Linda S.

I am thinking of trading in my Canon 5D Mark 4 and my L lens for either the new Olympus om-d Mark 3 or the M1X after my trip to Iceland at the end of this month. My hands shake and it's difficult to carry all the equipment. And I really don't like having to add a tripod as well.

Oly's new Mark 3 has a body where some of it is made of plastic; the em1x has no plastic.

I'm interested in among other things the Keystone functionality where it tries to take the place of a tilt-shift lens, which I had in the early days of owning the Canon. Has anyone used Oly's keystone function? Did it work well?

In addition, I created a spreadsheet to see what the weight difference would be between the 5D Mark 4 and the two Olympus models. The m1x with the lenses that correlate the most with the lens that I currently have would weigh more than the 5DM4, but the handheld ability might mitigate blurring due to camera shake.

Oly's Mark 3 weighs less with the associated lens than does the Canon. Unsure what to do but I know I cannot carry all the equipment any more.

I know Canon is coming out with the R5 most likely around July this year. I've read that with the 8k video and the IBIS, it will weigh more than their current mirrorless camera body, the EOS R, which weighs 1.5 lb.

I take landscape, macro, environmental portraits, and travel photos. I am an avid amateur. Never create photographs larger than 8x10. I rented the E-M1X but didn't allo allow enough time to test it.

Any insights regarding the keystone ability specifically or the overall quality of the Olympus cameras would be most appreciated.

JimRPhoto Loc: Raleigh NC

I have two Olympus bodies. The PEN F and the OM D E 5 Mk ii. Both are great. The PEN F is not rainproof, but the OM D E 5 M ii is, as are some (not all) Oly lenses. I use this setup for all my air travel now. But I kept my Canon 5D Mk ii for road trips where space and weight are not really an issue. The Oly bodies are very advanced, with perspective control, and HDR, built in. I am really satisfied with the features and the quality. Hope this helps. If you want to know more, please send me a PM and we can talk. JimR

rcarol

The keystone feature of the Oly works well.

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

Works fine. You can also make corrections in both the horizontal and vertical planes independently with the dials and choose from several grid patterns if you like to employ those.

cochese

the em1 ii and em1 ii are all metal as well. I have the em1 ii. I came from Canon aps-c and a bag of lenses. The smaller lenses of the m43 system definitely are lighter though not by much if you go with PRO glass, the equivalent of Canons' L series. I love my olympus gear. I am still learning it. Just be aware there is a learning curve.
Another path you might take is to get the em1 ii, they have already dropped the prices on them and likely will again.

Jeffcs Loc: Myrtle Beach South Carolina

The perspective control of the E-M1 bodies work great I use it often and it is easy to use as well
As far as the menu system it is very intuitive once you get used to it.
It’s light weight water resistant and all are metal bodies
With the OMDem1mk2 updated firmware I wouldn’t go for the omdemX it’s heavier and doesn’t do a whole lot more
I went to Olympus for air travel but have sense sold all my Nikon gear including the D5 in favor of Olympus

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

I’ve used the keystone correction a few times, but honestly you can do the same thing in post as well through photoshop/lr.

As to the camera...get the new em1iii and call it good. If I were doing it all over again today, I’d buy the following lenses:
8-16 (I love my 7-14, but I like the compactness of the 8-16)
12-40 (the 12-100 is also an option here, but I value compactness...which is why I own a 12-32)
60 macro
75
300 with 1.4
I do wish they would come out with a 150 f2 equivalent in a m4/3 Mount. I love the little tuna, but it is a bit oversized.

I also recommend a RRS camera plate along with a peak design leash. The additional mounting points for a camera strap really help, especially when using my larger lenses. I’m also probably one of the rare ones here who still uses a tripod at times with Olympus, and the camera plate has a arca-swiss mount that is full length.

wildweasel

here's a link that was just started a couple days ago that might interest you.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-632107-1.html

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I haven’t used the keystone function but I can comment on the camera. I own two, the Mark 5 II and the new Mark 5 III. I find the build quality to be outstanding on both. The new III has more plastic so it’s a tad lighter, but frankly the camera in hand doesn’t feel plastic-y at all. The stabilization is phenomenal and it’s weathersealing is excellent. I haven’t had the III out in the rain but the II worked like a champ at Niagara Falls on the Maid of the Mist trip and Cave of the Winds — they don’t give you rain ponchos for nothing! I looked at the M1X but decided it would be way too much for me, never mind the expense. Hope this helps!

dmsM43

I haven't used it much, because all you get is a jpeg. If you shoot RAW, you will want to do your corrections in LR, PSE, Photoshop, or DxO viewpoint.

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

Yes. I find that fact irritating. Wish it wasn’t the case but it does work. Wonder why that’s the case. No real idea. Anybody know?

User ID

Works verrrry well, and easy to control.

Compared to a shift lens, there is one
shortfall. With a shifted lens the sensor
is still parallel to the subject. Keystone
correction involves correcting the effect
of a sensor thaz angled, not parallel, to
the the sensor, so you need more DoF
relative to the same shot with an actual
shift lens.

Just a heads-up, not a deal breaker. The
m4/3 format has no shortage of DoF.

rond-photography Loc: Connecticut

I have the OMD M1 and M1 II. I have tried the keystone compensation, and it works, but remember that the result is a jpeg (you also get the raw file - no compensation there).

I only used it once or twice. I do the keystone removal in Lightroom. Remember to frame with less cropping when you shoot so you have some space around the subject - you don't want to crop off part of the subject if you are straightening it!

One advantage to doing it in camera is that you will see if you are cropping something.
Disadvantage is that you need to turn it on and off. If you don't turn it off, and you adjust for keystone removal in one photo, you will still have that compensation dialed in for the next one (but maybe I was doing it wrong). Also, if you don't turn it off, you will have a raw + jpeg for every photo even though you had not intended to.

jfermo2000

I have been using the OMD EM II for several Years. I gave up on the Nikon equipment because of weight and Pain in my hands. I have worked as a semi pro for many years. I must say the Olympus PMD are sleepers that people just do not shout about. The Focus is really fast, the lenses are superb and I can hank hold up to 1 minute. I have the 12-40 F2.8, 40-150 F 2.8 and just purchased the 12-200 3.5-6.3 which is now my go to lens. They are all excellent lenses. Weight wise they are also compact compared to others in the market place.(Just double the MM and that's the 35 mm equivalent. I match picture quality with anything on the market for travel, portraits, landscapes and astro-photography. Here is another point: Most tv's can only handle HD with very few 4K channels. I have not determined a need for 8 K yet.
Best of luck on your final decisions.

John from gpwmi Loc: Michigan

I've used keystone correction on the M10,III and it works very well. Haven't tried it yet on my M1,II. Overall the cameras and lenses are great.