Ananda’s Olympus EM-1 button and Dial Preferences

This table has been moved to the E-M1 Site

Lens Cleaning

dpreview.com is shutting down their user articles section. This is something I wrote September 29, 2011

A fair number of people exhale on their lens surface. Zeiss or some german brand says it's ok. Nikon in one quote says that the exhalation has acid (actually, your saliva is alkali but you may have acid from food or stomach) and is not good for their nano coatings. I used to use Kodak Lens Cleaner, now use some pocket spray from a UK optical company but not directly on the lens, on the cloth. I don't mind exhaling in an emergency when I don't have these liquids.

Mostly I use air blower or soft brush end of a Lenspen first. If there is a smudge, I use the Lenspen - it has a powder coated felt that aggregates the smudge without the need for fluid, then brush off.

Further links

Navigate to:

• LensRentals.com article on Lens Cleaning
• Recent forum discussions on Lens Cleaning

The Mirrorless Camera

dpreview is shutting down their user articles section. This is something I wrote September 29, 2011

The Name

It's a new camera type. We could and have called this class of camera the Interchangeable Lens Camera - Mirrorless (ILC-M) and we could call the other well known type of camera DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex). Whatever we call these things, the names come from common useage, from popular perceptions. There is no science to these names, there's no right or wrong to these names, they evolve and happen.

The Preamble

Prior to these ILC-M, the commonly and popularly known type was and is the DSLR. During the days of film, there was the SLR and when digital came about, these became known as the DSLR. A story for another day.

For a long time (well the phrase is relative), people asked why there was still a mirror (the R means Reflex Mirror) inside the camera. Why not dispense with it and simply keep the idea of a camera where you could take the lens off the body and replace it with another lens. It was a matter of time before one of the companies jumped into this and made one that worked.

What motivated the design of this type of camera? Why didn't Canon and Nikon, the two largest companies in terms of market share, make this type of camera first? My answer is that they have the "don't rock the boat" attitude - they have healthy lines of DSLR, good income, good sales, why rock the boat?

So it was left to the companies that weren't making headway in DSLR sales. Companies like Olympus, Sony, Samsung, Ricoh, Pentax. They had a chance of making a product that would have less competition, that would not be dominated by the big market share of Canon and Nikon. So they did.

What are the current design aims?

Most of the companies making these cameras would aim for the following in the ILC-M they make

1. A quick return of investment to prove that the product can viably sustain itself against the traditional types of camera - the DSLR, the Bridge/Ultrazoom and the Compact.
2. Don't go overboard in R&D Costs otherwise the product would not be able to pay for itself.
3. An interest to make the camera small. If the camera were big, as big as a DSLR, then the DSLR would be more attractive as a purchase.
4. Take care not to rob sales from their existing Ultrazoom on one end and their DSLRs on the other end. This varies depending on the brand - Olympus and Panasonic did not have much to lose, Nikon would.
5. Take advantage of more electronics and less of mechanical - optical assembly. In modern manufacturing, electronics is easy to improve, mechanicals are always expensive to assemble.
6. Make the camera better for HDTV - DSLRs are clumsy in the mechanism for movie shooting, a camera that does not have a flipping mirror (moving parts) is easier and cheaper to make for movie shooting. And in this world, there is not clear demarcation between shooting stills and shooting movies in the minds of the man-in-the-street. Their iPhone does both.
7. It would be hard to convince the pros who use DSLRs to switch to another class of camera, one that is still a ways to go in performance improvements. So firstly, aim at the easier customers - those who are growing up from their camera phone, from their Compacts.

So, what do you get on the market?

1. A camera that has an lens that you can take off and swap.
2. A camera that is smaller than a DSLR but bigger than a Compact.
3. A camera that has a bigger sensor than a Compact or an Ultrazoom - this gives benefits in better high ISO performance, potentially shallower Depth of Field visuals than the Compact or Ultrazoom.
4. A camera that is not conservative because it is a new type of camera, and the class is quickly evolving in technology. This means a classic DSLR from Canon or Nikon would conservatively retain more value in the lenses you purchase.
5. To keep the camera small, the camera may have no in built viewfinder or in-built external hotshoe. If both are present then body gains weight and bulk.
6. Because some of these cameras don't have a built-in viewfinder or even have no way of attaching an external one, holding the camera up to the eye and bracing the lens with your arms against your body is not possible. This affects the successful use of long telephoto lenses.
7. Because the whole package is designed to be small, you may not find a bright, big, fast focussing tele lens for this type of camera.
8. A camera that has smaller batteries and relies a lot on the LCD panel on the back and/or the Electronic Viewfinder  - this means you should always have more than one battery for a day's shooting.

As you can guess, if you are very conservative, this is not the camera for you. If on the other hand, you are the type to Seize The Day, this is as good as any camera to enjoy for the moment.

"Is there only one Mirrorless? Can I fit a lens from this brand to the other?"

There are several different brands of ILC-M. They are not interchangeable.

1. The Micro Four Thirds is a closed standard agreed upon by Panasonic and Olympus.
2. The Sony NEX (E-Mount) series of bodies.
3. There are the Samsung models
4. There is the Nikon 1 series
5. There is the Ricoh model.

• Several third party lens companies make manual focus lenses with custom mounts to fit some of these cameras. 
• Several companies sells low cost, manual mechanical adapters that will take an old legacy manual everything lens or a modern manual everything lens and fit them onto some of these cameras.

"Will Mirrorless take over from DSLRs?"

Who knows? If anyone knew, especially the camera companies, they would bet the whole house on them.

"Should I buy a Mirrorless or DSLR, I know they are different but...."

Yes, that question gets asked often. Here are my perspectives:

1. You CAN'T have BOTH your cake and eat it. You can't have conservatism in holding price value and combine that with a higher risk / faster depreciating model like an ILC-M
2. Cameras are about compromises. A compromise means you can't have everything in the one camera.
3. Buy a smaller ILC-M if you like a handier less conspicuous cam for general carrying around everywhere or nearly everywhere. Buy a DSLR if you want the works - a camera that can fit long lens and that you can hold with less handshake, that you can use for sports with reliably flast Auto Focus. Buy both if you can scrounge enough money or permission from your spouse.

And no, we can't make up your mind for you. And no, we can't magically take away the agony of decision and take bits from each camera type, combine them into one with all the plus features and none of the negatives.

Further Links

Navigate to:

Mirrorless in Forum Discussions

The UV Filter

dpreview.com is closing down their user written articles system. This is an article I wrote October 6, 2011
Beginners continually ask whether they should buy and fit a UV filter. It's like they feel their iPhone needs a rubber skin or case. Here are some points. I'll add more as discussion continues.

A few points

1. Photo gear shops make good money on UV filters and bags. It's stuff they can sell in addition to the camera. Or give away as an enticement.
2. Digital sensors are unlike film. We used UV filters (light yellow tint) and Skylight filters (light pink tint) often. While film was sensitive to UV light, digital sensors are not and hence do not need UV filters in even bright sunlight
3. Manufacturers STILL MAKE UV filters - they are not lens covers, lens protectors (I think there is one) - they are filters - that means they are not designed to be impact resistant or super strong - they are designed to filter light. If they were designed to be lens protectors, they would be designed strong.
4. UV filters add two glass/air interfaces into the optical path.
   1. Every glass/air interface means there is just one more way to cause reflections and flare. That's why the better and more expensive filters are multi-coated.
   2. Every glass/air interface means there is more risk to collect dust specks, stray hair, smudges.
   3. Every glass/air interface means there is the possibility that the glass is not perfectly flat. Unflat or rough glass reduces sharpness. How much, well that is what the debate is about and the reason why better filters cost more money.

Why some people use them

1. Some people leave the plastic wrap on their new car interior. Some people buy a sleek, sexy smart phone and immediately get a silicone rubber skin or a mock leather case. So when they buy a camera, they buy a UV filter. Naturally.
2. Some people are surrounded by little dears with greasy hands that love to touch things. Easier and less worrying to clean the filter than the camera lens.
3. Some people live or work in the desert, near salt sea spray, love to shoot in light rain. Or in dirty industrial environments spitting chips and stuff. Makes sense.
4. Some people are just clumsy. Some lenses just attract smudges.
5. Some people want to protect their investment. That's number one. Who knows, they might sell the lens pretty soon and they have kept the box and all the wrappings and they can write on their eBay ad "always fitted with a UV filter from day one"
6. They feel that if they see "flare" or unwanted reflections, yes, they'll take it off.
7. They have seen evidence or they have themselves whacked the front of their lens against a tree, the concrete floor and the filter has broken in sacrifice to the lens. Yay! Point proven.
8. They have shot thousands of shots and have never seen shots that needed throwing away just because of the UV filter.
9. Some people keep losing their lens caps in the heat of shooting and when they chuck the lens back into the bag, capless, hoodless, there is the risk of abrasion of the front element by fretting with other gear in the bag. The UV filter sacrifices itself instead of the lens front element. Easy way to burn money as the filters need replacing sooner or later. Hey, it's your money.

Why some people won't use them

1. They like "bare". Really.
2. They want purity. Putting little bits of glass in front of their lens just gives them the irrits.
3. They believe that they won't always be alert - I mean, here are you are shooting away, in the heat of the moment, will you suddenly pause and ask yourself - "I wonder whether there is a light veiling right now". These people would rather not take the risk.
4. They don't live in the desert, near the sea, live in a factory and don't have little ones - IF they venture into these environs THEN they will fit a filter.
5. They're into resolution numbers, lab tests and really, they can see / measure the degradation, no matter how slight.
6. They don't feel they are that clumsy. If they do have moments of clumsy, they would rather use a lens hood.
7. They actually fit their lens hood the right way round.
8. They've seen evidence or experienced evidence of shards of broken filters cut into the front lens element coatings.
9. Their lens isn't that expensive but has a large filter diameter. A premium priced UV filter of that diameter could cost another lens or part of a lens.
10. Their lens is pregnant and has no filter ring or won't take a filter.
11. They have seen examples where the AF worked badly and shots were degraded because someone fitted an el cheapo UV filter.

Ok, I get it but I still want to buy a filter. Which one? Is A better than B?

1. Have a look at lenstip.com - http://www.lenstip.com/113.1-article-UV_filters_test.html

Further links

Navigate to:

• Recent DP Review discussion threads on UV Filter
• Ming Thein, often intensely analytical, weighs in.

Footnote: I'm amazed how this article I wrote long ago is the top Google Search hit for UV filters.

To Format or To Delete

DPReview.com is shutting down their user articles section. I wrote this Sept 30, 2011

Once in a while, we have Beginners ask about the best way to make their flash media card ready for next use in the camera. 

• They wonder whether they should delete the photo files using the delete menu of their camera vs delete feature of their computer.
• They wonder whether they should format the card on their camera or format their card on their computer.

Here are some points to consider

Deletion does not re-draw / re-initialise the FAT

The File Allocation Table and the Directory Table are what what photo files are made of. If the FAT is somehow corrupted by mishap, one or more files are affected.

• Deletion marks the relevant filename entry(s) in the Directory Table as "killed" but does not necessarily flush the filename nor the FAT entries. As you write files onto the card, these entries will be over-written.
• Formating re-creates the file system. This ensures that at this point in time, there is no corruption of the FAT or the DT.

Implications

• You can "Delete All" using the camera and still have files that the camera does not understand or know about on the card. You could put music, office documents, whatever, on the card and "Delete All" from the camera might be blind to that.
• If there was accidental corruption of the FAT / DS, deletion does not attempt to repair the corruption.
• Deletion of all files is slower because it marks each entry laboriously, one by one. Quick Formatting simply wipes the FAT and DT.
• In some scenarios with some computer operating systems, there is additional information that the computer stores on any media. A hidden Recycle Bin folder could be one. Mac OSX file structure forks could be another. The camera may be blind to these files and structures and deletion or operations by the camera would be blind to these structures. Meaning that your card could have hidden stuff on it taking up space and the camera would not be able to manage that without a Format
• If you are prone to mishaps and every photo file has been deleted on the card using "Delete", there is a high possibility that computer recovery programs can undelete / undo / recover your photo files. The ability to recover after you have carried out a Format is much lower. For more reading, see Data Recovery

The Format command on the camera is likely a Quick Format

See High-level Formatting and Reformatting vs Low-Level Formating

From the short time it takes to Format a card using the camera menus, the camera is likely to carry out a Quick Format - a wipe and re-layout of the file system structure rather than a Low-Level Format

Implications

• Data Recovery might still be possible to some extent if the same card has not seen new files, has been formatted on the same camera.
• A Camera Quick Format shouild not contribute to wearing out your card or damage your card.

Formatting / Data mishaps on the computer could cause issues

Although there is the general concept and even standard on what the FAT and filesystem is, each type of computer and camera may approach the implementation in different ways.

• FAT is just not FAT - there is FAT16, FAT32 and other lesser known FAT standards.
• The Olympus / Fuji xD cards had digital signatures in on the card. If these signatures were unexpectedly wiped by formatting on the computer or you had an accident with premature removal of the card from the card reader etc..., you could have card that was physically able but the camera would refuse to recognise it.

This risk has caused the community to encourage formatting and/or deletion with the camera, not another device.

Storage Media are not Forever

Although flash memory is not a mechanical device with moving parts like a hard disk, flash memory wears down.  To counter this, flash memory is produced with wear levelling controllers.

Some people rightly say, buy memory from a respected, premium brand. This will imply that the brand / model closer quality assurance tolerances, a higher lifetime expectancy and an established warranty / return policy. In large part, that is good advice.

But there are few absolute guarantees in life. You might still encounter what we euphemistically call "a dud" despite the best quality assurance efforts. You might be paying for the brand's higher profit margin instead of higher specifications.

At the end of the day, it's your choice. 

Further Links

Navigate to:

• Recent Forum Discussions on Card Formatting
• Recent Forum Discussions on Deleting Photos

The Wonder of Pricing

I’m in the midst of engaging with a new camera. It’s the Olympus E- M1. Body only - I can barely afford just that. I’m amazed at the price level though. It was in 2007 when I purchased my first DSLR - the Olympus E-510 kit with two lenses. As I matured my perceptions, I would looked enviously (but could not aspire to attain) the pro level Olympus E-5.  It’s a wonder how much progress has allowed consumers to purchase the pro level EM-1 body at a price level similar to an entry level E-510 two kit lens of 2007 or the latest people’s OM-D, the E- M10.  Psst, if you are in Australia or New Zealand get onto the EOFY 2013-2014(End of Financial Year) Cash Back at Olympus.com.au in combination with major discounts by select volume retailers.)

There are also substantial retailer discounts and cashbacks on the OM-D E-M5 if you prefer that price/features balance.

My personal settings for the Olympus E-PM2

I feel that one sweet feature of Olympus Interchangeable Lens Cameras is the MySet feature– it asllows you to set up several profiles and switch between them quickly as the situation changes. I evolve my preferences over the years and often forget why or what I have chosen. One thing that might improve the menus for me is if we could change the labels from MySet 1 to General Use or phrases like that.

MySet 1 – For general use

Feature	Setting	Rationale
Metering	ESP	ESP is an intelligent matrix pattern – and each model improves on this smart scene assessment of exposure.
Face Detect	Off	When pointing the camera at a crowds, the camera cannot know which face to give priority focus to.
AF Points	Single. Centre	I like shooting shallow DOF for tele and I like to choose which subject is more important for wide views.
Fn button assignment	Magnify	The E-PM2 does not have many Fn buttons to assign. So I use the only Fn button for LCD magnification when using manual focus lenses.
AEL / AFL	S2/C2/M2	For S-AF – Press Half Way S-AFPress Fully lock exposure calculation and trigger the shutter
Record Button	Starts Movie Recording
Full Time AF	On
Back Dial	Normal Operation

MySet 2 – For “Split Focus and Shutter Trigger buttons” – emphasise focus control

Feature	Setting	Rationale
Metering	ESP
Face Detect	Off	When pointing the camera at a crowds, the camera cannot know which face to give priority focus to.
AF Points	Single. Centre	I like shooting shallow DOF for tele and I like to choose which subject is more important for wide views.
Fn button assignment	Magnify	The E-PM2 does not have many Fn buttons to assign. So I use the only Fn button for LCD magnification when using manual focus lenses.
AEL / AFL	S3/C3/M3	For S-AF – Press Half Way – lock exposure calculation Press Fully – trigger the shutter
Record Button	AEL/AFL	Initiates S-AF
Full Time AF	Off	I don’t want the camera to focus by itself.
Back Dial	Locked

MySet 3 – For impromptu portraits

Feature	Setting	Rationale
Metering	Centre Weighted	I want to give the face exposure importance.
Face Detect	Face and Eye Priority	Sometimes I just want the camera to pick the face accurately, assuming I have only one subject.
AF Points	Single. Centre	I like shooting shallow DOF for portraits
Fn button assignment	Magnify	The E-PM2 does not have many Fn buttons to assign. So I use the only Fn button for LCD magnification when using manual focus lenses.
AEL / AFL	S1/C1/M1	For S-AF – Press Half Way – lock exposure and initiate S-AF Press Fully - trigger the shutter
Record Button	Starts Movie Recording
Back Dial	Normal Operation

MySet 4 – Monochrome – street scenes and portraits in general

Record Button

Feature	Setting	Rationale
Metering	ESP
Face Detect	Face and Eye Priority	Sometimes I just want the camera to pick the face accurately, assuming I have only one subject.
AF Points	Single. Centre	I like shooting shallow DOF for tele and I like to choose which subject is more important for wide views.
Fn button assignment	Magnify	The E-PM2 does not have many Fn buttons to assign. So I use the only Fn button for LCD magnification when using manual focus lenses.
AEL / AFL	S3/C3/M3	For S-AF – Press Half Way – lock exposure calculation Press Fully – trigger the shutter
Record Button	AEL/AFL	Initiates S-AF
Back Dial	Normal Operation
Picture Mode	Monotone	Sharpness +1 B&W Filter: Yellow Curve Adjustment-    Shadows: 2

 

If I had a MySet 5

For my manual focus Samyang 7.5mm fisheye, the enormous angle of view seems to fool the body Image Stabilisation – I must remember to set IS to Off and even then, set the IS Focal Length to 8mm. Watch out for some odd lenses – there may be some shutter shock coupled with the resonant vibration frequency of these lenses and using the back LCD, hands outstretched, I encounter image shake / blur even at fast shutter speeds of 1/200th sec. Having IS on confuses the issue – try it Off.