Bird Photography with Olympus

Olympus recently released a firmware update for their OM-D E-M1X cameras, which added AI-based bird recognition and tracking to the camera's autofocus system.  After hearing that news, I purchased an E-M1X body along with an M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f4 IS lens to see how it would cope with our small backyard birds.  As you can see from the images below, the camera did quite well despite the poor light conditions.

Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)

"Flying E" Tree, Alberta Foothills

One of the benefits of living in Okotoks was the ability to hop in the car and take a drive to explore the Rocky Mountain Foothills area south of Calgary.  One of my favourite spots was the "Flying E" tree, named after a local ranch.  This image is from a series of lens tests I did, comparing various older manual-focus lenses on my then-new Sony A7R mirrorless camera.  This image is from a sequence taken with the remarkable little Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f3.5 MC lens.

"Flying E" Tree, Alberta Foothills

The following image was captured a few months earlier, using a Zeiss Contax 21mm f2.8 Distagon lens on the Sony A7R.

"Flying E" Tree, Alberta Foothills

More photos of the foothills region and other parts of Alberta can be found on my web site. at www.imageswest.ca.