Pro Capture ‘Back to the future’

A blessing for action photography, a tool that makes fast-paced photography much more relaxed and accurate or simply a great feature that is literally ahead of its time!

These thoughts, and nothing else, continue to run through my mind when I take photographs like they did in the ‘olden days’. As a nature photographer, the times of relying on my reaction and the chance factor alone are over. As are the times of extreme tension, or the frustration of having missed shots in my life because I was perhaps a hundredth or a tenth of a second to late in pressing the trigger.

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/2500s • ISO 500

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/4000s • ISO 500

Currently my photography looks as though I have an extremely high hit rate when shooting action photographs. Thanks to a ‘shot boost’ of 60 photos per second in Pro Capture mode, I have substantially more photos to fall back on than I could ever have done in the past or with other camera manufacturers. And all of a sudden I can capture the type of scenes that would have been nearly impossible to capture previously.

OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/12800s • ISO 1600

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/2500s • ISO 1000

 Thanks to the 2x crop factor on the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, or the brand-new OM-D E-M1X, you have 600 mm of focal length available to you when converted to a 35 mm format in connection with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO, which appears far from full frame in the viewfinder.

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/2500s • ISO 1000

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/800s • ISO 1600

Not only will the system be more ‘manageable and portable’ than similar combinations from other manufacturers due to its size and design, it is also likely that it will be possible to use the system without a tripod thanks to the excellent 5-axis stabilisation system of the above-mentioned camera. At least this has been my experience when using M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO so far!

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/2500s • ISO 800

Now back to my nature photography, which is primarily characterised by bird photography. Birds often have the habit of always landing on and taking off from the same branches or other perches.

Here, for example, the Pro Capture mode is an advantage. Without the Pro Capture function, the coveted photo of a bird’s take off would have probably been missed once again. But now we benefit from the ability to pick and choose the perfect take-off sequence from a large amount of photos.

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/1600s • ISO 1250

A woodpecker’s tongue as it shoots out; a greenfinch as it takes off out of the water, trailing a water column behind it with its feet; a hoopoe tossing its grub into the air; or a large baby cuckoo, receiving food from its foster parents mid-flight. If you ask me, this is Olympus’ ‘pet project’ in combination with Pro Capture – the extremely quick, consecutive burst capacity or, in my opinion, the best image stabiliser on the market!

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/320s • ISO 1600

What is especially interesting for me as a nature photographer is the possibility to trigger the camera with complete silence. Because of this I was able to get extremely close to a timid wildcat and fox by hiding under camouflage without them noticing me in the slightest. Digital single-lens reflex cameras have a clear disadvantage in this type of situation. When there is no wind and you are that close, even a ‘silent shutter’ is like a sledgehammer to the ears of such sensitive wild animals.

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/160s • ISO 1000

Once again, well done Olympus! I look forward to many more innovative years with a camera maker who is not resting on their laurels – and this isn’t true for all camera makers!

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F6.3 • 1/6400s • ISO 1600

I wish all photographers in all genres ‘good light’ at all times and a lot of fun with our fantastic hobby.

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F5.0 • 1/6400s • ISO 1600

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/500s • ISO 2000

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/1000s • ISO 500

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/4000s • ISO 1600

 OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO • F4.0 • 1/160s • ISO 500

Featured products:

OM-D E-M1 Mark II
M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO

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  • Great shots, this is the quality I would like to achieve. Only just learned how to really use Pro capture at Olympus event, three weeks ago.
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  • Sure the equipment helps a lot, but patience and timing are crucial, as shown in your images, wonderful !
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