Cameras are getting interetsing

[Papa_Complex]

Hello. My name is Rob and I'm a cameraholic.

Yes, I bought another one. This time it's an Olympus (little surprise there) OM-D E-M5. It's one of their Micro Four-Thirds format, interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras. The latest one, in fact. I picked it up with the 12-50mm F4.0-6.3 kit lens, that's also optimized for HD video use.

BLOODY HELL, but this thing is fast! It focuses significantly faster than my first couple of DSLRs, despite the fact that it has to focus like a compact (imager focusing). It also shoots 9 frames a second in S-AF and 4.5 frames a second in C-AF modes. I could probably get away with using it to shoot bikes, on a tight track. I'll give it a try, the next weekend of racing.

The kit lens even has the option of motor driven zooming, for when you want smooth zooms in video. Just snap the zoom collar back and it engages the motor control. All of this in a camera that looks remarkably like my 15 year old OM2000 35mm film camera.

Any more photo gear and I'm going to need an intervention.

[azoomm]

I am very interested to know how it does with bikes...

[RACER X]

OT, is a DSLR w/ 11k clicks alot? nikon d40

workmate is looking at one

[Papa_Complex]

I am very interested to know how it does with bikes...

I'm not expecting a whole lot, because DPReview specifically stated that it was, "... fast enough for everything short of professional sports shooting." It feels fast though, which is a big step up from the previous u4/3 cameras. I'm definitely going to try it out and will likely buy myself the portrait grip, too.

I have a feeling that this will become my primary camera.

OT, is a DSLR w/ 11k clicks alot? nikon d40

workmate is looking at one

I'm not all that familiar with Nikon cameras, but odds are that the shutter is rated for something like 80,000 activations. My E-5 pro camera is rated at 160,000.

*EDIT* Just found a reference that says the D40 shutter is rated to 50,000 activations.

[RACER X]

k thanks

[Papa_Complex]

To give a bit of a benchmark, I can shoot 2000+ frames in a regional racing weekend. More like 3500 over the course of a three day National weekend.

[Trip]

Dig the old school look of it.

[Papa_Complex]

Dig the old school look of it.

Agreed. Let's play "Spot the Film Camera"

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/multimedia/.gallery301/var/resizes/illustrative/S5248756.JPG

[Apoc]

Papa, what would be a good, high frames per second camera for cheap.

This is not for any professional use or anything like that. Just want something fast enough to capture a golf swing at high fps, just for personal use. Something that isnt going to blur every frame in Video mode. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I already have a paid program to look at/slow down/analyze frame by frame made for golf, now I need a decent camera.

Nice Camera btw.

[Papa_Complex]

The thing about regular digital video, is that it's almost certain to blur high speed action in each frame. Even HD at 60 frames a minute is never going to match a still frame, from something like a DSLR.

Now here's the interesting bit. A crappy little pocket digicam, by Casio, is capable of getting up to 1000 frames per second by dropping the resolution. The video image at that point is tiny, but you can get a fairly usable size, roughly the size of a non-HD TV image, at 120 fps (1/4 speed).

http://www.dpreview.com/products/casio/compacts/casio_exzr300

[EpyonXero]

Where are the pics!

[Papa_Complex]

Of......?

Just been doing test pics, so far. Nothing worth posting yet, as I'm trying to find the limits of the E-M5.

[Papa_Complex]

Straight out of the camera, with resize only. No tone correction, sharpening, noise reduction, white balance, or cleaning of the bike.

12-50mm F3.5-6.3 @ 16mm, F4.1 (wide open)
ISO 800
1/3200 sec.

[Flexin]

I'm looking at getting a Nikon 1 J2 this month. I want it mainly for taking pictures of cars/bikes at shows for a site. I have been thinking about a Nikon 1 for a number of reasons and now with the price of the J2 I feel I have to give it a shot. If it isn't to the job then I can return it.

What I'm wondering is if the lens that will be good for what I want to do? I will at times want to use it with the kids and for taking pictures of boats while one the waterfront.

Here is the specs for the included lens. 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30 mm f/3.5-5.6 Interchangeable Lens (3x optical zoom / 27-81 mm equivalent in 35 mm format).

Here is the other lenses available for the Nikon 1 line. http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Camera-Lenses/1-NIKKOR-Lenses/index.page

James

[Papa_Complex]

I wasn't sure about the range of the lens but, after checking the sensor size on the Nikon 1 series cameras, it looks OK for what you want to do. I had thought Nikon had gone with an APS-C sensor in their mirrorless system cameras, but they seem to have used a new smaller 1" sensor instead.

You might want to check out the DPReview Nikon 1 forum and see what they're saying about focus speed. I'm not familiar with the system but you might be surprised how important focus speed is, when shooting kids.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/1058?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

[Flexin]

I wasn't sure about the range of the lens but, after checking the sensor size on the Nikon 1 series cameras, it looks OK for what you want to do. I had thought Nikon had gone with an APS-C sensor in their mirrorless system cameras, but they seem to have used a new smaller 1" sensor instead.

You might want to check out the DPReview Nikon 1 forum and see what they're saying about focus speed. I'm not familiar with the system but you might be surprised how important focus speed is, when shooting kids.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/1058?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

I did check some reviews on it. I remember reading that the focus speed was pretty good. And kids make you realize how important it is really quick. I like my old camera but it was lacking in how long it took to take a picture. I missed soooo many shots it isn't funny.

James

[Papa_Complex]

I recently picked up the new Olympus E-M1 mirrorless system camera. I'm hoping to use it to replace my Oly E-5 DSLR for trackside work, since it's got both PDAF and CDAF. The phase detection sensor is built into the imaging sensor, so I can use my Four-Thirds DSLR lenses on it with an adapter, with hopefully sports level focusing speeds. It's no slouch with the Micro Four-Thirds lenses either.

[EpyonXero]

I'm looking at getting a Nikon 1 J2 this month. I want it mainly for taking pictures of cars/bikes at shows for a site. I have been thinking about a Nikon 1 for a number of reasons and now with the price of the J2 I feel I have to give it a shot. If it isn't to the job then I can return it.

What I'm wondering is if the lens that will be good for what I want to do? I will at times want to use it with the kids and for taking pictures of boats while one the waterfront.

Here is the specs for the included lens. 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30 mm f/3.5-5.6 Interchangeable Lens (3x optical zoom / 27-81 mm equivalent in 35 mm format).

Here is the other lenses available for the Nikon 1 line. http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Camera-Lenses/1-NIKKOR-Lenses/index.page

James

I used to have a Nikon J1 with the 10-30mm lens, I bought it for the built in intervalometer. It was a good little camera but I mounted it on my multicopter last year and it died in a crash. 10-30 mm is a good gerneral purpose range but its a lot more pocketable with the 10mm 2.8 lens.

[Archren]

I used to have a Nikon J1 with the 10-30mm lens, I bought it for the built in intervalometer. It was a good little camera but I mounted it on my multicopter last year and it died in a crash. 10-30 mm is a good gerneral purpose range but its a lot more pocketable with the 10mm 2.8 lens.

All my experience is with traditional SLR/DSLR lenses, but isn't 10mm a pretty extreme wide-angle? I don't know how the crop factor with the sensor affects that, and if the 10mm focal length designation is arbitrary with those cameras or not.

I only bring it up because I wouldn't recommend a wide-angle lens for shooting portraits. You get a lot of distortion (read: alien head syndrome in your subject).

[Papa_Complex]

All my experience is with traditional SLR/DSLR lenses, but isn't 10mm a pretty extreme wide-angle? I don't know how the crop factor with the sensor affects that, and if the 10mm focal length designation is arbitrary with those cameras or not.

I only bring it up because I wouldn't recommend a wide-angle lens for shooting portraits. You get a lot of distortion (read: alien head syndrome in your subject).

That was my thought at first, also, then I checked the sensor size. It's a 1" sensor, which is even smaller than the Four-Thirds sensors in my E-5 and E-M1, so that's more of a 'normal' than a 'wide' zoom.

[Archren]

That was my thought at first, also, then I checked the sensor size. It's a 1" sensor, which is even smaller than the Four-Thirds sensors in my E-5 and E-M1, so that's more of a 'normal' than a 'wide' zoom.

Makes sense, I just wasn't sure if the focal length on the lens took that into account like on the cropped sensor DSLRs. Either way, I'm sticking to my D800. It's just nice being able to buy vintage prime lenses on the cheap that will still fit on a modern camera body. :lol:

[Papa_Complex]

Makes sense, I just wasn't sure if the focal length on the lens took that into account like on the cropped sensor DSLRs. Either way, I'm sticking to my D800. It's just nice being able to buy vintage prime lenses on the cheap that will still fit on a modern camera body. :lol:

Adapters do wonders ;)

[Archren]

Adapters do wonders ;)

Yes, however can't use Canon lenses on Nikon bodies, but vice-versa you can (Nikon lenses on Canon bodies), so there are no Canon-lens-to-Nikon-body adapters. Something about the Canon lenses doesn't jive with Nikons (I read about it somewhere a while back, when my Architectural Photography instructor recommended I look into it, since the school only has tilt-shift lenses for Canon). Not sure if it's possible to find other manufacturer lenses that would work with a Nikon body with an adapter (Olympus, etc), but it's neither here nor there right now. I don't see myself investing in a tilt-shift or any other specialty lens right away, and for the time being I have prime lenses that suit my purposes (28mm, 50mm, 105mm and 165mm). Shooting architecture with the 28mm meant having to photomerge frames together when shooting tight spaces and then having to correct lens and perspective distortion after the fact, but I got a 95 on my final project, so it worked out. :D

[Papa_Complex]

The only tilt/shift stuff that I've done, I did in software. Like macro work, it just isn't my thing.

[EpyonXero]

The only tilt/shift stuff that I've done, I did in software. Like macro work, it just isn't my thing.

I would love to get a real tilt shift lens but they just cost too much. I like doing the software effect from time to time.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3686/10343251466_319c75e118_b.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2777/4386542868_a58ac7d510_z.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2719/4411712965_d74957743b_z.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5161/5190929006_3050e5be10_b.jpg

[Archren]

Those kinds of tilt-shift photos aren't my thing either, but I have a 4x5 Toyo film camera with which I do some tilt-shift stuff (outside of correcting perspective distortion). My inspiration with that comes from one of my teachers who does a lot of work with camera movement distortion: http://pollychandler.com/

[Papa_Complex]

I'm more of a documentarian than an artist, so doing the specialty stuff doesn't really appeal to me. I have friends who do everything from corporate portraiture to abstract. Back in college I knew a guy, who went to the Ontario College of Arts, who would take pictures with a Polaroid and then mess with the emulsion, while the picture was developing. He came up with some pretty cool looking stuff that people struggle to recreate these days, using software.

I do like occasionally using legacy glass, like the OM 50mm F1.8 that I snagged as a 'lens cap' for the OM2000 I bought, but it's less and less these days after having bought a great 45mm F1.8 Micro Four-Thirds lens.