Recently I found myself at the new sports Hub, a Netball and other sport specialist space, sorely needed.
Expecting better light than the Silverdome, the massive bike track space that did house the sport, I was surprised to find it was actually worse. 1/1000th of a second could be managed, but at f1.8 ISO 6400 only.
I can handle this in MFT, the lenses are the key. I can cover 18 to 150mm at f1.7/1.8 and ISO 6400 is ok as long as I expose well and nail my white balance.
It did prompt me to try the S5II with the 50mm f1.8 just to see, as I was using it for team photos as well.
The exposures were better, sharper, cleaner and colour better as well, but the camera did not fill me with confidence. Rolling shutter, banding, smearing in the view finder, nothing seeming to be as reactive as I was used to from my Olympus cams.
Most of the time the view finder was not keeping up with the focus (area with eye detect) and the shutter button, on single frame as I use the EM1x’s, was not responsive enough, especially for multiple fires.
It turned out though, most of the images were in focus.
I fiddled a little, using the burst mode on medium setting to overcome the shutter lag and tried single point focus, which fixed the lagging screen and felt more like the EM1x.
After a short while, it actually started to feel responsive, or maybe I adjusted, becasue when I went back to the EM1x with the 75mm, everything seemed to be moving slower in front of the lens, meaning, at the camera end it was quicker.
Responsive enough to get most of these, but the AF options were not as clean for a congested court.
So, would I use this regularly for sport?
No, I will use the EM1x’s, then EM Mk2’s and finally the G9II or this cam if needed, but only when shooting in light this gloomy. The EM1x’s can handle ISO 6400 as long as I expose well and I nail white balance, but it is their limit, ISO 3200 is more comfortable, so if I hit the f1.8, 1/800th at ISO 6400 threshold, or anything past that, then I can call on the S5II and 50 or 85mm (used the second night) to do the job.
Nice to have options.