M5 MKII who designed this?

[Bobo Hodls]

In the past 49 days I've gotten an A7II, OM-D EM5II and Oly SH-1.

It takes me, even with a familiar brand, as as long as that to become intimate with a new camera in order to use it intuitively (w/o the hardware itself being a distraction). I must be a slow learner. More power to you.

 

[Paul Boddie]

"The most elaborate (and useful) interface is the Super Control Panel (SCP). This has been on Olympus cameras for a very long time, but in recent years it's become very hard to actually access. To access it, you have have to go to the Setup menu in order to make the Custom menu visible, then go to option D3 (Control Settings), select the P/A/S/M option and apply a tick next to 'Live SCP.'"

I trust this makes my point clearer.

Given that the SCP is turned on by default in the E-M5 MKII, then, no, it doesn't.

Well, it means that Olympus listens to reviewers after a few years of them (and customers) saying the same thing over and over again. Maybe some of the other menu-diving frequently recommended by reviewers and customers will be eliminated in the third version of the E-M5.

(Personally, I don't find the menus intimidating in themselves, but it's clear from what people have freely admitted - when they're not trying to justify a recent purchase, that is - that starting out with an idea of how the camera should work and then implementing that using the menus is not as straightforward as they might have hoped.)

 

[peppermonkey]

In the past 49 days I've gotten an A7II, OM-D EM5II and Oly SH-1.

Whoa...and I'm here still using a GF1 from 2009

(with a new RX100 and E-P2 since)

Can't afford to buy as much as you have and even if I did, I can't afford my death sentence from my wife

Then again, I have collected a fair number of film cameras (err..10'sh?) in the last few years so I'm definitely already on a short leash with my better half

 

[Colin K. Work]

In the past 49 days I've gotten an A7II, OM-D EM5II and Oly SH-1.

Whoa...and I'm here still using a GF1 from 2009

(with a new RX100 and E-P2 since)

Can't afford to buy as much as you have and even if I did, I can't afford my death sentence from my wife

Then again, I have collected a fair number of film cameras (err..10'sh?) in the last few years so I'm definitely already on a short leash with my better half

 

[gary0319]

I think It's by default on the EM-10 also, at least I don't remember having to menu dive to get it to display.

 

[Paul Auclair]

i've read plenty whining about Olympus' menu system since day one. i never agreed with the whiners but since i had no experience with other's menu system to compare with i kept my trap shut.

Well, now i have other manufacturers' cameras and have compared....

-yesterday afternoon I mounted my 2/14-35 to....my E1.

the E1 from 2003.

I had absolutely no hesitations or hiccups as to how to navigate the menu system in order to get the settings I wanted.

my E1 was shelved by the E3, the E3 shelved by the E5 and the E5 shelved by the EM5 and the EM5 shelved by the EM1. i have other cameras in between too (e510, e500 and many P&S)

for odd strange reasons i still own these cameras and more oddly i'll put a lens on all of these cameras and use them(not all at once) occasionally.

i never have to 'relearn' any of these camera's menus.

i use two different cameras for work (furnished by employer)

i have several different brands at home.

i have a Sony A72..."dogs lunch" has been used to describe that menu system and Yes i couldn't agree more.

Do you think perhaps all these menu systems are 'the way they are' because perhaps there is just a wee bit too much 'things' going on in these cameras nowadays?

 

[kaphinga]

I have to confess that my first 30 minutes with my EM-10 were pretty rough. I tried taking a shot right out of the box, and it was blurry and noisy, and I didn't know how to adjust the settings. I hit the menu button, and the first item I saw was an option to format the memory card. I had this sinking feeling that I had made a huge mistake ...

Stop.

Deep breath ....

I looked through the manual and some online sources and pretty quickly found out about the SCP, which helped things immensely. Then I went through all the menus and such and learned how they worked. By the end of the evening, I was comfortable with how the camera worked. Over time, I customized it until it was exactly the way I wanted it.

Now, I am in love with my EM-10 and wouldn't want to switch to any other camera ... except maybe another model OM-D. I am completely spoiled on the features and the customization. Of course, we still have lovers' quarrels occasionally ... like a few weeks ago when I accidentally turned off the LCD and couldn't figure out how to turn it back on. All in all, though, it's a happy relationship.

 

[joeletx]

Thank you Digital ****!

 

[ahaslett]

I think It's by default on the EM-10 also, at least I don't remember having to menu dive to get it to display.

Maybe this is a documentation problem. As a longstanding Olympus user it was obvious to use the SCP on my EM1 and I can't even remember if I had to turn it on, it just came to my fingers. New features like the Mysets are useful but hard to understand in the manual. PDAF adjustment requires trial and error and manual diving everytime.

Like many other posters, I don't need to use the menus very much at all, which is sort of the point.

Hate the manual though!

 

[kaphinga]

I think It's by default on the EM-10 also, at least I don't remember having to menu dive to get it to display.

Maybe this is a documentation problem. As a longstanding Olympus user it was obvious to use the SCP on my EM1 and I can't even remember if I had to turn it on, it just came to my fingers.

I am 100% sure that the SCP was off by default on my EM-10, and the place where you turn it on is buried pretty deeply in the menus. It was totally confusing for me when I first got the camera.

It's all good now, though.

 

[finemom]

I don't think it's the menu or documentation that's the problem. It's remembering what you've set up on the toggle switch and the function buttons. It's too much for me to remember because the choices for the buttons aren't easy ones. I've played with my Oly m5II all weekend, hardly took any photos because I was trying to set it up and remember what I'd set up. Trying to compare it to my gx7. Then it hit me that I'd have to figure it all out for video as well. And remember everything.

To me the IQ improvement was only visible when I pixel peeped, and not enough to justify the cost and headaches I've been having with the camera. I previously used Oly 4/3rds cameras, so it's not that I never saw that type of menu. I just don't have the time anymore to play with it, nor do I want to start ordering cases and extra batteries for a camera that frustrates me. I need a camera that I can remember how to use, especially if I don't touch it for a month. If I was a pro, it would be a different story. But even so, I can pick up my daughters Nikon and figure out a lot, just from intuition. So I'm really sorry to say goodbye to Oly again. I love my Oly lenses, but I'll have to stick with my gx7 and hope for an upgrade in May.

I will admit, I took bridge lessons three different times, and couldn't get it to stick. So maybe I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, lol.

 

[ahaslett]

I don't do much button assignment either, although there are people who do. Same reason as you. At the moment the only one is a function button on peaking for manual lenses. Otherwise just use the SCP, levers and buttons on my EM1.

Go for a camera that suits you!

Andrew

 

[Tapper123]

I've printed out the manual and I'm still struggling to set up and use my new MKii. There are no books out yet to help me configure and better operate this camera. To at least get me going in the right direction, should I buy one of the guides for the EM1, EM5 or EM10? Which one and which book, if you know the books. Thanks.

For now it would be a good start with this page that covers E-M1 and E-M10, and surely will expand to E-M5ii soon.... http://www.biofos.com/mft/omd_em1_settings.html

Regards.... Guy

Great site! Thanks.

I definitely found some useful nuggets in there for optimizing my Em5 II.

 

[Sergey Borachev]

Or any serious camera from a new brand. You are obviously not someone who would enjoy exploring a new toy and learn it by going through the functions gradually.

Wait for an idiots guide to be available first next time. If you decide to keep it, then just set it to iAuto and use the longest range zoom, and enjoy yourself in the meantime.

For many others, a new camera is like a new dish to taste slowly and not finish in 2 minutes. It's another leg of the journey and its can be more enjoyable to slow down to smell the strange flower on the roadside, look at the rocks and creatures in the stream, ... even though the going gets tough now and then. I hope you get it even though my English is not good.

 

[SFXR]

... I have owned literally hundreds of digital camera over the past 20 years ...

Wow. There goes any credibility you had in the conversation.

 

[Pedagydusz]

Finally I could get rid of the pesky pop-ups! :-D:-D:-D

Thank you!

 

[Pedagydusz]

Yes, Olympus menu system sucks, seems everything important gets shoved into the custom menu. I think it needs a serious redo. [...]

No, puleeeze... I am just getting accustomed to this, after years of trying to figure out Oly's Menus...

Just don't change them now, OK? :-D

 

[JohnLock]

Well said Sergey. This is one of those "*****" threads that somehow develops legs of its own and becomes mildly amusing despite no OP participation.

Cheers. JL

 

[Helen]

I don't think it's the menu or documentation that's the problem. It's remembering what you've set up on the toggle switch and the function buttons. It's too much for me to remember because the choices for the buttons aren't easy ones. I've played with my Oly m5II all weekend, hardly took any photos because I was trying to set it up and remember what I'd set up. Trying to compare it to my gx7. Then it hit me that I'd have to figure it all out for video as well. And remember everything.

In response to the issue of what's set on the Fn buttons, just bring up the Super Control Panel and look at the large section in the bottom right corner. It will display the name of one of the Fn buttons and its current function. Select the box (by tapping it, or pressing OK) and twirl the dial - each Fn button and its currently assigned function is displayed in turn. If you double tap this panel, or press OK again, it will jump to the Fn button setting submenu, ready for you to reassign a different function if you wish, on the Fn button that was currently displayed. When you exit the SCP, you can leave the display showing the the function Fn button you find hardest to remember. All quite handy whilst memorising what you put where.

 

[finemom]

IMHO, life is too short to relearn the Oly controls each time I use it. I use my camera at most weekly. I wish Oly users could try a panny camera to see what I mean. I wanted an Oly for the 5 axis stabilization, and I was giving up a few panny features for it. I rarely need the panny control panel, the function buttons and toggle do everything. Couldn't make that happen with Oly, and didn't see the potential of doing it. The location of the on/off switch and the function buttons location bother me also, but those weren't a deal breaker. I kept reading this thread and others, hoping to be convinced otherwise. I appreciate most of the input even though I'm not the OP.