Finding the Sweet Spot in Photography - Part 3

Terry A. McDonald, luxBorealis.com

Effective aperture and shutter speed

Despite the disinformation regarding aperture, depth-of-field and exposure scattered around the web, physics tells us that ƒ8 on a M43 lens has the equivalent depth of field of ƒ16 on a full-frame lens of equivalent field of view (efov), the M43 bonus being a shutter speed 2EV faster. Let’s go back to that landscape: given the same ISO, a M43 exposure of ƒ8 at 1/125 produces the identical result in terms of depth of field and exposure as a full frame shot of ƒ16 at 1/30. To me, having that 2EV faster shutter speed means less time waiting for that @#%$! wind to die down. Combined with industry-leading stabilization (see below), it also allows for more flexibility with hand holding the camera.

Sensor Size

A 20.4MP M43 sensor is 5184×3888 pixels, or 17×13” at 300ppi—large enough to cover a two-page spread in a photo book with full bleed. How many prints larger than that do you make? When I need something larger, I use one of two methods for up-scaling:
(1) Lightroom’s Enhanced Super Resolution after running the base raw file through DxO PureRaw or ON1 No Noise—both with phenomenal results; and (2) Topaz PhotoAI’s upscale. It all depends on the photo. There is also OM System’s native High Res Mode, either handheld for 50MP or on a tripod for 80MP. Both do an excellent job. A third alternative I’ve begun using more often is to lock exposure and shoot multiple photos panoramic style. Three-across gives me a vertical of 5184px with a horizontal of around 7000px for a 17×23” direct print. Another option is to shoot across and down in rows, then Merging them in Lightroom with outstanding results.

Size and weight

To me, this is the elephant in the room. Photographers will jokingly complain about the weight of their FF gear, but still consider the struggle part of the experience. Those days are gone for me. I’ve hiked the remote and rugged Superior Coast trail with 35mm and 4×5 gear, and dragged full-frame gear all around the Galápagos Islands. Working with M43 is so much sweeter!

With full-frame gear, I always needed a backpack, and it was nothing by a pain. I couldn’t switch lenses on the go like I can with a sling or waist bag. A backpack, must be removed and put down somewhere to open it, take out a lens and switch over, or change a battery, or get a filter, etc. Where I work, this is a problem: next to waterfalls, on a beach, in a wetland, along the muddy banks of a river. My whole OM system fits into a small sling bag. I have the FF equivalent of 16mm to 800mm glass plus a 120/2.8 Macro lens and a 1.4x Teleconverter, all in a small LowePro AW sling along with a POL, a couple of NDs, a spare battery, a lintless cloth, lens cleaning kit, and a couple of granola bars. When flying, it’s my ‘personal bag’—with all my gear—and it weighs about 4.5kg. When I ‘travel light’ with only a LowePro waist bag, I can still have my three zooms covering from 16mm to 800mm: two in the bag and one on the camera on a shoulder harness, with all the same extras. It doesn’t get better than that.

Cropping

Admittedly, there are times when ’zoom with your feet’ isn’t feasible. Take the Cordon-bleu bird above. Tack sharp. I got as close as possible to it and managed a 3888×2916 pixel image—a vertical crop from a horizontal frame. Could I have achieved the same with a full-frame system? Almost. Although the focal length was 400mm, on a M43 sensor, that’s equivalent to 800mm in FF terms. If the same shot was made on a 60MP Sony A7Rv with a 400mm lens, the height of the identical photo would be 3461px (13mm/23.8mm*6336px), a loss of 427 pixels at an additional cost of CAD $3000. With a 47MP Nikon Z8, the image height would be 2994px (894 pixels less) and $4100 more expensive. That’s the FF premium. So, as far as pixels on subject are concerned, the OM-1 has it.

Female Red-winged Blackbird with eggshell (Agelaius phoeniceus). OM-1 w/100-400 at 400mm (800mm efov); ƒ6.3 @ 1/2000, ISO 1600; raw file processed in DxO PureRaw and Lightroom. This is a 2034×2034 crop, yet it maintains both detail and sharpness at ISO1600. When up-scaled and printed to 13” (4068×4068), every detail is still there, not with your nose on the print, but even at closer than normal viewing distance, everything is visually sharp.

Sensor stabilization

I am neither a physicist nor an engineer, but what I understand from both is that the smaller M43 sensor is far easier and more efficient to stabilize than a full-frame sensor 4 times the size. Therefore, in a less expensive camera, Olympus has achieved extremely effective in-body stabilization, some say industry-leading, especially when paired with in-lens stabilization.

The High ISO Noise Debate

There is no doubt that M43 produces more noise than a full-frame sensor at every ISO. You can see the difference on-screen at 100%. In fact, it was the first thing I noticed with my OM-1 files. However, that’s the trap everyone falls into. Internet pundits love comparing on-screen at 100%, but no one who actually appreciates photographs examines them on-screen like that, only pixel-peeing photographers and internet bloggers do. The reality is, it’s the final photograph that counts, and its emotional appeal. Is grain noticeable in the final photograph? Not for the vast majority of uses, and if the on-screen noise bothers you, cleaning it up is only a few clicks away using DxO PureRaw, ON1 No Noise, Topaz PhotoAI or Lightroom’s Denoise. While I find DxO and ON1 the best of the lot, any one of them cleans the image up beautifully. Voilà, no noise. (More on raw file optimization in an upcoming article).

BTW, the lion shot up above was shot at ISO3200 and you can see every fine hair, even before it was cleaned up. Raw optimization just made it sing.

What about Dynamic Range?

M43 sensors have less dynamic range than FF sensors. There is no doubt. The most recent data from DxOMark puts the older Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II at 12.8, two EV lower than the class-leading Nikon 850 at 14.8. When a scene’s brightness is too great for any sensor to handle, photographers use exposure blending to compensate, to ensure detail is captured in both the shadow and highlight areas. With my OM-1, I keep HDR controls in my customized ’My Menu’, and use them about as often as I do with my D800E (DR of 14.3), which is rarely.

Why not APS? Isn’t that the sweet spot?

APS seems like a good option, but is it relly? For me, there are too many trade-offs. If you already have a full-frame system of lenses, then you might think an APS body is the way to go, but you’re not saving any weight or bulk. The savings comes in matching an APS body with lenses designed for it. While lighter-weight APS bodies and lenses certainly have very good functionality at a low price, they have two inherent problems. One: APS bodies and lenses are cheaper for a reason. They are simply not built as ruggedly as an OM-1 or FF, and they often have only one memory card slot along with those shortcomings. Secondly, APS lenses tend to be slower and lack the corner-to-corner and full zoom range sharpness and professional finishing of both FF and M.Zuiko lenses.

To me, the sweet spot lies in creating engaging, high IQ photographs with equipment rugged enough to perform under any circumstances. A system that captures grand landscapes with dramatic light, minute details on a forest floor lit only by tree-hued softness, fleeting birds and wildlife—in any weather, at any time of day, even after the sun’s gone down. A system that will travel with me, provide a range of high quality optics from ultra-wide to telephoto, all in a small package. Funny, how similar the thinking was behind the ’miniature’ Leica 35mm camera. A hundred years on, are we on the brink of another sea change in photography or is the ‘bigger is better’ mantra still too entrenched? What’s in your future?

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