Olympus E-3 Modes and Menus
Olympus E-3 Capture Mode
When powered on, the camera is automatically placed into Record mode. The Olympus E-3 doesn't have an Exposure Mode dial on top of the camera typically found on consumer models, but instead has a Mode button. Exposure modes are changed by press the Mode button and rotating the rear Control dial. The current exposure mode is shown in the viewfinder and on the LCD.
The following exposure modes are offered:
- Program AE (Program Shift): This mode places the camera in control over both aperture and shutter speed, while the user has access to all other menu functions. Turning a Control dial cycles through a range of equivalent exposure settings, enabling the Program Shift mode.
- Aperture Priority: The opposite of Shutter Priority, this mode puts the user in control of the aperture setting while the camera selects the best shutter speed. (The aperture range varies with the lens in use.)
- Shutter Priority: Allows the user to set the shutter speed, from 1/8,000 to 60 seconds, while the camera selects the most appropriate aperture setting.
- Manual: Provides complete user control over the exposure, including both aperture and shutter speed settings.
- Bulb: A Bulb shutter setting allows variable length exposures for as long as you hold down the shutter button. Bulb shooting can also be done with an optional remote control (RM-1 or RM-CB1), and there is also a Bulb Timer feature which can automatically end a bulb exposure after a specified period of time.
- My Mode 1/2: You to save two individual sets of camera settings for quick recall. Useful when shooting an event with multiple light sources, these custom modes let you register camera settings for specific conditions and easily switch between them.
- Underwater Wide/Macro: These are the only "scene" modes the E-3 has, with optimized presets for underwater shooting, both wide-angle and macro.
Playback Mode
The Playback button on the rear panel accesses
Playback mode, where you can review captured images. The left and right arrow
keys, as well as the up and down keys, scroll through the images on the card.
You can enlarge captured images or display them in an index format for quick
viewing.
Olympus E-3 Menus
Pressing the Menu button provides access to the camera's full menu system. The Olympus E-3's menu system is pretty straightforward, with a tabbed interface and navigation via the 4-way arrow keys, the OK button, and the Menu button. The right-arrow takes you into the sub-menus for each setting option, OK confirms a selection, and the Menu button itself backs out of any given sub-menu screen without making a selection. This last isn't unusual, but we find it a little counterintuitive: If the right-arrow takes you down into a sub-menu, why doesn't the left-arrow take you back out?
The following options are available in most camera modes as menu tabs at the left of the display:
Record Menu 1:
| Record Menu 1 Options: | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
Card Setup
|
- All Erase
- Format |
|
Erases images from the memory
card or formats the card.
|
|
Custom Reset
|
- Reset
- Reset 1 - Reset 2 |
|
You can register two sets of custom
settings, ore reset to factory defaults (Reset option).
|
|
Picture Mode
|
- Vivid
- Natural - Muted - Portrait - Monotone - Custom |
- Contrast (Lo to Hi)
- Sharpness (Lo to Hi) - Saturation (Lo to Hi) - BW Filter: Neutral, Yellow, Orange, Red, or Green -Pict. Tone: Neutral, Sepia, Blue, Purple or Green |
Select a preset for specific situations,
or manually adjust each preset.
|
|
Gradation
|
- Auto
- Normal - High Key - Low Key |
|
Adjusts overall brightness for higher or lower
contrast.
|
|
Quality
|
- RAW
- LSF - LF - LN - SB - RAW + LSF -RAW+ LF - RAW + LN - RAW+ SB |
|
Select the image size and quality. LSF=Large SuperFine, LF=Large Fine, LN=Large Normal, SB=Small Basic (JPEGs).
|
|
White Balance
|
- Auto
- Daylight (5,300K) - Shade (7,500K) - Cloudy (6,000K) - Tungsten (3,000K) - Fluorescent 1 (4,000K) - Fluorescent 2 (4,500K) - Fluorescent 3 (6,600K) - Flash (5,500K) - One-Touch 1 - One-Touch 2 - One-Touch 3 - One-Touch 4 - Custom |
All settings except Custom:
- Amber +7 to -7 - Green +7 to -7 Custom Setting: - 2,000K to 14,000K |
Select the white balance mode, or choose One-Touch to register up to 4 settings or Custom to select a Kelvin temperature.
|
|
ISO
|
- Auto
- 100 - 200 - 400 - 800 - 1,600 - 3,200 |
|
Select ISO sensitivity.
Step size can be 1 EV(shown)or 1/3 EV. |
|
Noise Reduction
|
- Off
- On |
|
Auto option activates NR when using slow
shutter speeds.
On setting always activates NR, regardless of shutter time. |
|
Noise Filter
|
- Off
- Low - Standard - High |
|
Controls the level of noise processing.
|
Record Menu 2:
| Record Menu 2 Options: | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
Metering
|
- Digital ESP
- Center-weighted - Spot - Spot HI - Spot SH |
- ESP
- ESP + AF |
ESP + AF links ESP with active AF target
Spot HI is spot metering with highlight control. Spot SH is spot metering with shadow control. |
|
Flash RC Mode
|
- Off
- On |
|
Enables wireless flash shooting.
|
|
Flash Exposure Compensation
|
- -3 to +3
|
|
Controls the exposure compensation
with flash.
|
|
AF Mode
|
- S-AF
- C-AF - MF - S-AF + MF - C-AF + MF |
|
Select the AF mode. S-AF+MF and C-AF+MF modes
allow manual fine tuning.
|
|
AF Area
|
- All
- Single - Dynamic Single |
|
Sets the AF Area mode.
|
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Anti-Shock
|
- Off
- 1 to 30 seconds |
|
Sets the delay after mirror is raised before
shutter is released, to avoid blurring.
|
|
AE Bracket
|
- Off
- 3 Frames, +/-0.3EV - 3 Frames, +/-0.7 EV - 3 Frames, +/-1.0 EV - 5 Frames, +/-0.3EV - 5 Frames, +/-0.7 EV - 5 Frames, +/-1.0 EV |
|
Activates bracketing or disables it.
|
|
WB Bracket
|
- Amber-Blue (A-B)
- Green-Magenta (G-M) |
For either color range:
-Off - 3F 2Step - 3F 4Step - 3F 6Step |
Brackets the white balance setting in terms
of color shifts in Amber/Blue and Green/Magenta, with 3 frames at either
2, 4, or 6 step increments.
|
|
Flash Bracket
|
- Off
- 3F 0.3EV - 3F 0.7EV - 3F 1.0EV |
|
Brackets the flash exposure in three frames,
at either 0.3, 0.7 or 1.0 EV increments.
|
|
ISO Bracket
|
- Off
- 3F 0.3EV - 3F 0.7EV - 3F 1.0EV |
Brackets the ISO in three frames, at either 0.3, 0.7 or 1.0 EV increments.
|
|
Playback Menu:
| Playback Menu Options: | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
Slideshow
|
- Single image display
- 4 image - 9 image - 16 image - 25 image |
|
Slideshows can show a single image on-screen at a time, or show up to 25 frames in an index format.
|
|
Rotate
|
- Off
- On |
|
Rotates images
counter-clockwise 90 degrees.
|
|
Edit
|
- RAW Data Edit
- JPEG Edit |
JPEG:
- Shadow Adjustment - Redeye Fix - Crop - Black & White - Sepia - Saturation - Resize |
RAW Data Edit makes changes based
on current camera settings, while JPEG mode lets you adjust each attribute
independently.
|
|
Print
|
- Single Image
- All |
|
Marks single or all frames for printing.
|
|
Copy All
|
- Yes
- No |
|
Copies images between memory cards.
|
|
Reset Protect
|
- Yes
- No |
|
Cancels all write protection marks.
|
Custom Menu 1:
| Custom Menu 1 Options, Tab A: AF/MF | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
AF Illumination
|
- Off
- On |
|
The built-in flash can serve
as an AF illuminator.
|
|
Focus Ring
|
- Counter-clockwise
- Clockwise |
|
Controls the direction of focus ring.
|
|
C-AF Lock
|
- Off
- On |
|
"On" prevents focus from changing even if subject distance changes suddenly in C-AF mode.
|
|
AF Area Pointer
|
- Off
- On |
|
"Off" disables focus area illumination in viewfinder.
|
|
AF Sensitivity
|
- Normal
- Small |
|
When "Normal", camera focuses using a range somewhat larger than the selected focus target.
|
|
Next AF Target Selection
|
- Off
- Loop - Spiral |
|
Selects pattern in which next AFtarget is selected.
|
|
Reset Lens
|
- Off
- On |
|
Resets focus to infinity.
|
|
Bulb Focusing
|
- Off
- On |
|
Enables focusing during Bulb exposures.
|
| Custom Menu 1 Options, Tab B: Button/Dial | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
Dial Function
|
- P
- A - S - M - Menu |
|
Controls the function of the two Control dials in each exposure mode.
|
|
AEL/AFL
|
- S-AF
- C-AF - MF |
S-AF:
- Modes 1-3 C-AF: - Modes 1-4 MF: - Modes 1-3 |
Controls the
function of the Shutter and AEL/AFL buttons in each AF mode.
|
|
AEL/AFL Memo
|
- Off
- On |
|
Off setting locks exposure only while button
is held down.
|
|
Function Button
|
- One-Touch WB
- Live Preview - Preview (DOF) - AF Home - MF - RAW - Test Picture - P/A/S/M - My Mode - Underwater Mode - Off |
|
Assigns an action to the Fn button.
|
|
My Mode Setup
|
- MyMode 1
- MyMode 2 |
- Set
- Reset |
Lets you register settings for MyMode
|
|
Button Timer
|
- 3 Sec.
- 5 Sec. - 8 Sec. - Hold |
|
Sets how long a button's function displays after
a quick press
|
|
AEL/Fn Button swap
|
- Off
- On |
|
You can swap the functions of the AE L and Fn
buttons.
|
| Custom Menu 1 Options, Tab C: Release/Drive | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
RLS Priority S
|
- Off
- On |
|
If enabled, the camera will
release the shutter before AF function is complete.
|
|
RLS Priority C
|
- Off
- On |
|
If enabled, the camera will release the
shutter before AF function is complete.
|
|
Continuous Low Rate
|
- 1 fps
- 2 fps - 3 fps - 4 fps |
Sets number of frames per second in Continuous Low sequential shooting mode.
|
|
| Custom Menu 1 Options, Tab D: Disp/Sound/PC | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
Sound
|
- Off
- On |
|
Turns the camera's beep sounds
on or off.
|
|
Sleep
|
- Off
- 1 Min. - 3 Min. - 5 Min. - 10 Min. |
|
Sets the camera
to go to sleep after a period of inactivity.
|
|
Backlit LCD
|
- 8 Sec.
- 30 Sec. - 1 Min. - Hold |
|
Turns off the LCD backlight after a period of
inactivity to save battery power.
|
|
4h Timer
|
-Off.
- 4 h |
|
Sets the camera to shut off after 4 hours.
|
|
USB Mode
|
- Auto
- Storage - MTP - Control (from PC) - Print Easy - Print Custom |
|
Sets the USBconnection mode.
|
|
Live View Boost
|
- Off
- On |
|
If on, boosts the LCD brightness for easier
confirmation.
|
|
Frame Assist
|
- Off
- Grid - Golden Section - Scale |
|
Enables helpful framing assistance
tools.
|
| Custom Menu 1 Options, Tab E: EXP/Point/ISO | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
EV Step
|
- 1/3 EV
- 1/2 EV - 1 EV |
|
Sets the increment of EV adjustment.
|
|
ISO Step
|
- 1/3 EV
- 1 EV |
Sets the increment of ISOadjustment.
|
|
|
ISO-Auto Set
|
- High Limit
- Default |
- 100
- 200 - 400 - 800 - 1,600 - 3,200 |
Sets the upper limit of the Auto ISO setting, as well as the default.
|
|
ISO-Auto
|
- P/A/S
- All |
|
Sets a shooting
mode that automatically enables Auto ISO.
|
|
AEL Metering
|
- Auto
- Center-weighted - Spot - Spot HI - Spot SH |
|
Controls the type of metering performed via
the AEL/AFL button.
|
|
Bulb Timer
|
- Up to 30 mins
|
|
Sets the maximum time for the Bulb exposure.
|
| Custom Menu 1 Options, Tab F: Flash Custom | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
Flash X-Sync
|
- 1/60 to 1/250
|
|
Sets shutter sync speed for external flash
firing.
|
|
Slow Limit
|
- 1/30 to 1/250 (1/60 is default)
|
|
Sets shutter limit for the Slow Sync flash
modes.
|
|
Flash EV Comp. + EV Comp.
|
- Off
- On |
|
If on, flash EV comp. will be
added to overall EV comp. and flash intensity control.
|
| Custom Menu 1 Options, Tab G: Quality/Color/WB | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
All (WB +/-)
|
- All Set
- All Reset |
All Set:
- Amber -7 to +7 - Green -7 to +7 All Reset: - Yes - No |
In All Set, you can apply the
same WB compensation values to all WB modes at once.
|
|
Color Space
|
- sRGB
- Adobe RGB |
|
|
|
Shading Compensation
|
- Off
- On |
|
Enables a shading compensation that attempts
to eliminate vignetting with certain lenses
|
|
Quality Set
|
- 1
- 2 - 3 - 4 |
L/M/S SF/F/N/B
|
You can combine three image sizes and four compression
ratios and register those settings.
|
|
Pixel Count
|
- Middle
- Small |
Middle:
- 3,200 x 2,400 - 2,560 x 1,920 - 1,600 x 1,200 Small: |
Set the pixel size for the Middle
and Small options.
|
| Custom Menu 1 Options, Tab H: Record/Erase | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
Quick Erase
|
- Off
- On |
|
If on, allows you to immediately erase an
image during post-capture display.
|
|
RAW + JPEG Erase
|
- JPEG
- RAW - RAW + JPEG |
|
Designates how JPEG+RAW files
are erased.
|
|
File Name
|
- Auto
- Reset |
|
|
|
Priority Set
|
- No
- Yes |
|
Sets the priority of cursor display for Erase
screen to No or Yes.
|
|
dpi Setting
|
- Auto
- Custom |
|
Lets you set the resolution for printing images.
|
| Custom Menu 1 Options, Tab I: Utility | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
Cleaning Mode
|
- Start
|
|
If enabled, pops up the mirror for sensor
cleaning.
|
|
Ext. WB Detect
|
- Off
- On |
|
Lets you disable the dedicated white balance sensor, useful when local lighting is different from subject's.
|
Custom Menu 2:
| Custom Menu 2 Options: | |||
|
Top-Level
Selection |
Second-Level
|
Third-Level
|
Notes
|
|
Date and Time
|
|
|
Sets the camera's clock and
calendar.
|
|
CF/xD
|
- CF
- xD |
|
Designates the memory card in use.
|
|
Edit Filename
|
- Adobe RGB
- sRGB |
- Off
- A-Z - 0-8 |
Lets you rename files.
|
|
LCD Brightness
|
- Auto
- -7 to +7 |
|
Adjusts overall LCD brightness.
|
|
Language
|
- English
- French - Spanish |
|
Sets the menu language. You can download
additional options with the included software.
|
|
Video Output
|
- NTSC
- PAL |
|
Sets the video output signal.
|
|
Rec. View
|
- 1 to 20 Seconds
- Off - Auto Playback |
|
Controls a post-capture display and the display
time.
Auto setting displays image then switches to Playback mode for quick deletion. |
|
Pixel Mapping
|
- Start
|
|
Remaps bad pixels.
|
|
Firmware
|
|
|
Displays the current firmware version.
|
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