I just purchased a new lens (in the area of $400) to use on my Olympus mirrorless camera. It's a 25mm f1.8 which is equivalent to a nifty fifty for those with full frame cameras. I read that it is a really sharp lens but I'm struggling to see a significant difference between it and the kit lens I've been using for the past few years and I'm wondering if it's the camera (or me) that's the issue. The large aperture doesn't really seem to help...when it's wide open photos don't look that sharp and I have to compensate with a faster shutter speed so the photos aren't completely overexposed which results in the photos appearing darker than they should. I haven't been shooting in bright conditions lately, more overcast in fact. On my camera the lowest ISO is 200. I've noticed many dslrs have ISO 100 and I wonder if this could also result in the exposure being less that ideal.
Is it that I simply don't know how to use my camera well enough? Or is it more to do with the fact that I'm using a good lens on a cheap camera (the Olympus e-pm2 which basically retails for a couple hundred dollars with the kit lens). I've been looking at upgrading to the O-MD E-M10 Mark ii which I can get for around $500 brand new. How will this differ from my current camera and will it result in sharper photos and better colour rendition?
P.S I tend to switch between aperture priority and shutter priority depending on what I'm photographing and whether it's still or in motion. I haven't dabbled with manual mode that much at all as I only recently took the plunge and moved away from auto.
P.P.S I shoot a range of subjects from landscape to close ups though I don't have dedicated landscape or macro lenses. I also find it is tricky to get used to the new lens as it doesn't have a zoom so I find myself limited to what I can photograph. Does anyone else use olympus and have a 25mm f1.8 lens?? What camera do you use? What do you like to shoot? What do you think this lens is best for shooting? What do you always carry with you when out shooting beside your lens? Do you still need to use filters in overcast conditions (polarising and ND filters)?
It's very possible that I just need to learn more about photography but I can't help but have photo envy when I browse through photos here and on instagram and see all these totally stunning and well executed shots.
I can't offer too much on the technical side but is the image stabilisation in your camera or in the lens? I bought a macro lens for my Sony a6000, not realising that the lens has no stabilisation (none in the camera, relies on having it in the lenses) and always have to be very careful shooting with this lens.
I use an Olympus E-M10 Mark 1 but do not have that lens, though I read that it is a good lens and one of the first you should buy. I don't know much about the E-PM2, except that it is a budget micro-4/3 camera with the same sensor as mine and reportedly a decent auto-focus performance (focus was one of the areas I thought might be letting you down). I'm not much more than a beginner myself, but I did receive advice that skilled processing of RAW files will do more for your photographs than a new lens. Since you mentioned your difficulties with processing in a previous post, I wonder how you are doing that, and particularly when you are applying sharpening. I process the RAW file by adjusting exposure, shadow/highlights, white balance and saturation, turning noise filter off and exporting as a 1600 pixel TIFF file. Then I re-import that into Olympus Viewer and crop and sharpen, then export as a 1600 pixel JPEG.
Other things that I can think of that may be spoiling your cameras performance might be - too high a noise filter setting, poor autofocus (try manual), image stabilisation turned off, or not present (I assume the E-PM2 doesn't have a viewfinder, so you are holding the camera in front of you). My advise would be to persist with the E-PM2 until you have worked out where the problems are. The E-M10 has the same sensor, a great viewfinder, possibly better auto-focus and the Mark2 has 5 axis image stabilisation. Good luck with your photography.
@photographynewbie A quick correction. Micro4/3 Olympus cameras have image stabilisation in the camera, not in the lens. For Micro4/3 Panasonic camera and lenses it is the opposite.
@laroque thanks for that correction re the image stabilization, Tim.
I have never applied sharpening to any of my photos. I thought that sharpening would degrade the image quality. How exactly do you do that? When Yu day you process the raw file first do you mean that you do that in the camera before uploading to Olympus viewer? I'm a little confused. I'll check that noise filter setting and that image stabilization is turned off. Not sure about the viewfinder? It has a touch screen and I view the image from the back of the camera. Thanks for your contribution. I do have a lot to learn about post-processing photos.
This site has it's share of helpful users with technical knowledge. Should you want help from a micro 4/3 community including members with specific knowledge of your lens and camera, I recommend http://www.mu-43.com/forums .
Hi! I'm a Nikon user and cannot help with the technical side, but I just wanted to say that I use a 50mm f1.8 probably every day. It is my very favorite lens. You will get used to the lack of zoom once you use it awhile. I don't have the issues you describe, and I don't think it would matter if I only could go to ISO 200. I shoot usually in aperture priority, but I switch to shutter priority if I think I'll need to stop motion of the subject (only in low light because in bright light it is a fast lens). I take pictures indoors in low light and outdoors. It is fantastic for low light with no flash. One think to check (and again I only know Nikon) is which focus mode your are using maybe?
I have this lens with OMD-1. It is a fabulous lens. I can't speak to your camera model, but this lens, paired with my camera, gives me some really sharp shots, even in low light. Good luck!
Hi Daniela, I don't use an Olympus camera but I can tell you that it took a good while for me to get used to my 50mm! The wide aperture is the thing that sets it apart from your kit lens, so if you are using it at say f/4 or smaller (bigger number) then no, your photos won't look much different. It's using it at wider apertures (f/1.8-3.5 or so) that is going to give your photos that shallow depth of field and particular "look". However, nailing shallow depth of field can be tough. When I first bought my 50 and was taking pictures of my kids I was shocked at how many of them were out of focus (I thought I was good at taking pictures haha!!) - because a tiny sway this way or that (or the kid moves) and your focus is out, resulting in photos that are not remotely sharp. Another way of saying this - if you are shooting at 1.8 or thereabouts, and your subject is fairly close (a couple of metres), your "sharp" depth of field is going to be about 1cm or a little more, and everything else should be out of focus. It's getting that 1cm in the right spot that takes practice, and likely the lens will grow on you as you get the hang of it.
Re exposure - if you are shooting aperture or shutter priority, then your camera should be adjusting the exposure for you without you having to "compensate for a wide aperture with a fast shutter" - the camera should do this for you. If your cursor is above the 0 on your meter (-2..-1..0..+1..+2), then in theory, your image should be "correctly" exposed, and if you choose the aperture, the camera will sort out ISO and shutter to keep it at 0. The exception being under strong daylight at very wide apertures - like I explained the other day, that's usually just too much light to shoot wide open. (So it might read at +1 or +2 or even higher.)
Daniela, I would suggest the book "Understanding Exposure" 4th edition by Bryan Peterson. This book written for those with little or no understanding of making exposure work. It does not use technical languauge, but words that are understandable. Most things are explained with an image. Bryan includes his settings for each image in the book.
i use the EM-5 but used to have the EP-L2 which is similar to yours. that lens was not available then but i had the 17mm 2.8 and the 45 1.8. both were much sharper and better color than the kit lens. you want the image stabilization on for sure. google some reviews on that lens and you might find some help...one i saw said f4 was a sweet spot for it. i think it is good you are trying to learn the controls on your camera, but i find i shoot in program and use the exposure compensation most of the time, especially on the street. gives me time to concentrate on other things. you can also get the old version EM-5 body...not the mark II.... for about the same as a EM-10.
@aliha yes I am struggling to get a sharp image at wide apertures. That's one of the things I've noticed. I don't shoot my child a lot but flowers and insects. I guess on a windy day that can be tricky and I might need to focus on shutter priority rather than aperture priority if the flowers, leaves and insects are moving around as a result of the wind.
@chapjohn thanks for the tip. Currently reading a book with the same title by a different author. It has helped a little but I guess tue best way to learn is to use different apertures and shutter speeds and see which images look the sharpest and most pleasing.
I have one question, if it's a cloudy day would you bump up the ISO from 200? I normally put the white balance on cloudy but I leave the ISO at 200. Thanks
@tracys@rosiekerr it's clear I need a little time and practice to get used to my new lens. I think I was expecting to be able to use the widest aperture for shots but they don't appear to be as sharp as a small aperture like f5. Maybe it's just me 😄
Hey Daniela isn't it frustrating when you buy a new fast lens and are disappointed with the performance of the lens. I bought a 50mm 1.2 and expected the world of it, but after using it for a little I found all of my shots out of focus and a little bit of distortion here and there. After a little bit of googling I found out that lenses are not really meant to be shot wide open ( so f1.8 or f1.2) but they are sharper 2-3 stops down ( so f2.8, f3.5). Fast lenses were manufactured in the "film" days by manufactures being held back by slow film speeds- iso 100-400 etc.
My sugestion it to keep practicing at a higher f-stop 5.6-8 and just crank the ISO a bit - 400-1600. It's better to have a little noise than out of focus images ;-)
Like James @longexposure said above, try NOT to shoot these lenses (any lens actually) wide open, or at tiny (high number) either. unless you have no other alternatives. There is a concept called "sweet spot" for a lens aperture and you should strive for it unless you have another reason to do otherwise. For a prime lens, the "sweet spot" is usually 2 or 3 f/stops above "wide open."
Don't be concerned that your "native" ISO is 200, just understand that you will now have to compensate "normal" exposures by going down one f/stop in aperture (another reason not to shoot wide open) or have a shutter twice as fast.
And coulds I suggest that perhaps your Auto Focus technique could be at the root of the problem? While I always think folks should leave as much to the camera as possible, exposure particularly, NOT the focus. Strive to actively manage the focus, put the focus point right over the subject, lock AF with a half-shutter press, recompose the frame with it locked if necessary and then fire. And proper technique for holding the camera, elbows to the side, left hand under the lens, things like that.
Hope you persevere. Other folks have suggested other inferences above that might also help.
@photographynewbie re cloudy day ISO - a little background explanation first :) My personal rule of thumb is that I know my shots will get a little movement blur if I get any slower than 1/125s, even with reasonably steady hands. My 50 doesn't have any IS though and I don't believe my camera does either, so chances are with IS you could get a little slower - but I still wouldn't go below 1/60s. Remember the Law of Reciprocity I mentioned the other day, or the Exposure Triangle you may have heard of - which means that Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO all work together to achieve a "correct" exposure. If your exposure is good but you want to open your aperture, you need to increase SS or decrease ISO to compensate. If your image is too dark, you need allow more light in by opening the aperture, or slowing down the SS, or increase the ISO.
SO ... if it's cloudy, and you have chosen your aperture for aesthetic reasons, and your SS is around 1/125s (or as slow as you're comfortable with), and your image is still too dark, then yes, your next move is to increase the ISO.
The reason it's not a straightforward yes/no answer is ... at f/8 you are letting far less light in. You might need to use ISO800! But at f/2.8, you are letting loads of light in and ISO200 is probably quite sufficient.
@aliha your reply has been really useful. Thank you. Yes, I think I assumed that because it was a sunny day I could leave the ISO at 200. I didn't realize that it needs to be bumped up to as much ad 800.
@frankhymus I now understand the term sweet spot. Thanks for the clarification. @longexposure. I've taken note. I think I've been neglecting the ISO and focusing on the aperture and shutter speed too much. No more massive apertures.
@photographynewbie One last note, your camera does have image stabilization (by so-called sensor shift) so for "normal" shooting, it should satisfy you for one or two stops (slower shutter, lower ISO) with a lens that doesn't have any additional stabilization.
A old "rule of thujmb" for a "safe" hand-held shutter speed (so as not to blur with unintended camera motion) is
1/(full frame equivalent focal length in mm).
This was before the days of image stabilization, so IS can only help you out. In your case the "crop factor" is two, so the rule turns into 1/(25 times 2) which is 1/50 of a second. So that's where @aliha Alison's 1/60 surely comes from.
And again, your "native" ISO 200 should serve you fine in dull conditions, allowing you to shoot twice as fast as someone at ISO 100, their native number.
All the best!
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Other things that I can think of that may be spoiling your cameras performance might be - too high a noise filter setting, poor autofocus (try manual), image stabilisation turned off, or not present (I assume the E-PM2 doesn't have a viewfinder, so you are holding the camera in front of you). My advise would be to persist with the E-PM2 until you have worked out where the problems are. The E-M10 has the same sensor, a great viewfinder, possibly better auto-focus and the Mark2 has 5 axis image stabilisation. Good luck with your photography.
I have never applied sharpening to any of my photos. I thought that sharpening would degrade the image quality. How exactly do you do that? When Yu day you process the raw file first do you mean that you do that in the camera before uploading to Olympus viewer? I'm a little confused. I'll check that noise filter setting and that image stabilization is turned off. Not sure about the viewfinder? It has a touch screen and I view the image from the back of the camera. Thanks for your contribution. I do have a lot to learn about post-processing photos.
Re exposure - if you are shooting aperture or shutter priority, then your camera should be adjusting the exposure for you without you having to "compensate for a wide aperture with a fast shutter" - the camera should do this for you. If your cursor is above the 0 on your meter (-2..-1..0..+1..+2), then in theory, your image should be "correctly" exposed, and if you choose the aperture, the camera will sort out ISO and shutter to keep it at 0. The exception being under strong daylight at very wide apertures - like I explained the other day, that's usually just too much light to shoot wide open. (So it might read at +1 or +2 or even higher.)
Hope this helps :)
My sugestion it to keep practicing at a higher f-stop 5.6-8 and just crank the ISO a bit - 400-1600. It's better to have a little noise than out of focus images ;-)
Don't be concerned that your "native" ISO is 200, just understand that you will now have to compensate "normal" exposures by going down one f/stop in aperture (another reason not to shoot wide open) or have a shutter twice as fast.
And coulds I suggest that perhaps your Auto Focus technique could be at the root of the problem? While I always think folks should leave as much to the camera as possible, exposure particularly, NOT the focus. Strive to actively manage the focus, put the focus point right over the subject, lock AF with a half-shutter press, recompose the frame with it locked if necessary and then fire. And proper technique for holding the camera, elbows to the side, left hand under the lens, things like that.
Hope you persevere. Other folks have suggested other inferences above that might also help.
SO ... if it's cloudy, and you have chosen your aperture for aesthetic reasons, and your SS is around 1/125s (or as slow as you're comfortable with), and your image is still too dark, then yes, your next move is to increase the ISO.
The reason it's not a straightforward yes/no answer is ... at f/8 you are letting far less light in. You might need to use ISO800! But at f/2.8, you are letting loads of light in and ISO200 is probably quite sufficient.
@longexposure. I've taken note. I think I've been neglecting the ISO and focusing on the aperture and shutter speed too much. No more massive apertures.
A old "rule of thujmb" for a "safe" hand-held shutter speed (so as not to blur with unintended camera motion) is
1/(full frame equivalent focal length in mm).
This was before the days of image stabilization, so IS can only help you out. In your case the "crop factor" is two, so the rule turns into 1/(25 times 2) which is 1/50 of a second. So that's where @aliha Alison's 1/60 surely comes from.
And again, your "native" ISO 200 should serve you fine in dull conditions, allowing you to shoot twice as fast as someone at ISO 100, their native number.
All the best!