Night time long exposure photography with Micro Four Thirds

[@MicroFourNerds]

Sometimes it's just nice to get out and take photos! Which did you like the best?

[@Danny_Boel]

The one of the Ferris wheel and reflection. and the Milky way

[@davidknutson8126]

@@Danny_Boel Agree with Danny regarding Ferris wheel and reflection with and without spokes!

[@johnpark8297]

Cool, thanks for making this. I like the Ferris wheel with the spokes.👍

[@sue.Hoo123]

I liked the complete circle of stars with the large tree

[@Saleem-Bhimji]

Milky Way was by far my favourite and then the close up with the Ferris Wheel!

[@justme-andaviewofthesea]

This is the most helpful and informative video I've watched on KZbin for a long time. I can't wait to get out and try live composite mode on my s5ii. Many thanks for this one.

[@stephanweiskorn6760]

Excellent video 😮!

[@CharlesWallaceEncinitas]

TIP: you can also use live composite for daytime exposures! There is a minimum exposure time of half a second, so you will need to use a neutral density filter and stop down a lot. I tried getting photos at the beach, and the foam washing up the beach created a neat lace-like effect. A group of people walking by created a weird effect. Keep in mind that nothing affects the image unless it's brighter than the base image, so a person in black leaves almost no effect. The white sand on the beach remains almost unchanged, but the darker wet sand shows people walking by very well.

[@marknordhaus8346]

Excellent tip(s)! I plan to wear a black hooded jacket and face away from the camera when moving something in-scene during exposure. But have to make sure not to block whatever I'm adding to scene.

[@Astrolavista]

Absolutely loved this one, Emily! The timing couldn’t be more perfect. I ordered my first Olympus/OM camera just two weeks ago (purely for live composite). Unfortunately, Amazon sent me hair extensions by mistake (still waiting for them to sort it out-grrr!). On the bright side, with another payday around the corner, maybe it’s a sign to go all-in and get the OM-5 instead of the Olympus OMD EM10 Mark IV! Tip for finding Polaris at a quick glance - The last two stars in the saucepan of Ursa Major trace a line straight to Polaris. Ursa Major is easy to spot in the North, and once you've spotted it, you can flick your eyes up to Polaris in a couple of seconds.

[@johnpollock6996]

That was a terrific video Emily. I have only a Sony full frame, so I am not even a M43 owner/shooter, but I am considering burning through some of my daughter's inheritance on just such a rig as you used here. I was completely unknowing about the Live Composite; thanks for highlighting that. Now, on to your OM1 II review.

[@LigreDesubi]

I really like the video! When you talk about taking pictures, your thoughts about the process and so on, it's great.

[@mongoose9594]

I loved the accidental one with your Crocs Emily 🤣. Definite possibilities there for something totally weird!!! The Ferris wheel too👍

[@liveinaweorg]

Live comp is awesome. Use it on my EM1 MkII from 2016. Olympus have had these features for such a long time. Great images and video, Emily.

[@mirceablanaru]

I really enjoyed the video!!! Even the errors gave a good point to the good examples... The only thing I am not happy is the price of the new OM System cameras,. But perhaps, in the future, I could buy such a marvel, at last second hand (or fourth hand) 🙂

[@gregfeeler6910]

You don't have to have an OM-1. All of these Olympus or OM System cameras also have Live Composite: OM-1 Mk I, II, OM-5, E-M1 Mk I, II, II, E-M5 Mk II, III, E-M10 Mk II, III, IV, PEN-F, E-PL7, E-PL8, E-P7, TG-4, 5, 6. The E-M1 Mk II and Mk III are fantastic cameras going for very reasonable prices.

[@tetraskele9621]

Nice to see someone thoroughly enjoying themselves ... in the cold. : ) We Oregonians (NA Pacific Northwest) need to learn to deal with (on and off) 6 months of cold wet weather. Between raindrops we can get some nice shots. We also have what has to be the most diverse cloud scapes in the N Hemisphere. We also enjoy a greater variety of cloud types here than almost anywhere I know of. IA casual survey of the many books on clouds, those published before the advent of easy-to-afford, 21st Century digital cameras (that take a LOT LESS skill, investment and time to use), a large majority of all authors/photographers who published older, film photography-based books on clouds (pre-21st century) , as it turned out, seem to be from this area of the U.S. I suppose we get so many clouds, those who grow up here become experts on them? I always enjoy your enthusiastic posts. Thanks for sharing, and for all of the smiles. Peace

[@fluffizilla]

Thanks for explaining how this works, I've never used the live comp before, excited to give it a go now!

[@DavidL5star]

I tried Live Composite for the first time on fireworks a few weeks ago. I was blown away with the results. I loved how the image built in front of me and I could turn off when I reached the effect I wanted.

[@stub8213]

Great video. The Lumix G100 has live composite and its my favourite feature of the camera, always goes in the bag for camping trips to get star trails. This video has given me more inspiration.

[@andrewdavies2109]

Wonderful video, really clear explanation. Some great pictures too!

[@ImageMaven]

I really love the Ferris wheel photos! The Live-view feature is such fun to create with. I just need a body guard so I can go out with my gear at night more often. Oh, and that cabin looks lovely.

[@MicroFourNerds]

Every time I use Live Composite i think, why don't I used this all the time?! Haha

[@frankinblackpool]

@@MicroFourNerds I learned a superb way to focus on stars every single time, from ImageMaven. Works every time, like magic.

[@kimduggan7631]

Thanks so much for your awesome videos. Love the Live Composite images and seriously thinking of upgrading to the OM1 🤞

[@Daveesrc]

At last you have made this work for me. The Ferrice wheel is the best one for me.

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

a hack to keep your lens warm is to use one of those neoprene drinks insulators, or even something like an old knee support or similar

[@davidbickert1013]

Excellent job on this subject!

[@aaphotofilm]

Loving your videos and i agree, not many people talk about this technique, im glad you covered it

[@philparker97]

USB lens warmer may help to prevent the condensation - I've yet to try one personally, but it is on my list,

[@gregfeeler6910]

Very good video on using Live Composite, and thanks for the reminder about the advantages of the longer nights for night photography!

[@dennismwallentin296]

Thanks for a nice video! I use my OM-5 with Pano 12mm f1.4 for night photography 🙂

[@dazsly]

OM systems have an amazing deal at the moment around £1200 for the OM1 and 12-40 f2.8 Pro! Nice

[@randall.chamberlain]

The condensation one actually has a beautiful charm to it. Nice 🙂

[@marknordhaus8346]

Convinced me to buy a lens heater though.

[@Saleem-Bhimji]

This was actually one of my favourite videos that you've made - not that I have had an opportunity to see all of your content, but I really learned a lot from this one. Fortunately my camera, Panasonic S5 IIX supports the live composition, so I will try this out. I successfully captured the Northern Lights this year and my next challenge is star trails and The Milky Way. Thank you for producing authentic, practical videos such as this!

[@marknordhaus8346]

Northern lights! Another thing to add to the list that live comp will be great at.

[@nevaknowmanamesame5089]

What a great advice! Didnt know such thing existed. I also recently bought GM1 for an adequate price, it is gorgeous.

[@danw4930]

I am impressed!

[@JuanManuelTastzian]

Loved this, Em. I've been trying to figure out this mode on my own for a while but never dedicated it enough time and was quite frustrated. Now I know the basics and how it's supposed to work, so hopefully soon I can go out and shoot a bit with it!

[@iamleek]

Hi, I like your authenticity presentation very much. By the way, OM system is a very good for creativity. Please please try on lightning. You will be wow. The trick is once you have let the LC live composite in short, running. Once you think you have captured the lightning, OFF the LC process. Please don’t wait for more lightning, as or if the lightning is only a flashes in the cloud and it is bright than the single lightning flash that you just captured. It will override the 1st. The best is to stop the 1st LC and start the next one. Combine them in post. All the best. Safety 1st, but if calculated risks are access, go for it!

[@marknordhaus8346]

Agree this was very informative and now I can't wait to try this. But I did an indoor trial and found I need to be in B mode, not Manual on the E-M5mk3.

[@glx3846]

Hi, I enjoyed watching. All your videos are interesting. I enjoy learning about the different features and shots that the different cameras have!

[@MicroFourNerds]

Thank you! ☺️

[@glx3846]

@ Since discovering your channel, I feel I have made friends with you. We are both passionate about technology. If you one day ever wanted to collaborate, I would be happy to do a video together. Maybe reviewing a console, a camera or doing a vlog! :)

[@gordon3988]

My favorite…the bonus ‘pink crocs’! Great video. Appreciated all the advice! Suspect the 9mm Pan lens would have worked well too.

[@cryptographerchris4856]

This is awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[@goten1183]

Awesome video Emily!! This was a huge feature that sold me on the Oly EM1 Mark II back in the day. It worked great for city head/tail light trails, but not as great for star trails at the time since you had to manually focus to infinity due to extreme low light. The introduction of Starry AF on the Mark III solved that problem and made shooting star trails a joy

[@BulboLives]

Ummm, I thought this video was about the Live Composite feature, not starry AF. ???

[@corysekine-pettite1783]

Love this!

[@jsav3562]

Great video Emily, very informative! I've been eyeing up the OM-5 for a while. OM System please update the OM-5 with some proper updates (USB-C, processor etc.) please!

[@JoshCameron]

Can’t wait to see how you use these techniques in the Polar Nights next month! Awesome images, star trails are something that I’ve never actually tried before!

[@MicroFourNerds]

Im so excited 😆 I'm definitely going to pack my leans warmer 😂

[@frankinblackpool]

@@MicroFourNerds Cat out the bag? Definitely pack the lens warmer.🤣

[@davidknutson8126]

This was great. Lots to think about. Back to the camera manuals to see if I can do this.

[@davidknutson8126]

Olympus E-M1X and E-M1M3 are capable. As expected Panasonic DMC-GX8 does not.

[@MoChuang343]

This is so interesting. I didnt know about this style of photography. I dont have an OM camera, but I might just try to DIY this. It sounds like a MaxZ projection of multiple long exposure images. MaxZ projection is something we use in microscopy to flatten a Z series of cross sections. It takes the brightest pixel at each position across all the frames and uses that for the final image. I wonder if it would yield a similar result to this.

[@ArnimSeeger]

Thanks Emily another video! I love startrails.... but I agree, a good forground makes a big difference. Tell me, two things, what app do you use on your phone forprdecting the sky, and how does that Oly7-14mm compare to the PL 8-18mm? Thank you and keep up the great work. Greetings.

[@MicroFourNerds]

I use Photopills 😊 both wide angle lenses aes good, but i personally prefer the Olympus as it's a little bit wider, and has the 2.8 constant aperture where as the lumix is 2.8-f4 they're also just about the same size too

[@lzwnn]

This was great fun!

[@IAmDrH]

Fab video as always Emily! I need to take my OM1ii out this winter to try at night and I've added that lens warmer to my Christmas list. Have you tried the unfortunately-named Starry AF feature, I haven't played with it yet?

[@MicroFourNerds]

I haven't had a proper go with starry AF yet (I also think the name is quite funny haha)

[@longbeforeus]

Thanks for the video, very useful. To avoid lens condensation you can use a lens heater Emily. They are inexpensive and reliable.

[@MicroFourNerds]

I have one now as I say in the video 😊I should have bought one yearsss ago, be honest, it's so helpful!

[@PhotosByMotaz]

Thanks for the nice and creative video! What is the best way to decide the shutter speed like 2 seconds, 5 seconds etc?

[@MicroFourNerds]

I think it's always worth experimenting to see what works best. For these examples, I knew I wanted the stars to streak in the sky, plus they're relatively low light sources, so the longer the better. For the city, I wanted more precise control on when I wanted the composition to end, so a shorter shutter speed meantni could see how much light I'd captured and I could end it once I was happy 😊

[@lumixographer2185]

Would Live Composite work with my lovely Laowa 7.5mm manual focus? I'm considering a return to Oly land with the Om 10 iv to mate with my "new-to-me" Oly 8-25mm. Its f4 aperture is a little slow for astro, but my Laowa 7.5mm is perfect...if Oly Live Composite and manual focus play together😊 Intriguing video, Emily! Got me thinking about taking my Insta360 X4 our for a night lapse under clear winter sky👍🙂

[@MicroFourNerds]

It will work with manual focus lenses 😁 that laowa is great for astrophotography!

[@frankinblackpool]

I'm going to have a play with Composite Mode on my G9M2 tonight along the prom. And on the subject of Star Trails, I bought a Move Shoot Move at the start of the month. And I haven't had a clear night since it arrived to go out and play with. 🥶😭😭 I can also highly rate the £20 lens warmers from Amazon. Top tip, use a cheapish USB power pack. Don't use one of the modern types with Power Delivery and other such magic. They don't work with the cheap USB lens warmers. They keep turning off and that ain't good when you return to a foggy camera.

[@MicroFourNerds]

Ooh good tip for the power bank thank you!

[@trevorpayne2749]

Did you use Starry Sky AF to set your focus for the stars before taking the star trails shots?

[@davidknutson8126]

Totally unrelated but if I were to add a used Panasonic to my MFT collection (excluding the GX8 which I purchased last year), would a GH5 be a good starting point or should I spring for a little more money and get the M2 version? I will add that I am looking for primarily a photo camera and not video. I already have the Olympus M1X and M1M3. I have some Panasonic lens that work great with the Olympus cameras but the lenses loose a little functionality. Your thoughts? Thanking You in advance.

[@sokol-38]

Take m2. You wouldn't regret it. A bit better AF, improved image stabilization (like in G9), USB-C! As for the photo features, in my opinion, there are enough of them in the GH series. But why not Pany G9m2? It's even better hybrid camera with photography in priority.

[@soumyamahawar1200]

Hey Emily, what are your thoughts on G85/G80? I am planning on buying my first camera. This is the only camera that fits my budget for now. However if it is not a good camera, I'd probably stretch my budget. I am just an enthusiast so whatever camera I buy will last for a long time. I want to use it mainly for travel and everyday photography. So I am looking for a weather sealed camera.

[@MicroFourNerds]

It's a great camera! My dad has used it for years and got some excellent photos with it. And it's really handy that it's weather sealed. You can see some of the photos taken with the g80 in this video from last year when I went to the Faroe Islands with my dad 😊 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYbXhZ2XqZamoNk

[@sokol-38]

G80 is a great camera. But if you can stretch your budget a little, you can get the G90. It has a Live View Composite mode, like in Emily's video. Also, you'll get a better sensor and an OLED screen. Also, it doesn't limit the recording time for videos like the G80 (if your camera is European). Also, the G90 has a V-Log L profile, so you can grade your footage. Also, in-camera USB-charging and power supply are very handy additions.

[@funtaril]

I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about those trails doesn't feel right. Like they're somehow more frenetic and less uniform than what I'd expect. Otherwise great video and great feature!

[@MicroFourNerds]

If you mean the one with me in the frame... I mayyyy have hit the tripod leg once and caused the bump you see 😅

[@rofferdal]

What is the cheapest MFT camera body with a Live Composite Mode?

[@FieldingSmith]

I've yet to really play around with live composite, how does the Pany version stack up to Oly's? I know Oly has been doing it longer, and has live NDs, but kind of curious how well Pany did for their first iteration of it in the G9ii.

[@MicroFourNerds]

It works in exactly the same way. Super handy!

[@HansDeseure]

18:34 with the leading lines of the pedestrian bridge, lots of detail in the foreground (foreground, foreground !) ;)

[@JeffCreates]

It seems like a relatively simple feature to add to cameras. Is there any reason why it’s only LUMIX and Olympus? 13:25 is my favourite

[@gregfeeler6910]

They try harder than the big boys who rest on market share and name recognition. Plus, Olympus has a history of innovation from their very beginning, The original PEN F was the first half-frame 35mm film camera. The original OM-1 stood the camera world on it's head because of it's small size and great ergonomics. The Olympus E-series digital cameras were the first DSLRs designed from the ground up as digital SLR. They innovated sensor shake sensor cleaning, and there are many other things. Many people would just assume these things came from the big camera companies - but big companies are never innovators because they don't think they have to.

[@JeffCreates]

@ I just assumed it was some kind of patent of some description. It seems like a very simple bit of software to write that enables a particular look with a number of applications. Obviously it still takes talent and effort to make it work, but for a developer it would be an afternoon’s work. I have to say I didn’t quite twig what live composite really was until this video.

[@gregfeeler6910]

@@JeffCreates Not being a programmer for this type of software I have no idea how difficult it would be to create. But, even as easy to implement as you say, what comes to market is usually a decision of the marketing department, and they will always try to make the most out of the smallest changes year after year. If it weren't for Olympus and Panasonic pioneering mirrorless cameras with the Micro Four Thirds system we'd only have the same old boring DSLRs that Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc. have been churning out for decades. This is one of the reasons you will find so many passionate MFT shooters. 🙂

[@JeffCreates]

@ I haven’t had a mft camera for a good while but I will certainly admit that it had lots of tools stuffed into it.

[@guano64]

18:16 Maybe if they had red Crocs on, they would have show :D

[@markluker3878]

😲

[@mostlymessingabout]

did you do this video already? 🤔🤔🤔

[@MicroFourNerds]

I'm not sure what you mean. I've never done a dedicated video on Live Composite, no. I've posted a few snippets on my Instagram recently?

[@JKH-f8d]

Ok, but what settings do you recommend for this?

[@MicroFourNerds]

I go over it in the video 😊 is used Live Composite mode, at different shutter speed setting times. For astrophotography it was longer, like 30 or 60 seconds repeating, and for the city stuff shorter like 2 or 4 seconds repeating

[@whippedcreampictures]

can you do this with some full frsme or apwc cameras?

[@MicroFourNerds]

You can, some Lumix full frame cameras have live composite mode too, like the S5 and s5ii