Anyone have experience with micro 4/3rds format cameras?

I did notice that playing with the exposure seems to indeed help quite a bit.

I'm going to do some tests of RAW vs. JPEG and see if there's a real difference. Right now RAW is kinda pissing me off since Oly's software is so bad on Mac OS X...

What I really need to do is pull my fingers out of my ass and go outside take some real pictures, I think I pretty much shot everything that I could find in my house and at the window :-D
 
I did notice that playing with the exposure seems to indeed help quite a bit.

I'm going to do some tests of RAW vs. JPEG and see if there's a real difference. Right now RAW is kinda pissing me off since Oly's software is so bad on Mac OS X...

What I really need to do is pull my fingers out of my ass and go outside take some real pictures, I think I pretty much shot everything that I could find in my house and at the window :-D
I don't know if it's very different from mine, but Olympus Raw Files (.orf) out of the E-30 I use opens just fine in Adobe Camera Raw with Photoshop CS5.

Anyways, someone just took defeating the point to a new level... :p Must also be a real "joy" to handle, especially hand held... :D

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:lol: I love the effect of having a nearly invisible body hidden behind that lens.

And now for something completely different, here's my latest and hopefully final gear acquisition, a 38mm f/1.8 Pen F lens, complete with signature slip-on cap.

Sample image:
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To give the retrophiles some nasty ideas, here's a nice thread showing all sorts of different lenses adaptered to a micro-4/3 camera...

More small camera - big lens lulz:

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E-P2 with various lenses: First Pana 45-200, then ZD 12-60, then ZD 14-35, compared to D700 with Nikkor 24-70

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So, there's a chance I might go ?4/3, as my brother needed back his E-30 for a holiday, so I'm borrowing his E-PL1, VF-2, mZuiko 14-42, and Panasonic 20/1,7 for a couple of weeks, this might get expensive in the end...

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I'm loving my Panasonic 20 f1.7, this thing just takes stunning pictures :)

Now I'm looking for cheap way to get into macro. I've tried the reverse lens method with the kit lens and it works awesomely well, but it's a bit too ghetto to be really usable.
I've seen a few pictures of the macro adapter for the 14-42 mkII that came with the E-PL2 and it looks like it would do the job pretty nicely, or I might try to find an old macro lens and an adapter, but that might require to get the EVF due to the lack of AF, which is quite expensive...
 
Composing macro is usually pretty easy on an LCD if you get enough depth of field with your macro lens, and with the extra resolution on your E-PL2, it'll be much easier than it was for me in my E-P1. I got a screaming deal on an ancient Kilfitt macro lens from an antiques dealer who had no idea what he had, but there are definitely macro lens bargains on ebay.
 
I guess you're right, my experience is mostly due to the reverse lens thingy, in which case the depth of field was really thin (but damn can you get close!).
The other issue is, what macro lens to get, there are hundred different models and mounts to choose from and I have no idea what's good and what's not!

Would you have any suggestions?
 
I don't have any specific suggestions apart from what I'm using right now, a Kilfitt Makro Kilar E, which is very sharp and has very smooth bokeh, but which is also very rare. mu-43.com is a great forum for these kinds of questions, though, and their adapted lenses subforum ( http://www.mu-43.com/f40/ ) is the perfect place for questions just like this.
 
Some random stuff shot with the GF1 and 20mm f1.7

First two are from Perth, Australia.

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Friend's Supra.

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I wish they'd speed up and introduce some faster zooms or telephoto primes to the micro four thirds lens lineup. The only AF lens I have right now is the Panasonic 20mm, and I've sold off my 14-42 zoom for a Pen F 40 f/1.4. As nice a lens as that is, I find myself wishing for autofocus when the situation is just not right for MF, such as times when I don't want to carry around my EVF.
 
I wish they'd speed up and introduce some faster zooms or telephoto primes to the micro four thirds lens lineup. The only AF lens I have right now is the Panasonic 20mm, and I've sold off my 14-42 zoom for a Pen F 40 f/1.4. As nice a lens as that is, I find myself wishing for autofocus when the situation is just not right for MF, such as times when I don't want to carry around my EVF.
Sorry to say, but then you have to wait... Rumor is that priority is on primes now, they say a 12mm f2 prime will come first, then a 50mm Macro next. Nothing on the Olympus lens roadmap about a fast normal/telephoto zoom. You could still get a used ZD 14-54mm f2,8-3,5II That should work reasonably well on ?4/3 with the adapter (Note, must be the mkII version, as the old one didn't really work with CDAF) Of course, it would be great if Olympus made the 14-54 and the 50-200 for ?4/3 as well. However, they'll need some time, the ?4/3 system is still in it's infancy...
 
Sorry to say, but then you have to wait... Rumor is that priority is on primes now, they say a 12mm f2 prime will come first, then a 50mm Macro next. Nothing on the Olympus lens roadmap about a fast normal/telephoto zoom. You could still get a used ZD 14-54mm f2,8-3,5II That should work reasonably well on ?4/3 with the adapter (Note, must be the mkII version, as the old one didn't really work with CDAF) Of course, it would be great if Olympus made the 14-54 and the 50-200 for ?4/3 as well. However, they'll need some time, the ?4/3 system is still in it's infancy...

There's the Voightlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 on sale for ?789 but further stocks won't be out of the factory till July 2011.
 
The cheapest is probably a Sigma 55-200 lens of some sort. But that's no good. Tell him to for the 40-150/f4-5.6. It's fucking tiny and quite sharp for its price. There's an older 40-150/3.5-4.5 (methinks), which is optically speaking much of the same, is obviously brighter, but is also twice the size, or thereabouts.

I'd go for the newer 40-150, the difference up to 200mm is laughably insignificant anyway. If you can't photograph it at 150mm (EFL 300mm), you can't photograph it at 200mm (EFL 400mm).

If you do serious long range shit, then the difference might be worth the extra money. But for most people, the extra reach isn't worth much. Olympus also makes a 70-300 that's reasonably cheap, it's a little improved Sigma design if I'm not entirely mistaken. If nothing else, that will give your uncle more reach than most people could dare to dream about affording just ten years ago.

:)
 
My Uncle has a 4/3rds (not micro) Lolympus, he wants a lens of about 150mm minimum, what's the cheapest one available? (Looking at a modern auto focus one)
There are a few choices for 4/3 cameras. The cheapest is the $279 ZD 40-150mm f4-5,6, it's a cheap reasonably good, not particularly bright telephoto zoom which goes to 150mm (same field of view as 300mm on full frame) Next step is the $399 ZD 70-300mm f4-5,6, which is a longer telephoto zoom that goes all the way to 300mm, and can focus very close, which makes it good for some macro work, it's a bit slow though. Next one is a big step up, the $1200 ZD 50-200mm f2,8-3,5 SWD, now this is in a different ballpark. It's bigger and heavier being much faster (focusing with SWD autofocus, aka instantaneous) and bigger aperture as well as full weather sealing.

If he's interested in a super-zoom you can get the $1500 PanaLeica 14-150mm f3,5-5,6 Vario-Elmar. You could also get the Sigma 70-200mm f2,8, but that sadly seems to be discontinued, so, second hand only...
 
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I just purchased a Nikon 55mm f3.5 macro lens + adapter from eBay, can't wait to receive it :)


I also found one of these for roughly the same price in my area: http://denver.craigslist.org/pho/2327546406.html, it uses the same mount as the Nikon lens so I'm quite tempted to buy it even though I have absolutely no use for it, but it's big and I bet my e-pl2 would look cool with it :-d

Damn this lens business is addictive...
 
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