Diff between CUSTOM and FUCTION buttons ?

twenty200 said:

Now, you save a setup to C1 and done. That setup is at C1 on the mode dial. Zero confusion. Or save it to C2. It's at C2 on the mode dial.

Click to expand...

Yes, simpler and less confusion along with less flexibility.

People moaned about the menus being too complex and now that they are being simplified they will find themselves more restricted.

In the end I have made my E-P5 function like a Pen-F before I had even heard of the Pen-F, the net result is simpler operation, easier to use than a point 'n' shoot. Plus a simple deassign gets back the weird mode dial things that I (almost) never play with.

Maybe I should go fully trendy and make another new label for my E-P5 mode dial labelled as C1-C4 just to confuse the innocent.

Regards..... Guy

The only MySet is for the BIF situation and I have it assigned to the L-Fn button. It is very handy for the situation of going from bird on trig to bird in flight. I guess I will have to be quick at rotating the mode dial.

Guy Parsons said:

twenty200 said:

Now, you save a setup to C1 and done. That setup is at C1 on the mode dial. Zero confusion. Or save it to C2. It's at C2 on the mode dial.

Click to expand...

Yes, simpler and less confusion along with less flexibility.

People moaned about the menus being too complex and now that they are being simplified they will find themselves more restricted.

Click to expand...

I don't argue that. But I do think it makes more sense to always have the camera mode set by the mode dial rather than by a button... that way, you can set the camera down, come back to it and know what mode it's in, because your camera is in the mode it says it's in. With mysets, that wasn't always true... the camera might be in the mode the mode dial shows, or then again, it might not.

Don't get me wrong... I used function buttons on my EM1 for mysets for a while. I liked being able to press a button to flip from color to monochrome. But it became confusing if I was shooting in any mode other than the same as the mode saved in the myset.

For example: if the myset was saved in Aperture Priority but I was shooting in Manual, it didn't matter once I pressed that myset function button. Sure, the mode dial said I was still in manual, but nope. My camera was now in Aperture Priority.

Switching to a Pen F broke me of that bad habit, because mysets no longer exist. Now, if I want to shoot in a custom mode, I turn the mode dial to shoot in that custom mode. The mode dial always shows what mode the camera is in.

Yes, this represents change & complaining about it every time the topic comes up isn't helpful. Change is always scary for some, but this change makes the mode dial something you can always trust, and that's a good thing.Guy Parsons wrote:

Guy Parsons said:

In the end I have made my E-P5 function like a Pen-F before I had even heard of the Pen-F, the net result is simpler operation, easier to use than a point 'n' shoot. Plus a simple deassign gets back the weird mode dial things that I (almost) never play with.

Click to expand...

If the creative dial profiles and options aren't for you, then there's little point in owning a Pen F, so I certainly wouldn't recommend one. For me, the creative dial profiles and options - especially for monochrome - are the heart & soul of the Pen F. Currently, no other camera has those options.

Guy Parsons said:

Though some people definitely liked and used the MySet on a button so they could very quickly change setups in catching action shots, like needing one setup for bird on twig and another for bird in flight. No time to twiddle dials, the button assignment of a MySet works best in that case.

Click to expand...

This is how I liked to use Mysets and function buttons.

I could change from Shutter Priority with various settings to Aperture Priority with different settings with a press of a button without having to turn a dial.

To me Custom settings appear to be less flexible unless I am missing something.

If I had one Custom setting for BIFs in Shutter Priority and another Custom Setting for static birds in Aperture Priority can I still assign these to Function buttons and toggle between them without turning a dial?

Denjw said:

To me Custom settings appear to be less flexible unless I am missing something.

Click to expand...

True. They are less flexible.

Denjw said:

If I had one Custom setting for BIFs in Shutter Priority and another Custom Setting for static birds in Aperture Priority can I still assign these to Function buttons and toggle between them without turning a dial?

Click to expand...

From what I read and understand, that ability is a thing of the past. All Custom Modes (=MySets) are stuck on the positions on the Mode dial and are not accessible via any buttons.

Regards...... Guy

well, that sounds like custom buttons may do what myset=function buttons did ?

so i wonder how the function button will work....

hahaha. methinks that i am not the only one a bit confused about how the EM1 will allow you to put into functions buttons and the Custom buttons.

I'm far from being an expert and am learning everyday.

On my OM-D E-10 I have 3 mysets assigned to Mode dial Art, Scene and Toy, and various functions assigned to buttons.

On the new EM-1 I assume the C1, C2 , C3 replaces the Art, Scene and Toy. If so then with the same functions assignment wouldn’t all the buttons work the same as they do now on my E-10. In other words then the only change is: C1, C2 , C3 replaces the Art, Scene and Toy.

Earl

Steve said:

well, that sounds like custom buttons may do what myset=function buttons did ?

so i wonder how the function button will work....

hahaha. methinks that i am not the only one a bit confused about how the EM1 will allow you to put into functions buttons and the Custom buttons.

Click to expand...

I suspect part of the confusion comes from the fact that one or two people keep referring to the mode dial as a button. It's a dial.

With new Olympus cameras (Pen F, EM1 mk II) Custom Mode positions on the mode dial do what mysets do on previous cameras.

There's no confusion here.

If you save your current settings as C1, it's at C1 on the mode dial. It isn't like the days of mysets where you saved a myset, and then you had to go deep into the menu system to define where you wanted the myset to be... on a button, on a position on the mode dial, or even both if you wanted to. It doesn't work that way anymore. Now, if you want to save & assign your custom settings, it's one step.

Save it to C2.

Done.

It's at C2 on the mode dial.

EDITED to add: Perhaps the confusion about the difference between a dial and a button comes from non-English speakers?

--
http://twenty200.com ...this is the world, the way I see it.

Steve said:

well, that sounds like custom buttons may do what myset=function buttons did ?

Click to expand...

There are NO custom buttons, there are only Custom Mode spots on the Mode dial.

The Custom Modes entirely replace MySets, they appear to be gone forever based on my reading of the Pen-F manual.

Steve110587 said:

so i wonder how the function button will work....

Click to expand...

Page 74 and page 105 of the Pen-F manual tell you how. Of the 28 options available to assign to the various Fn and stray buttons (not all functions available on all buttons) there is no mention at all of Custom Modes being assignable to any of the Fn and stray buttons.

Custom modes only appear on the Mode dial, twist to select.

Steve110587 said:

hahaha. methinks that i am not the only one a bit confused about how the EM1 will allow you to put into functions buttons and the Custom buttons.

Click to expand...

Yes you are confused and need to read the Pen-F manual more carefully. Yet to see an E-M1ii manual so no idea of the details in that but I don't expect too much to change from the Pen-F, as usual the Pens usually lead the way as to what happens in the OM-D cameras.

Regards.... Guy

Guy Parsons said:

Steve said:

well, that sounds like custom buttons may do what myset=function buttons did ?

Click to expand...

There are NO custom buttons, there are only Custom Mode spots on the Mode dial.

Click to expand...

To clarify: There are function buttons as well as other buttons that can be reassigned (such as the magnify button & some of the arrow pad buttons), but custom settings for the camera in its current state that you used to save as a myset are now saved as a Custom Mode to C1, C2, C3, C4 on the mode dial.

So, if the OP is thinking "Yeah, but can I save a Custom Mode to a button?" No.

When you save a Custom Mode, it's a one step process now. If you save Custom Mode 1, the menu literally says "Custom Mode C1" because you're saving it to C1 on the Mode Dial. You can see this part of the menu on the Pen F manual, page 88.

twenty200 said:

To clarify: There are function buttons as well as other buttons that can be reassigned (such as the magnify button & some of the arrow pad buttons), but custom settings for the camera in its current state that you used to save as a myset are now saved as a Custom Mode to C1, C2, C3, C4 on the mode dial.

Click to expand...

Yes, page 105 of the Pen-F manual shows this as the selection of buttons available,



Page 74 expands and shows the possibilities of the assignments but does not list what cannot be assigned to which button as they all may behave a little differently with various exclusions from the full list on page 74. As usual you need the actual camera in your hands to see exactly what can and cannot be assigned to the various buttons. There is definitely no C1-C4 in the possibilities of button assignment.

As noted there the C3 & C4 Mode dial positions can also be Photo Story and Scene mode instead of your stored C3 and C4. On the other hand C1 & C2 are "directly wired" from the menu setup to the C1 & C2 Mode dial positions.

The E-M1ii of course is a little different as they only show C1-C3 on the Mode dial, so have they shrunk the Custom modes or is C4 lurking that we can assign elsewhere? We need the manual or a camera in the hand to find out.

Regards..... Guy

well that is really starting to make sense.. i could see myself setting say, F1 to all my sports settings saved to myset1..

and my C1 button to , Handheld starlight .. or monochrome....simple single selection.

no idea if a custom selection (on the mode dial, haha) can be set to a myset .. giving you basically 5 function keys.. but as many say here, they wouldnt give you 5 mysets.. so the C1,C2.etc is probably not assignable to a myset.

anyway.. we have to wait for December for the manual i guess.

Steve said:

well that is really starting to make sense.. i could see myself setting say, F1 to all my sports settings saved to myset1..

and my C1 button to , Handheld starlight .. or monochrome....simple single selection.

no idea if a custom selection (on the mode dial, haha) can be set to a myset .

Click to expand...

Repeat, there are no MySets any more, they have gone forever, dead, buried, not seen any more, deceased, obsolete (just like the Monty Python parrot). Only Custom setups exist from now on.

Steve110587 said:

. giving you basically 5 function keys.. but as many say here, they wouldnt give you 5 mysets.. so the C1,C2.etc is probably not assignable to a myset.

anyway.. we have to wait for December for the manual i guess.

Click to expand...

From the E-M1Iii mode dial we only see C1, C2, C3 and no sign of a C4. So my uneducated guess is that C4 is still there to be created in the menus but is floating so can be assigned to a Fn or other stray button. That would suit the birders who have only a fraction of a second to change settings when that damn bird takes off from the twig.

So my unknowing guess is that C1 to C4 will be available to store setups, the setups can be saved and restored to/from PC, and that unseen so far C4 may actually exist as a free to attach anywhere item. Just a wild guess, not a promise.

Disclaimer: the Pen-F and E-M1ii hold absolutely no interest for me apart from dredging up facts about how they work, purely out of curiosity and maybe for being able to help confused people in the future.

Regards........ Guy

Guy Parsons said:

Steve said:

well that is really starting to make sense.. i could see myself setting say, F1 to all my sports settings saved to myset1..

and my C1 button to , Handheld starlight .. or monochrome....simple single selection.

no idea if a custom selection (on the mode dial, haha) can be set to a myset .

Click to expand...

Repeat, there are no MySets any more, they have gone forever, dead, buried, not seen any more, deceased, obsolete (just like the Monty Python parrot). Only Custom setups exist from now on.

Click to expand...

You nailed it, but it's still not getting through.

New Olympus bodies do not have mysets anymore. They have Custom Modes instead.

Custom Modes are accessed on the Mode Dial, not buttons.

--
http://twenty200.com ...this is the world, the way I see it.

Steve said:

well that is really starting to make sense.. i could see myself setting say, F1 to all my sports settings saved to myset1..

and my C1 button to , Handheld starlight .. or monochrome....simple single selection.

no idea if a custom selection (on the mode dial, haha) can be set to a myset .. giving you basically 5 function keys.. but as many say here, they wouldnt give you 5 mysets.. so the C1,C2.etc is probably not assignable to a myset.

anyway.. we have to wait for December for the manual i guess.

Click to expand...

Actually, the PEN-F manual should be more than adequate to understand the shift from MySets to Cn as many here have already described.

• There is no more MySets. They are been replaced by Cn. You see this in the Menu. To 'activate' a 'MySet', you turn the Mode Dial to Cn instead.
• The function buttons(however many or few) continue to work as before (except for the next point)
• One will not be able to assign any of the Cn to a Fn button because that option is not in the Menu. Granted this is a FW thingie and may(or not) be updated if enough people find it useful.

addlightness said:

Steve said:

well that is really starting to make sense.. i could see myself setting say, F1 to all my sports settings saved to myset1..

and my C1 button to , Handheld starlight .. or monochrome....simple single selection.

no idea if a custom selection (on the mode dial, haha) can be set to a myset .. giving you basically 5 function keys.. but as many say here, they wouldnt give you 5 mysets.. so the C1,C2.etc is probably not assignable to a myset.

anyway.. we have to wait for December for the manual i guess.

Click to expand...

Actually, the PEN-F manual should be more than adequate to understand the shift from MySets to Cn as many here have already described.

• There is no more MySets. They are been replaced by Cn. You see this in the Menu. To 'activate' a 'MySet', you turn the Mode Dial to Cn instead.
• The function buttons(however many or few) continue to work as before (except for the next point)
• One will not be able to assign any of the Cn to a Fn button because that option is not in the Menu. Granted this is a FW thingie and may(or not) be updated if enough people find it useful.

Click to expand...

ok. there are no mysets. you pick a bunch of settings and assign it to one of the custom positions on the mode dial.

but thats sort of what Function buttons have been doing all along the way.. you set up a number of settings, assign to myset and then to a function or certain mode dial selection. (i.e.: i set up HDR my way and set it to AUTO).

so whereas before you choose all of these sport settings, and assign to a function.

now, you are saying that you chose all the settings and assign it to a Custom 1-3.

*** i'm missing the nuance here.what is the difference in functions and customs ?.. are they just added buckets to save more settings ?. i

Steve said:

addlightness said:

Steve said:

well that is really starting to make sense.. i could see myself setting say, F1 to all my sports settings saved to myset1..

and my C1 button to , Handheld starlight .. or monochrome....simple single selection.

no idea if a custom selection (on the mode dial, haha) can be set to a myset .. giving you basically 5 function keys.. but as many say here, they wouldnt give you 5 mysets.. so the C1,C2.etc is probably not assignable to a myset.

anyway.. we have to wait for December for the manual i guess.

Click to expand...

Actually, the PEN-F manual should be more than adequate to understand the shift from MySets to Cn as many here have already described.

• There is no more MySets. They are been replaced by Cn. You see this in the Menu. To 'activate' a 'MySet', you turn the Mode Dial to Cn instead.
• The function buttons(however many or few) continue to work as before (except for the next point)
• One will not be able to assign any of the Cn to a Fn button because that option is not in the Menu. Granted this is a FW thingie and may(or not) be updated if enough people find it useful.

Click to expand...

ok. there are no mysets. you pick a bunch of settings and assign it to one of the custom positions on the mode dial.

Click to expand...

You don't get to pick a bunch of settings. Let's say there are 100 settings all told - e.g. ISO, P/A/S/M, SS, AV,EC, etc. And let's say you want to keep 97 of the 100 as-is. Then you adjust, say, ISO to 200, AV to 1.8 and WB to Auto. You then go to the Menu and assign (all 100 settings) to C1 (just like you'd do to MySet1). You then decide to set ISO to Auto-ISO, AV to 4.0 and WB to Shade; and assign (all 100 settings) to C2. Diff between C1 and C2 are the 3 settings, the other 97 are the same.

Steve110587 said:

but thats sort of what Function buttons have been doing all along the way.. you set up a number of settings, assign to myset and then to a function or certain mode dial selection. (i.e.: i set up HDR my way and set it to AUTO).

Click to expand...

No, function button are singular purpose/function. Assigning MySet to a function button is still a singular purpose although the effects can be multiple as in the above hypothetical example(it affects 3 values). An example of a singular purpose/function with a singular effect is assigning peaking to a function button. When you press the function button, only effect is peaking is ON.

Steve110587 said:

so whereas before you choose all of these sport settings, and assign to a function.

Click to expand...

No, that is not possible. You will have to save 'all of these sport settings' to a MySet and then assign that MySet to a function button.

Put it in another way - being able to assign a MySet to a function button is a one-touch short-cut to an otherwise Menu diving into selecting and setting the actual MySet.

Steve110587 said:

now, you are saying that you chose all the settings and assign it to a Custom 1-3.

Click to expand...

Yes. Not choosing as described above. You adjust only the settings/values that you prefer leaving the others as-is and you save the whole set into a C1-3.

Steve110587 said:

*** i'm missing the nuance here.what is the difference in functions and customs ?.. are they just added buckets to save more settings ?. i

Click to expand...

Yes, there is a difference. Function button is a short-cut to a Menu setting. Custom dial is recalling a whole set of Menu settings. You don't get to hand-pick settings from the whole set and save only those. Instead, you adjust the values of those hand-picked settings and save the whole set in its entirety.

That's how it works in MySet and C1-4. In the PEN-F, MySet is gone from the Menu and are now on physical slot(C1-C4) on the Mode Dial.

Hope this clears things up a bit

Steve said:

ok. there are no mysets. you pick a bunch of settings and assign it to one of the custom positions on the mode dial.

Click to expand...

No. The Custom settings replace the MySets which name has gone forever on new model cameras Pen-F and up, do not use that MySet word ever again.

Just like Custom Resets were the very old name and MySets replaced that name some models back. Now Custom Modes name has replaced the old MySet name.

The Custom Modes are used the same way as before in that you use Shooting Menu 1 to set the current camera setup into any of Custom Modes 1 to 4. The magic is that as soon as you do that then on the Pen-F then those stored setups are automatically assigned to the Mode Dial positions of C1 to C4.

Steve110587 said:

but thats sort of what Function buttons have been doing all along the way..

Click to expand...

Function buttons and other buttons are all (well, most of them) are assignable to a multitude of menu items or in the models earlier than the Pen-F also to any of the MySets.

Now in the brave new world of the Pen-F the Function buttons and stray buttons cannot be assigned any Custom Modes, those Custom Modes are directly tied to the Mode Dial C1 to C4 spots.

On the E-M1ii something has changed so only the C1 to C3 appear on the Mode Dial, the missing C4 we do not know about until we see a manual or a camera, it may be the one Custom Mode that could be assigned to a Function or stray button, we just do not know that about the C4 yet, it is only my conjecture.

Steve110587 said:

you set up a number of settings, assign to myset and then to a function or certain mode dial selection. (i.e.: i set up HDR my way and set it to AUTO).

Click to expand...

In the previous models you don't assign settings to a MySet, you simply store the camera's current settings into a MySet, to use by assigning any MySet to a button (variously hold to keep MySet or later press to toggle MySet) or assigned to the Mode Dial (Mode Dial assignment came with the E-PL5 and later).

Pen-F and later models are "hard wired" so any time you store the current settings in any of the Custom Modes then that Custom Mode appears on the Mode Dial. It cannot be accessed via a Function button on the Pen-F, but my conjecture is maybe C4 can be on the E-M1ii but we won't know that until a manual surfaces, come back in December or January I guess would be a good time to expect a manual. Optional in the Pen-F menus is to flip C3 and C4 back to Photostory and Scene mode if they are needed at times.

Do not expect reviewers to cover those Custom Mode subtleties they are more interested in silly frame rates and headline marketing nonsense and not in the way the cameras actually are used by normal people.

Steve110587 said:

so whereas before you choose all of these sport settings, and assign to a function.

Click to expand...

No, you store your current camera settings in a MySet and then assign that MySet to a button or to the Mode Dial on something like the current bodies up until the Pen-F.

Steve110587 said:

now, you are saying that you chose all the settings and assign it to a Custom 1-3.

Click to expand...

On Pen-F and later (not sure about E-PL8 as that is an odd out of time and place body) you do the same storing of the current camera settings as before within Shooting Menu 1 but now they are stored in Custom Mode 1 to 4 and are directly connected automatically to the Mode Dial spots of C1 to C4 and they cannot at all be assigned to a Function button or other stray assignable buttons on the Pen-F.

Steve110587 said:

*** i'm missing the nuance here.what is the difference in functions and customs ?.. are they just added buckets to save more settings ?. i

Click to expand...

The Function buttons and other assignable buttons on the Pen-F only can be assigned to the items like menu items as seen in the pages of the Pen-F manual, they cannot be assigned to access any Custom Mode.

The Pen-F Custom Modes 1 to 4 store any camera setups that you like to store in them and they are automatically assigned to the Mode Dial spots of C1 to C4. Those stored setups cannot be assigned to a button, but may possibly be on the E-M1ii if they have any sense at all, but we will not know until we can read the manual,

And this is what this thread is all about, reading the manual, it's all in there. Find all manuals at http://cs.olympus-imaging.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/download/manual/pen.cfm#body

Regards..... Guy

Steve said:

ok. there are no mysets. you pick a bunch of settings and assign it to one of the custom positions on the mode dial.

but thats sort of what Function buttons have been doing all along the way.. you set up a number of settings, assign to myset and then to a function or certain mode dial selection. (i.e.: i set up HDR my way and set it to AUTO).

so whereas before you choose all of these sport settings, and assign to a function.

now, you are saying that you chose all the settings and assign it to a Custom 1-3.

*** i'm missing the nuance here.what is the difference in functions and customs ?.. are they just added buckets to save more settings ?. i

Click to expand...

It's literally this simple.

New Olympus bodies do not have mysets anymore. They have Custom Modes instead.

Set up your camera exactly as you wish and save it to a custom mode position on the mode dial: C1, C2 or C3 on the new EM1 mk II. C1, C2, C3, or C4 on the Pen F. It's literally that easy.

Custom Modes are accessed on the Mode Dial, not buttons.

Turn the mode dial to C1 and your camera will be as you set it up when you saved it to Custom Mode C1.

twenty200 said:

Steve said:

ok. there are no mysets. you pick a bunch of settings and assign it to one of the custom positions on the mode dial.

but thats sort of what Function buttons have been doing all along the way.. you set up a number of settings, assign to myset and then to a function or certain mode dial selection. (i.e.: i set up HDR my way and set it to AUTO).

so whereas before you choose all of these sport settings, and assign to a function.

now, you are saying that you chose all the settings and assign it to a Custom 1-3.

*** i'm missing the nuance here.what is the difference in functions and customs ?.. are they just added buckets to save more settings ?. i

Click to expand...

It's literally this simple.

New Olympus bodies do not have mysets anymore. They have Custom Modes instead.

Set up your camera exactly as you wish and save it to a custom mode position on the mode dial: C1, C2 or C3 on the new EM1 mk II. C1, C2, C3, or C4 on the Pen F. It's literally that easy.

Custom Modes are accessed on the Mode Dial, not buttons.

Turn the mode dial to C1 and your camera will be as you set it up when you saved it to Custom Mode C1.

Click to expand...

Yes that is simple but perhaps not so flexible/quick as accessing different action shooting scenarios via press of a function button.

Will have to wait and see whether in the menu structure there is some quick way to access the AF Modes, Target modes, Frame Rates etc.

On the Olympus site High Speed Performance section it states:

"A 5-point group target has been added for a total of four different AF target modes. You can switch AF Target modes and change the AF Target position with minimum operation. AF Target modes can be displayed and hidden via customised controls. With this you can quickly activate the right mode for your subject."

"AF Target mode, AF target position, and Face/Eye Priority can be changed with a single operation. Simply customise settings so you can use your preferred controls."