E-PM2 and VF-2 usage questions

Drahila wrote:

I'm planning to buy E-PM2 and VF-2 or VF-4. I have searched answers to these questions and read the manual, but still confused.

Somehow the combination of E-PM2 and VF-4 seems wrong to me. The very small body with a large viewfinder attached seems to counter the whole idea of a small camera.

If you MUST have a viewfinder then the E-M10 makes much more sense.

In my case E-PL5 with tilting LCD which eliminates many of the screen view problems and so far in over 18 months now I have not had to use my VF-2, I'm fully converted to LCD use but not everyone can handle that.

In single focus point mode, how do I re-center the focus point? Especially if I'm looking throught VF-2 and want the focus point to jump back to the center and don't want to take my eye out of VF-2.

There's two AF schemes, one is the regular default as you turn on where the green AF box appears briefly when you half press the shutter for AF, assuming that the camera Mode is set to half press AF (the Custom Menu Control Modes can alter that).

In my case I have a small central focus point and leave it there, I half press focus then hold and re-frame and full press to shoot. That way the AF does not jump to some unexpected or undesired point as it can do with multi point AF. I sometimes change to face recognition for family shots and that is the only time I use jumpy AF spots.

The second AF scheme is via the Magnify function (already on a dedicated button with E-PL5 and some others but needs to be assigned to the Fn button with other bodies. The Magnify AF scheme is also invoked when touch screen AF/shoot is used. That scheme has the rectangular green focus box on the screen all the time in live view. The box can be slid around with the up/down/left/right buttons or by the finger in touch screen AF/shoot modes. It is returned to centre by holding the OK button for a second.

Not sure on the E-PM2 how that one is reset back to the regular AF scheme but on my E-PL5 I hold the Magnify button to get it back to default AF mode, but that may depend on other custom settings with the rather complex Custom Menus.

When in aperture priority mode, can I set minimum shutter speed for auto ISO?

Not fully tested by me but the strange act of setting a minimum shutter speed for flash helps do that, generally though the camera does follow the old rule of shutter speed = 1/(equivalent focal length) and bumps the ISO when it gets too slow for the focal length seen.

How easy it is to change shooting modes, in your opinion? Will I miss the mode dial?

Can't answer that one but most seem happy with the dial-less E-PM2. In the dial world on my E-PL5 I have assigned MySets to the Mode dial positions and that makes life so easy and predictable, no more turn on with accidental silly settings, the assigned MySets make sure that the camera works as expected.

My general M4/3 stuff starts here, but not much help for E-PM2 as I've never used one. Other general stuff is there like how to see the true shutter count of a camera, a good idea to check that on a newly acquired camera to see if really new. New means an initial shutter count of around 100 but can be near 200 in some extreme cases of factory testing.

Summary.... To me the E-PM2 only makes sense keeping it as a viewfinder-less camera to keep the whole package small (adding an expensive viewfinder to a cheaper small body is possible but weird). The E-PL5 makes more sense again in a viewfinder-less mode, but if you really must have a viewfinder then the E-M10 makes most sense of all (and has the latest features of all).

Regards.... Guy

Yes I know, that probably applies to me, but where I said.....

"My general M4/3 stuff starts here", then the "here" now has a link here .

Regards.... Guy

Drahila wrote:

I'm planning to buy E-PM2 and VF-2 or VF-4. I have searched answers to these questions and read the manual, but still confused.

In single focus point mode, how do I re-center the focus point? Especially if I'm looking throught VF-2 and want the focus point to jump back to the center and don't want to take my eye out of VF-2.

When in aperture priority mode, can I set minimum shutter speed for auto ISO?

How easy it is to change shooting modes, in your opinion? Will I miss the mode dial?

Personally I go with the VF3, it locks to the shoe and its small and neat on the EPM2.

Drahila wrote:

I'm planning to buy E-PM2 and VF-2 or VF-4. I have searched answers to these questions and read the manual, but still confused.

In single focus point mode, how do I re-center the focus point? Especially if I'm looking throught VF-2 and want the focus point to jump back to the center and don't want to take my eye out of VF-2.

When in aperture priority mode, can I set minimum shutter speed for auto ISO?

How easy it is to change shooting modes, in your opinion? Will I miss the mode dial?

Personally I go with the VF3, it locks to the shoe and its small and neat on the EPM2.

Tony8232 wrote:

Drahila wrote:

I'm planning to buy E-PM2 and VF-2 or VF-4. I have searched answers to these questions and read the manual, but still confused.

In single focus point mode, how do I re-center the focus point? Especially if I'm looking throught VF-2 and want the focus point to jump back to the center and don't want to take my eye out of VF-2.

When in aperture priority mode, can I set minimum shutter speed for auto ISO?

How easy it is to change shooting modes, in your opinion? Will I miss the mode dial?

Personally I go with the VF3, it locks to the shoe and its small and neat on the EPM2.

Ummm, your message was hidden until reveal signature. That's caused by the double hyphen that you used in front of the text.

Back to thread ...... Looking at Sydney prices the E-PM2 has disappeared from almost all sellers (the E-PM3 looming?), but the equation of E-PM2 kit plus VF-4 pushes the price here to near E-M10 levels so it sounds a bit odd to make the E-PM2 choice if needing a viewfinder.

Regards....... Guy

Tony8232 wrote:

Drahila wrote:

I'm planning to buy E-PM2 and VF-2 or VF-4. I have searched answers to these questions and read the manual, but still confused.

In single focus point mode, how do I re-center the focus point? Especially if I'm looking throught VF-2 and want the focus point to jump back to the center and don't want to take my eye out of VF-2.

When in aperture priority mode, can I set minimum shutter speed for auto ISO?

How easy it is to change shooting modes, in your opinion? Will I miss the mode dial?

Personally I go with the VF3, it locks to the shoe and its small and neat on the EPM2.

Ummm, your message was hidden until reveal signature. That's caused by the double hyphen that you used in front of the text.

Back to thread ...... Looking at Sydney prices the E-PM2 has disappeared from almost all sellers (the E-PM3 looming?), but the equation of E-PM2 kit plus VF-4 pushes the price here to near E-M10 levels so it sounds a bit odd to make the E-PM2 choice if needing a viewfinder.

Regards....... Guy

You did it again, do not put any text after the double hyphen that separates the signature from the posting.

Use the plain text editor to see those symbols. Everything after a double hyphen becomes a part of the signature and the plain text editor shows where they sit.

Regards.... Guy

Drahila wrote:

I'm planning to buy E-PM2 and VF-2 or VF-4. I have searched answers to these questions and read the manual, but still confused.

In single focus point mode, how do I re-center the focus point? Especially if I'm looking throught VF-2 and want the focus point to jump back to the center and don't want to take my eye out of VF-2.

When in aperture priority mode, can I set minimum shutter speed for auto ISO?

How easy it is to change shooting modes, in your opinion? Will I miss the mode dial?

You haven't said how you intend to use the camera.

Tony8232 wrote:

Drahila wrote:

I'm planning to buy E-PM2 and VF-2 or VF-4. I have searched answers to these questions and read the manual, but still confused.

In single focus point mode, how do I re-center the focus point? Especially if I'm looking throught VF-2 and want the focus point to jump back to the center and don't want to take my eye out of VF-2.

When in aperture priority mode, can I set minimum shutter speed for auto ISO?

How easy it is to change shooting modes, in your opinion? Will I miss the mode dial?

Personally I go with the VF3, it locks to the shoe and its small and neat on the EPM2.

For a simple street combi using a small body and a prime I find the good old optical plug on viewfinders good and shop around they can be picked up quite cheaply, I paid about a fiver for this one and it works just great combined with a 17, 19 or 20mm (its not quite so good with the 14mm pictured though)

You did it again, do not put any text after the double hyphen that separates the signature from the posting.

Use the plain text editor to see those symbols. Everything after a double hyphen becomes a part of the signature and the plain text editor shows where they sit.

Regards.... Guy

Testing one two three..
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90891174@N04/

Tony8232 wrote:

You did it again, do not put any text after the double hyphen that separates the signature from the posting.

Use the plain text editor to see those symbols. Everything after a double hyphen becomes a part of the signature and the plain text editor shows where they sit.

Regards.... Guy

Testing one two three..
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90891174@N04/

Heh, heh, that's better !

Sorry to sound like a pedantic geek but that double hyphen thing catches a lot of people. The casual lurker who does not realise what has happened sees only an info-free post when people put their text down with their signature or accidentally use a string of hyphens to separate some text blocks.

Most times I have "hide signature" situation so it's hidden to me as well.

Regards.... Guy

Tony8232 wrote:

You did it again, do not put any text after the double hyphen that separates the signature from the posting.

Use the plain text editor to see those symbols. Everything after a double hyphen becomes a part of the signature and the plain text editor shows where they sit.

Regards.... Guy

Testing one two three..
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90891174@N04/

Heh, heh, that's better !

Sorry to sound like a pedantic geek but that double hyphen thing catches a lot of people. The casual lurker who does not realise what has happened sees only an info-free post when people put their text down with their signature or accidentally use a string of hyphens to separate some text blocks.

Most times I have "hide signature" situation so it's hidden to me as well.

Regards.... Guy

No problem Guy. It's OK.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90891174@N04/

traveler_101 wrote:

It's a nice camera; I would say that I wish it had a flip screen (I find myself wishing for that from time to time), but you compensate for that somewhat by flipping the finder on the vf-2 into an up position allowing you to focus by looking down into the finder, like an old twin reflex viewfinder. I would really recommend getting the vf-2; it adds a lot to the camera and of course when you don't want to use it you just detach and place in a shirt pocket (light and small). Overall, the E-PM2 is sturdy, lightweight and takes good photographs--at a very reasonable price.

Sorry for the late reply.

It seems that traveler_101 really understood what I was looking for 3 weeks ago: an affordable little camera that has an EVF that can be removed to make it even smaller.

It also seems that the rest of you knew what I really was looking, even better than I did. After a couple of weeks of thinking, I think I'll buy a second hand E-M5. It will be affordable enough, have a tilt screen, EVF and it's not that big. Plus the weather sealing. Now that I think of it, it's a good extra. I just need a weather sealed lens too.

Thanks everybody!