Tips and tricks on understanding your Olympus OMD viewfinder

In this video I go over the ins-and-outs of understanding the information you can setup and use in the viewfinder and LCD for exposure. I go over histograms, shadow and highlight warnings, grids etc. Hopefully it will help you set up your camera for optimal exposure and give some additional insight into the tools Olympus give us for exposure control.
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[@maggiecampbell6627]

Having searched the whole web to solve a problem on my viewfinder I have finally found the answer in your video. Many thanks.

[@dianewade2517]

Great tutorial Joseph. I wish I had seen this years ago!

[@martynphillips6646]

I still can never get over the generosity of sloggers giving up your time to share and help us all, Thank You!!!!

[@waginglove]

Wow, so much in these cameras! Thank you for generously sharing your knowledge and understanding of photography and how to use the Olympus/OM D systems. In the 70's and 80's I used the Nikkormat EL and the Canon AE1 with a potato smasher (Sunpak/GN 160). Bought them when stationed on Okinawa. Old days. Life gets busy and goes by fast. Now two years ago I picked up the gorgeous/retro Pen F and a couple of primes (17, 45, 75). So much fun. Now added the EM1X and the 45mm F1.2 Your content has been instrumental in helping me figure out and enjoy photography again without getting buried in the new, new technology. Please keep sharing! Wishing you continued success.

[@jf9979]

The customisation of the Olympus cameras is next level. Didn't realise you can even change the colour of the grid.

[@wahabdilawar]

Brilliant. Excellent tutorial. The grid colour is not available for mortals, who can only afford an EM-10 II. All the other tips were very useful for all Olympus users. Thanks for sharing.

[@rogerquenault7207]

Fantastic info especially changing the grid colour 👍

[@andrelloyd4010]

A superb tutorial as always. Many thanks for generously producing and kindly sharing the wisdom Joseph. 🙏

[@craigb8379]

Another great explanation that is clear and well-delivered, Joe. Thanks again 👊

[@jeremybeswick550]

Another really informative, clear and straightforward-to-understand (which I really appreciate!) tutorial, thank you Joseph! As an Olympus user (OM-1 through the 70's and 80's), relatively new to digital (now using the M5 MkIII), your Olympus-specific advice and information is really helpful; t's massively additive to the other high-quality generic, non-Olympus-specific digital photography content out there in digital media and in print. Thank you!

[@davidblack2632]

Great tips and advice. Love the grid color tip.

[@michelmorin1937]

Thanks a lot for the info, it helps a lot. My EM5 mark III is quite a beast but I love it. Mike from Quebec.

[@1957PLATO]

Very useful tips, Joseph thanks.

[@Rafaga777]

Thanks a lot for the tutorial. Very informative and useful...

[@stevesimper2529]

Useful info, clearly explained too, many thanks. 👍

[@RonaldBrown59]

Great tutorial video, I really learned a lot from it. And thanks for sharing.

[@andrecanis4894]

Really great info, sadly I can't use all of the tips in my old E-M10 Mark I. To add on to your remark about the histogram being generated from the JPEG, so the RAW has more room for highlights: it also depends on which JPEG profile you have selected. If you have no intention of using the JPEG and are going to work with the RAW file anyway, you could choose a setting like Muted profile with Contrast -2 and Saturation -2 to get the highlight warnings closer to the actual RAW file range. And if you want to push the range to its limit, keep in mind that it is color dependent. I think the green channel is more sensitive than the others, so if it's the green channel that's clipping the highlights you might have less than a stop of data to recover from RAW, while if it's the red channel maybe it's a stop and a half - but it's probably easier to expose more conservative than to figure out which channel gives you exactly how much headroom with which image profile.

[@kjamestaylor]

excellent just info no more advertising for more gear

[@Yucatanlight]

Thanks, great tips

[@TXTundra-ex8bw]

Thank you! If I live in Dallas I would volunteer to be your assistant just to learn

[@libork8106]

Joseph, very informative Thank you

[@williampegram]

Great info as always. Thank you.

[@skipsaunders5974]

Nice review....very helpful

[@MDMiller60]

I want to increase the brightness of LCD in Menu Mode. My brightness icon is grayed out. But, I still want to see the actual exposure in the VF and LCD.

[@CVCC]

great info! Thanks!

[@AnastasTarpanov]

For the church or similar scenarios, you can always use spot metering or if there is a person in the image and you use face detection the camera is adjusting metering only for the face and ignoring everything else is the scene.

[@furiousdoe7779]

Hi Joe , thanks ...very usefull info... I have been using flash (for the first time try out) at a nices wedding ( live view - selected) .. in a restaurant with 2 different kind of ceilings (windows 45 degr -+ night ) and brown flat . So using bouncing was very difficult .. How would you solve such a problem without using directed flash.

[@marklaurendet1861]

Very good tutorial, I just setup my grid to red. Is there a way to keep the focus box green when you half press the shuter? On my EM1 MkIII when I press half way down on the shutter button the focus box flashes green then reverts to it's natureal state. When wearing glasses I cannot see the green dot in the right top corner that stays on while I hold the shutter at half press. It would be nice if the focus square would stay green like on Panasonic cameras so I know it is holding focus.

[@craigb8379]

Mark Laurendet I agree!

[@micha5645]

Thank you! 👍🏻

[@jennifergrainger2480]

You have lots for me to binge here Joe. The one thing I'd love you to do a video on is the OMD Menu. I find it very confusing. I made one pre-set but is the a way for the camera to always remember to use it or do I have to reset the camera each time I use it. Can you recommend any tips on learning the settings. Many thanks. I have an OMD 5 mark II Cheers

[@dennishunt239]

Thanks for a really informative video....really like the grid colour....A question please....For em1 mk11 do you know a way of adjusting the colour or brightness of the live histogram that appears at the bottom left of the screen when in the " Live " modes e.g live bulb......I find it very difficult to see in its dull grey mode..Thanks from England

[@grahampenny58]

Excellent tutorial, I love all your tips and tricks from this and other videos you have made. I do have one question. When setting the histogram and highlights, this works fine as demonstrate in the video for the LCD. However this is not repeated on my OMD EM1 Mk11 within the viewfinder. The histogram does not move or show peaking when I over or under expose, I am missing a setting?

[@homesickphotographycomau4107]

hey joseph. do know if that colour change of auto focus spot or grid can be changed omd mark1. cant find it all

[@kentbergstrom3020]

What are your personal histogram varnings setting, 250 - 5?

[@stan3223]

Joe, what makes exposure challenging is that the histogram and red and blue warnings come from a jpeg file. I have two request of all manufacturers: First , show the raw histogram . and Secondly use the full image circle from the lens by having a square sensor---we can crop in post.

[@francesremo]

Hi joseph! I know this is a bit of topic but how can i reduce purple lens flare when im shooting with oly lenses with bright sunlight (say i want something backlit). For some reason i cant see it through the view finder and i just see it in lightroom 😭

[@MiaogisTeas]

Is it lens flare or chromatic aberration? Not experienced this before, but I also don't shoot into the sun 😅

[@francesremo]

@@MiaogisTeasi know about chromatic aberration, it doesnt bother me much, only the purple lens flare

[@rickbear7249]

Joseph, A very useful video, BUT, you're talking too fast. Part of my job is that I teach and mentor Instructors. It's important that any teacher understands how his audience processes information. It works like this: we hear what you say; then the brain replays what you've just said, as we attempt to understand it. So, Joseph, if you carry on talking (especially at the speed you're speaking) it is very difficult for us to follow you. Tip: you should be speaking at half normal speed. Then, you should pause between each statement. It will feel like you're speaking in slow-motion. But it is crucial. Great information, but please slow it down. Thanks, Rick (Professional photographer & Technical Instructor)

[@stan3223]

One advantage of these videos is that you can go back and replay a section. Since I am familiar with the Olympic menus I can easily follow Joe. But Olympus menus are poorly done so that makes learning them difficult.. Stay with it, the camera takes great photos.