When I used film my favourite was Ilford HP5 which is ISO 400 and therefore somewhat grainy. It's a good film to push to 800 and 1600 which increases grain which many film photographers like, in the same way people like shallow depth of field and bokeh.
Noise is not the end of the world, but lockdowns are the beginning of the end of the world :-( Really hoping you get your freedom back in Malaysia soon
Thank you, Mr. Wong. After watching your video, I took my Mark IV to the park at 9 p.m., where there are no businesses or buildings to get light from other than light posts that are smothered by trees. I had my iso set to 800 only and had the time of my life! Some of the most fun I've had shooting came last night. What started to be a challenge became an official photo shoot with pictures saved for my gallery, which I didn't expect. Thank you so much for inspiring the challenge. I simply adore my Olympus Mark IV. I put it to the challenge, and it went above and beyond the challenge. The image stabilization was instrumental in the shoot, something my canon may have struggled with.
It's so good to see you out and about again in videos! I actually like the walk around style. But mostly, it's just good to see you happier and more free again! :) And of course, great content as always!
Robin, you re really GREAT. One of the best "emotional: photographers in the world. You re talking to our hearts. I am a Panasonic guy, i use MFT for 10 years now and i LOVE it. Panasonic G9 with PanaLeica 25mm 1.4 and the Olympus 75mm 1,8 is my best and only combo. You helped me a lot. Thank you!
Thanks Andreas, appreciate the kind words. I am a practical person, so I try to be as straightforward as possible. The difference between me and a lot of other "UA-camrs" or "reviewers", I am a real photographer!
DXO DEEP PRIME noise reduction goes beyond what I thought possible.. Up to now noise reduction was just blurring. Robin, tell Olympus to include DXO Deep prime with every camera.
@@stan3223 Hi Stan, great idea. I would propose to implement it to the raw processor for post production in the camera due to the need of processing power. @ Robin Great video and tipps as allways Robin 😀
The Adobe AI denoise is also pretty magical, but you do still loose a lot of detail compared to an exposure where you captured more actual light information. Not because of the denoise, but just because the information was never there in the first place.
That bit about capturing memories and moments that you capture for your clients is so important! Especially on here, it's so easy to be distracted by the technical/technological aspects.
No interruptions that I could notice.And again very good points. Also with the excellent noise reduction editing programs eg. DXO, Topas etc. noise really is not a problem anymore.
Thanks Leon. I was going nuts tying to figure out what went wrong. I mean, if the video is really bad, I don't mind taking it down, fix the problem and reuploading it!
Another vote for Topaz. I find it really good when I've forgotten Robin's other tips. I also think that all reviewers should have these points drummed in whenever a micro four thirds camera is reviewed. Few have the wit to use stabilisation to control iso!
@@brianlaunchbury4491 yepp.. unfortunately they just mention that low light performance is worse, that's it. Yeah, it may be worse. But when you combine 1.8 prime with stabilization and noise reduction.. wouldn't that be enough for most people?
Hey Robin, I have a good tip for using Auto ISO in low light. You can set the minimum shutter speed value in the “ISO-Auto Set" menu. That way if you're comfortable shooting at 1/15 of a second, you can set the “Lowest S/S Setting" to 1/15 and the ISO value will only rise until it can meet 1/15 of a second.
That is a good suggestion but it does not work for me. If I am shooting wide angle and there is nothing moving, I can slow down my shutter speed to 2-3 seconds. Then if I need to shoot fast moving subjects, I need my speed to be at least 1/200 or faster. Depending on what lens too, if I use wide angle, I can go slower, then if I use say the 75mm lens, I may want to stay at 1/50 or faster. So there is no one set of "minimum shutter speed" as my shooting conditions vary so much from one shoot to another.
@@robinwong Yeah that can be an issue. I actually have a “slow" shutter speed value set and assigned to my C3 setting and a "fast" value set in A mode for faster moving subjects to get around this. Then if I want more nuance I switch to manual ISO
My problem with low light is shooting birds in flight in UK where the light is significantly lower than countries nearer to the equator with no cloud cover!! But agree with all you say Robin. These are my daytime settings so in the evening a problem occurs. - SS 1/3200, f8 (gives best sharpness when bird is a long way off) ISO 2500 using EM1 mark iii and 150-400mm + X1.25TC lens. I have managed to get photos of relatively stationary birds or animals at 21:00 with post editing in Affinity and Topaz DeNoise/Sharpening. Micro 4/3rds system and Olympus OMD-S and Panasonic are without doubt the best option for me. The above camera and lens goes with me on every trip or day out. Simply the easiest to carry when out shooting wildlife with great results. Stay safe and well. Peace 😊😊
At your encouragement I’ve been experimenting with using 64ISO, f22 images to slow the exposure for moving water in daylight. This is useful when you can’t go back later for better light. The results are impressive in spite of hand held and diffraction. Thanks for the tip.
Hey Doug, glad that technique worked out! Yes the diffraction will cause a bit of softness, but nothing too drastic, you still capture that motion blur successfully, and that's what matters
Thanks Robin, another informative and encouraging video. Following one of your earlier videos (200ASA low light challenge) I went out at night in my village with an EM-5 mkii and the excellent 17mm f 1.8 prime which I bought used on eBay. I was amazed at the clarity of the pictures and stability down to 2s at f1.8 and even longer times, getting car headlight trails mixed in with static street furniture. I now have the EM-1 mkiii and look forward to pushing times just that bit longer as the nights draw in. Your tips on getting the exposure right to prevent noise especially useful.
Glad you took up the ISO200 challenge, and I am glad it worked out great for you! A lot of people underestimated the capabilities of the 5-Axis IS, used properly, you don't see any noise at all!
Excellent and useful reminders. Thanks. With moving subjects in low light, I sometimes get more noise than I find acceptable. Topaz Denoise makes that a nonissue. It's easy and quick. Now I never worry about noise.
wonderful video Robin. It explains what is possible with Olympus cameras in low light. I appreciate the efforts you are making under difficult conditions.
I'd love to do it, but at the time being, I must stay safe and avoid being seen shooting extensively outside. Photography is still not allowed. But trust me, when I can, I will do my best, as always.
All valid points Robin and ones I entirely concur with . Keep off auto iso and shoot lowest iso possible is desirable . That said , it is the picture that matters most. By that I mean the story you are trying to convey. In that regards noise is secondary consideration . This is particularly true when shooting images of people in the street . Go for the drama every time. Landscape may require a little more punch and in that regards high iso may introduce noise . However, if it adds to the drama then that could prove dramatic , especially in foggy images or in bad weather like that of snow and rain. If your camera is not weather sealed , keep it dry and warm and out of salt water . It may also be a good idea to get accident insurance in case anything goes wrong . Fantastic tips Robin .
I personally noticed 1 more thing: sometimes it is useful to use exposure compensation shooting at night, since normal meter may tend to give lighter photos than I would like to get. Hopefully it helps
Depending on which mode you are shooting with, if I use Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority, I always have the exposure compensation adjusted somewhere to get the exposure that I need! So yes, always use the exposure compensation. Unless you shoot full manual.
The thing that you said at the end is the very exact reason why I'm switching to bridge camera for bird photography for the time being, because I don't want to get caught as if I'm doing professional photography with those big camera when in fact I'm just merely shooting for leisure.
i found your channel during the beginning of the pandemic and it has helped me be a better photographer. I still have room to grow but your advice is always practical!
All great info. Another possible suggestion if you have an X or markiii, use hand held hi-res (HHHR) mode. The oversampling dramatically lowers the noise, and you have a 50mp image that you could downsize to ~25mp for further noise reduction. Super low noise, and still a bigger file than the base 20mp. Of course this would be best for static subjects. Could use the tripod mode, but then would need a tripod 🤔, so for night street photography, the HHHR works really well.
The hand held high res shot will give about 2 stops cleaner image, especially at ISO3200 or higher, but with a cost. you need to have fast enough shutter speed (I'd think 1/100 or faster for the images to merge properly) and your subject must have zero movement. So at the end of the day, all things considered, it is not that practical in a lot of situations.
@@robinwong No doubt subject motion can be an issue so best for architectural images and calm nights. I've had success to 1 second exposure (being relatively steady for 16 seconds!), by bracing myself against a wall or sign. Folks have generated good astrophotography by using the HHHR on a tripod, there being the star motion replacing the slight jitter the camera expects gathering the 16 frames. Exposure should not be too long as star motion is not uniform (rotation about Polaris). This can be somewhat mitigated by shooting towards Polaris. Also other fixed (land based) subjects in the same frame will throw the merging off. I've tried this with limited success due to inadequate dark skies I have here.
I'm full frame type person, never tend to switch another format, but i like to watch your videos paman. Great content and i agree with you about taking photo on a low light situations, thought it's useful even with bigger sensor format. Sad to hear about lockdown in KL, hope this pandemic will end soon. Sehat selalu paman, salam from Indonesia.
I'm generally pretty happy with my Olympus primes in low light, and IBIS is often very useful, but I'm seriously struggling with fast moving subjects such as animals. Been trying to deal with the noise in post production, but at any value over 6400, it's not just noise, but colours that are way off too. I suppose I just might have to look at a system with a larger sensor eventually.
6:09 Hi Robin, are you going to do a review of this lens? I don't mind buying third party lenses from mainstream manufacturers like Sigma but there are a lot of very cheap brands now and I am a bit dubious about their quality. (btw I've got the Olympus 25mm f1.8 and it's excellent.)
I'd want to but not at this moment, photography is still a restricted activity so I can't go out and be seen shooting extensively. But whenever I can, I will do my best, as usual.
Hey Gabriel, great suggestion. One problem - I can't shoot anyone at the moment, with the partial lockdown and restrictions in place. As you can see my videos I did alone, so I was not breaking any rule. Once there was another person, I might end up in prison.
Thanks Robin. Confirmed much of what I'd arrived at through research and practice, always something to reconsider. Good tips on fully using and trusting ability of the image stabilisation and on exposing shot enough that sensor noise doesn't take over. Great info and explanation.
If shooting in difficult lighting situations, I prefer to use auto ISO in shutter priority mode. That way, I can quickly decide how low I'm willing to go in shutter speed to mediate noise for the situation. You're correct in saying that many fret too much over noise. When printed or viewed onscreen, noise is rarely a problem.
I actually did have a section where I talked about viewing images in screen vs print, and decided to cut that part out, because the video is getting a bit too long! And yes, noise is less noticeable in prints.
Thank you Robin for this rich feast of valuble tips. Much appreciated. I use an M5 mkiii also, and have decided this model has all the features i need. Kind regards, Mark. Further, see my documentary, Alaska Long Hunters, available on Prime Video. Blessings!
Nice work Robin - trying to decide between this camera EM5mk3 and G85 - so good to see some vlog footage, as well as photos. Great to see your smiling face and upbeat attitude. I'm in Lockdown here in New Zealand too :)
After seeing your video I decided to buy a used olympus omd em5m2. Honestly I really like the results of the Olympus camera. Thanks for your videos and keep up the good work.👍👍
1:16 Can you not choose the cap to the Auto ISO? On tme OMD EM10II, I can set the limit to 1600 or 2500 or whatever. However, of course, the camera might select the top ISO and give more noise than necessary.
Thanks! This is nice! I have been experimenting with Olympus cameras for the first time ever in my life and it is good to know these tips. I recently bought the Yongnuo 42.5 f1.7 thanks to one of your reviews, so definitely I would like to see one review of the 25mm 1.7. Thanks again.
Pushing ISO is just taking what (light) information you captured and amplifying it, wich leads to noise, just like it would in a guitar amp for instance. When you raise levels in post it is exactly the same, so a shot at 3200 ISO but underexposed one stop will just be an ISO 6400 shot in the end. Wich means you could also just meter at ISO 100, underexpose by six stops and be right back at an ISO 6400 shot. There might be a slight variance in the algorithm used by your camera and software for that amplification, but in the end it is the same process. It does not change the amount of light you capture one bit.
I'm so new to photography. I traded a tattoo for the Olympus OMD em10. I guess it their first generation. I don't plan to be a photographer. I want to use it for taking photos of my tattoos, everyone is using polar lenses these days and I feel like I need to jump on that wagon otherwise no one pays any attention to my portfolio anymore :(. I would really love to see a tutorial on what the settings would be on my camera for indoors to take photos of tattoo work with a polar lens and an led light i got to mount to the top of the camera.
The video was good and very helpful. And yes, the review of the Yongnuo please! Take care! PD: I agree with all the noise thing, is more important the moment.
THANKS ROBIN the most important thing for me is using fast primes such as the .095 and 1.2 lenses to keep ISO low as possible. ALSO thanks Robin for remindeing me of the no brainer of correct exposure which in critical shooting situations sometime I definitely forget....
Hi Robin, Thank you so much Robin for your amazing videos. I have been following you since my first Olympus camera many years ago. I hope you can help me with a question : How can I focus on Infinity when the lens has no distance scale ? I will be taking photos with no visible light source except the moon and the stars. I will be using an Olympus 17mm f 2.8 or Lumix 20mm f1.7 on a M5 Mark III or M10 Mark II. Also, as this will be on a boat, no tripod. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
A good list, I would also recommend a three-legged monopod like the cobra 2, as a great lightweight option for long exposures, without having to mess with bulky tripods. Secondly, software such as DxO pure raw and Topez Labs Denoiser can give you a couple of extra stops of noise-free images if the image was exposed correctly in the first place.
It's great that you can finally leave your apartment Robin! Have they eased up on the "no photography" edict? These are all great tips, especially the "do not underexpose" tip (as some people might be tempted to think they can underexpose and use a lower ISO for lower noise).
Hi, all agree with you, but i would suggest using the Panasonic 25mm F1.7 rather than the Yongnuo, i think it is selling at about the same price, and it is a very sharp lens with good autofocus
Hi Robin, thanks for your video. I am looking for a camera for candid street photography mainly. What Olympus camera you would recommend? Should I get a OM5, EM-5 Mark 3, EM-10 Mark 4 or EM-5 Mark 2? Or should I just use my old E-PL6? Thanks
Very usefull video - however I want to mention that nobody ever mentions the of amazing low ligth ability of OMD-1 Mark III and other Olympus cameras that can take handheld 50 Mp images by the use of a tecnique where up to 16 images taken in rapid succession are merged into one image. I have tested this tecnique even down to 1 second exposures for each of the 16 images - and it works well. First of all - corn is reduced by the merging of the images, so you can use a higher ISO. Maybe this could be the the subject of a future video.
I know you focus mainly on still photography but I couldn't help noticing the great video quality you're getting while walking around at night. Maybe some quick tips on that in the future?
Hey James, not sure if there is anything worthy to talk about the video aspect here, it was shot on E-M5 Mark III with flat profile, and I only did very minor color grading. AF with face detect, nothing fancy!
Small-scale noise is one thing ... you're right - not such a big deal most times. However strong splotchiness (in sky gradients for example) is truly awful and cannot be fixed by any denoise tool I am aware of. These splotches are much better in my EM5 III than in the mark II (which revealed horizontal lines along with the splotches), however these large splotches are still very, very distracting.
Great tips. I try to slightly overexpose when I can, so that I can naturally reduce noise when I pull back the exposure and highlight sliders in post. I'm also very curious as to what lens you were shooting this video with - the results looked really good.
Thanks Andrew, the overexpose bit was covered in the previous video of the same topic, so I did not repeat the same tip. The lens shall remain a mystery for now. All will be revealed soon! Stay tuned. What's life without a bit of mystery eh?
@@robinwong I think I must have missed that one, but after seeing your video from a couple of years ago about how much highlight detail you can recover from images taken on Olympus cameras, I really did start to embrace the ETTR philosophy, and I've never looked back! Looking forward to seeing the video that solves the mystery ;)
Hi Robin, great video. I wonder if you could tell me why I get lines across my images when using high iso with silent shutter in tricky light conditions. It does not happen with mechanical shutter. Many thanks. Bead.
Coming from a Nikon D90, I seem to really be struggling to get good sharp shots that aren't noisy in low-light. My Nikon got pretty good sharp shots with the kit lens in low-ish light, but this Olympus OMD Em5 Mk ii is giving me the fits--I just can't seem to get it right. Right now we've had very foggy conditions. I've used both my 14mm-150mm travel lens (not great for low light) and my 14mm 2.5 prime, and even a well-exposed shot at a low aperture will have some noise. Also, the autofocus will not focus worth a damn in lowlight if there isn't enough contrast. I've tried manually focusing with focus peaking and I'm still not getting good results...I'm no pro, so I must not be doing something right. :/.
Hi RW! How are you? Just wondring which camera did you use while taking a video of yourself? its really good and sharp! I have an em5 mkIII as well.... thanks! Stay Awesome!
Lawrence Chew commented that there were "lots of interruptions" in my video. Anyone experienced any interruptions? Was there anything wrong?
no interruptions here in Thailand
It played just fine for me in the USA
Thanks Michael and Hans, I got worried crazy, hopefully nothing went wrong with the video.
No problems in Czech Republic (watching in 1080p).
Nothing here from Indonesia, maybe his internet connection has problem
8:57 "Noise is NOT the end of the world!" Golden lesson.
When I used film my favourite was Ilford HP5 which is ISO 400 and therefore somewhat grainy. It's a good film to push to 800 and 1600 which increases grain which many film photographers like, in the same way people like shallow depth of field and bokeh.
Noise is not the end of the world, but lockdowns are the beginning of the end of the world :-( Really hoping you get your freedom back in Malaysia soon
@@cmartin_ok Death is the ultimate end of freedom.
@@TCizauskas This is sadly true :-(
guys guys guys a bit too early to talk about death. let's just discuss high ISO noise please.
Excellent tips, Robin. My credo is, if you notice the noise, the photo is not interesting enough.
Thanks Plato, and yes that is a very good tip too!
but if you convert the photo to BW, it became a whole new feels on it with noises. ^^
Agreed..👍
Thank you, Mr. Wong. After watching your video, I took my Mark IV to the park at 9 p.m., where there are no businesses or buildings to get light from other than light posts that are smothered by trees. I had my iso set to 800 only and had the time of my life! Some of the most fun I've had shooting came last night. What started to be a challenge became an official photo shoot with pictures saved for my gallery, which I didn't expect. Thank you so much for inspiring the challenge. I simply adore my Olympus Mark IV. I put it to the challenge, and it went above and beyond the challenge. The image stabilization was instrumental in the shoot, something my canon may have struggled with.
Beautiful! KL looks so good and I wish I was there to try those low light tips with you.
Wish you were here too! KL misses you
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
It's so good to see you out and about again in videos! I actually like the walk around style. But mostly, it's just good to see you happier and more free again! :)
And of course, great content as always!
Thanks Arian, it was good to be out and about again. No more being trapped in that room!
Robin, you re really GREAT. One of the best "emotional: photographers in the world. You re talking to our hearts. I am a Panasonic guy, i use MFT for 10 years now and i LOVE it. Panasonic G9 with PanaLeica 25mm 1.4 and the Olympus 75mm 1,8 is my best and only combo. You helped me a lot. Thank you!
Thanks Andreas, appreciate the kind words. I am a practical person, so I try to be as straightforward as possible. The difference between me and a lot of other "UA-camrs" or "reviewers", I am a real photographer!
DXO is a game changer. With it there is no more noise issues.
It's absolutely outstanding. It's witchcraft 🤣
DXO DEEP PRIME noise reduction goes beyond what I thought possible.. Up to now noise reduction was just blurring. Robin, tell Olympus to include DXO Deep prime with every camera.
@@stan3223 Hi Stan, great idea. I would propose to implement it to the raw processor for post production in the camera due to the need of processing power.
@ Robin Great video and tipps as allways Robin 😀
The Adobe AI denoise is also pretty magical, but you do still loose a lot of detail compared to an exposure where you captured more actual light information. Not because of the denoise, but just because the information was never there in the first place.
I thoroughly enjoy your videos! You enthusiasm for the OM-D system is contagious! Great tips! Thanks!
That bit about capturing memories and moments that you capture for your clients is so important! Especially on here, it's so easy to be distracted by the technical/technological aspects.
No interruptions that I could notice.And again very good points. Also with the excellent noise reduction editing programs eg. DXO, Topas etc. noise really is not a problem anymore.
Thanks Leon. I was going nuts tying to figure out what went wrong. I mean, if the video is really bad, I don't mind taking it down, fix the problem and reuploading it!
Another vote for Topaz. I find it really good when I've forgotten Robin's other tips. I also think that all reviewers should have these points drummed in whenever a micro four thirds camera is reviewed. Few have the wit to use stabilisation to control iso!
@@brianlaunchbury4491 yepp.. unfortunately they just mention that low light performance is worse, that's it. Yeah, it may be worse. But when you combine 1.8 prime with stabilization and noise reduction.. wouldn't that be enough for most people?
Noise is not the end of the world 👌👌👌👌 i absolutely agree 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks!
Especially when paired with DXO Pure raw which is some sort of sorcery :)
Hey Robin, I have a good tip for using Auto ISO in low light. You can set the minimum shutter speed value in the “ISO-Auto Set" menu. That way if you're comfortable shooting at 1/15 of a second, you can set the “Lowest S/S Setting" to 1/15 and the ISO value will only rise until it can meet 1/15 of a second.
That is a good suggestion but it does not work for me. If I am shooting wide angle and there is nothing moving, I can slow down my shutter speed to 2-3 seconds. Then if I need to shoot fast moving subjects, I need my speed to be at least 1/200 or faster. Depending on what lens too, if I use wide angle, I can go slower, then if I use say the 75mm lens, I may want to stay at 1/50 or faster. So there is no one set of "minimum shutter speed" as my shooting conditions vary so much from one shoot to another.
@@robinwong Yeah that can be an issue. I actually have a “slow" shutter speed value set and assigned to my C3 setting and a "fast" value set in A mode for faster moving subjects to get around this. Then if I want more nuance I switch to manual ISO
I use Auto ISO almost all the time, but with a limiter. And it is set from 800 to 3200 depends on a lens and a particular shooting scenario.
Using the limiter is a good idea. And override the ISO when needed. Good suggestion.
The fantastic IBIS makes high ISO unnecessary in most scenarios, albeit not in all. 😉
My problem with low light is shooting birds in flight in UK where the light is significantly lower than countries nearer to the equator with no cloud cover!! But agree with all you say Robin. These are my daytime settings so in the evening a problem occurs. - SS 1/3200, f8 (gives best sharpness when bird is a long way off) ISO 2500 using EM1 mark iii and 150-400mm + X1.25TC lens. I have managed to get photos of relatively stationary birds or animals at 21:00 with post editing in Affinity and Topaz DeNoise/Sharpening. Micro 4/3rds system and Olympus OMD-S and Panasonic are without doubt the best option for me. The above camera and lens goes with me on every trip or day out. Simply the easiest to carry when out shooting wildlife with great results. Stay safe and well. Peace 😊😊
Pleasure to see your smiling face, outside! Missing KL so badly... And Kuching... Hope to be back in 2022.. thanks..❤️
At your encouragement I’ve been experimenting with using 64ISO, f22 images to slow the exposure for moving water in daylight. This is useful when you can’t go back later for better light. The results are impressive in spite of hand held and diffraction. Thanks for the tip.
Hey Doug, glad that technique worked out! Yes the diffraction will cause a bit of softness, but nothing too drastic, you still capture that motion blur successfully, and that's what matters
Thanks Robin, another informative and encouraging video. Following one of your earlier videos (200ASA low light challenge) I went out at night in my village with an EM-5 mkii and the excellent 17mm f 1.8 prime which I bought used on eBay. I was amazed at the clarity of the pictures and stability down to 2s at f1.8 and even longer times, getting car headlight trails mixed in with static street furniture. I now have the EM-1 mkiii and look forward to pushing times just that bit longer as the nights draw in. Your tips on getting the exposure right to prevent noise especially useful.
Glad you took up the ISO200 challenge, and I am glad it worked out great for you! A lot of people underestimated the capabilities of the 5-Axis IS, used properly, you don't see any noise at all!
Plus the noise removal software available is amazing if it bothers you.
Excellent and useful reminders. Thanks. With moving subjects in low light, I sometimes get more noise than I find acceptable. Topaz Denoise makes that a nonissue. It's easy and quick. Now I never worry about noise.
Prime lens - the 60mm f2.8 is good too. I love this lens in low light situations.
wonderful video Robin. It explains what is possible with Olympus cameras in low light. I appreciate the efforts you are making under difficult conditions.
Thanks Chris, and no worries, I will continue to do what I can. More videos coming.
Hi Robin, please, make the review of Yongnuo 25/1.7, and especially comparison with Olympus 25/1.8. Nice to see you outside again!
I would also like to see the Lumix 25mm 1.7 compared as it doesn‘t cost much too.
I'd love to do it, but at the time being, I must stay safe and avoid being seen shooting extensively outside. Photography is still not allowed. But trust me, when I can, I will do my best, as always.
Love seeing you out and about. Always great info you share. Thank you. Olympus ❤️
Thanks Paul, glad to be able to go out finally
All valid points Robin and ones I entirely concur with . Keep off auto iso and shoot lowest iso possible is desirable . That said , it is the picture that matters most. By that I mean the story you are trying to convey. In that regards noise is secondary consideration . This is particularly true when shooting images of people in the street . Go for the drama every time. Landscape may require a little more punch and in that regards high iso may introduce noise . However, if it adds to the drama then that could prove dramatic , especially in foggy images or in bad weather like that of snow and rain. If your camera is not weather sealed , keep it dry and warm and out of salt water . It may also be a good idea to get accident insurance in case anything goes wrong . Fantastic tips Robin .
Thanks Carmen! I like how your tips stretch all the way to insurance for accidents!
Excellent as ever Robin...Back to Basics practical Tips from a Genuine professional Practicing and passionate Photographer.
Always go back to basics! Thanks
You're the best Robin. Stay safe!
Thanks Alan
Just purchased an OM-D EM10 mk 3 and subscribed to your channel today. Loving the videos Robin - thank you.
Thanks James, appreciate that
Your videos teach me so much as a beginner!
Great Robin! I follow your videos with great interest. Always pro and clear.
best photography channel 🙏
Great video Robin! Stay safe 🙂
Thanks Jeff!
Thank you Robin, greetings from Poland.
I personally noticed 1 more thing: sometimes it is useful to use exposure compensation shooting at night, since normal meter may tend to give lighter photos than I would like to get. Hopefully it helps
I almost always underexpose by -0.3EV because I find the meter tends to overexpose by about that much...
Depending on which mode you are shooting with, if I use Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority, I always have the exposure compensation adjusted somewhere to get the exposure that I need! So yes, always use the exposure compensation. Unless you shoot full manual.
Yeah I’m not a fan of night photos taken at +-0 EV. I shoot at -3 EV or go manual.
I agree.
The thing that you said at the end is the very exact reason why I'm switching to bridge camera for bird photography for the time being, because I don't want to get caught as if I'm doing professional photography with those big camera when in fact I'm just merely shooting for leisure.
As long as you can get the results you are happy with, then everything else does not matter!
i found your channel during the beginning of the pandemic and it has helped me be a better photographer. I still have room to grow but your advice is always practical!
All great info. Another possible suggestion if you have an X or markiii, use hand held hi-res (HHHR) mode. The oversampling dramatically lowers the noise, and you have a 50mp image that you could downsize to ~25mp for further noise reduction. Super low noise, and still a bigger file than the base 20mp. Of course this would be best for static subjects. Could use the tripod mode, but then would need a tripod 🤔, so for night street photography, the HHHR works really well.
The hand held high res shot will give about 2 stops cleaner image, especially at ISO3200 or higher, but with a cost. you need to have fast enough shutter speed (I'd think 1/100 or faster for the images to merge properly) and your subject must have zero movement. So at the end of the day, all things considered, it is not that practical in a lot of situations.
@@robinwong No doubt subject motion can be an issue so best for architectural images and calm nights. I've had success to 1 second exposure (being relatively steady for 16 seconds!), by bracing myself against a wall or sign.
Folks have generated good astrophotography by using the HHHR on a tripod, there being the star motion replacing the slight jitter the camera expects gathering the 16 frames. Exposure should not be too long as star motion is not uniform (rotation about Polaris). This can be somewhat mitigated by shooting towards Polaris. Also other fixed (land based) subjects in the same frame will throw the merging off. I've tried this with limited success due to inadequate dark skies I have here.
I'm full frame type person, never tend to switch another format, but i like to watch your videos paman. Great content and i agree with you about taking photo on a low light situations, thought it's useful even with bigger sensor format. Sad to hear about lockdown in KL, hope this pandemic will end soon. Sehat selalu paman, salam from Indonesia.
I'm generally pretty happy with my Olympus primes in low light, and IBIS is often very useful, but I'm seriously struggling with fast moving subjects such as animals. Been trying to deal with the noise in post production, but at any value over 6400, it's not just noise, but colours that are way off too. I suppose I just might have to look at a system with a larger sensor eventually.
I don't mind to underexpose by -2,0 because there is enough detail left for me. I don't want the night to become like day.
Thank you for your useful tips.
Another video with great useful tips!
Thank you Robin!
Thanks Rafael, glad you found the tips useful.
6:09 Hi Robin, are you going to do a review of this lens? I don't mind buying third party lenses from mainstream manufacturers like Sigma but there are a lot of very cheap brands now and I am a bit dubious about their quality.
(btw I've got the Olympus 25mm f1.8 and it's excellent.)
I'd want to but not at this moment, photography is still a restricted activity so I can't go out and be seen shooting extensively. But whenever I can, I will do my best, as usual.
Hi, Robin. Great video! Suggestion: How about a video on low light portraits using on/off camera flashes with the OMD system? Thanks.
Hey Gabriel, great suggestion. One problem - I can't shoot anyone at the moment, with the partial lockdown and restrictions in place. As you can see my videos I did alone, so I was not breaking any rule. Once there was another person, I might end up in prison.
Thanks Robin. Confirmed much of what I'd arrived at through research and practice, always something to reconsider. Good tips on fully using and trusting ability of the image stabilisation and on exposing shot enough that sensor noise doesn't take over. Great info and explanation.
I am glad you made it out of the alley after being followed by the red car.
Thank you for reminding what an awesome camera system I bought into. That IBIS really is amazing.
If shooting in difficult lighting situations, I prefer to use auto ISO in shutter priority mode. That way, I can quickly decide how low I'm willing to go in shutter speed to mediate noise for the situation. You're correct in saying that many fret too much over noise. When printed or viewed onscreen, noise is rarely a problem.
Good one
I actually did have a section where I talked about viewing images in screen vs print, and decided to cut that part out, because the video is getting a bit too long! And yes, noise is less noticeable in prints.
Thank you Robin for this rich feast of valuble tips. Much appreciated. I use an M5 mkiii also, and have decided this model has all the features i need. Kind regards, Mark. Further, see my documentary, Alaska Long Hunters, available on Prime Video. Blessings!
Another good video and reinforces what I currently do. No interruptions noticed.
Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.
Hy Robin Wong, thanks for your videos. I really like the practical examples you do. Greetings from Italy.
Nice work Robin - trying to decide between this camera EM5mk3 and G85 - so good to see some vlog footage, as well as photos. Great to see your smiling face and upbeat attitude. I'm in Lockdown here in New Zealand too :)
Always true what you say. Hope you are doing well Robin.
Thanks Robin for making this video , this video will be very useful to me . As I just bought myself a Olympus camera.
After seeing your video I decided to buy a used olympus omd em5m2. Honestly I really like the results of the Olympus camera. Thanks for your videos and keep up the good work.👍👍
1:16 Can you not choose the cap to the Auto ISO? On tme OMD EM10II, I can set the limit to 1600 or 2500 or whatever. However, of course, the camera might select the top ISO and give more noise than necessary.
Hello Robin Wong,
greetings from Germany. Thank you very much for your tips. Please keep it up.
Lg
Thanks! This is nice! I have been experimenting with Olympus cameras for the first time ever in my life and it is good to know these tips. I recently bought the Yongnuo 42.5 f1.7 thanks to one of your reviews, so definitely I would like to see one review of the 25mm 1.7. Thanks again.
I don't remember reviewing the Yongnuo 42.5mm, that must have been another UA-camr, but yes I look forward to testing the Yongnuo 25mm F1.7
Pushing ISO is just taking what (light) information you captured and amplifying it, wich leads to noise, just like it would in a guitar amp for instance. When you raise levels in post it is exactly the same, so a shot at 3200 ISO but underexposed one stop will just be an ISO 6400 shot in the end. Wich means you could also just meter at ISO 100, underexpose by six stops and be right back at an ISO 6400 shot. There might be a slight variance in the algorithm used by your camera and software for that amplification, but in the end it is the same process. It does not change the amount of light you capture one bit.
I'm so new to photography. I traded a tattoo for the Olympus OMD em10. I guess it their first generation. I don't plan to be a photographer. I want to use it for taking photos of my tattoos, everyone is using polar lenses these days and I feel like I need to jump on that wagon otherwise no one pays any attention to my portfolio anymore :(.
I would really love to see a tutorial on what the settings would be on my camera for indoors to take photos of tattoo work with a polar lens and an led light i got to mount to the top of the camera.
Thanks Robin, keep up your good work
No worries Marian, glad I can share
The video was good and very helpful. And yes, the review of the Yongnuo please! Take care! PD: I agree with all the noise thing, is more important the moment.
Thanks Noella, I will get to the Yongnuo lens whenever I can.
As always, thank you. This was so helpful.
Thank you very much, Robin... 👌👍👍🙏
No worries, glad I can share
THANKS ROBIN the most important thing for me is using fast primes such as the .095 and 1.2 lenses to keep ISO low as possible. ALSO thanks Robin for remindeing me of the no brainer of correct exposure which in critical shooting situations sometime I definitely forget....
I hope we Malaysians can start resuming our normal activities in the near future. Miss seeing your outdoor videos Mr Robin 😁✌️
I wish the same too.
I think you may have addressed this but what about capturing motion in low light…200th of second and above? Stage performance, sport etc?
Hi Robin,
Thank you so much Robin for your amazing videos. I have been following you since my first Olympus camera many years ago. I hope you can help me with a question : How can I focus on Infinity when the lens has no distance scale ? I will be taking photos with no visible light source except the moon and the stars. I will be using an Olympus 17mm f 2.8 or Lumix 20mm f1.7 on a M5 Mark III or M10 Mark II. Also, as this will be on a boat, no tripod. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
A good list, I would also recommend a three-legged monopod like the cobra 2, as a great lightweight option for long exposures, without having to mess with bulky tripods. Secondly, software such as DxO pure raw and Topez Labs Denoiser can give you a couple of extra stops of noise-free images if the image was exposed correctly in the first place.
It's great that you can finally leave your apartment Robin! Have they eased up on the "no photography" edict? These are all great tips, especially the "do not underexpose" tip (as some people might be tempted to think they can underexpose and use a lower ISO for lower noise).
I love this guy so much.😳
Goods tips , thanks Robin.
Thanks Ivan! Appreciate that
Hi, all agree with you, but i would suggest using the Panasonic 25mm F1.7 rather than the Yongnuo, i think it is selling at about the same price, and it is a very sharp lens with good autofocus
i shoot at iso 3200 with my em10 m3 and very satisfied. with some image process, the result is amazing
That cat is adorable!!!
Meow
Thank you, this is very helpful content.
Good topic ... good tips! Appreciated!
Hi Robin, thanks for your video. I am looking for a camera for candid street photography mainly. What Olympus camera you would recommend? Should I get a OM5, EM-5 Mark 3, EM-10 Mark 4 or EM-5 Mark 2? Or should I just use my old E-PL6? Thanks
Hi Robin..excellent tutorials. just wanna ask if it is possible to adapt canon 430exii flash on olympus body? I am getting em5 markiii. thank you.
Very usefull video - however I want to mention that nobody ever mentions the of amazing low ligth ability of OMD-1 Mark III and other Olympus cameras that can take handheld 50 Mp images by the use of a tecnique where up to 16 images taken in rapid succession are merged into one image.
I have tested this tecnique even down to 1 second exposures for each of the 16 images - and it works well. First of all - corn is reduced by the merging of the images, so you can use a higher ISO. Maybe this could be the the subject of a future video.
Great Review, And Great Information!! Thank You!!
Thanks Doug, glad I can share
Yes please, do the review for YN lens
Thanks Daniel. I will test the lens whenever I can.
Great reminder...thanks very much.
No worries, glad I can share
Excellent video as always! Don’t worry about not being able to use a tripod. The excellent content is what matters.
Thank you Robin📷👌🏼.
Thanks Robin!
No worries
Its a good option The omd 5 the first one for $200 body only?
I know you focus mainly on still photography but I couldn't help noticing the great video quality you're getting while walking around at night. Maybe some quick tips on that in the future?
Hey James, not sure if there is anything worthy to talk about the video aspect here, it was shot on E-M5 Mark III with flat profile, and I only did very minor color grading. AF with face detect, nothing fancy!
I mostly shot film in the last couple years and find myself adding “film grain” in post because it all looks too sterile without a bit of noise;)
Small-scale noise is one thing ... you're right - not such a big deal most times. However strong splotchiness (in sky gradients for example) is truly awful and cannot be fixed by any denoise tool I am aware of. These splotches are much better in my EM5 III than in the mark II (which revealed horizontal lines along with the splotches), however these large splotches are still very, very distracting.
Great tips. I try to slightly overexpose when I can, so that I can naturally reduce noise when I pull back the exposure and highlight sliders in post.
I'm also very curious as to what lens you were shooting this video with - the results looked really good.
Thanks Andrew, the overexpose bit was covered in the previous video of the same topic, so I did not repeat the same tip. The lens shall remain a mystery for now. All will be revealed soon! Stay tuned. What's life without a bit of mystery eh?
@@robinwong I think I must have missed that one, but after seeing your video from a couple of years ago about how much highlight detail you can recover from images taken on Olympus cameras, I really did start to embrace the ETTR philosophy, and I've never looked back!
Looking forward to seeing the video that solves the mystery ;)
@@AndrewSowerby were you able to solve the mystery LOL ?
@@mahindramungara6643 sure, by watching Robin's Yongnuo 25mm f/1.7 review video 😉
Hi Robin, great video. I wonder if you could tell me why I get lines across my images when using high iso with silent shutter in tricky light conditions. It does not happen with mechanical shutter. Many thanks. Bead.
what about lumix 25mm f1.7 ??
Coming from a Nikon D90, I seem to really be struggling to get good sharp shots that aren't noisy in low-light. My Nikon got pretty good sharp shots with the kit lens in low-ish light, but this Olympus OMD Em5 Mk ii is giving me the fits--I just can't seem to get it right. Right now we've had very foggy conditions. I've used both my 14mm-150mm travel lens (not great for low light) and my 14mm 2.5 prime, and even a well-exposed shot at a low aperture will have some noise. Also, the autofocus will not focus worth a damn in lowlight if there isn't enough contrast. I've tried manually focusing with focus peaking and I'm still not getting good results...I'm no pro, so I must not be doing something right. :/.
You might want to consider the TT Artisan 17mm f/1.4 too which may be had for less than RM500. Although I will just stick to my Olympus 17mm f/1.8
No Autofocus, no go for Robin Wong
Thank you.
Great video. Stay safe!
Thanks!
Hi RW! How are you? Just wondring which camera did you use while taking a video of yourself? its really good and sharp! I have an em5 mkIII as well.... thanks! Stay Awesome!
Thanks. It was the E-M5 Mark III. Same as your camera.
Great video form a lovely nice man.