How to assign custom settings to buttons?

[Barry Sp]

I am having an issue setting up Custom Modes on a new to me OM5 Mark I to be similar to my EM1 Mark II. I can set and save the mode settings in C-C3, but haven't been able to assign the custom modes to camera external buttons and have the buttons work.

My plan was to keep the mode dial set to C and reassign 3 of the external buttons to select either C, C2, or C3 settings. I have the custom settings saved for each of the custom modes, and with the mode dial set to C can switch between them using the multi-click menu process. In the menu I can also set 3 external buttons to the 3 respective custom settings (Drive Mode button=C, ISO button=C2, and Exposure button=C3) for each of the 3 sets of custom settings.

Based on my reading of the manual, those settings should allow me to set the mode dial to C and press any one of those buttons to assign the corresponding custom settings to the camera. But when I do that, there is no change to the camera settings. It does not switch between C, C2, and C3. It does however deactivate the normal mode for that button (i.e., pressing ISO when the mode dial is set to C and the ISO button is reassigned to C2 does not display the ISO selection panel, nor does it set the C2 custom settings).

What am I doing wrong? How can I assign custom settings to external buttons? The clumsy menu process isn't very practical in the field.

 

[drj3]

You cannot use buttons to switch Custom modes when in a specific Custom mode. The buttons will work when you are in P, A, S, or M modes to switch to the Custom modes.

 

[jodaco]

You cannot use buttons to switch Custom modes when in a specific Custom mode. The buttons will work when you are in P, A, S, or M modes to switch to the Custom modes.

The way to do it is to load one of your custom modes while in P,A,S or M with your custom buttons set to switch between them. Remember that pressing the same button again will switch back to the regular mode and remember those settings. This means if you modify settings after loading the custom modes and then switch it will keep where you were.

 

[Barry Sp]

The way to do it is to load one of your custom modes while in P,A,S or M with your custom buttons set to switch between them. Remember that pressing the same button again will switch back to the regular mode and remember those settings. This means if you modify settings after loading the custom modes and then switch it will keep where you were.

Thank you for the input. Allow me to restate what I think you are communicating to make sure that I understand correctly. I can set the camera to P, A, S, or M and configure that mode so the, for example, Preview, ISO, and Exposure buttons select C, C2, or C3, respectively. Then when I press one of those external buttons the camera will switch to the custom settings of that button. If I press another of those external buttons it will switch to the custom settings for that button.

If I press that same button a second time in a row it will turn off the custom settings return to the original (non-custom) settings for that mode.

From what I read in the manual, this works as long as the selected PASM mode matches the mode of the different custom settings (in my case they can, as my custom settings are all in A mode).

If my understanding is correct the process is:

1) First, reassign the custom settings to the 3 external buttons in the PASM mode that I intend to use for this process (A). Correct?

2) Then, also reassign those buttons in each of the 3 custom modes (so that when one of the custom settings is activated, pressing one of the other reassigned buttons will jump to its custom settings)?

Am I missing or misunderstanding anything?

Thanks again, Barry

 

[jodaco]

The way to do it is to load one of your custom modes while in P,A,S or M with your custom buttons set to switch between them. Remember that pressing the same button again will switch back to the regular mode and remember those settings. This means if you modify settings after loading the custom modes and then switch it will keep where you were.

Thank you for the input. Allow me to restate what I think you are communicating to make sure that I understand correctly. I can set the camera to P, A, S, or M and configure that mode so the, for example, Preview, ISO, and Exposure buttons select C, C2, or C3, respectively. Then when I press one of those external buttons the camera will switch to the custom settings of that button. If I press another of those external buttons it will switch to the custom settings for that button.

If I press that same button a second time in a row it will turn off the custom settings return to the original (non-custom) settings for that mode.

From what I read in the manual, this works as long as the selected PASM mode matches the mode of the different custom settings (in my case they can, as my custom settings are all in A mode).

I think this is not entirely true. You cannot Recall a custom mode that is not compatible with the current PASM mode but you can have a custom button assigned to a custom mode based on a different PASM mode. Put another way you could be in A and have a button assigned to a custom modes based on S.

If my understanding is correct the process is:

1) First, reassign the custom settings to the 3 external buttons in the PASM mode that I intend to use for this process (A). Correct?

2) Then, also reassign those buttons in each of the 3 custom modes (so that when one of the custom settings is activated, pressing one of the other reassigned buttons will jump to its custom settings)?

I would summarize slightly differently. Define your custom modes as you see fit. In each one define buttons to select other custom modes. These should all be the same in each custom mode. For example ISO = C1, EC = C2 and REC = C3. Finally, in the PASM of your choice choose custom mode -> Recall for the one you want to start with. Then you can switch between them all and back. Once you try it it’s easier to understand than describing it.

Am I missing or misunderstanding anything?

Thanks again, Barry

 

[jodaco]

CORRECTION: I just tried it and you can Recall using a custom mode based on another PASM. I just recalled an M based custom mode while in A and all settings were applied except of course the shutter speed. With some experimentation you can confirm the behavior across other PASM combinations.

 

[sherman_levine]

Perhaps it'll include the information you're looking for.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4802299

--

Sherm

Sherms flickr page

P950 album

P900 album RX10iv album
OM1.2 150-600 album

 

[Barry Sp]

Well it worked. I put the camera in A and input the settings I need for custom setting C. Next I set the button settings so that the Preview button activated custom mode C, the ISO button activated custom mode C2, the Exposure button activated the custom mode C3, and the Drive button activated custom mode C4. I then saved those settings to custom mode C.

Next I changed the settings to those I want for C2 and saved that as custom mode C2 (the external buttons programming stayed the same...i.e., Preview=C, ISO=C2, etc.).

Did the same for C3 and C4.

Next I recalled the custom settings under C while the camera mode dial remained in A. I adjusted those settings to get back to the settings I use day to day under A.

Now when the mode dial is set to A I can press one of the reassigned buttons and the camera will change to the corresponding custom settings. Pressing another one of the reassigned buttons changes the camera to its corresponding custom setting. Pressing the last reassigned custom button a second time returns the camera to its day to day settings for A mode.

It took me longer to do than I had expected because of a problem with OM Workspace and saving/loading settings. It takes me a while to get the camera settings where I want them, so before making further changes I saved the camera's settings using OM Workspace so I could reload them in the event I made a mistake (rather than having to repeat the programming). Unfortunately it didn't work. The settings appear to Save and Load properly, but the camera did not have the settings it did when Saved.

No need to post a response here. I will post another thread.

 

[john isaacs]

Well it worked. I put the camera in A and input the settings I need for custom setting C. Next I set the button settings so that the Preview button activated custom mode C, the ISO button activated custom mode C2, the Exposure button activated the custom mode C3, and the Drive button activated custom mode C4. I then saved those settings to custom mode C.

Next I changed the settings to those I want for C2 and saved that as custom mode C2 (the external buttons programming stayed the same...i.e., Preview=C, ISO=C2, etc.).

Did the same for C3 and C4.

Next I recalled the custom settings under C while the camera mode dial remained in A. I adjusted those settings to get back to the settings I use day to day under A.

Now when the mode dial is set to A I can press one of the reassigned buttons and the camera will change to the corresponding custom settings. Pressing another one of the reassigned buttons changes the camera to its corresponding custom setting. Pressing the last reassigned custom button a second time returns the camera to its day to day settings for A mode.

It took me longer to do than I had expected because of a problem with OM Workspace and saving/loading settings. It takes me a while to get the camera settings where I want them, so before making further changes I saved the camera's settings using OM Workspace so I could reload them in the event I made a mistake (rather than having to repeat the programming). Unfortunately it didn't work. The settings appear to Save and Load properly, but the camera did not have the settings it did when Saved.

No need to post a response here. I will post another thread.

You don't need to recall custom mode settings if you are just going to change them. All you need to do is store the settings you want in the custom settings, ensuring that you also set the function buttons to select the appropriate custom mode. Then in your PASM mode set the function buttons to select the same custom modes as assigned in the saved settings.

 

[jodaco]

Well it worked. I put the camera in A and input the settings I need for custom setting C. Next I set the button settings so that the Preview button activated custom mode C, the ISO button activated custom mode C2, the Exposure button activated the custom mode C3, and the Drive button activated custom mode C4. I then saved those settings to custom mode C.

Next I changed the settings to those I want for C2 and saved that as custom mode C2 (the external buttons programming stayed the same...i.e., Preview=C, ISO=C2, etc.).

Did the same for C3 and C4.

Next I recalled the custom settings under C while the camera mode dial remained in A. I adjusted those settings to get back to the settings I use day to day under A.

Now when the mode dial is set to A I can press one of the reassigned buttons and the camera will change to the corresponding custom settings. Pressing another one of the reassigned buttons changes the camera to its corresponding custom setting. Pressing the last reassigned custom button a second time returns the camera to its day to day settings for A mode.

It took me longer to do than I had expected because of a problem with OM Workspace and saving/loading settings. It takes me a while to get the camera settings where I want them, so before making further changes I saved the camera's settings using OM Workspace so I could reload them in the event I made a mistake (rather than having to repeat the programming). Unfortunately it didn't work. The settings appear to Save and Load properly, but the camera did not have the settings it did when Saved.

No need to post a response here. I will post another thread.

You don't need to recall custom mode settings if you are just going to change them. All you need to do is store the settings you want in the custom settings, ensuring that you also set the function buttons to select the appropriate custom mode. Then in your PASM mode set the function buttons to select the same custom modes as assigned in the saved settings.

You certainly don’t have to do a recall but doing so ensures a consistent starting point. Otherwise your PASM will be wherever you last had it set.

 

[sherman_levine]

Well it worked. I put the camera in A and input the settings I need for custom setting C. Next I set the button settings so that the Preview button activated custom mode C, the ISO button activated custom mode C2, the Exposure button activated the custom mode C3, and the Drive button activated custom mode C4. I then saved those settings to custom mode C.

Next I changed the settings to those I want for C2 and saved that as custom mode C2 (the external buttons programming stayed the same...i.e., Preview=C, ISO=C2, etc.).

Did the same for C3 and C4.

Next I recalled the custom settings under C while the camera mode dial remained in A. I adjusted those settings to get back to the settings I use day to day under A.

Now when the mode dial is set to A I can press one of the reassigned buttons and the camera will change to the corresponding custom settings. Pressing another one of the reassigned buttons changes the camera to its corresponding custom setting. Pressing the last reassigned custom button a second time returns the camera to its day to day settings for A mode.

It took me longer to do than I had expected because of a problem with OM Workspace and saving/loading settings. It takes me a while to get the camera settings where I want them, so before making further changes I saved the camera's settings using OM Workspace so I could reload them in the event I made a mistake (rather than having to repeat the programming). Unfortunately it didn't work. The settings appear to Save and Load properly, but the camera did not have the settings it did when Saved.

No need to post a response here. I will post another thread.

You don't need to recall custom mode settings if you are just going to change them. All you need to do is store the settings you want in the custom settings, ensuring that you also set the function buttons to select the appropriate custom mode. Then in your PASM mode set the function buttons to select the same custom modes as assigned in the saved settings.

You certainly don’t have to do a recall but doing so ensures a consistent starting point. Otherwise your PASM will be wherever you last had it set.

OMS is really quite well designed in this regard, because you can move entire sets in either direction among the custom settings and PASM.

I have one custom set which I keep as the template and almost never change. If needed, the other custom sets are copied with modifications from that template to the others or copied to PASM if I want a clearly defined starting point there.

--

Sherm

Sherms flickr page

P950 album

P900 album RX10iv album
OM1.2 150-600 album

 

[David5833]

One of the few things I dislike about the E-M5iii/OM-5 cameras is that C2 and C3 require menu diving to enable. That's about the only reason I would entertain assigning those modes to buttons. Fortunately, I don't need C2 and C3 programs for the things I use the E-M5iii for, I haven't even programmed them. I have programmed C (C1) on the mode dial to enable my preferred basic settings if I get them all screwed up while in M mode, but luckily I've never really needed to do that.

There are just enough assignable buttons on the E-M5iii for things I actually do use and wouldn't want to have to menu dive to enable. If button assignments instead of menu diving for the hidden C modes work for you and you can keep track of everything, more power to you. It would be too complicated for me.

 

[john isaacs]

One of the few things I dislike about the E-M5iii/OM-5 cameras is that C2 and C3 require menu diving to enable. That's about the only reason I would entertain assigning those modes to buttons. Fortunately, I don't need C2 and C3 programs for the things I use the E-M5iii for, I haven't even programmed them. I have programmed C (C1) on the mode dial to enable my preferred basic settings if I get them all screwed up while in M mode, but luckily I've never really needed to do that.

There are just enough assignable buttons on the E-M5iii for things I actually do use and wouldn't want to have to menu dive to enable. If button assignments instead of menu diving for the hidden C modes work for you and you can keep track of everything, more power to you. It would be too complicated for me.

This is one (of many) cases where OMS should have taken design cues from Panasonic. Panasonic has always had more custom sets than slots on the mode dial, but you access them by pressing the menu button after first switching the mode dial to the last custom set.

This lets the G9ii have 12 custom settings with only 3 on the mode dial.