OM 1 Mark II - Button/wheel assignement

[NotThePainter]

I have Aperture (or Shutter) on the front wheel, Exposure Compensation on the rear dial.

I toying with going full manual with Auto ISO. Aperture/Shutter on the two dials.

But I want a third wheel to set EC with a wheel. I shoot birds and they are often backlit, so EC is important.

Please share your setups, I'm a little baffled, I want it all. (And my spouse's Sony has 3 dials... :- )

 

[Skeeterbytes]

Program added dial functions for lever position 2? That's how I get to EC in M mode.

Happy experimenting,

Rick

 

[NotThePainter]

Program added dial functions for lever position 2? That's how I get to EC in M mode.

oh, that's interesting, thank you. I'll give that a try. (Not now, we're on day 7 of prep to paint the barn, sigh...)

 

[sherman_levine]

Repurpose the iso button or use the default
+- button

in either case you hold the button down and the ev value turns yellow in the finder. Either wheel will adjust while the button s held down.

Depends on which finger you want to use for what purpose

--

Sherm
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[DaveLBlack]

When in Manual mose and Auto ISO, I assigned EC to the +- button. Press the +- button and rotate the dial.

Now most of the time I am in full manual mode and with the help of the live exposure warning I will adjust the ISO manually.

 

[Will Rose]

I have Aperture (or Shutter) on the front wheel, Exposure Compensation on the rear dial.

I toying with going full manual with Auto ISO. Aperture/Shutter on the two dials.

But I want a third wheel to set EC with a wheel. I shoot birds and they are often backlit, so EC is important.

Please share your setups, I'm a little baffled, I want it all. (And my spouse's Sony has 3 dials... :- )

Well there are only two wheels, so having simultaneous access to a third wheel will have to remain a dream.

But you do have some options:

1. As already mentioned, use the Fn lever to change the wheel functions. You have to manually flip the lever back to return to A/SS on the wheels though.

2. Use the exposure compensation button as intended in the manual: press it, and the wheels will then do EC.

3. If you enable Direct Function, then the up button on the D-pad is bound to Exposure Compensation (and cannot be changed, which is redundant with the dedicated EC button, because someone at Oly was an idiot). If you remap the dedicated EC button, you can use the up button as EC as in #2. Direct Function allows you to map (only) two of the 4 direction buttons, allowing you to map the ExComp button to something else.

But excomp doesn’t really work as you might imagine when the camera is in Manual mode, because Exposure Compensation doesn’t really have the same meaning in manual mode.

So let’s reset…

You can alter SS, Aperture, or ISO to change the exposure of the bird, that’s it.

If you are shooting birds, you probably want to keep your shutter speed fast to avoid blur. With Aperture, you are physically limited by the lens.

So when you can’t open the aperture further, and you won’t slow the shutter, then the only way to increase apparent exposure on your backlit bird is either to increase ISO, or to raise the shadows in post.

Excomp refers to altering the camera’s metered exposure, which you don’t really have in M mode. The camera will tell you if it thinks you’re under or over exposing, but it won’t actually DO anything about it…

Unless you turn on Auto-ISO in M mode. If you do, the camera will try to change ISO to “correct” your “wrong” exposure.

If you use exposure compensation in that situation, all it does is change ISO. Which you already had on the wheels anyway.

To use excomp in M mode with auto ISO, you have to have a button bound to ExComp (even the up button will do) and hold it while you spin the wheel. (That will just adjust ISO.)

So in the situation you describe, you can alter the ISO using Exposure Compensation, or you can alter the ISO by just altering the ISO (using the ISO button or ISO wheel).

The action is the same and the effect is the same. The only difference is the indicator used on screen to show what you’re doing.

I hope this helps…

 

[rnder72]

I am using an E-M1-III, I think it works the same on the OM-1.

4-Way controller set to - Direct Function. The up arrow is set to +/- by default.

Manual mode with Auto-ISO, pressing and holding the up arrow, rotate the front dial to adjust the exp. comp.. Release the button and the value is set.

Just another way to get it done.

Rick

 

[BernhardF]

I have Aperture (or Shutter) on the front wheel, Exposure Compensation on the rear dial.

I toying with going full manual with Auto ISO. Aperture/Shutter on the two dials.

But I want a third wheel to set EC with a wheel. I shoot birds and they are often backlit, so EC is important.

Please share your setups, I'm a little baffled, I want it all. (And my spouse's Sony has 3 dials... :- )

Hi, why change your setup for EC at all? Shooting birds with auto-ISO means you mostly want quick access for adjusting shutter speed and EC so keep these on the wheels. Aperture not so often so set the aperture using the Super Control Panel at the start of every session depending on the lens you use and available light. With a good lens I suspect you want to shoot wide open most of the time.

If you suddenly run into a situation where you want a deeper depth of focus use the SCP for a slower aperture, and afterwards just turn the camera of and the on again and your back with your preprogrammed settings (I suppose you use the C-modes).

You can also have to almost identical C-modes. One with wide open aperture and one with the lens stopped down, and rotate the command dial between these, going from C1 to C2 for instance.

So, my take on this is to avoid pressing a button and rotating a wheel. Try other options instead.

 

[tomhongkong]

I have Aperture (or Shutter) on the front wheel, Exposure Compensation on the rear dial.

I toying with going full manual with Auto ISO. Aperture/Shutter on the two dials.

But I want a third wheel to set EC with a wheel. I shoot birds and they are often backlit, so EC is important.

Please share your setups, I'm a little baffled, I want it all. (And my spouse's Sony has 3 dials... :- )

I struggled with this for a long time then found a solution for manual exposure setting with exposure correction.

I don’t change aperture very often (usually leaving it wide open on 300 f4, or f7.1 on 100-400) so I change it on the scp when needed

i adjust shutter on the back wheel and ec on the front wheel

that works really well (for me)

tom

 

[Neilatolds]

The most important settings are ones that work for you and practicing so they become automatic. I shoot birds in manual with auto ISO which works most of the time. If I need EC I press the ISO button, which I reprogrammed, with my thumb then dial in compensation with the front dial. It is automatic and I don't even have to think about it. Note: I also set C1 for birds, I can quickly turn my camera off and back on to reset my settings to my default when I change multiple settings.

Wishing for a third dial will not help.

Might ask why I don't use existing EC button, this is how my previous camera was set up so I wanted it the same.

 

[jjbinx]

I have the front wheel set for Aperture and the rear wheal set for Shutter speed.

When I’m in A-mode the rear wheel becomes EC

When I’m in S-mode the front wheel becomes EC

I don’t use ISOAuto very often but when I do I’m usually in S-mode

jj

 

[NotThePainter]

Program added dial functions for lever position 2? That's how I get to EC in M mode.

Painting the barn has occupied much of the last few weeks. But I've the evening off.

The lever is cool! Thanks so much.

 

[NotThePainter]

Repurpose the iso button or use the default
+- button

ISO and +- are already in use. (+- loads C1, ISO magnifies.)

But I wasn't using one of the front buttons. That works, but I found it awkward to hold the button down and spin the dial.

I'll keep this is mind but I'm liking the Fn lever 2 position switch.

 

[NotThePainter]

3. If you enable Direct Function, then the up button on the D-pad is bound to Exposure Compensation (and cannot be changed, which is redundant with the dedicated EC button, because someone at Oly was an idiot). If you remap the dedicated EC button, you can use the up button as EC as in #2. Direct Function allows you to map (only) two of the 4 direction buttons, allowing you to map the ExComp button to something else.

That is how I was taught to set it up, I just didn't understand it.

But excomp doesn’t really work as you might imagine when the camera is in Manual mode, because Exposure Compensation doesn’t really have the same meaning in manual mode.

I'm starting to see that in just playing around a bit.

So let’s reset…

You can alter SS, Aperture, or ISO to change the exposure of the bird, that’s it.

If you are shooting birds, you probably want to keep your shutter speed fast to avoid blur. With Aperture, you are physically limited by the lens.

So when you can’t open the aperture further, and you won’t slow the shutter, then the only way to increase apparent exposure on your backlit bird is either to increase ISO, or to raise the shadows in post.

Excomp refers to altering the camera’s metered exposure, which you don’t really have in M mode. The camera will tell you if it thinks you’re under or over exposing, but it won’t actually DO anything about it…

Unless you turn on Auto-ISO in M mode. If you do, the camera will try to change ISO to “correct” your “wrong” exposure.

If you use exposure compensation in that situation, all it does is change ISO. Which you already had on the wheels anyway.

To use excomp in M mode with auto ISO, you have to have a button bound to ExComp (even the up button will do) and hold it while you spin the wheel. (That will just adjust ISO.)

So in the situation you describe, you can alter the ISO using Exposure Compensation, or you can alter the ISO by just altering the ISO (using the ISO button or ISO wheel).

The action is the same and the effect is the same. The only difference is the indicator used on screen to show what you’re doing.

I hope this helps…

I need to read that seven more times, and go shoot some back lit things. But yeah. Thank you.

But yes, I do have Auto ISO on in Manual Mode.

 

[NotThePainter]

Hi, why change your setup for EC at all? Shooting birds with auto-ISO means you mostly want quick access for adjusting shutter speed and EC so keep these on the wheels. Aperture not so often so set the aperture using the Super Control Panel at the start of every session depending on the lens you use and available light. With a good lens I suspect you want to shoot wide open most of the time.

I've been shooting humming birds at my back yard feeder and playing with stopped down lenses for greater DOF. Going for 1/3" to 1/2" really helps... :- )

In the wild, yeah, I might go back to Shutter Priority and keep the lens as open as it gets.

If you suddenly run into a situation where you want a deeper depth of focus use the SCP for a slower aperture, and afterwards just turn the camera of and the on again and your back with your preprogrammed settings (I suppose you use the C-modes).

OH, that's a neat trick!

You can also have to almost identical C-modes. One with wide open aperture and one with the lens stopped down, and rotate the command dial between these, going from C1 to C2 for instance.

I'm already using C1 and C2, B1 is birds in flight, C2 is Pro Capture.

 

[NotThePainter]

If you suddenly run into a situation where you want a deeper depth of focus use the SCP for a slower aperture, and afterwards just turn the camera of and the on again and your back with your preprogrammed settings (I suppose you use the C-modes).

I just tried this. I'm in Shutter Priority mode. One dial changes shutter, the other changes EC. I press OK to bring up the SCP, put the cursor on 5.0, and it is blinking. I can't change aperture.

How do I change the aperture from the SCP?

 

[RichWilliams]

If on manual you could have auto iso, shutter on front dial, exp comp on rear dial then aperture can be changed by the up arrow button then using the right and left buttons to change aperture.
i shoot full manual. So have ss on front dial, iso on rear dial and aperture on arrow buttons as described above. As I’m shooting BIF most of the time I don’t change aperture that often as I shoot wide open mainly to keep ss as high as possible. If shooting a perched bird or other mammal I can quickly change aperture for greater depth of field easily with just a few clicks with the arrow buttons

 

[Will Rose]

If you suddenly run into a situation where you want a deeper depth of focus use the SCP for a slower aperture, and afterwards just turn the camera of and the on again and your back with your preprogrammed settings (I suppose you use the C-modes).

I just tried this. I'm in Shutter Priority mode. One dial changes shutter, the other changes EC. I press OK to bring up the SCP, put the cursor on 5.0, and it is blinking. I can't change aperture.

How do I change the aperture from the SCP?

You answered your own question by saying you were in Shutter Priority mode. You’ll need to first change to a mode that actually allows you to change aperture.

You should read pages 58-67 of your manual to familiarize yourself with what the shooting modes do, and what you can control in them.

You can adjust Aperture in A (aperture priority), M (manual), and indirectly in P (program) mode.

The SCP will not let you adjust Aperture in Program mode, as you can only use Program Shift to affect the Aperture. In other modes, you can change Aperture in the SCP by tapping, or by using the arrow buttons or wheels.

 

[NotThePainter]

You answered your own question by saying you were in Shutter Priority mode. You’ll need to first change to a mode that actually allows you to change aperture.

So I could run in Manual mode, put Shutter and EC on a dial and then hit Aperture via the SCP? Interesting. I'll play with that tomorrow.

You should read pages 58-67 of your manual to familiarize yourself with what the shooting modes do, and what you can control in them.

I should...

In my defense, most manuals are crap, they tell you everything, not what you want. When I buy gear, be it a ham radio or camera, I seek out non-OEM documentation. In this case, I bought the Bambousek PDF which is great, but I'm not liking running in Aperture Mode for wildlife, so I'm deviating from the teacher.

 

[Will Rose]

You answered your own question by saying you were in Shutter Priority mode. You’ll need to first change to a mode that actually allows you to change aperture.

So I could run in Manual mode, put Shutter and EC on a dial and then hit Aperture via the SCP? Interesting. I'll play with that tomorrow.

You could, but that seems nonsensical to me.

As I said before, in M mode EC is effectively the same as ISO. You already have a button for ISO, so do you need it on a wheel? Moving Aperture off the wheels in M mode will result in one of two things:

1. You're going to the SCP a lot to change aperture; very inefficient.
2. You're not changing aperture much if at all. Since the camera doesn't adjust aperture in M mode, you might as well be shooting in Shutter Priority mode, except in some particular circumstances where you want a fixed aperture.

Manual mode is defined by direct and constant adjustment by the user of both shutter speed and aperture. That's why by default they are on the wheels. If you're planning to not adjust aperture much, are you sure Manual mode is right for you for what you want to shoot?

You should read pages 58-67 of your manual to familiarize yourself with what the shooting modes do, and what you can control in them.

I should...

In my defense, most manuals are crap, they tell you....

There is no defense. But the new manual is bad, you're right. You could also try the OM-1 Mk 1 manual. It's much better written and laid out; your camera is identical except for a larger buffer and one additional feature, so the older manual will be accurate for you.

But I'm puzzled by what it is now you're hoping to achieve... Your original question was this:

I have Aperture (or Shutter) on the front wheel, Exposure Compensation on the rear dial.
I toying with going full manual with Auto ISO. Aperture/Shutter on the two dials.
But I want a third wheel to set EC with a wheel. I shoot birds and they are often backlit, so EC is important.

Remember what I said before: in M mode, Exposure Compensation and ISO control are effectively the same thing.

In M mode with a normal configuration, you have Shutter and Aperture on the wheels, and then you still have FOUR ways to control ISO/ExComp:

- There's a dedicated button for ISO. You can just use it, to raise or lower the sensitivity

- Use the SCP to change ISO

- Access Exposure Compensation from the SCP; adjusting it raises or lowers ISO in M mode.

- Use the Exposure Compensation dedicated button.

There is absolutely more than one way to skin a cat, but some ways are more efficient than others.

Shooting birds requires fast reaction by the photographer, and a fast shutter speed by the camera.

I think you will find that shooting in Shutter Priority mode, with AutoISO and letting the camera manage the aperture will be the most efficient way to shoot birds.

If you're trying to do more arty shots of stationary birds, then Manual (with aperture and shutter on the wheels) and adjusting ISO/ExComp as necessary using another control to achieve the look you intend will be the most efficient, in the general case.

The exceptions I can think of are "Ok, I really want to blow out the background in all these close up shots, so maximum aperture" or "This lens is sharpest at f/5.6 so that's it." Then you're setting aperture and leaving it alone, then adjusting shutter speed to fit the bird's level of twitchiness and using ISO to change the exposure. If that's the use case then I get it.

You have to find a setup that feels comfortable and makes sense for you. Good luck...