OM-D Fish Fry Shoot

[dreilly]

So since the other thread has "evolved" into an interesting discussion of how many images should be made on assignment, with opinions ranging from only 1 masterpiece to 8 million "spray and pray"s, I thought I'd share a few images from my fish fry shoot that I'm happy with. This was a challenging shoot in a lot of ways. Crowded restaurant--with signage, details, people--and a fairly uncolorful food. Mostly browns/yelllos. It's fish fry!

These have been lightly edited on photosmith and ipad 3. It's not my usual workflow, which is lightroom, so these are drafts.


IMG_0032 by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr


IMG_0029 by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr


IMG_0030 by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr


Untitled by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr


IMG_0034 by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr

[Chyn]

I think the shoot turned out nicely. The images give the impression that the place is a warm, friendly establishment with plenty of bustle.

What was the most challenging aspect with using the OMD during this shoot?

[petronius]

I really like the motion blur and the relaxed faces!
How did your gear stand all the liquid fat?

[dreilly]

I didn't test the OM-D's weather seals against the bubbling oil. Though I never checked my lenses for little droplets, I should do that!

My favorite thus far is the last one. The girl in pink was a trainee, so she was mostly watching, and so when I did the long exposure she stands out among all the commotion. I have a few more in that series and I'm still deciding between them.

The most challenging thing....hmm. Probably the biggest annoyance was changing lenses! I love the idea of fast primes and for m43 they are really necessary if you want any bokeh at all anywhere and to keep shutter speeds and ISO reasonable (though the OM-D's high ISO performance makes this not as critical, which is why I compromised by selling the 25/1.4 for the 20/1.7). But I have noticed that when I shoot with a fast zoom (I did a shoot a while back with a Sony Nex 5n and the 16-50/2.8 with the AF adapter, odd frankenstein of a camera but very nice quality) I can concentrate a little more on the action around me and not on fumbling with lenses. So the 12-35mm is looking a bit attractive, but darn I love the IQ of the 20 and 45 in particular. The 14 is so close to the 12-35 I don't think I'd mind.

The OM-D was remarkably fluid and low-maintainence. The auto exposure is very good, and I feel like I'm running into less DR limits, but I can't say that scientifically. I wish I could come up with some challenges for you, but honestly most of the challenges were with me and the subject, the camera got out of the way nicely and let me fail all by myself!

[Keith]

Originally Posted by dreilly

I didn't test the OM-D's weather seals against the bubbling oil. Though I never checked my lenses for little droplets, I should do that!

My favorite thus far is the last one. The girl in pink was a trainee, so she was mostly watching, and so when I did the long exposure she stands out among all the commotion. I have a few more in that series and I'm still deciding between them.

The most challenging thing....hmm. Probably the biggest annoyance was changing lenses! I love the idea of fast primes and for m43 they are really necessary if you want any bokeh at all anywhere and to keep shutter speeds and ISO reasonable (though the OM-D's high ISO performance makes this not as critical, which is why I compromised by selling the 25/1.4 for the 20/1.7). But I have noticed that when I shoot with a fast zoom (I did a shoot a while back with a Sony Nex 5n and the 16-50/2.8 with the AF adapter, odd frankenstein of a camera but very nice quality) I can concentrate a little more on the action around me and not on fumbling with lenses. So the 12-35mm is looking a bit attractive, but darn I love the IQ of the 20 and 45 in particular. The 14 is so close to the 12-35 I don't think I'd mind.

The OM-D was remarkably fluid and low-maintainence. The auto exposure is very good, and I feel like I'm running into less DR limits, but I can't say that scientifically. I wish I could come up with some challenges for you, but honestly most of the challenges were with me and the subject, the camera got out of the way nicely and let me fail all by myself!

Nice Doug ... and a perfect environment for the little Oly! (minus the bubbling fat preferably!)

One thing I personally would like with the OMD would be the ability to turn the LCD off ... it appears you can't unless I've missed something.

The metering on this camera is so good it's near impossible to fool it IMO and I'd quite happily shoot fifty or so frames trusting the cameras judgement entirely and not bothering to review the results.

[nikku]

Originally Posted by Keith

One thing I personally would like with the OMD would be the ability to turn the LCD off ... it appears you can't unless I've missed something.

Keith, you can, and it's easier than you think. See that little "window" button next to the VF? Just press that until you reach your desired setting (default is actually off, I had to turn mine on).

Nice shots, Doug! One thing that I really, REALLY like about the EM5 is the way it handles files...it appears to follow a more "film like" exposure curve (i.e. doesn't bring up shadows at the expense of clipping highlights). I don't mean that I get as much DR as with film, but simply the fact that I DON'T have to underexpose by 1/3-2/3rds a stop to keep from getting harsh highlights. Your shots here show this as well.

[rxmd]

Nice shots, thanks! I like the motion and bustle and the way how everybody looks like they're enjoying themselves. Looks like a fun shoot and I guess the restaurant owner should be happy.

It must have been a challenging environment to shoot in, however, you end up standing in people's way all the time.

[Chyn]

Doug, thanks for your thoughtful response. It sounds like overall a very positive user experience, particularly if one felt motivated to take many frames in one shoot. I'm very keen on seeing how this camera would fare with the 12-50, though reports of its performance are mixed at the moment.

As indicated in the exif files, it seemed that you stuck with iso 80 throughout. Was this a creative decision?

[ColSebastianMoran]

Thanks. Nice work! And, looks like a nice place.

[paulfish4570]

i'd sure enough go eat there, based on your photos. i would like to see an exterior shot ...

[gavinlg]

Great colors from the little OM-D. Which lens? I think you did a good job of conveying a friendly atmosphere.

[dreilly]

That ISO 80 must be an artifact of the IPAD editing process or uploading via photosmith? That's a little buggy. Those shots were ISO 200-3200, so all over the place. I left it on auto-ISO though I tried to keep it on the lower end.

You can turn the LCD off with the little button on the side. You have to then cycle through the INFO button to get rid of the level and another info screen, then it's off. I didn't realize that I could see the control panel in the EVF, so i was toggling back and forth with the LCD, which I would have listed as a negative before I realized that it was a design flaw with my understanding of the camera!

People get used to me in kitchens pretty well, they are always ducking around each other anyway. I try to keep out of the way but it can be pretty close quarters.

Four more, including exterior. The last shot is again one of my favorites, since it seems to transcend the space...I loved what the paper did when using a slightly longer exposure, became all whispy and soft.

All except for the food close-up were done with the 14mm!


IMG_0038 by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr


IMG_0036 by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr


IMG_0039 by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr


IMG_0037 by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr

[shadowfox]

Originally Posted by dreilly

IMG_0037 by DandelionEmpire, on Flickr

Now *THAT* is art.
Good job putting the camera on its paces, Doug.
Lots of OM-D future owners are drooling at the moment.

[dreilly]

Originally Posted by shadowfox

Now *THAT* is art.

Thanks. I'm totally in love with that image...

[paulfish4570]

that shop serves huge portions ...

[dreilly]

Sometimes I wish I was writing the stories. I asked the owner about different methods customers use to eat the rather large portion of the fish that dangles out of the sandwich and it was a funny conversation. I used a fork and knife for that, but that was only because I was trying not to get grease all over my gear...!

[sevres_babylone]

Originally Posted by dreilly

Sometimes I wish I was writing the stories. I asked the owner about different methods customers use to eat the rather large portion of the fish that dangles out of the sandwich and it was a funny conversation. I used a fork and knife for that, but that was only because I was trying not to get grease all over my gear...!

But I thought that was what the weather-proofing was for

Thanks for these reports; I'm glad you restarted this particular one, after the last one.

[robert blu]

The colors are very good, which is what the camera is good at. Framing, composition, choice of point of view are also very good and this is you. A real interesting series, which let me think more and more about this small camera...
robert

[kuzano]

Great shots with one huge exception... I SHOULD NOT have looked at this thread just before lunch. My stomach is growling.

I did a quick look see, but I gotta go eat... right now!

I'll take a longer look after lunch. I certainly appreciate the great shots, your descriptions, and the fact that you are solidifying my selection of the EM5 as my next purchase...1 shot or 8 million!

[Jamie Pillers]

This is a really great documentary series. I like the images most that have blurred motion, as they convey a striking feeling of controlled chaos.. which I assume is the nature of the place at lunchtime. :-)

I'm curious about how you like the size of the OM-D. I held one briefly in a local store and it felt a bit too small. But I'm told that it feels much better with the battery grip attached. Do you use the extra grip? Also, how do you like using an EVF? Can you change the brightness of the EVF for indoor vs. outdoor work?

Thanks for the thread... very enjoyable viewing!

[dreilly]

Here's my original report on the OM-D, with some additions, from the original thread that nosedived out of control. I realize some readers of this thread may have not seen that one so I'm reprinting it:

Last Friday Doug's Fish Fry in Skaneateles with the OM-D and three prime lenses: 14/2.5, 20/1.7 and 45/1.8.

I was a bit worried that I only had one battery and no back up digital, so I brought my M3 along with some 400 speed film. I did shoot the film (2 rolls) but shot about 400 images* with the OM-D and the battery never died. I was pleased! I read today that someone took over 800 at a sporting event on one battery charge. I am assuming that, like me, that photog was using the EVF and not the LCD and that this contributes to the greater battery life.

[*This is the fact that caused the previous thread to spiral out of control for a bit. Find that thread if you want to debate whether that was grossly out of control or reasonable. Otherwise, this is about the OM-D and the photographs, not how many I take to get the good ones.]

Autofocus worked very well. There were a few shots I missed because it was a bit slower than the action, I noticed this more with the 20 than the other two lenses. Most every camera I have tried in similar situations will also miss a shot, even the D700 which was the best of the bunch AF wise. So the OM-D's AF, in a somewhat dimly-lit restaurant, was very, very good. I never used MF.

The OM-D got out of my way. The only things I changed was the ISO value (assigned to the video button) when I wanted to make sure it stayed low for longer exposures (to blur the action) or when I needed to keep it high for whatever reason, other than that I left it on auto up to 3200 and my sense was that it rarely used 3200. Looking over the images, the WB performance was good. It got fooled in some of the mixed lighting in the prep area, which really any camera would with a mix of incandescent and two different temps of flourescents. Otherwise it did very well. I shot on aperture priority as usual and the front dial worked very well...I don't think I ever touched the rear dial, set to EV comp.

You can get bokehlicious photos with the 45, 20, and even with the 14 if you really foreground your main subject. I don't mind this limitation of the format as it forces me to "get closer" a bit.

I shot Natural JPEG and as I expected from my long experience with Olympus, exposure, WB and color are very good...I didn't have a ton of work to do in post.

The EVF was great. I have a Sony a57 at work and I think the OM-D's evf is nicer. It doesn't do the color tearing thing that the Sony type does. I have mind set to emulate cameras with optical finders, with the info strip on the bottom. This makes the image area a bit smaller, which is okay since I have pretty thick eyeglass frames, and I prefer to see an image without having info overlaid on top of it. The Oly EVF is fluid and sharp and just a joy to use. Surprisingly I didn't miss the X100's OVF at all.

For the first time in my life I used the aperture preview feature assigned to the function 1 button...it really helped with closeups where i wanted a little more control over the depth of field. The EVF makes it really easy to see the preview.

The EM-5 is small, but having done a short tour of duty with a Sony Nex 5n, it's an ergonomic masterpiece! I haven't tried the battery grip, though I suspect I would like it. It's not world's smaller than a Leica M3 and honestly I find it more comfortable to hold than the Leica. No, it isn't as pretty, but the angle of the front grip, the rubber nipple thing on the back, make it easier to hold.

[fireblade]

great doco series Doug, fab images from you.
i read where you are interested in trying the grip...well i tried it and found it too big and defeated the purpose of buying the OMD...rather i purchased the Gariz half case and found it perfect for my big hands as the half case for the X100 makes it perfect to hold. cheers.

[Keith]

Turning off the LCD display isn't exactly obvious ... not sure that I would have ever figured that out without help!

Sigh ... where's my OM-1?

[nikku]

Originally Posted by Keith

Turning off the LCD display isn't exactly obvious ... not sure that I would have ever figured that out without help!

Sigh ... where's my OM-1?

Ha! Don't be afraid to push buttons, you can always reset to factory settings if it doesn't work out! I would also highly recommend the DPreview user's guide to the EM5.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/911...e-olympus-e-m5

[Trius]

Doug, for that first show you must be really tall.

Wonderful shots, but if you'd shot less you would have created one masterpiece shot.

Paul: Big pieces of fish seem to be a New York state thing. The place we usually patronize here has pieces so big that we buy one piece with extra sides for the two of us in our house.