VideoPic Blog

Last Update: 28th December 2020

I guess one could say, the mobile phone is now the official always with me camera. Some say they do everything with their mobile phones. But mobile phones use tiny sensors! There are many articles and YouTube videos discussing this same question. Mobile phone channels say phones are better today, and photography presenters say, cameras are still the preferred option for photographers? If the size of the sensor kept you from only using your mobile phone, then why not test different sensor sizes. Considering sensor size, I had a few cameras and thought, let's study the images and see for ourselves. Should I keep my camera or simply get the next mobile phone?

So often we see how M43 photographers are pushed around on subjects like equivalence and anyhing related to sensor size. To make things worse, there is no alternative to biased info we see in camera reviews and on photography forums. With only one or two cameras, how will you ever know?

For example, what is the so-called "Full Frame" look talked about on forums? With all the hype about full-frame sensors, wouldn't it be nice to at least simulate this "Full Frame" look? I am also searching for a formal definition but could not find anything describing this full-frame look...

Olympus Pen F, handheld @ 1/15Sec, f4.0 and ISO2000 (see the slow shutter speed and higher ISO)

I had a few cameras with different sensor sizes. It didn't take much to create a semi-controlled test for these cameras. The next step was to take images and compare them.

A little Photography wisdom...

Photography is one of those things that has a negative for each positive. Interestingly manufacturers are working hard to build new features to "bridge" these negatives. For example, study the above image and the camera settings below the picture. It's basically a blue hour scene from my wife and me strolling through this coastal town. I had my Pen-F and 17mm f1.8 with me.

Let's study the positives and negatives:-

- Positive: Increasing the ISO helped me to up the shutter speed. Great for a blue hour
- Negative: Slow shutter speeds cause camera shake and a higher ISO more image noise.
- Solution: Build-in Image Stabilization with fast lenses, ISO w ETTR, or using a tripod?

I think we can agree that it's quick to create a long list of positives and negatives for almost every situation. I am not going to do that in this article, I believe readers know the arguments and they generally have the information when buying a new camera.

Let's look at another option:

- Positive: High ISO values enables the photographer to safely work in low-light situations.
- Negative: High ISO settings result in more noise, a lower DR, and color response issues
- Solution: Select the right solution for the job. You need more light in low-light conditions

Digital photography is much more than the size of a sensor, image noise, or IBIS. I believe the informed photographer will plan and match his or her gear to support their photography.

To illustrate, let's consider a few more examples:

Example 1

Two hobby Photographers are going on a 5-day mountain hike. They like doing birding, animal, and landscape photography. One specializes in landscape and bird photography and the other enjoys wildlife, macro, and video. The size of their equipment and carrying weight are important to them. Image quality is important because they promote and publish their work. What typical photography gear do you think these two photographers will carry with them?

Example 2

Both the wife and husband turned 50 and they planned a 6-day bus tour in celebration. Both enjoy photography, street photography, cityscapes,, and video (storytelling). They like good IQ and prefer light and portable photography gear. Both are active on social media and each has a blog or video channel. They both won prizes and both published images. When home they do photo editing, video editing, and scrapbooking. What gear will this couple have in their camera bags?

Example 3

A 40-year-old sports fanatic and hobby photographer likes to photograph live football games and he never misses an opportunity to watch Formula One. Through the years he is a well-known face at Formula One and his action shots are popular amongst motorcar enthusiasts. Camera speed, fast and accurate autofocus, and long zoom lenses are all basic must-haves for him. Because he likes to move around during the game or race, he found mobility is important to him. What will he carry in his camera bag?

Let's study a few cameras and images...

I read a few articles and technical papers as I prepared for this article. I looked at equivalence, something discussed a lot on forums. We also know that photographers and artists are people who focus on the visual aspects of their surroundings. I, therefore, thought it was a good idea to take a few simple images and compare them so readers can examine the differences for themselves.

I used the following cameras:

Unfortunately, I had no 1" sensor camera available. I purposely mixed older and newer cameras to see if age makes any difference in image quality. Interestingly, older cameras have a lower maximum high ISO value. (The LC1 has a max ISO of 400 and the Konica Minolta A2 is ISO 800)

I used these lenses with the above cameras:

- Sony FE 50mm f1.8
- Panasonic M43 Leica 25mm f1.4
- Fujinon 35mm f1.4

I created the following "Controlled Environment" to record these images.

- I used one large Video LED soft light with fixed settings and it's on a tripod.
- I used the same "dark Room" camera setting for all the images at higher ISOs,
- Each camera was on the same tripod in a "fixed" position. (No IBIS or IS used)
- All images were taken with a focal length of +/- 50mm and a 3:2 image ratio.
- Used RAW images and used the same basic editing for each image with PS.
- I applied no noise reduction and left the raw images "as is" or OOC.
- I focussed on the maize in the front. Background = the fruit basket and 2 chairs.

Testing background Blur @ ISO 200 & lower and f2.8

The purpose was to see how these cameras isolate the subject. It also helps to see the background blur from each camera/lens combination.

Fujifilm XT-20, 1/15, f2.8, ISO 100

Sony A2 MKII, 1/40, f2.8 ISO 200

Konica Minolta A2, 1/25, f2.8, ISO 100

Olympus EM1 MKII, 1/13, f2.8, ISO 64

Panasonic G9, 1/40, f2.8 ISO 200

Panasonic LC1 (5MP), 1/30, f2.8, ISO 100

Panasonic LX7 (10MP), 1/25, f2.8, ISO 100

Fujifilm X20 (12MP), 1/60, f2.8, ISO 160

Depth of Field @ ISO 200 & lower and f9.0

The purpose of this test was to study the depth of field with f9.0 selected on all these cameras. One can see how landscape images will benefit from using smaller sensor cameras.

In terms of focusing, I focused on the main subject (Corn). Using the 3rd's rule, the distance from the camera to the subject is the same as the distance from the fruit platter to the subject and the same from the chair to the fruit platter. I placed the subject on the first 3rd.

Sony A2 MKII, 1", f9.0, ISO200

Olympus EM1 MKII, 1/3, f9.0, ISO 200

Panasonic G9, 1", f9.0, ISO 200

Panasonic LX7, 1/3, f8.0, ISO 200

Fujifilm X20, 1/5, f9.0, ISO 100

Fujifilm XT-20, 1/5, f9.0, ISO 100

High ISO (3200) and an f-stop closest to f2.8

The purpose of these test images was to see the different cameras perform at high ISOs. I was looking for things like image noise, color variations, image detail, and finally how the images compare at higher ISOs. Keep in mind I used a custom white balance for Photoshop and ALL the images. I used the "WB point" just above the chairs on the background wall.

Also important is the fact that manufacturers have different levels of noise reduction for their jpegs. Canon APS-C cameras were always praised for their good high ISO noise performance. See the Canon reviews at DPReview. The fact is, most of these highly acclaimed cameras deliver clean high ISO images with no image detail. This seemed completely irrelevant to most reviewers.

What reviewers refuse to talk about is noise reduction smears image details. This "eagerness" to present clean jpeg files happens today, also with many full-frame cameras. This is why I used RAW files for these test images and not jpegs. I also used no noise reduction with these images.

Sony A2 MKII, 1/25, f2.8, ISO 3200

Olympus EM1 MKII, 1/25, f2.8, ISO 3200

Panasonic G9, 1/30, f2.8, ISO 3200

Panasonic LX7, 1/80, f2.8, ISO 3200

Fujifilm X20, 1/80, f2.8, ISO 3200

Fujifilm XT-20, 1/50, f2.8, ISO 3200

Testing the Full Frame look @ ISO 200 and max Apertures

The purpose of this test was to see what these different solutions look like with max apertures. What does the background blur look like and what is the ability of each camera to isolate its subjects' background? Keep in mind these images were taken in a similar "controlled" environment.

Sony A7 MKII, 1/50, f1.8, ISO 100

Olympus EM1 MKII, 1/160, f1.4, ISO 200

Fujifilm XT-20, 1/60, f1.4, ISO 100

Does the size of the sensor change the exposure settings?

I used the Sony A7 III, the Olympus EM1 II, and the Panasonic LX7 in this example. Three sensor sizes and three different cameras. The settings used with each camera were exactly the same. I used 50mm, f4, and 1/5 seconds at ISO 200. I used a small video LED source for each test.

I edited the RAW files in Photoshop. See the histogram for each camera next to the sample image.

The purpose of this test was to see if any of these cameras receive more light than the other. I also wanted to see if I had to adjust my exposure setting for any one of these cameras...

Well, as you can see the size of the sensor did not change the amount of light reaching the sensor. In other words, it was NOT necessary to change my exposure settings for any of these cameras...

Conclusion

If you get the chance to try different cameras in a similar "controlled" environment, then you will see how the results make you view this complete sensor size or "size and capture" thing differently. To be honest I did not discover any "Full Frame" look either. What I did see was a bunch of interesting and capable cameras, each with its own appeal and benefits.

At the start of this article, I said your photography gear should match your unique photography needs. For example, I see NO reason for having a wide angle lenses if I only do macro photography. If you are really interested in something more than a mobile phone or any specific camera or lens configuration, then search for something secondhand and sell it again if you didn't like it...

Also, study some of my other articles...

Last Updated: 11th April 2021

EM5 II with 17mm f1.8 lens - ISO200, f7.1, 5Sec plus Tripod - Enhanced Raw converted in WS and edited in PS.

This article studies some of my images taken with Olympus OMD or PEN cameras. They are a random selection from my photo collection. My experience with the Color and Creative features from Olympus was not enough. For example, we had cloudy conditions when visiting Prague in 2015, and I decided to use the Olympus ART filters on my EM5 II. I never saw any value in these ART filters.

All the Enhanced Raw Files were Converted with Viewer 3 or WorkSpace.

WorkSpace was not available when I wrote the original article. The previous image editor from Olympus, Viewer 3, came with two separate editing menus, the JPEG photo editor and a separate RAW converter. I preferred the RAW converter because it best mirrored the camera settings. I re-edited these images from Prague in 2023 and removed the Pop Art Filter from these images.

See this article.

EM5 II with 12-50mm EZ lens - ISO200, f6.3, 1/800, Tripod - Enhanced Raw edited with WS, + Color Creator, and Color Filters.

The above image is from our visit to Prague in December 2015. It was overcast with much rain and clouds. Prague is a lovely city and a photographer's dream. You can imagine our disappointment when we saw the poor weather. I decided to use the Olympus ART filters for Prague.

It worked well, but the Pop Art filter was too aggressive. One cannot apply ART filters and use the Color Creator simultaneously with the EM5 II. One can, however, use the curves (highlights/shadow) function to control the ART filter effect. I continued using the Pop Art filter in Prague because it looked good on the camera display, and I knew I could change the RAW file in Viewer 3.

EM5 II with 17mm f1.8 lens - ISO 100, f7.1, 25Sec plus Tripod - Enhanced Raw file converted in WS and edited in PS.

Taken with the O-MD EM-5 MKII and the 12-50mm EZ lens, Prague City

The above image was also taken in Prague. All my Prague images were re-edited in 2023. For example, I decided to remove the Pop ART from this image in Workspace. The pop ART filter can be a bit much. I prefer the look of the first image without the Pop ART filter.

Taken with the O-MD EM-5 II and the 12-50mm EZ lens, Prague City

The image below was taken with my first EM 5 in South Africa. When home I edited the RAW file in Photoshop. I used my standard post-processing routine. From the image, you can see my style is clear bright colors. I do use pastel colors in some of my images but prefer good colors and contrasts.

I use layers in PS to target specific parts of the image. As you know we cannot do this in WorkSpace. It will be great to see Olympus add layers in WorkSpace.

That said, Olympus cameras do have a type of in-camera "layers" function. The multiple exposure mode applies a layer like "Multiply" Blending Mode when combining images. This is interesting and it's worth practicing with the Multiply blending mode in Photoshop. This will help you understand and master the in-camera multiple exposures.

Taken with the O-MD EM-5 and the 12-50mm EZ Lens, taken in South Africa

The image below was taken in Locarno, Switzerland. The adjustments I made in Viewer 3 were Soft Focus, the Star ART Filter, Noise was set to High, Exposure comp to -1, the Color Creator, Curves (see image), Contrast to -1, and Sharpness to +1. The image was handheld with IBIS.

Olympus O-MD EM-5 II with 17mm f1.8 lens, Locarno Switzerland

The image below was taken in Emmental, Switzerland. I set the RAW file WB in Viewer 3, then used the Color Profile and Curves functions (see image).

Olympus Pen-F with 12-50mm EZ lens, Emmental Switzerland

The image below is from Locarno, Switzerland. The image was handheld relying on IBIS. The adjustments were Color Creator, Curves (see image), no Art Filter, and Keystone. I set the RAW file White Balance in Viewer 3. The Color Creator was more than helpful with this image. The reason is, that nighttime images often have challenging color casts.

Olympus O-MD EM-5 II with 17mm f1.8 lens, Locarno Switzerland

The image below was taken in Emmental, Switzerland. To respect the lady's identities, I edited the image with this look. I adjusted Soft Focus, Color Creator & Curves. The Color Creator and Curves functions are great for fine-tuning the Soft Focus Art Filter.

Olympus EM-5 MKII with 12-50mm EZ lens, Emmental Switzerland

The image below was taken in Bern, Switzerland. The editing settings I used were Light Tone Art Filter, Color Profile plus Curves. The image was taken handheld with my Pen F.

Olympus Pen-F with 17mm f1.8 lens, Bern Switzerland

The image below was taken on the Island Mainau of Germany. Adjustments used, Diorama Art Filter, Color Profile, and Curves (see image). I reduced the overall saturation with the Color Profile. The reason is the Diorama Art Filter adds too much saturation. The exposure was corrected with Curves. Contrast -1 and Sharpening +1

Olympus Pen-F with 25mm f1.8 lens, Insel Mainau Germany

The image below was taken in Emmental, Switzerland. Adjustments were Bleach Art Filter, Color Profile, and Curves. The bleach filter is becoming one of my favorite Art filters.

Olympus Pen-F with 25mm f1.8 lens, Emmental Switzerland

The example below is a Hi-Res image taken with the Pen-F. Preparing for this article I was testing the Pen F color profiles. I had some ND filters with me because I was trying the color functions in video mode.

The Hi-Res mode is great for simulating a slow shutter speed type water effect, especially in bright conditions. When changing over to Hi-Res mode it is important to check the camera RAW selection. My camera is always in RAW JPEG mode. When switching to Hi-Res I found the camera will go back to JPEG only.

Olympus Pen-F with 7-14mm f4.0 lens, Emmental Switzerland

The image below was created using the Monochrome Profile. I added the blue cast using the White Balance. The editing adjustments were the Monochrome Profile, Curves, Noise Filter set to High, Contrast to -1, and Sharpness to +1.

Olympus Pen-F with 12-50mm EZ lens, Emmental Switzerland

The picture below is another Hi-Res example. The High Res mode is great for product photography. In this example, I edited the RAW file in Photoshop CC. The resolution is enormous and the detail is impressive. When working with the EM-1 II it is possible to apply focus stacking in the camera. The complete image will then be in focus. Models like the EM-5 II and the previous EM-1 can also apply focus stacking in the camera.

Olympus Pen-F with 30mm f3.5 Macro Lens

The E-PL7 is probably an all-time bargain. I bought one 2nd hand and was pleasantly surprised by its image quality and functionality. Time-lapse movies are easy with the E-PL7, set it up & walk away and when done, collect it again. To edit the Olympus E-PL7 files in WorkSpace select the jpeg files. This will enable you to use the Color Creator, Color Profile, and MonoChrome Profile.

Like with the O-MD and Pen-F, the E-PL7 has "Live Composite" and Live Time" (Bulb) modes. Live Composite is probably one of the best-kept Olympus secrets. It is absolutely worth taking the time to master these functions, they are powerful and fun to work with.

See this link for more information when taking images of fireworks and star trails.