Photography News 115 - Newsletter

Big test

SPECS ›  Prices £2199 body only. £2699 with 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro Mark II lens ›  In the box Body, body cap, BLX-1 lithium-ion battery, strap ›  Resolution Native 20.4 megapixels, 5184x3888pixels ›  Sensor Micro Four Thirds 17.3x13mm, Truepic X engine ›  Image formats 12-bit Raw, JPEG ›  Storage media Dual slot: SD/SDHC/SDXC card, UHS-II ›  ISO range 200-25,600, expanded 80-102,400 ›  In-body image stabiliser Five-axis image sensor shift with 8.5EV benefit (body only) ›  Shutter 1/8000sec to 60secs, B up to 30mins. ›  Exposure system PASM, 324 ESP metering, centre-weighted, spot, highlight, shadow ›  Exposure compensation +/-5EV on dial, AE bracketing 2, 3, 5, 7 frames ›  Monitor 3.2in fully articulated touch panel, 1620k dots ›  Viewfinder 5760k dots ›  Autofocus TTL phase difference detection system, contrast detection. 1053 cross-type phase detection, 1053 contrast AF points. Single target, small target (9 Electronic silent shutter, 1/32,000sec to 60secs. Flash sync 1/250sec, up to 1/8000sec in Super FP mode points), cross target (39 points), middle target (63 points), large target (165 points). Custom target with four saved options. Intelligent subject detection AF includes aircraft, trains, birds, helicopters, human, trains ›  Drive modes Continuous shooting: anti-shock mode 10fps (up to 139 Raws). Silent mode 20fps (108 Raws); SH2 50fps (96 Raws); and SH1 up to 120fps (92 Raws). Raw buffer 213 frames approx ›  Pro Capture 20fps, SH1 (up to 120fps), SH2 (25/50fps) ›  Handheld High-Res Shot JPEG 8160x6120/5760x4320 pixels, Raw 8160x6120, 12/14-bit, 8 shots merged ›  Tripod High-Res Shot JPEG, 10,368x7776/8160x6120/ 5760x4320 pixels ›  Video MOV/MPEG-4A/H.264 4096x2160 (C4K) 24p/25p/30p/50p/60p 3840x2160 (4K UHD) 24p/25p/30p/50p/60p ›  Battery BLX-1 lithium-ion rated at 520 shots ›  Connectivity HDMI Type D, USB-C, 3.5mm headphone and microphone sockets, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth ›  Other key features (still) USB charging, multiple exposure, art filters, four My Modes, Raw editing, 2x teleconverter effect, Live ND, Live GND ›  Dimensions (wxhxd) 138.8x91.6x72.7mm ›  Body weight 599g (with card and battery) ›  Contact explore.omsystem.com

PERFORMANCE: EXPOSURE LATITUDE

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To observe the exposure latitude of the OM-1 Mark II’s Raws, we shot exposure brackets in various lighting conditions. With this scene, the overexposed shots to +2 were corrected nicely with the bright sky, showing good tone and colour saturation and looking very similar to the correctly exposed shot. The +3EV shot showed a loss of colour saturation, while the cloud detail was bleached out and could not be recovered. Underexposure was handled much better. The -4EV shot had a brownish colour cast but no such problems from the -3EV shot, though graining was evident. Grain was finer with the -2EV shot, even less at -1EV, which looked identical to the correct exposure.

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Overall, the OM-1 Mark II’s upgraded AF is a significant benefit for stills and video, but the thorough test of the 150-600mm highlighted its occasional shortcomings. Shake-free shooting is always a positive and the in-body image stabiliser in the OM-1 Mark II is quoted at giving an 8.5EV benefit – an extra 1.5EV improvement over its predecessor. Taking a 50mm- equivalent lens as an example and using the traditional reciprocal rule, a shutter speed of 1/60sec would be the minimum for handholding; an 8.5EV benefit equates to shooting handheld at 6secs. I conducted tests with a 12-40mm f/2.8 at 25mm and the 150-600mm at both ends of its range using the normal shutter. Starting with the 150-600mm at 150mm, where the

STEADY AIM The Micro Four Thirds size is a key benefit – there’s no denying the OM-1 Mark II makes the most of that. The deep grip, though, provides a secure handhold for stable shooting even with longer shutter speeds

Issue 115 | Photography News 33

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