Eagles777 Loc: Lorain, Ohio

I am looking to switch to new Olympus OM-DE-M1 Mark 11 for my birding photos. Does anyone use this camera and if you do,what are your thoughts about it? I am only changing because of the weight. Thanks Frank

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Frank, I had the camera in my hands but I never used it. Those that have used it for wildlife photography have told me it does very well but that is what I have heard.
I am sure there are people here that use the camera and can give you a better opinion.

Galahad

In camera excellent stabilization makes this a superior camera for moving objects ( with no tripod)

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Stabilization helps with your movement but not with subject movement. A fast focusing fast lens helps with moving subjects...

GWZ Loc: Bloomington, IN

Frank,

I purchased the M1 MKII in November, 2017, and love it. I use the Olympus 40mm-150mm f2.8 Pro for my birding. This gets me to a 300mm crop equivalent. Depending on the type of birding you want to do this may or may not be enough.

As far as actual user experience, these are my personal observations.

1. The "continuous focus - tracking" works very well. If your bird is subject to quick or sudden changes of direction you may lose focus frequently. In cases like that I will track the bird, and only depress the shutter to lock the focus when I am ready to capture the images. But if the bird tends to go in in a fairly predictable flight path, I find that I can get focus lock early in the flight and maintain lock with appropriate panning. I find that if there are issues with focus in the end product it is my fault, not the camera's fault.

2. There are a number of continuous shooting modes you can choose from. I typically shoot using the 15 fps burst mode and use shutter priority (1/2000 up to 1/4000) at either 400 or 640 ISO, with variable aperture. I have been very please with the results. I have never filled the buffer.

3. As I said above, I use the Olympus 40mm-150mm f2.8 Pro. This lens/camera combination is very light and easy to use for an extended period of time. I don't know that I need a longer reach yet. I will be renting the Panasonic 100mm-400mm f/4 - f/6.3 in the near future to see how that works on the MKII. I have heard and read good reviews, but I need to see for myself. I have a friend that uses the Olympus 300mm f/4 Pro for both birding and deer, goats, etc... . He is very happy with image quality.

4. I found battery life is very good. I always bring two batteries with me just in case. If you shoot both RAW & JPEG be sure to have both card slots filled as you can fill up a card pretty quickly using burst mode.

Overall, I love the MKII for the type of birding I do. You can see two of my recent efforts at "When life gives you gulls" (Feb. 19, 2018) and "Reflections on a gull" (March 12, 2018). These images were all taken at relatively close range as I was experimenting with the various settings and what works best for me. The attached image of the three pelicans was at a range of about 200 yards. The second attached image of the bird (a Coot, I believe) taking off was at a range of about 50 yards. Both were shot with the 40-150mm zoom. Both have been cropped substantially in PSE 14.

I hope this helps.

Gary

I have not had a

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TMcD Loc: Minneapolis, MN

I have the EM-1 MKII and use the Pana 100-400mm lens for bird pics. The 100-400 is just a tad soft at 400mm, but sharpens up almost immediately at shorter focal lengths. I have found the auto focus to be pretty good, but not as good as my full frame Canon.
I like the flexibility of the 100-400 zoom, but sometimes wonder if I would have been happier with the Oly 300mm f4.
The IBIS is almost miraculous in eliminating any shake. Shooting hand-held at 400 mm is no problem at all, even with longer shutter speeds when shooting perching birds in partial light.

Eagles777 Loc: Lorain, Ohio

Thank You,this information helps a lot.

Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

In December 2016 I part exchanged my 2 x Olympus EM1 bodies for a single EM1 mark II in order to capture bird in flight images during the spring and summer - when I have my macro lens fitted to my Nikon D500. Though it took some experimentation with various settings, I now have it set up to a degree where it is pretty damned good for birds in flight. In fact, on the occasions I only take one camera out, it's my EM1.2. The camera had a software update on 28/02/18 and is now even better. ProCapture has been enhanced and a small, single focus point is now available. Take a look at some of the BIF images on the Olympus E-M1II Facebook site and you will see what may be achieved. A few days ago I used mine + my Oly 12 - 100mm f4 in order to take some up close and personal images of pigeons in flight as they flew toward me head on. Of fifty images, 48 were in sharp focus. I was very pleased with the result. The ProCapture mode is also brilliant for capturing birds about to land or take off. The Oly 300mm f4 is a fabulous wildlife lens, even when fitted with the Oly 1.4 TC. If I had to choose between my brilliant Nikon D500 or my EM1.2 I would take my EM1.2. It's not as good as my D500 for birds or insects in flight: but it's close enough and has a number of features my D500 lacks.

Eagles777 Loc: Lorain, Ohio

Thank You

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

I have this camera, but I don’t shoot birds. The capabilities of the camera are a good match for this subject: fast focus, very high burst rate, good optics, especially with Pro line lens. I believe you will be pleased with what it enables you to do.

Eagles777 Loc: Lorain, Ohio

Thank you for your time.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

If you’re on facebook, look for the em1ii user group. There’s a ton of birders there that use that camera. I don’t Bird with with mine except for the occasional backyard birds.

Eagles777 Loc: Lorain, Ohio

Thank You I will check it out.