I could have named this post “Small Things Make A Big Difference 2” because, similar to the Fuji X30 (see previous post) I’ve discovered over the past few months that the Olympus E-M1 works so much better for me than the previous E-M5. None of the differences between them are major by themselves, but the combination of a much better grip, easier access to some key controls without digging into menus, and replacement of tiddly squishy buttons with ones that inspire confidence in a camera that feels altogether less fragile all add up to a much better experience. The E-M5 sometimes used to get in the way of my photography but getting rid of some quirks has made the E-M1 much more fluid to use with confidence. Best thing is that the E-M1 is much better to use with my old Olympus lenses from the E-1, because of its vastly better focusing system.
Today we went on a whim to Battle, where there was a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings (14 October 1066 for those who were asleep in that particular lesson) and spent a couple of hours having a lot of fun in a muddy field after a great lunch in the oldest pub in the town. Always nice to have a glass of Harvey’s (Lewes’ finest beer) too….erm, thank goodness for image stabilisation then!
I used a relatively high ISO (640) to keep the shutter speeds high during the re-enactments but these images needed very little post-processing work on the computer – a touch of clarity and a bit of added vignetting and they were good to go. Oh, and as they were all taken with the diminutive Lumix 35-100 f3.5-5.6 zoom (great little lens but not really long enough for today’s purposes) we also had to have an extended consultation with Dr Cropalot. After looking at the photos I got when I got home, I’m very happy. As for Battle, it was a lovely town well worth a day-trip, and the effort that went into the re-enactments (including all of the activities going on beyond the main arena) made for a very memorable visit. A few more photos below:
The Photographer's Block 