OM System OM-1 - Autofocus Expert Guide
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- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- OM System OM-1 Auto-Focus masterclass for the demanding photographer. Learn how to configure key settings in the camera for optimized performance.
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Video Content:
0:00 Introduction
0:59 Lens Choice and Firmware
2:16 AF Modes - S-AF and C-AF
7:06 AF Target Mode
10:06 C-AF Sensitivity
12:01 Moving Subjects
13:36 Release Priority
17:13 Focus Beep
19:20 Challenging Shooting Conditions
19:51 Subject Detection
21:17 Burst Shooting
23:11 Other Recommendations
23:33 AF Illuminator
25:44 Zoom Frame AF (Super Spot AF)
31:38 AF Limiter
33:03 Closing Remarks
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Article: www.thomaseisl.photography/technique/om-system-om-1-autofocus-expert-guide
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#OMSystem #OM1 #Autofocus #MasterClass #ExpertGuide #ThomasEisl #ThomasEislPhotography #photographyeducation
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this is indeed one of the very few channel which actually focus on problem solving rather than complaining.
I have to admit that in my opinion there is nothing to complain about - it is just about learning a new and much improved AF system.
Thanks for the kind comment!
Totally agree! Rather than complaining, just help telling others how to overcome it.
@@Jgatti41 I do not own an OM1 and still using a panasonic GM5, pen-F (for the ability to set color profile) and LX100. they lives comfortably in my pocket and ready to pop out when i sees something interesting. I appreciate this channel for the works on problem solving and sufficient explanation on the technical aspect of OM1.
there are no perfect camera just as the same for a pair of perfect eyes. it really boils down to how and what our eyes can see and how those things brings joy and happiness for us.
Thank you for sharing your joy of acquiring the sony system and congrats on finding the system that suit you. At the same time, I would like to apologise for sharing my appreciation for the information which this channel provides despite not owning an OM1 should it be found to be disturbing.
i do own Sony's a6000. It is a good camera, but sadly I am too used to the portability of my MFT systems and probably not considering the Sony's full frame system any time soon. That said, I do appreciate your input on Sony's system.
@@Jgatti41 Perhaps the OM-1 has a steeper learning curve and requires more understanding of the “machine”, whereas with the Sony you are good to go.
@@RoderickJMacdonald That's the point.
There is no one on CZcams more technically proficient or thorough on these matters than Thomas. I have complete faith in his advice and explanations, even though I have been using numerous cameras for over 40 years. Thanks Thomas.
Dear Roy, this means a lot. Thank you very much for your kind words - it means a lot coming from a photographer with extensive experience in the field. Very much appreciated, thank you for the comment!
This is an extremely well researched work, and will probably become the standard from which other photographic teaching videos will be judged against. Many CZcamsrs are self-professed experts, through using the hardware but not necessarily understanding the theory, mechanism and design, but this is different. Thank you Thomas, I've learned a lot from this!
Thank you very much for this exceptional comment.
I'm honored that you think so and I will strive to live up to this high expectations in future videos.
Thanks again, this means a lot and I greatly appreciate your continued support of the channel!
Superb AF guide Thomas....Perfectly explained. I finally switched to an OM-1 a month ago. No easy decision for someone who used Canon for 40 years !!! The OM-1 is answering all my prayers...but is taking a bit of getting used to. I paired the OM-1 with a 300 f4 Pro lens chiefly for birds in flight and I have not been disappointed. I found the need (after experimenting) as you suggested to leave the Focus sensitivity to 0. The subject tracking is so good that the OM-1 sticks like glue to fast moving birds there is no need to adjust it. I am grateful for your detailed guide as, even though I have read the manual extensively your terrific explanation makes so much more sense. Huge thanks Thomas. Best no nonsense OM-1AF description information on the net....!!!!!
Gerry, thank you very much for your kind words and for sharing your experiences! I completely agree, the OM-1 is not a "ready to shoot" camera - you really have to learn how to use it. The reward for doing so, however, is that you get incredible results even under adverse conditions!
Thanks again for the great contribution!
Thomas, once again you've produced a video with invaluable insight into the workings of AF on the OM-1. As new OM-1 user, I've been heavily leaning on experienced photographers (as well as my own research) to learn how to use it -- none are so thorough as you! Thanks for taking the time to provide your excellent insights. Now to absorb it all! 🙂
David, thank you very much - every one of your kind comments is much appreciated!
I also train a lot with the camera, only by that one can get the best use out of it. Feel free to share your experiences as well, the more contributions and ideas the better!
Thanks and hope to hear from you again!
You really know how to get the best out of the OM-1! I am a very experienced OM-1/Olympus user (mostly wildlife), but I have learned from this tutorial some very useful tips that will prompt me to tweak my C1-C4 custom settings. Thank you.
Wow, that is great to read! Please keep me updated on how the changes impacted your photographic practice!
Thank you Thomas. A practical, thoughtful and positive video.
Awesome, thank you Peter! That is great to read!
Thank you Thomas. A concise & thorough coverage & explanation of the various means of the OM-1 AF functions etc.
Thank you very much!
I always enjoy your expertise. Thank you so much for sharing your wealth of knowledge!
Thank you very much Allen!
Excellent…this is what I needed to get going with my OM-1. This video puts it in such simple terms. I’m looking forward to putting what I’ve learned into practice. Cheers!
Ahhh great to hear! The OM-1 is such a great camera, I hope everything works like you expect it to!
Great job again Thomas!!!
I appreciate that - thank you very much!
Great video - very informative. Thanks as ever, Thomas.
Thank you so much Michael! Thanks for commenting!
Wow, that's very comprehensive and detailed. Outstanding work! 😊
Thank you very much!
Thanks so much, Thomas. I’ve been checking this channel daily, watching for this. It confirms everything that I’ve been able to figure out on my own in the past year and refines my understanding considerably with your additional details and examples this will help me further refine my settings and my real world practices. I very much appreciate your efforts.
Dear Jeffrey, thank you very much for your kind words! I'm glad that after the wait, the video provided what you've been looking for.
Thanks again - hope to read from you soon - the next video will be about C-AF+TR.
This is how advice on the AF for the OM-1 is done! Thank you!
Awesome, thank you very much!
Thanks again Thomas, this really helps me get my head around some of the less obvious selections in the menus, and gives practical reason why I might choose those settings. The low light suggestions are especially useful and I am going to play with the zoom frame AF now!
Great to hear!
More great videos ... thanks for the information and insight.
☕☕☕
Thank you Bill - and thanks for the Ko-Fi!
Thank you so much for such an informative, useful and professional presentation.
Thanks 🙏 your kind feedback is much appreciated!
Everything in this video is top notch professional. The material is great as others have said. I also appreciate your attire to do these presentations, adds yet another dimension of professionalism to your channel. Thanks!
Thank you very much Joe, what a kind and thoughtful comment. Great to read!
Probably the best detailed explanation of OMD settings I've seen! Really useful. Tx
Many thanks!
Thanks Thomas for your clear and detailed explanation. I am so impressed and appreciative of how you, Rob and Peter responded to the focusing concern with clear examples and solutions! I think OM-Systems can learn something from this trio of experts!
Thank you very much for your generous support and your kind words! So great that you found this video helpful.
The OM-1 is a fantastic camera, but it requires some effort to learn.
Splendid Thomas, many thanks.
Many thanks, Bob!
Thanks! Just the information I needed
Glad it was helpful! Thank you very much for the donation, Keith!
I'm shocked by how much I thought I understood but didn't! Thank you for providing so much highly detailed information backed by technical insights I haven't come across anywhere else. I had no idea that using C-AF as my default mode was the cause of so many poorly-focused or missed shots - and you explained that in just the first few minutes of your video!
Thank you very much for your kind words Phil, and I'm super happy that you found the content helpful!
On of the best imformation thank you frim Thailand ps.I used since om 5 and never look back and now I 73yrs.😊
Thank you very much for the incredible feedback. The OM-5 is a fantastic camera. I'm also very happy with it!
Absolutely fantastic, technically accurate, proficient, incredibly helpful and so easy to understand video! Thank you! Instant subscriber to your channel!
Thank you very much and welcome to the channel! Much appreciated!
Again a very detailed video which leaves no open questions! Thanks for that! Impressing, what a wave can be initiated by a single video from somebody else… I can only agree with what you explained! Regards Volker
Thanks Volker, much appreciated!
I had this video planned for a long time, but felt like it was the best time to publish it now, after all this unfortunate confusion.
Thanks very much for your advice Thomas, very helpful.
Glad it was helpful! That is great to read!
Very informative and useful. Thank you!
Thank you ver much!
The zoom frame is the best tip I've ever received
Great to hear! Awesome!
I have been practicing yr AF technique and it has made a massive difference to my targeting accuracy, unbelievable! Thank you vv much.
Wow! That is so great to read, I'm so happy for you. Thanks for sharing, Catherine!
Thank you, the video was of great help
Thank you so much for this Thomas. I have just purchased an OM-1, my first mirrorless after many years of full frame Canon DSLRs and this video has helped immeasurably in getting to grips with the excellent AF system. Your clarity and attention to detail without over complicating the subject is just what is needed. Thanks again.
That is so great to hear - thank you! And welcome to the OM-1 club - feel free to get in touch if you need additional information or help! Best wishes!
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Edit to this comment: I just realised that the last video in your OM-1 playlist answers much of this. Thank you. One thing which you may consider doing another video on. I am mainly a wildlife/bird shooter, and I am still a little confused re the relationship between the bird/animal recognition and the autofocus. When recognition is achieved (subject is framed) does this lock the autofocus onto the frame? Or does it remain with the focus point/area? Is the behaviour the same in SAF and CAF? What is the effect of the eye detection frame? Does it force the AF to the eye? I'm still testing and trying this out, but I'm sure other OM-1 owners would love to know how this works in detail.
Hello Thomas, Jose from Puerto Rico. Your explanation in this video helped me a lot. Hopefully, OM systems will continue to improve the autofocus on the OM-1. As a user myself of the product, I can appreciate your expertise on the subject. Your style of teaching is wonderful, because you go straight to the issue and demonstrate how to navigate through the abundant feature set of this camera. No camera is perfect, but being able to customize this machine to your liking is amazing. Thanks again, Thomas, and please continue giving the community excellent content as always.
Hello Jose!
Almost missed your comment, sorry for the late reply!
It is a great pleasure to read positive feedback from you, that is really an awesome support of the channel and encouraging for me to continue producing videos!
I will bring a series of OM -1 Guides in the next weeks, there are so many interesting aspects of this camera I'd like to talk about.
Hope you like them and hope you will find them useful!
All the best, Thomas
I’ve been shooting with the E-OM1ii for a couple of years. Though it is two generations behind the OM-1, your instructions and explanations are perfectly on point. Not mere instructions or feature lists, but in depth discussion with specific reference to practice. Vielen, vielen Dank, Thomas!
That is great to hear! Thank you very much for the kind feedback.
As ever a superb video packed with useful information and photographic technique appropriate to the om1 and other camera systems. I only wish you had completed this earlier as I have spent the last six months trying to work it out myself! Your videos are clear informative and factual. Still might give the beep a miss though. Thank you.
Thank you very much Alec!
Yes, the beep is not for everyone hehe - I'll continue with a series of specialized OM-1 videos in the upcoming weeks.
Best wishes, hope to read from you soon!
Excellent presentation. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
Great information, pretty much everyone else mentions that there are "quirks" without getting into any additional details. Thank you!
Great to hear - thank you! I think the OM-1's AF is revolutionary - that also means it needs a new approach to master it. Thanks again!
Excellent tutorial. I git a lot of new information with this one.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you very much!
Thanks Thomas, your tutorial is considerable and authoritative. Indeed, the OM-1 is a highly professional camera, a high-level camera, designed for photographers and professionals, which if maximized to its maximum performance, gives you surprising results. I always and constantly follow your tutorials, always well described, reasoned and didactic. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, the result of a lot of work and professional experience. Greetings Enzo
Thank you so much for this very mindful comment.
I'm glad that we both have the same impressions when it comes to the OM-1 - it is not a point and shoot, and I like that a lot.
Thanks again, hope to read from you soon!
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Hi Thomas, I thank you very much for the effort you dedicate to elucidate your knowledge and experience on the subject with your tutorials, and I personally feel very present to participate in this context. For me it is a great joy and a duty to actively share very useful and important things, the conclusions with commitment almost always arrive, but when you have help like yours, things become clearer and simpler, and correcting things that they are often simple and other times they have escaped you, applying more and more your own baggage of knowledge, perfection is not a point of arrival, but a path, and a constant one. A dear greeting, from Enzo
Excellent info about OM-1 and its AF.
Thank you so much Peter!
Brilliant, thank you so for sharing.
Thank you very much!
Thomas, you have outdone yourself; this is an incredibly informative & expertly-done video!
Thank you Thomas!
I have watched at least two YT video-reviewers, and their subsequent attempts to "double-Down" on their claims, where they were trying to show the 'faults' of the OM-1's AF. Had they taken the time to watch THIS video, they could not honestly substantiate their criticisms of the AF on the OM-1. (Robin Wong & Chris Nichols please take note!)
Thank you very much - I'm honored!
Really, I'm out of words!
Yes Thank you, you helped me identify in my camera a couple of incorrect settings. Must save this video for future shooting situations. Thank you again, you are truly an OM Ambassador.
Thank you very much - so great to hear that!
Actually, I'm not in the ambassador program - I'm just convinced that the OM-1 is a superb photographic tool.
@@ThomasEisl.Photography wow surprising that you are not an ambassador. Since owning the om1 I follow many ambassadors and you would be an excellent top tier technical ambassador for om systems. Thanks again.
@@joeret2896 Thank you! That means a lot, really!
Very detailed thanks from a new OM-1 user 😎
Uh, welcome to the club! Great to hear, you will love this camera 📸, I'm sure!
Great presentation
Thank you very much!
Thanks for the very informative video. I found that I use most of these settings derived by trial and error. It is nice to to know the theory behind these choices.
Many thanks Ken! Great to read that we both came to the same conclusions for our photographic practice!
Many thanks from THAILAND.
Thank you - most welcome!
merci pour tout ces conseils très utile david
De rien, David! Merci!
Thanks Thomas! This video is most useful and very clear! I can only agree with your recomendations, as I am in general using the OM-1 as you suggest, and have even been using the lever to switch between C-AF and S-AF for several years with E-M1 cameras. I was not aware of the Zoom S-AF in-camera, although I have used a similar approach thetererd with OM Capture. I would add one thing about the use of AF: when the camera struggles with subject recognition in C-AF because of partial blocking of the subject (say a bird behind some twigs) the focus ring can be used while C-AF + MF is activated, to "select" where focus locks. This is the reverse of the normal use of MF to fine tune the focus point from S-AF, one uses MF to get near the desired focus, and lets C-AF with subject detection to complete the job. I have used this approach mostly with telephoto lenses. I just noticed this by accident some months ago, but I am finding this approach very useful as it gives a very fast way of "guiding" the camera AF.
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences and the great tip, Pedro!
That is really awesome and I'm sure it will be relevant for many photographers watching the video 📸
I have no significant experience in wildlife, so this is very welcome! Thanks!
Thomas, thank you lots!! You're a life (Fn lever settings mode 2 ... ) saver!! $5 for a good coffee sent :)
That's great to read - thanks for your support and the positive feedback!
As always, superb. Useful Information, indeed the small AF point in SAF is something to know how small the area is. So in difference to my older OMDs i use the small field box often.
I agree! Coming from previous Olympus models, this really impacts the way you work with the camera! Thanks for sharing, and the kind words, Peter!
excellent video thx !
Glad you liked it! Thank you very much!
By far the best coverage of OM-1 focusing functions, besting even OM System's recent, less rigorous coverage. Makes me want to try out an OM-1 even more for my most recent assignments: photographing NYC drag queens in their natural environment -- performing on-stage with horrific, pure-color LED stage lighting as well as rapid, erratic, not-always-synchronized-with-the-music movements. It's much like shooting wildlife, actually, but with far worse lighting. My EM-1-Mk2 does surprisingly well at this, but the OM-1 might even do better.
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
You definitely should give the OM-1 a go at some point, it really offers significant improvements in many departments.
Yes, the LED stage lighting used nowadays practically everywhere drives me nuts as well. The color cast is practically impossible to correct as the light is missing certain wavelengths, it seems.
@ThomasEisl.Photography Old stage lighting technology using incandescents filtered with gels offered a larger range of correction in post. LED wavelengths are pretty closely matched to sensor color filters so if you take one primary color down in post you lose everything since there's no leakage from the other two primaries.
@ThomasEisl.Photography I've also noticed that LED lighting color casts (like the red-only I encounter at one of the venues) are less noticeable if there are other colors in the image. So while a facial closeup might be an ugly blood red, zooming out to get other colors from the background makes the all-red face less horrific. Shooting video under these lighting conditions is inherently less horrific since a wider view is usually recorded encompassing other colors. Apparently our visual system's white-constancy processing kicks in when there are more colors to work with.
@@sbeckmesser thank you very much for sharing your experiences - that's very valuable! I think your assessment regarding our built-in auto WB in wide angle shots is very valid! That's a great observation!
another very helpful, and fruitful, video Thomas.
I'd wager heavily that many OM-1 users have now found a button to assign Zoom frame AF to ;)
I turned the AF beep back on when I first started using the EE1 Dot sight for BIF. I don't use the Dot sight anymore but I still use my ears for AF confirmation. this keeps my eye free to only concentrate on the suject in the viewfinder and not the camera settings and such.
I never really could figure out (with the EM1X or the OM-1) if using your Burst shooting method (Bump AF method as others call it) improves keepers as opposed to one long BIF sequence. ie., a 50 frame seqeunce. If I simply capture 50 frames in one long burst or by bumping the AF numerous times (ie. 5X 10 shot bursts)....I'never figured out which method is more often better for keeper rate. I doubt I 'tested' this nearly as much with the OM-1 as I did with previous OMD models.
Thank you very much - especially your many contributions regarding AF- your input was very inspiring and allowed for the creation of a more complete video. Thanks for that!
Regarding the burst shooting - yes, it is really hard to tell. What I found is that when shooting very long burst on very small targets, I sometimes cannot keep the AF point aligned perfectly with the target (face of the model at long distances), and that has a negative impact. With the burst technique, I can re-align properly.
I do not really have any relevant experiences when it comes to BIF, so your experiences are - as always - very much appreciated!
All in all, I think the rule of thumb is - the more frames the more keepers.
This has helped me refine my settings a bit for my OM-1 bodies. Since I mainly shoot in venues where either I need a quiet camera or the noise is too loud to hear the confirmation beep for AF (air shows and some concerts), I still leave that off, but I have not had the problem of pressing the shutter before AF is acquired, typically. (I'm old and slow... lol) But it's one to keep in mind for situations like family portrait sessions, etc.,.
I still prefer the small square for CAF modes, along with all points. I have a birds in flight set (C1) that I find all points works best to pick up birds in flight and in remote camera operations I do. But for perched or stationary birds I can press a button to switch from C1 to C2 where it's set up with the lever switching between SAF+M and CAF+M and I can use the small SAF point. As you suggest, sometimes it's better in difficult conditions to turn off the subject AI and just let the auto focus system work more simply, and we can use MF override when needed.
The Sony A9/A1 cameras (not sure if the A7 models have this) can also do something I wish OM would bring about: beside assigning custom sets to button, one can create a up to three "registered sets" I think they're called. When I borrow a friend's Sony gear sometimes, I set up one so I can just press and hold a button and all the settings I want changed will instantly change and then I release the button and they go back to whatever I was using. It's really handy and faster then the toggling a custom set because the camera has to be done with whatever it's doing (writing a procapture batch to card) before I can toggle a different custom mode. This takes a couple seconds, it seems. The way Sony handles these registered sets makes that switch almost instant and one can do it very quickly and get back to previous settings quickly. It's great for things where you're shooting a high shutter speed for action and then there's a candid on the sidelines you want to get and would rather have a slower shutter speed and lower ISO, for example. Anyway, that's my wish and I mention it to OM people whenever I get the chance. ;-)
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences!
And yes, I can see that a similar feature would be great to have in the OM-1 as well. The only bummer: I'm not associated with OM System so I cannot really push the idea :-(
So for the time being, we have to turn the mode dial on top from C1 to C2, I'm afraid.
Thanks again for the relevant comment, much appreciated!
Thanks for the very comprehensive explanation on AF for the OM-1.
I hear you saying enabling the beeping ... Was seriously wondering why this feature is enabled by default. Need to check my photos whether I have a problem with not fully acquired focus. While doing macro I'm almost used to simply press the shutter through immediately to reduce the chance of moving between focus acquired and actual shot.
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
The "premature actuation" is not a thing every user suffers from, I am one of those so I benefit from the Beep - it might be that you are completely "safe".
Regarding macro: thanks to the fast AF, what you described works extremely well! That's a great tip for others here as well, thanks for sharing !
I’ve been shooting Olympus for many years and did not know that about the different focus methods for single vs. continuous! Great tip, though I almost never use single. I typically use continuous with back button activation.
Yes, I'm also into the back button AF on my DSLRs, however, with the OM-1 I just use the shutter button. I should try your method, as it seems to work fine for you! Thanks Larry!
excellent! thank you
You are welcome! Thank you!
Thank you Thomas for all if your OM-1 guides which are excellent. One problem I have is getting the OM-1 to focus on clouds which my EM-5 has no trouble doing. Presumably the difference between contrast & phase detect.
Thank you!
For doing so, I would either use S-AF and if that does not work (which is possible due to the pinpoint AF size) use Zoom Frame AF / Touch AF instead. That should focus instantly!
very convincing presentation - it looks as if the OM-1 is quite different animal from the Olympus cameras
Thank you.
Yes, it is very different, really. This can be a bit frustrating initially, but once you get used to it, you will love it to bits.
Hi Thomas<
Another great addition to the OM-1 database! One thought about your programmed AF-ON button. As a alround nature photographer, I pretty need all buttons. I found out that when you hold the AF joystick and then turn the front wheel you also changes the af-size.
Thank you very much for your feedback!
Yes, that's a great tip!
Thanks for the great tips!
It would be cool to show the viewers of the channel how OM Capture lets you manage high-volume pics. Seeing how it groups your ProCapture and high-drive mode pics was a revelation and helped out quite a bit. Focus analyzer is not perfect, but its not a terrible first pass. I bet most of your viewers don't even know it exists.
Since you are an old school, DSLR shooter you have access to real light meters.... A C-AF, S-AF exploration with the Checkr targets with precise lighting levels might give some useful datapoints.
I wish you could hire a small interpretive dance troupe to move around in a studio in various lighting conditions to simulate real world subjects to test out AF modes. :-)
Keep up with the informative explanations.
Hey Adam!
Maybe I can get some dancers at some point - would probably bust my budget haha.
I will test the focus analyser in the next weeks, I rarely shoot high volume so I didn't really need it up to now, but I can definitely see that this is very handy for that. I plan on doing videos on OM Workspace in the future, maybe that is a good opportunity to talk about it. Thanks for the great input, Adam!
Prof. dr Thomas Eisl 👨🏫🏫🎯💪🏆
Thank you very much Sir 😬📸
As I'm a birdwatcher using very often 300 mm at max F4 aperture, I know how AF is important. Your suggestions are very interesting to achieve the max in extreme condition of use, as birdwatching is. Thank you Thomas. Sergio from Milano Italy
Awesome to hear, Sergio! Thank you very much for sharing!
I'd be interested to hear about how the tips have impacted your results. That would be great!
All the best, Thomas
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Dear Thomas, I'm honoured about your interest on my comment. What I learned listening your video clip:
1) the difference between C-AF and S-AF
a) on the blocked area and
b) accuracy.
2) the good behaviour of OM-1 AF compared with DSLR cameras.
What I learned from another OM System enthusiast and great bird photographer, Espen Helland:
1) to use AF-ON button instead of shutter button. I used it already on my E-M1 m2 assigning the AEL button to this function. At the beginning, you must familiarise with it, but it's a great choice because you can prior adjust focus and then compose the frame.
2) to use the yellow peaking with correct AF areas.
Many many thanks for your lessons about best usage of our cameras.
Sergio from Milan Italy
@@sergiodonadeo2810 thank you very much for sharing! Yes, for wildlife photography back button AF is great!
Thank you again for taking the time, your input is greatly appreciated and is invaluable!
Best wishes, yours Thomas
Thanks!
Thank you very much for your kind support - I'm very grateful!
As an amateur bird photographer, the discussion about the AF Target size is critical. I agree that a target size that is too large, even with subject detection on, can lead to problems. And I have noticed that if the target size is as small as the bird, that the hit rate is very high. However, it is hard to keep a small target on a flying duck or starling. I am disappointed that my OM-1 will not focus on a bird that is behind grass or branches even though subject detect finds the bird. I understand that a very small target size may solve the problem, but this is not the optimum solution.
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences! I have zero to none experience in bird photography, so a contribution like yours is highly appreciated.
Just a suggestion - did you try S-AF + Subject Detection in these situations? I think it should do the trick as the S-AF with CDAF should be able to "look through" the branches, while C-AF with PDAF cannot do that. That is just a guess, but maybe it helps!
I saw @robin wong videos about some "failure" of both S-af and than C-af... best thing could be add an hybrid mode on camera which choose best autofocus mode to guarantee best performances for that scenario which we dont have a lot of time to choose (or switch) the best AF on camera. However your guide is so useful and clear, thanks a lot Thomas, i appreciate.
Thank you very much for your kind words and your very interesting thoughts!
All in all, it might be impossible to design a system that covers everything equally - it will always be a compromise, as you've stated!
Thanks again and best wishes!
Wow that is so interesting,, I thought Wong was an engenieer, but anyway it seems you took time and effor to understand how the camera works,, thanks very helpfull..
Thank you very much for your kind words! That is awesome to read!
Hi Thomas. You’ve got my attention. I would love to see bird and BIF images and field footage to convince me. Do you have any videos like that ? Thanks.😊
Unfortunately, I do not have such footage as I'm not really a nature photographer. But the performance of the camera for BIF is spectacular, from what wildlife photogs told me. I mean, the camera was made for exactly that.
Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for this Thomas, I have the E-M1mk3 and feel a lot of your info applies to this model as well. Perhaps this tip applies to the OM-1 as well, to exit the magnify view along with pressing OK, long pressing the magnify or pressing the joystick also exits the magnify view. Thanks again Thomas.
Hey Rick! Yes, the tips are also relevant for the still excellent E-M1III of yours!
Thanks for adding the handling tips regarding the zoom AF!
Another informative video Thomas. I noticed you didn't address AF tracking. Any thoughts about this mode?
Thank you! My next video will be about C-AF + TR in detail - stay tuned 📸😬
Thanks
Thank you very much!
Awesome and helpful video as always! May I know what is the difference between using the zoom frame autofocus in CAF vs regular CAF with a comparable target size? Does it use contrast detect in zoom frame autofocus?
Thank you! My testing on this one is not a 100% conclusive, but most likely, the OM-1 uses PDAF as well. I've run a few tests and everything hints at the use of multiple PDAF points. Thanks for asking!
Merci ! Danke! Clear, well explained, instructing. I love your channel. Thank you.
Maybe you can tell me, how I can move the focus point with my finger. It doesn’t.
Thank you very much for your kind words and the super thanks!
Regarding your question:
First I recommend checking whether the touch controls are enabled. Go to the spanner menu, then 3. Monitor/Sound/Connection -- Touchscreen Settings. It should be set to "On".
Second, the touch screen can also be disabled or the behaviour of it changed when in Live View. There are several different options, you can check that by examining the small icon on the left side. All modes are described in the English manual page 41, for further reference. Tapping the icon until it looks like a pointer finger should do the trick.
Let me know if this helped and don't hesitate to contact me again if needed!
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Many thanks for your explanation. It works now. Was simple actually, but with so many options, one can get confused.
@@ghislaincote1493 absolutely, the only real "issue" I see with the OM-1 is that it is complex and hard to master. Apart from that it is an exceptional tool.
Grazie.
Thank you very much for your support and kind words, Roberto! ☕
Very clear explanation.
Another technique I sometimes use, akin to your burst shooting tip, is focus stacking to shoot "through" the subject. This is a way to capture things like a flower's stamen in an awkward shooting situation.
Are you sure that CAF only uses phase detect? I thought it used phase detect to get close and then refined the focus using contrast technique if it has time and the subject is not moving rapidly. Maybe I'm getting OM and Nikon mixed up. :*)
Finally, perhaps I missed it, but using manual focus with peaking can often save the day.
Cheers
Many thanks for the tip with focus stacking, have not thought of that yet.
Well, from what my testing showed, it seems like the OM only uses phase detection. It is possible that it uses CDAF as well, but the results were very inconclusive regarding that.
My next video is about manual focusing with the OM-1 :-) That's what I call a coincidence.
Thanks for the great contribution!
Which One Is Best Sony zv-e1 or This? For filming and photos.
I'd definitely pick the OM-1. The ZV-E1 is a very specialized vlogging camera not suitable for regular photography. E.g. there is not even a viewfinder.
Thank you for the great and detailed explanation! I am still struggling with mastering AF on my OM-1, especially in low light. Better understanding how it works helps a lot. I think the whole debate following Robins videos about poor AF performance of the OM-1 was due to the expectation, that an improved AF system should also always be easier to use, not harder. But how could you improve accuracy by also increasing the number and therefore reducing the size of the AF points without making it harder to use? There are many more ways to place the point on a less then optimal spot now, making it more likely to fail.
I completely agree!
Sorry for the late reply - and sorry to hear about the low light AF issues you are having. Don't hesitate to ask anything specific, maybe I can help you out!
All in all, the new OM-1 is a huge step in the right direction, even though the old Olympus cameras were fine as well, the improvement can be felt. And that is great for us photographers!
Thanks again for not only this very thoughtful comment, but also for engaging with other users here in the comments and helping them out! That is so awesome!
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Thanks a lot for your kind reply! I enjoy the discussions here and learn a lot from your channel. I remember that I had similar problems adapting to the more precise AF when I switched from my initial body, the original E-M10, to EM-5 mk3. Using it now is easy and has become second nature. The adaptation hopefully just needs some more time and practice 🙏
That is great to hear!
Yes, I hope so as well. It took me a while as well, but now - I could not be happier with it.
Thomas, I would be very interested in how you would shoot a party in a dark room with flash. My old dslr Nikons are good enough that I can place a focus point on a white collar or similar in the frame. The focus just grabs, and then I can blast a few frames in order to get one where no one is blinking. I have always found AF pattern lights to be too slow. Maybe the OM1 is better. But imagine some on a dance floor. They are not going to stop dancing to accommodate an AF grid illumination. I have always had success finding a small white area of clothing, placing a focus point on it, and blasting away with flash. It's a simple and effective technique. What does the OM viewfinder even look like in the dark? Could my technique work on the OM?
First and foremost - the technique you just mentioned would work with the OM-1 as well. In most cases, especially with a fast lens, the OM-1 might even be able to focus on parts with less contrast, in my experience. The AF assist LED (of MFT flashes) is quite different to the grid, as it will just illuminate the whole subject. This is not as subtle, but very effective and fast. You might prefer the results over the grid illumination. Regarding the viewfinder, I invite you to watch this video next:
czcams.com/video/3E-Ycd67O9w/video.htmlsi=ZuVMp7jTtYeHkGFX
In an Avengers movie, you would be Jarvis. Thanks a lot for being my Supermind.
Thanks ☺️ that's a very cool compliment!
I saw a recent analysis that showed the champion for keeper rates - the highest percentage of sharp photos out of total photos shot - belongs to Sony. HOWEVER, when the analysis turned to the highest keepers per second, the hands down winner is the OM1. At 50 fps, the analysis showed 42 or 43 sharp images. No other camera comes close.
Very interesting!
That is quite possible. Many photographers who shot this camera side by side with other high end cameras of today.
The OM-1 is no slouch and definitely in the same league as the Z9 and A9II - if you know how to make full use of its functions.
Excellent video! Are there any tricks to improving Continuous Autofocus + Tracking? For me it doesn't seem to be as reliable as CA alone when shooting moving subjects.
with previous Olympus OMD models, I was told by Olympus that +Tr was designed for z axis (ie. a subject coming directly towards camera). the camera does not want to see any changes in the background. it does not want to have to perform calculations on the background....just the subject in the target box.
panning with a moving subject against a background is not what +Tr is intended for with previous OMD cameras and I'd guess the OM-1 as well. of course +Tr does work sometimes in those conditions but i think that explaines it's inconsistency both historically and currently.
@@fuzzywuzzy8874 Appreciate it. Thanks!
@@weekendwanderer5514 just thought to add this from the EM1X's manual, page 116 and 346.
"Tracking AF (C-AF+TR)
Track focus on a specific subject while keeping the composition roughly the same."
Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge, @fuzzy wuzzy! Great that you take the time to share to help, myself included! Much appreciated!
@Weekend Wanderer - the next video is for you! 📸
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Thank you so much! Really looking forward to watching it!
I see you have a video on lens calibration for DLSR. Do you recommend this procedure for the OM-1?
Thanks for getting in touch.
I would not recommend calibrating lenses when using the OM-1, as it is usually not needed. Only do that if you notice a specific problem with focusing accuracy in one of the AF-modes which utilize PDAF (e.g. C-AF, C-AF+TR). Keep in mind that adapted Four Thirds lenses always use PDAF, even in S-AF.
Again, in my experience, it is usually not needed.
Hope this helps!
S-AF Contrast, C-AF Phase Detection?
I have confirmed that my OM-1 struggles in S-AF with a very low contrast target and low light. C-AF performs better - presumably because it uses phase detect. Is the preference for contrast detect AF in S-AF documented somewhere? My understanding is that phase detection is the default on most cameras now (and Panasonic is criticized for only using contrast detection). My Sony A7RV uses phase detection for both focus modes - and with the same target can focus in both modes - albeit slower than usual. I don't understand why the OM-1 would prefer contrast detection. (Your videos are great - very informative with information not available elsewhere!)
First and foremost, thank you very much for your kind words!
Regarding CDAF / PDAF - unfortunately, this is not documented but the "peek under the hood" is possible with some tests, e.g. brightening the live view.
The Sony has a great, although very different AF system. It is a matter of taste if you prefer the automation or user control, I'd say.
Thanks for the comment, much appreciated!
Hello Thomas,
Thank you for the excellent talk on Auto focus of OM 1.
I still have a problem with my OM.1. The Focus conformation beep does not come though the green dot appears.
I have the sound icon on in wrench menu number 3.
Please help.
Thank you
Shanti
Sydney
Australia
Hey there, you have to turn the beep on on the silent shooting settings - I think that is the issue here. Best, Thomas
Great video love my OM-1 but when do we need to turn off AF Scanner? I keep it on for birds in flight but for portraits I have read to turn it off so I am not sure thanks;)
Great to hear!
So here is the thing: AF scanner won't affect the AF performance directly. When enabled, it just allows the camera to perform one more "run" from close focus to infinity if it can't lock focus. It is a matter of preference, but I tend to leave it on all times.
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Ok great thanks and greetings from Greece;)
Dear Thomas, your tips will help me improve my pictures and using the OM-1 in generally. Especially the tip about keeping the focus beep on. But the beep is not active when you shoot in a silent mode (no matter single or sequential shooting), isn't it? If I am not wrong you cannot use the beep in a silent mode.
Thanks, that is great to read!
You can turn on the beep in silent mode as follows: menu1/7 - there you can turn the beep on for silent mode. Best, Thomas
Thank you Thomas for sharing your expertise. When using the OM-1 with a flash in TTL mode I do not get a pre flash. This happens with both a Godox 860 2 and a Nissin i860A. When these flashes are paired with a GH-5 they work normally. Any thoughts?
Thank you very much for your kind words!
Just to clarify, do you mean the AF assist beam or the measuring pre-flash for determining flash exposure?
@@ThomasEisl.Photography The measuring pre-flash
Ah! I think it has to do with a slightly different flash protocol - as long as the results are good, I would not worry about that! Does it work?
@@ThomasEisl.Photography The flash fires but the output is not as precise as with the GH-5.
@@Kentsj hm, very strange! In a future video I will cover flashes for MFT - until then, maybe you can try updating the firmware of the flashes!
I never realised that that S-AF uses CDAF and C-AF uses PDAF; thanks for providing me with this important new insight.
You say however that S-AF uses > Contrast Detection to acquire focus. Does that mean that S-AF also uses PDAF is some way? It should do so, in my opionion, because my OM-1 tends to 'hunt' when trying to focus in low light, as CDAF has trouble determining which way to move the lens. Perhaps Panasonic's depth-of-defocus CDAF is better than OMDS CDAF?
Glad that you found that useful!
Here is why I said predominantly: My testing revealed that the OM-1 uses CDAF at least for the final focus acquisition. It might be that it uses PDAF at the beginning of the AF operation, although I don't think so.
So Panasonic is definitely king when it comes to CDAF - DOD is a variant of that, a very powerful one to be honest.
As an OM-1 shooter, you have to decide whether you want CDAF or PDAF - I like to have this choice, it helps in practice.
Sorry for the late reply, busy days!
Hi, great review, helped me put together my experiences, thank you for this and your other videos! The AF system is really complex and OMDS should produce a comprehensive manual explaining it to help advanced users. I have two questions: a) when shooting moving subjects like birds or cars, with subject detection on and C-AF, which would be better: a larger target area to keep the subject is inside when moving or a smaller for better precision ? b) when configuring custom target area, it is possible to use a more dens grid than the predefined targets, I seem to get more keepers that way, but then why the standard targets are less dense?
Great to hear!
Case A: As soon as the bird is detected, the target size is no longer relevant for the AF operation in my experience.
Case B: From my experience, the custom targets do not affect AF point density, but just overall size, shape and positioning steps of the the AF target area.
@@ThomasEisl.Photography thank you!
On the topic of autofocus, do you know how to get focus peaking to work on vintage, manual focus Olympus lenses? It works fine on my Pen-F, but doesn't do a thing on my new OM-1.
There is a video planned on this! Stay tuned!
Hello and thanks for your videos. I have a bit of tricky question : I own two Olympus SWD lenses, 12-60 and 50-200. But it seems that those lenses need phase detection AF in order to work well. Would that mean that it won't perform the better way possible in S-AF and need to switch to C-AF in order to work properly ? When you say "predominantly" in phase detection on contrast detectio, would that mean that S-AF in Contrast detection only and C-AF phase detection only ? Thanks !
When you mount a Four Thirds lens via an adapter, the OM-1 will always use phase detection only, even in S-AF. So basically you get an E-5 with 1.053 all cross-type phase detection points, which is pretty amazing. I tested that, so this is not an assumption.
On a side note: I used the word predominantly because I cannot rule out that when working with MFT lenses, the OM-1 uses strictly only one of the AF methods (although I'm 99% sure it does so. S-AF is CDAF, C-AF is PDAF).
Hope this helps!
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Thanks for the fast answer. From what I understand you tried S-AF with 4/3 lenses on the OM-1, does it work well ? I'm not expecting a rocket fast focus but at least a usable focus that doesn't breath many times before getting focus. DO you know if the EM-1 MkIII and the EM1x work as well ? It is difficult to find answer to that subject as few people use former SWD 4/3 lenses and I don't want to put them in the garbage as they are pretty good regarding image quality and aperture and I don't really need instant focus.
Thank you for the AF guidance. I can only get the AF beep to work with single drive mechanical shutter. Could it be held back by other settings?
Most welcome!
Yes, Electronic shutter automatically overrides the beep setting.
To change this, go to menu 1 - drive mode settings - silent shutter settings. There, you can change it!
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Brilliant!! Thank you. Coffee coming over..
@@skaterJelly most welcome! Thank you very much!
Hi Thomas, I’ve started going through your videos and something as a common thread has me pondering. What to set buttons, dials etc to. I know settings can be a very individual thing but what works best. One example is the setting of the function lever or just the AE button to look exposure if using spot metering. The function lever you have an S-AF and a C AF to the other. Both of these seemed good for low light situations. Shooting sitting birds or skittish birds and BIF I have dozens of combinations going through my brain. Any guidance from yourself or your followers would be appreciated at least to get a starting point. There appears to be infinite combinations. Thanks.
Hi Tony!
I prefer using the fn-lever to switch AF modes. The AE button is usually set for AE Lock only. I rarely use the AF button, so I sometimes use it for other things. But for you as a wildlife photographer, back button AF might be desirable.
My tip is to start with the standard configuration and work with it "as is" - in practice, you will soon encounter what you need. Just bring up the SCP and go to the cogwheel, set what you need there, on the fly.
Don't forget that there are also two front buttons, which are also very useful.
Hope this helps! Feel free to follow up if needed. Best, Thomas
I’m embarrassed. What does SCP stand for? I haven’t seen any reference to that.
@tonyblake8841 ah, sorry! Super control Panel. It is the thing that comes up when pressing OK.
It is the "super control panel" - the menu that comes up when you press OK.
Hi Thomas I was just wondering if OM-1 MkII can take 50fps with AF in SH-2 mode using non pro lenses. Lumix G9 MkII actually can do that. I would really appreciate your feedback regarding my query.
Hello!
At this point: 25 FPS with non-pro lenses. By doing this, the camera ensures top performance even under challenging circumstances.
It's interesting how the OM-1 menus look a LOT more like menus found on Canon DSLRs, right down to horizontal scrolling, icons, fonts and colours used. Maybe it's due to camera manufacturers standardising menus so that they all follow a similar style that is easier to use especially if you have to switch between different makes of camera often. I wonder if menu design became part of the ISO's technical standards at some point and that's why earlier DSLRs have awkward proprietary menus compared to everything since. I also wonder how much those standards limit or drive initiative given how generic a lot of cameras can look and feel. The change from DSLR to Mirrorless techology has pretty much ended DSLR development by most, if not all, of the major companies, not to mention iPhones being a big contributor to the drop in camera sales, so it's interesting to see new cameras like the OM-1 coming out that are still trying to push and advance the technology against overwhelming odds, knowing that they're more likely only going to be bought by the most dedicated professionals rather than your average hobby/street camera enthusiast.
I believe Olympus menus were fine with Olympus users, but for others coming across there were criticisms & why I believe OM Systems adopted the new format etc so it is easier to adapt to & to navigate.
@@rossthefiddler5890 Yeah. I did a little research and found "ISO/TC 42" includes "specifications and recommendations of logical and physical characteristics, practices, interfaces formats and metadata for still imaging capture, processing, and output systems". It's likely these recommended standardisations had some influence on camera manufacturers eventually adopting the more uniform menus we see in most modern cameras.
Agreed!
The best focus system is my left hand turning the focus ring of my Voigtlander lenses😅
Haha 😆 true
Can you please explain to me what would make my OM-1 mark ii say lens won’t allow autofocus. I’m confused because the lens that came with my camera is the 12mm-40mm f2.8 pro 2 which has autofocus. Could it be a firmware thing or is there something I need to learn? It’s basically stuck in manual focus and To be far this is my first camera of this level so I’m fairly lost. And I’m still a beginner photographer. UPDATE……I Feel really stupid because I didn’t know All I had to do was pull my focus ring forward to make the lens autofocus 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
Ahhh, thanks asking - I was about to suggest to check the MF clutch. Full disclosure: It happened to me as well when I purchased my first (back then) Olympus camera haha.
Welcome to the club of MF clutch victims ^^
Best, Thomas