My first shoot with the OM-D. I am quite pleased with the camera and IQ on the whole. I think the file quality is pretty close to the 7D, with a slight edge going to the 7D. I do think the OM-D is a keeper ... but I am not ready to give up my FF Canon just yet.

First 3 images with the Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm. Portrait image with the M. Zuiko 45/1.8.

More images here:

http://yinyang.zenfolio.com/p491742278

~Bobby

Wow!!!! Looks good to me Bobby!!

WOW !

I can do that with my OM-D, too ?

Looks very nice Bobby (and you have a very good eye ).

OT: have you compared the Olympus 12mm f/2 with the Panasonic 7-14? I've seen some low ISO images with the 12mm prime that did not seem that impressive to me, and some with the zoom that look better. I am trying to determine if this is typical, or if that particular lens was a bit softer than normal.

Thanks Conrad!

Conrad Tan wrote:
Wow!!!! Looks good to me Bobby!!

Thanks! Indeed, you can ... but a good m43 lens helps a great deal! Because the sensor is so small, you will need all the help you can get from a high-resolving lens.

IDURITA wrote:
WOW !

I can do that with my OM-D, too ?

Thank you, Gary! I had not considered the Zuiko 12mm as it's about the same price as the Lumix 7-14 and the Lumix is every bit as sharp as the 12mm prime. To me, the 7-12mm is a mini replica of the Nikon 14-24 which I had before and loved it ... but didn't enjoy MF on my Canon body. Love the 14-28mm range (in 35mm terms) instead of being stuck with just a 24mm lens. Plus the 7-14 is just gorgeous.

garyvot wrote:
Looks very nice Bobby (and you have a very good eye ).

OT: have you compared the Olympus 12mm f/2 with the Panasonic 7-14? I've seen some low ISO images with the 12mm prime that did not seem that impressive to me, and some with the zoom that look better. I am trying to determine if this is typical, or if that particular lens was a bit softer than normal.

bobbytan wrote:
Thank you, Gary! I had not considered the Zuiko 12mm as it's about the same price as the Lumix 7-14 and the Lumix is every bit as sharp as the 12mm prime. To me, the 7-12mm is a mini replica of the Nikon 14-24 which I had before and loved it ... but didn't enjoy MF on my Canon body. Love the 14-28mm range (in 35mm terms) instead of being stuck with just a 24mm lens. Plus the 7-14 is just gorgeous.


I hear you; the 7-14 seems impressive for sure.

I do some events and tend to like faster apertures and primes. Especially with the smaller sensor I think having a quality wide prime with an f/2 aperture would help in keeping the ISO speeds down some. But the 12mm sample images I have seen have not wowed me... I suppose I'll just have to try one if I get hold of an E-M5.

Gary, you cannot go wrong with either lens ... but you may want to wait for the Panasonic 12-35/2.8 lens instead. All 3 lenses are extremely good. And let's not forget the recently announced Schneider 14/2 lens!

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/06/a-weekend-with-the-panasonic-12-35-f2-8

I know some of ya'll are real critical and all enamored with the exotic expensive 3rd party lenses. But for the OMD just hanging out and to be able to just snap something like this off for me is a treat. After years of lugging around full DSLR setups to accomplish the same this is a welcome change. With just the lowly kit 12-50 lens on the OMD.

traveler wrote:
I know some of ya'll are real critical and all enamored with the exotic expensive 3rd party lenses. But for the OMD just hanging out and to be able to just snap something like this off for me is a treat. After years of lugging around full DSLR setups to accomplish the same this is a welcome change. With just the lowly kit 12-50 lens on the OMD.

That is actually freaking good for a kit lens! I have not even mounted the 12-50 lens to my OM-D yet as I have been busy with the 7-14 and 45/1.8 ... and will be busy this weekend with the PL 25/1.4 lens. Nothing against consumer-grade kit lenses (I did get one) but I generally prefer fast lenses, prime or zoom.

Here's a test shot I took with the Lumix 100-300mm @ 100mm and 300mm (200mm and 600mm respectively) ... and my Canon 70-200L II + 1.4x III at 200mm i.e. equivalent to 560mm ... focussed manually, of course, on the OM-D. Both images were shot on a tripod. I am actually quite impressed by the Lumix 100-300's performance.

And here's a crop (close to 100%) of the Lumix and Canon images. It could be my poor MF on the Canon but the Panasonic lens certainly looks good considering it's not in the same league as the Canon 70-200/2.8L Mk II ... TC 1.4x III notwithstanding! I have shot with the Canon lens on the 5D Mk II and there is a very insignificant loss of IQ with the TC. The Lumix 100-300 has exceeded my expectations based on this simple test. It's a keeper.

Not bad for a $600 zoom Bobby.

I know! Maybe it won't be so embarrassing to shoot with this lens at Bosque del Apache. I know one person who be will be sniggering at me. I had thought about renting a 300/4L to put on my OM-D ... but I am thinking that's not a good idea. MF won't work for me. Maybe I will rent the M Zuiko 75-300 instead, as it's supposed to be optically superior to the 100-300 - especially at the 300mm end where the Lumix is said to be quite weak.

thedigitalbean wrote:
Not bad for a $600 zoom Bobby.

The problem with the M43 long zooms right now is they are so slow (being optimized for small size to match the original system concept).

Yet, the OM-D appears to be a real alternative to a DSLR, at least for some uses.

Has anyone tried any of Olympus' faster glass for 4/3, like the 50-200 f/2.8-3.5 on the E-M5? Is the AF really that slow?

garyvot wrote:
The problem with the M43 long zooms right now is they are so slow (being optimized for small size to match the original system concept).

Yet, the OM-D appears to be a real alternative to a DSLR, at least for some uses.

Has anyone tried any of Olympus' faster glass for 4/3, like the 50-200 f/2.8-3.5 on the E-M5? Is the AF really that slow?

I will be doing a quick test tomorrow of the Zuiko 50-200 and 12-60 SWD lenses and will compare them to the Lumix 100-300 and M. Zuiko 12-50 tomorrow.

A quick shoot with the Panasonic Lumix 100-300mm lens. All images hand-held.

See the full set here:

http://yinyang.zenfolio.com/p564299451

~Bobby

Bobby, looks like you have a winner here! After carting the 1D plus large lenses around for years I'm considering a light weight set up. Of course your photog expertise shows through in your equipment, whatever you choose. These are very impressive! Do you know offhand what the length equivilent of 100- 300 mm is to a standard ff dslr? Say compared to a canon dslr with a 400mm on it?

bTW, I checked Irvine Park for the Mandarin just a few days ago and its not there. In fact most of the wood ducks were gone also. I dont know if they migrate.

have fun with your new toy, it looks like the rich colors and quality is a no brainer!
Linda

The 100-300 is equivalent to a 200-600mm on full frame (as far as field of view goes).