Yeah I have just been trying that one. It's ok for one shot but the issue is the write time that makes it very impractical for wildlife that tends to move.
Thank you for this Video, Andy. I have been preaching the value of the DTC (Digital Teleconverter) ever since I discovered it on my old Olympus E-M5 Mkl. I've been call derogatory names on popular forums for suggesting the value of it, and told that I don't know what I'm doing -- despite having been a professional photographer for 30 years. Having a pro photographer with your reputation and skill talk up the value of this feature, helps validate what I have said for years. I have beautiful large wildlife and floral prints on my studio walls (and have sold many) that were captured using the DTC. I have close up tiger portraits that you can count every hair on the tiger's nose, and Grizzly photos from Alaska where you can see stains on the bear's fangs. I have my DTC Function programmed to my Video Button on my E-M1X -- as I am almost exclusively a stills photographer. I can easily toggle it on or off as needed. A couple points I would ad to what you mentioned in the Video are: First, assuming a composition where the subject is not in the center of the frame -- such as a small bird where the 'rule of thirds' is in play -- if you use the DTC rather than cropping in post, you are actually capturing your subject closer to the center of your lens, which is optically the sharpest part of any lens. Thus, the DTC tends to actually produce slightly sharper results than cropping in post, since it crops to the center. Second, I have found the DTC to be insanely good for close-up/near macro photography -- even using it with macro lenses -- but especially handy with long lenses like the 100-400mm or 150-400mm. For example, shooting a butterfly on a flower where you can't or don't want to get too close, the DTC produces outstanding detail. My advice to anyone would mirror what you emphasized about shooting in good light -- if one is not using a tripod, or if there is subject movement. At a FF equivalent FOV of 1600mm or 2000mm, steady hand holding becomes critical, as does subject movement -- so high shutter speeds are important. Too many photographers insist on hand holding, then get soft images and blame the lens or a function such as the DTC, when the problem lies with inadequate shutter speed or poor technique. Thank again! P.S. I am a huge fan of your beautiful work.
Absolutely brilliant ! Complete amateur here who's looking at the OM systems, love wildlife.. Glad I've found your post, You're a breath of fresh air 😅. Going to buy the OM 1 but unsure what lense, probably the 300 but need to sell my other kit first... Poser 😂😂😂😂
Since watched a few video including this one ive gone out early this morning and shot a few Springtime mating birds at a local park with the newly acquired Em1x mated to a Nikon 300mm pf f4. Strictly manual focus i was able to nailed sharp handheld photos at 1200mm f4!!! Thanks for sharing!
Great, great job, Andy. A very good and comprehensive tutorial. In today's time, when people seek shorter and faster content, this is a contrasting example of how to approach a topic, and it is truly worth my time to watch it. The reason for this because this presentation using live examples and it provides a deeper understanding of the topic. Many Olympus "ambassadors" have often claimed the opposite from your statement without providing any serious explanations WHY teleconverters should not be used. Due to factors such as speed or lack of knowledge, many of them often skip that crucial "WHY" shich is important for understanding any topic. Without that, it becomes a mechanical transmission of someone's "knowledge," which is not good, actually it is bad. That's why this video is different and fantastic, as it offers a comprehensive view. As a long-time Olympus user, I'm truly thrilled to have found this video and chanell. I hope you will handle other topics (focus stacking, live view, ND filters, etc.) related to OM1 that are interesting in the same way. Bravo. 👋👋👋
Just an FYI for anyone interested. You don't have to get an expensive olympus camera for this to work. These past days I've been testing this feature on my EM10 (yes, the mark i), and I was amazed by the results. Of course, it'd be better to just shoot at the desired mm, but this was significantly better than cropping it, and I'm still scratching my head about it.
Great to hear! That’s all I want for people to try this and see it for themselves. If some don’t like it then fine that’s personal choice. But I hate the slagging off from people online who have barely tried ti
Hi Andy, I watched this video a few months back…I revisited it again today and I’m very happy that I did. I followed your guide and I am very happy with my bird photography adventure this morning. The results using the digital converter along with my 300mm f4 lens was spectacular. I’m looking forward to more adventures with it.😊
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised too, with the 40-150 pro 2.8. Using the mc20 will increase 2 stops and add extra weight (not by much though). Activated using the L-fn button on the lens which incidentally, is also available on the 150-400.
Great video. Such enthusiasm! Just tried this with pigeons on a tree in my garden and very impressed I tried a comparison of the 2x JPEG v the raw and agreed with your assessment, however I zoomed the raw 2x and then applied the new 'denoise' in the lates LR and to me it looked somewhat sharper and more detailed than the JPEG, so the jury is out for me. I will be doing more tests before I make the jump..
What a refreshingly honest and up front video/tutorial. BRILLIANT! As a professional, now ex press photographer for the past 50yrs, you speak the lingo of the real world, not the dry bench test of so many reviewers. Although totally different in levels of articulating a point, you might well be the next turn to advisory voice as a replacement of the late and great David Thorpe (ex press)who was the first reviewer of m43 that I, as an old-school photographer, was made aware to the benefits of m43. I still shoot Nikon, although I do have a dog walking camera EM10 II and kit 14-150 lens and mainly shoot landscapes,macro and street (I’m 72) and occasional wildlife,kangaroo’s and birds. I liked your reference to how to hold a camera (no posing) and you refreshing valuation of shooting jpeg. So thanks for the tip re the in camera Tele converter and if I ever grow a set and make the move to OM1 I’ll certainly check out this feature. I’ve subscribed to your channel. Cheers.
Great job Andy, really love the depth of this. I have the 100-400 (still waiting for the 150-400 from backorder) and the MC20. I had stopped using the MC20 with this lens unless I was in REALLY good light as the results were soft at the long end - perhaps not a surprise given the aperture restriction with the lens and tc combination, but in a side-by-side test on a static subject using the lens plus MC20 and the lens with no MC20 but digital tc on, the L-SF files were significantly sharper using the digital t/c. So, I have assigned this to one of the front buttons next to the lens on the OM1 and I have a new and very useful tool in my tool kit. Thank you SO much for this superb in-depth review.
Thanks Andy I've just tried this tonight in the living room with a jigsaw box shot with the OM-1 40-150mm F2.8 Pro ISO25600 JPEG out of camera with no processing I'm impressed and can't wait to try out in better light and better subject.
Thanks for the video. I bought the OM-1 and the 100-400 early December. Added the 300 f4 PRO a couple of weeks back. Tried the digital converter on both. I the synched stabilisation in the 300 makes it amazing. At 400 on the 100-400 it’s a big ask hand held for a subject a long way off, but filling the frame closer it’s not bad. Maybe a tripod would help. I’m amazed how good the jpegs come up even if limited PP. Some better than cropping the raw file in PP. Definitely something I will be using more. Thanks again.
I have found it to work best with the hires function activated as well. I guess that does not work for wildlife. I think that all the extra information is there in the raw files, but I figure the camera does a better job of sorting out the best processing.
I have both the 1.4 and 2x converters having just moved to OM-1. I found this video really useful as I was using the digital converter with the 12-100 f4. I’m still working on that combination.
Agee fully 2X on OM-1 is great! Also works well with video and much better and faster than cropping in post. I used it for stills and video to shoot polar bears with 300/f4 and MC20 (300x2x2 =1200mm or full frame equivalent 2400mm!!!), hard to aim steady handheld but IBIS worked great (I posted it on RU-vid). The only downside for me is that jpg denoise is less efficient on jpg than raw, so need good light (and strong hands for handheld 😏)
I recently added the Olympus 1.4x & 2.0x converters, never even thought of the digital converter. I also shoot fine JPEGs as standard as never really needed raw images for most of my end requirements. Just tested in on my EM-1 Mkiii - works brilliantly on the 90mm macro, the 100-400mm & the 40-150mm F4 Pro lens. Which can also use the 2 teleconverters in mentioned earlier.
Fabulous video! I just spent the day with my newly discovered Digital Teleconverter. My thing is flowers & small things. I just got the Olympus 12-100 f4 Pro lens and found I'm mostly at the 100mm end for flowers. But now, I pop a button (I used the same button as you -- I used the upper one) and bang (!) I've got a 2X view of my image -- at the same resolution! Wow. I'm having a blast! (and I saved $$$ too -- I was eyeing Olympus's non-Pro 12-200 lens -- now I don't need it!)
This video just made a new subscriber, very good. The part about using your arms as a brace, many years ago before any camera or lens stabilization I was shown how to use your body as a tripod.
Awesome! You should consider joining our Patreon and taking a 7 day trial. All of my top tips and info are on there and it's awesome. Just the price of a coffee per month - Patreon.com/wildmanrouse
Awesome. I just tried this yesterday on a Bald Eagle nest that was 450 feet away on my 300/4 and was astonished at the results. I’d always dismissed “digital zoom” but this resulted in a couple of keepers!
Great summary, I've used DTC on my age-old Olympus bodies EM1 and EPM2 and they were as sharp as my gear (14-150mm or 75-300mm lenses) would allow. An additional advantage for me is being able to see if I'm looking at a rock or a seal if it's really far😅
Thank you for this detailed and honest review of this function. I hadn't even considered using it until I saw this video. I'm super excited to be able to get usable Jpeg files at 400mm equivalent FOV from my 12-100 PRO in the right situations with good light 🙂
Fabulous results! Thank you! You have inspired me to try it on my 300F4. Hopefully going to the tropics soon and now I am convinced I must bring that lens! 2 for 1.
Excellent video and great information. Guilty of not even looking at the digital converter, assumed it would not be of any use. Now i will have to go out and give it a try. Thanks Andy for your expertise.
Tightly packed & useful info! I’ve got a pair of OM-1’s, and a 300/4 and a 100-400. I’m now anxious to try the dig-teleconvorter. Ages ago they were rubbish, but we both know that if anyone can do it, Olympus can. This the first of your videos I’ve found, but it won’t be the last. Can I donate? Cheers, Bill in Texas
Nah Bill why don't you join my online club. Podcasts, videos, diaries, challenges, picture analysis. All there for a small monthly fee. Choose the Combi membership from www.Patreon.com/wildmanrouse as it's where I post most of my content now
I’m thrilled to bits with the idea of this and the fact you can put it on a button. Do you realise , I think, you are the first person to recommend it. Am goi g to go out and have a practice. Many thx Andy.
my Sony A7R2 also has a similar feature where the camera will give me 2 pictures one crop and one original. I don't recall such features on my A6400. may be because my A7R2 has 40MP to do the cropping. and important thing is the subject is still in the center, so it knows where the crop.
The digital teleconverter does not reduce depth of field. Cropping an image does not reduce depth of field. Making a larger size print does not reduce depth of field. All of these things are equivalent.
great video Andy; I used it for taking pictures of the moon in combination with high resolution mode handheld with 150-400 mm TC at 500 mm with great results
Great video!! Like many others, I dismissed this feature until recently. With a sharp lens, it can give results that are close to a physical teleconverter. And I have been finding it *fun* to use, even when the results are not much different visually than cropping. And even with less sharp lenses, such as the 75-300, it can still work excellently so long as one is not going for stuff very far away.
What a great video Andy, passionate as ever and your images are just superb illustrating your point brilliantly. I've used the x2dtc for many years now on various Olympus cameras and done enough back to back shots to realise it was worth trying out on many occasions. Hopefully your video will spur more people on to give it a go. Additionally I find it allows me to better compose those intimate images making any cropping I might do on raw files later easier. I also think that it allows better close control over the key subject exposure than would have been gained from say an off centre cropped image, if that explanation makes sense. Really looking forward to seeing your latest Tiger shots, all the best Phill.
The proof is in the pudding as they say. Vital that folks listen to what you're saying about jpegs, get it right and it can be great! One of the very best videos I've seen which demonstrates perfectly the difference between Raw and jpeg. Andy remember the book you did many years ago about RAW, seems like a lifetime ago lol. Cheers.
Thanks so much and yes all I seek is to stop the geeks dominating photography and bring it back to the pros as we use this stuff everyday. And yes that book is donkeys years old!!!
Gave it a try on a whitethroat with my 300mm f4 ,nailed the shots then switched on the digital converter and it seemed to work well looking on the camera screen but for some reason lightroom will only import my raw files and hours of googling and youtube searching has not changed that ,never mind.
Yes that’s right I think as ACR does the same. So I changed photo mechanic to show the raw and jpeg separately and then could drag the jpeg in by itself
Thanks for this video. I am going to try the digital converter out on my E1 MarkIII and using the MC 14 with the 40-150 f2.8 lens. I already use the MC 14 on that lens
Thanks so much for the info, you have saved me loads of head scratching. The OM-1 is relatively new to me and I'm still digging deep into the computational stuff. I've assigned my x2 to the AF-ON button as it's next to my thumb position - should do the trick! Just loving this camera as I'm sure you are too.
Brilliant video I’m currently a canon R6&7 shooter but looking to move to a stacked sensor and after hearing about the om-1 and specially with that 150-400 lens I’ve been getting tempted and your images and enthusiasm is really inspiring me to confidently make that change 👍👍👍
Well you must do what’s best for you. Bet in mind availability for lens is limited and it might be Upto a years wait. If you so make the change I have an OM-1 training course available. Best of luck and thanks for watching
It's also an incredibly expensive lens. I've diversified instead of going to one lens like that. The 40-150 f/2.8 Pro is pretty nice. It even comes with the 2x optical teleconvertor at times, for the same price as standalone. Those deals are pretty nice. This is my favorite lens next to the 12-100 f/4 Pro. For long reach, there's a 100-400, but it isn't int he pro line and doesn't have a constant aperture. With this in mind, it does have OIS that works somewhat well with IBIS, not as well as the Pro with OIS do mind you. I've rented one to try it out, and it did surprisingly well. This lens is significantly cheaper than the 150-400. So it might be worth looking into.
Great video, many thanks. I want to be able to get closer to birds in particular and have a 75 to 300 lens, so this seems like a good option to try. I will give it a go.
Apologies if anyone else has asked this question. I have tried taking a combination of Handheld Hires with my OM-1 and the Digital Telecon; and the good news is that both work in tandem. The big question for me is do they work 'cumulatively'? I think they do! For example: the .ORI (RAW) image is 17.9MB, the HHRES ORF (RAW) is 37.9MB, and the digitally teleconned JPEG is 19.7MB . . . . . which seems to imply that JPEG is derived from the HHRES image, and although the JPEG has raw processing applied the image is much sharper that the unprocessed RAW. I'm going to experiment with the JPEG settings, but think for static shots taken with the tripod hires mode in good light the results could be awesome!
I was expecting this to be just a crop but no, the file sizes are identical (near as damn it!) So i guess this is part of the OM-1's computational photography like hdr
Absolutely beautiful! Just learning about wildlife in preparation for a safari in 2025 (hopefully). I have the OM-1. Does the new OM-1 mark ii offer more improvements for photographing large animals? Thank you.
It does. Why don't you think about joining our online club? Hosted on Patreon it's exclusive and we post podcasts, workflow walkthrus, hints videos, travel diaries, competitions and all kinds of stuff. Check out a free 7 day trial - www.patreon.com/wildmanrouse it's a safe space for all. We are just about to post some safari diaries too!!!
Hi Andy great video. I was not a great fan of jpeg or the Digital two times converter, but your video has change that for me, a subscriber of my channel put me onto yours and I have mentioned you in my latest video hope that’s Ok. All the best Mike 😎
Thanks very much for this very informative video….I have just been out with the budget 75-300 lens and even with that the results are impressive…I cropped in on the jpeg of a bird and the detail was amazing…thanks again
hi andy first time watcher and commenter, i bought an olympus micro 4/3 camera just to be more compact , but what a massive camera it is , im continually finding new features , thanks for your great video
Great video after been shooting the canon R7 and realising how bad the rolling shutter is I’m now looking at a faster stacked sensor system and after initially looking towards a Nikon z8 when released paired with the z800 f6.3 I’m now looking at a smaller set up the Olympus with the 150-400 f4.5 set up for wildlife
Friendly word of warning - the 150-400 is (apparently) a great piece of glass, but given its popularity with wildlife shooters pairing it with the OM1, there is a LONG wait for this lens - I am in the UK, ordered mine in February and it is expected in October. My advice if you do decide to switch is dont part with your existing gear until you have the lens. OM System have switched production of this lens to an new expanded facility in Taiwan, but there is a big backlog of orders and it will take time to fulfill them.
Great energy and clear information. I’d dismissed this feature, thinking it was a simple crop. I tested myself and yes it’s terrific. I’m thinking this is a compute function in the camera that uses the sensor shift to interpolate (like the HD shot) followed by an in camera crop. Do you have any idea if this is what’s going on? Anyway, for static subjects in good light it is a freebie. Best tip I’ve had in years. Thanks. Oh btw, I assigned mine directly to the lens function button. It’s so fast to toggle. I frame and focus in 1X and then ‘zoom’ with the lens button. It’s sort of addictive. Hammers, eh? Oh well …
Cool and good plan. Why don't you think about joining our online club? Hosted on Patreon it's exclusive and we post podcasts, workflow walkthrus, hints videos, travel diaries, competitions and all kinds of stuff. Check out a free 7 day trial - www.patreon.com/wildmanrouse it's a safe space for all.
I'm jumping in with the angry comment straight after the first comparison🤣. There is more detail in the raw. More noise but more detail in the feathers. The noise can be removed and sharpness added while retaining the details. The Jpeg still looks good and it's a good timesaver for retaining the image size for your workflow. Now back to the video to see if you can change my mind🤣
That's in your opinion. It's not the only one. When you comment make sure you do that as you aren't talking to someone who sits in an armchair photographing. You are taking to a pro with 25 years experience and I say it's my view and may not be everyone's.
@@Wildmanrouse I'm an amateur with 25+ years experience.... and I agree with Daniel on the first photo. Honestly it's glaringly obvious. HOWEVER ... what we see on RU-vid after whatever compression they do and what you see on your monitor may be quite different, especially with high key images like that one, and given the following examples I'm inclined to take your word for it :-). Anyway, I'll try it myself and make up my own mind - but without this video I'd have carried on thinking Digital Converter = Crap.
Hi Anddy, great video thanks very much, wonderful images too, Great bit of info, just wondering if you had time one day you could do a video on how you edit your images I think that would be really interesting. All the best.
I do lots of videos like this Alan for my Patreon channel. Susie does Lightroom and I do photoshop stuff. Check out Patreon.com/wildmanrouse and choose a Combi 7 day trial - don't become a free member as you won't see anything!
So many thanks for that !!!! Why don't you think about joining our online club? Hosted on Patreon it's exclusive and we post podcasts, workflow walkthrus, hints videos, travel diaries, competitions and all kinds of stuff. Check out a free 7 day trial - www.patreon.com/wildmanrouse it's a safe space for all.
Andy, brilliant video, absolutely love your delivery. Also the images are amazing. Will definitely try this, only got the 12-40 2.8 and 40-150 f4 at the moment with my new OM1, will be trying it with the longer lens. Do you do talks to camera clubs ? Would love to have you at ours in Essex.
I tried the digi teleconverter option on the OM-1 with the 100-400 f6.3 today when shooting the asian brown flyercatcher. Not very impressed because I notice the raw files (when cropped and processed by DXO) shows far more feather details compared to the jpeg files. I guess digi teleconverter is only useful when the subject is relatively large on the screen.
Or as I said when the crop and expansion would be big which is my main point. Agree that DXO is superb especially v3. I am going to review it for my Patreon members soon
What a wonderful, useful video. I'll definitely be giving this a go on my next adventure. Andy, do you think that maybe you should consider trying decaffeinated tea? ;0) I hope you realize that this is “tongue in cheek.” Your style is not only refreshing in the land of boring “talking heads,” but it is encouragingly a “call to action.” Don’t change one single degree of enthusiasm you project.
Of course this has been a feature in Olympus MFT cameras, in my case, since E-M5 (I notice it was in the E-PM1) as well as the Stylus 1 & I have used it a few times in the other models since, but I confess I haven't tried it with the OM-1 (yet). It is interesting you see an improvement in IS in OM-1 FW 1.4 since it is one of the things not specifically mentioned in the FW update details. Anyhow, I'll try it with my 100-400 lens, so thanks for sharing this. I'm afraid the 'RAW file snobs' will dismiss it though. 😏 I've been saving RAW + JPEG ever since the days of using the E-520 DSLR & am strong on advocating getting the JPEG right & then any raw file editing is going to be needing less & easier to get the desired outcome.
They don’t worry me Ross as I’m a professional photographer and make my money from the quality of my work. To be that’s all the counts, image quality in the real world. I’ve inspired a lot to try this so that’s all I can hope to do else too many geeks get involved with real shooting.
@@Wildmanrouse And that's the most important part, but I was having a little dig at those that say "they only shoot raw". 😉 There was one occasion where I took my Stylus 1 (bought it some weeks after knocking back the E-M1 during bush fires here in NSW, which I got 6 months later) & I had accidently left DTC on & captured water hens (or coots) running across the lake. Thankfully, in that case, I also had the raw file & was able to extract a wider image with them better framed than what I had in the JPEG. Other times I have forgotten & left DTC on & ......., well you know, not the detail I wanted when editing the raw file.
Hi Andy, sorry about the Hammers 😦, Thanks for this very informative video. One question please, is it possible to fix focus (AF, etc) before activating the Digi Converter and then switch to it. Will the focus remain? Up the Gunners Glyn
Just something I forgot. Does the jpeg digital converter image have anything in its data to indicate it was taken with a digital converter? I can’t find anything. Thanks again.
Has anyone here tried the OM-1 in high resolution mode withe the digital tele-converter? I have tried the above with my em5 mk ii and it seems to work ok.
Great video Andy! I also have an OM-1 and when shooting in LSF+Raw my jpegs are only 11.5MB and the .ORF are 23.5MB. You mentioned your files are 57MB… is that correct or am I doing something wrong?
How can you set the function to a button? All the buttons have pre-determined options and I can't see any option that lets you change a function to 'Enable Digital Tele-converter'.
When replying on RU-vid you should always remember that there is a person at the end. So writing a demanding comment t like this gets you nowhere!! Ask me politely and decently as you would if we were face to face then I would help you and answer.
@@Wildmanrouse You seem very upset over a simple question - 'How can you set the function to a button?' and a straightforward statement - 'All the buttons have pre-determined options (which they do) and I can't see any option that lets you change a function to 'Enable Digital Tele-converter'. The first part is a question which I would ask anyone face-to-face and the second part is a mere observation of the facts. It also seems to be a little strange that given the apparent tone of your response, you should also apparently 'hearted' my comment. Could you perhaps be replying to someone else's comment by mistake?
@@rayjennings3637 I agree with you, and think Andy was intending to reply to some other poster. I can't imagine he would have been offended in any way by your question -- another pitfall of the Social Media! 🙂 In regard to the DTC, if you are shooting an Olympus or OM Camera, most of the Button function menus include the DTC. It will show up as a 'magnifying glass'. I have mine programmed to my Video Button, as I am not a big video guy, and I can easily use the Mode Dial to switch to video if I decide to do a video. That makes it very intuitive for me when I'm shooting, as I simply take my finger off the Shutter Button, press the Video Button, and return to the Shutter Button without taking my eye away from the viewfinder. You instantly see the 2X crop in the viewfinder.
Not really covered is using the DTC when shooting video. The TC has a 1.4x when shooting video with an OM-1. However the EM series has a 4x zoom effect for video. The quality is amazing good. As video is more tolerant than stills with sharpness its a pity the OM-1 has a downgraded TC compared to the older cameras.
I have a slightly different view on that which is why I didn't cover it. But everyone to their own and everyone here has their own way of doing things.
@@Wildmanrouse In my case my results would be acceptable to me as an amateur and for purely personal viewing. I wouldn't consider the video DTC suitable on a professional level.
I've used the I-Zoom feature on my Leica V-Lux 114 bridge camera and found it to work very well expanding the 25-400mm lens up to the 800mm equivalent IF you don't push the motor drive too hard. However, for my Lumix G9 more experienced shooters than me have advised this feature is best left to videos and not stills. Have you any feedback for your Lumix MFT cousins? Very interesting video by the way.
No I haven’t sorry. Some photographers have criticised this video of course because they don’t understand what I’m really saying about the use. It’s very specific but it works and I will use it where necessary. Anyway sorry I have not heard from any Lumix people on this. In life you make your own decisions about what works for you and what doesn’t. Experienced pros like me can advise from our pro standpoint but it’s Upto each photographer whether they use it or not
