Go Tell it on the Mountain
Shooting in the Field with my Olympus EM5 Mark III
I recently travelled to Lehi, Utah for a team meeting and brought along my new Olympus EM5 Mark III to field-test it. I bought this camera specifically for travel purposes, where I didn't feel there was a need (or the initiative, on my part) to carry my larger and heavier Nikon D750.
This is a somewhat technical review, so for those who are more used to just viewing my work and (hopefully) enjoying the story I add to the project, please forgive me. Soon, I'll be back to a more storytelling mode.
Note: This is my second article about my new camera. To read my first impressions and the decision process I went through to select this camera, check out this article.
Portability
Travelling with my Mark III, put simply, was a joy. I packed the body, four lenses, a ball head, charger, Platypod Pro Max base and other small bits into a very compact 5-litre Peak Design Sling Bag. East to pack in carry-on, easy to carry on a hike. My traditional carry for my Nikon gear is a 30-litre Peak Design Everyday Bag. While I don't generally fill the 30-litre pack to the brim, it's still a HUGE difference in size and portability.
Now when I travel for work, I put my laptop and ipad in their dedicated slots in my Peak bag, toss my 5-litre sling in the top of the Peak bag and my sundry computer peripherals (including high-capacity device charger go into my Function 101 Bento-box at the bottom of the bag. Everything is is all in one place! Yeah, what can I say...I'm a geek...
Yes, this really all fits in the Peak Design 5-litre sling. It's a tight fit, admittedly, but it works and makes things extremely portable. The Peak Camera Clip attached to the outside of the sling (camera right) frees up room in the bag itself, and makes the camera super accessible.
Shooting Flexibility
I was once again suitably impressed with the In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS), especially for the interior shots. not only could I shoot handheld at much slower shutter speeds than I would have ever have risked before, I was also able to keep the ISO to a more manageable value (ISO 800 instead of ISO 2000). I shot indoors and out, in bright light and low light and often in high contrast scenes.
ISO 200, Lumix G Vario 45-150mm zoom, f/9.5 at 1/180sec
ISO 200, Lumix G Vario 45-150mm zoom, f/9.5 at 1/125sec - I waffled on including this image. At first glance, it looked good, but at 100% and greater magnification, minute camera shake was evident. I opted to run it through Photoshop's Camera Shake filter, and it cleaned up nicely, so here it is. I believe that if I was shooting with a dedicated Olympus Pro lens this issue would not have occurred, thanks to what would have been an extra 1.5 stops of stabilization. Or heck, just use a tripod next time. But this is what testing is all about.
ISO 200, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/9.5 at 1/125sec - the camera retained enough detail for me to post process and balance this exposure, with minor blow outs in the some mountain highlights.
My colleagues, Victoria and Eric, working on a training exercise at the team meeting. ISO 800, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/5.8 at 1/45sec - event photography at far slower shutter speeds than I would normally attempt. At ISO 800, the grain/noise is quite acceptable.
More of my colleagues (L-R) Michael, Eric, Dave, Taylor and Todd discussing discovery techniques in the front lobby of Adobe's Utah office. And yes, that is a REAL fireplace. ISO 800, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/3.5 at 1/90sec
ISO 800, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/8 at 1/20sec - this monochromatic living wall of mosses shows quite well in terms of detail and colour.
ISO 400, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/6.7 at 1/45sec - one of a few "grab and go" shots as we snowshoed to the yurt for dinner, on Solitude Mountain. I love the slight movement blur on the hikers. This result makes me want to experiment with more true panning again.
ISO 400, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/8 at 1/15sec - I would not have attempted this shutterspeed, handheld, with any other camera, and f/8 on M4/3 gives excellent depth of field. In processing, I decided to keep the scene on the blue side. I like this shot for the lack of people, but the obvious clues that this is a travelled trail. Even with the ski tracks, there's a sense of peace and solitude to the scene.
ISO 200, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/9.5 at 1/125sec - once again, excellent recording of brightness range, brought out in processing. Using the gradient tool and the adjustment brush In Lightroom Classic helped me pull out the detail I wanted, and tone down the highlights.
ISO 320, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/8 at 1/60sec
ISO 640, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/8 at 1/60sec - I neutralized much of the blue shift in this scene, opting for something warmer, in keeping with the yurt.
ISO 640, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/8 at 1/60sec
ISO 3200, Olympus M 12-50mm zoom, f/4.5 at 1/2sec - I was very excited (and generally pleased) to capture this image, around 7:30pm. Braced on the fender of the snow tractor for extra stability. In hindsight, I should have gone for a full second to further reduce noise, but still, I'm picking up a lot of subtle detail in the groomed track. and the background tree line.
Wrap Up
I'm really enjoying this new camera. So far, it's managed everything I've thrown at it, and I know I haven't pushed it as hard as I could. The weight, size, handling and general portability of the Mark III make it a winner in my book in terms of transportability and usability. Most importantly, though it delivers in the image department quite well.
So well, in fact that I'll be submitting several of these images to Adobe Stock for inclusion in my portfolio.
Like any new piece of equipment, there is a learning curve to be sure. One thing that is smoothing out that curve is the free OI.Share mobile app. Not only is it a remote control for the camera, but it also includes access to the full manual, tips and tutorials, so I can learn on the go, right from my phone or tablet. An app that kicks the very basic Nikon mobile app right in the teeth, to be honest.
Am I ready to kiss my D750 goodbye? Not yet; but I like having options depending on my travel plans.