SiJy 2019 Discussion

Ok 'team'. It's Day 19 and I am STILL having trouble picking up the Olympus E-M5.2 instead of the Panasonic GX85. Any help? It was frustrating (again) to go to see an art installation of well lit weave of threads suspended over a pond at night. Easy contrasty setting, but the E-M5.2 was still able to struggle with focus and make me wait as shots walked away.

What am I doing? Should I NOT be using the "Quick Sleep" mode that is supposed to extend battery life? Should I use "All Points" focus rather than "Center Point"? Is there a different mode of thinking that I am missing?

With the GX85, I can see a shot about to happen and turn on the camera while raising it to my eye and have time to frame and shoot. With the Olympus I see the shot about to happen and touch the shutter while raising the camera to my eye and wait for the EVF, then for the IBIS shake, then to think for a second, and THEN release the shutter to me... but sometimes I wait so long I eventually press the damned shutter again ... only to have it infinity focus, fire, and then show me the EVF!!

Gee, thanks, the parents have already removed the toddlers' ice cream cone from the infant's face and begun their clean up. That wonderful sharing older brother is back to eating his ice cream. The baby in the crib is screaming - which, thankfully, covers what I am telling the camera about it's parents. The GX85 just seems much faster responding and reliable of capture.

What am I doing wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated. This SiJy is about me falling in love with the E-M5.2 and P20/1.7, but the GX85+12-32 still has my heart, and it's Day 19!!! Yikes!!!
Disable "Quick Sleep". I never struggled with the E-M10 in terms of responsiveness *or* battery life as long as I had it - it was a very fluid camera in use from the get-go, and the E-M5 II has even more horsepower. There's simply no need to suffer like that. Anyhow, I know from experience that the GX85 and the GX9 are very fast cameras to turn on and be ready for a shot - they *are* quicker, but not by such a large margin.

Other than that, I can imagine that your focus woes are a thing - I never liked the 20mm on the E-M10 that had the same AF system as the E-M5 II. "Wide area" has never worked for me on *any* camera in terms of speed and accuracy, though, so YMMV - but it may be worth a try. Personally, I always have the fastest results with single point AF on any camera. The 20mm is the culprit; it's slow to react and needs its time - so I'd only use it with the camera firmly set to AF-S, single point and be patient (AF-C is explicitly stated to not work with it - but I guess you knew that already). One last tip is to keep the focus point really steady on the subject until the camera has focused (no shooting excited kids!) - if you tend to start recomposing too soon, you'll get frustrated more often. I know that because I can be quite impatient that way.

But first and foremost, prevent the camera from slapping you in the face by switching off after a couple of seconds. Whoever thought that would ever be helpful? I have a similar experience with a camera I otherwise still adore - the Nikon 1 V1. Switching it on is quite quick - but waking it up from Sleep Mode is irritatingly slow. So, I have to remember to turn it off after a shot. It's a bit of a nuisance, and I imagine it's quite a bit worse with the E-M5 II because switching it on requires both hands ...

M.
 
Ok 'team'. It's Day 19 and I am STILL having trouble picking up the Olympus E-M5.2 instead of the Panasonic GX85. Any help? It was frustrating (again) to go to see an art installation of well lit weave of threads suspended over a pond at night. Easy contrasty setting, but the E-M5.2 was still able to struggle with focus and make me wait as shots walked away.

What am I doing? Should I NOT be using the "Quick Sleep" mode that is supposed to extend battery life? Should I use "All Points" focus rather than "Center Point"? Is there a different mode of thinking that I am missing?

What am I doing wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated. This SiJy is about me falling in love with the E-M5.2 and P20/1.7, but the GX85+12-32 still has my heart, and it's Day 19!!! Yikes!!!


I haven’t had mine long but the maiden outing with it to a little athletics comp yielded only blurry OOF shots, I knew it was most likely a settings issue but couldn’t figure it out until after I got home.

Apparently they come set from the factory (or maybe after a firmware update) with the face detect or eye detect focus modes enabled and if the camera can’t see an eye/face it cannot focus properly. As soon as I disabled them, it was business as usual, just like my EM1.


As for the speed to shoot and EVF issues, I usually use one or the other (via the button) because the auto eye detect gives me the irrits... I know you can dial down the sensitivity but I still prefer manual control.

If I’m shooting with the EVF I leave the camera switched on, with the screen folded in and only turn it off if I don’t think I’ll be shooting for a while.
 
I haven’t had mine long but the maiden outing with it to a little athletics comp yielded only blurry OOF shots, I knew it was most likely a settings issue but couldn’t figure it out until after I got home.

Apparently they come set from the factory (or maybe after a firmware update) with the face detect or eye detect focus modes enabled and if the camera can’t see an eye/face it cannot focus properly. As soon as I disabled them, it was business as usual, just like my EM1.


As for the speed to shoot and EVF issues, I usually use one or the other (via the button) because the auto eye detect gives me the irrits... I know you can dial down the sensitivity but I still prefer manual control.

If I’m shooting with the EVF I leave the camera switched on, with the screen folded in and only turn it off if I don’t think I’ll be shooting for a while.
I think you are wrong. There is no adjustment for the sensitivity of the eye sensor. I wish there were, I would try it. But I will try disabling it.
 
I think you are wrong. There is no adjustment for the sensitivity of the eye sensor. I wish there were, I would try it. But I will try disabling it.


Sorry mate, must have been thinking about the GX8 for that function...


Did you try turning off the Face Priority in the super control panel?
 


New challenge, Elevated Work Tractors... :whistle:


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Sorry mate, must have been thinking about the GX8 for that function...


Did you try turning off the Face Priority in the super control panel?
I did indeed, and it did seem to help, but I turned it back on to check and now it fails to find a face. Interesting. Thanks, it appears to have helped my camera be able to focus better. I tried other lenses as well, and the old 20, is definitely taxing for the AF system. Strange as I see so many champions of the 20 using olympus bodies.
Overall, better. Taking a breath and diving back in. Thanks!
 
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:oops:
.....The 20mm is the culprit; it's slow to react and needs its time - so I'd only use it with the camera firmly set to AF-S, single point and be patient (AF-C is explicitly stated to not work with it - but I guess you knew that already).......
@Walter Palmer I don't have my E-M5.2, GX85, or the P20 anymore. But I know on the GX85 if you have the body set to AF-A or AF-C it would automatically switch it to AF-S when you mount the P20. Does that happen on the E-M5? If not is it trying to AF-C?

That said I'm not sure it's really fair to expect a lens known as slow by m4/3 standards to AF like the P12-32. The P12-32 REALLY pretty quick and takes full advantage of DFD on the GX85. Before going up on the lens you might want to try it on the GX85 for a little while, some say it's better on Pan bodies.

I had a love hate relation ship with the P20, I've owned a few :oops:.
 
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Just caught up with everything in this thread. Glad to see Karen jumped back in.

I have used this challenge to take advantage of Fuji's amazing sooc JPGs. Learning to get the JPGs to look how I want them to with no editing after the fact. So far, I've made it all but one day using sooc JPGs. Which is also the one day this week I just grabbed something from my working shoot instead of taking a shot specifically for the SiJ. I intended to not use any of the stuff from the working shoot, but one day I was just too exhausted.

It's been great seeing everyone's shots. And the daily videos are inspiring.
 
Man, guys, I've been in a funk lately in general. I'm rarely 100% on goal with these kinds of exercises, but I did especially bad for awhile on this one. Combination of feeling crappy and working a lot. I'll attempt to be more diligent! Yesterday I was trying to think of what it feels like to get joy out of making snapshots, and I couldn't conjure up the feeling. That's extra dramatic, hahah, but photography hasn't hit that spot for a few weeks at least. The rat race sucks.
 
Strange as I see so many champions of the 20 using olympus bodies.

The 20 is one of my favorite lenses. But not an Olympus body. I’ve always disliked the way it behaved then, especially in the focus department. Still I like it so much that I bought it its own body, a Panasonic GX9. It behaves much better that way. Actually that combination has become my Every Day Camera, that goes with me whenever I carry a bag (backpack or work bag).
 
The 20 is one of my favorite lenses. But not an Olympus body. I’ve always disliked the way it behaved then, especially in the focus department. Still I like it so much that I bought it its own body, a Panasonic GX9. It behaves much better that way. Actually that combination has become my Every Day Camera, that goes with me whenever I carry a bag (backpack or work bag).
Yea, I started this knowing it would be a bit of a challenge (I also have a GX85). Now I know just how much of a PITA it can be.
 
Just caught up with everything in this thread. Glad to see Karen jumped back in.

I have used this challenge to take advantage of Fuji's amazing sooc JPGs. Learning to get the JPGs to look how I want them to with no editing after the fact. So far, I've made it all but one day using sooc JPGs. Which is also the one day this week I just grabbed something from my working shoot instead of taking a shot specifically for the SiJ. I intended to not use any of the stuff from the working shoot, but one day I was just too exhausted.

It's been great seeing everyone's shots. And the daily videos are inspiring.

It was Sue who jumped back in and I’m so very glad she did.
 
Struggled a bit with last week. I was in Philly all week with a crushing schedule of meetings. I ending getting away from the people theme. It ended up that only one of images didn't have any people in it. But it wasn't what I had planned for the month.
But, that's part of the challenge for me is to adapt and get out of my comfort zone.
I go back to Philly tomorrow for another week of meetings.
 
Yea, I started this knowing it would be a bit of a challenge (I also have a GX85). Now I know just how much of a PITA it can be.
I used a 20mm for a while on an EM10, and sold it due to the slowness and banding. Fast forward to a GX85, and it's actually almost perfect for me. Bought it again and will probably never sell it.

DfD helps a lot with the AF speed on this lens. The focus motor is still slow, but it cuts way down on the rocking, which was abysmal on an Oly body.
 
I used a 20mm for a while on an EM10, and sold it due to the slowness and banding. Fast forward to a GX85, and it's actually almost perfect for me. Bought it again and will probably never sell it.

DfD helps a lot with the AF speed on this lens. The focus motor is still slow, but it cuts way down on the rocking, which was abysmal on an Oly body.
I think it's not DfD - because as far as I remember, the 20mm isn't compatible. Still, AF on the GX9 is miles ahead compared to what the 20mm would do on the E-M10. I guess it's just a more refined system. I still quite like the way the 20mm behaves on the GF1, btw. - not fast by any means, but no wobble at all, just smooth movement and reliable performance. On the GX9 it can get a bit more "nervous" at times - but rarely. Bottomline, I think the 20mm is just fine on modern bodies (regardless of its version).

M.
 
This is all in my head, you should probably NOT read it (think Lemony Snickets) or think about it. The dreary mumblings of an aged photographer trying to choose between 2 good, but very different, cameras. For no particular reason, since he owns them both. You should probably just ignore this post and live a full, happy, photographic life; not be dragged into the madness that has engulfed this poor soul. You have been warned.

"Well, shoot, now it will get even MORE confusing. A big part of this Single in July 2019 for me was 'falling in love with the E-M5.2 and Lumix 20/1.7 (Version 1). I picked up the Olympus when I was attempting to repair the Lumix GX85 rear wheel myself, just in case I bricked it, and to have a weather sealed kit and to get me back to Olympus (early OM-1 adopter, back when). SiJy was going to help me make it my main kit.

It has been a struggle, as my hand/heart still wants to pick up the GX85 rather than the E-M5. I should probably thank SiJy for forcing me to confront that I really AM a minimalist. Not just in photo gear, but in dress, furnishings, and general choices about life. The GX85 has always had that appeal for me. It has always been just about the minimum obstruction between mind and shutter. I no longer am in a rush when photographing, but the Olympus has just kept me waiting - A LOT!! Add to that the focus variation with the Lumix 20, and this month has at times indeed been a 'challenge' for me.

Well, yesterday we ended the heat wave with a class 2 hurricane, but just for a couple of hours. What a way to end a heat wave!! I was slumped in front of the tube sleeping through the afternoon, when a crash shook me awake. A quick waking scan told me something had definitely hit the house, it wasn't my imagination, something BIG. I have tenants upstairs, so I was doubly concerned.

It turns out a 10" branch was ripped from one of my trees, that was the crash I felt. Fortunately, the wind carried it over the only stairway to the upstairs apartment and just far enough from the house to cause no major damage. But, I grabbed a camera to go check things out and document anything I might need for insurance or to get help in repairing the stairway and broken windows and whatever else. Thankfully, there was no major damage, but it was a good use of the E-M5.2's weather sealing. Then I decided that if the GX85 was going to die in bad weather I might as well do it deliberately and in a noble cause, So I put the 14-150 sealed lens on it and took it out into the driving rain of this mini hurricane. The GX85 had no problems as I worked about 5-6 minutes documenting the fallen mess. Dripping wet fingers need to be wiped off to work the touchscreen LCD on both cameras. And unless you point the lens down between shots, you will have raindrops on the front element, which doesn't work for photos.

So, the GX85, survived 5-6 minutes unprotected in a hurricane. So much for the "delicate electronics" and "no weather sealing". And I remember it has already survived 1 week of Portuguese beach life, and 2 months of Mexican beach life, both with daily use. And it is still calling to my minimalist self.

Single in July has not convinced me that the Olympus E-M5.2 is my new direction. I think it has confirmed that the GX85 is my "continuing mission". Shoot! I already sold my backup GX85 (since I was gonna switch back to Olympus). Now I have to decode whether to sell the Olympus for another GX85, or keep it as an "alternative". Or was I just "lucky" and should keep the Weather Sealed kit as my main and use the GX85 as my backup?

And you thought those poor children had it rough!!!

Crazy (but healed) in Colorado
 
DfD isn't a hardware thing, it's data that lives in the body firmware, as far as I know practically every Panasonic lens has DfD info loaded into modern bodies.
You may well be right. I tried, but I can't find the compatibility list I thought I remembered. I found this:

Advantages of the LUMIX G AF System - Panasonic New Zealand

It doesn't seem to imply that DfD is mainly useful for AF-C (though I've often seen that emphasised) but that it is a general asset. My mistake.

EDIT: I think I found the source of my misconception:

What is DFD (Depth from Defocus) technology? - DMC-GH4, DC-LX100M2 - Panasonic Corporation

They *do* emphasise Tracking ...

M.
 
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