Properly accessorized, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 is a great camera for street photography, travel, sports and action, and sports photography. Here’s our suggestions to your best shots with this camera.
Take our Guided Tour to learn more about the Olympus OM-D E-M10.
Travel Photography
One of the advantages of Micro Four Thirds is that the lenses are small and light, so you can carry an extensive focal range. Supplement the 14-42mm kit lens with the Olympus 75-300mm for long-range (150-700mm 35mm equivalent) zooming, and and the Olympus 9-18mm wide-angle (18-36mm, 35mm equivalent). This gives you a powerful 8-300mm focal range, which will cover nearly anything you come across.
Also consider bringing a monopod such as the Manfrotto 682B Self-Standing Monopod. Lighter than a tripod and easier to take with you, it will give you extra stability when the light is low or when you’re shooting at full telephoto extension.
Finally, the built-in flash may be fine when your subject is less than ten feet away, but you may need more power than that. The Olympus FL-300R more than doubles the light output, so you have more flexibility when the light is low.
Street Photography
Funky version: Try an Olympus 9mm f/8 fisheye body cap lens. It is flat as a pancake, unobtrusive, and cheap. You may not get tack-sharp focus, but it has a valuable manual focusing tab and is great for experimenting while giving you a super-wide 18mm (equivalent) angle of view. For more serious street shooting, the Olympus Zuiko 12mm f/2, which has been around since the early days of the Olympus Digital Pens, is the gold standard for Micro Four Thirds street photography. It covers the 35mm equivalent angle of view of a 24mm lens, has a manual focusing scale and offers outstanding optics.
Sports/Action Photography
Since you’ll need to get close to the action, a long zoom lens is a good idea for sports photography. The Olympus 75-300mm (150-700mm 35mm equivalent) is perfect for this; the Olympus 40-150mm f/4-5.6 is a more affordable alternative. Remember: Double the focal length to get the 35mm equivalent. With these two lenses, you’ll cover the 35 equivalent of 70-600mm, which should be enough to play in the big leagues.
A monopod such as the Manfrotto 682B Self-Standing Monopod will help when you’re shooting at 150-300mm. It’s lighter than a tripod and easier to take with you, it will give you extra stability when the light is low or when you’re shooting at full telephoto extension.
Portrait Photography
One of the lens features that helps a portrait stand apart from a snapshot is control over depth of field. At f/1.8, the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 lens is designed as a portrait lens and is optically optimized for portrait photography.
Bring it into the studio with a coupleof Olympus FL-600R wireless flashes , a pair of light stands and shoe mount adapters , plus a couple of shoot-through umbrellas to soften the light, and you’re ready for your subjects’ close-ups.
Stuff you should just have for all kinds of photography
Be sure to conduct maintenance on your camera. If you switch lenses fairly often, a good sensor cleaner is important. Here’s how to clean your sensor. For your lens, be sure to have a lens cloth handy, and protect the front element with a UV filter. Have at least 2-3 SD cards—Class 10 transfer speed is preferable—and a spare battery.
