Olympus e-PM2 - what am i doing wrong?

Dear KeMc, don't be frustrated about your lovely EPM-2.

KeMc wrote:

Thanks for your help everyone. I now understand it's a problem with choosing the correct shutter speed etc.

My issues with this are as follows:

1. I understand that for night time shots etc i would need to use the manual settings, and this is fine.

As a matter of fact, the so called auto mode indeed includes few shooting modes. Normally, it would be a P mode (Program mode). Under which, based on the measured light intensity, and refers to the pre-installed A.I. by mfr, the camera would suggest a set of S, A & ISO for a properly exposed images. As for all cameras (mirrorless or DSLR or pro P&S), they would allow you a flexibility to modify the recommended settings in a proportional manner. e.g., if the camera recommended 1/125" & f/5.6, you may manually adjust it to pairs of settings like 1/250" and f/4, or 1/100" and f/8.0 etc. Hence (if my memory right, should press 12 o'clock position of your command dial at the back & turn the command wheel to left or right). The beauty of P mode would be, no matter how you adjusted, the setting would be changed in pair and would always allow you a proper exposure as thought by the camera. Base on such sort of adjustment, you may use a faster shutter speed to freeze action or a slower shutter speed for a silky like flowing river etc, or a wider aperture for shadow dof for better background separation for portrait shooting, or a small aperture for a deeper dof for more clear background.

In addition to P, there are also A and S mode (for Panny, we have iA & iA+ mode which would select various scene mode automatically), so called as semi-auto, are actually doing the same thing as P. Under S mode, you could select a shutter speed you wished, and your camera would based on the measured light intensity recommend the corresponding A & ISO for you. If the recommended setting might not be happy with you, you may adjust Exposure Compensation (the "+/- ev") to manually override the recommend setting. From the WYSIWYG real time preview you can see the lighting effect change and decide at what +/-ev would reach your ideal setting. Under A mode, vice versa to S mode, you select the aperture value and the camera would recommend the other side of the settings for you. These 2 modes allows more of your input (to control how the camera would react) rather than P, that the camera's A.I. control the primary settings.

However, even in the daytime the auto or kids mode couldn't take the correct photo. Now i know I can change the settings and fix this, but i mostly use cameras when i'm travelling, and want to be able to use auto mode at least during the day and make sure i get the shot i want. If it's going to blur and need me to change the settings as soon as something moves, i'm going to miss a lot of shots while i'm fiddling with the camera. I see the potential for it to take great shots, but only if i have time to select the correct shutter speed, aperture, ISO etc and a lot of that is trial and error, meanwhile the thing i want to capture in the photo is long gone. If this is the case, perhaps this is not the camera for me?

Practice more, get familiar with your gear could make it easy. There is always a learning curve to upgrade to something that pro also use.

2. Most people that use this ePM2 seem to use it with an expensive prime lens. I don't want to have to buy a $700 lens to stick on a $300 camera. It defeats the purpose of getting a good deal on the camera. If i can't take good low light photos with the kit lens, maybe i need to try a different type of camera altogether.

Not all lenses are expensive. I am still using the standard kit zoom 14-45, a US$200+ 45-200 and a relatively more expensive 7-14 f/4.0 (I love it so much that I didn't care the cost). The fast prime were bought at merely no cost as a kit set and a few manual film lenses. To be honestly, I'm very happy with my results. Always remember, camera body would be replaced every few years with technology advancement. Lenses would be there forever unless you change your format. Cost wise, it is worth for the investment.

3. Continuing on from number 2, if this ePM2 isn't the camera for me (i want to love it but with the auto the way it is it's going to drive me nuts), what camera is more suitable? Would it be something like the Sony RX100 iii? It sounds like the RX100 iii has a wider angle lens, and since i like landscapes and cityscapes this could be beneficial, and it has a faster lens if i'm not mistaken? Or is there something else that might fit my needs? it would be for travel, taking photos of people, landscapes, cityscapes, and night time city scapes, and if it's a good enough camera, maybe taking out for the day around my home and taking some more "artistic" shots.

The decision would be on you.