Birds On A Budget – part 4

For wildlife photographers on a budget I happen to believe that micro four thirds (M4/3) has a lot to offer and represents incredible value. The micro in micro four thirds is a reference to the size and weight savings the system brings, it has no impact on the features and performance on offer.

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Available Lenses

 

 

The M4/3 system is now at the time of writing 15 years old and is, therefore, fully fleshed out. This means that there is plenty available on the second hand market. But, before we consider camera bodies let’s look at lenses first. Both Olympus (now OM Systems) and Panasonic provide a range of long lenses suitable for photographing wildlife. At the budget end there’s the Olympus 75-300mm II f4.8-6.7 and the Panasonic 100-300mm f4-5.6 which represent excellent value. On a M4/3 camera these two lenses have the same angle of view as a 150-600mm and 200-600mm lens respectively when used on a camera with a 35mm full frame sensor at a fraction of the weight and cost. The Olympus 75-300 can be found for around $500 AUD second hand (or $600 new) and the Panasonic 100-300 can be picked up for about $550 2nd hand ($1000 new). This means it is very feasible to put a good kit together for under $1000 AUD which is about $650 USD.

 

 

In the midrange category both companies offer 100-400mm zooms. The Olympus 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS sells for around $1500 2nd hand or $2200 new and the Panasonic Leica Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f4-6.3 sells for around thee $1200 mark second hand or $2200 new. This is for the original version. It has just been updated to make it compatible with tele-converters and will likely retail for around $2600 AUD.These two lenses give an angle of view equal to that of 200-800mm on a 35mm sensor in a very compact package.

 

 

 

At the top end of town there are two lenses. The Olympus 300mm f4 IS which apparently is a gem of a lens and can be had for approx $2800 on the used market or $4000 new. Then we reach the stratosphere with the Olympus 150-400mm  f4.5 IS PRO which retails for an eye watering price of $11500 new. Good luck in finding one new at a dealer as they are in short supply. I have seen a used one on a Japanese dealers  website going for $7500 and it was gone within a day.

 

 

 

So out of all these lenses I own the Olympus 75-300 and the Panasonic 100-400. Both of them have been very good, but with some caveats. The major criticism of the Olympus 75-300 is that it is soft at the long end. First I’d like to say get real! This is a budget lens. But, seriously this is a common complaint about zoom lenses especially at the budget end of the market. In my opinion,  and based upon the example that I own, it is not as bad as people make out wide open and it improves if you stop down a bit. The pluses are it is amazingly small and light. I did intend to sell it when I got the Panasonic 100-400 but I kept it for those moments when I don’t want to carry the larger Panasonic ie when I’m out walking the dog. The Panasonic 100-400 is an amazing lens and I really enjoy using it. When it was first introduced there were complaints about it having an overly stiff zoom ring and it couldn’t be repaired. I’ve not experienced any problems and have used the lens extensively in all sorts of weather since I got in 2018. My only criticism of the 100-400 is that the lens based image stabilisation isn’t compatible with that of my Olympus cameras’s IBIS.

 

 

 

 

 

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Camera Bodies

 

 

Once you’ve decided upon your lens then you can consider camera bodies. As things are at the time of writing I’ll be looking at the following camera which can be picked up easily second hand. The Olympus EM 1 mk I (approx $400 AUD), the Olympus EM1 mk ii, and the Panasonic G85. I own all three and think they all offer tremendous value for the wildlife photographer on restricted budget.

 

 

 

	Panasonic G85	Olympus EM1	Olympus EM1 mk ii
Year of Introduction	2016	2013	2016
Resolution	16 Mp	16 Mp	20 Mp
ISO range	200-25600	200-25600	200
Boosted ISO	100	100	64 and 100
IBIS	5 axis	5 axis	5 axis
File Formats	RAW and jpg for stills AVCHD and MP4 for video	RAW and jpg for stills H.264 and Motion jpg for video	RAW and jpg for stills H.264 and Motion jpg for video
Auto Focus	Contrast only (DFD) Multi area Centre zone Selective single point Single AF Continuous AF Tracking AF Face detection AF Touch screen AF	Contrast and phase detect hybrid system. Multi area Centre zone Selective single point AF Single AF Continuous AF Tracking AF Face detection Touch screen AF	Contrast and phase detect hybrid system. Multi area Centre zone Selective single point AF Single AF Continuous AF Tracking AF Face detection Touch screen AF
Manual Focus Aides	Focus peaking	Focus peaking	Focus peaking
Focus Points	49	81	121
Maximum Shutter Speed	1/4000 mechanical 1/16000 electronic	1/8000 mechanical 1/32000 electronic	1/8000 mechanical 1/32000 electronic
Exposure Modes	Program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual.  22 Creative Control modes.	iAuto, Program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual. 22 scene modes and 12 Art filters.	iAuto, Program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual. 22 scene modes and 14 Art filters
Built In Flash	Yes	No	No
Dive Modes	Single frame 9 frames per second with the mechanical shutter and continuous AF. Up to 40 fps with the electronic shutter and the autofocus set to single point.	Single frame 6.5 fps with mechanical shutter and continuous AF. 11 fps with single AF and electronic shutter.	Single frame Up to 18 fps with mechanical shutter and continuous AF. 60 fps with single AF and electronic shutter
Buffer	300 large jpgs, 45 RAW and RAW plus jpgs	50 large jpgs, 34 RAW	117 large jpgs,  84 RAW
Metering Modes	Multi zone, centre weighted and spot metering.	Multi zone, centre weighted, and spot metering.	Multi zone, centre weighted, and spot metering.
Video	4K up to 30 fps HD up to 60 fps	HD up to 30 fps	Cinema 4k 24fps IPB 4K up to 30 fps HD up to 60 fps
Storage media	1 x SD card slot UHS-II compatible	1 x SD card slot UHS-I compatible	2 x SD card slot with only 1 UHS-II compatible
Environmentally Sealed	Yes	Yes	Yes
Anti Aliasing Filter	No	No	No
Weight	505g with battery and card	497g with battery and card	574g with battery and cards
Battery CIPA Rating	330 shots	350 shots	440 shots

 

 

All three cameras feel good in the hand. The G85 has the easiest to navigate menu system. The Olympus menus cop a load of flack for being labyrinthine but they do allow a phenomenal amount of customisation and once these are set, your custom modes set up, and you use the Super Control Panel (SCP) you shouldn’t have to deep dive them often.

 

 

Which one should you get? Well that depends upon your budget and what you intend to do with the camera. If cash strapped the the EM1 is the one to go for. It’s a beautifully built camera that turns out a great performance. The only place is where it is lacking is video. If you shoot primarily stationary targets and some video capability is important I think the G85 is a great buy. It is only let down by its auto focus the DFD technology Panasonic uses just wasn’t as good for action as phase detection autofocus. Having said that I have used the camera to shoot some wildlife videos – you’ve just got to be patient and pick situations that the camera can cope with. If you’ve got the budget then the EM1 mk ii is the one to get.  Not as accomplished in the video department as the G85 but it does produce a solid result and the AF for video and stills works quite well. You’d have to spend quite a bit more money to get better performance.