[LRflex] Re: Tranquility (Caution, LONG!)
- From: David Young <dsy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2014 07:43:25 -0800
Good morning, Howard!
I really should send this by private mail, but I thought some of the other
flexers might find it interesting. (The rest of you should simply press
"Delete", now.)
This was my third day of experimenting at the races, and my last for this year.
It was a good test of the freeze-proof rating on the E-M1 (and me!) as the
temperature was a brisk -22C. (-7.6F) The camera worked well, but battery life
was about an hour, due to the cold. Perhaps I could have got more life out of
a battery, after I'd warmed it up again, but I carry 5 with me, and the races
only last 4 hours, so I did not bother.
Yes, these shots (I'll post one or two more) were all taken with the 50-200
f2.8-3.5 SWD four-thirds lens, with it's 1.4x tele-converter and MMF-3 FT to
mFT adapter; on the Oly E-M1. All at ISO 800, as the sky was heavily overcast.
Over the three days, I've tried tracking AF, regular AF and Continuous focus
AF. Because the bikes wander all over a fairly wide track, pre-focus is
impossible.
While tracking AF works quite well, it seems not capable of reliably tracking
the bikes, though when it does work, it works well. I suspect it will do quite
well, at rodeos, where movement is quick, but not like the bikes.
The single-shot AF actually works pretty well, too! But, I have found the most
reliable way to get shots of these bikes (120+kph or 75+mph) is to set the PD
matrix to "all sensels" and the AF to Continuous Focus AF - with
release-priority set to "off".
This way, the camera "should" focus on the nearest thing in it's field of view.
the E-M1. Setting release-priority to "off" means that the camera should not
release the shutter unless the subject is in focus. This prevents getting a
lot of out-of-focus shots.
The Continuous AF setting means that the camera will start to focus when the
shutter release is pressed-half way, and will continue to re-focus so long as
it is held that way. When framing is right, press the release all the way, and
the shutter will fire as soon as the subject is next in perfect focus.
It does not always work, but it works much more often, than not. Typical
errors occur when the bikes move so fast, that between the time the camera
determines it has focus, to the time the shutter fires, the bikes have moved.
This can result in the second bike, rather than the lead bike being in focus.
See: http://www.furnfeather.net/Temps/Error.html
If the bikes are jumping around a great deal (rough ice, just prior to a
re-ploughing of the track) the camera might never achieve proper focus until
the bike is out of the frame. Then the camera rapidly refocuses on the trees
in the distance, and fires - giving you a perfectly exposed, perfectly in focus
shot of nothing you really wanted!
Ice conditions were very strange, yesterday. The lead bikes (well, all the
bikes) threw up a mist, or fog, of ice particles, that gently drifted in the
wind. For AF, it was worse than a snow storm. Even my friend, Bernie, who was
using his new Canon "L" series, 200/2 ($7000) lens on his Canon 1Dx fared no
better, in this regard. Nor did any of the other pros present, most of whom
were using Nikon gear. As is most often the case, I was the lone Oly shooter in
the crowd!
The mist or fog simply made it almost impossible to focus on any but the lead
bikes, in a group. I did get a couple of "back of the pack" bike shots, but
they were few and far between. My attempts to get these shots were the cause
of most of my failures for the day.
See: http://www.furnfeather.net/Temps/Mist.html
Because of this "mist", I took far fewer shots than normal. Of 170 shots
taken, I discarded 50 as either OOF, poorly composed or taken after the bike
had left the frame. Of the 120 left, all were acceptable for focus & 49 also
acceptable for composition.
As compared to earlier years, using the ol' E3, rates are a wee bit down.
Certainly, the E-M1 is not up to the Canon 1Dx, but then my entire Oly kit
(body + 3 lenses), costs 1/2 of Bernie's D1x body, alone!
OTOH, Bernie was most impressed with the size, capabilities and weight, as
compared to his kit. (My entire bag weighs no more than his 200/2!)
Is the E-M1 a good camera for fast moving sports? According to both Olympus
and myself, no. If you need a camera that will deliver the "money shot", every
time, in extreme circumstances, the E-M1 is not it. But, if it's what you've
got, and you want to play, it can deliver some very good images. You just need
patience and persistence!
David.
>
> Hi David,
> I assume taken with the 55 - 200 on the Oly EM 1 via adapter. Did you
> have tracking AF on or did you prefocus?
> A curious EM 1 owner wants to know.
> Cheers
> Howard
>
> From: David Young <dsy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2014 18:01:13 -0800
> Subject: [LRflex] Tranquility
>
> There is something about the tranquility of a walk, across a frozen
> lake, in the gently falling snow ....
>
> amdi the roar of motorcycles...
>
> http://www.furnfeather.net/Temps/Roar.html
>
> David.
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