Olympus E-3 User manual

R’

’S

A Southern Shutterbug Book

OLYMPUS E-3 POWER USER’S GUIDE

2008 MARK D. YOUNG

First published 2008 by Southern Shutterbug Books, an imprint of

Laminar Publishing Associates, Suite 9, Private Bag Bag X7005, Hillcrest, 3560,

Republic of South Africa.

The moral right of Mark D Young has been asserted. No part of this publication

may reproduced, in any format or by any means, mechanical, electronic or

otherwise without the express, written permission of the author and publisher

having first been obtained. Short extracts may be quoted in reviews provided

full credit is given as to the source of the material so used.

By the same author from Laminar Publishing Associates:

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A Firm Resolve – A History of SAA Accidents 934- 987

The Magic Christmas Beetle

The Great Grunklewhiska Adventure

Text prepared in Open Office Writer

Text set in Tahoma

Origination in Open PDF writer

www.openoffice.org

Frontispiece image of E-3 courtesy of Olympus Corporation

Close- up images of camera controls taken with Olympus 040SW on Super-macro mode.

The input, comments and assistance of Brian Grey (UK), Noel Hammond (SA),

Karl Ludik (Aus), Carl Dionisio (NZ) plus many other E-3 users in addition to

JEL Corporation South Africa, agents for Olympus in Southern Africa,

In the preparation of this book is gratefully acknowledged.

OLYMPUS E-3 POWER USER’S GUIDE

The Olympus E-3 was one of the most eagerly awaited D-SLR

cameras to arrive on the market in 2007. The existence of a

successor to the highly regarded E- – which was the Olympus

Corporation’s first four-thirds standard D-SLR launched in 2003 –

had long been rumoured. Olympus enthusiasts, however, had to

exercise patience as the engineers fine-tuned many aspects of

the camera’s performance. They tested – and rejected – many

components until they had a design which they felt would place

the camera in a class of its own.

Indeed, upon launch the E-3 heralded many “firsts” or class-

leading features in a professional level D-SLR. Some of these

were:

• First high-end professional D-SLR with built-in in-body

stabilisation

• First professional D-SLR with live-view

• First professional D-SLR with swivel-screen display

• First professional D-SLR with direct-access menu for

setting changes

• World’s fastest auto-focus when teamed with the

Zuiko 2-60mm SWD lens

• Class-leading environmental sealing against moisture

and dust

• Most effective sensor dust-reduction system

• Multi-group wireless remote flash system

Many of these aspects have now been added to competitor

products in this class of camera. However, the overall package, of

ergonomics, ruggedness and user-friendly layout of the E-3

camera itself, does place the E-3 in a niche of its own.

While many detractors may point to the “low megapixel sensor”

of the E-3 in comparison to later competitor’s higher megapixel

counts, to do so diminishes the depth and prowess of the

engineering inherent in the four-thirds system and the sensor

used in the E-3. The apparently low megapixel count offers the

bonus of larger individual photo-sites than those found in higher-

density sensors. This benefits the dynamic range of the E-3

images as well as providing impressive low-noise performance at

speeds up to ISO 600.

In addition, when viewed within the Olympus E-system – and the

wider four-thirds product range – the E-3 does, indeed, stand

alone amongst other cameras on the market in providing a

unique blend of portability, professional ruggedness, image

quality, user-friendliness and a whole bundle of “do anything”

capabilities. For many happy owners it was “worth the wait” and

it is a camera that they hold in high regard.

Indeed, nearly a year after its launch the E-3 was awarded the

“Best Advanced Camera in Europe 2008/2009”

award by EISA – a

European consortium of more than 50 magazine editors in the

imaging and sound industries. When viewed in light of the fact

that other brands had all launched cameras with higher

megapixel counts and “more features” subsequent to the E-3’s

introduction, this is an indication of the depth of sophistication

that is the Olympus E-3 camera. There is absolutely no reason

why it cannot do all any user could possibly ask of it.

This booklet aims to help you to understand your Olympus E-3 D-

SLR camera a bit better and explain the many features which

have been designed into it that other users have found useful. In

so doing we hope to help you realise your vision for photography.

It is, however, assumed that you understand the principles of

photography and have read the manufacturer’s handbook.

Please refer to both this guide and the appropriate page in the camera’s

English user manual (Printed in Germany in 2007 item OIME-7.0 -

0/2007. Hab-E04602 2) as indicated by the (UMPgxx) notation as you

progress through the text.

THE AUTHOR

Mark D. Young is an award-winning South

African photojournalist, writer and

photographic mentor. He was born in the city

of Pretoria in 962 and educated at

Rietondale and Clapham schools in the city

of his birth.

He has been taking photographs

professionally since the age of 8 and has

given basic, intermediate and advanced

tuition in photography to more than 3 000

camera owners during his career which has

included “shutter-finger” time spent on newspapers, magazines and as

a consultant in retail outlets.

He is well acquainted with the Olympus camera family having owned

and used various Olympus products since 974. He has also counted

amongst his camera gear various Canon, Nikon, Yashica and Contax

equipment and retains an “interesting” collection of

classic

photographica

of all brands and vintages.

He was the founding editor of

Great Photography and Video

SA Photo

and

Digital Photofocus

magazines and has worked and/or photographed

in locations all around the world, gaining useful experience in the usage

of camera equipment in climates ranging from Arctic cold to desert

heat. He has taught numerous South African National Antarctic

Expedition teams “the ropes” in regard to photography, has inducted

numerous “Street Freelancers” (Self-employed social photographers

working in all centres of South Africa) into the business and is a regular

guest lecturer at various Universities of Technology and at the South

African National College of Photography.

He currently resides in Durban, South Africa where he was recently

appointed the Founding Chair of the

Whysall’s Photographic Academy

an arm of a famous photographic supply group which is wholly

dedicated to educating all camera owners in the joys of photography.

IF YOU THINK THE E-3 IS A GREAT CAMERA,

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

As at date of writing, the E-3 had been honoured with the following awards

from photographic magazines, web-sites and professional organisations. Aside

from gaining praise for overall design, there are awards for top image quality

and one for robustness and build quality.

Arguably the most prestigious award to date is the EISA Award as “

Best

Advanced Camera in Europe 2008/9

” awarded nearly a year after the

introduction of the model and well after competitors had launched an array of

models in the same sector of the market.

All logos and trademarks are recognised as the property of their respective owners and are used with permission.

INTRODUCTION

OLYMPUS CAMERAS – ALWAYS INTERESTING

The Olympus company (founded in 9 9) is among the oldest

optics and camera companies in the world.

As a camera manufacturer, Olympus branded products have been

changing the direction of worldwide camera design since the

950s. The Olympus Pen-F and Pen-EE half-frame cameras with

interchangeable lenses were commercial hits in the 950s and

960s and offered a cost-effective alternative to the compact

35mm pro-grade equipment available from Europe at the time.

Perhaps the most outstanding aspect of these cameras were their

Zuiko

(pronounced

Zwee-ko

) lenses which have earned an

enviable reputation for sharpness, durability and their relatively

fast maximum apertures despite their compact size.

The 960s saw the launch of the Olympus Trip 35 camera which

did more to place a 35mm camera in households around the

planet than any other design before or since. The camera was

ruggedly made from metal and boasted a simple-to-understand

automatic light metering system that set speeds and apertures.

The camera could “not take a

bad photo” as the mechanism

locked if the picture was over or

underexposed. In addition, it did

not require batteries as the light

metering system was powered

by the very same light used to

capture the image via

Cds

cells.

The lead designer of these two products, Maitani Yoshihisa, led

the team that stunned the world in 973 with the smallest – at

the time – professional SLR with full system backup: The OM-1.

In the world of SLR camera design and marketing there are two

distinct periods of history: Pre OM-1 and post OM-1.

The OM system changed the course of SLR camera design and

helped to popularise the concept of an affordable, portable and

reliable SLR system camera.

Olympus followed this up

with the OM-2 which

heralded many firsts. It was

the first camera that

provided TTL (through the

lens) flash exposure

metering. This system is

used on every D-SLR

camera today. In addition,

the TTL metering (Known as

Off The Film

OTF

) was also used

during the actual exposure during normal daylight. This provided

an accurate and infallible exposure system. A legacy feature of

that system is still incorporated in modern E-series cameras today

– peep under the mirror and you will see that the first shutter

curtain is coated in a neutral grey colour – this permits accurate

metering and flash exposure

after

the mirror has lifted, right up

to the moment when the actual exposure begins. No other digital

SLR has such a system with competitors relying on a “memory”

circuit that locks in the value measured just before the mirror

flips-up.

In 986 Olympus introduced

the OM-4Ti. This camera was

the first in the world to offer

“full-synchro flash” at all

shutter speeds via the FP flash

mode. This is another system

now used by every D-SLR

manufacturer. In addition to

this, it was also the first SLR camera to offer multi-spot metering

with Highlight and Shadow bias which is still used on top-line

professional cameras today – most notably the ubiquitous EOS-

series from Canon.

The year 985 saw the introduction of the OM-40 with ESP

(Electro Selective Pattern) metering. This was the forerunner of

the multi-pattern light metering systems in use by every major

camera manufacturer today.

With the change to digital sensors, Olympus continued to

innovate and the company was the first to offer in-camera sensor

cleaning systems when it launched the E-1 in 2003. This

pioneering and vital technology is only now being used on a

wider scale by other manufacturers while it has been standard on

every Olympus four-thirds D-SLR ever since the launch of the

venerable E-1 – giving Olympus a 5 year head-start in this

particular field which is why it is widely proclaimed as the most

effective system of its kind on the market.

The Olympus E-330 introduced the concept of “live view” to the

realm of D-SLR photography in 2005 and this is yet another

feature being provided by more and more manufacturers as the

first decade of the new century heads to a close.

Overall, Olympus cameras have quietly heralded many now

commonplace features and so while the company is not

commonly seen as one of the “big players” in the market, it is in

fact big on ideas and innovation and without Olympus cameras

and the new technologies the company is constantly introducing

to the market, the world of photography would be the poorer.

OLYMPUS CAMERAS DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Overall the design philosophy of Olympus cameras is to try and

make the camera – and the technology around which the

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