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1. Later as you progress through the book we ll look at all the buttons switches dials and menu settings in detail You will be able to fully master the operation of your Olympus OM D E M1 This book is a super user s manual that goes way beyond the small manual that comes with the camera It covers not only how a certain function works like the basic manual but also when it is best to use certain features and why the features are best configured in particular ways You will find a Settings Recommendation feature at the end of most sections in which I offer suggestions for the best use of the various setting choices for different styles of photography 6 Chapter 1 Camera Setup and Control Reference There is an individual chapter for all the visual display touch screens and for each menu system in the camera giving you a detailed examination of virtually every aspect of the camera s control systems Because the E M1 is a camera made primarily for advanced and professional users this book assumes you have knowledge of basic things like depth of field lens focal length and angle of view and how the aperture shutter speed and ISO sensitivity con trol exposure If you need to brush up on these subjects you can find a lot of helpful information in my book Beyond Point and Shoot It assumes absolutely no previous knowledge of pho tography and covers the basics for new users of MILC and DSLR cameras You can find out more about Beyon2. cameras The Custom Menu is composed of over 100 items that you can use to customize how your camera works If the Custom Menu does not show up in the list of menus when you take your new E M1 out of the box you will have to enable the menu so you can use it to adjust the camera s Custom functions Enable the Custom Menu System 9 Figure 1 6A Enabling the Custom Menu If you press the Menu button and can count five menu icons on the left side of the screen including one icon that looks like a couple of small gears your camera s Custom Menu is already enabled If you see only four menus on the left use the following steps to enable the very important Custom Menu system 1 Scroll down to the Setup Menu the fourth menu on the left figure 1 6A image 1 The Setup Menu has a wrench icon Highlight it and scroll to the right 2 Scroll down with the down Arrow pad and highlight Menu Display on the Setup Menu then scroll to the right figure 1 6A image 2 3 Choose the first Menu Display selection the one with the small gears icon on the left and then scroll to the right with the Arrow pad figure 1 6A image 3 4 Press up or down until On appears in the up down menu figure 1 6A image 4 5 Press the OK button to Set the Custom Menu to active so that it will be displayed on the menu system Note The second menu selection shown in figure 1 6 image 3 will not be enabled by the majority of E M1 owners It is for a
3. in this book Here are the most critical functions for immediate configuration Date and Time Page 454 Language Page 456 ISO Page 366 370 Metering mode Page 45 White balance mode Page 396 Color Space Page 407 Picture Mode Page 136 Super Fine SF JPEG mode Page 393 Still Picture image format Page 175 Autofocus mode Page 274 Manual focus assist modes Page 285 Image Stabilizer Page 198 Face Priority for autofocus Page 291 Autofocus illuminator light Page 290 Frames per second speed Page 194 High ISO Noise Filtration Page 365 Long Exposure Noise Reduction Page 363 Beep sound Page 359 Image review timeout Page 458 Image display rotation Page 238 Grid display Page 431 Low battery warning level Page 445 Touch Screen activation deactivation Page 447 Playback screen types image review Page 334 Live View screen types Page 338 Camera Control Reference 11 Copyright and Artist Name for image metadata Page 419 Image file naming system Page 414 Eye detection sensor Page 432 Button function configuration takes some time Page 296 Connection to your smart phone or tablet Page 459 Now that you have configured your camera s initial functions let s examine the various buttons dials and switches on the camera and briefly discuss the functionality of each one Camera Control Reference Th
4. mostly obsolete Peanut image storage and transfer device that was in use some years ago for Olympus cameras Unless you own the Peanut device please ignore the second Menu Display setting When the Custom Menu is fully enabled it will become the fourth selection down on the left side of the menu system screen figure 1 6B red arrow The Setup Menu wrench icon will become the fifth selection Figure 1 6B The Custom Menu gears icon 10 Chapter 1 Camera Setup and Control Reference Initial Camera Configuration When you first acquire a new or used E M1 camera you will want to configure or at least check the camera s date time and location along with several other functions that all new camera users should set up according to their needs This section lists the most im portant camera settings for immediate configuration This section is not comprehensive because there are literally hundreds of settings you can customize and configure on the E M1 camera However let me suggest some of the more important settings you may want to consider configuring before shooting for the first time Instead of repeating material found elsewhere in the book I ve listed the menu setting and the page number where you can find deeper information about that function Place a bookmark here until you have examined and configured these basic functions After ward you can use the camera for active picture taking while you are studying its many features
5. 1 Camera Setup and Control Reference Image Darrell Young 3 Congratulations You ve purchased or are about to purchase Olympus s professional level mirrorless interchangeable lens Micro Four Thirds format camera the OM D E M1 While no professional digital camera is inexpensive the E M1 provides passionate photographers with a camera that has excellent resolution an interactive electronic view finder easy to use physical controls and deep custom menu configurability all at an attractive price The E M1 s strong magnesium alloy body is also weather sealed dust sealed and freeze proof It should remain a reliable camera for years of faithful service Figure 1 1 Olympus OM D E M1 front view The small size of the camera allows great portability for a full photography system The entire system including lenses a battery pack a flash unit and accessories can be contained in a small camera bag allowing you to carry a full range of equipment without wearing yourself out The 16 3 megapixel imaging sensor interactive electronic viewfinder tilting and touch live view display screen 10 frames per second shooting rate 5 axis image stabilization contrast and phase detection autofocus and Digital ESP metering system allow you to take complete creative control of the scene in front of your lens 4 Chapter 1 Camera Setup and Control Reference Figure 1 2 Olympus OM D E M1 back view The E M1 is one of the most
6. UTO point and shoot camera or a fully manual M user controlled camera or various modes in between In addition to Camera Control Reference 15 the normal P S A and M exposure modes the Mode Dial offers various specialty modes including ART mode exotic filters SCN mode scene modes for inexperienced photog raphers Photo Story mode multi image assembly and Movie mode video recording Some of the modes on the Mode Dial can be programmed to a degree with the Dial Func tion of the Custom Menu as described on page 301 However the Mode Dial itself is not programmable Rear Dial The Rear Dial changes the shutter speed setting when the camera is set to Manual M mode on the Mode Dial In other modes it is used to set the current controllable setting For instance when you use Aperture priority A mode on the Mode Dial you will use the Rear Dial to set the aperture When you use Shutter priority S mode on the Mode Dial you will use the Rear Dial to set the shutter speed When you are examining an image on the monitor you can use the Rear Dial to advance to the next image or go back to the previous image The Rear Dial can also be used as a substitute for the Arrow pad buttons when moving in and out of functions in the camera s menus The Rear Dial has a measure of programmability as described on page 310 under the Custom Menu s Dial Function You can change which dial Front or Rear does what and which direction you tu
7. accept tasks listed in the Appendix You can find instructions for how to assign a task to the Fn2 button on page 298 Its factory default task is Multi Function which lets you choose from one of four specialized functions Highlight amp Shadow Control Color Cre ator Magnify and Image Aspect by holding the button and rotating the Rear Dial Info button The Info button is used to enable or disable the menu help sys tem It is also used to scroll through and select various screen overlays for Live View or EVF shooting e g Live Histogram Level Throughout this book you will find that the Info button is used to choose various individual items within groups of items This is not a programmable button Lens release button This non programmable button has one function re leasing the lens lock so that you can change lenses To remove a lens press and hold the Lens release button while turning the lens in a counter clock wise direction until it stops Then pull the lens straight out of the body To mount a differ ent lens do not press the Lens release button Insert the new lens by matching the orange dot on the top of the lens with the orange dot on the left side of the camera s lens mount Turn the lens in a clockwise direction without forcing it until it clicks It should turn very easily The camera and lens is then ready to use LV button The LV button was discussed in a previous section of this chapter titled Super Control Pan
8. configurable cameras ever created The deep menu system allows for custom configuration making the E M1 an ideal camera for photographers who want absolute control over every aspect of their photography On the other hand the camera offers fully automatic modes that allow a new photographer to create out standing images without excessive camera setup You can start with the E M1 as a new photographer and grow into the camera gradually learning about custom features and relying less on automatic features over time Or as an experienced photographer you can take immediate control of every aspect of digital photography with full camera coopera tion and assistance This book will explore your incredibly feature rich camera in great detail using every day language We will cover virtually every button dial switch and menu setting giving you how when and why information so that you can become a master of your new pow erful imaging instrument Your passion for excellent photography can be fully expressed with your E M1 Let s take control of it How to Use This Book 5 Figure 1 3 Olympus OM D E M1 with M Zuiko ED 12 40mm f 2 8 PRO lens How to Use This Book The upcoming sections and chapters are best read with your camera in hand ready for configuration There are literally hundreds of things to configure on this advanced mir rorless interchangeable lens compact MILC camera This chapter will give new E M1 users a place to start
9. d Point and Shoot at my website http www PictureAndPen com BeyondPS I sincerely hope this book is useful to you and greatly expands your understanding of your new Olympus OM D E M1 camera Charge the Battery When you first open the box that contains your new E M1 you should charge the camera s battery The battery may have enough life in it for an hour or two of use so it may not be critical to charge it immediately However for extended configuration and use it is best to have a fully charged battery in the camera Super Control Panel or Live View Screen When you turn your new camera on the first screen that appears on the rear monitor is the Super Control Panel figure 1 4 image 1 This panel allows you to control things like the shutter speed aperture ISO autofocus and several other key camera functions It is a very convenient screen and we will consider it in detail in the chapter Screen Displays for Camera Control When the Super Control Panel is displayed on the monitor you will need to use the electronic viewfinder EVF to compose your pictures If you want to use the Live View screen figure 1 4 image 3 to compose your pictures instead of the EVF you will need to press the LV button figure 1 4 image 2 My camera s Live View screen is displaying my current subject a battery and some Lego blocks in my light tent The LV button toggles between the Super Control Panel and the Live View screen as shown in fig
10. e im age display time which could interfere with using the EVF for follow up shots the just taken image will display in the EVF you will use the Playback button often to examine your images and videos 14 Chapter 1 Camera Setup and Control Reference Preview button The Preview button is fully programmable and can accept tasks listed in the Appendix You can find instructions for how to assign a task to the Preview button on page 301 Its factory default task is Preview which lets you see the depth of field for the current aperture setting as you look at the EVF or Live View screen Shutter button The Shutter button is primarily used to release the camera s shutter to take a picture full press It is also used to initiate autofocus half press The autofocus function can be relegated to the AEL AFL button in stead of the Shutter button for back button focusing as described on page 282 Sequential shooting Self timer HDR button This button allows you to control the camera s high dynamic range HDR system along with the Se quential shooting frames per second rate fps and self timer Press the but ton and turn the Front Dial to control the HDR system Press the button and turn the Rear Dial to control the Sequential shooting fps rate or to select the self timer There is a limited amount of programmability for these two buttons tied in with the Lever functions in the Custom Menu as described on page 319 Next let s c
11. eased This update increased the camera s Sequential L Low burst shooting rate from 6 5 fps to 9 fps with autofocus AF and potentially more efficient subject tracking Sequential H High fires the shutter at 10 fps with no AF use S AF mode and with firmware update 3 0 Sequential L shoots at 9 fps with AF use C AF mode See page 194 for more information on Sequential H and L burst shooting modes and page 274 for information on S AF and C AF modes Figure 1 5 Checking your E M1 s firmware version 8 Chapter 1 Camera Setup and Control Reference Please use the following steps to check your camera s firmware version 1 Press the Menu button and scroll down to the Setup Menu figure 1 5 image 1 the icon that looks like a wrench on the left side of the screen You will see the menu name at the top of the screen Now scroll to the right with the Arrow pad the buttons surround ing the OK button on the back of the camera 2 Select Firmware from the Setup Menu and scroll to the right figure 1 5 image 2 3 Notice the firmware version listed next to Body Figure 1 5 image 3 shows firmware 2 2 red arrow This book is not concerned with the Lens firmware version just the Body version If your camera does not have Body firmware 2 0 or greater installed it is important that you update your camera s firmware before proceeding This book is based on firmware 3 0 If your camera is running an earlier version of the f
12. el or Live View Screen on page 6 The button is used to toggle between the Super Control Panel and the Live View screen on the rear monitor It is also used to access the Flash Remote Control panel for wirelessly controlling multiple external flash units when Shooting Menu 2 gt Flash RC Mode is set to On as described on page 222 This is not a programmable button Camera Control Reference 13 Menu button The Menu button is primarily used to access the menu systems e g Shooting Menu 1 Setup Menu Custom Menu Press the Menu button when the rear monitor is active and the Menu system will open Scroll up or down with the Arrow pad buttons to select one of the camera s menus and then scroll to the right to access that menu The Menu button is often used to cancel actions and to return to the main menu from within a function This is not a programmable button Mode dial lock button This button is used for one thing only to lock the Mode dial so that it cannot accidentally be moved from the current Mode dial setting e g P S A M It works like the button on a retractable ball point pen Press it once to lock the Mode dial and press it again to unlock the Mode dial This is not a programmable button Movie button The Movie button is fully programmable and can accept tasks listed in the Appendix You can find instructions for how to assign a task to the Movie button on page 299 Its factory default task is REC which is used to sta
13. irmware some of the screens menu choices and functions discussed in this book will not be available Because earlier versions of Body firmware are a subset of firmware 2 0 this book will cover all the features found in your camera for earlier firmware versions However you will see features mentioned in this book that your camera does not currently offer Upgrading the firmware is an automated process and requires little knowledge on your part You can download the free Olympus Digital Camera Update software at this website http www olympusamerica com cpg_section cpg_downloads_updater asp To load the firmware update software provided by Olympus onto your camera plug the camera into your computer with the included USB cable select Storage from the cam era menu and follow the instructions found on your computer screen Please make sure that the battery in your camera is fully charged before starting the firmware update and do not disconnect the USB cable or turn off your camera during the firmware update or it may become inoperable Since the October 2014 firmware 2 0 update release there have been three more updates At the time of this book going to press the camera has had two bug fix updates and the Sequential L update 9 fps vs 6 5 fps with active AF My E M1 is currently running firmware version 3 0 for the camera body Enable the Custom Menu System The camera includes a Custom Menu that initially is not displayed on many E M1
14. is camera control reference is designed to help you locate and understand the purpose of each of the buttons dials and levers on the camera Many if not most of the buttons on the camera can be configured to offer alternate functionality In fact the E M1 is the most configurable camera I have used in over 40 years of photography You can truly customize this camera to work the way you prefer for both external controls and internal functions If you have a problem locating one of these buttons please refer to the External Control Location section in the beginning of this book Let s examine each of the external camera controls in alphabetical order We will exam ine each of the internal functions in later chapters Buttons AEL AFL button The AEL AFL button is fully programmable and can accept tasks listed in the Appendix You can find instructions for how to assign a task to the AEL AFL button on page 299 Its factory default task is AEL AFL which locks autoexposure AEL and autofocus AFL when you press the button and unlocks it when you press it again AF Metering mode button This button allows you to control the type of light meter and autofocus the camera will use Press the button and turn the Front Dial to control the metering type Press the button and turn the Rear Dial to control the autofocus modes There is a limited amount of programmability for these two buttons tied in with the Lever functions in the Custom Menu as de
15. onsider each of the cameras four dials and what they do Dials Diopter adjustment dial The Diopter adjustment dial changes the optical power of a lens that s located in front of the camera s EVF so that you do not strain your eye when you are looking into the viewfinder It works sort of like a pair of glasses to bring the image you see on the EVF into sharper focus for your eye however it does not correct for astigmatism If you look into the EVF and feel eyestrain or get a headache after using it you should adjust the Diopter adjustment dial until the view is comfortable for you You may have to use a different diopter setting for each eye Front Dial The Front Dial changes the aperture setting when the camera is set to Manual M mode on the Mode Dial In other modes it is usually used to set Exposure compensation You can also use the Front Dial to zoom in and out of images displayed on the rear monitor The Front Dial is sometimes used to select a single item from a list of items such as subfunctions in the camera s menus The Front Dial has a measure of programmability as described on page 309 under the Custom Menu s Dial Function You can change which dial Front or Rear does what and which direction you turn it to accomplish its task Mode Dial The E M1 is a multimode camera It has a Mode Dial on top that allows you to change how the camera works You can select from modes that turn your camera into a fully automatic iA
16. rn it to accomplish its task Finally let s consider each of the camera s two levers and what they do Levers Lever This Lever is designed to give the camera more than one basic way of doing things You can configure some of the camera s functions to work one way when the Lever is set to position 1 and another way when the Lever is set to position 2 This is a programmable lever with specific functionality as described on page 318 On Off lever This non programmable lever has only one purpose turning the camera on and off If left in the On position the camera will turn itself off after a specific period of time which you can set with the Custom Menu gt D Disp Sound PC gt Auto Power Off function as described on page 358 If the camera has shut down while the lever in in the On position you will have to move the lever to the Off position and then back to On to bring the camera back to life
17. rt and stop the camera s video recording functions OK button The OK button is used extensively to confirm configurations of camera functions It can also be used to choose items When you are done configuring a camera setting you will usually need to press the OK button to lock in your changes You can also press the OK button to open the Live Control when the Live View screen is showing your subject The Live Control allows you to select many of the camera s most important settings along the right side of the screen You can use the Arrow pad or camera dials to configure the selected Live Control item Additionally you can edit images by pressing OK when a picture is on the screen This is not a program mable button One Touch White Balance button This button is fully programmable and can accept tasks listed in the Appendix You can find instructions for how to assign a task to the One touch WB button on page 300 Its factory default task is One touch WB which lets you immediately take a white balance reading from a white or gray card and store it in one of the four Capture WB custom white balance storage ar eas as described on page 497 Playback button This non programmable button is for reviewing images and movies You will press this button to examine images and videos saved on the camera s memory card When you take an image the camera defaults to a half second display of an image after taking it Therefore unless you increase th
18. scribed on page 319 Arrow pad buttons The Arrow pad buttons are normally used to scroll through camera menus pictures and various screens The Arrow pad has four buttons including one each for up down left and right As you read through the instructions for configuring many of the camera functions in this book you will often read scroll to the right or some other direction This is a reference to using the Arrow pad 12 Chapter 1 Camera Setup and Control Reference buttons The Arrow pad buttons have some programmability through Custom Menu functions as described on page 304 You can select from as many as eight tasks for the right and down Arrow pad buttons These tasks are listed in the Appendix Erase button When you want to rid your camera s memory card of an un needed picture or video you can display it on the rear monitor press the Erase button answer Yes to the query and press the OK button to delete the picture This is not a programmable button Fn1 button The Fn1 button is fully programmable and can accept tasks listed in the Appendix You can find instructions for how to assign a task to the Fn1 button on page 297 Its factory default task is AF Area Select which lets you choose an autofocus AF point to use during autofocus from among the camera s 81 AF points with a Micro Four Thirds lens or 37 AF points with a Four Thirds lens Fn2 button The Fn2 button is fully programmable and can
19. ure 1 4 While the Super Control Panel is active you can use the EVF to compose and take pic tures While the Live View screen is active you can use either the Live View screen or the EVF to compose and take pictures Firmware 2 0 and 3 0 Updates 7 Figure 1 4 Switching between the Super Control Panel and Live View screen with the LV button If the Live View screen is active and you place your eye near the viewfinder the E M1 will instantly switch the subject display to the EVF and turn off the Live View screen When you remove your eye from the EVF the camera will immediately turn off the EVF and turn on the Live View screen Settings Recommendation If you prefer to compose your images with the viewfinder and not hold the camera out at arm s length to compose with the Live View screen you may want to leave the Super Control Panel active to have quick access to its settings To use the Super Control Panel press the OK button However if you like to compose with the rear monitor Live View then you may want to leave the Live View screen active Firmware 2 0 and 3 0 Updates In October 2014 Olympus released a major firmware update for the Olympus OM D E M1 This update added a considerable number of new features and refined a number of older features We delayed the publication of this book for several weeks so that we could in clude the features found in firmware update 2 0 Additionally in February 2015 firmware update 3 0 was rel
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