Olympus Photographers

This weeks Olympus Tip:

Something that is often forgotten with new mirrorless cameras, and especially with the Olympus set-up is just how powerful the image stabilization (I.S) really is. Remember the whole " your minimum shutter speeds need to be your focal length" advice? Well, now that we have this amazing I.S I recommend you use a new strategy. Try this!

Apply the concepts of "Shutter Speed Floor" and "ISO Ceiling". Those may or may not be terms you've heard before but they are actually pretty straight forward.

Shutter Speed Floor: The minimum shutter speed that you can handhold (assuming the subject is sitting still). This will vary for everyone based on stability, weight of your kit, etc. For example, mine shutter speed floor is 1/10th of a second.

ISO Ceiling: The highest ISO value you are comfortable using to maintain your desired level of image quality. This too varies for everyone because everyone has a different standard. I know people who are more than comfortable using ISO 6400 but for me, ISO 4000 is really my limit, even with the use of great tools like Topaz Labs DeNoise.

Now you know the terms, the application is simple. Once you find both of those values, all you do then is adjust those values (in between your high and low) to get a desirable image. Simple really! Practice on stuff around the house, bird feeders, etc. I wouldn't recommend practicing this technique on a trip!

*Keep in mind this does not work for flight photos or if the subject is moving around quite a bit. You can't get away from the laws of motion blur! Give it a try!

Here is a photo that I took recently at 1/25sec which really allowed me to keep my ISO value low in the dark situation.

*Common Genet from my Tanzania Tour

Cheers!

Ben