Bird Photography With The OM-1 MK II: Trying out its best feature

[@jimklosiewski5196]

Thanks for the video, Brent. I’ve been using Olympus/OMDS cameras and lenses since 2008. I presently mainly use the OM-1 w/ the 300 and 150-400 PRO lenses for wildlife and bird photography and I believe your experience and comments on the system are actually spot on and align with my experience. I feel you have been giving it a fair review. I’m sticking with the system for a number of reasons, mainly being there are some real innovative features in the bodies, like Pro Capture and others, I have a lineup of beautiful M. Zuiko lenses, I commonly will hike over 5 miles during a bird shoot and the system travels on planes really well. And most importantly I just really like carrying and using the system. It makes photography enjoyable to me. Thanks for your reviews.

[@thomasreed49]

I agree with you I’ve got the same set up as yourself again I love the system enjoy using it. Unlike the Olympus ambassadors we accept it’s short falls and work around them. 👍

[@deanherschede1760]

Camera lady is excellent at her job.

[@BrentHall]

Thank you so much, she really appreciates that! 😀🙏

[@hanahoeo7073]

Was a Canon shooter starting way back with AE-1. Switched to OM with release of OM-1 primarily for wildlife photography. Very enjoyable system to use.

[@JohnDoe1999-lg7mh]

The OM-1 II & the 150-400 is a fantastic kit. Can carry it around all day. Pro capture on the m4/3 system is amazing. Recommend that you carry the kit by the lens foot. Holding by camera is putting a lot of stress on the camera/lens mount. I have taken images at 8000 ISO and with noise reduction have amazing images. No focus system is 100%. I am not good at keeping birds in frame all the time, but pro capture focus works very well. I sue to use Canon from 2007 to 2017. in 2019 switch to m4/3 and no regrets. I got some really good images of a Belted Kingfisher with the OM1 with 150-400 tc1.25 and the MC-14 using pro capture. In my case, the operator messes up way more than the gear.

[@Chris-Brown-]

I dont use pro capture, I get too many good shots. I do find it very handy for certain things

[@TP-Vocals]

What camera and lenses would you recommend for a beginner photographer who is interested in astro and landscapes?

[@brucegraner5901]

Thanks for taking a look at the OM-1. I shoot the Lumix G9 and 100-400mm lens and have found that camera more capable than commonly thought in KZbin circles. That said, however, I have to admit I don't like using the camera above 1,000 ISO unless I can fill about 50% of the frame with my subject and buttery smooth backgrounds are hard to achieve. However, it's surprising how seldom these limitations have been a problem for me and I can always count on my kit to be lighter than full-frame gear. I'm looking forward to trying out the G9 Mk2 in the near future.

[@David_Quinn1995]

7:00 and make sure you are in continuous shooting mode, I made that mistake Tuesday I went to shingle shot for a couple flower photos a d forgot to change it back to continuous and missed a nice shot of a cardinal.

[@captynrj]

I was in NC for work and headed to a wildlife preserve..hung out for awhile an got quite a few common yellow throats and blue-grey gnatcatchers!

[@BrentHall]

Oh nice! Out here, those Yellowthroats are so skittish and sneaky it's ridiculous! I'm half-tempted to come back out with a little pop up blind for while, lol.

[@captynrj]

@@BrentHall Tell me about it! they were all in the bushes, branches, and thickets - I spent a hair over an hour and maybe got 3 "ok" photos and 1 "this can work" The gnatcatchers were curious enough to be still for a few seconds. Oh, thank you so much about the tip not to zoom in too tight!

[@nalediCS]

Great video, im thinking of buying a camera "one time purch" and thinking of "Fujifilm X-H2S" and "Fujifilm XF 150-600/5,6-8 R LM OIS WR" lens this will be my first camera ever. will this be a good choise?

[@BrentHall]

Oh I don't know, I've never used a Fuji before, but I've heard really good things about them. Maybe see if you could rent one and try it first?

[@dannyvayner]

I had Fuji x-t2 with xf 100-400 lens for birds, it served me well, but felt like I needed an upgrade from x-t2 for IBIS, autofocus, buffer and so on... Tried x-h2s and returned it. Ended up with OM-1ii which provides me way better results that x-h2s. I'm happy, but kept my x-t2 for street photos only.

[@nalediCS]

@@dannyvayner Thanx this help alot. i will do my research between these. the OM-1ii is a bit more expensive with the lense but maybe its worth it

[@philosophicalmixedmedia]

The main reason for the micro four thirds is the weight and size, so for example I can easily ride my motorcycle with the system slung round my neck and quickly stop if I see for example finches darting along the field and get the shots, or if I do tree climbing for a canopy shot. So it has its place as a versatile photographic companion when on the go.

[@sarahgrassi9648]

i went om system om1m2 with the 300 f4 simply cause the weight and the reach and of course the cost. would love an r5 and a 500 f4 but i bought a complete pro om system kit with a om1m2 and an em1x bodies a 14-40 f 2.8, 40-150 f2.8, 90 macro and the 300 f4 for the price of the canon 500 f4.

[@MrGb5084]

Sorry if this has been asked already ...in your pro cap mode are you shooting electronic or mech ?

[@BrentHall]

electronic

[@raytaylor3090]

Ive had owls flying towards me and AF has picked it up all the way. did you use +2 on the tracking, I only use +2 for flight shots coming towards me, the rest of the time +0

[@RichardBO9]

Use AF continuous with only subject detection. Turn the tracking off. That is Lee Hoy, an OM Ambassador and birder recommendation. Also, your hesitancy to crank the ISO to get a fast enough shutter speed might be part of the softness issue. IMO, the built in GND is the coolest feature and eliminates the need to bracket.

[@groghunter7403]

I'm actually really curious, @Brenthall can you confirm if you were using tracking or not? i can say from experience that it would explain a lot of the challenges you were facing (though not all.) I seem to recall that CAF+TR uses contrast-detect AF, while non-tracking CAF uses phase detect.

[@thomasreed49]

I can’t believe anybody listens to Lee Hoy. Don’t forget it’s Lee‘s way or the highway. 😪😪😪

[@thomasreed49]

Let’s get something crystal clear The 150 to 400 mm lens is soft at anything over 300 mm if you crank it up to 400 mm The images are soft you’re unable to crop. However much people pussy around making this excuse that excuse. In performance this lens falls way short of its price tag.

[@HokKan]

@@thomasreed49 do you have the lens yourself?

[@thomasreed49]

@@HokKan Yes I do own this lens. Also the 300m f4 the 40 to 150 F 2.8. 8 mm fisheye. The 12 to 40 mil. 60 mil macro. No way would I advise you to purchase this land but if your heart set on it or advise you to try before you buy. A young lad from America reviewed both the 150 to 400 4.5 against the 300 mil F .4. It’s a good honest review. You will find 95% of Olympus ambassadors the images to show you will be back light blowing all the details to bits. There’s no need to pay nearly £7000 on a lens to achieve this. Hope this is helpful for you I do not want to see you get caught. 👍

[@michaelpeppersack8599]

thanks for the video! do you cull the pics in camera or do you just download the all and then cull them? that would fill the hard drive with a bunch of unwanted files wouldn't it

[@jimbruton9482]

Brent, when you do get the R5 Mark 2, please let us know your initial thoughts. I realize it may be several weeks before you see one. Probably like many, I'm on the fence on upgrading from my R5 considering the cost of the new camera and if the new features will be worth the investment.

[@BrentHall]

I most definitely will. Hopefully I can pre-order it fast enough to get in the first batch.

[@KarenBrown-x7f]

It's interesting to see your experience with the OM1. It also helps me be happy with my R6 MK2 and besides, with everything we have invested in our Canon equipment, switching is not an option. Birds almost never seem to cooperate, do they? Great pictures are so much dependent on being in the right place at the right time.

[@BrentHall]

I will say, this camera is not bad at all. It's quite capable. Personally though, it does make me appreciate my Canon gear a little more now though. 😄

[@isotechimages.9130]

I believe Canon are at the end of a bit of a slump and we will see some good gear coming our way this year so no need to consider a switch hopefully.

[@jimowens2283]

I think you answered a lot of your own questions about the OM1 vs Canon R5 especially AF.

[@isotechimages.9130]

Thanks for that as a R6ii shooter l actually like the precapture set up Canon have implemented as a half second is about perfect and the way puts the images in it's own file is great as you pretty well know which images you want so you just pull them out of the file and put in with all the rest of your shots instead of having hundreds of images to go through, but what makes it unusable is the dreaded Canon buffer.

[@JeffreyJohnsonC]

I haven't really used pro capture myself, but I suspect that like learning to capture birds in flight it takes some practice to get good results.

[@johnniewelbornjr.8940]

BIF is certainly a challenging subject, one learning curve I continue to climb. Knowing the subjects makes a huge difference, as does the practice you mention. I, too, think you've given OM a fair review. I've been an Olympus user since about 2008 and my dad shot professionally with the older Olympus offerings for most of my adult life. I love my E-M1X and its features, for it is a good fit for my landscapes and wildlife (even if not so "small"/light compared to the OM bodies). Sure, I occasionally look at other systems with larger sensors when I'm working with something in low light but that gap has narrowed considerably over the years and we have so much more control over a lot of issues in post. Pro Capture's versatile set-up lends itself well to birding in general, as well as numerous other subjects (I want to try it with one of our northern Plains lightning storms, for example). Thanks for sharing some fair observations of the system's strengths and weaknesses.

[@BrentHall]

Hey thanks for the kind words Johnnie! It really is a great system, with a lot of incredible features. I would definitely love to have it longer to really get to know it. I certainly wasn't trying to review it though, more just using it and seeing what happened in my short time with it. Unfortunately, because of the nature of KZbin I suppose, people more often mistake this kind of content as some sort of an official review and then blast me for not including this or that or having certain things set up the way they do or whatever, you know?

[@johnniewelbornjr.8940]

@@BrentHall You're quite welcome! No, I should have termed it differently myself, for I never took it as an in-depth review, either. I agree, though, that it is the nature of viewers/viewing, more often than not. I stop in from time to time simply for ideas and approaches, for I do chuckle sometimes when I think of my region's birds meeting to discuss (and chuckling) at my attempts to capture their images. lol :)

[@enigmabletchley6936]

It is interesting hearing your comments and experience with the OM-1mkII and the monster 150-600. All m43rds cameras have had this type of 'pro' or 'pre' capture for some times. As did my Fuji X-T3/4 and H-2S. I changed recently from the Fuji system and I would have gone with the R7+100-500 but for its awful implementation of its pre-capture system (as you mention). Once you've experienced good pre-capture it is difficult to do without it. I just hope that for Canon users like yourself the R5II comes with a similar easy to use pre-capture function. I will admit that the other main reason for going Olympus is size and weight. I am about 30 years further on that you are and the weight and dimensions of the Olympus system are a relief after so many years of toting heavier gear on hikes. That is the main reason why I would never use the 150-400; way too heavy! I like my OM-1 with the 300f4 and although as you point out the AF is inconsistent, when it all comes together the results are fantastic. Keep making these great videos, Brent. Even though I am not a Canon shooter I enjoy your work very much.

[@Elderester]

The OM Workspace works better than PS for noise reduction on OM raw files, js

[@kenwiberg6517]

Pro Cap SH2 @ 25 fps in the cross pattern sensitivity at +2 Pre 15 images and total of 25 so as not to deal with too many images - remember you can't control the direction the of the birds departure flight..... use in a BIF custom Mode and enable the mode change from static birds by remap the depth of field button the the front of the camera ......C - AF + M.... this is my fourth camera with ProCap E-M-1 Mk II and Mark III then OM-1 and MK II presently, it took me a year to come to final settings for the 150-400 f/4.5 using the 300 f/4 is just as good 'cept for the foot zoom though , it is sharp ! when you get the settings right, you'll be happy more of the time......it's so customizeable......

[@Chris-Brown-]

I dont put a limit on any of the SH drive modes

[@Kellysher]

Got back into photography after a 20 year break with Panasonic G9. Many soft shots and sold it in favor of Canon R5100-500. I like this rig much better. I feel like you can crop more with a full frame camera and retain the quality. I can’t wait to see if the R5 ii has a decent crop mode. Getting reach in camera would be amazing.

[@BrentHall]

I'm definitely ready for the R5II. Gonna pre-order it the second it's available!

[@mastan7207]

Procapure heavily relies on well-lit conditions for optimal performance.

[@bluejays5660]

What is that incredible music you use?

[@dirknaroska8582]

Ich besitze auch die X-T5 und suche für Urlaubsreisen eine Backup Kamera. Unterm Strich kommt dann immer wieder eine zweite X-T5 infrage. Oder eben tatsächlich eine kleine, gebrauchte Fuji. Momentan schleppe ich als Ausfallsicherung immer eine OM System, oder eine Canon Kamera mit. Völlig nervig im Bedienkonzept, bzw. zusätzlichen Objektiven. Schön wäre allerdings der gleiche Akku Typ. VG Dirk

[@robbyvillabona]

A very fair review I think although I feel there are some things you could have done to get a better experience. AF on the OM-1 can be dramatically sped up using the in-camera AF Limiter feature. Not many people are aware unfortunately. It's a feature not found in other camera brands AFAIK. It's allowed me to take very sharp pictures of very small and fast birds in flight like swifts anf swallows. Also I use ProCapture even for regular birds in flight photography, not just for those "take-off and landing" photos. Helps to capture instances of unexpected happenings (e.g. other birds crossing the frame, bird suddenly dropping its catch) that would be almost impossible to catch on other systems. Also DXO PureRAW is indispensable when it comes to processing the generally noiser pics from m43 systems. It beats most other NR software I've tested by a mile.

[@HokKan]

The limiter isn't going to help in his case. He has the AF on the bird on the stick while buffering the shots with Pro-Capture. When the bird takes off and flies towards the camera, the camera is still focusing on the stick. The AF is simply not fast enough to react to the bird suddenly coming towards the camera.

[@charleswoodrich4824]

I have the R5 as well as the OM1 Mk2. They are different tools. I get shots from Pro Capture that I'd never get with the R5. Resolution doesn't mean much when you don't get the shot. Also I imagine shooting through a fence doesn't help the AF.

[@AGCipher]

I think the image rendering really comes down to the lens, less so the camera, I personally use the older Olympus SHG lenses for OM mount which are absolutely stellar in this regard, unfortunately, they aren't as lightweight/compact as the more modern m43 offerings however Can't really speak on the AF performance front however, as I rarely shoot fast moving subjects, maybe I should join a workshop some time ;D (your landscape one for November gives a webpage error btw)

[@BrentHall]

The lens can definitely make a big difference! Oh, if you're talking about the Scotland one this nov, I had to pull that one for now to do a little more logistics work for it, and it was a bit too close to my New England fall colors workshop. Thanks for the heads up, I'll have to go fix that on the site.

[@luisfigueroa3300]

Very nice pictures that you did capture. Get a hat dude.😊

[@spidersj12]

Brent, you need a brimmed hat that says, "My idea!" on it.

[@BrentHall]

😅😂😂😂

[@7inrain]

Thanks for that video. Loved it. Yep, you complained a bit about the softness of some of your pictures. However, I am still impressed with them. Myself I slowly get the knack with big birds in flight because, well, they are big and (usually) slow. But these little effers? That's a whole other story and I admire everyone who gets decent BIF shots with the kind of little birds that you took pictures of.

[@martineldridge1319]

Hi Brent, I've been following your wildlife photography adventure over the past year or so and really like your ethics and enthusiasm. I shoot a Canon R6 II and 500 f4, I was looking for a lighter setup for wildlife as I do quite a lot of travelling. I was seriously considering the OM-1 mkII and 300 f4, after seeing this video and your previous one, its definitely convinced me NOT to consider purchasing the OM-1 and Lens for wildlife photography. Its far too inconsistant in focus acquisition and holding focus to trust this setup for any serious wildlife photography work. Thank you for making my descision easy.

[@terrikenison5726]

I too own the Canon R6 Mark Ii and was coming here looking for a better macro camera. Some reviews make me lean towards purchasing the OM-1 Mark ii and others don't. I am feeling like the AF on this system is too unreliable however. Was hoping I could rent one locally first before I buy it.

[@Nation1A1List]

No disrespect to Brent but you need to see images shot by an experienced OM1 cameraman before running it in or out.

[@dylannewton76]

Conditions look very different, light is terrible in the OM shot examples and this will always be microfourthirds achilles. Light has to be perfect, I know I use a Lumix G9. Espen Hellands results with his pro capture are remarkable. Maybe just have to dial everything in because ive seen many folks who excel with this setup, Mike Lane is another.

[@BrentHall]

Yeah, I never said I was any good at this😅 I definitely needed more time to get used to the system. Also, I never made these videos to be taken as a definitive review of the OM's capabilities, I literally just borrowed it for a bit and tried some stuff out and tried to make an entertaining videos. It's definitely a much more capable system than what I got out of it and overall I have high praise for it. And, yeah, my friend Espen is incredible, both as a photographer in general, and specifically with the OM system, and I would never compare my stuff to his.

[@jameswong3105]

Pro capture must be good. If not A9iii will not have this feature too.

[@pentagramyt417]

it has, lol..

[@Santamike212]

I use the OM 1, I don't believe the camera got a fair shake.

[@BrentHall]

Well I certainly wasn't trying to bash the camera. I've said many times that it's very capable, and I've also said that I'm just borrowing it and am not that comfortable with or used to it, so a lot of the issues are user error...which I've stated. The results that some random guy on KZbin got during his limited time trying the camera out shouldn't be taken seriously or regarded as a complete representation of said camera's capabilities.

[@Santamike212]

@@BrentHall Thank you for responding. It does have a learning curve. I do enjoy your videos.

[@HokKan]

@@BrentHall I've used the OM-1 for years now. In terms of the AF struggles using Pro-Capture to anticipate a small fast bird suddenly leaving its perch and flying towards the camera, your experience is exactly the same as mine. The AF will stick on the bird while it is on the perch while you buffer the shots with Pro-Capture. The few frames where the bird flies towards the camera, the AF does not react quickly enough to follow it. It will continue to focus on the stick for a few more frames before slowly catching up. By the time the AF has caught up to the bird, the bird will have exited the frame. It is not a user problem. There is no setting where this can be rectified, the AF response time is just not fast enough for these small birds suddenly leaving the perch. It's a shame, because it takes a lot of the benefit of having Pro-Capture is largely eroded away with an AF system that cannot keep up.

[@cloudpandarism2627]

2:00min jesus... taking it out of the car makes me realize how insane big this peenisenlargment lens is. oh i so want one. even i could probably not take any photos in my local park cause the security try tackle me down for using a rocket launcher there. continue watching. 😁

[@RayneDr0ps]

Not bird related, but that Hobbit/LOTR book set is beautiful!

[@BrentHall]

I'm really glad someone noticed/appreciates that! It's my adorable little leather-bound travel version. My desk mat is also a map of middle earth. 🧙‍♂️

[@RayneDr0ps]

@@BrentHall Do you remember where you got it? :) It was hard to miss, it was so well placed. Haha!

[@BrentHall]

@@RayneDr0ps Camera lady got me the book set for xmas I think, probably from Barnes & Noble, and she got me the desk pad from amazon.

[@rudolfappel7236]

I am sorry, because KZbin makes me watch too many unwanted advertisements I am stopping to follow KZbin channels. While the infestation with advertisements might be a good message for KZbin shareholders, but for me it is a waste of time.

[@craigmantle5362]

I personally want the KZbinrs i follow to be able to make a living from KZbin because I appreciate the fact that I just have to watch a few seconds of ads to be able to access their content for free. If you don’t like ads why don’t you get KZbin premium? People who watch normal tv shows watch way more ads and they pay for satellite TV subscriptions on top of that…

[@earlteigrob9211]

Pro Capture and Low Light are not friends

[@JeffreyJohnsonC]

Buggy dinner... Ummm.