On 4/1/2014 11:46 AM, Ken Norton wrote:
I haven't been paying attention. Why do I care about EFC?
Because the E-M5 has a design defect which causes image blurring from
the shutter.
Gotta disagree here. It's not just the E-M5, it is every single µ4/3 camera, Oly or Panny, but for three recent Pannys
with EFC, the GM-1 with its stepper motor shutter and the E-M1 with the earlier firmware update. In fact, it's worse
with the lighter Pens than the E-M5.
They all used the same shutter mechanism, and all suffer blurring from first curtain closing shock in a range that
varies with specific body and lens, but generally around 1/60 to at least 1/160. That's what all the reports say, but
I've seen it at higher speeds with really long focal lengths.
Oly was obviously aware of it, as they included the Anti-Shock delay settings from the beginning, and the minimum 1/8
sec. setting fixes it. It's seemed to me that the engineers knew the problem and the marketing people buried it deep.
Who wants to say "Our cameras have a serious flaw and a decent, but not ideal, workaround, so come buy them." The
setting is buried deep in the menu and mention in the manuals is minimal and gives no hint what it's really for.
Then again, tests showed Pannys to be generally worse, and they did nothing
about it for years.
EFC is a solution, but not "the" solution. It precludes flash on the Pannys, and I imagine the E-M1. And there are
artifacts and other limitations. I suspect the earlier firmware fix may be more important from a practical standpoint,
but EFC is now a required marketing feature.
Mike says "Curious EFC limited to speeds under 1/320--perhaps because shutters were not designed for this and added
later. Wonder how fast the data is cleared? Suspect the usual artifacts with quickly moving objects and perhaps banding
in fluorescent light using EFC. "
On the E-M1, EFC is limited to lower shutter speeds. On the Pannys, it allows shutter speeds higher than the mechanical
shutter, especially on the GM1, with its slowish stepper motor shutter mechanism.
Fast moving things are distorted, like the old racing car photos with 4x5" FP shutters that leaned forward, DR is often
slightly less and they tend to have banding in light that's not continuous, like fluorescent.
It's a throwback to the original OM system.
Gotta disagree again. Metaphorically, sure. Mechanically, no. The major OM problem is the aperture mechanism, not the
shutter. And of course, there is no first curtain closing action at the beginning of shutter actuation on an OM. :-)
To get around this defect, the smart cookies have dialed in shutter
delay allowing the vibration to settle down before the sensor is
exposed.
Yup, the 1/8 sec. setting is gold*. And for the kind of photography I mostly do, not a problem. Not ideal for catching
the decisive moment with moving things. OTOH, I've got some excellent shots of birds, critters, etc. to balance the very
few where the subject isn't as or where it was when the release was pushed.
It is weird to be using both E-M5 and GX1 together, as the shutters feel/sound so very different. The Pannys in Silent
Mode are sort of eerie.
Electronic First Curtain (EFC, not ELC) is a technology that
allows the sensor to flush to zero without a curtain blocking the
sensor during the flush.
I wonder if the DR effect in shadows is a result of quick flushing not being
quite complete.
Shuttered Moose
* Well, OK, I've had a sense that there can still be a subtle effect , sometimes, with very long focal lengths, but I'm
not sure. Certainly a HUGE improvement.
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
--
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