Birds in Flight using Pro Capture on the Olympus EM1X

Birds in Flight using Pro Capture on the Olympus EM1X 

A few days ago I visited Lakenheath RSPB reserve. I wanted to try out my Olympus EM1X on birds in flight using Olympus`s Pro Capture Mode. . I had tried `Pro Capture` mode before on a previous occasion, but not really given it any serious testing until this visit. Photography the small birds from the photographers screen at Lakenheath ( near the visitors centre), would give me a good range of birds to work on.

 Both the EM1X and the EM1 MkII have the Pro Capture facility, either as `Pro Capture Low` or Pro Capture High`. Using Pro Cap Low, the motordrive `burst` is 30 fps, ( frames per second) and you can use the cameras autofocus system. Using Pro Capture High the motordrive is 60 fps, but you have to focus manually, because the autofocus system will not work in this mode.

Olympus introduced Pro Capture modes on the EM1 MkII model, but it is also on the EM1X. For bird (or action photography) , it makes it easier to capture moments of action that last for just a split second.

In Pro Capture mode, the camera uses its electronic shutter to enable shooting at up to 60fps . Images start recording the moment that the shutter release is half pressed. Although images are being recorded as the shutter is half pressed, the camera only writes images to the card once the shutter release is pressed fully. If the button is fully pressed and released, the 14 frames recorded before the button was fully pressed are recorded to the card,  along with 25 frames recorded afterwards also being written to the card. This means you would have 39 images in total.

For bird photography, this facility has huge advantages. Here is an example : You are in a hide and want to photograph a bird flying away from a pre baited post. You are focused on the post and the bird lands on the post. Using a conventional DSLR, you lock on to the focus, and wait with your finger on the shutter button for the bird to fly. When it flies from the post, the brief delay in time between your brain relaying signals to your finger to press the shutter means that the bird is usually either partly (or totally) out the frame ! With Pro Capture, it has stored the 14 frames previously to you pressing the shutter button, so you have the bird in flight !  

This shot was taken using Pro Capture High. The bird was hovering over the water picking up seeds that had dropped from a seed feeder above. I knew roughly where the bird was going to hover, so I could pre focus manually and wait for the bird to move. 

The following three shots were taken using Pro Capture Low. The Female Reed Bunting was on the reed stem and I locked the focus onto the bird and `half pressed` the shutter button to activate Pro Cap Low. As soon as it flew I fully pressed the shutter button and the focus stayed with the bird as it flew away. 

 Another example of using Pro Capture Low.