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This file was intended to become a generic version of how to set up my Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera. Currently it's nothing like that, and it may never make it.
On models with a viewfinder, set the focus to your eyes. This is the wheel next to the what Olympus calls “diopter adjustment dial”.
If the camera is used, start by resetting to default settings: camera menu 1, Reset all.
The menu layout is similar on all models, though newer ones subdivide the cog menus (A1, A2, etc, for example, where the older models have it all under A). For older models, ignore the number.
Set image quality settings (camera with shower) to raw.
Menu | Parameter | Setting | Purpose | |||
Shooting 1 | ||||||
Camera shower | stills raw | |||||
Movie FHD 25p | ||||||
A1 | AF mode S-AF+MF | |||||
! | AF Mode video | C-AF+TR | Focus follows subject | |||
! | AEL/AFL | S-AF mode 1 | ||||
! | C-AF mode 2 | |||||
MF mode 3 | ||||||
AEL/AFL button focuses | ||||||
Reset lens | off | |||||
MF assist | ||||||
magnify off | ||||||
peaking on | turning focus ring | |||||
MF assist | peaking on, magnify off | Use upper front button for magnify | ||||
! | C-AF lock | normal (0)? | ||||
MF clutch | off | |||||
B | Button functions | |||||
Fn1 | ISO | |||||
Fn2 | ||||||
! | REC | Rec | ||||
! | AEL/AFL | AEL/AFL | ||||
Top front | magnify | |||||
Bottom front | focus peaking toggle | |||||
Arrow pad | Direct function | |||||
Arrow right | ±EV | |||||
Arrow down | Multi-exposure (default?) | |||||
*** checked to here | ||||||
D2 | ||||||
Live View Boost | Manual: On2 | |||||
D3 | ||||||
Mode Guide | Off | Don't display texts when rotating mode dial | ||||
Grid settings/Displayed Grid | First grid choice | |||||
D4 | ||||||
USB Mode | Storage | |||||
E3 | ||||||
Metering | centre-weighted | |||||
AEL Metering | centre-weighted | |||||
H1 | ||||||
Card slot settings | ||||||
Save settings auto switch | ||||||
Save slot 1 | ||||||
File Name | Auto | |||||
I | ||||||
EVF stuyle 3 | ||||||
J1 | ||||||
Touchscreen off | ||||||
J2 | ||||||
Backlit LCD | 30 secs | |||||
Power off | 30 min | |||||
H | ||||||
Main display | AF target | central | ||||
Main menu | ||||||
Flash compensation | +1.0 EV | |||||
Flash | Fill-in | |||||
Meter Mode | Centre-weighted | |||||
Focus mode | S-AF+MF | |||||
ISO | 200 | |||||
Recording format | Raw | |||||
Since writing most of the stuff below, I've found this page with PDF and Microsoft “Excel” spreadsheet.
My new Olympus OM-D E-M1 must be the most complicated camera I have ever seen. To compensate for this, the instruction manual is almost completely useless. After nearly a year, I'm still working on understanding it, but here I'm accumulating of the things I've changed from the standard settings.
The E-M1 has two level displays, one showing lateral horizontal level, the other showing vertical level. My camera has a strange idea about the horizontal level. To change, select “Level Adjust” from Custom menu K. “Reset” sets the levels to what the camera thinks, which in my case is wrong. “Adjust” sets the level to whatever the current position of the camera is.
An electronic viewfinder has many advantages over a purely optical viewfinder. One is that when you take a photo, it is briefly displayed in the viewfinder, by default for 0.5 s. You can get rid of it sooner by half-pressing the shutter release.
But what happens when you're taking many photos of moving objects? It's really irritating. So, of course, you can turn it off (you can also set the display time to between 0.3 and 20 s). But how? Looking at the overview of the cog menus, it's clear that it belongs in menu D (“Disp/bang/PC):
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But no, it's not there. In the past I've spent lots of time looking for it. It's in the “spanner menu” at bottom left on this view:
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And the name is “Rec View”. No wonder I couldn't find it.
A number of the features of the camera are so badly documented as to be useless. Here are some I have found:
When [AF Mode] (P. 75) is set to [C-AF], the AF does not adjust to sudden changes in subject distance. Depending on the sensitivity selected, the time it takes for the AF to adjust will change.
This has little to do with the settings, which are “High”, “Normal”, “Low” and “Off”. My guess is that “High” means “respond quickly” and “Low” means “respond slowly”.
Since firmware revision 2.0, navigating the setup menus produces irritating popups:
To get rid of them, press the Info button (that's what the strange X INFO in bottom centre is trying to tell you):
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There's a similar situation with the mode wheels. You can disable that with the menu D “Mode Guide” settings.
Custom menu H: “File Name”. The only documentation says:
File Name [Auto]: Even when a new card is inserted, the file numbers are retained from the previous card. File numbering continues from the last number used or from the highest number available on the card. [Reset]: When you insert a new card, the folder numbers starts at 100 and the file name starts at 0001. If a card containing images is inserted, the file numbers start at the number following the highest file number on the card.
But that doesn't match my experience: when set to “Reset”, the file number goes back to 0 every day. “Auto” seems to be the way to go. It doesn't seem to work the first time round, so you're stuck with a discontinuity.
Custom menu H: I once set my name in copyright settings. Note that the emetic ABC keyboard doesn't respond to touch. You position on the characters with the arrow keys, select the letter with OK, and finish by moving to END. When firmware 2.0 overwrote the information, I couldn't be bothered to re-enter it.
The camera can store 4 different sets of settings, which it calls “Myset”. This is up from the 2 that the E-30 has. On the down side, it's much more difficult to access them. On the E-30 you press two buttons (±EV and ISO) and then select the mode with a wheel. On the E-M1 you have to select menu, right arrow to Shooting Menu 1, down to “Myset”, right arrow, down arrow to the mode you want, press OK, up arrow to answer "Yes”, then OK again, then Menu. Maybe there's a faster way, but it's not documented. Here's how I've set each of the four settings:
Most, probably all, of the settings below can be set from the configuration menus. Press the MENU button to get this display:
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This is half-documented in the manual (version 2) starting at page 77. You can get rid of the irritating “help” text by pressing the INFO button. This doesn't seem to be documented anywhere.
Most of the functions are in what Olympus calls “custom” menus. You access them via the icon (press the down arrow 3 times to get there). Then you see this display:
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The tiny letters to the left of the texts are the letters I refer to below.
I'm still trying this out, and some of the stuff below may be contradictory. A ! at the beginning of the line means that this is the default setting (or was for firmware versions 3.0).
These are settings for normal photos. They keep getting reset when new firmware updates come in. The sequence is designed to make it easier. In particular, how do you disable this silly popup text that obscures the menus? It's not documented in the “manual”.
Menu | Parameter | Setting | Purpose | |||
Main display | AF target | central | ||||
Main menu | ||||||
Flash compensation | +1.0 EV | |||||
Flash | Fill-in | |||||
Meter Mode | Centre-weighted | |||||
Focus mode | S-AF+MF | |||||
ISO | 200 | |||||
Recording format | Raw | |||||
A | ||||||
! | AF Mode video | C-AF | Focus follows subject | |||
! | AEL/AFL | S-AF mode 1 | ||||
! | C-AF mode 2 | |||||
MF mode 3 | AEL/AFL button focuses | |||||
MF assist | peaking on, magnify off | Use upper front button for magnify | ||||
! | C-AF lock | normal | ||||
B | Button functions | |||||
! | Fn1 | AF ara select | ||||
! | Fn2 | Multi-function | ||||
! | REC | Rec | ||||
! | AEL/AFL | AEL/AFL | ||||
Top front | magnify | |||||
Bottom front | focus peaking toggle | |||||
Arrow pad | Direct function | |||||
Arrow right | ±EV | |||||
Arrow down | Multi-exposure | |||||
D | Displayed Grid | First grid choice | ||||
Mode Guide | Off | Don't display texts when rotating mode dial | ||||
USB Mode | Storage | |||||
Backlit LCD | 30 secs | |||||
Power off | 30 min | |||||
Live View Boost | Manual: On2 | |||||
H | File Name | Auto | ||||
Settings for non-HDR panoramas. Start with the Myset 1, and change:
Menu | Parameter | Setting | Purpose | |||
IS off | ||||||
A | AF Mode still | MF | Manual focus, focus with AEL/AFL | |||
C | Image stabilization | off | ||||
B | Fn2 | Myset 3 | Move to next Myset | |||
? | Aperture | f/8 |
Settings for HDR panoramas. Start with the Myset 2, and change:
Menu | Parameter | Setting | Purpose | |||
B | Fn2 | Myset 4 | Move to next Myset | |||
C | Image stabilization | off | ||||
Button | HDR | 3F/3.0 EV | ||||
Button | EV | +1.3 EV | Together, expose -1.7 EV, +1.3 EV, +4.3 EV | |||
? | Aperture | f/8 | ||||
Peaking Settings for manual exposures with flash. Start with Myset 1, and change:
Menu | Parameter | Setting | Purpose | |||
C | Image stabilization | off | ||||
D | Live view boost | On | Don't darken viewfinder | |||
? | Aperture | f/22 |
Greg's home page | Greg's diary | Greg's photos | Greg's links | Copyright information |
$Id: E-MFT-settings.php,v 1.2 2024/05/30 02:43:50 grog Exp $ |