When it comes to the micro four-thirds system, one of the biggest complaints I hear is that you’re limited by the sensor. And while you can certainly make that argument, for me it’s more about my needs and usage. But for the times when you do need a larger photograph, both Olympus and Panasonic now offer high-resolution shooting modes in their top-of-the-line cameras, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 MkII, E-M5 MkII and the Lumix DC-G9, which create an 80-megapixel photo.
How it Works
Both cameras work the same way in terms of how high-resolution photos are created. For RAW images, they create a series of eight frames that are shifted by half-pixel increments each time. They then bring the eight frames together to create a final image. This works the same with Panasonic’s JPEG images, but the Olympus creates a 50MP final image instead of 80MP.
Because you’re shifting with each frame, this can create a type of movement in your photograph — meaning, it’s not ideal for people shots. But if you’re shooting landscapes or something that doesn’t move, it’s a great solution. Furthermore, this also means that you really need a tripod when shooting.
For both cameras, you’re limited to a maximum ISO of 1600 and minimum aperture of f/8. But there’s one big difference when it comes to shutter speed — the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II lets you use any shutter speed as slow as 60 seconds, while the Panasonic Lumix G9 limits you to one second or faster.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
With the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, there are two options in terms of high-resolution images. If you shoot JPEG, you can shoot a 50MP photograph, whereas with RAW you can shoot an 80MP photograph. High Res Shot is also available on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, providing a 64MP RAW or 40MP JPEG file.
To get started, go to the Custom Menu (signified by a gear icon). From there, scroll down to the D1 menu. In this screen, you’ll see five options. The fourth option is what you want to select. This gives you the ability to add different shooting modes directly to your Super Control Panel.
At the very end of this menu, you’ll see an icon with two overlapping squares and several dots. Make sure this is checked, and then exit out of the menu completely. This will make it so that you can easily change to High Res Shot in the future, without having to go through the above steps.
If you want to add options like a shutter delay to your high-resolution photos, go to the Camera Settings 2 menu and click on High Res Mode.
From there, open your Super Control Panel. This can be done by hitting the Display button to the left of your viewfinder. Then click OK to edit the settings in the panel.
You’ll see a bunch of options in this panel, but the one you want to change is the shooting mode, right in the middle, below the focus selection point. You’ll be able to change this to the icon you added earlier (located at the end), which will read as High Res Shot once selected.
Out of the box, this will record as a Fine JPEG, which will give you a 50MP image. To record an 80MP RAW image, change card slot 1 (and 2, if you’d like) to select 50M SF+RAW. This will add a RAW recording of the High Res Shot in addition to a Super Fine JPEG image. Alternatively, you can use the same method to record a smaller, 25MP JPEG image or a 25MP JPEG image in addition to a RAW image.
Panasonic Lumix G9
To get started with High Resolution Mode on the Panasonic Lumix G9, go to the Camera Record Settings menu, signified by a red camera icon.
In the fourth section of the Camera Record Settings menu, you’ll find High Resolution Mode. Click that and then customize it to your liking. You can add things like a shutter delay and also record a normal, 20MP image while producing your high-resolution photograph. You can also change the JPEG size to 40MP, in case you want something in-between.
When you’re ready, hit Start.
You can also assign High Resolution Mode to an Fn button on your G9 camera, making it easy to turn on High Resolution Mode without having to dig through the menu system.
Conclusion
With both the Olympus E-M1 Mark II and Lumix G9 providing standard 20MP images, having a high-resolution option is certainly beneficial for when you want to print large images. And while it’s not perfect for every situation, for landscapes, nature and even food, high-resolution shooting is a great option to produce the sharpest image possible.
Just don’t forget that tripod!
Nice article Bryan. One part to add to this, at least with Olympus, if you plan to use flash you are limited to 1/50sec or slower since that is the limit on the electronic shutter sync speed. Olympus and likely Pansonic can put delays between the shots to give the flash time to recharge. The biggest issue with 1/50sec is if you need to overpower ambient light, that can be tricky, particularly with the f/8 limitation. If you need to do it, you can use Neutral Density (ND) filters to cut the ambient light, provided your flash has enough power.
Thanks for mentioning that, Robert!
I am considering purchase of the Lumix. I am most curious…how does the shutter delay work on the Lumix DC-G9? Does that mean you can put time in between each of the 8 exposures which are used to create one high res image? If so, what is the range of time available? What is the longest exposure for a high res image? When the exposures are made, is there an audible click or other sound?
The shutter delay that Robert mentions above I believe is only for Olympus cameras. I’m not finding any mention of it for the Panasonic G9. The shutter delay in the G9 menu is specifically for the start of the image capture, not a delay between shots. This helps to avoid camera shake. For the Olympus, there is no limit on exposure time. For the G9, it’s limited to 1 second. There is no noise or click that is made when the exposures are made, as it relies on the electronic shutter instead, which is silent. This is done to prevent… Read more »
Nice article Bryan. One part to add to this, at least with Olympus, if you plan to use flash you are limited to 1/50sec or slower since that is the limit on the electronic shutter sync speed. Olympus and likely Pansonic can put delays between the shots to give the flash time to recharge. The biggest issue with 1/50sec is if you need to overpower ambient light, that can be tricky, particularly with the f/8 limitation. If you need to do it, you can use Neutral Density (ND) filters to cut the ambient light, provided your flash has enough power.
I am considering purchase of the Lumix. I am most curious…how does the shutter delay work on the Lumix DC-G9? Does that mean you can put time in between each of the 8 exposures which are used to create one high res image? If so, what is the range of time available? What is the longest exposure for a high res image? When the exposures are made, is there an audible click or other sound?