When I purchased an OM-D E-M1 Mark II in September of 2017, I supposed that learning to use it would be duck soup, especially after having grown with improvements in DSLRs over more than fifty years. The paper manual packed with the camera is cursory, so I immediately went to the on-line, more extensive manual. I was confused. All of the many dials, buttons and levers were there but there was no comprehensive approach to learning how to set them or use them.
In October I attended a photo show and told a representative of Olympus how difficult it was to figure out the written instructions. After commenting that camera manuals were always poor, he said "Don't worry, Darrell Young is coming out with a book on the camera in November that will clarify everything". However, the publication date kept getting pushed back and I kept being frustrated with the manual. Even though I find it easier to read a printed book, I was happy to download the e-book as soon as it became available.
After a general introduction to the camera and a look at its screens, Young goes through each of the six main menus and hundreds of submenus, first telling you what the items do for camera functioning, then how to set the item, and finally his own recommendations. He illustrates with screen shots of the camera's monitor. The author concentrates on how to set and use the controls but he doesn't explore general photography fundamentals, like exposure or depth of field. The reader had better pick up this information elsewhere; otherwise, the instructions will be, to quote my girlfriend, "blah, blah, blah"!
The most important things I learned are that there are plenty of capabilities of the Olympus that I could ignore. For example, there are many ways to control exposure, using different screens and dials, but I really had to know just the one with which I felt most comfortable. Then there are many options for in-camera processing, like editing a video, which I could safely ignore because I prefer to edit my work in my computer. However, individuals looking to do some editing in camera will find information on the tools, if not the techniques.
Unfortunately, thanks to the way Olympus has organized its screens and menus, the reader will have to plow through the book page by page. Because the author has been careful to lay out each individual step for each menu item, there is a great deal of repetition. I knew I wasn't going to be concerned with using the art filters, but I still skimmed this section, just in case.
At first, I was disappointed that when discussing things like focus peaking, Young did not mention that it was possible to achieve such effects full time in all modes by setting buttons to call them up. However, at several points throughout the book, he provided a link for on-line appendices that explore these functions. On the other hand, my disappointment continued when I found that Young did not explore dial function settings in more detail, since I consider these very useful. His list of available dial tasks fails to mention such things as F/numbers, ISO and the like that enable a user to change significant settings more quickly while shooting rather than resort to menus.
In summery even though the Olympus OM-D E-1 Mark II is a complex camera, Young can help you understand how to use it more effectively and efficiently.
Note: The publisher provided me with a review copy of this book at no charge.
In October I attended a photo show and told a representative of Olympus how difficult it was to figure out the written instructions. After commenting that camera manuals were always poor, he said "Don't worry, Darrell Young is coming out with a book on the camera in November that will clarify everything". However, the publication date kept getting pushed back and I kept being frustrated with the manual. Even though I find it easier to read a printed book, I was happy to download the e-book as soon as it became available.
After a general introduction to the camera and a look at its screens, Young goes through each of the six main menus and hundreds of submenus, first telling you what the items do for camera functioning, then how to set the item, and finally his own recommendations. He illustrates with screen shots of the camera's monitor. The author concentrates on how to set and use the controls but he doesn't explore general photography fundamentals, like exposure or depth of field. The reader had better pick up this information elsewhere; otherwise, the instructions will be, to quote my girlfriend, "blah, blah, blah"!
The most important things I learned are that there are plenty of capabilities of the Olympus that I could ignore. For example, there are many ways to control exposure, using different screens and dials, but I really had to know just the one with which I felt most comfortable. Then there are many options for in-camera processing, like editing a video, which I could safely ignore because I prefer to edit my work in my computer. However, individuals looking to do some editing in camera will find information on the tools, if not the techniques.
Unfortunately, thanks to the way Olympus has organized its screens and menus, the reader will have to plow through the book page by page. Because the author has been careful to lay out each individual step for each menu item, there is a great deal of repetition. I knew I wasn't going to be concerned with using the art filters, but I still skimmed this section, just in case.
At first, I was disappointed that when discussing things like focus peaking, Young did not mention that it was possible to achieve such effects full time in all modes by setting buttons to call them up. However, at several points throughout the book, he provided a link for on-line appendices that explore these functions. On the other hand, my disappointment continued when I found that Young did not explore dial function settings in more detail, since I consider these very useful. His list of available dial tasks fails to mention such things as F/numbers, ISO and the like that enable a user to change significant settings more quickly while shooting rather than resort to menus.
In summery even though the Olympus OM-D E-1 Mark II is a complex camera, Young can help you understand how to use it more effectively and efficiently.
Note: The publisher provided me with a review copy of this book at no charge.
