I will never take a tripod on vacation again. Last year I brought a small, lightweight travel tripod to Japan but never once used it. This is because long exposure shooting on the OM System OM-1 is so easy. The camera features an incredible 7 stops of image stabilization, increasing to 8 stops with compatible lenses.
In this article, I’ll show you examples of long exposures I shot with the OM-1: I was able to smooth water, blur crowds, and create traffic streaks in photos—all while handheld. hand.
The development of my Ministry of Tourism
I’ve always traveled with two camera bodies since my filming days. In the 90s, I traveled with two Canon EOS 500N cameras, a long zoom, a short zoom, and a bag full of Kodak Elitechrome.
In recent years, I’ve traveled with many Fujifilm X Series cameras: every model from the X-T1 to the X-T5 and even the X-T10 and X-T20. I love telephoto lenses, but I have to admit that I get tired of carrying the Fujifilm 50-140mm f/2.8 on trips.
I started to like the idea of using a Micro Four Thirds camera, all thanks to the smaller lens.
My newest travel set
During my trip to Japan in November 2023, I brought it with me
I usually don’t like shooting just one camera body because I hate changing lenses on location, but I’m happy to say it went smoothly.
Using ND Filters at Kurobe Gorge
Let’s start with photos taken in northern Japan, near the city of Toyama. Kurobe Gorge is a remote location that is completely worth the journey. The beautiful narrow gauge railway with its bright orange carriages runs through the mountains and along the river. It’s especially beautiful in November when the fall leaves begin to turn orange and red. After an hour of noisy, windy ride, you have arrived at the final stop. Here you are greeted by stunning river views.
Use the built-in ND Filter on the OM-1
Before the trip, I had never tried using a handheld long exposure with the OM-1, so I was eager to start. Shooting during the day, the only way to get a shutter speed long enough to smooth out the water is to use the OM-1’s built-in ND filter. These are found in the calculations section of the camera’s menu.
I spent 45 minutes shooting the same scene, trying all 6 ND filters, from ND2 to ND64. I show all of those images in the video, but the bottom line is that with my slightly shaky hands, I got the best results at ND8 and ND16.
I shot the next two sets of photos in Tokyo in dimmer lighting conditions, so no ND filter was needed.
Traffic trail at Tokyo Tower
Even though I’ve taken thousands of photos of Japan, I’ve never captured the iconic Tokyo Tower. Modeled after the Eiffel Tower, it first opened in 1958 and is a symbol of Japan’s post-war recovery.
Arriving by Shinkansen from Toyama, the weather forecast for the next few days does not look good. I got to take pictures on my first afternoon in Tokyo. Using Google Maps, I headed south of the tower and ended up with a nice view along the busy six-lane road.
Luckily there is a small median between the lanes. I was able to sit in the middle, with one leg on either side of the metal railing. Even though I was standing, this helped my body feel more stable. I started by taking some close-up images of the tower from this vantage point with the 40-150mm f/4 lens before switching to a shorter zoom to photograph the traffic path.
Although this is not a very long exposure time, just a second or two, I would never have thought of taking a photo like this handheld before purchasing the OM-1.
As dusk gradually gives way to night, the colors of the sky become darker.
Iconic Shibuya Crossing
Shibuya Crossing (or Shibuya Scramble) is a place on the list of many tourists in Tokyo. I estimate at least 25% of passersby here are tourists!
It was a rainy afternoon and all the coveted vantage points were taken. I stood behind a bench surrounding a tree. This gave me a slightly elevated position. There’s a railroad bridge in both photos—I made sure I took the photo as the train passed by, creating a nice bokeh effect.
Final thoughts
I’m really impressed with the OM System OM-1 as a travel camera. It has great image quality and an IP53 weatherproof rating—but the real highlight is its excellent image stabilization.
I never before dreamed of taking long exposure photos like the ones in this article and in a handheld video camera. That means that for the kind of travel photography I do, I can leave the tripod at home permanently. While my best shots have been under 3 seconds, I’ve heard of people achieving amazing results with handheld exposures of 10 seconds or more.
The only downside with my current travel setup is that there is only one camera body. I don’t have the money to buy another M43 body yet but I will look into it in time. I’m planning a trip later this year and at this stage I think I’ll take the OM-1 twin lens kit along with my Ricoh GR3 again. Not only was I able to leave behind the tripod, but also the ND filter.
You used OM system OM-1 as a travel camera? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
