Lenses for X mount

Brachychiton discolor | Olympus E-30 & ZUIKO 50-200mm SWD

In last three weeks I used exclusively Fuji X-E1. The X-E1 wins over my Olympus DSLR in noise, high iso, dynamic range, resolution. However, I can put ZUIKO 50-200mm F2.8-F3.5 SWD on my E-30 while Fujifilm right now does not have similar lens. The release of XF55-200mm F3.5-F4.8 OIS is planned for the first half of 2013, and this lens probably will make me happy. At the moment I just cannot get enough reach with the Fujinon XF18-55mm, and this is a real issue for me. In addition, the XF18-55mm lens does not focus close enough. I have impression that Olympus ZUIKO 14-54mm F2.8-F3.5 gives a better magnification. To be fair, ZUIKO 14-54mm F2.8-F3.5 Mkv I shows some chromatic aberrations on 12MP sensor in Olympus E-30, so there is always some compromises. The "standard" zoom range of XF18-55mm is somewhat boring. Very often I want to go tele (as for picture above) or wider (second image in this post would be better at wide angle). In some situations it is very difficult to zoom with your legs unless you can jump for two meters :-)

Mountain soursop | Olympus E-30 & ZUIKO 50-200mm SWD

My contribution to the pixel peeping community

It turned out that I have two similar photos of the same plant, Swamp lily, taken with two different cameras, Olympus E-30 and Fuji X10. The pictures were taken for the identification of the plant,  so both are my "real world samples". It is not even meant to be a comparative shooting. Photos were taken on different days, at slightly different light (and it is evening light, the trickiest condition for most digital cameras), the images were cropped in GIMP and the levels were changed to add contrast. The focal length is quite different. On top of it, I suspect that my Olympus E-30 is faulty because of excessive amount of noise in black areas.  This explains why I am still very suspicious towards 12MP sensor used in m4/3 camera (yes, it is irrational, I know).

Anyway, both photos are available at the original resolution on flickr and can be viewed at 100%.

Frankly, I do not see much difference between these cameras for my practical use. The other factors are more important for me.

Going out with Olympus E-30

Kennedia rubicunda | Olympus E-30, fill-in flash

It is nice season in Brisbane now, end of the "winter", so a lot of plants are flowering. The temperature is very comfortable during daytime, and the humidity is low. On weekend I went on short hike in local bush (dry eucalypt forest) near Mt Coot-tha with Olympus E-30 and 14-54mm lens. The camera is not used much since we got Fuji X10, and it seems that forgot how to use it properly. It turned out that many images were blurry or not sharp. I blame wind and mirror slap for that. Generally I use the camera at low iso (200) and for flowers I need big DoF, so the shutter speed is low.

It is so pleasant to take pictures within a couple hours without even thinking about battery. Optical viewfinder gives a good view even in bright sun. It was good and pleasant walk, and I got quite a few pictures of plants for the identification.

My DSLR camera is about four years old. In these days I can buy early models of Olympus mirrorless cameras with similar sensor, such as EP1, for 300AUD in Photo Continental.  The current models are more expensive, for example, in Teds Cameras Olympus PEN E-PL3 is priced for 650AUD, which is a small fraction of the price I paid for the Olympus E-30. So, now I can get a camera with the image quality similar or better than my DSLR for a fraction of the price.

No doubt, Olympus OM-D E-M5 is better camera than early PENs, and I like it more than PENs (I love buttons) but for that money it is possible to buy two E-PL3, and Sony A55 with its marvelous 16MP sensor costs 700AUD for the body only. 

Hardenbergia violacea | Olympus E-30

Grevillea

Grevillea | Olympus E-30 | Victoria park, Herston | flickr

I spotted this small Grevillea with golden flowers on my traditional lunch walk with the camera in Victoria park, Herston. I think it is a cultivar, such as Golden Lyre or something similar, and probably related to Grevillea formosa. The inflorescence is quite big, may be 30 cm, but the whole plant is small, less than one meter high. The flowers are typical for Proteaceae family. The color is very bright yellow, quite different from yellow-orange color of Silky Oak flowers.

There are several additional photos of this plant on my flickr page.

Grevillea | Olympus E-30 | Victoria park, Herston

Coomera river

Coomera river,  Lamington national park | January 1, 2012 | flickr

This is Coomera river in the Binna Burra section of the Lamington national park. I went to Coomera falls circuit that time. The photo was taken with Olympus E-30, on tripod, with 14-52mm Zuiko lens + polarizer. The RAW file was processed in Olympus Master and the image was edited in GIMP. I've darken the boulders a little bit.

Since I bought Fuji X10, Olympus E-30 didn't got a lot of use except for long walks. Fuji X10 is considerably smaller and lighter, and generally I am very happy with pictures from this camera.

I generally shoot in RAW on E-30 and process the files either in Olympus Master or GIMP/UFRaw. GIMP gives me a few extra pixels, and Olympus Master handles chromatic aberrations somewhat better. So, it depends on image. I gave up to shoot RAW on Fuji X10: I cannot match the OOC JPEG with supplied RAW converter.

 Below is the photo of Land mullet, one of the biggest skinks from Scincidae family, taken on the same walk. The lizard is shine black, and without polarizer the highlights on the skin will be clipped.

 Land mullet, Egernia major, in Lamington national park | January 1, 2012 | flickr

Coomera

Buttress tree in Lamington national park. January 7, 2012 | flickr

The best escape from the summer heat in Brisbane is a trip to a rainforest. One of my favorite places for such escape is Lamington National Park which is about 120 km / 2 hours drive from Brisbane. The park is located on Lamington plateau / McPearson range and because of elevation the temperature there is significantly lower. There are over 200 km of walking tracks, with beautiful scenarios and various vegetation. The park has two main entry points, Green Mountains and Binna Burra. This time we stayed in a tent at Binna Burra and walked 17+ km Coomera falls track (8+ hours). The weather was good, no direct sun, no wind which was really good for taking pictures (long exposure with polarizer). All pictures posted here were taken with Olympus E-30 and 14-54mm lens.

There were quite a few leaches, and I even got bitten a couple   times. We saw a couple snakes, a land mullet, a few skinks, and several Lamington Spiny Crayfish, very big and colorful crustaceans endemic to the park. During the wet season these animals are wandering around the forest near creeks. In defensive position crayfish lift its claws towards a threat. 

Lamington Spiny Crayfish, Euastacus sulcatus. January 7, 2012 | flickr

Lamington Spiny Crayfish, Euastacus sulcatus. January 7, 2012 | flickr

The track was relatively dry, the creaks were not swollen, and we finished the track in dry boots. I also spotted flowering Queensland Waratah tree, Alloxylon pinnatum.

Small creek on Coomera falls track, Lamington NP. January 7, 2012 | flickr

Shortly before our return to the Binna Burra a fog came down.

Rainforest on the Border track near Binna Burra. January 7, 2012 | flickr

Teahouse in Binna Burra. January 7, 2012 | flickr

Fujifilm X10 vs Olympus E-30

Size does matter. On the left is Olympus E-30 with Zuiko 14-54 F2.8-F3.5 (equivalent to 28-108mm). On the right is Fujifilm X10 with focal length (equivalent) 28-112mm and F2.0-F2.8, nearly full stop brighter than Zuiko. The cameras are on A4 paper sheet. Olympus has UV filter, and X10 has 49mm UV filter with step-up ring. The maximal iso on both cameras  is 3200 but the X10 has boost mode and can go higher, and I prefer high iso shots from the X10. I also like depth of field on X10, especially at wide angle and supermacro mode which is fun to use. Video is also handy to have.

Actually, the X10 is somewhat small for my hands. I would prefer to have a bigger grip (with bigger battery). The camera size (depth) is essentially determined by lens, so adding a grip would not affect portability but it will improve the battery life.

Just in case: I doubt that the X10 will replace Olympus E-30 for me. I suspect that with long exposure at base iso the pictures will be better on Olympus, which has better details in shady areas. Another factor is 50-200 F2.8-F3.5 SWD, my favorite lenses at the moment, with better background separation and very useful focal length.