Can Olympus Cameras Take Pictures While Shooting Video?

[hunyuan7]

Hello: Can Olympus cameras take pictures while the camera is shooting video? If they can, does taking a picture interrupt the video shoot?
Any information would be appreciated.

 

[Tor]

Haven't tried it on my EM1, but I seriously think that would be possible.

 

[WendyK]

I have done it a few times on my E-M10 and it does not interrupt the video. Both are stored as separate files on the memory card.

 

[gryphon1911]

I know the OMD can. I've done it a few times on the EM5.

 

[hunyuan7]

Great. Thanks for confirming the capability that the OMD and E-M10 can take pictures while shooting video and the picture-taking will not interrupt the video shoot. I am hoping that holds true for the E-M1 as well.

Do you know the quality/file size of the photos when they are taken while shooting video? Can you choose a quality/file size to take photos with?

 

[WendyK]

Great. Thanks for confirming the capability that the OMD and E-M10 can take pictures while shooting video and the picture-taking will not interrupt the video shoot. I am hoping that holds true for the E-M1 as well.

Do you know the quality/file size of the photos when they are taken while shooting video? Can you choose a quality/file size to take photos with?

I looked in the manual (which is available online, by the way, don't have a link handy, but see pp 22/27/96 in the E-M10 manual). If I am understanding correctly, it appears there are two movie+photo modes. Mode 1 does not interrupt the video but is a little lower quality (medium quality JPG, it looks like), Mode 2 interrupts the video while the shot is taken, then resumes recording in a new video file as soon as the shot is written to the card. Mode 2 supposedly results in a higher quality photograph. I hope that answers your questions.

I have only used this feature a couple of times during my son's concerts, so it appears I must have been using Mode 1.

 

[OzRay]

The E-M1 can take stills while shooting video and I can't remember seeing any interruption to the video.

 

[Tor]

See, I learned something new again . Thanks!

 

[hunyuan7]

I looked in the manual (which is available online, by the way, don't have a link handy, but see pp 22/27/96 in the E-M10 manual).

I just searched the manual for the E-M10 and E-M1! Thanks for the idea: Had not thought of it. It appears both cameras have different instructions when taking pictures while shooting video.

E-M10 (page 22):
 Taking photographs during movie recording
• Press the shutter button during movie recording to take a photograph while continuing to
record (mode1). Press the R button to end recording. The movie and photograph fi les are
recorded separately to the memory card. The record mode of the photographs will be XN
(16:9).
• There is also a way of recording a photograph of a higher quality (mode2). In mode2,
the movie footage from before and after the photograph is recorded in separate fi les.

E-M1 (page 26):
 Taking photographs during movie recording
• Press the shutter button during movie recording to pause movie recording and take a
photograph. Movie recording restarts after the photograph is taken. Press the R button
to end recording. Three fi les will be recorded to the memory card: the movie footage
preceding the photograph, the photograph itself, and the movie footage following the
photograph.
• Only one photograph can be taken at a time during movie recording; the self-timer and
flash cannot be used.

I am looking for a larger M4/3 camera (to handle focal lengths greater than 90mm (35mm equivalent)) that is weather proof. The other function it must have is to take pictures while it is shooting video without the video being interrupted. I was wondering what Olympus had, but I may end up with the GH3 or GH4. I currently use the Panasonic G3 and am looking to change up my camera set-up.