More on the OM-1

[DanK]

The OM-1 II has two hi-res modes that take multiple shots with minute movements of the sensor to increase resolution. This also reduces noise because of the compositing of multiple shots. It produces 50 MPX hand-held and 80 MPX on a tripod.

Today I finally tried out the handheld mode, in a low light setting that would require a high ISO. I took a close-up of old oak doors (circa 1866) in my house that we plan to restore when warm weather arrives. I shot it at 1/30 (that is, multiple images at 1/30), f/4 (hence the blur bottom center and some other places), and ISO 6400. The IS is as good as you can get, which is why this works. I did no editing other than correcting WB and adding a little texture so that detail is easier to see. I shot raw and did no noise reduction.

I'm getting closer and closer to selling my Canon gear.

[Manfred M]

It looks like Olympus is taking a page out of the way that iPhones and Android phones handle challenging lighting conditions and blend multiple exposures to create low noise output, i.e. using computational photography.

Based on what I see in this image, the technique works well.

[Chataignier]

Good luck with getting those screws out when you come to restore. Old steel in oak and worn slots - rather you than me !

[DanK]

It looks like Olympus is taking a page out of the way that iPhones and Android phones handle challenging lighting conditions and blend multiple exposures to create low noise output, i.e. using computational photography.

Based on what I see in this image, the technique works well.

This isn't primarily a technique for reducing noise. That's a nice byproduct of combining images, since most of the noise is random. This function is designed to provide increased resolution when shooting static subjects. the test image I posted isn't the best example, as I took it at a working distance of about 3 inches (7.5 cm), which is a big challenge for IS, even IS as good as the OM-1's.

In some sense, this is the opposite of what high-end phones do. They decrease resolution by binning pixels, which presumably also reduces noise. This is a technique for increasing resolution.

You can get noise reduction without moving the sensor, simply by averaging multiple exposures. AFAIK, the OM cameras don't offer that specifically. The blending or averaging is all in service of some other primary function, like the ersatz ND filter (which works well), focus stacking, hi-res, etc.

[DanK]

Good luck with getting those screws out when you come to restore. Old steel in oak and worn slots - rather you than me !

Yup. That's one of many reasons I'm handing the task to a friend who is an expert carpenter.

[DanK]

PS: I Looked online to see what other companies have used pixel shifting as a way to increase the resolution of captures. I can't vouch for any of this, but what I found online was a long list other than OM: Hasselblad, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic, and Pentax.

The computational ND filter is also used by Phase One in their IQ4 digital backs (called frame averaging).