Thank you so much for your videos and especially this much anticipated one! I had preordered and just received mine 3 days ago in the U.S.. I love your work and look forward to future videos on the OM1. Love the comparison. Thanks!
The OM-1 is so much better than previous models that I believe it comes down to a firmware tweak as you mentioned. From the UA-cam coverage I've seen I think photographers should work on getting better at composition and understanding light. Just like landscape images good bird photography comes down to light and composition. Tracking and frame rates will get better on this camera I'm sure of that but will we get better with it?
Thanks mike a very good test .Unbiased photographer .Now set mine to -2 ,should be testing later in the week hoping to catch a few Kingfisher shots. keep up the good work .Great job well done
Very good analysis Mike. I got one of the earliest OM-1s and have also used it with the 150/400. I also have the A1 and 200-600 and 600/F4. For several sequential weekends I went out with both systems for hand-held BIF (one slung on the shoulder and the other in hand- Daniel Cox's videos show, albeit awkward, it is doable). I gravitated towards the OM-1 rig more because its almost 1.5lb lighter than the A1+200/600 which makes it easier to hold for longer periods. The 150-400's center of mass is also closer to the body too. One feature you didn't mention in this video is ProCapture. Even on a tripod, there is no way the Sony A1 can attain a keeper rate of birds launching from a perch that the OM-1 can (or earlier Olympus E-M1v3, M1X). I never have understood why Sony (or any other mirrorless system) hasn't introduced ProCapture. Most of my ProCapture shots are at ISO3200 and between 1/4000-6400.
Full frame cameras are inherently disadvantaged in wildlife/bird photography because of their 1x crop factor. To make up for their lack of reach, they need to digitally crop in. In order to retain details in a substantial digital crop, the sensor needs to have high megapixel count, which makes it much more taxing on the whole system. The processor can only handle so much data. On a crop sensor, you've already cut off all the unnecessary edges of the frame that you would have to crop out anyways. Full frame high megapixel cameras end up with large file sizes that carry data that ends up getting cropped out and thrown away, and this very data is what slows down their whole system (that's why they can't shoot 50fps raws with c-af) and prevents them from implementing extra features that require more processing power.
Great review, Mike. As another recent option, although heavier Nikon z9 with firmware 2.0 does ProCapture. See DP Review Jordan's impressions at the 9:40 timepoint for video review. ua-cam.com/video/KLLWKh1UmYo/v-deo.html
Here I am looking through the comments and I’m genuinely happy for all of you who own the OM-1 or Sony A1. At the same time I’m smiling because this is insane. I’m shooting with a Lumix Gx8 at 5.5fps without AF-C. Manual back button focus is my got to for birds in flight. Next year I’m getting the OM-1, and most likely a cheap full frame camera for manual focus lenses. OM-Systems is up to something, but we will have to patiently wait for the something.
Hi Mike, I thought I would just add an update to your excellent test video. OM Solutions have released updated software V1.2 and the tracking is much improved. One other thing regarding your ISO test. I love the way you test for noise - brilliant idea. I know you stated the top ISO was ISO 65,535. In actual fact it is ISO 102,400, but the exif reports it as 65,535? I kept double checking I hadn't made a mistake, then I found out that apparently all cameras mis-report ISO 102,400 as 65,535. Mind you I can not test that on other cameras myself! Best wishes and thank for the test.
Your videos are always worth watching and this one is no exception. It's such a shame OM Systems couldn't get you on OM1 earlier as this long awaited logical and professional.review could be key for those sitting on the fence (or at the polling station!). I have waited for this review to reassure myself that there are indeed odd images out of focus but, without doubt I have achieved my best pictures of birds in flight than any previous camera (EM1 ii ordered x). Thank you.
Mike always good to see you ! I could not even order one everywhere is out of stock here in the states.... I been looking for weeks. Anyway, enjoy ....
I‘m new to Olympus. Got in there for macro only coming from Sony. But boy are some of the features amazing. So looking for longer lenses I found your channel. Very well done. Thanks - subscribed 😉.
Really an excellent review! OM Systems should hire you as a tester. This is the perfect test case for OM Systems to optimize the autofocus system. Your tests show that the processor is basically fast enough to focus even at the highest frame rate - unfortunately not with every shot. In principle, it should be possible to fix this with a firmware update. Another question: Did you possibly select the "Release Priority" option in the autofocus menu? If so, I'd be interested to know if you get better results by unchecking that option. The OM 1 will probably no longer be able to achieve the maximum frame rate. But what's the point of capturing the maximum number of images if an appreciable portion isn't exactly in focus.
I have it set to on. I think it is designed to stop you taking pictures before focus is obtained when set to off. I find it hard to imagine it stopping a release when one or two frames are out of focus. I will try it when I next get a chance on flying birds.
No Mike you are not the last person to get one. I got mine yesterday (ordered in Feb) 23/04/22. My colleague who ordered his from the same place is still waiting
Thx Mike, i fully agree with your BIF conclusion. Personally as an longtime Olympus shooter i can say this the Best bird camera i have ever had. It is a pitty that the X Form factor I prefer got lost. Stay safe
I love your concluding remarks, you really would make a great politician! On the other hand your explanations actually do make sense. I‘m sure many reviewers would focus on the number of unsharp images, which isn’t really fair. Canon is still improving on the AF of the R5 which was released almost 2 years ago. So with todays cameras there‘s still a lot that can be improved afterwards, providing the hardware is capable, and at no cost to the owner. My original OM1 is still in working order almost 50 years later, so there‘s still plenty of time🙄
Thanks for the great video Mike. Your findings are the exact same as mine. The focus pulsing is something that happens regardless of settings, light, shutter speed, ISO or FPS. I have also found it to be more severe when using the MC-14 on the 300mm F4. On average I am seeing between 70%-80% critically sharp shots in a burst sequence. 70% tends to be in situations where the AF is is more challenged (angle of subject, subject distance to background, background type i.e. grass/trees vs sky). This focus pulsing is not something I saw with the a1, Z9 or R5. Fingers crossed OM Systems addresses the issue via firmware.
Interesting review and similar to my experience. However what I would say is that while the OM-1 is brilliant at detecting the bird it is less good at actually focussing on that point, particularly when the bird is smaller in the frame. In C-AF single spot on bird on ground 100% in focus with bird detect some are soft. Lets hope a firmware tweak improves this. Looking forward to your longer term review.
Another great video, the improvement on the M1-X is massive really glad I got the OM1, been waiting for this comparison video and as always you give a straightforward honest assessment thank you
Very good review and to the point, Mike. I would have the Sony though, because of 1. the ability to crop, 2. the much better performance at higher iso, 3. the higher AF success rate - this can make or break a photo and if it's a rare opportunity, it's most likely that the A1 will deliver.
I think we may have met at Thursley a couple of weeks ago Mike. Really pleased at your findings, I'm looking forward to getting my OM-1. Whenever that is! So no you are not the last. LOL
Very interesting video. I am still waiting to get my preordered OM-1🙄 According to your first results I am pretty optimistic that this camera will perform much better than my G9 for bird photograpy 😃
i always like your very simple techniques on everything from camera comparison to perch preparing or you do for bird photography. Never sofisticated but balways effectife. Thank you so much for all you are doing for us bird photographers. I am as a Z9 user I would have very much liked to see a 3rd step of this election race. Thank you so much.
Thank you!! Very Interesting Comparison. I am all Olympus so I take what they give me. the OM-1 is already good at BIF and I believe you are correct that a firmware upgrade to push this into A1 territory. At the worst case, I believe we are one generation away from top tier focus for BIF.
Excellent that you got the camera and good that it is holding it’s own against the A1. I nearly went to Sony as I was disappointed with the Em1x performance. I was lucky that I was the 3rd person to order the om1 and been using since March very impressed so I will not be moving to Sony now.
Hi, like allot of people on here I have been waiting with great anticipation of your review/opinion and wasn't disappointed, great content as always. I'm still not sure weather to get the OM-1 or Sony A1 I think I will wait till your final judgment.
Useful video clip. I have a friend with a Sony A1 using Sony 100-400mm older lens with a x1.4 TC doing wildlife photos including B in F with superb results. I have had an OM Systems OM-1 camera on a pre order since 3 March and my 150-400mm pro lens has been with OM Systems for repair for two months since it has developed a focusing fault and a communication with camera problem as well as having a loose bayonet fitting. Very frustrating as I have not had these for 3 overseas wildlife trips!! Luckily I have my two Olympus EM1 mark iii cameras and my 300mm f4 lens but had to buy the 100-400mm lens for the trips. However, I think I have missed out on a lot of potentially good shots due to the OM System problems. Another friend has just obtained a Sony a6500 camera and Tamron 150-500mm lens. Going to have a go with this when I get back from a trip I am doing next week.
Very informative as ever, thank you. Your comment on the CA-F sensitivity setting is interesting as I would have thought you needed +2 for best results in an uncluttered background for birds flying towards you. It was good to see how you go about testing a new camera like this - the ISO test as well as working in what I guess is a birds in flight test lab 🙂. Appetite whetted (again), I look forward to your future videos using this camera. (Loved the breakfast telly politician section 🤣.) One question on image processing - did you use the OM Workspace V2 and its AI Noise reduction feature or were the ISO tests more or less straight out of the camera?
Sometimes when choosing the AF sensitivity & speed you have to set it the opposite of what you think! It's like that on my Fujifilm X-S10; For Sensitivity, the higher the value, the longer it takes the camera to re-focus.
Same as me, Mike. I ordered mine from Jessops and it arrived just over a week ago. The new AF menu is very different from the old EM cameras and needs to be properly understood before you can get best results. The instruction manual is only a download version. I had issues with trying to get photos of sparrows on a feeder sharp and it was an AF target issue.
I have the Om 1 but only had it for a couple of weeks, it is a fantastic upgrade from my Em1 Mk iii and that is still a great camera, to me costs a very relevant, the Sony in NZ $ 11000, the Om 1 $3500, I had looked at the Sony A7riii before purchasing the Olympus Cameras but after owning a Sony A6000 for two years and absolutely hating the menu on it, the Olympus was the way to go, soon got used to the menu and now with the OM 1 the menu system is perfect !! Cheers from NZ
Brilliant video: informative, entertaining and amusing. The OM1 comes out very well, especially when you consider its price point compared to the Sony A1. I wonder if it would perform as well with a lower-end lens such as the 100-400.
Mike, Thank you so much for all your videos. I enjoy them all. I am thinking about purchasing the OM1. I was wondering which lens do you use mostly. Thanks.
Very informative video that explains a lot of what I've been seeing with my camera. It was difficult to see some of the changes from in focus to oof on youtube but I've seen it happen for real so knew what you were describing. Mine has occasionaly just given up auto focussing until I've moved away and given it something else to focus on, then its back ok. A bit like your description of other mirrorless cameras at the start of a session. I was wondering if you could post a couple of your in focus shots in high quality so we could see how sharp they are. Only ask as often most of mine with the 300mm f4 do tend to look a bit soft even when I think they are actually sharply focussed. Just to see yours as a comparison. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos. Cheers Phill
Hi Mike it is great that you now have the OM camera that captured so many lovely images just like the A1 from what I see. My heart wants me to have both cameras with all the lens just like a professional photographer but my amateur pocket and married head has great difficulty focusing on that one. In your hands both cameras produce wonderful photographs wherever you are no matter how fast the subject or challenging the conditions. The coming weeks with nice light and the reach of 150 / 400mm lens with built in converters or the 300 f4, will be the stuff of my dreams I am sure. Thank you for the video as always I really enjoyed it.
Excellent video. I appreciate the way you showed every shot to show changes in focus. I don't actually need 50 sharp shots. I need about 5 shots that are varied (wings up, wings down, landing, etc.) that are sharp. I like your math that you increase the potential number of great shots by using 50fps. I had not been using 50 to avoid having so much computer work. However, I find it is easier to cull photos in camera with the OM-1 because the EVF is so much better (than my Em1-1), so I am going up to the 50 fps. Good approach to setting ISO too.
Very tempting Mike ! I will wait for the Firmware update, awesome tips and work ! No camera is perfect yet ! I may get a second A1! P.S.You get my vote in the General election 👍
Superb video as usual Mike. Here's one for you, have you tried the eye focus on Butterflies that have eye spots? I have recently tried to photograph Emperor Moths in flight with my Canon 7D MK2 and I am struggling to get any sharp photos. Just thought you might like to have a go at something really challenging (Maybe peacock butterflies) and see how the Sony performs. Keep up the great stuff you put out.
Workaround for processing - upload from camera to OM Workplace then export as TIFF files to your normal software until is is updated to process the new RAW files.
I wonder if the image processing is independent of the capture rate? If the capture queue got ahead of the processing, it may skip a couple of frames to catch up. Just a guess. As mentioned in another comment, it would be an interesting test if you reduced the frame rate. I'd certainly like to hear more about your experiences with the OM-1
Nice review Sony A1 £6500 V OM Systems OM1 £2000.... The real question is and always will be is the OM1 good enough? as £4500 buys a lot of glass Granted the A1 advantages are more than just autofocus, but there are other advantages to M4/3 (weight being one).. but with a keeper rate of 40/50 seems like a good buy for birding photography. Looking forward to see what Fuji has to offer in APSC with the XH2, whether they introduces animal/bird autofocus
Actually the biggest advantage of the OM1 is the fantastic IBIS combined with the 150-400 f4,5. Usually you will want to walk with it to go to place a little more than 100 meters from the parking. Shooting at f4,5 at an equivalent focal of 800mm handheld allows you to shoot with a lower ISO, so you don't sacrifice as much DR like if you are using a FF camera with slower lenses. Not to mention the far superior speed and the really good price of the top rated combo. Ah... did he mention the IP rating
I ran into the same issue with my OM-1 and if you can stay F/5.6 or better it seems to stop. I tested this with stationary targets where focus hunting shouldn't happen at all, but above F/5.6 focus hunting occurs in C-AF silent modes, such as SH-2. It didn't seem to occur on my 40-150 F/2.8 in shuttered modes since I believe it opens the aperture between shots while resetting the shutter. I believe PDAF is not working past F/5.6. I have an MC-20 coming to try with my 40-150 F/2.8 and see if that can stay on target. Hard to keep the 100-400 at F/5.6 and below. Try the C-AF on a tree and I bet you see the hunting above F/5.6 with any lens in SH-2 mode.
Hi Mike, Really helpful video re bird tracking. I have just received my OM-1 and was wondering what settings you used for this experiment. I note your mention of sensitivity/50fps but I would be interested to know whether you used CAF+Tracking or just CAF in bird detect. Some OM-1 users are preferring to use CAF only. in other videos you mention your camera settings and how you try to keep it simple. However, the OM-1 is a very different animal from past models.
The simple fact that you compare it to SONY A1, and say "SONY is little better" is the BEST complement this camera can get. Maybe with some tracking configuration twicks it can be slightly improved. However it's the 1st time that any Olympus/OM Digital has a decent focus tracking. Although subject tracking still sucks
Hi Mike, great video, very interesting as I've recently sold my Olympus and Nikon gear and purchased the Sony A1. Absolute gamechanger this AF system - got some of my best Swallow shots yesterday! Struggling with the video aspect of it (S&Q and 4k shooting) though. I wonder if you'd thought about doing a tutorial on the video mode of the A1? The focusing is what gets me, it always seems to want to focus in the middle of the frame (set to Wide AF) and not on my subject when I've recomposed the frame. Do you use the touch tracking feature?
"30 frames per second", I'd be worried by the amount of time I'd have to spend on editing. Interesting to hear you say the OM1 locks on better than the Sony A1. Pity you can't get your hands on the Canon EOS R3, I would love to hear your thoughts on that camera.
I have been waiting for your review of om-1. I was not expecting it to come this close to mighty Sony a1. I consider the pro capture mode on Olympus to be very useful to get birds in flight when they are landing or taking off. It is easier to get them in frame this way than grabbing the camera when small fast moving birds are midair. Is procapture mode a consideration for you when you compare the two cameras?
Thanks MIke! Very helpful video. I didn't quite get the part about C-AF sensitivity. Did you try all the values or just the two extreme? If only the extreme, are you going to test all of it? I was wondering if the performance is dependent on species of bird. These pigeons have very deep wing flaps and also very peculiar eyes. Almost reptile-lke. If it does depend on the species, that would be a good news as it gives more hope for firmware tweak. Huge advantage of OM-1 is the price. Sony A1 is unachievable for someone like me. Unfortunately Olympus is lacking reasonably priced zoom lens that would complement this body. Olympus 100-400mm is not that well stabilized, does not focus equally well and limits your burst rate to 25fps. I have recently bought Panasonic GH6 for the video jobs I sometimes do and as general purpose everyday use landscape/portrait/travel camera. It shoots great slow motion video but photographically miles behind OM-1.
Only the two extremes to see if it stopped the focus slipping. It did not. If I can't see a difference at the extremes I won't inbetween. It is one of those settings that is hard to assess, but passing the camera past a telegraph pole and seeing if it jumps onto it is what I have tried in the past. I will try that at some point. If I decide to stay with the OM-1 I will look at the GH6 for video.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Despite being a m43 user I am amazed with Sony a1, and this Sony lens seems to be a great value. Although 50fps with C-AF sounds impressive. BTW... What ND filters do you use for video? I noticed that in broad daylight when I try to keep my shutter at reasonable level even at 120p my apeture goes f/16 and beyond which makes the image soft. Solid NDs are pain to use and variable NDs can interfere with the image.
Great review, but it would be great to see some comparisons with other cameras at a similar price point. It's not quite fair to compare it to a camera that's 3 times the price and a system that's going to be twice as big and twice as heavy (e.g. OM 100-300 vs Sony 200-600). Also I'd say an occasional out of focus shot at 30fps is not a huge deal if you come from DSLR getting 7fps haha
I wanted it to be blackout free, which it is although only above 25 fps. That is okay as blackout free is only important for flying birds which will always be at a fast frame rate. Makes it so much easier to keep a bird in the frame.
If I was not already fully Canonized, I would probably go with the OM-1 with a zoom that ends at 400mm. Even if the AF is not perfect, the cost advantage is impressive.
Hi Mike. Try doing swallows or house martins in flight with the OM-1 and 150-400mm lens. My friend has a Sony a1 and uses a 100-400mm GM lens with x1.4 TC. There is no doubt that the Sony a1 is significantly faster at AF and stays locked onto the bird staying in focus compared to the OM-1. But having said that the OM-1 has the advantage of pro capture and is superb for macro - particularly with the new 90mm macro lens. The answer at the moment is to have both the OM System OM-1 and the Sony a1 😊😊 If OM-Systems can produce an OM-2SX with a processor as good as or better than in Sony a1 and the AF, Bird identification and Tracking even faster then they will clean up in the wildlife and nature market. I am looking at purchasing a second hand Sony a1 and lens. These two systems at the moment cover just about all you need 👌👌. Have fun Peace ✌️✌️
Will keep my old brain active if I buy a used Sony a1. But would be great if OM-Systems bring out an OM-2 in the future with some improvements and also the OM-2SX with the Sony a1 processor or better and very significantly improved bird detection and ultra fast AF. There is a marketing strategy here with the OM-2 costing around £2500 and the SX version £4500. A lot of people would go for the SX version just like the 150-400mm lens with the 100-400mm as the cheaper non pro version. I am off to Romania Danube Delta in May with my wildlife photographer friend who has the Sony a1 😊😊
I have a slightly different angle question, AF sensitivity. I had read and watched some people saying it's best for a low sensitivity, so that the AF does not change when the subject is temporarily blocked. I understand that logic. But, I also have my camera (M1 MkIII) set for high sensitivity so that the camera snaps back into focus when the subject matter appears again. This is true for tree branches as temporary blocks. Which would you prefer for flying birds and birds perched and blocked temporarily? Thanks all.
With all previous cameras I have it on low sensitivity so it does not jump off the subject it is following and does not have to snap back on. Still testing the OM-1, but it is not quite the same as other cameras so far.
Very knowledgeable & detailed professional photographer........
Mike, from one old guy to another, just want to say I love your laid-back style. So refreshing in a world of super hype. Thanks for this nice review. I've seen the huge improvement you have of the OM-1 over the E-M1X. And I too have thought the OM-1 will just get better with a firmware tweak here and there. It's a great start for OM Digitial Solutions. I absolutely love the OM-1 for its size and weight and the phenomenal 150-400mm. So much so I bought three of bodies and got rid of the other Lumix bodies I had as well as all other Olympus bodies.
The two if you are my most respected opinions and it is so good to read this comment by you on this specific topic in this channel. I so hope you put out a review of your own on the om1 autofocus. Loved your previous review on the 150-400 lens. Love you two and your channels!
Totally agree. It's so relaxing and informative.
Pretty miraculous results for an initial firmware release.
Then there's price: Olympus OM1 (£1999 new) vs Sony A1 (£6500 new)
... added to which the Sony lens prices are beyond the means of a lot of people.
Although that is true for the bodies alone, the price difference of the Oly 150-400 vs the Sony 200-600 + 1.4TC which nets you about the same bokeh (M43 vs FF) and same FOV will even out the investment in lens + body for wildlife/bird photography.
@@daycreek yes! AND with the Sony combo (Full Frame) you will get better separation/bokeh in the cases where you can get closer to the subject.
Cropping works great in many cases (i am considering a m3/4 camera myself, as a complementary camera for certain situations) but it's no magic solution - it comes with penalties!
OM-1 Firmware update is expected this month May 2022. Very informative videos you offer us - Much appreciated!
I read the update was to do with the camera freezing so not hopeful of any AF improvement.
During my first week of ownership I managed to get some of the best bird in flight pictures that I have ever taken. The only downside is that I prefer the build quality of the 1X, especially the tactile nature of the front and rear wheels.
+1
@@garydowzall6592 I come from the e-m1-2, but the wheel feel is not good on the om-1.
@@garydowzall6592❤
Fantastic review, dear Mike
I just upgraded from the E-M1ii to the OM-1
A quantum step forward.
I'm so happy that I just ordered the 150-400/4.5 Pro
:-)
Thank you for a candid and impartial assessment. My first SLR was an OM 1n bought in the mid 70s. I brought a scale and weighed Nikon, Canon and others. Olympus was the lightest and compact. I bought one. 50 years later it is back! I hope you get the fulfillment with the OM 1 as you get with your Sony. If money and weight were not barriers I would have one too. I carried my OM 1n over hundreds of miles in the Sierras in California over 30 plus years. Today, I consider myself fortunate to walk a few miles from a parking lot with a OM 1 and the 150 to 400 f4.5.
I’ve been waiting for your autofocus evaluation of the OM1 and you did not disappoint. You even anticipated the in-focus rate per second argument in favour of the Olympus. 😊 Thanks Mike!
Thank you! As many here I have been waiting for your review. I got my om1 the 7 of march via om system norden preorder launch, but had to wait for the extra battery. As a novis in photograpy when it comes to practical use I'm realy amazed over the image quality and for the first time I have managed to take pictures of my little fast running dog that's sharp. A little more training and I will catch some birds too. I think it's hard to understand wath settings that works best and when to use which settings and why it's better in just that situation. But whit training and a lot of good youtubers to learn from like you I will learn and understand more. Love your videos and the beautiful pictures you take, they are amazing. Sometimes you are lucky to find new camera gear used at a good price. I have bought most of my olympus gear used even the 150-400 mm lens when it only had been on the market for a couple of mounths, maby even the only one sold on the used market until now in Sweden as I know of. I just had to have it you know. 😉 I wish more people checked out the used camera market, at least via camerastores. I check almost every day for used camera gear that I don't have and maybe need for my photography. (I'm not a shopoholic... 🤣). Looking forward for your future videos.
Thank you so much Mike. This is a brilliant analysis of the OM 1's AF testing on Birds in Flight.
Very nice job Mike! This absolutely shows what a great camera the OM-1 is. I don't put it in the exact same level of Sony A1 and Nikon Z9 only because of their more than double resolution. But this camera for less than half the price of a Canon R3 is really amazing and I think is a better buy for wildlife any day.
I like your ISO testing. Kudos for that info!
Great analysis Mike. I've also noticed the drift in and out of focus of the OM-1 but overall the focus accuracy is is excellent. The solution I've used for focus drift is to take multiple short bursts rather than one long one, so that the focus resets. I have just taken around 6000 shots over a couple of days at the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Hampshire, and assessed the focus accuracy of all of them. This is a pretty challenging environment particularly with Peregrine Falcons coming in at full speed, and also Kites shooting vertically upwards chasing after scraps of chicken. In these circumstances, speed of acquisition is critical. I've not tested an A1 in this environment but I did test an A9 with the 200-600 here last year. The OM-1 achieved a hit rate of around double the A9's hit rate for these birds (80% vs 40%), a pretty remarkable performance, largely down to the speed of focus acquisition. Also I would note that for those who who are bothered about high ISO performance, if you use the Sony 200 to 600 at f6.3 you will be running at about 1.3 stops higher ISO than if you use the Olympus 300mm F4. The noise difference between the two cameras between 3200 and 6400 ISO is also 1.3 stops (or less - see DxO for EM1ii). So there is no high ISO advantage for the Sony in typical circumstances for birds in flight. I'd also point out that at 6400 ISO the noise on the Sony A9 was dreadful, and I would assume the A1 is similar. Like you Mike, I've been waiting to to test the OM-1 in detail, and then decide whether to spend 6.5k either on the A1 and the 200-600 or on the Oly 150-400 lens. Given my experience so far I'm staying with the Olympus. Even if it's only 90% of the the A1 in focus accuracy, it's got Pro Capture at 25, 50, or 120 fps which trumps the the missing 10% by a significant margin.
David, Please can you comment on the C-AF sensitivity settings which you found most useful during your assessment of the OM-1? Thank you.
@@alanryder Alan, because the flight modes of the birds at the HCT change so rapidly, I kept the sensitivity at 0. The general rule of thumb on this is that a setting of -2 is good for extra focus 'stickiness' for birds in steady flight and +2 is good for rapidly changing fast moving subjects. I've recently published some data from testing 3000 images at Bempton cliffs for Gannets in steady flight for the EM1x and there was a 10% improvement in focus accuracy between -2 and 0. I don't know if the same effect will be there for the OM1, but I'll be checking on it this summer at Bempton again. You can see the data for the EM1x and also for my A9 focus accuracy testing at HCT at my website mcaughtry.photo in the posts section.
No, I believe I'm the last person to get the OM-1, but it has shipped so next week it will begin its life on my 150-400mm. I'm excited.
Great work, Mike! I now have my Sony 600mm f4 ordered from Park Cameras. With the Sony A1, its great!
I pre-ordered my OM1 from Wex before the release date and I am still waiting. I sold some equipment first before ordering and now regret not pre-ordering straight away.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing
You aren’t the last. I’m happy you finally got one. Quite a few are waiting. Two months delay is not unusual.
Thanks for this test, finally someone who confirms my impressions, I tried the Om-1 with 300mm f4 in similar situations and I encountered the same problems. especially in situations where the bird flies in the direction coming towards the camera. With Sony A9ll these problems do not exist.
I enjoyed this comparison made all the more remarkable, in my mind, by the fact that the Sony A1 costs roughly three times more than the OM. I look forward to your followup comparisons. Maybe comparing the weight of relatively comparable lenses.
Good review many thanks ! for sharing
Great to see that you got the OM-1 and trying it out. I got mine back at the beginning of March and have really been enjoying it.
Great video: I've been waiting for this one. It certainly mirrors my experience with my OM1's. I'm really impressed with mine.
This is the assessment I have been waiting for. Thanks Mike.
Thank you so much for your videos and especially this much anticipated one! I had preordered and just received mine 3 days ago in the U.S.. I love your work and look forward to future videos on the OM1. Love the comparison. Thanks!
The OM-1 is so much better than previous models that I believe it comes down to a firmware tweak as you mentioned.
From the UA-cam coverage I've seen I think photographers should work on getting better at composition and understanding light. Just like landscape images good bird photography comes down to light and composition.
Tracking and frame rates will get better on this camera I'm sure of that but will we get better with it?
Thanks mike a very good test .Unbiased photographer .Now set mine to -2 ,should be testing later in the week hoping to catch a few Kingfisher shots. keep up the good work .Great job well done
I have to say that the OM-1 will definitely win because of Procapture mode!
Very good analysis Mike. I got one of the earliest OM-1s and have also used it with the 150/400. I also have the A1 and 200-600 and 600/F4. For several sequential weekends I went out with both systems for hand-held BIF (one slung on the shoulder and the other in hand- Daniel Cox's videos show, albeit awkward, it is doable). I gravitated towards the OM-1 rig more because its almost 1.5lb lighter than the A1+200/600 which makes it easier to hold for longer periods. The 150-400's center of mass is also closer to the body too.
One feature you didn't mention in this video is ProCapture. Even on a tripod, there is no way the Sony A1 can attain a keeper rate of birds launching from a perch that the OM-1 can (or earlier Olympus E-M1v3, M1X). I never have understood why Sony (or any other mirrorless system) hasn't introduced ProCapture. Most of my ProCapture shots are at ISO3200 and between 1/4000-6400.
Full frame cameras are inherently disadvantaged in wildlife/bird photography because of their 1x crop factor. To make up for their lack of reach, they need to digitally crop in. In order to retain details in a substantial digital crop, the sensor needs to have high megapixel count, which makes it much more taxing on the whole system. The processor can only handle so much data. On a crop sensor, you've already cut off all the unnecessary edges of the frame that you would have to crop out anyways. Full frame high megapixel cameras end up with large file sizes that carry data that ends up getting cropped out and thrown away, and this very data is what slows down their whole system (that's why they can't shoot 50fps raws with c-af) and prevents them from implementing extra features that require more processing power.
Great review, Mike. As another recent option, although heavier Nikon z9 with firmware 2.0 does ProCapture. See DP Review Jordan's impressions at the 9:40 timepoint for video review. ua-cam.com/video/KLLWKh1UmYo/v-deo.html
@@Rykrer yeah it's jpeg only, as per inherent disadvantage of full frame. Very inefficient use of data in wildlife genre.
Here I am looking through the comments and I’m genuinely happy for all of you who own the OM-1 or Sony A1. At the same time I’m smiling because this is insane. I’m shooting with a Lumix Gx8 at 5.5fps without AF-C. Manual back button focus is my got to for birds in flight. Next year I’m getting the OM-1, and most likely a cheap full frame camera for manual focus lenses.
OM-Systems is up to something, but we will have to patiently wait for the something.
Hi Mike, I thought I would just add an update to your excellent test video. OM Solutions have released updated software V1.2 and the tracking is much improved. One other thing regarding your ISO test. I love the way you test for noise - brilliant idea. I know you stated the top ISO was ISO 65,535. In actual fact it is ISO 102,400, but the exif reports it as 65,535? I kept double checking I hadn't made a mistake, then I found out that apparently all cameras mis-report ISO 102,400 as 65,535. Mind you I can not test that on other cameras myself!
Best wishes and thank for the test.
Your videos are always worth watching and this one is no exception. It's such a shame OM Systems couldn't get you on OM1 earlier as this long awaited logical and professional.review could be key for those sitting on the fence (or at the polling station!). I have waited for this review to reassure myself that there are indeed odd images out of focus but, without doubt I have achieved my best pictures of birds in flight than any previous camera (EM1 ii ordered x). Thank you.
Mike always good to see you ! I could not even order one everywhere is out of stock here in the states.... I been looking for weeks. Anyway, enjoy ....
I‘m new to Olympus. Got in there for macro only coming from Sony. But boy are some of the features amazing. So looking for longer lenses I found your channel. Very well done. Thanks - subscribed 😉.
Really an excellent review! OM Systems should hire you as a tester. This is the perfect test case for OM Systems to optimize the autofocus system. Your tests show that the processor is basically fast enough to focus even at the highest frame rate - unfortunately not with every shot. In principle, it should be possible to fix this with a firmware update.
Another question: Did you possibly select the "Release Priority" option in the autofocus menu? If so, I'd be interested to know if you get better results by unchecking that option. The OM 1 will probably no longer be able to achieve the maximum frame rate. But what's the point of capturing the maximum number of images if an appreciable portion isn't exactly in focus.
I have it set to on. I think it is designed to stop you taking pictures before focus is obtained when set to off. I find it hard to imagine it stopping a release when one or two frames are out of focus. I will try it when I next get a chance on flying birds.
No Mike you are not the last person to get one. I got mine yesterday (ordered in Feb) 23/04/22. My colleague who ordered his from the same place is still waiting
Thx Mike, i fully agree with your BIF conclusion. Personally as an longtime Olympus shooter i can say this the Best bird camera i have ever had. It is a pitty that the X Form factor I prefer got lost. Stay safe
I love your concluding remarks, you really would make a great politician! On the other hand your explanations actually do make sense. I‘m sure many reviewers would focus on the number of unsharp images, which isn’t really fair. Canon is still improving on the AF of the R5 which was released almost 2 years ago. So with todays cameras there‘s still a lot that can be improved afterwards, providing the hardware is capable, and at no cost to the owner.
My original OM1 is still in working order almost 50 years later, so there‘s still plenty of time🙄
Great video Mike. Should get thousands of views. First `real time` test of the autofocus.
Still waiting for mine, here in Canada!
Thanks for the great video Mike. Your findings are the exact same as mine. The focus pulsing is something that happens regardless of settings, light, shutter speed, ISO or FPS. I have also found it to be more severe when using the MC-14 on the 300mm F4. On average I am seeing between 70%-80% critically sharp shots in a burst sequence. 70% tends to be in situations where the AF is is more challenged (angle of subject, subject distance to background, background type i.e. grass/trees vs sky). This focus pulsing is not something I saw with the a1, Z9 or R5. Fingers crossed OM Systems addresses the issue via firmware.
Interesting review and similar to my experience. However what I would say is that while the OM-1 is brilliant at detecting the bird it is less good at actually focussing on that point, particularly when the bird is smaller in the frame. In C-AF single spot on bird on ground 100% in focus with bird detect some are soft. Lets hope a firmware tweak improves this. Looking forward to your longer term review.
Thanks for sharing.. it's good to know from a real shooter.. great content always.
Another great video, the improvement on the M1-X is massive really glad I got the OM1, been waiting for this comparison video and as always you give a straightforward honest assessment thank you
Very good review and to the point, Mike. I would have the Sony though, because of 1. the ability to crop, 2. the much better performance at higher iso, 3. the higher AF success rate - this can make or break a photo and if it's a rare opportunity, it's most likely that the A1 will deliver.
I was impressed by your testing well done 👍
Nice & beautiful video...
I think we may have met at Thursley a couple of weeks ago Mike. Really pleased at your findings, I'm looking forward to getting my OM-1. Whenever that is! So no you are not the last. LOL
Another excellent, informative and interesting video. I look forward to next weeks instalment.
As always a great Video with actual photographer’s real world input…thank you.
Well presented and fair comments Mike ... thank you
Very interesting video. I am still waiting to get my preordered OM-1🙄 According to your first results I am pretty optimistic that this camera will perform much better than my G9 for bird photograpy 😃
Very thorough and practical info as always.
I have been waiting fore this video for a longtime now! thanks a lot from Sweden
i always like your very simple techniques on everything from camera comparison to perch preparing or you do for bird photography. Never sofisticated but balways effectife. Thank you so much for all you are doing for us bird photographers. I am as a Z9 user I would have very much liked to see a 3rd step of this election race. Thank you so much.
Thank you!! Very Interesting Comparison. I am all Olympus so I take what they give me. the OM-1 is already good at BIF and I believe you are correct that a firmware upgrade to push this into A1 territory. At the worst case, I believe we are one generation away from top tier focus for BIF.
Thanks for sharing!
Excellent that you got the camera and good that it is holding it’s own against the A1. I nearly went to Sony as I was disappointed with the Em1x performance. I was lucky that I was the 3rd person to order the om1 and been using since March very impressed so I will not be moving to Sony now.
A very useful and interesting way of testing cameras!!
Hi, like allot of people on here I have been waiting with great anticipation of your review/opinion and wasn't disappointed, great content as always. I'm still not sure weather to get the OM-1 or Sony A1 I think I will wait till your final judgment.
Useful video clip. I have a friend with a Sony A1 using Sony 100-400mm older lens with a x1.4 TC doing wildlife photos including B in F with superb results. I have had an OM Systems OM-1 camera on a pre order since 3 March and my 150-400mm pro lens has been with OM Systems for repair for two months since it has developed a focusing fault and a communication with camera problem as well as having a loose bayonet fitting. Very frustrating as I have not had these for 3 overseas wildlife trips!! Luckily I have my two Olympus EM1 mark iii cameras and my 300mm f4 lens but had to buy the 100-400mm lens for the trips. However, I think I have missed out on a lot of potentially good shots due to the OM System problems. Another friend has just obtained a Sony a6500 camera and Tamron 150-500mm lens. Going to have a go with this when I get back from a trip I am doing next week.
Thanks for a great review. I really love your ISO test. I'm going to make it SOP.
Very informative as ever, thank you. Your comment on the CA-F sensitivity setting is interesting as I would have thought you needed +2 for best results in an uncluttered background for birds flying towards you. It was good to see how you go about testing a new camera like this - the ISO test as well as working in what I guess is a birds in flight test lab 🙂. Appetite whetted (again), I look forward to your future videos using this camera. (Loved the breakfast telly politician section 🤣.) One question on image processing - did you use the OM Workspace V2 and its AI Noise reduction feature or were the ISO tests more or less straight out of the camera?
Sometimes when choosing the AF sensitivity & speed you have to set it the opposite of what you think! It's like that on my Fujifilm X-S10; For Sensitivity, the higher the value, the longer it takes the camera to re-focus.
Yes OM workspace and the AI noise reduction. I will compare it to the DxO Purewar when available.
Same as me, Mike. I ordered mine from Jessops and it arrived just over a week ago. The new AF menu is very different from the old EM cameras and needs to be properly understood before you can get best results. The instruction manual is only a download version. I had issues with trying to get photos of sparrows on a feeder sharp and it was an AF target issue.
The PDF manual is so poorly written. Wish they would get someone to translate it better.
@@MikeLaneFRPS I totally agree. I'm getting much better info from people like you on utube. Richard Pfaff
Great video, I'm looking forward to your next video.
I have the Om 1 but only had it for a couple of weeks, it is a fantastic upgrade from my Em1 Mk iii and that is still a great camera, to me costs a very relevant, the Sony in NZ $ 11000, the Om 1 $3500, I had looked at the Sony A7riii before purchasing the Olympus Cameras but after owning a Sony A6000 for two years and absolutely hating the menu on it, the Olympus was the way to go, soon got used to the menu and now with the OM 1 the menu system is perfect !! Cheers from NZ
Brilliant video: informative, entertaining and amusing. The OM1 comes out very well, especially when you consider its price point compared to the Sony A1. I wonder if it would perform as well with a lower-end lens such as the 100-400.
Very close in good light compared to 300f4. However, with 100-400 only 25fps is possible, not 50fps.
Mike, Thank you so much for all your videos. I enjoy them all. I am thinking about purchasing the OM1. I was wondering which lens do you use mostly. Thanks.
Now that I have one the150-400mm, Before that it was the much cheaper 300mm f4.
Very informative video that explains a lot of what I've been seeing with my camera. It was difficult to see some of the changes from in focus to oof on youtube but I've seen it happen for real so knew what you were describing. Mine has occasionaly just given up auto focussing until I've moved away and given it something else to focus on, then its back ok. A bit like your description of other mirrorless cameras at the start of a session. I was wondering if you could post a couple of your in focus shots in high quality so we could see how sharp they are. Only ask as often most of mine with the 300mm f4 do tend to look a bit soft even when I think they are actually sharply focussed. Just to see yours as a comparison. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos. Cheers Phill
Hi Mike it is great that you now have the OM camera that captured so many lovely images just like the A1 from what I see. My heart wants me to have both cameras with all the lens just like a professional photographer but my amateur pocket and married head has great difficulty focusing on that one. In your hands both cameras produce wonderful photographs wherever you are no matter how fast the subject or challenging the conditions. The coming weeks with nice light and the reach of 150 / 400mm lens with built in converters or the 300 f4, will be the stuff of my dreams I am sure. Thank you for the video as always I really enjoyed it.
Excellent video. I appreciate the way you showed every shot to show changes in focus. I don't actually need 50 sharp shots. I need about 5 shots that are varied (wings up, wings down, landing, etc.) that are sharp. I like your math that you increase the potential number of great shots by using 50fps. I had not been using 50 to avoid having so much computer work. However, I find it is easier to cull photos in camera with the OM-1 because the EVF is so much better (than my Em1-1), so I am going up to the 50 fps. Good approach to setting ISO too.
Very tempting Mike ! I will wait for the Firmware update, awesome tips and work ! No camera is perfect yet ! I may get a second A1! P.S.You get my vote in the General election 👍
Superb video as usual Mike. Here's one for you, have you tried the eye focus on Butterflies that have eye spots? I have recently tried to photograph Emperor Moths in flight with my Canon 7D MK2 and I am struggling to get any sharp photos. Just thought you might like to have a go at something really challenging (Maybe peacock butterflies) and see how the Sony performs. Keep up the great stuff you put out.
Even static butterflies are too difficult for me. Birds much easier.
Workaround for processing - upload from camera to OM Workplace then export as TIFF files to your normal software until is is updated to process the new RAW files.
A very interesting and informative review, congratulations for the great job
Thanks for the review Mike, I'm started saving for one.👍
I wonder if the image processing is independent of the capture rate? If the capture queue got ahead of the processing, it may skip a couple of frames to catch up. Just a guess. As mentioned in another comment, it would be an interesting test if you reduced the frame rate. I'd certainly like to hear more about your experiences with the OM-1
Nice review
Sony A1 £6500 V OM Systems OM1 £2000.... The real question is and always will be is the OM1 good enough? as £4500 buys a lot of glass
Granted the A1 advantages are more than just autofocus, but there are other advantages to M4/3 (weight being one).. but with a keeper rate of 40/50 seems like a good buy for birding photography. Looking forward to see what Fuji has to offer in APSC with the XH2, whether they introduces animal/bird autofocus
Actually the biggest advantage of the OM1 is the fantastic IBIS combined with the 150-400 f4,5. Usually you will want to walk with it to go to place a little more than 100 meters from the parking.
Shooting at f4,5 at an equivalent focal of 800mm handheld allows you to shoot with a lower ISO, so you don't sacrifice as much DR like if you are using a FF camera with slower lenses.
Not to mention the far superior speed and the really good price of the top rated combo.
Ah... did he mention the IP rating
4:00 well played, sir, well played...
I ran into the same issue with my OM-1 and if you can stay F/5.6 or better it seems to stop. I tested this with stationary targets where focus hunting shouldn't happen at all, but above F/5.6 focus hunting occurs in C-AF silent modes, such as SH-2. It didn't seem to occur on my 40-150 F/2.8 in shuttered modes since I believe it opens the aperture between shots while resetting the shutter.
I believe PDAF is not working past F/5.6. I have an MC-20 coming to try with my 40-150 F/2.8 and see if that can stay on target. Hard to keep the 100-400 at F/5.6 and below. Try the C-AF on a tree and I bet you see the hunting above F/5.6 with any lens in SH-2 mode.
Fantastic work as always!
Hi Mike, Really helpful video re bird tracking. I have just received my OM-1 and was wondering what settings you used for this experiment. I note your mention of sensitivity/50fps but I would be interested to know whether you used CAF+Tracking or just CAF in bird detect. Some OM-1 users are preferring to use CAF only. in other videos you mention your camera settings and how you try to keep it simple. However, the OM-1 is a very different animal from past models.
I use C-AF without tracking, but when I have tried to prove it is better I fail to see a difference. However it is almost impossible to test,
@@MikeLaneFRPS Thanks for responding Mike. Very helpful.
I'm still waiting! Ordered from Park Cameras. Grrrr
Thanks Mike great study!
The simple fact that you compare it to SONY A1, and say "SONY is little better" is the BEST complement this camera can get. Maybe with some tracking configuration twicks it can be slightly improved. However it's the 1st time that any Olympus/OM Digital has a decent focus tracking. Although subject tracking still sucks
Hi Mike, great video, very interesting as I've recently sold my Olympus and Nikon gear and purchased the Sony A1. Absolute gamechanger this AF system - got some of my best Swallow shots yesterday! Struggling with the video aspect of it (S&Q and 4k shooting) though. I wonder if you'd thought about doing a tutorial on the video mode of the A1? The focusing is what gets me, it always seems to want to focus in the middle of the frame (set to Wide AF) and not on my subject when I've recomposed the frame. Do you use the touch tracking feature?
I don't use the touch focus and don't feel knowledgeable enough about video settings to do a tutorial. I am new to video.
Another great video sir. Can you comment on Birds flying straight at you with the OM-1?
The OM-1 is a successful as the Sony A1 head on, but the focus slip still occurs as I mention in the film.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Thank you!
I have not had mine yet, and I ordered from the LCE. Very interesting to see your views, though.
"30 frames per second", I'd be worried by the amount of time I'd have to spend on editing. Interesting to hear you say the OM1 locks on better than the Sony A1. Pity you can't get your hands on the Canon EOS R3, I would love to hear your thoughts on that camera.
I have been waiting for your review of om-1. I was not expecting it to come this close to mighty Sony a1. I consider the pro capture mode on Olympus to be very useful to get birds in flight when they are landing or taking off. It is easier to get them in frame this way than grabbing the camera when small fast moving birds are midair. Is procapture mode a consideration for you when you compare the two cameras?
Yes I love procapture. Why have not all brands included it?
@@MikeLaneFRPS Glad to know. Thanks.
Thanks MIke! Very helpful video. I didn't quite get the part about C-AF sensitivity. Did you try all the values or just the two extreme? If only the extreme, are you going to test all of it? I was wondering if the performance is dependent on species of bird. These pigeons have very deep wing flaps and also very peculiar eyes. Almost reptile-lke. If it does depend on the species, that would be a good news as it gives more hope for firmware tweak. Huge advantage of OM-1 is the price. Sony A1 is unachievable for someone like me. Unfortunately Olympus is lacking reasonably priced zoom lens that would complement this body. Olympus 100-400mm is not that well stabilized, does not focus equally well and limits your burst rate to 25fps. I have recently bought Panasonic GH6 for the video jobs I sometimes do and as general purpose everyday use landscape/portrait/travel camera. It shoots great slow motion video but photographically miles behind OM-1.
Only the two extremes to see if it stopped the focus slipping. It did not. If I can't see a difference at the extremes I won't inbetween. It is one of those settings that is hard to assess, but passing the camera past a telegraph pole and seeing if it jumps onto it is what I have tried in the past. I will try that at some point. If I decide to stay with the OM-1 I will look at the GH6 for video.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Despite being a m43 user I am amazed with Sony a1, and this Sony lens seems to be a great value. Although 50fps with C-AF sounds impressive. BTW... What ND filters do you use for video? I noticed that in broad daylight when I try to keep my shutter at reasonable level even at 120p my apeture goes f/16 and beyond which makes the image soft. Solid NDs are pain to use and variable NDs can interfere with the image.
Not used ND filters yet.
Really helpful Mike. Many thx
Great review, but it would be great to see some comparisons with other cameras at a similar price point. It's not quite fair to compare it to a camera that's 3 times the price and a system that's going to be twice as big and twice as heavy (e.g. OM 100-300 vs Sony 200-600).
Also I'd say an occasional out of focus shot at 30fps is not a huge deal if you come from DSLR getting 7fps haha
Both bits of kit cost about £8000.
How much do you think the 150-400 Olympus lens cost?
@@MikeLaneFRPS Just realised I missed that you were using the 150-400mm TC1.25x, I thought it was the 100-400mm which is like 20% the price.
Great overview Mike. I know the EVF blackout/Lag was something you wanted to try out on the OM-1 so how did it perform?
I wanted it to be blackout free, which it is although only above 25 fps. That is okay as blackout free is only important for flying birds which will always be at a fast frame rate. Makes it so much easier to keep a bird in the frame.
@@MikeLaneFRPS That's good to know, appreciated :-)
Thanks Mike- confirms I ain't just me :-) but overall I am happy with the OM1 and hopefully things will improve.
I'm still waiting for my OM-1 to come, hope it's soon :)
I am kind of not sure about the OM1. I shoot the EM1X and it does me great. Though the improved bird AF on the OM1 is enticing.
Factoring in price and fps hit rate, OM1 appears to be a viable alternative to the full frame A1.
If I was not already fully Canonized, I would probably go with the OM-1 with a zoom that ends at 400mm. Even if the AF is not perfect, the cost advantage is impressive.
Hi Mike. Try doing swallows or house martins in flight with the OM-1 and 150-400mm lens. My friend has a Sony a1 and uses a 100-400mm GM lens with x1.4 TC. There is no doubt that the Sony a1 is significantly faster at AF and stays locked onto the bird staying in focus compared to the OM-1. But having said that the OM-1 has the advantage of pro capture and is superb for macro - particularly with the new 90mm macro lens. The answer at the moment is to have both the OM System OM-1 and the Sony a1 😊😊 If OM-Systems can produce an OM-2SX with a processor as good as or better than in Sony a1 and the AF, Bird identification and Tracking even faster then they will clean up in the wildlife and nature market. I am looking at purchasing a second hand Sony a1 and lens. These two systems at the moment cover just about all you need 👌👌. Have fun Peace ✌️✌️
My brain can't cope with two systems with so many settings.
Will keep my old brain active if I buy a used Sony a1. But would be great if OM-Systems bring out an OM-2 in the future with some improvements and also the OM-2SX with the Sony a1 processor or better and very significantly improved bird detection and ultra fast AF. There is a marketing strategy here with the OM-2 costing around £2500 and the SX version £4500. A lot of people would go for the SX version just like the 150-400mm lens with the 100-400mm as the cheaper non pro version. I am off to Romania Danube Delta in May with my wildlife photographer friend who has the Sony a1 😊😊
I have a slightly different angle question, AF sensitivity.
I had read and watched some people saying it's best for a low sensitivity, so that the AF does not change when the subject is temporarily blocked. I understand that logic.
But, I also have my camera (M1 MkIII) set for high sensitivity so that the camera snaps back into focus when the subject matter appears again. This is true for tree branches as temporary blocks.
Which would you prefer for flying birds and birds perched and blocked temporarily?
Thanks all.
With all previous cameras I have it on low sensitivity so it does not jump off the subject it is following and does not have to snap back on.
Still testing the OM-1, but it is not quite the same as other cameras so far.
@@MikeLaneFRPS Thanks Mike. I appreciate it. I'm going to try low Sense again.