customizing your e-510

8/8/2019 Customizing Your E-510

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Table of Contents

Setting Your Preferences The Settings 1 Menu

o ISO Limit o EV Step o All WB Adjustment o Storage Preset: HQ o Storage Preset: SQ o Flash+Exposure

Compensation o X-Synchronization o Auto Pop-Up o Dial o Lock: AEL/AFL o AEL/AFL Memo o AEL Metering Pattern o Quick Erase o Raw+JPEG Erase o Function Button o My Mode Setup o Focus Ring o AF Illuminator o Reset Lens o Live View Boost o Release Priority S o Release Priority C o Beep o Frame Assist o

Arrow Key Lock o Underwater Modes

The Settings 2 menu o Clock o CF/xD Card

Selection o File Name o Edit File Name o Monitor

Brightness o Language o Video Out o Rec View o Sleep o Backlit LCD

Timeout o 4-Hour Timer o Button Timer o Yes/No Priority

Set o USB Mode o Color Space o Function Button

Swap o Shading

Compensation o Pixel Mapping o Cleaning Mode o

Firmware

Default Shooting Settings The Camera 1 Menu

o Card Setup o Custom Reset Setting o Picture Mode o Gradation o File Format and

Compression o Exposure

Compensation o White Balance o White Balance

Compensation o ISO o Noise Filter o Noise Reduction

The Camera 2 menu o Metering Pattern o Flash Mode o Flash Compensation o Drive Mode o AF Mode o AF Point Selection o AE, WB, and Flash

Bracketing o Mirror Lock o Settings not in the

menu

Store/Restore Setup o Settings Not Stored What Next?

Setting Your Preferences

Almost every user has his/her own idea what make a camera easier and more pleasurable in use. De gustibusnon est disputandum ; while I'm showing my choices, I am also discussing other options, which you may findmore to your liking.

In either case, once you customize the camera to your taste and working habits, you will most probably leavethese settings alone. All of them are accessible from the two Settings menus (denoted with wrench icons: and

).

I'll be going through these settings in the order in which they are listed in the menu system. In a few cases thisorder could not be preserved, as it might have changed, or a setting has been moved from one menu to another;this will be noted for a camera which does not follow the rule. The same is true for a few settings which are nolonger accessible from the menu system in the E-510, but which still deserve to be pre-set to be stored in acustom reset slot.

One thing to remember: in order to have all these settings available, the camera must be set to one of the non-all-auto modes , i.e., the mode dial should be in P, A, S, or M position.

Index


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The Settings 1 Menu

The assignment of items to both Settings menus seems to follow no clear logic, although related ones aresometimes grouped together. Here are the settings available via the first monkey wrench in the menu system.

Index

ISO Limit

This is similar to the above, but it imposes an upper limit on the ISO adjustment which is automatically done bythe camera in the Auto ISO shooting setting (with or without flash, unlike in the E-500). It can be set to ISO100, 200, or 400; the limit

For me this setting is largely irrelevant, as I prefer to set ISO manually, but even then I would rather set thislimit to ISO 400 .

E-410: No option to adjust this value.

Index EV Step

This is the step with which you will be able to adjust the exposure compensation, shutter speed, and aperturevalues. You can choose 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV here, with 1 EV being equivalent to doubling (or halving) theexposure; somewhat too coarse, as the sensor has a narrow tolerance similar to that of a slide film. There is noreal difference between 1/3 and 1/2 EV; I keep this at 1/3 EV , as this is the step I'm used to from my film times,

but you may prefer 1/2 EV.

E-410: No such adjustment; the EV step is hardwired at 0.3 EV. That's what I'm using anyway.

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All WB Adjustment

Here you can define common color corrections (both in Red/Blue and Green/Magenta plane) whichwill be shared by all WB settings, including Auto and Reference ( ).

Note that these corrections will override those, if any, previously defined for the individual WB settings.Therefore if you would like to use a specific correction for some WB choices and a "global" one for all others,define the later first as described below, and then override it for the specific settings from the Camera 1 menu.

The adjustment is done in "steps" of some arbitrary (and undocumented) size, separately for two color dimensions: red/blue and green/magenta. Use a positive correction to get your colors shifter towards red or green; negative towards blue or magenta, respectively. (Switching between dimensions is done with left- andright-arrow keys; changing the correction with the up- or down-arrow.)

I find this function redundant: to check the correction currently applied, I have to go to the individual settinganyway; once I'm there, I can as well change it. This is why I leave this function alone.

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Storage Preset: HQ

This option allows you to set the compression which will be used if and when you choose to save your imagesin the HQ (High Quality) mode. Mind it: it does not switch you into that mode (that choice is done from the

Camera 1 menu or, better, from the Control Panel); it only defines the compression used when you actually


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switch.

There are three compression ratios to choose from: 1:4, 1:8, and 1:12 (the 1:2.7 ratio is hardwired to SHQ). Mychoice is 1:4 , and with that I save 95% of my images as HQ, switching to SHQ only when I'm getting paranoidabout compression quality losses (usually Tuesday afternoons).

Another reasonable solution here is to set HQ to 1:8, good enough for most purposes, and switch to SHQ(1:2.7) in more critical applications. 1:12 seems a bit excessive.

E-410: The HQ compression is frozen at 1:8; you cannot adjust it. This is consistent with my second choiceabove.

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Storage Preset: SQ

Again, this is the setup only, not activation of the SQ ( Standard Quality ) preset. Here the camera gives you anoption to preset both the compression ratio and the pixel dimensions of the saved image:

Compression ratio : 1:2.7, 1:4, 1:8, 1:12 Pixel dimensions : 32002400, 25601920 (5 MP), 16001200 (2 MP), 1280960 (1 MP), 1024768

(XGA), 640480 (VGA).

Note that the full, native format is, for reasons unknown, missing from the latter list.

If you chose 1:4 as the HQ compression (see the previous item), then I would recommend to set the SQ size to32002400 pixels and compression to 1:8 next logical step, allowing to double the number of images youcan store on your memory card. If you chose 1:8, then setting SQ to 25601920 at 1:8 (or 1:12, although I'm a

bit squeamish here) might provide you with an "economy" SQ setting to which you may switch when running

out of card space.In any case, I would think twice before deciding to use a smaller size for SQ. A friend of mine, who happens tomake the best high-end, reference audio speakers in the world, spent a whole day taking pictures of his studio,only to discover that all were saved as 1024768 JPEGs; this was the setting he had been using a day before. If you need smaller images for the Internet, reduce the size in postprocessing; this also gives you more freedom if you decide to use just a part of the frame.

Index

Flash+Exposure Compensation

This option allows you to choose how the + dialed flash exposure compensation is applied.

On: the dialed flash exposure compensation is applied on top of (i.e., added to) the "regular" exposurecompensation.

Off: only the dialed flash compensation is applied to flash pictures; the dialed "regular" value is thenignored.

Some previous Olympus cameras used the first (On) scheme; on the other hand, some users may find thesecond one (Off) more intuitive. Your pick. Personally, I find the On option more to my liking. Whichever youchoose, stick to it.

E-410: Another option removed in this model; the dialed flash exposure is applied in addition to the "regular"one. Again, this is my preference anyway.


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Index

X-Synchronization

In this option you set the fastest shutter speed which will be used when the camera is taking pictures with flash.While the default is 1/180 s, you may set the that limit to any value down to 1/60 s.

(Longer speeds increase the input of the ambient light to the final result, softening the harsh flash light a bit, but

this may cause problems with the white balance indoors, as usual with mixed light sources, e.g., a flash used ina brightly-lit room.)

Both manuals are wrong on this option, with the whole (!) description being "You can set the shutter speed thatwill be used when the built-in flash fires [...] in 1/3 EV increments.". Not true: the setting only defines themaximum speed.

In the program mode, the camera (with built-in or external flash) will be setting the shutter as it pleases, close tothe 1/2F (one over double focal length) rule, to maximize the ambient light input. It will do the same in theaperture priority mode. In the shutter priority mode it will limit the speeds you can select manually to the valueentered in this option.

I would recommend to leave this setting at the highest value, i.e., 1/180 s, for a number of reasons, includingthose mentioned in my remark above. If longer shutter speeds are needed, use shutter priority.

E-410: Yet another setting option of questionable value removed in this camera. The E-410 sets the speedlimit at 1/180s, which the same what I'm recommending for the other models.

Index

Auto Pop-Up

This setting affects the behavior of the built-in flash but only when the main dial is set to the Auto exposuremode, or one of the dedicated scene modes.

If set to On, when the camera's autoexposure system determines a need for flash, it will pop the built-in unit up.This feature benefits mostly three categories of people, not necessarily mutually exclusive: legally blind,

photography illiterates, and some camera reviewers.

A semi-intelligent and/or semi-aspiring photographer should be able to decide if the flash is needed and thenraise it manually. The camera also displays the shutter speed it is going to use; if this speed is too slow for safehandholding, it should be up to the photographer to decide whether to secure some additional support or to use

flash. If you cannot make this decision, you should not be buying an SLR: take it back to the store and get anall-auto point-and-shoot. You really will be better off.

Pictures taken without flash usually look much better than with one (especially the built-in unit). Also, if thecamera raises the flash head when you are already pressing the shutter release, it will take some time torecharge the flash capacitor: it would be not economical, battery-wise, to keep it constantly charged; this delaymay cost you a picture opportunity.

I often read camera reviews (sometimes, but not only, in Popular Photography ), with non-popping flash listedas one of the major complaints about the camera in question. I consider this a major misunderstanding or worse.

Anyway, the setting remains largely irrelevant, as it does not apply the Program, Shutter Priority, AperturePriority, or Manual exposure modes. Still, as you may use the Auto mode for a quick return to some reasonabledefaults ("panic button"), I would recommend disabling the auto pop-up, unless you count yourself in one of the categories listed above.


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Index

Dial

This allows you to re-assign the function of the camera's control dial, the one fitting right under your rightthumb. Actually, there are two choices to be made here, as the dial function can be re-assigned separately for the Program and Manual mode. Here are the options:

Program Exposure Mode: by default, the control dial used alone controls Program Shift (shown as [Ps] i); when used with the compensation button exposure compensation. These roles can be reversed bychoosing from this menu.

The control dial can be moved by accident, and an accidental program shift is a lesser evil thanaccidental exposure compensation, so I prefer to keep the default arrangement here. It also makes the

program exposure mode more consistent with aperture or shutter priority modes.

Manual Exposure Mode : by default, the dial alone changes the shutter; with the button aperture.That arrangement can be reversed by choosing F No. from this menu.

As infrequently as I'm using the manual exposure, I prefer the second option , as it is consistent with theaperture priority mode.

In the shutter and aperture priority exposure modes the dial, when used alone, changes the controlled variable(shutter or aperture, respectively), while with the button it adjusts the exposure compensation. Thisassignment cannot be changed; just fine with me.

E-410: The functionality of the control dial cannot be changed; again, fine with me and better for 99% of users.

Index Lock: AEL/AFL

This stands for Auto Exposure Lock and Auto Focus Lock , and adjusting this option, or a family of options, maylook like opening a Pandora's box of confusion. From this sub-menu you can define how the camera's AE andAF functions will behave when the [AEL/AFL] button (just right of the finder eyepiece) and the shutter releaseare pressed.

The choice is made independently for each of the focusing modes (single, continuous, and manual), and in eachcase you select a pre-packaged preset for that mode.

Switching between SAF, CAF, and MF is not done from here; you can do it either from the Control Panel or with use of the focusing mode button (right arrow).

The good news is that the presets chosen as defaults by Olympus make good sense; only if you are reallyunhappy with those, and you really know what you want, they may be worth changing. Or, if you really trustmy taste, you may skip the details and jump straight to recommendations .

Just to let you get an idea of what options are available in your camera (keeping in mind the remark above),here is the complete listing. I hope it may be at least a bit less confusing than the description and the table in the

Advanced Manual , but I cannot guarantee this.

Note that the E-410 has fewer options here, as marked.

Single AF: this is the AF mode in which I take 95% of my pictures; therefore it is most important to setthis one properly.


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1. SAF Mode 1 . If you do not use the Lock button, then both exposure and AF are locked at themoment when the shutter release is half-pressed. Any changes in scene brightness or subjectdistance which may happen between that moment and the actual shutter release (full press) willnot be taken into account. This allows you to lock the exposure and focus on the part of thescene you consider most important.

Pressing and holding the Lock button freezes the exposure (but not AF) as metered at thatmoment (usually before half-pressing of the release, though it may also be done after). Therefore

you may (a) point at where you want to set the exposure and lock it with the button; (b) whileholding the button down, point at the object to focus on and half-press the release to lock focus;(c) recompose the frame and shoot.

2. SAF Mode 2 . With the lock button down, the camera's behavior will be identical to that in SAF Mode 1 . Without the use of that button, however, half-pressing of the shutter release does notfreeze the exposure; it is being updated until the moment the shutter fires.

In other words, the lock button is now the only way to freeze the metered exposure.

E-410: This mode is not available; the Mode 2 moniker refers to the next one.

3. SAF Mode 3 : The exposure is locked when the shutter release is half-pressed. The only way tolock the AF (or to activate it at all) is to use the lock button.

This really becomes a manual focus mode with AF "on demand", except that the focus ring onthe lens is not active, unless you switch the focusing mode to SAF+MF in the shooting controls(or use one of the new SWD-series lenses, where the ring is active all time.)

This mode may appeal to the more old-fashioned photographers, who grew up using non-AFcameras. Still, it may be too easy to forget about pressing the lock button and take a picturewithout focusing.

E-410: On this camera, this is marked as SAF Mode 2

Out of these three choices the first, default , one is generally the safest and makes most sense, for me atleast, therefore I'm using it. Keep it there, unless you already have developed different working habits.

While using the last mode can be tempting, I prefer to get the same functionality in the manual focusmode, as described below.

Continuous AF: this is the focusing mode to which you may want to switch occasionally to photographfast-moving action. In this mode the E-500 allows you to define four different ways in which the lock

button and shutter release will lock the focus and exposure.

1. CAF Mode 1 . Autofocusing starts when the release button is half pressed and the focus iscontinuously adjusted until the end. Exposure is also locked with the release half-press, unlessthe lock button is pressed (and held down), in which case that event does the locking.

Note that this is very similar to the SAF Mode 1 , except that AF is being adjusted continuouslytill the very end.

E-410: This combination is not available.

2. CAF Mode 2 AF starts at release half-press, then both AF and AE are adjusted till the lastmoment, unless the lock button is used to freeze the exposure. This is the default.

E-410: This mode is referred to as CAF Mode 1 .

3. CAF Mode 3 : Half-pressing the release freezes the exposure; continuous AF is active only when


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the lock button is being held down.

If the Lock button is not used, no autofocusing is done at all. (The manual has it wrong.)

E-410: This mode is referred to as CAF Mode 2 .

4. CAF Mode 4 : Like the previous one, except that exposure is not frozen when the release is half- pressed; it is being adjusted up to the last moment. Like there, continuous AF is performed all

the time while the lock button is held down.

E-410: This combination is not available.

The real choice, for most users at least, will be between Modes 1 and 2. If you are not sure what youwant, keep the default Mode 2 , although I (slightly) prefer Mode 1. Still, I may change my mind when Iget more experience in action photography.

E-410: Not really a choice: Mode 1 (the default) makes most sense for most users. Manual Focus . When the camera is in manual focus mode, the lock functions can be set up in one of

three ways:1. MF Mode 1 . Exposure is locked when the release is half-pressed, but can be also metered when

the lock button is used and kept frozen while it is being held down. An exact MF equivalent of Modes 1 in two AF regimens. This is the default preset.

2. MF Mode 2 . Exposure is locked when and while the lock button is depressed; otherwise it is being adjusted until the picture is taken.

E-410: Option not available.

3. MF Mode 3 Exposure is locked with half-press of the release, and pressing the lock button isused to activate single AF (one measurement).

Note that this behavior is exactly the same as in the last SAF Mode . Obviously, it works onlywith AF lenses.

E-410: This mode is referred to as MF Mode 2 .

The default Mode 1 makes sense, being consistent with SAF Mode 1 . For my setup, however, I havechosen the last option , as it is very nice to have AF on demand in MF mode.

Was this description too long? I'm afraid this could not be avoided. This was not helped by removal of someoptions from the E-410. The good thing is that you will doing this part of the setup just once.

My recommendation: You will be just fine keeping the defaults, shown in the menu at as [S:1 C:2 M:1] . My personal preference is [S:1 C:1 M:3] . If you have strong feelings about these settings, then you probably don'tneed my recommendations anyway.

E-410: The defaults: [S:1 C:1 M:1] will be OK for most of the users, although I prefer to have AF on demandin the MF mode: [S:1 C:1 M:2] .

Index

AEL/AFL Memo

When set to Off, the lock button works like described in the previous section: you have to keep it down in order to keep the setting frozen (or, for continuous AF, being updated). When you set this to On, the button will act asa toggle: the first press will turn the lock on, the second off. The lock remains on even after the picture has

been taken.


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While this may be useful when we want to keep the exposure identical for a number of frames (like whenshooting panoramas), it may also be quite dangerous: it is too easy to forget that the AE or AF lock is active.

This is why I would recommend keeping this at Off , unless working in the toggle mode is already your secondnature.

Index

AEL Metering Pattern

This setting allows you to choose what metering pattern will be used when the exposure is locked with use of the lock button (not by half-pressing the shutter release!).

Auto whatever pattern the camera is using by default, i.e., without the lock button.

(That pattern can be changed from the Control Panel or with use of the direct button, the left arrow).

Center-weighted always the center-weighted mode, regardless on the "regular" pattern used (seeabove).

Spot always spot-metering, ditto. Spot-Highlight and Spot-Shadow as above, but assuming you are pointing at the highlights

or shadows of the scene.

The spot setting is a natural choice here: very much like pointing at something with a handheld light meter (some of the Readers may even remember what this is) and saying "I want this to be at the standard gray level".

While the factory default is Auto , my choice allows a spot reading at just a press of the Lock button, withoutchanging the pattern setting permanently (i.e., until it is changed back to whatever I'm using as a point-and-shoot default).

You may keep this on Auto only if you feel uneasy about spot-metering, but then, most probably, you will benot using exposure lock often, either.

Index

Quick Erase

Activating this option allows you to delete the currently viewed image with a single press on the red trash can button, without any confirmation.

I would suggest keeping this at Off , and setting Priority Set (the Yes/No option in Settings 2 , see below) toYes; deleting a file would then require a confirmation with just a single button press.

E-410: This option is permanently set to Off, which makes sense.

Index

Raw+JPEG Erase

This is relevant only if you save images, at least from time to time, in two versions: raw ORF and JPEG. If youare viewing such an image and press the Delete (trash can) button, the camera may delete just one or bothversions, depending how this preference has been set. Because I never save dual files of the same image, I haveno preference here.

E-410: No choice here; both versions will be deleted, each with a separate confirmation step.


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Index

Function Button Assignment

The Function Button can be pre-assigned to perform one specific operation. The available choices are:

1. Reference WB (default assignment), marked as in the menu.

The Reference WB is set by pointing the camera to a white or gray surface and pressing the shutter release while the [Fn] button is held down. The function works very well, and I find it useful.

2. Test Picture : if you press the shutter release holding down the Function button, a picture will be takenand displayed on the monitor, but not saved to the card.

I don't find this functionality too useful: what if this one turned out just right?

3. My Mode taking a picture when the Function button is kept pressed will use your custom My Mode setup rather than the current camera settings.

Note that this is the only way to use a My Mode preset on this camera.

4. Depth Of Field (DoF) Preview : The [Fn] button closes down the aperture to the "working" value set byyou or the AE system (depending on the exposure mode).

This allows to evaluate the depth of field in your picture in theory at least, as the finder is really toosmall for this.

5. Live View DoF Preview : as above, but the camera will switch into the Live View mode, if not alreadythere.

6.

Off the Function button is entirely disabled, perhaps to protect those who may press it by accidentand then be confused.

Unless you really need the capability of quick switch to a custom My Mode , Custom WB remains my clear choice. DoF preview in the optical finder is of rather problematic value, and live DoF preview is not faster than

just taking a picture and checking it out; the same is true about the test picture option. Still, your taste maydiffer.

The same menu contains a related option to swap the functionality of the [Fn] button (as defined above) withthat of the AEL/AFL Lock.

E-410: There is no separate [Fn] button on this camera, but the left-arrow one doubles up in this functionality.This, however, happens only if it is pressed in a context when using an arrow key is not applicable: i.e., whenno menu is shown, no field in the Control Panel is highlighted, no image is being reviewed, and no enlargedLive View is used. Actually, it works in a less confusing way than it may sound. Also note that on the E-410Off is the default assignment.

Index

My Mode Setup

E-410: There is no My Mode provision in this camera (I will not be missing it); jump straight to the nextapplicable section .

On the E-510, this sub-menu allows you (in a somewhat confusing manner, similar to Custom Reset describedlater) to choose between two different My Mode presets or to define (or undefine) them. I would recommend


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reading this while actually handling the camera.

Note: If you have assigned the Function button (see above ) to anything but My Mode , then My Mode Setup becomes irrelevant and you may save yourself the effort of reading the rest of this item: you will not need it.

Reminder: To access this setup option, the main dial must be moved away from the AUTO mode!

1. Go to the Setup 1 menu and highlight the My Mode Setup option, way down in the fourth page. If youhaven't defined any My Mode presets before, you will see No Data next to it; otherwise you will see MyMode 1 or My Mode 2 .

2. Press the right arrow key. Without any My Mode presets, you will find yourself in a screen like this:

MY MODE 1 > NO DATA

MY MODE 2 > NO DATA

For an already defined My Mode , the right-hand field may also read SET (this mode has been defined)or CURRENT (defined and active).

3. Use the up/down arrows to highlight one of the modes. If it shows SET, pressing [OK] now will make itactive (after a Yes/No screen): this will now be the mode used when you take a picture with thecustomized button (see the previous item) pressed.

Remember: this does not switch the camera to that mode; only pressing that button while a picture is being taken will do it!

4. Regardless of that, you may press the right-arrow when one of the My Mode items is highlighted; thenyou will see two options: SET and RESET. Choosing SET (and pressing [OK]) will store the current camera settings in the chosen My Mode (without any confirmation); RESET will erase the CONTENTs

of this mode.This may sound convoluted, but really is not after you realize that the same menu items are used for bothchoosing the modes and defining them. Anyway, as I said, if you have not assigned the Function button to MyMode , you do not have any need to use these settings.

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Focus Ring

This allows you to choose in which direction you will have to turn the manual focusing ring in order to change

the focus towards infinity.

Once again, I find this feature to be of tertiary importance, as it works, obviously, only with the Four Thirdslenses, which have electronic coupling between the ring and lens cams. I resort to manual focusing only withlegacy lenses, which have mechanical coupling, making this choice not applicable.

Unless you insist on manual focusing with dedicated Olympus lenses and also have a direction preferenceinherited from your film SLR system, just ignore this choice .

E-410: No such option.

Index

AF Illuminator

This setting allows you to enable or disable the autofocus aid light, used when the available light is not bright


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enough for reliable autofocus. Depending on the flash you are using, this AF light can be generated in twodifferent ways.

Without an external flash unit mounted, the internal flash (if raised) emits a low-intensity, multiple burstof light;

An external flash (FL-36 or FL-50 by Olympus) has a separate light source, generating three beams of continuous, deep-red light with a striped pattern (to provide some focusing detail, smart!).

In either case, the setting allows to turn the AF aid off. It is irrelevant if the flash is not raised or if the externalflash is turned off.

I prefer to have the AF assist turned On . You may want to disable it when using the built-in flash to trigger slave units, when it may release them prematurely.

Index

Reset Lens

If this is set to On , turning off the camera will reset the lens to infinity. At a negligible expense of battery use,this usually saves you a fraction of a second in the first picture taken when you turn the camera on again. Whynot? set this to On .

E-410: No choice, always On .

Index

Live View Boost

If this is disabled, the Live View display will account for the picture-taking parameters i.e., it will approximate

the resulting picture. In enabled, the display will be brightened for better visibility (at the expense of some jerkiness).

Warning: the exposure information (including the luminance histogram) is wrong with Live View Boostenabled.

I prefer to keep the Live View Boost off, except when shooting in infrared; in that case this is the only way tomake the preview visible.

Index

Release Priority S

This option defines the camera's behavior in the S (single-focus) mode. Activating it will make the camera takea picture whenever you press the shutter release button regardless of whether it was able to focus properly. Thedefault setting here is Off , and this is, indeed, preferred in most shooting situations for which the single-focusregimen is preferred (see also the next item); that's why I would leave it at Off .

E-410: No choice, always Off . Fine with me.

Index

Release Priority C

Similar to the above, but for the C (continuous AF) mode. That mode is recommended for fast-moving objects,and the camera uses the predictive AF then anyway (extrapolating the subject movement and "outguessing" itsfuture position). Because of the predictive AF and because in such situations it is better to risk an out-of-focus


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frame than no frame at all, the default On setting here makes perfect sense.

E-410: No choice, always On .

Index

Beep

From here you can enable or disable the beep the camera makes when autofocus is achieved, at least in thesingle AF mode. I prefer to keep this On, as quite often I am too focused on other things in order to watch theAF confirmation light in the viewfinder. At rare occasions, when the beep may be found disturbing, I just break my rules and go to the menu system to disable it.

Index

Frame Assist

This setting allows you to have a framing aid superimposed on the Live View display. In addition to Off , thereare three options here:

A grid, dividing the display into 68 squares; A "golden rule" line set: two vertical and two horizontal lines, with intersections corresponding to

composition "strong points"; A cross-hair with scales in arbitrary units. (Maybe they are not arbitrary, but Olympus says nothing

about that.)

Whatever.

Index

Underwater Modes

E-410 only: Activating this option will assign new meanings to two of the mode dial positions: Sports and Night+Portrait will now become Under Water Macro and Under Water Wide (original spelling retained). Notdoing any underwater photography, I cannot comment on these two programs, but my skepticism about any of the "scene modes" remains.

Index

Arrow Key Lock

You can disable the "direct" use of the arrow keys. This means that the keys will still work for moving aroundthe display (like Control Panel, menus, or image review), but they will lose their second function: direct accessto ISO, WB, AF, and metering pattern. (This is how they work on the E-410 anyway.) Using this option is just amatter of taste; being used to direct buttons in the E-500, I prefer to keep things the same way in the E-510.

E-410: Not applicable, as the arrow keys are limited to the cursor function (with one exception ).

Index

The Settings 2 Menu

If you think this was quite a many options, wait; the Settings 2 menu adds more. Do not feel confused or intimidated; remember, you have to set these just once, unless you want something to play with during longwinter nights.


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Index

Clock

This is not actually a preference setting; a properly set clock allows your pictures to be correctly time-tagged.Set this once to your home time zone and leave it there, adjusting once a year if ever.

Note that the camera's computer does not know anything about switching to the daylight savings time (the

"summer time"), therefore if you want to account for that, you will have to move the clock twice a year by onehour. My preference is not to do it, and keep the "winter" time, as this is more closely related to how high theSun is over the horizon.

I would also advise against moving the camera's clock every time you travel to a different time zone (unlessyou are permanently relocating). Sooner or later you'll forget to do it, and then things may get quite messy. It isnot really worth the trouble.

Index

CF/xD Card Selection

This choice between Compact Flash and xD-Picture card is not really a preference setting, and it should berather in one of the Camera menus, not here. Anyway, set it to the card you use more often, and in need youcan always change it from the Control Panel, without diving into the menu system. Keep in mind that CF cardsusually are faster, and this is my default. (The new "H" xD cards still do not match the speed of current CFones; see my memory card article .)

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File Name

The Olympus file naming system uses a simple convention, combining the date picture was taken with a serialnumber. A file name format is

Pmddnnnn.JPG or _mddnnnn.JPG

where the name elements mean the following:

P or _ is a fixed character (for sRGB or Adobe RGB color space, respectively); see also the Edit File Name item below. (The character will be applied even for raw images, where the color space is notapplied yet.)

m is a single character (hexadecimal digit) denoting the month: 1 stands for January, 9 for September, A for October, B November, and C December. dd is the two-digit day of the month; nnnn is the picture serial number, incremented every time a new image is saved; after 9999 it will start

from 0001 again. .JPG (with the preceding decimal point) is the file name extension by which most graphics programs

recognize the format in which the image was saved. This may be .JPG (compressed JPEG), .TIF (uncompressed TIFF), or .ORF (Olympus Raw Format).

For example, PB260832.ORF means a picture taken on November 26, with a serial number of 832, saved in theOlympus Raw Format; with color space set to sRGB.

The File Name option defines how serial numbers are assigned when an empty memory card is detected. Thereare two choices here:

Reset the numbering starts anew from 0001 ;


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Auto it continues from the last value.

It seems difficult to come up with any advantages of the Reset scheme. It can be potentially dangerous,allowing you to have two different pictures from the same day identically named; Auto also gives me a quick count how many pictures I took with the camera from day one. Keep this at Auto and forget about the issue.

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Edit File Name

"Edit" is too big a word here; this allows you to define the first two characters in file names generated by thecamera. While the defaults (shown in the examples above) are 'P' for the first character and the '1'..'C' monthcode for the second, either can be hardwired to any letter or digit (or the second can still denote the month,which the default). Confusingly, defaults are shown in the menu as Off , as if P or Month were more difficult tounderstand).

Note: For Adobe RGB you can change only the second character; the first one will be always an underscore. Tochange the setting you must actually set the camera to the given color space.

You can just leave the default settings here, with one possible exception. When using two or more camerasapplying the same naming scheme (read: made by Olympus) it may be nice to have the first character differentfor each camera; this is handy in avoiding name clashes between pictures taken on the same day, and in seeingat a glance which camera was used.

Still, the first thing I do after downloading my images to a computer is renaming them; Total Commander , myfavorite Windows file manager software for the last 14 years, has a nice and flexible batch renaming capability.I use it to change names like P8292040.JPG into 070829-2040.jpg.

Olympus has one of the better file naming systems among camera brands not because it is so good, but becauseothers are worse. Why do they stick to the 8.3 naming convention, which became obsolete in 1995, and whichdoes not allow for file names longer than eight characters (before the dot, that is)?

E-410: No such option. Anyway, you will be most probably renaming the files after downloading them fromthe camera.

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Monitor Brightness

Adjust it to your heart's desire; I'm fine with what came in the box.

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Language

Once again, your choice.

Languages available may depend on where you bought the camera. For example, my E-510 (North Americanmarket) came with English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. You can install another language from theOlympus Master , using the same Web-based mechanism as for regular firmware upgrades. The installedlanguage is then added to the language menu.

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Video Out


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This defines the standard used when the camera's monitor signal is sent to a TV set, usually for viewing pictures (not a good idea anyway; almost any computer screen gives you a better viewing experience). You maychoose between NTSC and PAL, depending on where you are.

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Rec View

You can define if (and for how long) the camera will display the picture which just has been taken, even whileit is being saved to the memory card. This can be set to any value between 0 and 20 seconds, with 3..7 seconds

being, I would think, reasonable for a quick check.

If you expect to do lots of shooting in situations when battery life is critical, you may also set the value to zero (i.e., turn the preview off). You can always press the Play (green arrow) button to see the last picture taken.

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Sleep

This defines the period of inactivity after which the camera will enter the low-power sleep mode, disabling theLCD monitor and all controls but the shutter release: when that is half-pressed, your E-500 will almost instantly(with about one second of dust-cleanup delay) spring to life. This can be set to Off (never go to sleep), 1, 3, 5,and 10 minutes. Entirely a matter of taste; I prefer 3 minutes .

Note: the infrared remote receptor is disabled in the sleep state; for occasions when you are using the RM-1 or RM-2 remote control (for example: table-top photography), you may want to disable the sleep feature at all.

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Backlit LCD TimeoutMost of the energy consumed when the camera is on but not actually used goes to backlighting of the LCDmonitor. You can set the backlighting timeout to 8, 30, or 60 seconds, or to Hold (no timeout).

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4-Hour Timer

With this option activated, when the camera is not used for four hours after entering the sleep mode, it will turnitself entirely off, requiring you to flip the main power switch to start it up again. This is a battery-saving

feature, and I would keep it at On .

E-410: Always On .

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Button Timer

The E-510 follows the "push a button and turn the wheel" metaphor for adjustment of the most frequently used parameters. Some previous Olympus models required you to hold the button down while turning the wheel, nottoo convenient for all buttons. This is why now there is a short "grace period" within which the setting's screenis shown and the wheel can be turned without the button being depressed. A small difference, but it makes thecamera easier to use.

The Button Timer setting allows you to set the length of this time to 3, 5, and 8 seconds, or to Hold , which


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means that you have to press [OK] again to exit the process. My preference is three seconds ; yours may differ.

E-410: Hardwired to 8 sec, but really applicable only to two buttons: Flash and Drive Mode .

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Yes/No Priority Set

This option defines which answer ( Yes or No) will be highlighted as default in file deleting operations. Thedefault is No: pressing the trash can button while viewing an image shows a query with No highlighted; youhave to use an arrow key to move to Yes, and then press [OK].

This double protection seems too much to me; I prefer the Yes setting, where I need to press just [OK] after the Delete button to confirm the operation.

This choice does not affect other confirmation screens; for example resetting the camera to one of the custom presets.

E-410: Hardwired to No .

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USB Mode

This sets the mode in which the USB interface turn itself on when the camera detects the proper cable pluggedin: Auto , Storage , MTP or Control , and also two printer-specific setting: Easy Print and Custom Print .

Storage makes the camera's currently used memory card visible as an external disk drive from the hostcomputer; Control allows the camera to be operated remotely from a computer program (Like Olympus Studio

or Cam2Com , and in the Auto setting you will be asked to make a choice every time.The MTP setting allows the Windows Vista to access the camera as an "image source". As many of the Vista "improvements", this is useless, as on any Windows of the last 8 years you can access the camera as an externaldisk drive and move the files around in any way you please.

The default Auto option is safe choice, although if you never operate the camera remotely, Storage will be OK.(I never print my pictures directly from the camera, therefore I will not comment on the Print settings.)

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Color Space

A choice between sRGB (used on practically all computer displays) and Adobe RGB , supposedly providing awider color gamut. Only if you are an imaging professional, you may think of the second option; otherwisestick to sRGB which does not require any special steps or special software to be displayed on a computer monitor.

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Function button swap

This allows you to swap the functionality of the AF/AE Lock with that of the Function button, marked as [Fn] ,which, as you remember, be additionally customized . If you choose to do that, pressing one of these buttonswill perform the function assigned to the other one, and vice versa .

You may consider the swap if you are not happy having your right thumb to reach all the way towards the Lock


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button, next to the viewfinder, especially when using the latter.

I wouldn't recommend doing the swap if you have the AEL/AFL Memo option enabled: the button can be pressed by accident when carrying the camera, and then the exposure will remain locked until you notice thatyour images are way off.

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Shading Compensation

Many lenses, especially wide-angle ones, produce images with some light fall-off towards the corners. The E-500 can compensate for this, using the information passed from the "smart" lens to the camera circuits. Hereyou can turn this function on or off (except for images stored in the Olympus Raw Format, ORF, as for thesethe compensation is applied during the conversion to RGB on a computer). I see no reason not to have this setto On .

E-410: No such option, probably set always to On .

Index

The last three positions in the Settings 2 menu are not really settings; they rather serve to invoke rarely usedcamera functions:

Pixel Mapping

To be used occasionally (every six months or so, or as needed) to map out the few bad pixels which may showon your sensor.

Index

Cleaning Mode

When you select this and press [OK], the camera enters the cleaning mode : the mirror goes up and the shutter opens, so that the dust barrier in front of the image sensor becomes accessible for cleaning if you remove thelens, of course.

Index

Firmware

Display the installed firmware version for the camera body, lens, and external flash (if an Olympus dedicatedflash is mounted and turned on).

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Default shooting settings

Settings in this class are not general preferences, customizing the camera to your liking; they may end up beingmore or less frequently changed during a shooting session. More on this subject can be found in my article unusing the E-500 ; here is just a list of reasonable default settings.

Assigning these parameters some reasonable defaults and storing the whole set (together with preferencesdiscussed above) in one of the two available Reset slots will allow you to restore the whole package quickly,without a need to change each one individually. This is why I'm discussing them in this article.

Some shooting settings are accessible via their dedicated external buttons; most can be accessed from the


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Control Panel, and all in the least convenient manner, from the menu system. In this description I'll befollowing the order in the menus, as this is the best way not to miss anything.

There are two menus dedicated to these settings: Camera 1 and Camera 2 , accessible via small cameraicons with numerals 1 and 2. Mercifully, these are rather short menus, containing only eight or nine items each,and even these are not all needed in daily operation, as most are duplicated in direct button or Control Panelfunctionality.

Index

The Camera 1 menu

The division of available adjustments between Camera 1 and Camera 2 does not follow some clear pattern.Don't blame me if you find the ordering of options not too logical.

Index

Card Setup

This not a setting, but an operation (or rather a choice of two): erasing all images from the currently selectedcard, or formatting it. While the erase operation is faster, formatting may sometimes be necessary if a card iscorrupted or has been formatted in a different device.

Index

Custom Reset Setting

This also seems to be rather misplaced: from this sub-menu you can set, reset, or recall a complete camerasetup. This function will be discussed in a separate section .

Index

Picture Mode

From here you can not only choose from three color and two monochrome modes, but also to set the profiles of all those.

Each of the Picture Modes (named Vivid , Natural , and Muted ) may have its own combination of contrast, sharpness, and saturation settings. These settings are remembered for the given mode whenyou switch to another, so that in effect you get a functional equivalent of defining and recalling of threedifferent color films.

The monochrome mode (referred to as Monotone ) has its own contrast and sharpness adjustments, plusa Filter setting, equivalent, more or less, to using a filter of a given color ( Green , Red , Orange , Yellow ,or Neutral , i.e., none) in front of the lens when shooting on a B&W film. Pictures in the Monotone modecan additionally be tinted to Purple , Blue , Sepia or Neutral (no tint); the Sepia tint seems to make theseparate Sepia mode redundant.

It may be a good idea to set all color and monochrome Picture Modes to your liking before the whole camerasetup is saved to one of the Reset Settings slots. My settings are shown in the table below.

To complicate things, the values you set are not absolute settings, all in the same reference frame. They areapplied on top of whatever the camera designers decided to use as defaults for the given Picture Mode , whichmeans that even with all three settings at zero (which is the factory default), various modes will differ incontrast, sharpness, and/or saturation.

The table below shows the base values (hidden from the photographer) in the first column, and then my


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recommended adjustments (the Adjust column), followed by the resulting absolute settings (shown as Total ).

Olympus software ( Master and Studio ) do a poor job extracting the metadata from Olympus' own image files. If you want to see the information I'm talking about, you have to use a good application; the best one I know (byfar!) is the EXIF Tool by Phil Harvey. To use it in a more convenient way, you will additionally need a GUIfront-end application, like Exif Tool GUI by Bogdan Hrastnik; perhaps also my inifile to show only the relevantdata in the Custom tab of the program. Just put all three into the same folder and run the GUI application.

Picture Mode Parameter Base Adjust TotalContrast 0 -1 -1Sharpness 0 -1 -1VividSaturation +1 0 +1Contrast 0 -2 -2Sharpness -1 -2 -3 NaturalSaturation 0 0 0Contrast -1 -2 -3Sharpness -2 -2 -4Muted

Saturation 0 -1 -1Contrast 0 -2 -2Sharpness -1 -2 -3Filter - Red

Monochrome

Tint - None

The exact choice of your adjustments here is largely a matter of taste; treat my personal preferences as such.Most probably, however, you will never need to raise any of the parameters above zero from their mode-imposed defaults.

The low contrast settings in Vivid and Natural modes help in protecting the highlights from blowing out,

effectively extending the dynamic range a bit.

Now, after setting all "films" to your liking (or mine) you may want to choose the one to be used as default. Naturally, Natural would be my choice here.

Index

Gradation

You can choose between Normal , Low Key , and High Key . For a general use Normal is, no doubt, the choice asa default, which can be changed for individual pictures, if needed, from the Control Panel when shooting.

The manuals do not specify what these settings actually do. I suspect that they just move the central part of thetonal curve up or down, therefore affecting the midtones with smaller impact on the ends of the tonal scale.Frankly, I never bothered to check, as I usually do the same in postprocessing.

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File Format and Compression

Shown as a sideways shower head icon: the choice is between ORF (Olympus Raw Format, the original,unprocessed information from the sensor) and compressed JPEG in three combinations of compression and

pixel size: SHQ (Super High Quality), HQ (High Quality), and SQ (Standard Quality).

While SHQ is hardwired to a full-size, 1:2.7 compression, in the HQ format you can set the compression level(inversely proportional to image quality), and in SQ both compression and pixel size. This is done from the


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Settings 1 menu ( HQ , SQ). In the option I'm discussing here, you can only switch between the four formats.

For general, although not just casual, use I stay with my HQ preset (with a 1:4 compression), occasionallyswitching to SHQ.

The TIFF support has been dropped, and justly so. For this camera, TIFF files would be 30 MB each, at novisible advantage over SHQ JPEG. Some publishers still insist on using this format for printing: I can justconvert a high-quality, postprocessed JPEG to keep them happy. Works every time, and for critical applications

the raw ORF format has all possible advantages over TIFF as a starting point for postprocessing.

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White Balance

Many photographers, even advanced ones, leave the WB at Auto all the time. Manual setting works usually better, as long as you remember to change it when shooting under different conditions. Most of the time(outdoors) I keep it at Sunny (5300K).

The E-510 also allows you to define one custom white balance (CWB) setting. I've put 2500K in that slot, asthis is useful when shooting under lower-wattage bulbs, for which the incandescent (3000K) setting is toowarm.

You can define your own CWB setting, in two ways:

Using the WB option in the Settings 1 menu; Through the Control Panel: with the WB highlighted, use the control wheel to get to the custom WB,

then use the wheel together with the Exposure Compensation button to change the value.

In either case the adjustment step is 100K steps above 2700K and in 50K steps below, all the way down to

2000K. Remember that lower values will result in images being less red; you may want to do someexperimentation to choose one setting you will be using most often.

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White Balance Compensation

The camera allows to enter an individual correction for each of the presets; this correction will then be appliedevery time that preset is used. You are free to tweak each preset to your liking, but I really never felt a

prevailing need to do this, so I leave this alone.

If you want to tweak one or more of the presets to your liking, you may, again, use the menu system: Camera 1> WB > ... , or the Control Panel a faster and easier way. The adjustment is done independently in thered/blue and green/magenta dimensions as described in the All WB Adjustment section. Note that thecompensation applied here will override that defined previously on the global level; see that section again.

If you really care about tweaking the color balance precisely, you will be probably saving images in the rawformat anyway, and in such a case all this becomes irrelevant, as the WB compensation happens only at thestage of converting the raw image to RGB.

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ISO

This sets the image sensor gain (sensitivity to light). I prefer to set ISO manually, with the default at ISO 100 ,moving to higher values as needed in lower light, when shutter speeds become too long for safe handholding.


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The Auto setting means the camera will raise the ISO as needed in low light. This will happen both with andwithout flash (unlike in the E0500).

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Noise Filter

In the Olympus terminology Noise Filter refers to removing the random (non-static) noise from recorded

images during the raw-to-RGB conversion. This is done by some kind of a filtering (averaging) algorithm, andalways leads to some detail being lost in the process, even if the result may look more pleasing than theoriginal. This should not be confused with Noise Reduction , dealing with the static noise at long exposures, anddescribed in the next section.

For more on the two kinds of noise, refer to my Noise in Digital Cameras article.

The options available are Off , Low, Standard , and High . I am almost sure that Off does not disable the filteringentirely, just sets it to some base (lowest) value. The presets also may, and probably do, depend on the ISOsetting.

While the optimum degree of noise filtering may depend on the ISO and other factors (contrast, sharpening), Ihave no doubt that the Standard setting is too aggressive (although it will probably please the mass market as it

pleased most reviewers). You may (and probably should) do your own experimentation to arrive to the settingyou find most satisfactory.

It would be nice to have this setting memorized separately for every ISO value. As this is not the case, I keep itat Off even at ISO 1600, because the difference is not so drastic and I'm not going to dig in the menu systemevery time I switch to a different sensor gain.

Based on my own comparative experiments , best results are provided by setting Noise Filtering to Off , or, if you are really allergic to noise, to Low. I would recommend you to choose one of these two and forget about thewhole affair changing this "on the run" will lead to unpredictable results and lots of confusion.

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Noise Reduction

This option turns on the low-light, static noise reduction which is done by subtracting a "dark frame" from ataken picture.

The setting can be permanently left on, as it does not block access to sequential shooting: it will be just disabled

(and smartly restored when we return to the single frame mode). The noise reduction process will be actuallyactivated only at exposures of 4 seconds and more (8 seconds at ISO 100).

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The Camera 2 menu

Remember again, I'm not recommending that you use these Camera settings all the time, but that you set themas your personal defaults to be restored when the custom reset option is used.

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Metering Pattern

The choice is between (ESP matrix) and (center-weighted),


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This is listed as Anti-Shock (creative English again!) keep it at Off , activating when needed only in criticaltripod work.

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Settings not in the menu

Exposure Compensation

This, obviously, is the setting most likely to be changed, if not for every frame. After shooting, however, Ilike to put it back at -0.3 EV . This is a relatively safe value, at least for sunny weather outdoors situations, and ithelps to protect the highlights from washing out.

Even if you get a grab shot with this compensation while it was not really needed, you can stretch the imagetonality to get the highs right (at some expense in noise); if, however, your highlights burn out, you will not beable to restore them.

The above holds for my Natural Picture Mode preset, i.e., it seems to be a safe default in most of the sunnyoutdoors situations (where I may also go to -0.7 EV). In the Vivid mode my images are a bit darker, so a zerocompensation may be better. This was quite a surprising discovery.

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Flash Mode

I prefer keeping this at ( always On ). It actually means that the flash will fire every time, but only if I raise it before, as I have the Auto Pop Up option disabled. (On with red eye reduction is another reasonable default).

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Drive Mode

Obviously, this should default to single frame , to be changed as a need arises.

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Store/restore your setup

There are two "reset slots", which can be used to store almost all your settings, or to reset your camera to thosestored before. It may be somewhat confusing that these are not accessed from one of the Settings menus. To

confuse things a bit more, at least in the beginning, the same menu option is used to store and to recall thesetup.

This is the option named Custom Reset Setting in Camera 1 , and using it is not quite obvious, so here is thewhole procedure.

Reminder again: This option is accessible only if the camera is not in the AUTO mode!

1. Highlight the Custom Reset Setting option and press the right arrow button.You will see a screenreading like this:

RESET

RESET 1 > NO DATA


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RESET 2 > NO DATA

Instead of NO DATA, lines two and three may show SET, which means that a slot has been alreadycustomized.

2. Originally the RESET option is highlighted. Pressing [OK] when it is, will reset the camera to factorysettings, after a Yes/No query. A handy option, but you do not want to use it now; not before you safelystore your custom setup!

Note that this does not destroy the CONTENTs of the custom reset slots (or of My Mode ones).

3. Use the down-arrow to select the RESET 1 or RESET 2 slot. If that slot has been already customized,you may press the [OK] button now, and the camera will be reset to that slot's CONTENTs (after aconfirmation screen). If it is empty, [OK] brings no effect. You do not want to use [OK] here anyway,not yet.

4. Press the right arrow button. Two options will show: SET and RESET. Highlighting SET and pressing[OK] will save the current camera settings in the selected slot. Done.

Using RESET will clear the selected slot. Keep in mind that both setting and resetting a slot are donewithout the usual confirmation.

As with the My Mode setting, the procedure can be less than obvious until you get used to it. This is due to twocircumstances. First, the same screen is used to set up (store, cancel) the settings and to recall them. Second, inEnglish two forms of the word "set" are identical: the past participle (something has been set ), and theimperative (please set something). Maybe the UI designers should have chosen another word here, with bothforms different; like defined and define or stored and store ?

Once your chosen settings have been stored, at any moment later you can quickly restore the whole package asdescribed in point (3) above. A very useful feature; I only wish Olympus allowed us a choice what settings doesthe camera use when it is powered up: last used, factory reset, custom reset 1, or 2. Some previous Olympusmodels allowed for this, and it was very handy.

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Settings not stored

A few of the preferences or settings I am discussing above are not stored in custom reset slots, for a number of reasons. These are: (1) Choice of storage card, (2) file numbering and naming, (3) the Yes/No default, (4) USBmode, (5) color space (Adobe vs. sRGB).

I think these exclusions either make sense or remain irrelevant, so why not.

E-410: Remember that this camera does not have (3) as an option.

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What next?

I have set up my Reset 1 as described above, finding this quite useful. Whenever I modify the settingsextensively, it is easier to do a custom reset, even through the menu system, than to undo all changes one byone.

I'm still not quite sure, though, what to do with the second reset slot. Maybe some setup for a more specializeduse, like available light, infrared, or table-top photography? I haven't made my mind yet, but you certainly mayhave some ideas here. (Maybe using separate reset slots for different users of the camera?)


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One of the E-410 users reported utilizing the second slot for underwater photography, neat.

In any case, the recommended reading, if you are still interested, is my companion article on using the E-500 , inwhich I'm discussing the camera settings which you are adjusting on the fly, i.e., when actually taking pictures.(This article has not been yet updated to the E-510, but it is mostly applicable to the E-510.)

customizing your e-510

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