Tips to Use Olympus OM-D Camera

BREAK SHUTTER SPEED LIMIT WITH SILENT SHUTTER OF OLYMPUS OM-D CAMERA

The mechanical shutter limit for high end OM-D cameras is 1/8000 second, and 1/4000 for E-M10 series. To break this limit, simply select silent shutter (under drive mode, with a "heart" shape symbol). For E-M1 Mark II and E-M1X, you can get up to 1/32,000 second shutter speed, which gives you two more additional stops of exposure advantage over 1/8000 second limit. This will be useful when using bright aperture lenses such as F1.2 PRO lenses under bright sunlight outdoor. The additional 2 stops advantage allows the use of wide open F1.2 to achieve the shallow depth of field effect while preventing the images from being overexposed.

INSTANT 1:1 PREVIEW

This should have been the default setting of OM-D cameras, but quick previewing to 100% view.

MENU --> COGS --> D2 --> PLAYBACK SETTINGS --> "EQUALLY VALUE"

Make sure you Press OK to confirm this setting.

Take note that if you shoot RAW, your 1 to 1 view is 5x magnification since the camera uses a smaller JPEG preview stored within the RAW file. If you shoot full JPEG size, or RAW + JPEG, then you get 7x magnification which is full 100% preview of the actual size of the image the sensor inside your camera can capture.

C-AF WORKS ONLY WITH SEQUENTIAL L BURST

If you shoot with C-AF or C-AF + Tracking mode, and you are shooting continuous burst mode, make sure you only select L options, either mechanical (10FPS) or silent/electronic (18fps). The C-AF won't work with H sequential option (mechanical 15fps, silent 60fps). If you select H sequential burst and shoot C-AF, you only get the first frame in AF, and the rest of the images will be captured without any AF performed. Basically, S-AF only for H sequential mode.

Specification of Olympus OM-D Camera

Type / Recording media	Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable lens camera / SD Memory Card*1 (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I compatible, Eye-Fi Card compatible*2) 1: Class 6 or higher is recommended for Movie shooting. 2: Not compatible with Endless Memory.
Screen size / Lens mount	17.3mm × 13.0mm / Micro Four Thirds Mount

Image sensor

Type / Number of pixels / Aspect ratio	4/3-inch Live MOS sensor / 16.05 million camera effective pixels, total number of pixels: approx. 17.20 million pixels/1.33 (4:3)
Dustproof	Supersonic Wave Filter (dust reduction system for image sensor)

Recording (Still)

Recording format	DCF, DPOF compatible / Exif, PRINT Image Matching III, MPO compatible
File format	RAW (12-bit lossless compression), JPEG, RAW+JPEG, MPO (3D still)
Recording image size	[RAW] 4608x3456 [JPEG] 4608x3456 to 640x480

Image stabilisation

Type / Image stabilisation mode / Viewfinder image stability	In-body Image Stabilisation System (3-axis image sensor shift-type image stabilisation)* / 4 modes (S-I.S.AUTO, S-I.S.1, S-I.S.2, S-I.S.3), Off / On (Halfway shutter button press/launch during magnified control) Angular blur compensation (XY axis) / Rotary blur compensation (Z axis)
Focal length settings / Image stabilisation effects	Available / 3.5 steps* Lens: M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II R, Focal length: f = 42mm (35mm equivalent: f = 84mm). When using CIPA compliant 2-axis vibration (Yaw/pitch)
Lens image stabilisation priority	Available

Viewfinder

Type	Eye-level electronic viewfinder, approx. 1.44M-dot
Coverage / Magnification / Eye point / Dioptre adjustment range	Approx. 100% / Approx. 1.01x*1 to approx. 1.15x*2 (50mm lens / ∞ / -1 m-1) / 20mm from the far end of the lens(at -1 m-1) / Approx. -4 to +2 m-1 1: Using viewfinder styles 1 and 2 (4:3) 2: Using viewfinder style 3 (4:3)
Preview / Grid lines	Available with Live Preview function button / Off / Normal Grid / Golden Grid / Scale / Diagonal / Movie Grid selectable Custom function
Level gauge display / Viewfinder Style	2-axis level gauge (horizontal and vertical) / 3 types (selectable) Single-axis level display available with halfway shutter button press (Finder Style 1, 2)
Brightness adjustment / Colour temperature adjustment / Eyecup	Automatic brightness function (Adaptive Brightness Technology), Manual settings (Adjustable in ±7 steps) / Can be switched for separately-sold Eyecup EP-11

Live View

Live View / Display mode	100% field of view, Exposure compensation preview, WB adjustment preview, Gradation auto preview, Face detection preview (up to 8 faces), Grid line, Magnified display (5x, 7x, 10x, 14x), Normal, Histogram, Highlight & Shadow, Level gauge, Off / Normal, Histogram display, Highlight & Shadow, Level gauge display, Off

Monitor

Monitor type	3.0-inch tilting LCD monitor* Approx. 1.04 million dots (3:2), capacitive touch panel
Touch function	Touch Shutter, Touch magnification, Select AF area, Enlarge/reduce AF area, Frame advance/reverse, Magnified playback, Touch Live Guide, Touch Super Control Panel, Touch Art Menu, Touch Scene menu, Wi-Fi connection
Angle adjustment / Brightness adjustment / Colour temperature adjustment / Colour tone setting	Up: Approx. 80 deg., Down: Approx. 50 deg. (In relation to the rear of the camera) / ±7 step adjustment / ±7 step adjustment / Vivid, Natural

Focusing

AF mode / Focus mode	High-speed imager AF / Single AF (S-AF), Continuous AF (C-AF)*, Manual Focus (MF), S-AF + MF, AF tracking (C-AF + TR)* Operates as S-AF when lenses other than Micro Four Thirds lenses are used. Operates as MF during movie recording.
Full-time AF	Available
Magnify AF Frame / Magnified AF	Over 800 selectable focusing points, magnification factor: 5x, 7x, 10x (Default), 14x / super Spot AF (during magnified AF): Focus using approx. 0.16 to 0.02% of the shooting screen area*2, magnified focus check with magnification button*1 1: Even old lenses that cannot communicate with the camera body can be used. 2: Only when a Micro Four Thirds lens is attached.
Face Detection AF / Eye Detect AF	Available / Available Eye Detect AF: Off, Nearer-eye priority, Right-eye priority, Left-eye priority
Focusing point / Focusing point selection mode	81 areas / All targets, Single target (select from standard and small size), Group target (9 points from 81)
Peaking function	Available (White Edge type, Black Edge type), Peaking display appears when the Fn button is pressed or the focusing ring is turned.
AF assist illuminator / MF assistance	Available / Live view image is magnified when the focus ring is rotated.(At S-AF+MF or MF mode)

Exposure control

Metering system (TTL Image sensor metering)	324 zone Digital ESP Metering, Centre-weighted Average Metering, Spot Metering, Spot Metering, Highlight & Shadow
Metering area	EV -2 to 20 * (17mm F2.8, ISO 100 equivalent) 0 - 20 when the frame rate is set to High Speed
Exposure control	iAUTO, Programme AE (Programme Shift available), Aperture priority AE, Shutter priority AE, Manual, Bulb, Time, Scene select AE, Art Filter, Underwater Wide / Underwater Macro*1, MySet 1 to 4*2 1: Customisation function for the Fn button, etc. 2: Registered MySet 1 to 4 can be assigned to the mode dial.
Scene select AE	Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape+Portrait, Sport, Hand-held Starlight*1, Night Scene, Night+Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, Image Stabilization, Macro, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Fisheye Converter, Wide Converter, Macro Converter, 3D*2 1: 8 sequential shots will automatically be captured and merged 2: Movies cannot be recorded For use with H-FT012 (Panasonic 3D lens) only.
ISO sensitivity	AUTO: Automatic from ISO LOW (Approx. equivalent to 100) to 1600 (default settings), can be changed to an upper limit of 200 to 25600 / MANUAL: LOW (Approx. equivalent to 100), 200 to 25600, 1/3 or 1 EV steps
Exposure compensation	±5 EV* (select from 1/3, 1/2, and 1EV steps) Up to 3EV for Live View reflection and movies.
AE lock	Locked at 1st release of shutter button (can be set to Fn1/Movie button)

Shutter

Type / Shutter speed	Computerised focal-plane shutter / 1/4000 to 60 sec. (select from 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV steps) Bulb/Time photography: Up to 30 min. (Exposure time adjustable in the menu. Default setting is 8 min.)

Flash

Flash control method	TTL Auto, Manual, Auto*, Super FP* (FP-TTL-AUTO, FP-MANUAL) Function when using external flash.
Built-in flash	TTL built-in flash, GN=5.8 (ISO100･m) / GN=8.2 (ISO200･m)
Flash mode	Auto, Red Eye Reduction, Slow Sync (1st curtain sync), Slow Sync (2nd curtain sync), Slow Sync (2nd curtain sync) + Red Eye Reduction, Fill-in, Manual (1/1 (FULL) to 1/64), Flash Off
Synchronisation speed	1/250 sec.* or less (When using the built-in flash) 1/180 sec. for FL-50R, 1/200 sec. for all other external flash units, 1/125 - 1/4000 sec. for Super FP, 1/160 sec. for RC
Flash compensation / Compatible external flash units	±3EV (selectable from 0.3, 0.5, 1 EV steps) / FL-50R, FL-36R, FL-20, FL-14, FL-300R, FL-600R

Wireless flash control

Compatible external flash units / Control method	FL-50R, FL-36R, FL-300R, FL-600R / Triggered by built-in flash (compatible with Olympus wireless RC flash system)
Control method	Triggered by built-in flash (compatible with Olympus wireless RC flash system)
External Flash control mode	TTL Auto, Auto, Manual, FP-TTL-AUTO, FP-MANUAL
No. of channels / No. of groups	4 channel / 4 group (External flash (3) + commander flash (1)*) Built-in flash

Drive

Sequential shooting maximum speed	[Sequential H] Max. 8.0 fps*1 [Sequential L] Max. 3.5 fps*2 1: The focus and exposure are fixed in the first frame of sequential shooting. 2: When using M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 EZ.
Max. recordable pictures	[RAW] Approx. 20 shots (Sequential L/3.5 fps), approx. 16 shots (Sequential H/8 fps) [JPEG: LN] Until card is full (Sequential H/8 fps / Sequential L/3.5 fps) The sequential shooting speed may decrease depending on shooting conditions. When using M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II R.Toshiba SDHC UHS-I card, R95/W90 EXCERIA™ According to Olympus testing conditions when using this model
Self-timer	12 sec., 2 sec., Customisable (Self-timer time: 1 to 30 sec., No. of shots: 1 to 10, Shooting interval: 0.5, 1, 2, 3 sec.)

Bracketing

AE bracketing	2, 3, 5 shots (select from 0.3, 0.7, and 1EV steps), 7 shots (select from 0.3, 0.7, and 1EV steps) This function can be activated by registering it to the Fn button.
ISO bracketing / White balance bracketing	3 shots (select from 0.3, 0.7, and 1EV steps) / 3 shots (A-B axis, G-M axis) select from 2, 4, 6 EV steps
Flash bracketing	3 shots (select from 0.3, 0.7, and 1EV steps)
Art Filter Bracketing	i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Flat, Portrait, Black and White, Custom, Art Filter selectable

HDR shooting function

HDR*	HDR1, HDR2 ISO 200, shutter speed is limited to maximum of 4 sec. 4 shots with different exposures are automatically merged to generate an image with rich gradations.
HDR bracketing	3shots, 5 shots (select from 2, 3 EV steps), 7 shots (2 EV steps) This function records images for HDR processing.HDR processing is not carried out in the camera. This function can be activated by registering it to the Fn button.

Art Filter

Filters (Variation/Art Effects)

Pop Art (I, II / a, b, c, d, e, f), Soft Focus (- / c, e), Pale and Light Colour (I, II / a, b, c, d, f), Light Tone (- / d, f), Grainy Film (I, II / b, c, d, g, h), Pin Hole (I, II, III / d), Diorama (I, II / d), Cross Process (I, II / b, c, d, f), Gentle Sepia (- / a, b, c, d, f), Dramatic Tone (I / b, c, d, e, f) (II / b, c, d, e, f, g, h), Key Line (I, II / a, b, c, d, e), Watercolour (I, II / a, b, c, d)

Art Effects

a. Soft Focus Effect, b. Pin Hole Effect, c. White Edge Effect, d. Frame Effect, e. Star Light Effect, f. Defocusing Effect (up/down, left/right), g. Filter Effect (None, Yellow, Orange, Red, Green), h. Tone Effect (None, Sepia, Blue, Purple, Green)

Photo Story

Type (Variation / number of frames)	Standard (I, II, III, Ⅳ / a, b, c, d / A, B, C, D), Fun Frames (I, II, III / - / -), Speed (- / c / A, E, F), Zoom In/Out (I, II / a, c / A, G)
Frame	a. White Frame, b. White Frame + White Edge, c. Black Frame, d. Black Frame + Pin Hole
Patterns	A. 4:3 (2 frames) B. 4:3 (3 frames) C. 1:1 (2 frames) D. 1:1 (3 frames) E. 1:1 (4 frames) F. 16:9 (5 frames) G. 16:9 (2 frames)

Movie

Recording (Movie)	MOV (MPEG-4AVC/H.264), AVI (Motion JPEG)
Number of recorded pixels (movies)	[MOV] Full HD: 1920x1080, 30p (29.97fps), 24Mbps (fine) / 16Mbps (normal), Aspect ratio 16:9 HD: 1280x720, 30p (29.97fps), 12Mbps (fine) / 8Mbps (normal), Aspect ratio 16:9 [AVI] HD: 1280x720, 30fps*, Aspect ratio 16:9 SD: 640x480, 30fps*, Aspect ratio 4:3 Except for some Art Filters.
Maximum recording time	[MOV] Full HD: Approx. 29 min. (normal) / Approx. 22 min. (fine) / HD: Approx. 29 min. (normal) / Approx. 29 min. (fine) [AVI] HD: Approx. 7 min.* / SD: Approx. 14 min.* Except for some Art Filters.
Creative movie functions	1. Movie Effect (One Shot Echo / Multi Echo / Art Fade) 2. Art Filter movie / Aperture-priority movie / Shutter-priority movie / Manual movie
Movie Tele-converter function	4x* Movie Tele-converter is available when Movie Effect is ON. Movie Effect is ON at the default setting.
Time Lapse (Interval) movie	Available (AVI Motion JPEG 1280 x 720, 10fps)
Image stabilisation during movie recording	M-I.S ON (Multi Motion and electronic IS from image sensor shift type image stabilisation), Off Angle of view changes. It is possible to give priority to lens IS.
AE lock	Available

Recording (Sound)

Recording format	Wave format (Stereo linear PCM/16-bit, Sampling frequency 48kHz)
Microphone / Speaker	Built-in stereo microphone / built-in monaural speaker
Microphone functions	Wind noise reduction*, Audio recording level adjustment, Audio post-dubbing available for still images (max. 30 sec.) * Sound quality differs from normal sound.

White balance

White balance mode	Auto, Presets (7 types), One-touch WB (4 patterns can be registered), CWB (colour temperature specification)
White balance compensation	A-B axis, G-M axis, compensation available at ±7 steps for each (excluding CWB)

Colour mode

Colour space	sRGB, Adobe RGB

Picture mode

Mode	i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Flat, Portrait, Black and White, Custom, Art Filter, e-Portrait, Colour Creator
Tones	4 types (Auto, High Key, Standard, Low Key)