>
> Perhaps it would have been more accurate for me to have written that I am
> quite disappointed in what I have managed to create with the digital
> Olympus gear I bought in the expectation of a certain standard of
> excellence. I first really noticed problems, with the blown-out rendering
> of
> well-lit autumn leaves, just a couple of months back, and I began looking
> more closely after that.
>
This particular type of lighting and subject matter is the single-biggest
buggabear with digital. What you are running into is the out-of-gamut
conditions where one of the three color-channels is blowing out or is at the
point where the colorspace itself is unable to adequately handle the colors.
This is also an issue when scanning slides that have these colors too! I've
worked with various colorspaces to help matters, but the only solution I've
found that will adequately address the issue with a digital camera is to
underexpose the scene by up to two stops and then boost the exposure during
RAW conversion. Fortunately, Olympus RAW files (especially from the
Kodak-sensored cameras) handle boosting quite well whereas Canon files are
better at being pulled down in exposure.
In essence, with most digital cameras you "expose to the right", but in this
type of scene--especially with Olympus cameras, you "expose to the left".
Frankly, I've gotten my best pictures in these conditions when I use an
ambient-dome hand-held meter and expose for the mid-tone.
Just remember, the center of the histogram is NOT exactly a mid-tone. :)
I'm still not sure what happened except I am
> suspicious of the buttons on the back that sit where my thumb also does,
> all too often.
>
I would HIGHLY recommend that you use the "Custom Reset" feature and use it
always. As the E-3 only has two user resets, program one as your ISO 100
"Provia" setting, and the other as something like a ISO 400 with auto-WB
setting. My younger daughter used the E-1 quite a bit during the vacation,
and I had #4 setup for her and #1 for me. It took me two seconds to change
the camera from one entire configuration to another.
Best of all, when using the Custom Reset function (memory recall for those
who don't understand Olympus lingo), you can get all whacky with exposure
compensations, aperture adjustments, custom WB settings and all that, but a
press-spin-release and I'm back to my start-point again. No need to figure
out what you have to do to get the camera back to normal.
> I don't plan to continue the thread in the Olympus group though I will
> probably ask people for guidance on procedures I am ignorant of; such as
> CH Ling pointing out that with RAW file editors it is possible to change
> the
> white balance. I think I have taken more than enough of the group attention
> for a while.
Actually, your inquiries are fine. There are many things about these
cameras that may seem awefully strange (and usually are), but surprisingly
there are some incredible back-door features (like the Custom Resets) that
address concerns and make life easy.
> However, on the other hand, I found it very useful to get
> alternative "take" on the topic by very capable photographers such as Ken
> Norton to name one, as well.
>
Thare are a number of us, I'm just one whacked out guy which likes to irk
Chuck and Moose once in a while. :)
The last two years of Olympus E-system cameras--especially the E-3, have
gotten very very complex in their menus, handling and choices. Instead of
doing what the other makers have done and just added values to a given field
(in the menus), they have attempted to remake the menus. Instead of forcing
all adjustments through a singular menu interface (which would be simpler,
but time-consuming), Olympus has given us multiple ways of adjusting certain
things. But my times spent with the E-3 have left me flustered.
An example of the complexity, yet extreme simplicity, of the Olympus
interface is the image review function. The E-1 (and other E-system bodies)
is equipped with the "Play" button, but the dreaded "Info" button.
Reviewers groused heavily about how many button presses and wheel spins it
took to see the histogram. That was only true the first time. Once set to
the histogram view, all you'd have to do is just press the "Info" button on
the reviewed image and the histogram would appear. Yet, for other
applications (like event portrait-sessions which you are ripping off
hundreds of portraits in minutes) you don't give a rip about the histogram,
you want to know what file-name or image-number the keeper is so you can
tell your assistant which one goes with which person. Again, once set, just
a single press of the info button recalls this vital information. The point
is, that the E-system cameras are designed for repeatability. You can set
or configure the camera for a specific type of usage and the camera will
stay there unless you specifically change it. Unfortunately, as with all
digital cameras, it is too easy to change something without realizing it.
If you are having issues with the buttons around the thumb area, by all
means go into the setup menus and start reassigning them to be something
more to your liking. I have my rear dial set for exposure compensation in
all but manual mode. The AEL button can be set either toggle or
press-and-hold or something else altogether.
I have said this before and I'll repeat it again and again. It takes AT
LEAST 600 pictures with a digital camera before you even have a clue where
to go for even the most basic features and are relatively comfortable with
it. I'm well over 40,000 on my E-1 and there are still menu options I have
no clue how to use. Maybe someday I'll figure out what all is in the Wrench
#1 menu. I'm just pretending that Wrench #2 doesn't exist.
:)
AG
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