a technological wasteland

I love the flexibility of the Olympus cameras. You can either do no adjustments or customize the camera to your liking.

You can always just treat the camera like a film camera from 1970. Just out it in full manual mode and S-AF with a single AF square in the middle. Then try one new thing every time you go out with the camera.

Don't forget the right screwbits, nothing is worse then a wornout screwhead...

I remember the first batterymakita's, the longjohns. Wrist breakers

Every time I get a new piece of equipment I think, "Ugh...another manual to read!"

There is so many good tutorials for our equipment on YouTube, among the best by Robin Wong. Here is a link to his video channel. Just read through the titles and start watching. You will be motivated and informed: Robin Wong's YouTube Channel

Isabel

It's like all technology, in the start it's as smart as the builder want's it to be.

Aid computers on a Ferrari so the owner don't crash it the first time he or she is flooring the pedal. One's you understand and grow skills the aids annoy you because of there too soon breaking and lifting and you start to turn off the aid tech.

Total manual control.

But sometimes the techs are that good that the car is better and faster then you ever could steer it manual.

Same with camera's, just read the manual wile having a beer in the sun sitting in the chair in the garden. Findout which settings you like or think will be best and highlight those.

Set the cameramenu and forget about it. In the end you are go semi-manual even when the camera could do better then you in a techy mode.

Best camera's have lots of direct button's to speedup your seting adjustmens, which i allways forget which i programmed for what ending up looking in the setup menu which is which...

All types of AF, yep, same thing, which for what and why bother... Most of the time i am in AFF and or AFC with backbutton AFlock.

4K prefocus, and such types, bracketing, burst,

Still i use almost no scenery menu settings only panorama.

So so now and then i just re-read the manual or even better i look at a youtube reviewer who is explaining the gimmics much lazier .

The best tools are those who don't need a manual to use it properly but getting to that point of use you need a tool which helps you use it. And those go with a manual.

Some features are "set and forget." I leave my cameras on vivid. It's like a speed control on a vacuum cleaner - why would you set it on "Low", "LO", or even "L" for people who don't like real words. It's like setting it for "Suck Less Dirt."

epozar said:

I bought Olympus also for *features*.
It's going to be complicated

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I completely understand that approach.


Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
Life is a breeze by the sea

cba_melbourne said:

You are perfectly normal James. Just because all these features are available, does not mean you must use them. Pick what is useful to you, and forget the rest. Don't let technology spoil your creativity, nor your enjoyment of photography.

I only use maybe 20% of what my phone is capable of. I simply do not need the rest. Then again, I think the vast majority of these young folks spending half the day with their phone, still only use 20% of what it is capable of, just a different 20%.

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The issue I have trouble overcoming is that somewhere deep inside I have a compulsion to use everything offered or I subconsciously consider my purchase a partial waste of money. I know that's not true, but there you go.


Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
Life is a breeze by the sea

n3eg said:

Some features are "set and forget." I leave my cameras on vivid. It's like a speed control on a vacuum cleaner - why would you set it on "Low", "LO", or even "L" for people who don't like real words. It's like setting it for "Suck Less Dirt."

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I have a battery powered vacuum with such a button, it's essential if you want it to last more than 30 seconds.

mring1 said:

much like Marty. I don't see the problem as a "wasteland", it's TMI: Too Much Information. My little match needle Rollei 35 is a camera. My new M5 Mk III is a computer.

We all have the choice to use our gear in a way that meets our needs. I spent a couple of days playing learning my new Mk III and getting it sorted out. I'm good, and now the camera doesn't get in the way of my hobby.

At the risk of some flaming, I'll suggest devotion to raw presents the same TMI conundrum. I do very little raw processing because Oly gives me what I want. Get it right when you take the shot. If you want to get super creative, the option is there.

I go back about as far as you, and the smell of stop bath is something I vividly remember. I'm not sure how I'd convince my wife to sacrifice a bathroom to a darkroom, though. So, digital is a great compromise. It's how you look at, and use, the tool.

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Thank you for your comments Mring. They are well-considered. As far as raw goes, I go back and forth on raw. It's nice to have a lot of information to work with when wanted, but then the photographer largely dispenses with the Olympus jpegs, which can be gorgeous. And I don't like to shoot raw + jpeg; personal preference based upon TMI (2 files for every image).


Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
Life is a breeze by the sea

john isaacs said:

Watch some YouTube videos. Read some books. Just shoot the default settings until there's something you want to do out of the ordinary. Or just shoot with an iPhone.

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I understand and respect your sentiments. Sometimes in this forum I think the same thing about other OPs.


Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
Life is a breeze by the sea

Olyinaz said:

I run mine like it’s an E-volt E-300, generally on A mode, sometime M. I may be a dolt, but I like my new E-volt! ;-)

Oly

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I must dig out my old E-300 sometime and see if I have a battery that still works somewhere. Interesting camera and it served me well, but heck, it sure looks clunky now beside the way better E-P5.

As for that E-Volt name, can't stress enough what a silly name that sounds, it's Re-Volting.

As an aside: The problem with the E-300 was flash sync and flash slaves.

The TTL pre-flash and the final flash were so close together no slave could separate them. The trick was that the shutter blades were 18% grey and the TTL test flash was measured off the shutter blades after the mirror flipped away and only a few milliseconds before the shutter opened and the exposure flash fired.

They basically modified the idea of the original film flash TTL that Olympus invented where they measured the flash reflection off the surface of the film. The E-300 had to use the shutter for the test pulse as the reflection off the sensor would not have worked.

Later models to get slave compatibility they moved the TTL test flash to much earlier before the exposure flash. Slaves seem to need something like more than 50mS between TTL test flash and final flash. The 18mS that I measured for my E-300 simply didn't work for slaves if set for first curtain sync.

Regards.... Guy

Guy Parsons said:

Olyinaz said:

I run mine like it’s an E-volt E-300, generally on A mode, sometime M. I may be a dolt, but I like my new E-volt! ;-)

Oly

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I must dig out my old E-300 sometime and see if I have a battery that still works somewhere. Interesting camera and it served me well, but heck, it sure looks clunky now beside the way better E-P5.

As for that E-Volt name, can't stress enough what a silly name that sounds, it's Re-Volting.

As an aside: The problem with the E-300 was flash sync and flash slaves.

The TTL pre-flash and the final flash were so close together no slave could separate them. The trick was that the shutter blades were 18% grey and the TTL test flash was measured off the shutter blades after the mirror flipped away and only a few milliseconds before the shutter opened and the exposure flash fired.

They basically modified the idea of the original film flash TTL that Olympus invented where they measured the flash reflection off the surface of the film. The E-300 had to use the shutter for the test pulse as the reflection off the sensor would not have worked.

Later models to get slave compatibility they moved the TTL test flash to much earlier before the exposure flash. Slaves seem to need something like more than 50mS between TTL test flash and final flash. The 18mS that I measured for my E-300 simply didn't work for slaves if set for first curtain sync.

Regards.... Guy

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Yes E-volt was a silly brand name! The E-300 got me started and the E-330 was a much better and more interesting camera, but honestly the E-500 was what hooked me on Olympus (I was a Canon film shooter). It was fantastic. The E-3 a few years later was heaven. Those were some good times for Olympus aficionados.

Oly

doady said:

I bought my first camera ever in 2004, and I never had any significant trouble with all of options and controls available. Olympus C-5060WZ in 2004, C-7070WZ in 2005, and now E-M1 Mark II in 2019, and they are basically all the same to me in operation. You control what you want to control. RAW, aperture, exposure compensation, focal length, focus point, framing, timing - that's pretty much it for me. E-M1 Mark II and 12-100mm F4 might be even simpler than C-7070WZ because I don't have to worry about shutter speed as much thanks to the IS. All of the features and automation in modern cameras today make things so much easier, not harder. Do you think I would be able to use a camera from 50-60 years ago? Imagine if that was the only option for me. I would not have been able to get into photography if not for the technology today. Technology has lowered the bar of entry way, way down for untrained and uneducated people like me, not raised it.

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You and I differ significantly. You purchased your first camera in 2004, and I switched from film to digital in 2004. My film journey began in roughly 1968 and significantly in 1972. Give me any old film camera, even one without a meter, and I can use it effectively very quickly.

Times change.


Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
Life is a breeze by the sea

just go away, buy a nice manual film SLR, and be quiet.

CharlesB58 said:

Why the dichotomy of thinking that the technology of the camera detracts from enjoying the artistic aspect of photography? I too find my recently purchased EM1.2 to be a bit daunting in the assortment of features. However, my response is "Wow, that will make this aspect of my workflow easier" (such as Pro Capture) or "I have some fresh ideas on how I can get creative with that feature". (Using HR mode on moving subjects to see what happens). Even the array of dial and button assignments has me experimenting with changing how I do certain things.

That said, we must each chart our own course, and what billows my sails may be an unwanted gale for another.

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Hi Charles,

I must overcome the urge to use all available features. It's a personal demon, I know, but it's there. Thanks for your comment. It's highly relevant.


Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
Life is a breeze by the sea

James, I got a kick out of your commentary. I'm a codger myself and been involved in several levels of photography since the early 60s.

I currently have an EM-1 and and EM-1MK2. I liked the EM-1 (and still use it some) and LOVE the MKII. I mostly just put it on "A" and use it like I used film cameras for years. I love being able to shoot at stupid high ISOs. Don't have to push process Plus X anymore! Yea!!

However I have the three custom settings set up for 1. close up using auto stacking, 2. set up for a long lens 3. A long lens used for birds (or planes) in flight. I love being able to quickly select these and then simply go back to "A".

The IQ I get from this camera is as good or better than anything I ever did with film using a medium format camera and I love being able to modify them in post.

I'm eyeing the MKIII for two reasons. Starlight mode and the digital ND filters. Those are things I think I would use, especially the filters. But I'm so happy with my MKII I'm in no great rush to get a MKIII. I guess you can say I'm a codger using a modern digital camera like an Olympus OM-1 or a Canon F-1, but still dabbling a bit in the high tech capabilities if it suits me. All the rest of the stuff these cameras can do really don't interest me too much but I can see where it does interest others. My son is a retired computer software engineer and he can tell me all kinds of things about my camera that I don't use..but he does.

I just enjoy the fun of photography as much or more than ever.

spike29 said:

Don't forget the right screwbits, nothing is worse then a wornout screwhead...

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Usually those darn Phillips head screws and bits, they are a tragic design. The Japanese JIS is way better. Also the Posidrive design is a good one.

spike29 said:

I remember the first batterymakita's, the longjohns. Wrist breakers

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I've now standardised on AEG 18V power tools and if I forget to use the clutch and have it set to drill mode there can be some violent wrist wrenching strain, phenomenal power with the brushless motor and a big battery. https://www.aegpowertools.com.au/po...less-hammer-drill-kit-with-force-bsb18b2m-601 and that big side handle is there for a reason. (Aussie $$ price shown).

Martin.au said:

I think it's great.

Spend a few days getting your favourite settings established. Save them as mysets. Then, when you're shooting more common subjects then you hardly need the menus or even the super control panel.
Realistically, you shouldn't be going to the settings menus very much at all.

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I agree with you, MySets are very useful, for 3 or 4 basic shooting environments.


Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
Life is a breeze by the sea

grsnovi said:

As somebody with 10k+ posts you surely know how to drive your camera in M, A and S modes. Limit yourself to those and take photographs! Set yourself a goal to learn some new feature that you think is going to benefit your enjoyment of photography and stop worrying that you can't use the 10k features that are built in.

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Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
Life is a breeze by the sea

Olyinaz said:

Yes E-volt was a silly brand name! The E-300 got me started and the E-330 was a much better and more interesting camera, but honestly the E-500 was what hooked me on Olympus (I was a Canon film shooter). It was fantastic. The E-3 a few years later was heaven. Those were some good times for Olympus aficionados.

Oly

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When an Olympus forum member died, his widow contacted me about trying to sell his gear, and I managed to sell to forum members and get a sensible amount of money back to her. In his case beautifully cared for gear and handling the E-1 and the E-3 of his before packing was a delight, beautiful cameras to hold. They felt just right.