Olympus XZ1 Sucks...

[smoore]

Hi,

Thanks for your answer. Does she use the cancel circuit or not ? In Inon website Inon says to use it in manual or auto (in inon) and nout to use it in STTL. It's strange. I must try to take my own picture next week but I try to find advices from person who have this camera.

Regards,

Ponch

I have used the S2000 with the C5060 and the EPL2 and I assume that the XZ1 works the same. In manual mode on the flash and a specified power setting (like full, 1/2 etc.) on the camera there is no pre-flash and you need to have the magnet in to cancel the S2000's expectation of a pre-flash (or cancel it). When it (the flash) is in STTL mode and the camera flash setting is for anything but a specified power level, then it recognizes the pre-flash whether the magnet is in or not. The magnet only matters for manual mode. For these cameras I would just leave the magnet in. When you are shooting STTL (camera usually set to fill flash and flash set to STTL), the flash will ignore the magnet and recogise the pre-flash. When you set the camera flash to manual mode and the flash to manual the magnet will cancel the pre-flash recognition and fire the flash at full power (or whatever power setting you set on the flash) when it is triggered by the flash on the camera.

You will get into trouble if you set the camera flash to a specified power setting and the S2000 to STTL. In that set-up there is no pre-flash from the flash in the camera and the flash (S2000) expects it. I initially tried this thinking I would save battery power by setting the camera flash to 1/64th power. Essentially I had the camera in manual flash mode and the flash in STTL. Although the S2000 did fire the pictures were very underexposed. Similarly if you have the camera flash in fill mode and the S2000 in manual mode the S2000 will fire early on the pre-flash from the camera and again your pictures will be underexposed.

 

[jdfmail]

Thanks for that explanation...I've been having problems with my D-2000 and D180. I shoot in manual and 1/64. I only have one magnet...I'll have to buy another one.

Any idea where I can buy it with the screw??

Thanks

Jon

I have used the S2000 with the C5060 and the EPL2 and I assume that the XZ1 works the same. In manual mode on the flash and a specified power setting (like full, 1/2 etc.) on the camera there is no pre-flash and you need to have the magnet in to cancel the S2000's expectation of a pre-flash (or cancel it). When it (the flash) is in STTL mode and the camera flash setting is for anything but a specified power level, then it recognizes the pre-flash whether the magnet is in or not. The magnet only matters for manual mode. For these cameras I would just leave the magnet in. When you are shooting STTL (camera usually set to fill flash and flash set to STTL), the flash will ignore the magnet and recogise the pre-flash. When you set the camera flash to manual mode and the flash to manual the magnet will cancel the pre-flash recognition and fire the flash at full power (or whatever power setting you set on the flash) when it is triggered by the flash on the camera.

You will get into trouble if you set the camera flash to a specified power setting and the S2000 to STTL. In that set-up there is no pre-flash from the flash in the camera and the flash (S2000) expects it. I initially tried this thinking I would save battery power by setting the camera flash to 1/64th power. Essentially I had the camera in manual flash mode and the flash in STTL. Although the S2000 did fire the pictures were very underexposed. Similarly if you have the camera flash in fill mode and the S2000 in manual mode the S2000 will fire early on the pre-flash from the camera and again your pictures will be underexposed.

 

[smoore]

I know that Backscatter is an Inon dealer and I bet they could get you the screw and magnet. Since it could be sent in an envelope, hopefully, the cost won't be prohibitive.

I know that Phil Rudin has also indicated on a post regarding either the EPL1 or EPL2 that you should set the flash in the camera at 1/4 power not 1/64th to ensure that the optically linked flash fires. I don't know if that advice applies to the XZ1 but I would be inclined to bump up the power setting on the flash in the camera and see if that helps.

 

[sipadiver]

I'm traveling to Niue to photograph whales and dolphins... would I need my Inon 2000 strobe or would it be more like dead weight?

 

[jdfmail]

I'm traveling to Niue to photograph whales and dolphins... would I need my Inon 2000 strobe or would it be more like dead weight?

This is a thread on XZ-1...

 

[MartinL]

yes Martin, the whole 6 minutes, you would notice dark areas, shifts in focus, didnt make any adjustments, just pressed the video button at Manual, non hd mode

Thank you. The video looks amazing and I now officially want to go to Sipadan
I am a bit surprised that you do not seem to have any focusing problems with your camera. A friend of mine just recently got the xz1 as well and he has the problem that the camera very often goes for a short while out of focus (some sort of focusing algorithm?) and then gets in focus again. It seems many other people have this same problem too.
Also, his pictures are rather noisy when shooting RAW. Is that also the case with your camera? Do you do any noise filtering?

 

[Jun Lao]

Thank you. The video looks amazing and I now officially want to go to Sipadan
I am a bit surprised that you do not seem to have any focusing problems with your camera. A friend of mine just recently got the xz1 as well and he has the problem that the camera very often goes for a short while out of focus (some sort of focusing algorithm?) and then gets in focus again. It seems many other people have this same problem too.
Also, his pictures are rather noisy when shooting RAW. Is that also the case with your camera? Do you do any noise filtering?

hey Martin, I also do, however, making vids, I just edit out off-focus frames, habit of mine to tie in 5-8 sec good clips together to make a short, heres a vid made just this wkend in Anilao, my first encounter with a Rhinopia : ) , I keep focussed to a subject to avoid focus hunting. crisp panned vid shots is an oly xz1 weakness


[ yt ] [ /yt ]

on raw, never used it so wldnt know , just jpeg has always been fine with me, there are threads on dp photography though showing samples, to much pixel peeping me thinks

 

[sipadiver]

Hi - would you mind posting the settings that you used for taking the photos. I also have a XZ1 - but my photos do not look as sharp or colorful as your ones Jun.

---------- Post added March 27th, 2013 at 12:29 AM ----------

This is a thread on XZ-1...

I'm using my XZ1 with an Inon Strobe.

 

[Jun Lao]

Hi - would you mind posting the settings that you used for taking the photos. I also have a XZ1 - but my photos do not look as sharp or colorful as your ones Jun.

---------- Post added March 27th, 2013 at 12:29 AM ----------

I'm using my XZ1 with an Inon Strobe.

hi Sipadiver...
heres my oly xz1 set on flickr, contains all settings/ exif of photos bottom right (flickr recently revised location of exif from top right) with many 2013 recent shots Olympus xz1 - a set on Flickr.

using this compact for 2 years, i find it now a bit too sharp and has too punchy contrast for my liking, especially with flash, i even down contrast photos on shots taken on recent dive guide duties..

some quick solutions
1. maybe check in cam default settings on menu
2. before, I slightly sharpen and add contrast to photos on lightroom & photoshop, if to cyan-ish, I just do a quickly boost the red chanel on adjustments/color balance - top tab photo shop
3. sharper pics, use higher f-stop, F, max at F8, just adjust strobe power or shutter speed accordingly

anyway heres are samples taken this year how sharp they can be, a bit soft without strobe but as shared, you are using an inon strobe... btw, strobe brand doesnt really matter- for macro.., all you need is that burst of light

recent samples

a bit pale, ambient light/no strobe white balance with low aperture

the waiting game by PaparazSea ♑, on Flickr


here sharp and punchy, a bit of down contrast and unsharpen mask on ps

firewalkers by PaparazSea ♑, on Flickr

hope this helps

darn this cam is dirt cheap nowadays, i lost a small fortune 2 years back

 

[sipadiver]

Thanks for that - I was trying to use it in video mode at 30 - 40m but the results were terrible. The camera couldn't focus 95% of the time. Is that a problem with the camera or is something wrong with my camera.