Olympus E-P3 Operation

Tweet Share

Camera Reviews / Olympus Cameras / Olympus PEN i Review

Navigate Review Jump to review page...

Olympus E-P3 Modes and Menus

Olympus E-P3 Capture Mode

When powered on, the camera is automatically placed into Record mode. The Exposure Mode dial on top of the camera sets the main shooting mode, with the following options:

	Program AE. Includes a Program Shift function to bias the overall exposure towards your desired shutter speed / aperture.
	Aperture Priority.
	Shutter Priority. Shutter speeds range from 1/4,000 to 60 seconds.
	Manual. Includes Bulb mode.
	Movie Mode: A menu allows Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, or Manual exposure, as well as any of ten Art filter modes.
	Scene Mode: Options are: Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Sport, Night Scene, Night + Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, DIS Mode, Macro, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Fisheye Effect, Wide-angle, Macro, or 3D Photo.
	Art Filters: Options are: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Cross Process, Gentle Sepia, or Dramatic Tone.
	Intelligent Auto. Automatically selects from a subset of the available scene modes.

Playback Mode: The Playback button on the rear panel accesses Playback mode, where you can review captured images. The left and right arrow keys scroll forward and backward one image at a time, while the up and down keys adjust movie playback volume. By rolling the sub-dial to the right, you can enlarge captured images, while rolling it to the left displays them first in index and then calendar format for quick viewing.

Olympus E-P3 Menus

Pressing the Menu button provides access to the camera's full menu system. The following options are available in most camera modes as menu tabs at the left of the display:

Shooting Menu 1:

Shooting Menu 1 Options:
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Card Setup	- All Erase - Format
Custom Reset	- Reset	- Full - Basic	You can register four sets of custom settings.
Custom Reset	- Myset1 - Myset2 - Myset3 - Myset4	- Set - Reset	You can register four sets of custom settings.
Picture Mode	- 1 i-Enhance - 2 Vivid - 3 Natural - 4 Muted - 5 Portrait - Monotone - Custom	- Contrast (-2 to +2) - Sharpness (-2 to +2) - Saturation (-2 to +2) - Gradation (Auto, Normal, High Key, Low Key) - Effect (i-Enhance only; Low, Standard or High) - B&W Filter (Monotone only; Neutral, Yellow, Orange, Red, or Green) -Pict. Tone (Monotone only; Neutral, Sepia, Blue, Purple or Green) - Picture Mode (Custom only; 1 to 5 plus Monotone)
Picture Mode	- Art 1 Pop Art - Art 2 Soft Focus - Art 3 Pale & Light Color - Art 4 Light Tone - Art 5 Grainy Film - Art 6 Pin Hole - Art 7 Diorama - Art 8 Cross Process - Art 9 Gentle Sepia - Art 10 Dramatic Tone	- Filter Type - Add Effects (Varies by filter, includes Add Soft Focus, Add Pin-Hole, Add White Edge, Add Frame, Add Star Light)
Quality	- Still Picture	- RAW - LF JPEG - LN JPEG - MN JPEG - SN JPEG - LF JPEG + RAW - LN JPEG+ RAW - MN JPEG + RAW - SN JPEG + RAW	Available options depend on the setting of Quality Set option in Custom menu G. Options listed here are defaults.
Quality	- Movie	- AVCHD Full HD F - AVCHD Full HD N - AVCHD HD F - AVCHD HD N - M-JPEG HD - M-JPEG SD
Image Aspect	- 4:3 - 16:9 - 3:2 - 6:6 - 3:4		Raw files are always 4:3 aspect, regardless of this setting.

Shooting Menu 2:

Shooting Menu 2 Options:
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Drive Mode	- Single - Continuous - 12s Self-timer - 2s Self-timer
Image Stabilizer	- Off - I.S. 1 - I.S. 2 - I.S. 3		I.S. 1 stabilizes in both directions. I.S. 2 stabilizes in vertical plane, I.S. 3 stabilizes in the horizontal plane.
Bracketing	- AE BKT	- Off - 2F 0.3EV - 2F 0.7EV - 2F 1.0EV - 3F 0.3EV - 3F 0.7EV - 3F 1.0EV - 5F 0.3EV - 5F 0.7EV - 5F 1.0EV - 7F 0.3EV - 7F 0.7EV	Exposure bracketing.
	- WB BKT	- Off - 3F 2STEP - 3F 4STEP - 3F 6STEP	White Balance bracketing. Selectable for both Amber-Blue and Green-Magenta directions.
	- FL BKT	- Off - 3F 0.3EV - 3F 0.7EV - 3F 1.0EV	Flash exposure bracketing.
	- ISO BKT	- Off - 3F 0.3EV - 3F 0.7EV - 3F 1.0EV	ISO sensitivity bracketing.
	- ART BKT	- Off - On	Art filter bracketing.
Multiple Exposure	Frame	- Off - 2 Frames
	Auto Gain	- Off - On
	Overlay	- Off - On
Flash Exposure Compensation	- -3 to +3 in 1/3 EV steps
Flash RC Mode	- Off - On		Wireless flash control.
Digital Tele-converter	- Off - On		Enables a 2x center crop function.

Playback Menu:

Playback Menu Options:
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Slideshow	- Start
	- BGM	- Melancholy - Joy - Cool - Beat - Off
	- Effect	- Fade - Falling Photos - Photo Line
	- Slide	- All - Still Picture - Movie
	- Slide Interval	- 2 - 10 sec
	- Movie Interval	- Full - Short
Rotate	- Off - On		Rotates images automatically.
Edit	- Sel Image	RAW Data Edit: - Yes - No	You cannot edit movies. Selecting a RAW image creates a JPEG copy for editing.
		JPEG: - Shadow Adjustment - Redeye Fix - Crop - Aspect - Black & White - Sepia - Saturation - Resize - e-Portrait
		Audio Record: - No - Start/Yes - Erase
	- Image Overlay	- 2 Images Merge - 3 Images Merge	Only works with Raw files, and the output image is saved as a JPEG or a Raw+ Large/Normal JPEG, depending on whether Still Picture Quality in Record Menu 1 is set to JPEG or Raw. Each source image can have its brightness adjusted from 0.1 to 2.0x individually.
Print	- Single Image - All
Reset Protect	- Yes - No

Custom Menu:

Custom Menu Options, Tab A, Page 1: AF/MF
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
AF Mode	- Still Picture	- S-AF - C-AF - MF - S-AF+MF - C-AF + TR	Options are Single, Continuous, Manual, Single with Manual adjust, and Continuous with Tracking.
AF Mode	- Movie	- S-AF - C-AF - MF - S-AF+MF - C-AF + TR
Full-time AF	- Off - On
AF Area	- All Target
	- Single Target	- AF point selection screen
	- 3x3 array	- AF point selection screen
AF Select Wrap	- Off - Loop - Spiral		Loop wraps around to the exact opposite side of the display. Spiral also jumps to the adjacent column when moving vertically, or the adjacent row when moving horizontally. Applies only for the AF selection screen that's accessible from the Live Control and Super Control Panel screens -- not the one that's accessed through the Custom menu.
Reset Lens	- Off - On		Resets focus to infinity when camera turns off.
Bulb Focusing	- Off - On		Enables manual focusing during Bulb exposures.
Focus Ring	- Counter-clockwise - Clockwise

Custom Menu Options, Tab A, Page 2: AF/MF
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
MF Assist	- Off - On		Enables automatic magnification during manual focus.
AF Set Home	- All Target
	- Single Target	- AF point selection screen
	- 3x3 array	- AF point selection screen
AF Illuminat.	- Off - On		Enables the AF assist lamp.
Face Priority	- Off - Face Priority On - Face & Eye Priority On - Face & Right Eye Priority On - Face & Left Eye Priority On		Eye side is in relation to camera left and right, ie. if set to left, will focus on your subject's right eye, and vice versa.

Custom Menu Options, Tab B: Button/Dial
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
AEL/AFL	- S-AF	- Mode 1 - Mode 2 - Mode 3	Controls the function of the Shutter and AEL/AFL buttons in each AF mode.
	- C-AF	- Mode 1 - Mode 2 - Mode 3 - Mode 4
	- MF	- Mode 1 - Mode 2 - Mode 3
AEL/AFL Memo	- Off - On		Off setting locks exposure only while button is held down.
Button Function	- FN1 Function	- AEL/AFL - Preview - One Touch WB - AF Area Home - MF - Quality - Test Picture - Myset1 - Myset2 - Myset3 - Myset4 - Backlit LCD - Live Guide - Digital Tele-converter - Off
	- FN2 Function	- Exposure Compensation - Preview - AF Area Home - MF - Quality - Backlit LCD - IS Mode - Digital Tele-converter - Off
	- Movie Button	- AEL/AFL - Record - Preview - One Touch WB - AF Area Home - MF - Quality - Test Picture - Myset1 - Myset2 - Myset3 - Myset4 - Backlit LCD - Digital Tele-converter - Off
	- Right Arrow Button	- Flash Mode - ISO - WB - 4-way Lock - Exposure Compensation
	Down Arrow Function	- Drive Mode / Timer - ISO - WB - 4-way Lock - Exposure Compensation
Dial Function	- P	- Program shift - Flash Exp. Comp. - Exp. Comp.	Any option can be applied to Main and Sub dial.
	- A	- Aperture - Flash Exp. Comp. - Exp. Comp.
	- S	- Shutter speed - Flash Exp. Comp. - Exp. Comp.
	- M	- Aperture - Shutter speed
	- Menu	- Up / Down - Left / Right
	- Playback	- Thumbnail / Zoom - Prev / Next
Dial Direction	- Exposure - Menu	- Dial 1 - Dial 2	Dial 1 setting enables slower shutter speed, open aperture for clockwise. Dial 2 is opposite.
4-way Lock	- Off - On

Custom Menu Options, Tab C: Release
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.

Custom Menu Options, Tab D, Page 1: Disp/Sound/PC
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
HDMI	- HDMI Out	- 1080i - 720p - 480p/576p
HDMI	- HDMI Control	- Off - On
Video Out	- NTSC - PAL
Thumbnail/Info Settings	- Playback Info	- Image Only - Overall - Histogram - Highlight & Shadow - Light Box
	- LV Info	- Display Grid - Histogram - Highlight & Shadow - Multi View - Level Gauge - Image Only
	- Thumbnail Settings	- 4 Thumbnail - 9 Thumbnail - 25 Thumbnail - 100 Thumbnail - Calendar
Record Control Settings	- iAuto	- Live Guide - Live Control - SCP
	- P / A / S / M	- Live Control - SCP
	- ART	- Art Menu - Live Control - SCP
	- SCN	- Scene Menu - Live Control - SCP
Picture Mode Settings	- i-Enhance - Vivid - Muted - Portrait - Monotone - Custom - Soft Focus - Pale&Light Color - Light Tone - Grainy Film - Pin Hole - Diorama - Cross Process - Gentle Sepia - Dramatic Tone
Histogram Settings	- Highlight	- 245 to 255
Histogram Settings	- Shadow	- 0 to 10
Mode Guide	- Off - On

Custom Menu Options, Tab D, Page 2: Disp/Sound/PC
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Live View Boost	- Off - On		If on, boosts the LCD brightness.
Art LV Mode	- Mode 1 - Mode 2		Some art filters reduce frame rate. Mode 2 disables some aspects of filters while shutter-button is half pressed, for a faster live view feed.
Playback Close Up Mode	- Mode 1 - Mode 2		Mode 1 zooms instantly. Mode 2 shows an enlargement frame on the first press, then zooms on the second press.
Info Off	- 10 sec - Hold
Backlit LCD	- 8 sec - 30 sec - 1 min - Hold
Sleep	- 1 minute - 3 minutes - 5 minutes
Sound	- Off - On

Custom Menu Options, Tab D, Page 3: Disp/Sound/PC
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Volume	- 5 levels, or off
USB Mode	- Auto - Storage - MTP - Print

Custom Menu Options, Tab E, Page 1: Exp/Metering/ISO
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
EV Step	- 1/3 EV - 1/2 EV - 1 EV
Metering	- ESP - Center-weighted - Spot - Spot Highlights - Spot Shadows
AEL Metering	- Auto - Center-weighted - Spot - Spot Highlights - Spot Shadows
ISO	- Auto - 200 - 250 - 320 - 400 - 500 - 640 - 800 - 1,000 - 1,250 - 1,600 - 2,000 - 2,500 - 3,200 - 4,000 - 5,000 - 6,400 - 8,000 - 10,000 - 12,800
ISO Step	- 1/3 EV - 1 EV
ISO-Auto Set	- High Limit	- 200 - 250 - 320 - 400 - 500 - 640 - 800 - 1,000 - 1,250 - 1,600 - 2,000 - 2,500 - 3,200 - 4,000 - 5,000 - 6,400 - 8,000 - 10,000
ISO-Auto Set	- Default	- 200 - 250 - 320 - 400 - 500 - 640 - 800 - 1,000 - 1,250 - 1,600 - 2,000 - 2,500 - 3,200 - 4,000 - 5,000 - 6,400 - 8,000 - 10,000 - 12,800
ISO-Auto	- P / A / S - All		Sets a shooting mode that automatically enables Auto ISO.

Custom Menu Options, Tab E, Page 2: Exp/Metering/ISO
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Bulb Timer	- 30 minutes - 25 minutes - 20 minutes - 15 minutes - 8 minutes - 4 minutes - 3 minutes - 1 minute
Anti-Shock	- Off - 1/8s to 30s		Select the interval between pressing the shutter button and releasing the shutter.

Custom Menu Options, Tab F: Flash Custom
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Flash X-Sync	- 1/60 - 1/80 - 1/100 - 1/125 - 1/160 - 1/180
Flash Slow Limit	- 30 - 25 - 20 - 15 - 13 - 10 - 8 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3.2 - 2.5 - 2 - 1.6 - 1.3 - 1 - 1/1.3 - 1/1.6 - 1/2 - 1/2.5 - 1/3 - 1/4 - 1/5 - 1/6 - 1/8 - 1/10 - 1/13 - 1/15 - 1/20 - 1/25 - 1/30 - 1/40 - 1/50 - 1/60 - 1/80 - 1/100 - 1/125 - 1/160 - 1/180
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 Options, Tab G, Page 1: Quality/Color/WB
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Noise Reduction	- Off - On - Auto		Long exposure noise reduction .
Noise Filter	- Off - Low - Standard - High		High ISO noise reduction.
White Balance	- Auto - 5300 K (Daylight) - 7500 K (Shade) - 6000 K (Cloudy) - 3000 K (Tungsten) - 4000 K (Fluorescent) - 5500 K (Flash) - Custom 1 Custom 2 - CWB (Kelvin; 2000 - 14000 K)	- Amber -7 to +7 - Green -7 to +7 - WB Preview
All (WB +/-)	- All Set	- Amber -7 to +7 - Green -7 to +7 - WB Preview
All (WB +/-)	- All Reset	- Yes - No
Auto WB Keep Warm Color	- On - Off
Flash + WB	- Off - WB Auto - WB Flash
Color Space	- sRGB - Adobe RGB

Custom Menu Options, Tab G, Page 2: Quality/Color/WB
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Shading Compensation	- Off - On		Enables a shading compensation that attempts to eliminate vignetting with certain lenses. Doesn't work when using a teleconverter or extension tube, and may boost noise levels towards the edge of the image.
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 - 1,920 x 1,440 - 1,600 x 1,200 Small: - 1,280 x 960 - 1,024 x 768 - 640 x 480

Custom Menu 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		Auto continues file numbering to new cards while Reset starts from 0.
Edit Filename	- Adobe RGB - sRGB	- Off - A-Z - 0-8	You can change the 2-digit file name prefix.
Priority Set	- No - Yes		Sets the priority of cursor display for Erase screen to No or Yes.
dpi Setting	- Auto - Custom	- 1 to 9999 dpi
Copyright Settings	- Copyright Info	- Off - On
Copyright Settings	- Artist Name - Copyright Name	Text entry dialog

Custom Menu Options, Tab I: Movie
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Movie Mode	- P - A - S - M - ART1 - ART2 - ART3 - ART4 - ART5 - ART6 - ART7 - ART8 - ART9 - ART10
Movie+Still	- Off - On		If enabled, pressing the shutter button during movie capture halts recording and captures a still image. Recording does not resume automatically.
Movie Sound	- Off - On

Custom Menu Options, Tab J: Utility
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Pixel Mapping	- Start		Enables a self-check of the sensor, and remaps bad pixels.
Exposure Shift	- ESP	- 1 to +1 EV	Each metering mode can be "fine-tuned" between -1 and +1 EV in 1/6 EV steps. Note that resetting the camera does not clear these values.
	- Center-weighted	- 1 to +1 EV
	- Spot	- 1 to +1 EV
Warning Level	- -2 to +2		Battery warning level can be tweaked from the default, in arbitrary units.
Level Adjust	- Reset - Adjust		You can calibrate the level gauge ("zero" it out). Note that resetting the camera does not clear this value.
Touch Screen Settings	- On - Off
Eye-Fi	- On - Off

Accessory Port Menu:

Accessory Port Menu Options:
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
OLYMPUS PENPAL Share	- Please Wait
	- Address Book	- Address List - Search Timer - New Pairing
	- My OLYMPUS PENPAL
	- Picture Send Size	- Size 1: Small (640x480) - Size 2: Large (1,920x1,440) - Size 3: Medium (1,280x960)
OLYMPUS PENPAL Album	- Copy All - Reset Protect - Album Mem. Usage - Album Mem. Setup
OLYMPUS PENPAL Album	- Picture Copy Size	- Size 1: Small (640x480) - Size 2: Large (1,920x1,440) - Size 3: Medium (1,280x960)
Electronic Viewfinder	- EVF Adjust	- Color Temp - Brightness

Setup Menu:

Setup Menu Options:
Top-Level Selection	Second-Level	Third-Level	Notes
Date and Time	- Date - Time - Date Format
Language	- English (default) - Spanish - French - German - Serbian - Danish - Lithuanian - Hungarian - Czech - Slovak - Italian - Greek - Swedish - Norwegian - Polish - Dutch - Slovenian - Portuguese - Croatian - Latvian - Estonian - Finnish - Romanian - Simplified Chinese - Traditional Chinese - Japanese - Russian - Turkish - Korean - Indonesian - Ukrainian - Bulgarian - Bahasa Malay - Thai		Options available varies with region. You can download additional options with the included software.
LCD Color & Brightness	- Vivid / Natural
	- Brightness	-2 to +2
	- Hue	-3 to +3
Rec. View	- 1 to 20s - Off - Auto Playback		Controls a post-capture display and the display time. Auto setting displays image then switches to Playback mode for quick deletion.
Custom / Accessory Port Menu Display	- Custom Menu Display - Accessory Port Menu Display	- Off - On
Firmware	- Body - Lens