Olympus Pen F Review-Style Over Substance?

In this Olympus Pen F Review I shall build on my Olympus Pen F first impressions after having had the camera for quite a while now.

Olympus Pen F Review – Features

Lets take a look at what the Olympus Pen F offers in terms of features as the latest Olympus camera in the Micro 4/3 format.

New 20mp sensor which is the first resolution upgrade we have had in a long time for an Olympus Micro 4/3 camera. The new sensor gives and image size of 5184 x 3888 pixels compared with 4608 x 3456 found on the previous 16mp sensor in cameras lie the OM-D E-M5 II. These added pixels are always welcome as long as they don’t come at the expense of noise. In my testing I have found that the noise performance of the new sensor is slightly improved over the older sensors, offering less noise at base ISO (200) and similar noise performance at higher ISO’s such as 3200 and 6400. The benefit of the extra resolution is noticeable even at higher ISO settings where noise performance remains similar but retains more detail in shots.
5 Axis Image Stabilisation built in to the body. Olympus’ 5 axis IS is simply the best in the industry. It is a fantastic feature which allows you to hand hold shots at implausibly low shutter speeds. In my testing I found the 5 axis IS to not be quite as effective as that found on the OM-D E-M5 II probably because of the increased resolution of the Pen F. I can comfortably handhold at 1/2 second on the Pen F whereas I can do so at 1 second on the E-M5 II.
2.36 million dot OLED Viewfinder. The viewfinder on the Pen F is the same as that found in the Olympus OM-D E-M10 II. It is a very good viewfinder offering nice bright, clear view although slightly smaller than that found in the OM-D E-M5 II it is still very good in use offering a large enough view to clearly compose your photos.
10 FPS mechanical shutter and up to 20FPS with the electronic shutter. The Pen F is not built for fast action but with a fast 10FPS shutter speed it certainly ha no problems capturing the decisive moment.
Fully articulating 1.04 million dot 3″ LCD screen. The fully articulating screen on the Pen F is a pleasure to use. It can be folded back in to the body with the screen facing inwards to protect it from damage. This is also a useful feature for those that prefer to use the viewfinder. The LCD screen can also be used as a trackpad for auto focus when using the viewfinder. Simply slide your thumb across the screen to change your auto focus selection point.
50mp High res shot mode. This actually produces a 64mb Jpeg and an 80mb raw file. In practise it’s us is limited to static subjects but when you can use it oh wow the results are fantastic. The image is more detailed than any full frame Image I have seen and the colour detail and accuracy is improved too. Great for architectural, product and still life photography.
1/8000 mechanical shutter speed , 1/16000 with the electronic shutter. Thanks to the fast top shutter speed I have always found it possible to shoot wide open in bright light.
1080/60p video. Some of the product shots on my videos are shot with the Olympus Pen F and the video is clean and shows no artifacting. 4K would have been nice but this is a still orientated camera. Video with the Pen F and it’s 5 axis IS is great for being able to grab steady handheld footage.
Colour Wheel control dial givng access to fine tuning of black and white, colour and ART profiles. I’ll talk more about this later but for now I’ll say that this feature is a lot of fun to use and produces beautiful black and white photos.

Olympus Pen F Review- Build Quality

Firstly let’s go back over the build quality because I think this is worth re-stating as Olympus deserve some serious credit here.

Weighing in at 427grams and measuring 125 x 72 x 37mm the Pen F is a small camera but it doesn’t feel light or cheap.

The body itself feels solid, much more so than Fuji cameras. While the body is smaller than Fuji X cameras it is in the same ball park and actually feels heavier than the X100T for example. But it does not feel heavy in use, just reassuringly solid.

The Olympus Pen F offers fantastic build quality. Each knob and dial is well made, gives a solid feel and offers great tactile feedback when in use. The exposure compensation dial is certainly stiffer than that on the Fuji X series cameras and as a result it does not get easily knocked and ruin shots. It stays in place until you want to change it.

I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying there are no visible screws on this camera and this is true although I don’t know why so much is made of this. Perhaps Olympus wanted reviewers to mention this for some reason. While it’s true I prefer to note the high quality materials and feel of the Pen F. Magnesium alloy body, metal dials and a nice faux leatherette material wrapping the body for grip.

I like the on/off dial rather than a switch, the shutter dial feels great in use and as mentioned the exposure compensation dial has just enough resistance to stop unintended movements.

Olympus Pen F Review – Handling

Let’s be honest, we all buy Mirrorless cameras because we don’t want the weight of a DSLR system but that doesn’t mean we want to give up decent ergonomics and handling.

The Pen F wont suit everyone as it doesn’t offer a front grip to wrap your finger around although there is an optional front grip available.You can buy the grip from Amazon UK here Olympus ECG‑4 Camera Grip for PEN-F Camera and Amazon.com here Olympus Non-Powered Metal Grip PEN-F, Black (ECG-4)

What it does offer is a very balanced camera when combined with small prime lenses like the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 and 45mm f/1.8.

The Olympus lenses are available from Amazon UK below

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm 1:1.8 Lens – Black
Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm 1:1.8 Lens – Silver
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45 mm f/1:1.8 Camera Lens – Black
Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8 Lens – Silver

And for my friends in the USA and Internationally from Amazon.com below

Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f1.8 (Black) for Olympus and Panasonic Micro 4/3 Cameras
Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f1.8 (Silver) for Olympus and Panasonic Micro 4/3 Cameras
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f1.8 (Black) Lens for Micro 4/3 Cameras – International Version (No Warranty)
Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f1.8 (Silver) Lens for Olympus and Panasonic Micro 4/3 Cameras

I found the camera to be comfortable in use. In fact it is a delight to use because of the way that Olympus has really thought about the design of the Pen F.

The thumb grip on the reverse gives plenty of purchase and due to its small size my ring finger sits under the base of the camera offering all the grip I need. What I also like is that on this model the strap lug does not get in the way as I found on my old OM-D E-M5.

The new front control dial which controls art effects and more importantly black and white output doesn’t get in my way at all. In fact it feels perfectly positioned to me. Ideally it would be customisable for those that don’t want or need to use the new dial as intended and perhaps Olympus will add this with firmware in the future.

You now have four custom settings on the PASM Dial which allows you to set up the camera to quickly switch to your favourite settings. The only issue I have with this is that the custom modes don’t allow you to switch between the black and white mode and colour modes. For example I wanted to have C1 assigned to my colour portrait settings, C2 for landscape shots and then C3 & C4 set to the black and white modes that I had tweaked with curves and filters. However if you are in standard colour mode on the front dial, changing to C3 will not take you into your black and white settings. You will still have to turn the colour control dial on the front.

All the buttons on the reverse of the camera offer decent feedback and as always with Olympus the camera is so customisable that you can set it up almost exactly how you want it.

The fully articulated LCD screen is bright and so useful when shooting street photography or from unusual angles.

Olympus Pen F Review- Image Quality

The Pen F is fast enough to capture fleeting moments with Kids

I mentioned in my first impressions post that the image quality looks about the same as previous 16mp Micro 4/3 sensors. However after having looked in more detail at the output I can now say that the sensor in the Olympus Pen F is an improvement in terms of detail captured and ISO performance. You wont notice it in every shot but when pixel peeping you can see more details in eyebrows, eyelashes and in the fine details of landscapes.

!00% Crop Straight Raw Conversion Lightroom ISO 500

What also seems noticeable to my eye is the way that the new sensor renders colours. The skin tones produced by this camera are more accurate and the tonal transitions are softer and more subtle. Portraits on the Pen F are noticeably better than the OM-D E-M5 II.

These small improvements are welcome although they alone might not justify an upgrade from any of the 16mp Micro 4/3 models.

ISO 3200 comparison between Olympus OM-D E-M5 II (left) and the Pen F

From my testing high ISO performance has improved around 1/3-1/2 a stop. What is more impressive is that the way the camera handles colour. Noise has improved with the Pen F showing less colour noise at high ISOs. Once you bump up the ISO the Pen F is also retaining more detail than the 16mp sensor found in the OM-D E-M5 II. The ISO comparison images were shot at night to show real world use rather than artificially bumping up ISO settings.

More detail is retained in the Pen F image at 6400 ISO (right) than on the 16mp sensor of the OM-D E-M5II

If you want to see full resolution files you can do so on my Flickr page

High Resolution Mode.

I’m not going to go in to too much detail here as I plan on writing a separate article on the high resolution mode.

So far it seems to work under very strict conditions. There must be no camera movement and no subject movement. When these conditions are met then the high resolution mode works very well. It easily out resolves the standard mode and improves colour accuracy.

Black and White Mode and the new colour Dial

Straight away I may as well tell you that this feature will be of no concern to those who shoot only in Raw format as it is only available for Jpeg shooters.

However I used to exclusively shoot Raw myself until recently and yet I find myself loving this new feature.

So what does it actually allow you to do?

Flick the dial to the black and white mode and you now have a whole host of customisation at your fingertips. Firstly there are three black and white profiles available. The first is a flat monochrome profile. The second (where the fun is) is a Tri X (ish) simulation offering bright whites and dark blacks. The third is an infra red like look. If you want to see how this works in operation then take a look at my Olympu Pen F vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 II video

Once you choose your mode (we will go to mode 2) you then flick the rear switch and option to change the curves now appear. It is set to +6 highlights and -6 shadows initially. This gives a very contrasty look so I changed the levels to +4 Highlights, -3 Shadows and + 1 midtones. I found this to retain decent contrast but also offer better tonal transitions.

Flick the switch again and you now have the ability to add colour filters to the image via a colour wheel. You can alter the colour filter, Green, red, orange, blue, magenta, yellow green and also vary the strength in the 3 steps.

Next you have the option to add a vignette to your shots and vary the strength in 3 steps as well as add a film grain overlay to your images. This grain is scanned in from film according to Olympus so it is pretty realistic. Again you can vary the strength with three settings.

The sheer amount of options can be overwhelming at first but you soon work out what your favourite settings are and the controls are intuitive and quick to use. These modes are so much fun to work with. I am a fan of getting the shot that you want in camera as I no longer want to spend hours sitting at a computer editing my images. Therefore with all this control at your fingertips you can create almost exactly the image you want straight out of camera.

I’ve found the results to be very good once I toned down the in camera default Curves. This kind of control along with the what you see is what you get nature of electronic viewfinders virtually eliminates the need to post process your images. Some may want the extra control offered by post processing software but at the very least you can shoot Jpeg and Raw and have the best of both worlds. Let me say the whole process is very addictive and you might find yourself shooting more black and white photos as a result.

My girlfriend has complained that all the photos I keep taking are black and white and this is entirely down to the Olympus Pen F and its new black and white modes.

Can you replicate this on other Olympus cameras?

I see a lot of people asking if you can replicate the same look on the OM-D E-M5 II or other Olympus cameras.

In my opinion it would take a lot of work to get close to the look that the Pen F gives you. Firstly the Tri X simulation is only available on the Pen F and no matter what I do on the OM-D E-M5 II I cannot replicate it with tone curves in the monochrome mode. Secondly you cannot vary the strength of the colour filter available on the E-M5 II and to add grain or vignetting would require time post processing the files.

Basically if you want this feature or the look then you will have to get a Pen F. I’m sure you can get close with PP work but in the end the Pen F allows you to shoot the photos straight out of camera and it really is great fun doing so.

Olympus Pen F vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 II

So in my first impressions post I mentioned that I wanted to see if the Pen F is worth the extra money over the OM-D E-M5 II.

The added features of the Pen F, 20mp sensor, new processor, colour wheel, black and white profiles, extra custom modes on the PASM dial apart, they’re the same camera right?

Here is how I look at it. If you need weather sealing or budget is the primary factor then the OM-D E-M5 II will do most of what the Pen F can but it wont do it as quickly and it wont be as much fun.

Sure the OM-D E-M5 II viewfinder is bigger, I can’t say I noticed a huge difference in real world use. What I did notice is that the Pen F feels quicker in use with far less lag when switching between the LCD and viewfinder. The whole experience is quicker when using the Pen F.

Auto Focus is faster on the Pen F, the images you get are slightly better thanks to having more mega pixels, slightly better high ISO performance and there is something about the rendering of images on the Pen F which just makes the images more pleasing to my eye.

Here are the pros and cons of each

Pen F

There is no denying it is a beautiful camera
New black and white mode is a lot of fun and produces beautiful photos
Improvements in image quality
Speed of handling and auto focus is faster

OM-D E-M5 II

Weather sealed
Larger viewfinder
Cheaper
Feels better with larger lenses

If you are trying to decide between these two cameras then you really want to take a look at my video comparison and write up between the Pen F and E-M5 II

So getting back to the start of this Olympus Pen F Review, is the Pen F all style and no substance?

It is certainly a stylish camera but some have bemoaned the lack of weather sealing and the price. It is undoubtedly one of the most stylish cameras currently available but I couldn’t ever justify keeping a camera for its looks alone. The price is the price, only you can decide if it is worth it to you. It certainly is for me.

Weather sealing would be nice but then how often do we really use it. A light shower is no problem to any camera that I’ve owned for years and are you really going to be out shooting in a torrential downpour even if a camera does claim to be weather sealed. The lenses that best suit the Pen F are in my opinion small light primes and these aren’t weather sealed anyway so having a weather sealed body makes no sense. I think Olympus probably knew that when they made their design decisions.

The Olympus Pen F has enough to keep even the most demanding enthusiasts happy. The new 20mp sensor is an improvement over the older 16mp sensors in almost every way. The camera operates more quickly, focuses faster and offers the ability to customise your out of camera jpegs beyond anything else on the market.

Add to this excellent build quality and a great range of small fast lenses which are available for Micro 4/3 and even at the asking price it is still a great camera.

If I had to choose between this and the OM-D E-M5 II it’s simple, I’d get the Pen F for the improvements in image quality, operation and a huge boost to the fun factor of using this camera.

Keep checking back on this review because I will add more images as and when I have them. I shall also add more hi resolution shots to Flickr. I also have a quick video which shows how the black and white mode works and will upload that as soon as I have a decent internet connection.

Please help me build this website so that I can keep reviewing gear. This site takes a lot of time to keep going and I can only do it with your help. If you want to buy anything from Amazon etc then please use my buying links. It wont cost you anything but I do get a small commission from Amazon. Thank you from me and my family to all of you who help

The Pen F is available fom Amazon UK here

and for international visitors the Pen F is available from Amazon.com here

Why UK Customers Should Upgrade their Camera Equipment Now!

If you live in the UK you will be aware that we voted to leave the EU in the June referendum.

What you might not be aware of is the impact this has already had and will have on the cost of cameras and lenses.

So far some of the main manufacturers have held their prices here but if you look at the value of Sterling on the internation markets it has already plumetted by 18% since the referendum result. The companies will have to pass on these costs soon.

After a brief rally when it looked like the In campaign would win the Pound has been losing value since March 2016 and after Fridays Asian crash it now sits at $1.24 against the US Dollar.

Why does this affect us?

Almost all camera brands are imported and because of the weak pound the cost of imported goods goes up.

Our pound now only buys us $1.24 of imported goods against $1.49 before the referendum.

So with an 18% drop in value, a camera costing £1000 pounds previously, is now likely to cost £1180.

Surely the Pound will recover so it is better to wait?

In the long term this may be the case but I suspect (and most market analysts predict) that Sterling has not yet reached its lowest value.

Respected analysts at HSBC suspect that Sterling will drop to $1.15 or lower by the end of next year.

I suspect it will go lower based on the volatility and fluctuations I have seen in the money markets since Brexit.

It already dropped to $1.18 on Friday before recovering.

Here is why it will go lower.

The EU is in a very difficult position financially and politically after Brexit.

When the UK voted to leave, the EU lost one of its largest economies and largest financial contributors.

This happened at a time when Italy is on the brink of a banking crisis.
The Greek debt crisis hasn’t been solved despite the EU exhausting almost all viable options to aid recovery.

The Spanish and French economies are stagnant.

Politically there are movements within major European countries to pull back from the EU and in some cases leave altogether.
The Front National in France is gaining momentum alongside similar movements in Greece, Holland and now, even the Germans are getting a little fed up with financing the EU and the migrant crisis is testing their patience.

What does all this have to do with the value of the Pound?

With this backdrop of economic and political unrest it is impossible to see how the European leaders are going to allow the UK to be seen to leave the EU and yet retain any of the benefits of membership.

The dream of UK politicians is to stop free movement of people while retaining access to the Single market.

The EU simply will not let this happen because they fear it would encourage other countries to leave and expect the same deal.

The EU is going to have to punish the UK during its negotiations to leave the EU to keep other countries in line.

Self preservation of the EU will take priority over economics.

The French president Francois Hollande has already said as much just recently.

That means in all liklihood we are heading for a Hard Brexit.

This will entail losing access to the single market because the British Prime Minister Theresa May has indicated that regaining control of immigration policy is her priority.

If the EU considers retention of Free movement of people to be non negotiable to retain single market access and the UK wont negotiate this point then the negotiations have nowhere to go.

That will panick the money markets as they see a hard Brexit scenario as the most damaging to the UK economy and this will drive the value of Sterling even lower.

That will result in the pound being worth less and therefore cameras and all other imported goods will become more expensive.

So if you are looking to upgrade your gear in the next year or so it is definitely advised to do so sooner rather than later or you could be paying much higher prices.

Fujifilm Updates the X-pro 2’s Firmware

Fujifilm have continued their excellent policy of updating their cameras firmware with useful new features by issuing an update for the X-Pro2.

Here are the list of updates that firmware 2.0 includes.

1.The NUMBER OF THE FOCUS POINT has incerased.(*)
The options available are 91 POINTS(7×13) and 325 POINTS(13×25) on the NUMBER OF THE FOCUS POINT of the AF/MF SETTING in the Shooting Menu.
2.Improvement of phase detection AF accuracy.
By employing the new AF algorithm used in the X-T2, the AF accuracy has been improved.
3.AF tracking function has been improved when CONTINUOUS L in the AF-C mode.
4.In AF-C mode, AE function will work while pressing the shutter button halfway.
5.AF tracking function works while CONTINUOUS shooting in the AF-C mode with the Electronic Shutter.
6.AF tracking function works while CONTINUOUS H shooting in the AF-C mode instead of zone AF.
7.STILL IMAGE(single frame shooting) is available when CONTINUOUS L in the AF-C mode.
8.The focus point of Eye Detection AF has been changed to the eye closer to the camera.
9.Compatibility with the Shoe Mount Flash EF-X500.(*)
Additional functions like the multi-flash lighting, high-speed flash sync and so on can be used with the EF-X500.
Accordingly, the FLASH SETTING and the Shooting Menu is dramatically changed.
10.The items that can be assigned to the Quick Menu have changed.(*)
FLASH FUNCTION SETTINGS and FLASH COMPENSATION have been added due to the compatibility with the Shoe Mount Flash EF-X500.
11.The roles that can be assigned to the Function buttons have changed.(*)
FLASH FUNCTION SETTINGS, TTL-LOCK and MODELING FLASH have been added due to the compatibility with the Shoe Mount Flash EF-X500.
12.Addition of AUTO POWER SAVE.(*)
AUTO POWER SAVE option has been added to the POWER MANAGEMENT of the Setup Menu. Select ON to save the power consumption and make the battery life longer.
13.Addition of setting time in AUTO POWER OFF.(*)
15 SEC, 30 SEC and 1 MIN have been added to the AUTO POWER OFF of the POWER MANAGEMENT in the Setup Menu.
14.S.S OPERATION option has been added to BUTTON/DIAL SETTING in the Setup Menu.(*)
Select OFF to disable the shutter-speed fine-tuning using the command dials.
15.Change of the CORRECTED AF FRAME in the OVF.(*)
Specification of the CORRECTED AF FRAME of AF/MF SETTING in the Shooting Menu has been changed.
·OFF:The frame moves according to parallax to show the focus point.
·ON:The CORRECTED AF FRAME in the OVF is fixed on the　recommended value described in the Owner’s manual. If the minimum focus range of the attached lens is greater than the recommended value, the frame is displayed on the position of the minimum focus range.
*Upgrade the firmware of the lenses after the firmware of the camera is upgraded.
16.The phenomenon is fixed that in rare cases the magnification of the OVF doesn’t switch appropriately when a lens is changed.
17.The bright frame movement in the OVF has become more smoothly while zooming in and out.
18.OIS function has been improved while using Electronic Shutter.
19.The phenomenon is fixed that in rare cases frames of live view on a smartphone drop while using the application software “FUJIFILM Camera Remote”.
20.The phenomenon is fixed that exposure sometimes doesn’t change appropriately in Aperture Priority AE while using an M MOUNT ADAPTER.

If you are an X-Pro2 user update your firmware here

Olympus Pen F First Impressions

UPDATE My full Olympus Pen F Review is now here.

So I have now had chance to try out the Olympus Pen F and the OM-D E-M5 II briefly although I haven’t taken them out on any serious shoots yet. Here are my first impressions. The Olympus Pen F is small but surprisingly a little taller than the EM5 II. Size wise it feels similar (slightly smaller) to the Fuji X100T although the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 is a little larger than the X100T’s fixed lens. It also feels a little heavier than the Fuji X100T and EM5 II. Build quality is superb. Both the Olympus Pen F and the OM-D E-M5 II make the Fuji cameras feel like toys. The dials and buttons are way better than the Fuji cameras in terms of build quality, materials used and tactile feedback. The Olympus Pen F feels very comfortable to hold, even without a grip attached. It has a nice heft to it. I’m very impressed with this cameras build quality and feel. I don’t find the front dial to get in the way or feel uncomfortable when shooting like some people have reported. Features I spent over a day acquainting myself with this camera and setting it up how I felt best. There are an incredible amount of customisation options which can feel a little overwhelming at first. The 20mp sensor seems to produce pretty much the same image quality as the older 16mp micro 4/3 sensor. I’ll have to do more serious tests but thats my initial impression. High ISO performamce seems around the same as previous micro 4/3 cameras. No great leaps in image quality here by the looks of it. The viewfinder is clear, bright and responsive. The button layout is excellent and highly configurable as always with Olympus cameras. The single shot auto focus is super fast. Easily as quick as the Nikon D7200. I haven’t tested tracking af yet. When comparing it to the Fuji X100T in any light it is no contest. The X100T is slow and ponderous in comparison. In low light the Pen F focuses confidently while the Fuji hunts back and forth. I can take shots of my daughter almost instantly with both Olympus cameras while I miss the shot a lot of time with the X100T. The camera feels more responsive and faster in use than the E-M5 II. There is hardly any delay when switching between functions, menus and importantly the rear screen and viewfinder.

Olympus Pen F Black and white modes

So far in my test shots I love the output of the new B&W Jpegs. I’ve toned down the contrast slightly from its original settings and the look that the files have are beautiful. What I also really like is the ability to add colour filters and vary the strength. In the shot below I added a blue filter to bring out the texture of the wood. High resolution Mode We all know the limitations of the high res mode but under the right conditions it definitely produces a lot more detail and improves colour rendition too. I’ve got some samples of this that I’ll add to the full review once I’ve had more time with the camera. Overall the Pen F feels like a great camera and I’m excited to test it thoroughly. Similar to the X100T, it makes you want to pick it up and shoot which is always a great quality for a camera to have. Please help me build this website so that I can keep reviewing gear. This site takes a lot of time to keep going and I can only do it with your help. If you want to buy anything from Amazon etc then please use my buying links. It wont cost you anything but I do get a small commission from Amazon. Thank you from me and my family to all of you who help.

Top 5 Photography Books

I’m the same as you. I love new cameras and lenses.
There is something satisfying and gratifying about getting a new tool and I believe that a new camera or lens can often kick start your inspiration to create the images that you want.

However in all honesty most cameras these days are capable of creating high quality images so a wiser investment of our money is perhaps to increase our photographic knowledge and competence.

I’m a self taught photographer as I guess a lot of you are too.

When I first picked up a proper camera I quickly realised that I wanted to know what makes a good image.
I read and studied a huge amount of books on the subject. Ranging from simple tips and tricks books that tell you what to do (but not always why) such as Scott Kelbies Digital Photography series to books on classical painters to study composition.
Below are my top 5 books that I feel give the most useful information in the most easily digestible form.

Don’t forget to buy through my Amazon links below. It wont cost you any more but I get a small comission which helps me to create new content. Thank you and enjoy.

1. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.

This is my number one general photography book because it gives a great understanding of the basics of the exposure triangle (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) as well as the creative choices that these settings give us.

It teaches you to understand how to create images with total control over the final look of your photos in an easily digestible way.

This is the first book you should buy.

2. Digital Photography Series by Scott Kelby.

This series of books by Scott Kelby gives simple straight forward tips to help you create certain looks in your images. It never delves too deeply into the why but if you just want to know the how then these books are great.

3. Nature Photography: Insider secrets by Chris Weston

This book is not just about nature photography although it is a must read for anyone interested in shooting wildlife.

It also has some great explanations on the fundamental skills and principles needed to create high quality images of any subject. Its explanations on how to properly expose your photos to maximise image quality are the best I’ve read and it’s explanation of ISO is a ‘turning on the light switch’ moment.

4. The Photographers Eye by Michael Freeman.

Michael Freeman’s book concentrates on composition and is probably the most in depth of the books listed so far.

It explains the theories behind composition and goes in to more detail than just the rule of thirds which so many cite as the be all and end all of composition.

Information on Gestalt theory, how to use line, shape and form as well as great images to convey each point.

This book goes way beyond the basics but in an easy to read and interesting way.

If you want to really understand composition then I suggest this book as a great starting point.

5. Mastering Composition by Richard Garvey Williams.

This book offers a thorough examination of composition from the rule of thirds through to design, theory, colour and more.

It is the most thorough in its examination of composition. It is a little dry in the way it is written so perhaps not as engaging as Michael Freeman’s book above, however the content is excellent and worth working your way through.

So there you have it, my top 5 books on photography.

If you read just two of these I would suggest Understanding Exposure and The Photographers Eye as great places to start. Once you have read and digested the information in these books go out and put your new found knowledge in to practise and I guarantee you will be creating more interesting and compelling photos than the majority of people.

Olympus Pen F Review Coming Soon

UPDATE I’ve now added my first impressions of the Olympus Pen F here

With the recently announced Olympus OM-D E-M1 II coming soon (we expect around November) I thought it would be fun to try out the fairly new Pen F and put it up against the OM-D E-M5 II.

I’m just waiting for the two cameras and a few lenses to arrive before testing them.

The Pen F is considered by some to be priced too high, especially when compared to the OM-D E-M5 II so I’m going to see what you get for the extra money and ultimately whether it’s worth the extra cash.

Updates will be posted in a couple of weeks along with the usual sample images and full resolution files on Flickr.

Then when released we will hopefully get in the new Olympus flagship OM-D E-M1 II nearer to Christmas time alongside some of the new range of Olympus Pro lenses like the 25mm f/1.2.
I’ve got a trip to Hong Kong planned for the end of the year so it might be the perfect chance to take the mk ii with me.

Nikon D7200 Review

The Nikon D7200 is considered as one of the best enthusiast DSLR’s on the market so after having used it for a few months alongside a Canon 80D I’m going to write up a quick review and give my thoughts on this Nikon DX APS-C DSLR.

Nikon D7200 key features

24.2MP CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter
Multi-CAM 3500DX II 51-point AF system, all sensitive to -3EV
2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor, used for 3D subject tracking in AF-C
ISO 100-25,600, with ISO 51,200 and 102,400 black and white modes
6 fps continuous shooting (7 fps in 1.3x crop mode) with increased buffer depth
1/8000 sec maximum shutter speed
3.2″, 1.2M dot RGBW LCD display
1080/60p video (1.3x crop only) with clean output over HDMI and Flat Picture Control
Dual SD card slots
Wi-Fi with NFC
Magnesium alloy weather-sealed body

I used to own a D7100 a couple of years ago and liked the camera a lot but had one major gripe that a camera with a 6 FPS shooting rate was basically crippled by a ridiculously small buffer effectively rendering it useless for fast action unless you were shooting jpegs.

You literally couldn’t even shoot a 1 second burst with the D7100 in Raw so I hoped that the increased buffer size would make the D7200 more useful in this respect.

Apart from the increased buffer size not a huge amount has changed on the D7200. The auto-focus has been improved slightly and there is the handy addition of both Wi-Fi and NFC. 1080 60p video has been added although only when shooting in a 1.3x crop.

For me this is not a video centric camera and as I don’t shoot much video I’m not really going to get in to the video side of things.

What I’m interested in with a DSLR like this is image quality, handling, useability and low light performance so that’s what I’m going to look at here.

Handling

Having shot the Canon 80D quite a lot lately and then more recently shooting the Nikon D7200 it reaffirms my preference for shooting Nikon DSLR bodies for 2 main reasons. The first being that the ergonomics just feel better. Secondly the sensor performance is still ahead in terms of dynamic range and ISO performance.

I prefer the slightly shallower grip of the D7200 over the 80D’s as it just feels more comfortable to hold over the course of a day.

The D7200 feels more natural in the hand and subtle things like the placement of the on/off switch being by the shutter release and therefore usable one handed and the placement of Nikon’s rear control dial feeling more natural than the Canon 80D’s thumb wheel when shooting in manual mode and wanting to quickly change aperture or shutter speed.

Nikon seems to understand how photographers work a little better than Canon.

Add to this that the D7200 has dual SD card slots, quick access to most shooting functions very good auto ISO implementation and it feels like a solid camera intended to get out of your way and let you shoot.

The one issue I do have with the D7200 is that when shooting in manual ISO you have to use the ISO button which is located to the left of the cameras screen. I would much rather have a dedicated button on the top right of the camera next to the exposure compensation button or at least be able to reassign one of the function buttons on the front of the camera to ISO which is not currently available.

I understand handling is a personal and subjective issue so if you prefer Canon that’s great but for me the Canons feel a little more uncomfortable and less user friendly. I used to shoot Canon on a 450d, 40d and the 5D mk ii was my main body for a long time and I never had any major gripes with them but then I used them purely in manual mode for slow and methodical shooting producing landscapes for galleries.

Since buying Nikons I found them to suit my style better.

Image Quality

The 24mp APS-C sensor in the Nikon D7200 performs very well even with the 18-140mm kit lens. The lack of AA filter allows for more detail in your shots and although it wont make or break a great image the added detail is welcome, especially when you pixel peep as I must admit I do sometimes. You can see individual eyelashes defined a little better than with Canon’s 80D which has an AA filter. I never found issues with moire so the added detail comes at no cost.

I may be in the minority here as many rave about the colours coming out of Canon’s cameras but I actually prefer the slightly more subdued look of Nikons Jpeg engine. However if I want to crank up the saturation contrast or sharpness you can easily do so in the picture settings menu or in post.

Overall the D7200 is still ahead of the Canon 80D for image quality both in terms of actual resolution and in particular the dynamic range offered by the sensor. When shooting high contrast scenes I noticed that the Canon would blow out highlights before the D7200.

High ISO performance is still a little better from the D7200 in comparison to the 80D although the gap has definitely been closed by the Canon in this area. For me the difference is now somewhere around 1/3 to 1/2 a stop in favour of the D7200.

ISO 3200 is very clean and for my personal tastes 6400 is the limit of what I would use.

It is all very well all these websites claiming that 6400 ISO and above is clean in good light but you generally use high ISO’s in poor light and even at ISO 5000 in poor light the images don’t always hold up to scrutiny on even modern cameras.

Auto Focus

I’ll keep this short and sweet. The Nikon D7200’s 3d tracking autofocus is better than the Canon 80D’s. It is faster to lock on, tracks moving subjects better and ultimately will give you a higher keeper rate even if it shoots at 1fps slower than the 80D.

If you want to see examples and a more detailed comparison check out the 80D review here

Conclusion

As I said this is just a quick review after actually buying and shooting these cameras over an extended period.

There are hundreds of Nikon D7200 reviews out there giving every minute detail so my aim here is to give a quick overview of the camera performance in the real world and let the image examples (full res files available on Flickr) do the talking.

If I was buying an enthusiast level DSLR at this price point the D7200 and 80D would be the two cameras I would be deciding between. In this case if you have no investment in either system then the Nikon D7200 is undoubtedly the better camera for stills photography.

It’s autofocus is better, the image quality is better thanks to a lack of AA filter and better dynamic range. It also has a slight lead in terms of high ISO performance. Handling is subjective but for me the Nikon wins in this area too.

If you shoot video in any serious way then the 80D would be better but that is the only area I would say it beats the D7200.

Final Thoughts

Having shot Fujifilm a lot over the past few years ( I still shoot the X100T) I’m particularly interested to see what they have done with the XT-2 so that will be my next move and of course putting it up against the Nikon D7200. [UPDATE] Check out my Fuji XT2 review

Since I have a young baby and lots of nieces and nephews I don’t want to miss any of those first time moments. I will be testing to see if the auto focus system can keep up with the D7200 for shooting erratically moving children as well as a whole host of other subjects. If they have cracked the auto focus (finally) and with the new 24mp X-Trans III sensor with the beautiful Fuji Jpegs that might be a replacement for my trusty Nikon D7200. The only issue I have is that the initial price seems a little high to me considering the D7200 can be bought with the 18-140mm for well under £1000. The Fuji is over 50% more at the time of release.

Fujifilm GFX50S Medium Format announced

Fujifilm Steals the Show at Photokina

Following on from Hassleblads X1D mirrorless medium format announcement earlier in the year Fujifilm have announced their long rumoured and much anticipated venture in to mirrorless medium format with the GFX50s.

The GFX50s has a 51mp 43.8x 32.9 sensor which is 1.7x larger than full frame DSLR’s yet the body is around the same size as a professional level body from Canon or Nikon.

We are super excited to get our hands on one of these and see if Fuji have translated their X series know how in to the medium format world. With Fujifilms long history with medium format and their refined APS-C X series now maturing in to great all around cameras with the recently released X-Pro2 and X-T2 this might be the mirrorless medium format system to change the game.

Fujifilm also announced 6 lenses will be released during 2017 which is certainly a good start to the G system.

They claim that the camera and 63mm f/2.8 along with detachable (but included in the box viewfinder) will come in at ‘well under $10,000 US’.

For us ‘well under’ would be around the $6-8000 dollar mark so we will have to wait and see how the pricing works out. At the 6-8k mark we think it will seriously tempt affluent amateurs and professionals alike but if it’s pushing $10,000 it might be a bit much to open up a new demographic to digital medium format.

What interests us the most with this announcement is to see the rendering of those superb Fuji colours from a medium format digital sensor.

The camera should be available at the start of 2017 alongside the 63mm f/2.8 (50mm equiv) , 32-64mm f/4 (25-51mm equiv) and 120mm f/4 (95mm equiv), 110mm f/2 (87mm equiv), 23mm f/4 (18mm equiv), and 45mm f/2.8 (35mm equiv).

If as some have suggested the body could retail around the $4000 US mark I think it will gain traction very quickly. I will certainly be interested to see if it is worth investing the money and having APS-C X series for everyday use and the G series for more professional applications.

Especially when you look at the size of it next to a Nikon D810.

Hasselblad X1D Announced.

Mirrorless medium format is here

For some time now Fuji photographers in particular have been wondering if a mirrorless medium format camera was coming to us. We ll it looks like Hasselblad have stolen Fuji’s thunder having just announced the 50mp medium format Hasselblad X1D.

Featuring the same 43.8×32.9mm sensor that is used in the 50c backs for the H6D but with new processing allowing for up to 25600 ISo which is extremely high for medium format.

One of the other main features that we are excited about is the flash sync speed of up to 1/2000.

The new camera also features dual SD cards, weather sealing and a touch screen.

With a price coming in at just under $9000 US dollars this really could bring medium format to a whole new group of users and with rumours of a more affordable Fuji medium format camera possibly arriving at Photokina this year medium format might be about to become mainstream.

Canon 80D Review- Conclusion

Having read our Canon 80D review, is this the camera for you?

The Canon 80D has improved on previous models in the series in some important aspects, not least of all image quality.

We welcome the new 24mp sensor which puts it on a more even playing field with it’s rivals from Nikon and Sony. The added resolution while not that noticeable and certainly not a deal breaker is always welcome.

What we like most about the new sensor is the improved dynamic range and the roughly 1 stop of extra high ISO performance. More importantly it allows 80% of the sensor to be used for the Dual Pixel Cmos AF.

The physical controls and handling of the 80D feel well refined and so they should after all these years. With the exception of the placement of the on/off switch and the rear control dial we can’t really fault the handling of the 80D. We also like the build quality as it feels like a solid tool that can stand up to plenty of abuse. It may not quite be in the same league as the Canon 7D MKII or Nikon D500 but at this price point it is certainly solid enough.

It would be nice to see dual card slots on the Canon 80D

The lack of dual card slots is disappointing, especially for professional use as having in camera back up is a great feature for pros.

The image quality is good but not mind blowing, the Nikon D7200 produces sharper images thanks to the lack of AA filter and the Sony A6300 images are better too in terms of dynamic range and high ISO performance.

We are a little disappointed that Canon did not implement 4k video on the 80D but then 1080 is all that a lot of people feel they need at the moment. However when Canon’s competitors offer it at around the same price point it may be wise for Canon to match it.

The actual video quality from the Canon 80D at 1080 is good and relatively free from artifacts and moire. Rolling shutter is also reasonably well controlled although as with the competition if that is a real issue for you then better to look elsewhere.

So it sounds like we don’t really rate the Canon 80D as being great for any one particular feature and that would be fair to say with the exception of Dual Pixel Cmos AF which is genuinely superb.

Yes the Nikon D7200 has better image quality and tracking focus for stills and the Sony A6300 offers better video quality.

However if you need a camera that shoots good stills and decent video then we would recommend the Canon EOS 80D over and above both of those cameras due to the following features. . The stills are good, the video is good, the auto focus in video is the best that there currently is, it handles nicely, has an articulated touch screen, is well built and allows you to use Canon’s vast range of native lenses.

Canon 80D vs Nikon D7200

The Nikon D7200 has a few advantages over the Canon 80D which will be particularly important to stills photographers. The lack of AA filter offers sharper images with more detail. The high ISO performance and dynamic range is also better. The Nikon D7200’s 3D tracking auto focus also works better than the Canon equivalent, offering better target acquisition and retention giving you more keepers.

In the Canon 80Ds favour are better movie auto focus thanks to dual pixel Cmos AF and a fully articulated touch screen which really does make shooting video very easy and intuitive. Touch to focus makes pulling focus incredibly easy and Dual Pixel Cmos AF is easily the best video focus system currently available.

Canon 80D vs Sony A6300

In the 80D’s favour are 100% coverage optical viewfinder, articulated touch screen, better ergonomics, much better battery life, better native lens selection, better choice of external flash accessories.

In favour of the Sony A6300 is most importantly 4k video, slightly better still image quality, small size and weight, faster FPS at 11 vs 7 for the Canon.

As a camera we prefer the Canon 80D due to its usability but there is no denying that on paper the Sony offers the better specs.

Here are our recommendations:

Stills only photographer with no current investment in lenses –

Get the Nikon D7200 for better image quality and auto focus.

Existing Canon users-

Get the Canon 80D over the Nikon D7200. It’s close enough in stills performance and offers better video.

Video Users-

If you don’t need 4k video then the 80D is a good choice, not just because it offers decent video quality but it is the usability of the 80D that makes it a good choice. The articulated touch screen along with dual pixel Cmos AF really do make shooting video a breeze.

If you need 4k then look at the Sony A6300, A7SII, A7RII or Panasonic GH4.