wrotniak.net: Olympus OM-D System

Olympus OM-D System

and other Micro Four Thirds stuff

These are articles related to the Olympus OM-D System
and to Micro Four Thirds in general

For Olympus (non-Micro) SLRs, see the Four Thirds section

Check also:
Photo News — what's new in my photography section
Nitty-Gritty, technical articles on photography in general

Cameras

Olympus E-M5 Mk. III — most impressive, yet still affordable. Looks like Olympus got it right this time. Or very, very close. (posted 2019/12/24)
A look at the E-M1X — a very capable camera, but I have mixed feelimgs about it. Is there enough room for four different OM-D models? (Updated 2019/12/16)
Firmware Updates for the E-M1 Ml.II — Version 3.0 of June, 2019 includes a number of new or improved features, some of which were introduced in the recent E-M1X. (Updated 2019/07/08)
Panasonic GX9 — compact, but full-featured; a great addition to your OM-D system, a strong competitor to the E-M10 III (and not only). Did I mention the price? (Updated 2018/07/20)
Olympus E-M10 Mk. III: — another incremental update of this camera, which only pretends to be "entry-level" (Updated 2017/12/16)
Olympus Pen — the complete digital line (or three lines) — while not members of the OM-D family, then at least cousins. From 2009 to 2016, and now what? (Posted 2018/12/09)
Olympus E-M1: What's New in Mk.II — the new flagship compared with the original version of 2013: does it make that one obsolete? (Updated 2017/05/24)
Olympus E-M10 Mk.II: Not Just for Beginners — a long-overdue clean-up of this article (Updated 2018/12/16)
Olympus E-M10: Quick Notes — detailed information and my hands-on impressions on this camera (Updated 2017/02/14)
The Road to the E-M1: introduction to that camera, some historic (and personal) background (Posted 2013/12/02)
Olympus E-M1: The Full Monty: a first look, hands-on impressions, and commentary (Posted 2013/12/07)
The E-P1 and E-P2, first Micro Four Thirds cameras by Olympus (following the Panasonic DMC-G1); not quite OM-D but getting close... (Updated 2009/11/29)

Lenses

Brief User Notes on μFT lenses I've been using for some time now. Posted 2017/08/02
Micro Four Thirds Lenses — a list of all Olympus and Panasonic lenses, some from Sigma and Tamron, and a handful of exotic primes. (Updated 2017/07/19)
Leica DG 8-18 mm F/2.8-4.0 Lens Report — a most attractive wide-angle alternative, and the first Panasonic lens in my collection. (Posted 2017/06/25)

Camera/Lens Image Samples

MZD 75/1.8 — image samples over the full aperture range, delivered by one of the top μFT lenses (Posted 2017/06/16)
Lumix G II 20/1.7: a Small Wonder — image samples on the E-M1 Mk.II. A small, lightweight and inexpensive lens of superior optical quality (Posted 2017/05/03)

E-M1 Mk.II Lens Fest, Part 1 — a large summary and some comparisons, accompanied by a number of pages with image samples (Crofton Lake scene) of individual lenses (Updated 2017/04/23)

E-M1 Mk.II Lens Fest, Part 2 — like Part 1, but using an interior subject under artificial light (Bookshelf scene) (Posted 2017/04/23)

Real-life E-M1 Image Samples using MZD 75-300/4.8-6.7 — a hard-to-reject offer (Posted 2017/04/18)
Real-life E-M5 Image Samples using MZD 75-300/4.8-6.7 — a solid lens, deserving more attention (Posted 2017/03/18)
E-M1 Mk.II and Mk.I Compared at High ISO — side-by-side, to leave no doubts (Posted 2017/03/04)
E-M1 Mk.II Image Detail and Noise at Various ISO — both high-detail and smooth-gradient samples, all the way up (Updated 2017/03/04)
E-M1: Image Detail and Noise at Various ISO — image samples and discussion of results (Posted 2013/12/08)
E-M1 Macro and Close-Ups, with three lenses on the new camera, but applicable to the E-M5 as well (Posted 2013/12/09)
E-M1 Image Samples, Part 1: straight out of the box (Posted 2013/11/18)
E-M1 Image Samples, Part 2: a detailed look, using the 12-50, 40-150, and 75-300 mm ZD lenses on my standard lake subject (Posted 2013/12/04)

Help & Guides

Customizing the E-M1 Mk. II — the full version, with all (?) details and explanations (Completed 2017/06/07)
E-M1 Mk. II Setup Cheat Sheet — with over 250 parameters to set, this may become messy; had to write it for myself! (Updated 2017/07/14)

Accessories

Tenba Messenger DNA 8 — this may be the ultimate bag for a small but serious μFT outfit. Any caveats, though? Updated 2017/08/03

Technical

Sunset Panoramas with the E-M1 II — HDR, stitching, and more, with some information generic, but some specific for that camera (Updated 2018/07/22)
E-M1 Mk.II High-Resolution Mode: Does It Work and How? — description, discussion, images and conclusions (Updated 2018/07/22)
More on the E-M1 Mk.II High Res Mode — is 80 megapixels better than 50? (Posted 2017/05/15)
High Res Mode with the Leica DG 8-18/2.8-4.0 — a small follow-up to the above (Posted 2017/07/08)
Insane Panoramas (A First Cut) — stitching gigantic panoramas ½ GB in size, with crazy amount of detail (Posted 2017/05/13)
E-M1 Mk.II in Infrared — about using the Mk.II, unmodified, for pictures in infrared: hints, processing, and examples (Updated 2017/04/13)
Noise Filtering and Sharpness in the E-M1 Mk.II — how to set those two to get best in-camera JPEGs. Three sample sets, chosen to reveal noise, loss of detail, and sharpening artifacts. (Posted 2017/03/13)
Dark Noise in the E-M1 Mk.II — yes, clearly improved, if you care (Posted 2017/02/23)
Image Stabilization in E-M1 Mk.II — yes, the dual IS system makes a difference, but my measurements show that the body-only system got better, too (Updated 2017/03/01)
E-M1 in Infrared — a quick note on using this camera for pictures in infrared (Updated 2013/12/15)
E-M1 Image Stabilization Tested (at 50 and 300 mm) — yes, it works, and no, nothing revolutionary in its performance (Updated 2017/03/01)
Dark Noise in E-M5 and E-M1 — how much of it is there and how is the E-M1 different? (Updated 2014/01/28)
E-M1 Picture Modes — what do they do and how (Posted 2013/12/13)
Picture Modes Revisited — a wider sample selection (E-M1 Mk.II), plus the FLIPPER for a better scrutiny of differences (Updated 2017/11/13)

Miscellaneous

Olympus Art Filters, Part 1 — a small, table-top project, involving this close-to-useless feature (Posted 2017/05/27)
Olympus Art Filters, Part 2 — this time applied to urban landscape (Posted 2017/06/01)

Galleries