Import previews for OM-D E-M1 Mark II are not sharp?

[BobRockefeller]

When I import OM-D E-M1 Mark II files into Lightroom, the previews shown in the import dialog are not sharp - they're very fuzzy.

Once they are imported, they look fine. This does not happen with Capture One Pro.

Is this a known problem for Lightroom CC v2015.9?

[Per Berntsen · Accepted solution]

Since the raw files haven't been rendered yet, the previews you see in the import dialog are generated from a jpg preview which is embedded in the raw files. I tried enlarging the previews from my Nikon cameras, and they also become unsharp, which means that LR is generating quite small previews, while Capture One probably generates larger previews.

If you want to see an image larger and sharp in the Import dialog, press E, or click the little icon bottom left below the thumbnails.

This makes LR generate a larger preview.

[BobRockefeller]

That does help, but even at larger size, it's not as sharp as OM-D E-M1 Mark I files.

[Per Berntsen]

Personally, I have never even considered judging sharpness in the import dialog.

Even if you could view the image at 1:1 in the import dialog, it could well be misleading, because the sharpness of the embedded jpg will depend on what sharpening setting has been set in the camera. Sharpening, and most other in-camera settings has no effect on the raw files in Lightroom.

To get a true impression of image sharpness, I always view the image at 1:1 after importing.

[BobRockefeller]

Oh, I agree! It just seems odd that the Mark II import previews look so bad compared to the Mark I. Perhaps there will be a change on the next update.

[Per Berntsen]

It is possible that LR doesn't generate these previews, but simply uses whatever suitable previews that are embedded in the raw file. I think I've read somewhere that files from Nikon cameras contain three different sized previews. To make the import dialog populate quickly, it probably uses the smallest preview initially, and loads a larger preview for the loupe view.

It could be that Olympus has changed the preview sizes in the raw files from the Mark II, so my guess is that this is more likely to be an Olympus problem rather than a Lightroom problem.

[Per Berntsen]

If my assumptions in the previous post are correct, a possible explanation for the difference in quality between previews in Lightroom and Phase One could be that the two programs have different requirements for minimum pixel dimensions for the initial previews.

So it could be that Lightroom uses the smallest previews, whereas Phase One requires larger pixel dimensions, and uses the next larger preview.

[DdeGannes]

Lightroom by default will display the imbedded thumb preview placed by the camera in the raw file header after the initial import Lightroom will build its own preview which you can set in Lightroom preferences to match your monitor resolution when importing.

I do not even look at the files until they are rendered.

Get a cup off coffee!

I guess this can be a relatively long process if your are copying a relative large number of raw images e.g couple of thousand at a time. So if it takes say 3 seconds to build a preview (standard) then 1200 images would take 60 minutes. full sized previews?

My take on using Lightroom to render my raw files is that I have chosen to use the Adobe's Chefs recipe to apply to the raw data., in preference to the Camera Manufacturer's recipe, if not I would use Olympus Viewer software to process the raw files from my Oly OMD- EM-1 files.

To wit Olympus Viewer provides the exact rendition as the Camera firmware which by default can match the resolution obtained by Adobe. Lightroom just has lots of additional options for tweaking the results and sharing than the Camera software.

Just like cooking your dinner processing raw image files is about your "taste"!

[Todd Shaner]

BobRockefeller  wrote

Oh, I agree! It just seems odd that the Mark II import previews look so bad compared to the Mark I. Perhaps there will be a change on the next update.

Here's someone complaining about the exact same issue with the original Mark 1 OM-D EM-1.

The suggested solution was to shoot raw + Standard or less JPEG (not Fine). This also helps when reviewing raw images on the camera's LCD display.

Lousy embedded JPEGs in RAW files from OM-D E-M1 (and possibly also E-M5?): Micro Four Thirds Talk F...

[BobRockefeller]

Thanks for that. Maybe I need to go back and check my Mark I files - I may have a selective memory!