eBook: Birding with the OM-1 Mark II
Get all my settings and techniques for photography enthusiasts using the OM System OM-1 Mark 2 camera
For nearly two years, I’ve been constantly working to understand how all of the features in the OM-1 cameras work, especially when it comes to wildlife photography. Earlier this year, I decided to start documenting my settings to share with others. I’m super excited to announce that I’ve finally completed my first-ever guide to OM System cameras, Birding With the OM-1 Mark II. It’s taken a lot of trial and error for me to finally feel comfortable enough with how this camera works to actually write up a guide.
Modern mirrorless cameras, including the OM-1 Mark II, are technical marvels that when used properly, deliver a photography experience that’s unmatched. From being able to see your histogram in the viewfinder to set exposure, to lightning-fast autofocus that can automatically detect and track subjects in the frame, today’s cameras are simply incredible. Unfortunately, the complexity and seemingly endless customization options of these cameras can be quite daunting. That’s why it’s taken me so long to finally put together a photo guide that I am comfortable publishing.
I’ve set up my OM-1 Mk II to not only optimize focus and exposure, but also to let me quickly override settings as needed. For example, there will be times when I’m out photographing mostly stationary or perched birds, when all of a sudden I’ll see a hawk or other bird flying overhead. With my custom control configuration, all I need to do is press a button and the camera immediately switches over to my pre-configured settings for photographing birds in flight.
What started as a simple “I’m going to document my settings” quickly turned into a much larger project. A lot of that is because I chose to not only provide functional descriptions for how systems like autofocus work, but also because I share my rationale for how and why I use particular settings. I also took an extra step in this book to talk about situations that cause subject-detection autofocus to go awry and how to deal with those scenarios in the field. I’ve also put together a section dedicated to different scenarios I’ve personally dealt with, and the tricks I use to get the best results.
Major Topics
Recommended exposure settings for bird and wildlife photography
Recommended drive modes, frame rates, and image stabilization settings
Which functions should be mapped to custom buttons
Object-tracking vs. subject-tracking and how to use both
How to use subject detection to your advantage
How to overcome focus challenges in the field
How to quickly configure the camera for photographing birds in flight
How to modify your settings for wildlife subjects other than birds
Download my PDF guide to birding with the OM-1 Mark II camera here:
I may not have that camera but I enjoy learning how things come about.
The way you explain your rationale and technique is easy for me to understand.
Thank you for sharing this Jason!
It’s great.