Olympus MySets, do you use them?

Consider this to be a roundup on how people may use their Olympus MySets.

♦ Do you use the MySets at all? Many like me never do as too awkward on E-PL1.

♦ What MySets do you use, a brief rundown, no need for fine details.

♦ Are they used often or little?

This is a self seeking exercise to see how people may use their MySets to inspire me what to do when my E-PL5 arrives. The E-PL5 of course can have MySets assigned to the Mode dial so suddenly MySets make sense to use, just like I always use the C1/C2 setup on my Panasonic LX3.

Thanks in advance for any contributions.

Regards.... Guy

Guy from my E3 days

I have one set for HDR, 5 exposure

another for manual exposure tripod setting with mirror lock up for landscape.

Have set similar on OMD, but finding the implementation of them rather difficult to get to grips with as with E3 it was a custom setting , i think i have to push a function button and expose combined.

hope this thread will shed some light on the actual set up and use

Andrew

--
www.andrewcooperphotography.co.uk

Olympus' recent implementation with MySets had been sheer idiocy, in my opinion.  They had a simple Custom setting on the mode dial of the Olympus D40z back in 2002, and that worked fine.  Good to see that they are going back to allow custom settings simply through the mode dial.

One thing that I like to do with the custom setting is to use it for indoors shooting, with a flash on the camera.  I use an auto (non-TTL) flash:  set the aperture and ISO on the camera to match the flash's settings, and fire away.  So in one custom setting, I would have the camera's aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance set for using the flash.  In another custom setting, I would have the camera's setting for auto ISO, widest aperture, custom white balance, so that I can simply turn the flash off, and then shoot without flash.

I could not work out how to use them.

--
A solution looking for a problem !

I forgot to mention that I have a page on using MySets, maybe some help there for new users to MySets. http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/25-epl1-custom.html

It covers all models but maybe some better than others as I have only hands-on with E-PL1 at the moment.

Regards...... Guy

I am relatively new to the OM-D, but not photography.  I know enough to be dangerous.  I find it easy to electronically walk down a path where I get totally lost, as far as settings go.  So I have set up four MySets:

1. General purpose shooting
2. Low light shooting
3. Bracket shooting
4. Telephoto, used mainly for birding.

Every time I turn the camera on, I go to MySets and select MySet 1 (unless I have a reason to use one of the others)  That way, every time I go to shoot at least I start from a known setup.

Makes for far less unusable pictures.

--
= John
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laninga/sets/
http://laningaphotos.wordpress.com/

Yes, whenever I turn on the camera, or when the scene changes enough. On the OM-D:

Myset 1 - good daylight, ISO 200, no shutter delay, no IBIS, RAW

Myset 2 - same as above, 1/8 shutter delay, IBIS enabled, RAW

Myset 3 - Night streets - mono JPG w/ curve adjustment + RAW, 1/8s shutter delay, IBIS, Auto ISO (limited to 3200)

Myset 4 - Landscape - tripod settings for 5 1-stop AEB & 2 sec. timer

Getting 2 cameras set up this way - it takes a labor of love [g]. Any one of those might call for a minor mod, but what is called for then is quite accessible through the SCP. I never cared for the implementation of momentary Mysets - probably because I find it's fiddly to execute with the OM-D. But using them for custom configurations, once I understood what common and different configurations I often turned to, has helped immensely. I hear some complain how many button presses it takes - I don't find it laborious at all, very quick to execute. If I'm missing something because it takes 5 seconds to set up I don't blame the camera - and so it goes [shrug].

--
...Bob, NYC
http://www.bobtullis.com
/"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't."/ - Little Big Man
.

Yes, I use them, and like them a lot.

Myset 1 is for normal photography of static subjects. The EVF is not boosted and the highlight and shadow blinkies are on, S-AF/MF, single-shot drive, 1/8 sec anti-shake.

MySet 2 is for bracketing. EVF boosted, blinkies off, 4fps drive, five 1EV AEB.

Myset 3 is for action. EVF as per Myset2, anti-shake off, C-AF with tracking, 4fps drive.

Myset4 is for tripod work. Broadly as per Myset1 but 1/2 sec anti-shock, 2sec self-timer, IS off.

no text

OM-D and now E-PL5 user. I've just started to use MySets feature primarily as a way to help me to manage and make various settings idiot-proof(for myself :-|) that I frequently forget to change. I'm still working out the groupings but it's something like this.

Still Life/Landscape w/ a tripod

• ISO 200
• IBIS/IS off
• 2 sec timer anti-shock (if I don't have remote cable with me)

Street/Low Light

• ISO Auto (200-1600)
• WB Cloudy or Auto
• IBIS/IS On
• Facial Recognition On

• ISO 200
• IBIS/IS ON
• WB Auto
• Slow 1 flash or Fill

I still have to tweak things like White Balance as conditions dictate, however,  it's much more obvious to tell when the WB is not right;  whereas unnecessarily high ISO or IS off aren't always apparent until closer examination of shots when processing.

Only gripe:Olympus: I would LOVE if there was an option for USER RENAMING of sets

No, but I didn't use the custom modes on the GH2 (which were even easier to select than MySets -- since they were on the mode dial) either.

Probably the biggest reason is that I am old and my memory is gone.  I could set up the Mysets for things I do often but I'd have no ability to remember which MySet did which.  I can't even remember what I've programmed the function buttons to do half of the time.

Maybe if Olympus let us label the mysets and then make it REALLY REALLY easy to switch into a particular Myset, I would use it.  But, as it is, I just furiously use the Super Control Panel.

Same. The mysets need to be easier to access and toggle for me to use them, I find the SCP more convenient.

I think un-namable MySets, and having to tape my eyecup to keep it in place, are my biggest complaints about this camera.  Not that I'm complaining. . . (the gaffer's tape gives the camera 'character') [g]



--
...Bob, NYC
http://www.bobtullis.com
/"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't."/ - Little Big Man
.

Yes, they are critical to consistency in my work.  I can't imagine not using them!

--
Dan

Have you tried one of these?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/853226-REG/Olympus_V3291200W000_EP_11_Detachable_Eyecup.html

MySet1 - General Shooting, all standard stuff

MySet4 - Telescope mode with my Celestron C11 (2900mm lens!).  MF, antishock, center metering, IBIS off, and many other settings.

I was scared to try MySets because of all the bad press they got on here.  Finally read an article on it and set them up quickly and now it's really easy to switch in and out of telescope mode.  Takes 10 seconds instead of 5 minutes or more.  And my wife no longer complains because I forgot to change some of the telescope settings back!

Probably need to set another one up for use with the FL-300R remotely!

I have to say this is why I've not used them either. Assigning a MySet to an Fn button should toggle between it and the settings before it was enabled. Have to hold the button down to keep the MySet active is just braindead.

Can you share the link to that article, as it could be what we are all searching for!

www.andrewcooperphotography.co.uk

Yes, and the 2nd set of EP-11's (I have two E-M5's) are secure now with gafffers tape.   My bag would be tight fitting, or my coat would grab at the rubber when slung by neckstrap while walking about, and the eyecups would invariably dislodge.

But thanks for the suggestion.  [g]

--
...Bob, NYC
http://www.bobtullis.com
/"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't."/ - Little Big Man
.

I think (though I'm not Andrew) it was Guy Parson's link uptopic that had me finally give MySets a go.

--
...Bob, NYC
http://www.bobtullis.com
/"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't."/ - Little Big Man
.