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Setting up the OM-D (for simple folks!)

kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
To Jono:

Do you have a setup for simple folk for the OM-D? I use your setup on the NEX exclusively. I notice on the NEX-7, though unless you use AUTO ISO and P, turning the dial jumps the ISO and shutter speed by a full stop—I would love half or third stops, if possible.

I have found the OM-D harder to set up than the GXR or the NEX-7, so would appreciate hearing what others have done (while I plough through DPR's 'simplification' of the setup suggestions!).

I did find out how to turn off the dedicated video button, and the face detection (though I can see how that might come in very handing shooting my speedy young nephew). TIA, Kit
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hi Kit
I've just seen this message - I'll have to go back through the menus and see what I've done! However - Ario - that's a great link, and although not my settings they do seem pretty sensible.
all the best
 

nostatic

New member
My advice is to just wander through the menus - there are popups that tell you what the things do (though some are a bit arcane).

custom menus A - MF assist on, full time AF off, and AF mode in both still and movie to S-AF + MF. Movie defaults to C-AF and it is annoying as depending on the scene it will constantly refocus.

Custom menu E is a biggie - can change iso and ev steps as well as auto iso limits (I go up to 6400 - usable for my stuff).

Then custom menu G - I turn noise reduction and filter off, and maybe most important, set "keep warm color" to "off" (by default it is on and low light stuff is too warm for my taste). You can also set the compression for jpgs here (super fine isn't enabled by default if that matters to you).
 

Terry

New member
Simple setup here is:
Super control panel - active
EVF Display 3 (mirrors what is on the LCD)
Function 2 - ISO
Video Record - Magnify and reduce size of focus box
Function 1 AEL/AFL lock
Front wheel EV
Back wheel aperture or shutter
Image Review off
EVF - auto switching
Highlight/Shadow warnings on.

That is really about it.
 

kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
Thanks everyone

A question or two

for Terry:
Magnify and reduce size of focus box
can you take me through how to do this; I must have something conflicting function set, because although I have use the cogwheel menu to set Fn2 and the video record button to magnify, pressing these does nothing. AF full time is off.

Resetting the video button to do nothing does not change this.

However, I am trialling this with the 45/1/8, and not a MF lens—is that the problem? The magnify function does emerge if I turn the focus ring, but the buttons do not activate it.

In passing I want to note that the face detection works *really* well with children (and cats), especially if C-AF is selected. This definitely is the tastes focussing µ4/3rds body I have shot with and like most here, I have had most of them. Cheers and thanks

KL
 
Kit,
what I learned with EP3, and with OMD it is the same, is that you have to quick press the button you have selected to magnify (if you keep it pressed it does not work).
Press once and you will see the focusing frame displayed, press again and you will see the image enlarged and, in this position, acting on the front camera wheel you can increase or decrease the magnification ratio: correspondingly the relative size of the focusing frame will increase or decrease.
I have set the rec button to magnify and the Fn2 to reposition the focusing frame in the center, but just for testing I tried also to have both acting as a magnifier and there is no conflict.
This will work also with AF lenses in AF mode.
 

kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
Ario: 100% accurate—who would have believed that????

THANK YOU!!!

BTW, where's that in the manual?

Thank you, sincerely, kl
 

Terry

New member
LOLOLOL - I couldn't get it to work either and yesterday on DPReview I got that instruction about it being only a very quick tap. How CRAZY is that.
 

Brian Mosley

New member
It helps (one's sanity) to think of these 'undocumented features' as 'Easter eggs' and please share when you find them :watch:

Good luck everyone :salute:

Brian
 

kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
Memo to Olympus: make button press speed a menu option: as a photographer, I have worked on the soft release (and hence soft touch) of buttons as a matter of technique... and not a single other manufacturer has this "feature" (that I know of, anyway).

Terry: at 23:30 last night I really was ROFLMAO! Cheers, KL

:ROTFL:
 

kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
for Terry:

Magnify and reduce size of focus box
Can you take me through how to do this? if I half press the shutter bottom with AF S or C set, for example, the green rectangle is the standard size. Now that I have Ario's info in hand, the press and press again to magnify now works, but seems to connect to MF only.

What I can't see how to do is, while using AF, how to magnify the image (and hence make the green rectangle effectively cover a smaller part of the image), AF on that smaller part and see that this part of the image is focused, and keep pressing the shutter button to make the image using this magnified focus rectangle. Or is this what's happening behind the scenes when I press the shutter (that is, the image reverts to the full frame, but the AF has been set using the smaller rectangle)?

Hmmm: more testing. It seems that activating the magnify command allows fine tuning via the focus ring. If I fine tune focus via the MF ring, and press the shutter button halfway and recompose, the fine-tuned focus is preserved. That's fine.

What I want is to do what Uwe and others have asked for on another thread: make the AF focus rectangle smaller and have AF respect just what's within that smaller space.

Is this possible?

An aside: the face recognition software really works; together with C-AF, perfect for fast children. TIA, kl
 

Terry

New member
OK here is how I did it. I don't have the camera in front of me.

On the touch screen look for the oval on the left that allows you to touch the screen for focus. Touch that, then at the bottom on the right you see a little magnifying glass. Touch that and the notice the slider on the right side of the screen. Slide up the scale on the right hand side to the magnification you want. Higher mag = smaller focus box.

This should set it and the camera remembers that level.

Clear ....... as mud. Let me know if that works. Otherwise I can try it when I get home.
 

kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
Terry: genius!

I had the other screen showing on the LCD (the one with all settings showing), so did not see that other screen. It works exactly as you say, and, after trying this, the camera does remember this setting if you switch it off, and the last selected point, too. Very cool, and all good. I am liking this toy, but want the grip!
 

etrigan63

Active member
OK team, I've got my OM-D all set up, but I have one head-scratcher left: how do I set the silly thing to not reset the image count every time I format the card? I use the image number as a differentiator in my ingestion step when I rename the files. If I ingest more than once a day then I get IMG_datevalue_0001, IMG_datevalue_0001A, IMG_datevalue_0002, IMG_datevalue_0002A, etc...
 

Annna T

Active member
OK team, I've got my OM-D all set up, but I have one head-scratcher left: how do I set the silly thing to not reset the image count every time I format the card? I use the image number as a differentiator in my ingestion step when I rename the files. If I ingest more than once a day then I get IMG_datevalue_0001, IMG_datevalue_0001A, IMG_datevalue_0002, IMG_datevalue_0002A, etc...
Look in them manual page 91 :

In the H section of the wheel menu concerning record/erase, the first option concerns the file names. You have two possibilities :

a) Auto : you will get the data and then a sequential number which is never reset.

b) Reset : each time you insert a new card, the sequential number is reset to 001.

Probably that you have option b) selected and that the software you are using to import your pictures adds a.. b.. etc. to the file names when it encounters duplicated.
 
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