A7RII - E-M1 IBIS Test

[fuzzynormal]

Sentimental topic done with a light hand and great craftsmanship.

Thanks, part of that is really a benefit of being in front of someone with a low gear footprint.  

The EM5II, and a lot of other mirrorless cameras, are small and not intimidating, which is why I use them.  For me, this is of high value when trying to relate to someone quickly, easily, and somewhat intimately.

I'm not a guy that likes a lot of equipment on a shoot -- not for what I do most of the time.  Personally, I don't get excited laying down dolly track, packing blankets, c-stands, lights...or playing with any of that sort of stuff.

With the EM5II, I can even forgo a tripod.  It's literally just a camera and a small wireless mic.

So, for me and my experiences, I'd argue that IQ is not always the thing to consider when picking out a camera.

[utsira]

Well, here's a very simple shoot as an example.  I did this for a friend over the weekend on a moments notice. It was basically a 1 hour shoot. I grabbed shots as fast as possible. 

Sure, I could have placed a tripod in a lot of spots and had the subject wait for me to compose... Or I could have let her do her thing and I would just follow, and still get cool shots along the way. 

With the EM5II, I just did the latter  

Slider shots without a rig, static shots without a tripod...it's a very nice capability to have. 

Granted, this isn't groundbreaking stuff, but this particular camera does give me some worthwhile footage. 

I don't know what else to say.  It's fun for me.  That's all  

 

Good work! I sold my em5mk1 but I do miss it, and this reminded me of why. I might get the em5mk2 or maybe just the em10mk2 (has there been a video-centric review of the 10ii yet?). Particularly with long manual lenses (like an Ai-S 85 f2), the 5-axis is jaw-dropping.

[sgreszcz]

Well, here's a very simple shoot as an example.  I did this for a friend over the weekend on a moments notice. It was basically a 1 hour shoot. I grabbed shots as fast as possible. 

Sure, I could have placed a tripod in a lot of spots and had the subject wait for me to compose... Or I could have let her do her thing and I would just follow, and still get cool shots along the way. 

With the EM5II, I just did the latter  

Slider shots without a rig, static shots without a tripod...it's a very nice capability to have. 

Granted, this isn't groundbreaking stuff, but this particular camera does give me some worthwhile footage. 

I don't know what else to say.  It's fun for me.  That's all  

Hi Fuzzy,

I enjoyed that video, it looks really good and the movement shots really add to the piece in the cutaways.  Is there anything specific (holding the camera) that you do to keep the moving shots looking smooth and fluid with the IBIS in the EM-5II?  It seems that you are using shorter movements which probably helps.  Are you using the IBIS with only sensor shift, or with both the sensor shift + digital stabilisation?

I do like the Olympus colours too.  Have you done much correction to them in the videos?  I have just started experimenting with my E-M5II and I find the AWB to be a little less sensitive than my older E-M5, although I try to lock the white balance using the kelvin settings or use a grey card when I can.  I wish there was an auto white balance lock that could be used sometimes.  Have you settled on any particular picture profile settings?  I'm travelling now with my LX-100, and left my E-M5II at home, so need to do more experimentation.  Have you done any matching with your Panasonic cameras?

My experience with the E-M5II has been quite good so far.  The image looks quite nice - so far I have not seen much image blocking like with the older Olympus video.  I find the focus peaking much better than with my (former) GX7 and current LX-100, it is much more visible for some reason.  A strange thing is that when you switch on peaking, the histogram goes away.

I don't mind the extra crop as I use the E-M5II for longer shots anyways, I also find my 17mm lenses to work as a "normal" in video mode.  I find the Auto focus plus manual (AF-S + manual) really useful too - any function button not assigned becomes AF-S in video mode.  There are a good number of function buttons to assign to things like peaking, or to switch to ISO/WB control for the front/back dials.  The histogram is wider (and more useful in my opinion) than the Panasonic implementation, and I like how it overlays (in green) the histogram of the focus area).  I find the horizontal/vertical level display to be less distracting than with the Panasonic implementation.  I use the 1/2 lever to switch between stills/video settings quickly.  

Now with the E-M10II out, I'm not sure there is much advantage to the E-M5II, as I find the tilt screen good enough and I usually use dual-system (when I can) for sound anyway.

Thanks for sharing!

[Cinegain]

E-M10II seems to use the older E-M1 5-axis in-body image stabilization (atleast without only being 30p, grrr). It still seems pretty nice.

[fuzzynormal]

Is there anything specific (holding the camera) that you do to keep the moving shots looking smooth and fluid with the IBIS in the EM-5II?

No.  I hold it to my eye or I cradle it.  Whatever works for the angle.  And then I drift the camera as needed.  A lot of times I'm doing what would probably look kind of like Tai-Chi to a casual observer.

Are you using the IBIS with only sensor shift, or with both the sensor shift + digital stabilisation?

It's the M-IS1 setting, which is Sensor+Digital

I do like the Olympus colours too.  Have you done much correction to them in the videos?  I have just started experimenting with my E-M5II and I find the AWB to be a little less sensitive than my older E-M5

Yes, the AWB changes way too much in shooting situations.  You have to pick a color balance and set it; no cheating!

This particular video doesn't have much aggressive color correction, really.  I adjusted white and black levels, tweaked white balance on some shots, put a cooling filter over it all, and finally added a slight bit of grain.  I guess that sounds like a bit of a process, but that's what I do to all my stuff, so it's pretty basic for me.

The Oly colors match my 5D quite well.  Almost the same, really.  In fact, there's a few 5D shots in this edit.

With this video there's no LUT's or anything.  Although, I've been wanting to delve into that process and experiment.  This video would probably be perfect for that.  If I accomplish anything worthwhile in that regard maybe I'll share.

The thing I appreciate about the EM5II isn't that it's a great camera for IQ, (my old Gx7 is better) but that it allows me to adopt a certain shooting style that I enjoy and have FUN with.  It's "floaty hand-held" --and it's helped me create a certain aesthetic easily that is serving me well on my jobs.

I know some Sony cams have 5-axis on their spec sheet now, but it doesn't seem like it's in the same league as the Oly.  For me Oly's stabilization is the killer feature that has me using it more often than not.

[The Chris]

No.  I hold it to my eye or I cradle it.  Whatever works for the angle.  And then I drift the camera as needed.  A lot of times I'm doing what would probably look kind of like Tai-Chi to a casual observer.

 

It's the M-IS1 setting, which is Sensor+Digital

 

Yes, the AWB changes way too much in shooting situations.  You have to pick a color balance and set it; no cheating!

This particular video doesn't have much aggressive color correction, really.  I adjusted white and black levels, tweaked white balance on some shots, put a cooling filter over it all, and finally added a slight bit of grain.  I guess that sounds like a bit of a process, but that's what I do to all my stuff, so it's pretty basic for me.

The Oly colors match my 5D quite well.  Almost the same, really.  In fact, there's a few 5D shots in this edit.

With this video there's no LUT's or anything.  Although, I've been wanting to delve into that process and experiment.  This video would probably be perfect for that.  If I accomplish anything worthwhile in that regard maybe I'll share.

The thing I appreciate about the EM5II isn't that it's a great camera for IQ, (my old Gx7 is better) but that it allows me to adopt a certain shooting style that I enjoy and have FUN with.  It's "floaty hand-held" --and it's helped me create a certain aesthetic easily that is serving me well on my jobs.

I know some Sony cams have 5-axis on their spec sheet now, but it doesn't seem like it's in the same league as the Oly.  For me Oly's stabilization is the killer feature that has me using it more often than not.

Nice. I really dig the video you posted. As always content is king. Hopefully Olympus fattens up the Em1mkII's video specs. 

[Don Kotlos]

Nice. I really dig the video you posted. As always content is king. Hopefully Olympus fattens up the Em1mkII's video specs. 

Hopefully they up the resolution in HD or UHD.