Events like this is where I need a real camera, and compounding fact of tough lighting and not the right location is the fact, that we usually don’t go early enough to sit in ideal location (Not the front row, but 4-5 rows from the front). As usual we ended up seated further back. This is when I felt most of my other cameras fell short, and iPhone camera’s are unusable.  But I am very impressed with the results I got from E-m5 ii camera-lens combo.

1. Combo Size
2. Fully Articulating Screen
3. High ISO, still good enough for later adjustments in uneven lighting
4. Settings Used

Camera-Lens Combo Size

Though the camera is bigger, the combo size with 35-100 f/2.8 is much smaller compared to the equivalent FF or APS-C combo. Though Sony has small camera size the lenses are almost as big as equivalent Nikon or Canon Lens. So just easily take camera and lens in the strap, and no need for big camera bag. The huge advantage is the ability to do single handed shoot.

Fully Articulating Screen

I initially missed the simple tillable screen of E-m5, but places like this iswhere  I see the full advantage of articulating screen, since I was sitting in the middle, I couldn’t stand up to remove the audience in the front. So just can raise the camera slightly  above other peoples heads, tilt the screen and could take shots easily.

High ISO, still good enough for later adjustments

The stage though well lit, didn’t have uniform lighting, there’s nearly 2-stop difference based on where the people stand. Based in the over exp/under exp. warning in the LCD screen I was able to adjust the exposure compensation

Settings Used (Manual with Auto ISO)

Aperture : f/2.8 to f/4

Since the lighting was low, and I as far enough, so every subject that is covered in the lens was in focus. Increased to f/4 when covering the whole stage.

Shutter Speed : 1/125 sec to 1/60 sec

Since people were always moving, kept at 1/125s but varied to 1/60 sec when there are set poses in the end.

Exposure Compensation: +1 stop to -1stop

Varied based on the feedback from the camera. If the faces appeared too bright or overflown when they are directly under the light, lowered the compensation, but other way around when they moved to the shadow areas.

ISO : Auto, Varied from 500 to 6400

This is the feature I really missed in E-M5, I didn’t care about the ISO as I was bound by two other constraints. I got ISO good enough to do later adjustments on exposure.

Few sample section from the screen, considering the how far back I was, I saw lot more details in the pictures then in person.