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.

The Issue of Equivalence

The Preamble

Long ago, the size of the film was large. So large that you did not need an enlarger - you just placed the negative film in contact with paper (hence the process called Contact Printing) and you produced a paper positive that was ready for display. Later on, Oscar Barnack invented the 35mm film - a dimension of 24mm x 36mm and it became the most commonly used and known film size by the general public.

When digital was born, the manufacture of sensors was difficult and expensive, so the common digital cameras for consumer used sensors smaller than this 35mm film (now given the name "Full Frame" - even though there are now digital sensors with sizes larger than this 24 x 36mm).  Any digital sensor size that is smaller than this Full Frame is called a Crop Sensor.

Usually, the minimum diameter / size of a lens is related to the Coverage Circle that the lens throws onto the sensor. That being the case, comparing two sensors, the bigger sensor requires a bigger lens diameter.

To bring some real cases into this discussion go look at a 70-200mm f/2.8 Canon L lens and a Full Frame Canon 5D DSLR body. And then go look at at 35-100mm f/2.8 Panasonic X lens and a Panasonic GH-3 MIrrorless body. There is quite a difference in size and weight isn't there? And if you chose carefully, there might be a big price difference in favour of the smaller camera as well.

Now, let's look at points and questions that plague the enthusiast community - whether they be serious nerds or casual shooters.

The Q & A

Q: Is the Canon 70-200mm lens the same as the Panasonic 35-100 lens?
A: No, of course not. They are not the same, one is so much larger and heavier.

Q: Is the Canon 70-200mm lens equivalent to the Panasonic 35-100 lens?

A: Yes and No. Used with their respective camera bodies, they cover the same angle of view. That is, you can stand at the same distance to your subject and get the same framing of your scene. They are also both f/2.8 lenses if you used an external light meter, setting the same f/no and the same ISO, you would get the same image brightness.  In other aspects, they are completely different. 

1. They don't have the same background blur. They don't have the same Depth of Field.
2. They don't deliver the same amount of light to the sensors. (Think of different size buckets collecting rain)
3. They don't cover the same sensor dimensions in their Circle of Coverage. 
4. Depending on the specific autofocus mechanisms in the lenses and the bodies, they don't focus the same way or with the same speed or track moving objects the same.

So, if these two lenses are not 100% the same, why would retailers market them as equivalent? 

Focal Length Equivalence

To give the consumer a reference point, a "handle" to understand the distance where they stand and how bright a lens was in regard setting f/no and shooting in dim light, manufacturers relied on focal length equivalence and f/no equivalence. It's a classic and traditional reference point when switching between different film size cameras.  In fact, the 2x Crop Factor yields understandable focal lengths - like 12mm (equivalent to 24mm). When we discuss the phone camera or the little pocketable digital cameras, the lenses are down to 3mm or 6mm - it just boggles the mind. So manufacturers refrain from even mentioning the real optical focal lengths.

One proposal is that instead of using focal length as a reference point (because it doesn't embody what some people want to infer), that manufacturers use the Angle of View. That's might seem to be worthwhile. But we have two handicaps with that idea:

1. Do you know the Angle of View of a Full Frame 50mm lens on a Full Frame Body? Some do, most people don't have a clue.
2. What happens when you take a Full Frame 50mm lens and fit it on a Crop Sensor camera like an APS-C body or a Micro Four Thirds body? The Angle of View changes

For these reasons, the manufacturers decline to use Angle of View. So they keep using the Equivalent Focal Length.

f/no Equivalence

The smaller lens, the 35-100mm Panasonic lens,  is f/2.8 - that's the correct, physical optical ratio. The 70-200mm Canon lens, is f/2.8 - that's the correct, physical optical ratio. 

The whole aim of designing both lenses as  f/2.8 is to create an image of the same tone on their relevant bodies, 

But the two lenses produce different visual images at f/2.8. Yes they do. But those are implications that we weave - the background blur amount, the impact on image noise and so on. We don't even have to think that hard to baffle brains. One lens is huge and heavy. The other is not. They can't be the same. But isn't that the reason why people want a smaller camera and body? And others want a bigger lens and body?

What Makes The Difference

Amidst all the Gear Acquisition Syndrome, the Pixel Peeping, the High Dynamic Range ubiquity, the ennui, I'm searching for self, for the why.

From the dpreview interview with Benjamin Von Wong

"I have a story of a guy who quit his job, who embraced this idea of living a dream and traveling and inspiring; and I speak, I communicate. I am an entertainer as much as I am a photographer. I have the ability to do more than take pictures. I can write, I can shoot, and I can direct, and I can do videos. That's what makes me unique, not my photography. Everyone has this experience that they can sell, they just need to figure out how to package it all together - and then you can sell it to somebody."

I'm not (yet?) into money from photography, I'm just seeking myself.