Who here loves reading camera reviews? i do...

I love reading camera reviews... whats not to like? There are mostly positives and that leads to GAS or at least helps building up GAS. I have GAS. I'm sick of my GAS problems. Because im not bloody rich, if i was id buy all the cameras i can think of.

At the moment i am GASing for Olympus. What gives? Why would i downgrade from a Full Frame sensor to a micro four thirds? Like i always said, i am more into aesthetic.... Olympus and Fuji looks like old skool camera, Sony meh... they look like boxes bahahaha but i love the IQ i get from Sony. And i was never happy with my Olympus EM10 before, so i dunno why i would like to get my hands on the Em10ii. It just look so good. like old Film Olympus camera. Maybe thats why. and somehow it is cheaper! than the predecessor. i bought my EM10 at about $1200SGD, now its only $600-700 Singapore dollars.

If only there is a rental for camera here, at least i can let off my GAS. If i want it id buy it but sadly here i have to buy it to test it.... GAS wins everytime....

Sorry for the random rant.

Ciao.

By Chris Gampat of phoblographer, he always takes beautiful photos of cameras... not helping my GAS though..

Last weekend when Olympus won me over...

I did a lil rant on my previous post, when i read it back, sometimes it didn't make any sense. I guess i couldn't make my point across. Whatever.

Anyway, last week i had a pre-wedding session and all i can say is that the Olympus produces great images. Sharper than Fuji, crazy sharp. When outdoors the Olympus is really great. Now i understand when one said about Olympus's colors. It also locks focus quickly, great bokeh, and sharp. Did i say sharp already?

During the shoot i had all 3 cameras around my neck and shoulders and i tend to pickup the Olympus everytime. i fitted a 25mm 1.8, great sharp fast bokeh lens, really nice for close up shooting. Only when i needed a wider length that i turn to Fuji. i really enjoy using the EVF on the Oly and the tilt screen is really handy. That same last week, a few days earlier, that i decided to sell my Oly. But after the session it changed my mind. i am starting to trust my Olympus EM10.

Here is one of my fav from the session.

really nice lens is the 25mm. Nice blurred foreground and background while keeping the bride-to-be sharp.

I guess this is when i need to start using RAW. To be honest i hate that blown highlights in the sky. But i'm no photo-manipulator, if i am a perfectionist, i'd changed the sky using photoshop. I believe with RAW i might be able to pull the highlights down a bit. or i could use the multiple exposure bracketing so i could blend the pictures. Maybe i'd do that in the future.

I'm giving Olympus a chance....

Heck i might get a used OMD EM5 as a second body and just shoot Olympus.

Between Fuji and Olympus...

Okay,

This is an old age debate i've been having ever since i got the Olympus OMD EM10. From shooting with a Fuji system with stunning images quality to the small micro four third system of Olympus which is also praised all over the internet/world for its images quality. But i am still having second thoughts on Olympus. How did the world praises it so much that sometimes some would say the images quality is the same or even greater as the bigger size sensor of the Fuji? 

First off, i'm a totally JPEG only shooter, i like to shoot people, portraits, and candid plus street photography. Expression is more precious to me than a beautiful landscapes. With landscapes, you can come back to it twice, triple or more, to get a better light, better composition, better this and better that but not with expressions, that can only come once and its gone. Poof! Thats my type of photography, For me Out of Camera JPEG, the Fuji wins hands down. Something about the skin tones that the Olympus failed for me. I always read Olympus colors are the best and best this, best that.. but i think Fuji wins hands down. But salute Olympus for having a small sensor to produce a great image quality that can rival say, a crop Canon DSLR like a 700d. But people talking about Olympus being great than Fuji? That is just nonsense talk.

Or Maybe i should start shooting RAW with Olympus but that is just adding work for me. More hassle. With Fuji i can just shoot JPG and be done with it. If i want to edit the files, there are so much details in the Fuji's JPEG file.

Then there's the High ISO talk. Okay, noise is noise, grain is grain. But Olympus JPG files produce something what my friend like to call "a low JPG quality effect". There is just this black artifacts, or oversharpen kind of effect, that is always visible on skin tones. And it does not just affect the HIgh ISOs even at base ISO of 200, there's still that effect. i'll show you what i mean.

 Nothing is wrong with this pic.

OCD kicks in. Zoom in. See those black dots/spots on the face. This is ISO200.

 Nothing wrong with this one too.

 Zoom in and see those fingers, black spots/dots or smudges (i cant explain). i dont think its grain or noise. This is at ISO400.

Here's the Fuji. Shot with X-M1

OOC JPG. Look at it. There's little or no editing you can just print it or post it straight away.

Clean noise free at ISO400. 

There's maybe noise reduction in camera but still it doesnt look painted to me.

Let's try another Olympus picture.

I think this is not a bad one. 

 OMD EM10 at ISO500. Not bad not bad.

Ooooh mama. Ouch! What is those black spots-dots-smudges? i did not add grain here. Thats edited JPG.

Its just annoying. I hate looking at those black smudges (i dont know what its called). Its just annoying. I know its only visible if you zoom in and pixel peep but its just annoys me that its there if you wanna look. It probably matter if you do a lot of large prints which i dont but it still annoys the hell out of me that its there. it might be my OCD talking but its there. i would just zoom in and pixel peep and look at it and be frustrated about it. Gosh! But there's none of that effect with Fuji. I'm not bashing Olympus     (maybe i did a lil bit) but its just there.

 Well maybe thats just me being anal wanting the best, perfect and ultimate camera. but there's none. I can praise Fuji for all of their fine stunning images quality but the focusing is slow. Sometimes its painful to miss a shot just because my Fuji's aren't locking the focus. Thats where the Olympus win.

Olympus is speed king. If your photography needs speed then i would suggest Olympus.

Its been a while since i last use a Fuji, i've been shooting with Olympus (its the new toy!). But yesterday i get to used my X-M1 for the whole time and i did not zoom in pixel peep. Man, i just realised it was tiring to pixel peep. With the Olympus i pixel peep a lot! hohoho... but with Fuji, i dont have to. Clean noise free images and no black spots, dots artifacts. But i do miss shots because of Fuji's slow auto focus technology. Sometimes it focus quick only to get the focus box in red color which means it didnt focus right. Blarghh!

Since i am too picky over image quality but i still need the speed of Olympus, i guess i need to realise that i have to get that....

Fuji X-T1 !!!!

GAS alert!

Lack of updates... I'm off to S'pore again!

OMD EM10

I'm off to Singapore for a business trip, will be pretty busy, i just brought my OMD EM10 only instead of Fuji X100S. I'm also hoping to get my free gifts for my EM10 because i bought it during the promotion period. Not sure if i'll take lots of pictures but i might go crazy and just buy the new Olympus 25mm 1.8 lens. Just for my Camera porn pleasures!

Ciao

A reference if you want to print your OMD pictures..

Got this from http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/omd-em5/omd-em5A5.HTM
For your reference if you ever want to print your OMD photos.

This is for OMD EM-5 but since EM10 is using the same sensor as EM5 i guess it's valid. I dont usually print large but sometimes i get a free offer to print 12x18 if i print 40 or more 3Rs. I've printed some of my Fuji x100s pictures and boy am i glad with the free 12x18 picture. I'll show you that on future post.

Now i want to print my OMD pictures.
2014 resolution. print my pictures.

Note: After my previous post, now i want an X-T1. GAS alert. 

Comparing ISO noise between Fuji X100S and Olympus OMD EM10

Okay,
First off, this is gonna be an apple and oranges comparison.
Some will say these are 2 different cameras but they both take pictures.
Coming from a straight Jpg shooter only, no RAW involve.
I just want to compare how Fuji and Olympus tackle ISO noise.
This is not even a high ISO test.
I always had in mind that Fuji is better than Olympus.
First sign showed me, Yes, its true Fuji is better.
But i always read online that some claimed Olympus is on par with Fuji.
Or at least, its negligible.
That i find it hard to swallow.
Is my OMD settings wrong? someone please shed a light...please.
The noise on my OMD pictures are too obvious to ignore, at least compared to a Fuji.
You see, i owned the Fujis first and then OMD second, so my view is coming from a Fuji ISO perspective. My eyes probably got used to Fuji's quality.
But everywhere i read on the internet claims OMD is on par with Fuji... did i say that already?
You see my disbelief?
It could be the complicated menu of the OMD or wrong settings or thats normal OMD ISO...
Maybe i need to shoot RAW but then i just want to shoot JPGs.
Fuji JPGs is awesome.
Based on my ISO findings of these two camera, it only matter if you print large.
Do you ever print your photos?
Well i do though mainly just normal 3Rs, 4Rs.
It didnt matter. The OMD will do just fine.
But there's always a corner in my mind that knowing the noise on the OMD makes me frustrated.
i just cant brush it off.
Knowing its there, it just unease you.
Its like having a dead pixel on your camera. You cant see it. But you know its there. And over time you'd know the location of the dead pixel everytime you look at your pictures.
I cant keep sliding the luminance noise slider all the time...everytime i import new OMD pictures.
And if you slides too much, you lose details and the skin tones will get smooth and painting like effect.
Some claim Fuji has noise reduction in camera which you cant turn off but hey, the picture is still awesome.
Enough me whining let show you photos already.
Exposure is different but i just wanna show you ISOs

The first photo is from OMD. OOC. Large SuperFine.

OMD EM10

Noise reduction AUTO

Noise Filter LOW

ISO400 

Can you see how grainy the skin tones? 

Its not the grain that really bothers me, its that over sharpen kinda effect noise that really really bothers me.

This is Fuji X100S. OOC

ISO500

There maybe noise reduction in camera here but at ISO500, this is just clean.

Excuse the exposure settings. These are OOC. i could brighten the OMD pic but lets just leave it like that.

So let me ask you Olympus OMD users.... is this noise normal? or i had my settings wrong?

Is there any way to improve my OMD Jpg settings?

I did read Olympus OMD sharpening could exaggerate the noise. i haven't fool around with that kind of settings yet. Mostly default except for the noise settings above.

Note: i also like the fact that i can easily get the look that i wanted with manually setting exposure quickly on my Fuji.(if you get what i meant. i dont know how to explain it). i dont have to adjust the flash brightness. Just play around with the shutter speed and ISO. There! Or maybe i already know my Fuji well. i'm already one with my Fuji, He's the one. Blue pill or Red pill. Down the rabbit hole. Oh sorry my mind wanders to the Matrix.

If you shoot RAW with the Olympus OMD then read this...

i found a video http://robknightphotography.com/olympus-viewer-2-vs-lightroom-4/ where he claimed that the Olympus Viewer software is much better at processing RAW than lightroom.
i havent try it yet as i mainly shoots in JPG but am interested, i guess i have to install it on my mac and start shooting in RAW and see the difference myself.
i love my Olympus OMD but still noise peeping the ISOs of the Jpgs. Coming from Fuji made me this way. Peeping noise. i guess its just placebo on my end.

OMD EM10 Live Composite Mode.... Fun Fun Fun!

I haven't pushed the capabilities of my OMD EM10, this guy needs a stress test but i just fooled around with the live composite mode and boy, such a fun experiment. Light painting made easy. Here's a test shot 1 second exposure OOC Jpg lighted with an iphone. Such a cool feature this Live Composite although some claimed it increased noise. Oh well Olympus noise sucks anyway. But the picture is razor sharp.

Finally none enhancement photo by Blogger. 

it was getting annoying i just had to google on how to fix it.

Yongnuo RF603CII Wireless Trigger on Olympus OMD EM10... OMG it works!!

I've been reading that Olympus OMD EM5 only works with Yongnuo RF602 but not 603 although there is a hack to it but i wont go into that. i dont want to hack my stuffs. i want to buy it and pray that it works. pay and pray. thats how i roll. thats just the way it is. i dont want to open up my trigger and solder this solder that. no. just too much hassle.

EM10 being almost similar to EM5, i worry the same issue with RF603 would resurface. I just purchased a set of RF603 before i bought the OMD although the ones i bought are the latest from Yongnuo, the RF603CII, i guess its a version 2 or Mark 2 they say. Anyway, its still model 603 but good news it works!! so if you want a cheap wireless triggers for your OMD, get the new RF603CII.

Some test shots below...

shot with OMD EM10 with RF603CII to trigger the flash. Flash is Yongnuo 560III

i just bought a pair of Yongnuo's flashes, the YN560III, as it has a built in wireless so you dont need to buy a receiver for it. Just get the RF603CII and set it to the same channel and viola, you got some strobing/strobist project to do!! This flash is cheap too.. i got it for USD$136 for 2 flash.

i set both flash to the same channel and triggered wirelessly by OMD EM10 using the new RF603CII

All i can say is its...

AWESOME!

Look whats in the mail today.... Yippie Ki Yay!

Actually the postmen never sent me a card telling me my stuffs arrived. no. poor service. boo hoo. i had to called the post office and asked them to track my stuffs. luckily there's a tracking number to be tracked or else i'm doom. its almost a month now and my stuffs has yet to arrived. But actually it already is in the post office, i dunno why they didnt call me to get it. again, poor poor service.

The stuffs that i've been waiting for are my Yongnuo's 560 III and the latest wireless triggers by Yongnuo as well the RF603CII..... Yay!

On a side note i hate Olympus OMD's noise... thats iso1600....

Gotta try this Yongnuo's on the OMD EM10......

thats after this break....

Street Shooting in Singapore with Fuji X100S ..... Black and White style!

Okay, i admit. i suck at street photography.
I aint got no balls to shoot strangers in the street, up close? nop.... far? .. yea maybe i can do that...
i shoot a lot of people's back, thats how suck i am in street photography... i hate my life... not! haha...
Oh hell maybe i just make a series of people's back street photography. Instead of face, i see heads, back of heads. i always try to be a ninja, sometimes i do it, sometimes i dont. i just worried too much. And being socially retarded, i cant just ask a stranger and shoot their portrait, just not my thing. i cant talk to strangers, mama dont let me but seriously i just cant. words got stuck at my throat, literally it felt that way. But i like street photography, actually it was fun. its like a challenge and being a ninja and all, i just find it to be fun. i get to use a lot of my camera ya know. As Before.... like i mentioned, i only wait for the right buildings or the right place to take photos. now with street photography, i dont. and looking back at all the pictures i took, i felt satisfied. even though they are strangers and no pictures of me, i felt happy, and its a pleasure this street photography is.  Anyway, yadaa yadaa yadaa....where are the photos? so here goes...

i didnt do much post processing here, just a VSCO preset and pasted to every photos that i'd post. copy and pasted, thats how i roll... just like my exam papers.... sshhhh!

Picture bomb! (Lots of photos)

 Just reached hotel at about 10pm i think, and yup i shoot ppl's back...

 i loved shooting sign boards

 Nice to have a coffee place near my hotel

 MRT in Singapore is awesome. Most famous places have MRT, so its easy to explore Singapore

Here i am trying to be a ninja... saw few people smoke, i think its not that pin sharp because of the motion blur, i was too worried to be caught snapping them.

 i just had to shoot his back.

 Hello my chinese friends please translate this to me...

 i took my time to take this shot, i see her busy looking at the map, i think she wont noticed me taking her pic.

 Yes dude, i'm waiting for you to enter my frame and then i shoot. thanks

i love how the light falls here, okay okay, i shoot their backs.

i used to be crazy with guitars, at one time i had 10 guitars. now that is awesome terrible GAS!

i see Doraemon guitar, how that play? 

Honestly blogger made this look washed out, i just dont know how to fix this.

My favorite place to dine at Funan mall. i ate 2 meals here. please dont judge me. its so good!

 i dont wanna bore you with my GAS, but i am GASing for this, just today... 

 At first look i didnt realised it was handphones..

 A series of shots of people's back.

i dont know what happen here. blogger just make this look like sepia toned.

i love shooting at crossing road

 Again, blogger just doesnt seems to like dark pictures. 

This guy dont seem to mind i took his picture, i meant the map, or was it his? or the map?

 Whats down there?

 You know the rest of this story....

i went home with it, the OMD.

Cleaning services for free

 Universal Studios just across the water

 Big ball of flowers

 The cable cars.

This was supposed to be a dramatic picture, end up as washed out by blogger

My OMD died on me so i took out my x100s to continue my night street shooting 

 Wow, blogger made this super sepia toned. Motion blur due to being a ninja. this is where the stabilisation of OMD wins. 

 oh no blogger what have you done! too washed out!

This is one of my fav strangers photo. that madam is looking at me. ruuuunnn!!

i was pretending shooting the sign board above and chimping to take this shot.

 pre wed photos?? or Singaporean drama?

 You want satay? You got satay!

 Again with the Sepia tone. i think this is one of my ninja successful photo.

 Time to head home

 Look ma, i'm in the middle of the road!!!

i'll see you next time Singapore!