Olympus E-M1 Mark II Firmware Update 3.0/3.1

One of the images from the first day's test.  Details below. (click to enlarge)

On June 19, 2019, Olympus announced and released a new, major firmware upgrade for their E-M1 Mark II and E-M1X cameras.  Here are the highlights of the upgrade for the E-M1.2:

• Highly advanced AF algorithm, previously found in the OM-D E-M1X (including movie AF)
• The latest autofocus features such as C-AF Center Priority, Group 25-point, and C-AF + MF added
• AF low light limit -6EV support
• Noise at high ISO sensitivity is improved approx. 1/3 steps compared to Firmware 
  Version 2.3
• Low ISO Processing (Detail Priority) added for higher resolution
• Support for Olympus Workspace new USB RAW Data Edit

If you haven't already updated your camera's firmware, is it worthwhile?  I think so, especially for the improvements in continuous autofocusing and tracking.

I never upgrade my software, either in my computers, tablets or cameras, when first released.  Too many times there have been unknown or unexpected bugs or problems that occurred and either the upgrade has to be reversed or a supplemental release is made to fix the bugs that are in the original upgrade.  It happens to almost all software manufacturers including Adobe, Apple, Olympus, Nikon, Fujifilm, Canon, etc.  It is not uncommon.  After the upgrade has been out a while and I don't see any real issues published anywhere on the Internet, I'll then upgrade.  I like to be cautious.  To the point, Olympus released a modified upgrade, v3.1 a week or so after v3.0 was released.  The latest firmware upgrade is v3.1.  Evidently, something needed corrected.

After a couple of weeks, I installed Firmware version 3.1 into my E-M1.2.  I was especially interested in a couple of the features, with others not so much.  What interests me most is assessing how Olympus may have improved the continuous autofocus and the tracking capability.  Also, the "Center Focus Point Start" when using multiple focusing points and Zone Focus will make locking focus exactly where you want it much more reliable.

In the past, I almost never used Zone focusing with multiple focus points as I never knew on which focus point the camera would initially select.  If I had 9 points activated, I never knew which of the 9 points the camera would pick to initially find focus.  I may want the camera to start in the center, but it may pick the upper left point.  I felt helpless in which point the camera chose.  Most often, it seems, the camera picked a point I didn't want to initially use.  That discouraged me from using multiple focus points.  Now with the "C-AF Center Start" and the "C-AF Center Priority" checked (Gear menu/Sub-menu A1), the camera always starts with the center focus point.  That makes it easy to place that center point over my subject, half-press the shutter and activate focus.  The camera will then track your subject as you desire!  A welcomed improvement in my book.

Of course I went out to test the improvements to focusing to find out for myself how it now works and if I see an improvement.  In short, I'm impressed in the few tests I did.  I will test more in the future.

I wanted a difficult target onto which the camera would have to focus and track.  In my opinion, the most difficult but convenient and close by subject on which to quickly lock focus, maintain focus and successfully track focus is the Amtrak train that arrives daily in late morning.  The train travels at about 79 miles per hour (127kph) with a very bright headlight that can throw off an autofocusing system. I'd be photographing the train coming almost directly at me. I'm told that subjects coming right at the camera are the hardest types of subjects to track.  The idea is to lock onto the front of the locomotive in the distance and track it as it comes roaring toward me until it is adjacent to me.  At 79mph, that is about 4 seconds from distance to it passing me!

I went out on three different days.  Each day's weather was different.  Over the tree days I was from 30 ft. from the track to about 20 ft.  In other words, the train was moving more toward me than across my view.  

On day 1, the sky was blue and not a cloud was visible (top image).  The camera was set on manual, ISO 200, 1/1600th sec. @ f/5.6 and white balance was set for full sun.  Focus was set on 5-point zone, AF-C + Tracking.  Frame advance was set to continuous low (10fps) with the electronic first shutter.  IS was off.  The train kind of surprised me as I had just turned my attention away (the train was late and I was checking Live Amtrak Tracking to see where it was) and when I looked up, it was almost on top of me.  I turned on the camera and only was able to make 4 exposures before it passed.  All 4 exposures were in sharp focus, however.  My fault.  I should have been paying closer attention!  Lol.

One of the images from the second day's test.  Details are in the narrative. (click to enlarge)

On day two, the day was heavily overcast with intermittent rain.  Much darker day than day one.  The camera was set on manual, ISO 640, 1/2000th sec. @ f/5.6 and white balance was set for full sun.  Focus was again set on 5-point zone, AF-C + Tracking.  Frame advance was set to continuous low with the electronic first shutter.  IS was off.  As the train approached, I raised the camera to my eye, composed and placed the center focus point of the five where I wanted to start tracking on the front of the locomotive.  I made 18 exposures and 17 were pin sharp.  The other image was just a tiny bit off from being as sharp as possible.  The lack of pin sharpness was only visible at a 100% view.  I don't think anyone would even notice it if they couldn't compare that image to the ones made directly before and after it.  So far, I'm impressed with how it can track a fast moving train anyway.

On day three, the sky was blue with lots of scattered cumulus clouds.  The camera was set on manual, ISO 320, 1/2000th sec. @ f/5.6 and white balance was set for full sun.  Focus was set for a single point, AF-C + Tracking, which is different from the other two days.  Frame advance was set to continuous low with the electronic first shutter.  IS was off.  As the train quickly approached, I raised the camera to my eye, composed and placed the one focus point over the front of the locomotive where I wanted to start tracking.  Also, for this series of images I was closer to the tracks than the previous two days so the locomotive was traveling almost directly at me.  I made 37 exposures of which 35 were pin sharp.  As with the one the day before, I could only discern they weren't as sharp as they absolutely could be by comparing it to the images made directly before and after them.  As the train passed, I made 8 more images of it in the distance and 6 of those were in sharp focus.  The next to last was just out of focus and the last was visibly out of focus.  I think they were because the target became so small in the frame that the tracking could not keep the rear of the passenger car in focus.  But I'm not sure.

One of the images from the third day's test.  Details are in the narrative. (click to enlarge)

I know this is a limited test but it is a pretty tough test for a camera.  I plan on conducting some additional testing with other subjects just to see the limits of the new tracking capabilities.  As I've written several times, the better you know your gear the more successful you will be.  Failure in your gear not being able to do what you want it to do shouldn't be a surprise.

All in all, in these preliminary tests, I think that a) Olympus has upped the ante and improved the camera's ability to acquire and maintain focus of fast moving subjects and b) provided us with a tool, center-start focus, which allows us to directly place our focusing point exactly where we want it.  I have not yet tried this on people.  I'm not much of a people photographer and I'll leave that to others.  I may try it, however, the next time one of my grandchildren has a birthday.  That should be a really tough test.

Hope this content was of value to you E-M1 Mark II users out there.  I know there are quite a few of you. 

Join me over at Instagram @dennisamook or my website, www.dennismook.com. 

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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