Big test
PERFORMANCE: ISO
exhibition-level results out of shots at this ISO. Take another step up to ISO 3200 and digital noise was in plain sight, even at 100%. But it was neutral and consistent, rather than coloured and blotchy – which was usually the case in older Micro Four Thirds cameras. I also put these shots through Topaz software and the results looked good, with a modest impact on detail. It will be interesting to see how the Raws fare in DxO PureRaw 2.
incredibly impressive. You had to pixel peep at 200% in order to find any noise in the shadows and midtones. That is no surprise given the low light levels in this scene – but even at this speed, image quality rates highly. Move on to ISO 1600 and, of course, digital noise has a greater impact, with regular grey mottling in affected areas. However, it’s not too bad at all. Use some noise reduction in processing, or a specialist app like Topaz Labs DeNoise AI, and you get
To demonstrate performance at high ISOs, the OM-1 and 20mm f/1.4 were mounted on a Gitzo Traveler 1 tripod, with exposures made of this City of London scene. The ISO 200 frame was exposed at 5secs at f/5.6. All in-camera noise reduction was turned off, Raws put through Lightroom and colour corrected with default NR. In the ISO range up to 800, the OM-1 and its new sensor proved a very decent performer. At ISO 200 and 100%, on-screen detail looked
CITY POSER Taken during the Photo 24 night bus tour organised by Timeline Events – the re-enactor was Derrick Thompson. Shot using the 20mm lens, with an exposure of 1/15sec at f/1.4 and ISO 400
BUS RUN This frame was from a sequence of 48 shots taken with the OM-1 in continuous AF. Shot with the 40-150mm f/4 at 100mm, with an exposure of 1/160sec at f/11 and ISO 200
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The menu structure has been completely reworked. The OM-1 has coloured tabs running across the top: one for video, one for playback and two for camera set-up. A ‘My’ page exists for items you want to access quickly. The thing is, as cameras acquire more features, it’s inevitable that menus get deeper, increasingly complex and less navigable. It is subjective, but I thought that was the case with the E-M1 Mark III and E-M1X. The OM-1’s menu delivery is better. It’s not perfect (no menu is), but it’s good once you get familiar with where core items are located. For example, the computational photo features are found on camera tab 2, page 1. How deep and how often you dig into the menus is a personal matter. You may find that all you need is the touch-sensitive Super Control Panel. Here, white-balance, autofocus modes and exposure compensation can be fine-tuned – but not the computational photo features. The Super Control Panel is handy and good to use. Yet it would be even better if it was editable a la Fujifilm X Series cameras, in which you can choose how many items are on show and their position.
After a short time with the camera, I decided to change the movie record button to another function. In stills, one push of this takes you straight into High Res Shot mode. Using it together with the rear input dial gives the option of Handheld or Tripod High Res Shot. On more than one occasion, I picked up the camera to grab a picture and found I was accidentally in this setting, so the chance was missed. High Res Shot mode is incredibly useful, with the tripod option giving 80-megapixel files and the handheld version 50-megapixel files. But given it’s not a feature required regularly, and a static subject is needed to appreciate it, making this a default function seems an odd choice. “AS CAMERAS ACQUIRE MORE FEATURES, IT’S INEVITABLE THAT MENUS GET MORE COMPLEX AND LESS NAVIGABLE”
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Issue 100 | Photography News 57
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