September 26, 2012 2 0

Issa x Olympus Pen

The Apartment collaborated with Olympus and Issa London and as one of a few select bloggers I was given free reign of the Olympus pen mini, this picture above is from my own Canon 400d camera with 10-135mm zoom lens so you can compare the picture quality. The challenge was to shoot the Issa catwalk with the Olympus pen to showcase its shooting quality compared to any SLR. I am not even going to lie I had reservations that such a slight camera would have the picture quality I am used to, so I made sure to bring my 400d just in case

The Camera

A Olympus pen mini (E-PM1) small, and lightweight I had the electronic viewfinder added as I just couldn’t get the hang of taking pictures using the tilting live monitor at the back, I am too much in the habit of lifting the camera to my face. The camera shoots pictures, in raw and Jpeg format as well as HD video; with a 14-45mm zoom lens, but this can be exchanged for a more powerful zoom. In all fairness we only had the pen for about 45 minutes to get a hang of all the settings, and features, although there is an automatic mode I prefer to shoot as manual as possible which the camera enabled me to do. The lowest f-stop was about 4.1, the shutter speed from 60-1/4000 so in theory would be suitable for the fast pace of the catwalk. The art mode alone is enough to buy this, from Dramatic Tone, Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pinhole and Diorama the effects are so striking that you won’t need to google Photoshop tutorials again, because its achievable through a click of a button. Here are are a couple of examples the first picture of Kat, and the second of Kate

The Show

This is the fiest time, that I ahave ttended an Issa show, and now I know why the ticket is so coveted. Issa was a tropical mix of vibrant colour, and print Jourdan Dunn who walked the show was elegant in royal purple, and orchid hair pieces. Each dress was fluid, super long and flowy, the models appearing as if they were walking on water.

The Verdict

As I have said the first picture from this post was taken using my Canon 400d and the rest were taken with the Olympus, and I have not edited them in Photoshop except to crop where necessary. I am really impressed with the vibrancy of the colour and the sharpness of the image. I did have blurred photos but that was only because I was getting a hang of using it for the first time so imagine the pictures I can take when I do. The only negative thing I have to say is why wasn’t this camera round 5 years ago when I needed a starter camera?! social platforms like IFB state time, and time again to invest in your photography equipment and this is the perfect way to spend between £200-£300. I am not being cavalier but compare that to £600+ for something like a 6ood when you are not a professional photographer, and all you really want is a good quality image.