Setup Help for E-M1 or Recommendations

[Matix]

Hi, I have an E-M1 in my hands now, sold the GH3 a week ago, picked up the Olympus with a battery grip and spare battery.

I have some questions... 24hrs and 200 shots after the purchase, I have reached some problem spots that are causing frustration.

Trying not to compare niggly little issues like the positioning of the power switch??? I have some that hopefully a long term user has answers for.

1. Mysets....yes, they kind of work the way I want, but is there any way to assign the 4 of them to ONE button so you can cycle through them without using 3 or more buttons, or resorting to the menu to select them? And NO, I do not want to give up the mode selections for this.

2. The Menu system, other than the Super control panel, is there a way to get the regular menu on the EVF? eg, when you have to select from the 4 Mysets, you do not seem to be able to use the viewfinder to show the normal menu list, it closes the EVF and opens the Live View Panel. Taking the view from the viewfinder to the live view screen... not good in bright light.

3. Is there a way to configure the Super Control Panel? ie. add or remove options? Would be nice to be able to do this, but I cannot seem to find a way, it is fixed.

4. Focusing on the E-M1 compared to the GH3 seems much slower, is it the Lumix lenses that I have causing this? There seems to be quite a bit of hunting, a problem the GH3 or GX7 does not have on the 12-35mm etc.

5. As I have been spending quite a bit of time learning and finding the menu and setup options... what a PITA to open the menu, go thru several levels, then tilt the camera too close to the viewfinder, only find that the EVF closes the menu when it takes over from the back panel view... other than turning the auto sense off, that is a strange issue to have happen.

So far the feel is good, images are good, stabilizer seems on par with the OIS, but I have some reservations like just described, hope I can work through them.

Thanks, Phil

 

[Annna T]

Hi, I have an E-M1 in my hands now, sold the GH3 a week ago, picked up the Olympus with a battery grip and spare battery.

I have some questions... 24hrs and 200 shots after the purchase, I have reached some problem spots that are causing frustration.

Trying not to compare niggly little issues like the positioning of the power switch??? I have some that hopefully a long term user has answers for.

Congratulation on your new purchase. I don't have an E-M1, but an E-M5, however there are many similarities. So here are some answers before E-M1 owners chime in.

1. Mysets....yes, they kind of work the way I want, but is there any way to assign the 4 of them to ONE button so you can cycle through them without using 3 or more buttons, or resorting to the menu to select them? And NO, I do not want to give up the mode selections for this.

You can affect different Mysets to the different items on the PASM wheel, but you will then loose the usual PASM mode. For instance you can affect the particular settings you are using for street photography or for portraits to the Art filters mode (assuming that you don't use them). It is your call to choose what you don't use to replace with a Myset of your own. Note that if one of your Mysets implies some change of mode, you have to operate the mode wheel manually. Personally I would keep the A, S and M mode untouched. I don't think that you'll be able to put all four Mysets on the PASM wheel. Between what you want to keep and the new Mysets, you won't have enough spots.

2. The Menu system, other than the Super control panel, is there a way to get the regular menu on the EVF? eg, when you have to select from the 4 Mysets, you do not seem to be able to use the viewfinder to show the normal menu list, it closes the EVF and opens the Live View Panel. Taking the view from the viewfinder to the live view screen... not good in bright light.

You will have to disable the auto sensor and then you call the menu and when it appears on the LCD you switch manually to the EVF. I don't know of other means. That said, I find the LCD more comfortable to view the larger menu.

3. Is there a way to configure the Super Control Panel? ie. add or remove options? Would be nice to be able to do this, but I cannot seem to find a way, it is fixed.

No it is fixed.

4. Focusing on the E-M1 compared to the GH3 seems much slower, is it the Lumix lenses that I have causing this? There seems to be quite a bit of hunting, a problem the GH3 or GX7 does not have on the 12-35mm etc.

It is the first time I hear that. Only lens which is said to be slower is the 20mm F1.7. May be check your AF settings ?

5. As I have been spending quite a bit of time learning and finding the menu and setup options... what a PITA to open the menu, go thru several levels, then tilt the camera too close to the viewfinder, only find that the EVF closes the menu when it takes over from the back panel view... other than turning the auto sense off, that is a strange issue to have happen.

Some are putting a little tape over part of the sensor to make it less sensitive. It is a trial and error process to find the right place for the tape.

So far the feel is good, images are good, stabilizer seems on par with the OIS, but I have some reservations like just described, hope I can work through them.

Thanks, Phil

It takes a little time to switch from Panasonic to Olympus and vice versa.. Each body has its strengths. Personally I prefer Olympus.

 

[Matix]

Congratulation on your new purchase. I don't have an E-M1, but an E-M5, however there are many similarities. So here are some answers before E-M1 owners chime in.

It takes a little time to switch from Panasonic to Olympus and vice versa.. Each body has its strengths. Personally I prefer Olympus.

Thanks very much, that was a well considered and helpful reply... I will spend some time today, and run some test shot to see how the dust settles...

Much appreciated.

Phil

 

[dhsimmonds]

Phil

It's an obvious one and I am sure that you will have ensured this anyway. Have you switched off the IS on the barrel of the Panny lens before using the IBIS on your E-M1?

AF on the M1 is considered extremely fast (and accurate) so I don't understand why this is causing you some grief.

The Oly menu system is complex though, but once set up I only use it to format a card as most shooting changes can be done from the various levers and buttons on the E-M1.

Happy Easter :thumbs:

 

[Matix]

Phil

It's an obvious one and I am sure that you will have ensured this anyway. Have you switched off the IS on the barrel of the Panny lens before using the IBIS on your E-M1?

AF on the M1 is considered extremely fast (and accurate) so I don't understand why this is causing you some grief.

The Oly menu system is complex though, but once set up I only use it to format a card as most shooting changes can be done from the various levers and buttons on the E-M1.

Happy Easter :thumbs:

Happy Easter back to you guys as well.... wonderful weather, had a great day here, and no chocolate.

Re the focus... seems to be the worst in low light, and I did try it with OIS both on and off... hard to figure, maybe it is just the alien feel of the Oly compared to the GH3 and GX7.

My frustration still is this one... When I asked a few E-M1 users and a few sites with tips pages how to set up a button for the the 4 Myset's, which on a Panasonic are the C1, C2, C3,4 and 5, it was suggested that you can give up one of the Fn buttons for EACH of the 4 Mysets, or use the P,A,S,M or any of the Mode selector options????

I am ok with setting up one for the 4 Myset option, but to lose 4 seems a bit silly, and the suggestion to use the PASM for the 4 did not really make sense.

How did you work around that one?, I use the Custom settings a lot on the Panasonic?

Phil

 

[Godfrey]

These are complex cameras. I suspect it takes more than 24 hours and 200 shots to become comfortable and skilled at using them to the point where the camera becomes transparent. (Same applies to the Panasonic GH3 or Sony A7, for me ...

1. Mysets....yes, they kind of work the way I want, but is there any way to assign the 4 of them to ONE button so you can cycle through them without using 3 or more buttons, or resorting to the menu to select them? And NO, I do not want to give up the mode selections for this.

Sorry, can't really help there. I haven't spent much time working with MySets yet (it's only been six months and 6000 exposures ...). I would recommend learning the camera's features and operations more thoroughly, getting to a basic setup that works well for you in all situations, and then working the MySets. I haven't found an occasion to need them yet!

2. The Menu system, other than the Super control panel, is there a way to get the regular menu on the EVF? eg, when you have to select from the 4 Mysets, you do not seem to be able to use the viewfinder to show the normal menu list, it closes the EVF and opens the Live View Panel. Taking the view from the viewfinder to the live view screen... not good in bright light.

I haven't found a way to put the menus on the EVF other than what's been mentioned - auto-sense off, menu button, switch to EVF. That said, I've only rarely needed the menus when shooting once I figured out the setup I wanted, so I just use the LCD. Most of what I need to manipulate when shooting is either there on a discrete control or in the EVF via the OK-SCP button.

3. Is there a way to configure the Super Control Panel? ie. add or remove options? Would be nice to be able to do this, but I cannot seem to find a way, it is fixed.

It is fixed.

4. Focusing on the E-M1 compared to the GH3 seems much slower, is it the Lumix lenses that I have causing this? There seems to be quite a bit of hunting, a problem the GH3 or GX7 does not have on the 12-35mm etc.

Hmm. I don't have any mFT zoom lenses so I don't know the E-M1 behavior with the Panny 12-35. I use the Panny 14, 25 'Lux, 45 ME, and Oly 75 mm lenses most of the time. I don't see anything slow about the E-M1 focusing with these lenses. My zoom lenses are FT—Oly 11-22 and 50-200—and these focus about as fast as they did with my E-5 DSLR for most purposes.

I find the best focusing speed and accuracy combination for me is achieved with the 3x3 AF grid pattern, particularly with the FT lenses. That's what I use 90% of the time, flipping to full screen cells and face detect (or manual focus) the rest of the time.

5. As I have been spending quite a bit of time learning and finding the menu and setup options... what a PITA to open the menu, go thru several levels, then tilt the camera too close to the viewfinder, only find that the EVF closes the menu when it takes over from the back panel view... other than turning the auto sense off, that is a strange issue to have happen.

Same problem on the Sony A7, only more so for me. Happens with all auto-sense cameras until you get a feel for how to move your hands or hold the camera so as not to trigger the auto-sense. One tip with the E-M1 is that it turns off auto-sense as soon as you pull the LCD away from the fully folded position, so if you're in an experimentation moment, just tip the screen away a little bit and auto-sense will not trigger.

I've been spending a lot of time with the A7 in recent months, but I picked up the E-M1 yesterday and took it for a walk. It is a much more sophisticated, smooth and responsive camera in use than the A7; I also found I could remember all the controls and settings very quickly since I had last used it, everything that I'd set up makes it very natural and easy to use. I didn't jump into the menus but once, and the logic of their layout is so much better than the way Sony's implemented the A7 I found what I wanted in a tenth the time with much less jumping about. Love this camera.

Give it some time and go a little slower with the more complex (MySet) features. I usually figure a month of use (and at least a thousand shots) to comfort with any modern camera...

G

 

[Matix]

These are complex cameras. I suspect it takes more than 24 hours and 200 shots to become comfortable and skilled at using them to the point where the camera becomes transparent. (Same applies to the Panasonic GH3 or Sony A7, for me ...


Give it some time and go a little slower with the more complex (MySet) features. I usually figure a month of use (and at least a thousand shots) to comfort with any modern camera...

G

Sound advice, thanks... settled on only two Myset groups, and set them to the Art and PhotoCollage positions on the mode dial. No radical settings, just my preferred main settings for General and Landscap which I need mostly. All other settings fall to hand.

So now I have only one other change, the MF on the Fn2 button and it works well. Most of my problems were for sute the change from the 5 years with the Panasonic G menu systems, and the culture shock of having to learn the Olympus menus, which for sure did have it's frustrating moments.

What to choose now is the OIS on the Lumix lenses or the IBIS of the M1... not sure which works the best, will have to find out that one I guess.

Thanks for the advice and help, put me back on the path again.

Phil

 

[Godfrey]

My pleasure to help you out. I'm glad to hear things are settling. Switching camera systems does have its entertainments ...

I pretty much had my E-M1 sorted to work the way I wanted by mid-December 2013, after using it for two months. I haven't changed much since, and don't really remember all the details without opening it up and skimming through the settings. Why waste the time? It works the way I want now, and I know where to go to change things when I'd like it to work differently.

...
What to choose now is the OIS on the Lumix lenses or the IBIS of the M1... not sure which works the best, will have to find out that one I guess.
...

I only have the one Panasonic lens with OIS (the Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH OIS). When I tested it, it was pretty clear to me that the in-body stabilization was superior.

However, there is a setting that allows you to switch back and forth easily. Sprocket-C "Release/..." has "Lens I.S. Priority". If you turn this on, then whether IBIS or OIS is enabled depends upon whether you set the lens switch for OIS to on or off.

- If off, and you turn on IS in the body, the internal system runs.
- If on, and you turn on IS in the body, the OIS system runs.

I'm not sure what it does for lenses which don't have external switching of OIS on the lens body, you'll have to experiment there.

G

 

[Matix]

My pleasure to help you out. I'm glad to hear things are settling. Switching camera systems does have its entertainments ...

I pretty much had my E-M1 sorted to work the way I wanted by mid-December 2013, after using it for two months. I haven't changed much since, and don't really remember all the details without opening it up and skimming through the settings. Why waste the time? It works the way I want now, and I know where to go to change things when I'd like it to work differently.



I only have the one Panasonic lens with OIS (the Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH OIS). When I tested it, it was pretty clear to me that the in-body stabilization was superior.

However, there is a setting that allows you to switch back and forth easily. Sprocket-C "Release/..." has "Lens I.S. Priority". If you turn this on, then whether IBIS or OIS is enabled depends upon whether you set the lens switch for OIS to on or off.

- If off, and you turn on IS in the body, the internal system runs.
- If on, and you turn on IS in the body, the OIS system runs.

I'm not sure what it does for lenses which don't have external switching of OIS on the lens body, you'll have to experiment there.

G

Thanks again, I guess I will soon be fluent in both systems, the GX7 is staying for sure. My walk around kit when touring is really GX7 with the 7-14mm and the GH3/E-M1 with 12-35mm on a Black Rapid sling strap.

We are heading for 3 month's travelling in Europe and UK on June 5, have to have it all sorted by then.

Phil

 

[dhsimmonds]

Hi Phil

Good advice (as always) from Godfrey. I don't use 'mysets' either! I just get the camera set up so that I can change most things on the run, as it were.

I did set up the record button to centre the focus point quickly should it stray off target but that is about all. Unlike you Phil, I don't do video, so it was just a spare button for me!

There are some good set up pages on the internet so it could be worth doing a bit of desk research. If I can find my sources, I will send you a pm.

If you get a scrap of time when you are in Southampton, give me a call and perhaps we can meet up again for a few hours...this time with your wife as Janet would also enjoy sharing stories of being a photography widow!!

 

[Matix]

Hi Phil

Good advice (as always) from Godfrey. I don't use 'mysets' either! I just get the camera set up so that I can change most things on the run, as it were.

I did set up the record button to centre the focus point quickly should it stray off target but that is about all. Unlike you Phil, I don't do video, so it was just a spare button for me!

There are some good set up pages on the internet so it could be worth doing a bit of desk research. If I can find my sources, I will send you a pm.

If you get a scrap of time when you are in Southampton, give me a call and perhaps we can meet up again for a few hours...this time with your wife as Janet would also enjoy sharing stories of being a photography widow!!

Thanks Dave, you can count on it... and good call on the Video button, I will not likely use it either, maybe once a year...

Phil

 

[Massimo Foti]

Re the focus... seems to be the worst in low light, and I did try it with OIS both on and off... hard to figure, maybe it is just the alien feel of the Oly compared to the GH3 and GX7.l

You may try disabling eye recognition. In my own experience it seems to degrade AF in low light.

Massimo