Make it Personal

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If you want to stay fresh and inspired as a photographer and, for good measure, create material that could land you jobs you really want then personal projects are a must. Make it Personal

WORDS TERRY HOPE / IMAGES TOMMY REYNOLDS

HEN YOU’RE SELF-EMPLOYED you become acutely aware of the value of your time and the focus, by necessity, has to be towards taking on jobs that will bring in income and keep you afloat. However, although you need a commercial brain for sure, in the drive to find paid work there is the danger of becoming so focused on the bottom line that the enjoyment is drained out of the process and your portfolio becomes filled with nothing that says anything about you as a creative individual.

Kent-based travel and portrait photographer Tommy Reynolds faced this dilemma a couple of years back and had, temporarily, become so disillusioned with the whole process of shooting solely for money that he was seriously considering a change of career. “I was two years into being a W

freelancer and all I was doing was work that simply paid the bills,” he says. “I was mainly photographing corporate head shots and random promos of swimming pools and gymnasiums. Nothing exciting really, and I was in danger of losing my enthusiasm.

“That was the point where I realised that I needed to start doing the odd photo shoot for me for a change, just like I had in the days before turning professional, to maintain my love for photography, to stop me quitting and, more importantly, to feel creatively fulfilled. I decided I would take on one personal project a month, and these would be concepts and ideas I would shoot without the pressure on to do a good job. It would be my goals, my vision, my choice of model, my everything really. It turned out to be the immediate and very much needed breath of fresh air I needed and that was />

ABOVE: This was taken on the project Tommy undertook to Ethiopia, and this shot was taken in the Homer Tribe village.

OPPOSITE PAGE: A line up of portraits taken by Tommy while on the numerous personal projects that have taken him around the world.

something I hadn’t felt since turning professional.”

The beauty of a personal project is the freedom it offers: you’re on your own, free to experiment and to make mistakes with no client involved who has to approve everything. For example, you could try out a fresh lighting technique that you would never attempt on a commercial job in case it didn’t work out and you ended up looking unprofessional. If it’s just for yourself and it turns out well then it’s a bonus and another technique up your sleeve, while if it bombs then you simply press on and try something different next time.

“I’ve been taking this approach for three years now,” says Tommy, “and throughout that time I’ve sometimes taken on small projects but I’ve also mixed in some much larger shoots as well. It doesn’t just teach you more about your craft but about yourself as an artist and a person as well.”

Heading Overseas Tommy hasn’t restricted himself to home-based projects and he’s pushed himself by heading to countries that fascinated him in order to become inspired by different cultures. He undertook three separate trips to Sri Lanka, India and Vietnam, each one undertaken on a shoestring and with the minimum of gear. Each time he came back with a series of images that he was proud of and with some more experience tucked under his belt, and not only were these projects personally fulfilling but they also gave him work for his portfolio that had the potential to inspire others to work with him.

“I had hinted on my social media that my next personal project travel trip would be Ethiopia,” recalls Tommy, “and shortly after I got a message from Olympus asking me to come in for a chat. They said they loved the travel work they’d seen on my website and were looking at potentially sponsoring my next expedition. The fact is that had they not been able to look at material I’d shot on previous expeditions they would never have been interested. No one is going to hire you to shoot the thing you love if you’ve never put the effort in to get a portfolio of that work first.

“During the pitch they wanted to see a detailed itinerary, which I produced by working closely with STA Travel, whom I use to organise all of my trips. They’re brilliant at sourcing a guide and planning a private tour that enables me to see and do exactly what I want and to spend as much time as I need in each location. I told Olympus I would provide 20-30 high quality images and an upbeat, exciting behindthe-scenes video of the trip.

“These were the agreed deliverables, which is what I deliver myself on every trip anyway so I wasn’t being asked to do anything extra apart from using a different camera system, which I loved in any case. When they agreed to support me and to pay for the trip I genuinely felt like I’d won the lottery!

“I travelled with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II as my main camera and used the OM-D E-M10 Mark III and the Tough TG Tracker compact for filming, and the video was an important part of the Olympus deal

ABOVE: Shot while on an expedition to Vietnam, Tommy carefully plans his trips and makes sure that he comes back with plenty of material for himself and his sponsors.

“No one is going to hire you to shoot the thing you love if you’ve never put the effort in to get a portfolio of that work first.”

because not only did it allow the creative process to be shared while providing extra online material but it’s also much more inclusive and gives the supporting brand more valuable exposure. For me the BTS video is just as important as the images these days and, as a film graduate, I love shooting this content and feel every photographer should embrace video to promote their own business.”

Sponsored Projects With a certain amount of pre-planning and enough thought given to the package that’s being offered sponsorship, such as that provided by Olympus for the Ethiopia expedition, is possible and this, in turn, helps with the finances. Tommy carefully prepares his approach to selected partners and makes sure that he’s giving something back so that it’s not a one-way deal that offers nothing to the sponsor.

“Once I’ve got an idea I would love to explore I’ll actively seek sponsorship,” says Tommy. “For example, I might approach a camera brand, a backdrop company, a lighting brand, a location provider and so on, all non-competing and companies that might benefit from the coverage I can provide. I’ll only approach brands that I genuinely have an interest in and would use in any case. It always helps to promise a BTS video since this is such great publicity for the brands concerned and, If I’m successful, then it’s great and it helps me to keep my costs down.

“However, if I can’t manage to get any support then I’ll do the project anyway. The way I see it is that if I’m deterred from taking on a personal project because no-one has decided to come on board to sponsor the idea then clearly that would mean I was more focused on monetary gain than the project itself and that’s the wrong way to approach this kind of thing. I accept that not every idea I’m going to come up will attract sponsorship and to be honest I don’t care it doesn’t. If a brand wants to be involved, then it’s a bonus and nothing more than that.”

And there is a positive aspect to personal projects aside from the re-charging of the batteries that it clearly enables. As mentioned already, the material that ultimately gets shared can lead to commissions for personal work and, along with the Olympus sponsorship, Tommy is also now regularly sponsored by Pixapro lighting while Panasonic saw a video he’d produced about a ballet dancer and wanted him to work on a similar concept for their cameras.

“Personal projects are definitely something that I’ll continue to do throughout my career and it’s something that all professionals should be doing regularly,” says Tommy. “The one project a month approach has worked well for me and if others take that philosophy on board I guarantee they will feel so much better about their work, career and themselves. The fact is that when I’m happy, my business is happy. After all, how you make your money is always more important than how much you make.” PP

More information: /https://tommyreynolds.co.uk/

Tommy Reynolds Personal Projects P OIympus Ethiopia Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lagfAXdLw9c&t=3s P Self Portrait Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tTGn-AIMoI P India Travel Video: https://youtu.be/ZQ4t7UrSUHY P Vietnam Travel Video: https://youtu.be/ClDsMs9jnhE P Share Your Creative Process (Panasonic Video): https://youtu.be/hMrp3SfwzaM P A Portrait of Holly (Growing Up Deaf): https://youtu.be/95Dpb-JaybM P Short Documentary about WW2 Veteran, Alf Hunt: https://youtu.be/SBxnoGcxaXQ

ABOVE: This is a wheat farmer that Tommy photographed while undertaking a project in Varanasi, India.

BELOW: One of the first shots that Tommy produced while out in Ethiopia working with the Olympus O-MD E-M1 Mark II and it remains very much one of his personal favourites.

Recent launches have proved that there’s still a vibrant market for the DSLR and Nikon is demonstrating its faith in traditional mirrored technology by introducing the pro-minded D780.

WORDS AND PICTURES TERRY HOPE

RIGHT:Deep inside an ice cave it was possible to achieve a low angle using the flip screen LCD in combination with Live View.

The Nikon D780 TESTED

HERE HAS BEEN A HUGE amount of excitement about mirrorless technology over the past few years and so much serious r&d going in that particular direction during that time that it’s encouraged some commentators to get ahead of themselves a little and to declare that the DSLR’s time is up and that we might have witnessed our very last high profile launch in the hallowed professional sector. And then of course both Canon and Nikon kicked off the New Year with big announcements that go to prove just how wrong you can be and there is without a doubt still definitely considerable life left in this sector yet.

And why shouldn’t there be? While perhaps not quite so stylish and just so downright compact and sexy as their T

mirrorless siblings, DSLRs aren’t ready for the scrapheap by a long way yet, and most pros I’ve spoken to are still happy with these cameras albeit with a mirrorless model or two in the kit bag to work with alongside. Without a doubt there is a sea change taking place, but it’s happening at a civilised pace and not in an almighty rush.

What is exciting is that the latest generation of DSLRs is now benefitting from the technology that’s spilling down from the mirrorless quarter, which means that we’re seeing big improvements in lots of key areas and cameras that, while they look traditional, actually have some very cutting edge features under the bonnet.

Take the D780, the latest arrival from Nikon and the successor to the highly venerated D750, to date the company’s most popular FX camera. Full frame, packed with a mouth-watering feature set and still at a £2199 price point that’s relatively affordable this is a camera that’s going to be of serious interest to the professional or the professionally-minded. However, while it might look and even sound from a spec point of view a little like the model it’s replacing there are actually a lot of advancements that might not be immediately apparent that make this a significant upgrade.

However, there’s also an omission: the D780 has lost the built-in flash the D750 featured, so you can’t now add in a little fillin light if it’s required. Nikon suggests this was done to improve the weather-sealing qualities of the camera and it’s also had an impact in terms of improved battery life,

which is now up from up to 2260 shots from 1230.That’s putting a positive spin on things but no doubt this change will not be welcomed in all quarters.

You might also feel a tinge of disappointment that the camera still features a 24MP sensor and a 51-point AF system, just as the D750 - launched a full five years ago now - did, rather than, say, one of those super powerful hi-res sensors that we’ve seen in the Panasonic S1R or the Sony a7R Mark IV. However, it’s not all about numbers, and the sensor the D780 now has at its heart is rumoured to be the same one that can be found in the Z6, which equates to a significant step-up.

It’s now a backside illuminated (BSI) design, which doesn’t in reality actually make a massive amount of difference but it does mean that the light-sensitive regions of each pixel are nearer to the front of

LEFT: The Nikon D780 is a mid range pro-spec DSLR that has on board many of the cutting edge features of its mirrorless siblings.

the sensor, which can improve the light collection at the corners. More interesting perhaps is the fact that the sensor now also features a dual gain design. This means that there are two readout modes, one with the maximum possible dynamic range and the other with more gain. The upshot of this is that you end up with a less noise at the higher ISO speeds where dynamic range is less of an issue. The sensor is coupled with Nikon’s latest-generation EXPEED 6 image processor, which replaces the EXPEED 4 found in the D750.

Sensors are an area where mirrorless

ABOVE:Stunning Icelandic scenery, and the D780 features excellent weather sealing to protect it from the elements.

models have made big improvements in recent years and it’s good to see a modern DSLR reaping the benefit. The influence of the updated sensor can be felt in other areas as well, such as in the 12 fps shooting speed that the D780 is capable of in Silent Live View – or 7 fps in AF/AE - and the fact that it’s now possible to shoot video at up to 30p from the full 6048-pixel width of its chip. All good steps ups from the D750.

Meanwhile, the maximum shutter speed is up a stop to 1/8000sec from the D750’s 1/4000sec, giving photographers the flexibility to sync with Nikon Speedlights, while in the other direction you can set a shutter speed as low as 1/900sec (15 minutes) if you’re after light trails or night shots. Or the Aureole Borealis perhaps, which is one of the subjects I’m hoping to capture with the camera while undertaking this review on a landscape-orientated expedition Nikon arranged around the spectacular and wild Icelandic scenery.

Ultra-Fast AF Another benefit to come from the direction of the mirrorless Z6 is the fast, dedicated Hybrid-AF system for Live View shooting, while the 51-point Phase-Detection AF system for viewfinder shooting is equally impressive. It’s possible to lock onto expressions with Eye-Detection AF and to take advantage of the new camera’s Low-Light AF facility, which enables reliable subject acquisition all the way down to -6 EV, so great for shooting in low light.

Other benefits over the D750 include the addition of a focus stacking facility similar to the D850, and it’s possible to combine up to 300 individual frames to create a greater depth of field. However, this can’t be done in-camera and you will need to work with third party software in post to achieve the effect. The camera’s tilting 3.2in LED is now touchscreen and with a resolution of 2359K dots up from 1229K on the D750 and there’s in-camera USB charging, which can be useful. There’s also an increase in the high end ISO speed of 12,800 up to 51,200, which can be further pushed up to 204,800, while you can also now venture down to ISO 50.

for most photographers – and video is recorded in MOV format with H.264/MPEG4 compression and Linear PCM Audio.

Meanwhile for high end shooting and additional video workflow support the D780 can capture 10-bit video with N-Log or HDR (HLD High Log Gamma) video support out via the HDMI connection. Other high end video features include focus peaking, highlight display (stripes) and time code support. Also on the video front, though slightly at a tangent, it’s also now possible to create 4K timelapse movies in-camera using a batch of still images, which is a useful feature.

The camera in use In the hands the D780 doesn’t look or feel significantly different to the model it’s replacing, which is actually a good thing from the point of view of continuity. It means that if you’re trading up there won’t be a significant learning curve since the smooth contouring and the deep handgrip

ABOVE: The D780’s 3.2in LCD Monitor can be tilted, as it could be with the D750, but it now features a touchscreen to enable extra control.

BELOW: The top panel of the D780 is clean and easy to work your way around and will be familiar to any Nikon DSLR user.

and the general button and control layout are all pretty much in the same place, apart from the addition of a dedicated ISO button directly behind the shutter release, much in the style of the D850. There’s also a slight change on the backplate, with the Live

View (still/video) toggle moved up to the rear of the viewfinder and the AE-L/AF-L button shifting downwards near the top corner of the rear LCD.

However, things that have traditionally been appreciated, such as the excellent weather sealing and build quality, comprising a magnesium alloy chassis, metal lens mount and a carbon fibre-reinforced front panel, are all still there and no compromises have been made. So it’s essentially the

Video Capability No camera, whether it be a DSLR or a mirrorless model, can get by these days without decent video shooting capability built in and the D780 is no exception, inheriting many of its vastly improved filmmaking features from the Z6 once again. The new camera uses its 6K image sensor resolution to produce ultra-high-resolution 4K/UHD footage at 30p/25p/24p with zero crop factor. Additionally it can capture Full HD up to 120 fps for excellent slow motion footage. Shooting time, however, is not unlimited , with sustained video recording capped at 20 minutes for the highest quality footage and 29 minutes 59 seconds for normal quality – probably not a huge deal

ABOVE:The Jokulsarlon Diamond Beach, featuring black sand littered with ice fragments, was a test for metering.

ABOVE:The Northern Lights when they did finally appear were relatively weak, but the camera still captured them at an ISO speed of 2500.

same but different to the D750, but with Nikon hoping that the improvements will encourage existing users to trade up and new users to come on board.

The D780 feels very solid and well made, is highly responsive and is great in the hands, with the grip on the right hand side feeling natural and adding to the stability. It might be a different matter if you happen to be left handed, but then again that’s the way of pretty much all DSLR models.

In use it didn’t feel a whole lot different to the D750, which is intended as a compliment since this has been an extremely successful camera and the art of a successful upgrade is to make things better without changing things so much that you risk alienating the fan base. Many of the changes will not be immediately obvious – the extended ISO range and the higher maximum shutter speed for example, though there will doubtless be times when these added features could make a big difference to the way you work.

What you will notice is a big improvement in AF speed, particularly in low light situations, thanks to the upgraded

RIGHT: Unlike the Z6, the D780 features two memory card slots and accepts the SD format.

sensor that’s on board. When shooting in Live View the camera’s 273-point Hybrid-AF system covers approximately 90 % of the frame horizontally and 90 % vertically, while the tilting monitor now offers touch shutter release and AF. Other improvements that have come across from the Z6 have

ABOVE: The on-board Menu system on the D780 is clear, easy to understand and even non Nikon regulars should fine it easy to navigate.

resulted in vastly improved video capability and this is probably Nikon’s most serious DSLR for video yet.

While touring round Iceland for a couple of days the camera handled everything I threw at it with aplomb. It was easy to operate, responsive and delivered excellent results in a variety of circumstances, including high contrast situations, low light, with excellent noise control, and tricky AF challenges. It even helped me to grab that aforementioned

‘must have’ shot of an admittedly relatively weak Aurora one evening, low light performance at ISO 2500 being outstanding in this situation. PP

SPECIFICATIONS Nikon D780

PRICE: £2199 body only, £2619 with AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

SENSOR: FX CMOS 25MP

STORAGE MEDIA: Dual slots, SD, SDHC (UHS-II compliant), SDXC (UHS-II Compliant). The card in Slot 2 can be used for overflow or backup storage or for separate storage of NEF (RAW) and JPEG images and pictures can be copied between cards.

SHUTTER SPEEDS: 1/8000sec to 30 secs

ISO SENSITIVITY: 100 to 51,200 and can be expanded to ISO 50-204,800

AUTOFOCUS: Viewfinder photography: TTL phase detection performed using Advanced Multi-CAM 3500 II autofocus sensor module with support for 51 focus points. Live view: Hybrid phase-detection/contrast-detect AF performed by image sensor.

VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS: 4K (3,840 × 2,160) at 23.976, 25 or 29.97 fps/1,920 × 1,080 at 119.88, 100, 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25 or 23.976 fps/Slow-motion: 1,920 × 1,080 at 23.976 (1/5), 25p (1/4) or 29.97p (1/4).

FLASH SYNCH SPEED: 1/200sec

BUILT IN FLASH: No

LCD MONITOR: Tilting 3.2in diagonal, 2,359,000 dots, 3:4 aspect ratio.

WI-FI: Built In

DIMENSIONS: Approx 143.5x115.5x76mm

WEIGHT: Approx 840g

“The D780 delivered excellent results in a variety of circumstances, including high contrast situations, low light, with excellent noise control and tricky AF challenges. It even helped me grab that elusive shot of an admittedly weak Aurora.”

More information: / www.nikon.co.uk Many thanks to G-Technology for the loan of a G-DRIVE mobile SSD card reader and SanDisk 128MB Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-II memory cards.

This is a very capable mid-range DSLR that will prove to be a reliable partner for the professional photographer shooting everything from weddings through to commercial jobs, while its improved video capabilities make this much more of a hybrid proposition than the D750: that’s the difference that five years has made, and this is what’s expected of a workhorse higher end camera these days.

However, I also took along with me the mirrorless Z6, the camera that shares so much in common with the D780 and it was a good chance to compare the feel and scale of the two models. The Z6 is considerably smaller and yet still offers most of the feature set of the D780, including a full frame sensor. The main ■VERDICT

Z6’s brand new price, while used supplies will slowly become available.

What it boils down to is that Nikon is testing the water to get a feel for the mood of the camera buying public, which is exactly what a responsible company should be doing. DSLR sales still massively outstrip mirrorless sales at the moment but there is a clear swing towards the latter going on. By putting a state-ofthe-art DSLR model out there Nikon has given those who prefer to work with this system an opportunity to declare their allegiance through their buying decisions. Quite simply, if DSLR sales hold up Nikon will continue to develop and supply them, but if sales are migrating rapidly towards mirrorless at any stage down the line then

differences - aside from not having a physical mirror to move up and down – is the fact that the Z6 doesn’t feature dual SD card slots, offering a single Xqd slot instead, while it also has a different lens mount, meaning that you can only use your existing FX lenses via an adaptor, although this is relatively easy to do.

Both cameras deliver great results and I wouldn’t put one above the other performance-wise, though being the older of the two the Z6 has been reduced in price over time – it’s currently available for £1600 at Wex Photo Video – and there are some decent second hand Z6 buys out there at the moment, such as a ‘like new’ model from MPB with a six month warranty and a price tag of £1040. That’s a lot less than a brand new D780, but then again it’s not a DSLR and there’s undoubtedly still an audience that prefers mirrored models. There will also be street price discounts on the D780 over time that will position it much closer to the

ABOVE:The Nikon D780, left, alongside its more compact mirrorless sibling, the Z6.

Pros now have a clear choice to make.

it will slowly make a graceful withdrawal.

In the meantime, if you’re working with a DSLR and want to stick with that format for now then you’ll be very happy with what the D780 has to offer. This is a very well equipped model that can cover a variety of genres, and it will deliver everything the D750 did while bringing performance bang up to date. Live View shooting via the dedicated Hybrid AF system was simple and highly effective and this is a great way to work, while the Phase Detection AF system for viewfinder shooting was similarly reliable.

So, in short, this is a big enough step up from the D750 to warrant an upgrade but you could find that your true choice might boil down to whether you go mirrorless with the Z6 or stick with a DSLR model and go with the D780. Whichever way you jump you’ll have a very capable piece of kit in your hands but it might just help to decide how long Nikon invests in DSLR technology.

In true Olympus tradition the new OM-D E-M1 Mark III may be small and perfectly formed, but its compact exterior belies a formidable pro-orientated model that celebrates its MFT heritage.

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

N A PROFESSIONAL WORLD that’s so focused on the obvious appeal of full frame models it would have been very easy for Olympus to make the call that it needed to throw its hat into the ring with the big boys and to go down that route itself. However, the brave decision was made to resist that urge and to concentrate instead on offering an alternative, namely a highly specified smaller format system that would compete in terms of being lightweight, affordable and far easier to carry around.

The new OM-D E-M1 MARK III is designed to build on the reputation the E-M1X has established, inheriting pretty much all of its much admired high-end feature set while offering a form factor that’s much smaller and more in line with its Mark II predecessor. That’s quite a feat and there’s no doubt that Olympus is aiming high with this model. It’s unashamedly looking to pitch it at the professional market and, far from being coy about the MFT sensor at its heart, it’s looking to make this a virtue.

So much hinges, of course, on the quality of the image file that’s ultimately produced and it’s here that Olympus needs to win hearts and minds, since the MFT sensor is obviously physically much smaller than full frame. But having had the chance to head out shooting for the afternoon around Kew I WORDSTERRY HOPE

Picture: Marcus Clackson

ABOVE:Editor Terry Hope with the new

E-M1 Mark III.

Gardens with a pre-production version of the camera, accompanied by professional commercial and portrait photographer Marcus Clackson, I can vouch for the fact that this is a camera with serious intent that has the ability to do a professional job.

The Highlights We’ve mentioned already the compact nature of the OM-D system and the E-M1 Mark III is considerably less bulky than its E-M1X bigger brother since there is no integrated grip. It’s just as well weather sealed, however, something of an Olympus trait, ensuring that it’s a great all-weather model and unlikely to let you down should the heavens open: good news for pros.

Image stabilisation is formidable and I was able to get pin sharp results at speeds that once would have been unthinkable. Olympus claims that if the camera’s in-body 5-axis image stabilisation is paired with supported lenses, some 7.5 shutter speed steps of compensation can be achieved, which would make it the world’s best. Suddenly this opens the door to low light hand held situations and crazy slow shutter speeds when working with longer lenses, and that’s a great facility to have on board.

The camera features a new TruePic IX image processing engine and a 20.4MP Live MOS sensor that’s said to ensure minimal noise even at high sensitivity settings. For users in need of higher resolutions the new 50MP Handheld High Res Shot feature is said to make it possible to capture approximately 50MP high-resolution images without the need to work with a tripod, going some way at least to addressing any fears about sensor size. Opt for a set of sticks and work with the Tripod High Res Shot function and you’ll be able to record ultra-high-resolution - approx. 80MP equivalent - Raw and JPEG images.

Live ND, which was very popular on the OM-D E-M1X, is also on board, which is great news for those shooting time exposures of waterfalls or working with video. Users can select the effect level from ND2 (one step) to ND32 (5 steps) and even check the slow shutter effects in the viewfinder before capturing.

ABOVE AND RIGHT: With Marcus’ help I tried out the E-M1 Mark III’s Focus Stack facility around the Kew Gardens Summer Houses and the camera has the ability to blend a number of shots together in-camera to achieve really impressive depth of field.

Things I couldn’t check in the limited time I had with the model were a lithiumion battery BLH-1 that can be fully charged in as little as two hours when installed in the camera and attached to a power source via USB. The E-M1 Mark III is also compatible with the USB PD (USB Power Delivery), so can be run from an external power bank, potentially useful for astrophotography or photography in cold environments when a battery might struggle.

Not new but equally impressive is Olympus’ advanced SSWF (Super Sonic Wave Filter) technology, which vibrates the image sensor filter with an acceleration equivalent to several thousand G some 30,000 times per second to shake off dust and dirt, while the camera inherits the sensor coating introduced with the OM-D E-M1X, which ensures that dirt can’t stick to the surface, reducing spots in images to 1/10th of that in conventional models. Meanwhile the high-durability shutter unit in the E-M1 Mark III now clears 400,000 operation tests, twice that of its predecessor, so again that’s really good news for hard working professionals.

Also impressive is the AF performance, with the E-M1 Mark III equipped with a 121-point all cross-type On-chip Phase Detection AF sensor. Paired with an advanced AF algorithm, this feature is said to be able to continually focus on fastmoving subjects with a high degree of precision, so perfect for sports and wildlife.

I also really liked the new multi selector control - as introduced with the E-M1X - which makes it possible to quickly shift AF areas with your thumb while looking through the viewfinder. Because users can move the AF areas with the multi selector during sequential shooting, it’s possible to accurately focus even on subjects that move erratically, as you might find in wildlife photography. The

AF target loop setting is also added, which,

based on user selection, either stops the AF target at the edge of the screen or moves it to the opposite edge.

Another major benefit is the Pro Capture mode, which starts shooting the moment the shutter release button is pressed down halfway, with a buffer that can be set to capture up to 35 frames in Raw/full resolution. Again, not new but those who have used this facility rave about it. PP

/ www.olympus.co.uk

The OM-D E-M1 Mark III is available now in black as body only at an rrp of £1,599.99 and in different kit versions with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40 f/2.8 PRO lens at an rrp of £2,199.99 or with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100 f/4.0 IS PRO lens at an rrp of £2,499.99. The predecessor model E-M1 Mark II is being sold in parallel at a new rrp of £1,299.99 (body only) and £1,999.99 for the ED 12-40 f/2.8 PRO lens kit, while the double zoom kit is now £2,999.99.

This is one of the most pro-focused models ever launched by Olympus and it now offers a clear choice to those who might be looking for a full frame alternative. And this is what this camera is: it’s making no apologies for its MFT heritage, rather it’s proud of its roots and fully capable of holding its own in a professional environment.

With its credentials established there are very good reasons why you might consider this camera seriously and it will be interesting to see if Olympus can break down the barriers that have prevented it from achieving the credibility its products deserve.

I’ll look forward to getting the E-M1 Mark III in for a full review as soon as possible and to check out such things as its video capabilities in more detail, but in the meantime this is an exciting camera packed with heaps of potential that could well prove to be a turning point for the Olympus brand and its professional aspirations. ■VERDICT

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