Does the OMD EM-1 Support Auto ISO in 'M' Mode?

[GShooter]

I am thinking of trading up from EM-10 to EM-1 and a clincher for me would be Auto ISO in full manual mode as featured in the EM-10. When I am photographing wildlife, particularly birds, I like to set a specific shutter speed and f stop and let Auto ISO take care of the exposure. I can't find this information in any of the specs I have read.

 

[MajorMagee]

Yes, it's on p 94 of the manual.

 

[GShooter]

Thanks for that information. I don't have the camera yet so have not seen a manual.

 

[fredlong]

EM1 manual
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_manuals.asp?id=1648

 

[GShooter]

Thank you fredlong. The way I read it Auto ISO is not available in M mode, only P/A/S, but it then continues [All]: Auto ISO sensitivity selection is available in all modes. I don't quite understand what they are trying to say. Do you have an EM-1 and if so, are you able to select auto ISO on manual mode?

 

[GShooter]

Just re-read it and now understand that Auto ISO is available in 'M' mode. Thank you

 

[DerekW]

Huh - you did not trust the answers given on the other forum......<g>

 

[dpswbab]

I am thinking of trading up from EM-10 to EM-1 and a clincher for me would be Auto ISO in full manual mode as featured in the EM-10. When I am photographing wildlife, particularly birds, I like to set a specific shutter speed and f stop and let Auto ISO take care of the exposure. I can't find this information in any of the specs I have read.

Hi, David.

You say 'as featured in the EM-10', but as far as I can see, my EM-10 does not provide auto-ISO in manual mode. This is its biggest flaw for me. If you have found a way to use auto-ISO on the EM-10, would you please explain where/how to set it. Thanks.

 

[Sammyboy]

Hi, David.

You say 'as featured in the EM-10', but as far as I can see, my EM-10 does not provide auto-ISO in manual mode. This is its biggest flaw for me. If you have found a way to use auto-ISO on the EM-10, would you please explain where/how to set it. Thanks.

.... you also have not read the manual ....... have you ? ........

 

[Ross the fiddler]

Thank you fredlong. The way I read it Auto ISO is not available in M mode, only P/A/S, but it then continues [All]: Auto ISO sensitivity selection is available in all modes. I don't quite understand what they are trying to say. Do you have an EM-1 and if so, are you able to select auto ISO on manual mode?

Hi, David.

You say 'as featured in the EM-10', but as far as I can see, my EM-10 does not provide auto-ISO in manual mode. This is its biggest flaw for me. If you have found a way to use auto-ISO on the EM-10, would you please explain where/how to set it. Thanks.

Please note there are 4 basic modes, PASM. That is what All is. That is selected in Menu *E, ISO-Auto. This is found on page 93 of the full E-M10 manual, as follows.

ISO-Auto Choose the shooting modes in which [Auto] ISO sensitivity
is available.
[P/A/S]: Auto ISO sensitivity selection is available in all
modes except M. ISO sensitivity is fi xed at ISO200 in mode
M.
[All]: Auto ISO sensitivity selection is available in all modes. Note! Which means PASM

 

[OzRay]

I just tried on my E-M1 and auto ISO is blanked out in M mode.

And looking at the manual (p94), it specifically says Auto ISO is not available in M mode.

I guess manual mode means manual mode, back to the film camera days.

 

[TransientEye]

That's strange - it works on the E-M5, and is very useful for street photography (when you want to fix both shutter speed and DOF, letting the camera choose ISO to control exposure).

 

[pdk42]

It definitely works on the E-M5, E-M1, E-P5, E-PL5 and I suspect all other current Oly u43 cameras. You need to make sure that it's enabled in all modes, as previous posters have said. I don't think this is the default so you'll have to dive into the E "cog" menu.

 

[OzRay]

It definitely works on the E-M5, E-M1, E-P5, E-PL5 and I suspect all other current Oly u43 cameras. You need to make sure that it's enabled in all modes, as previous posters have said. I don't think this is the default so you'll have to dive into the E "cog" menu.

Right you are. I think that this indicates how comprehensive the options are and how deep the menu needs to be to cover all the options.

 

[Growltiger]

I just tried on my E-M1 and auto ISO is blanked out in M mode.

And looking at the manual (p94), it specifically says Auto ISO is not available in M mode.

I guess manual mode means manual mode, back to the film camera days.

No, p94 means you have to change the setting to ALL to make it work in M mode as well. It is a choice you can make.
In your case it is greyed out because you are still on the default setting, which is that it works in only PAS, not ALL or PASM.

 

[OzRay]

No, p94 means you have to change the setting to ALL to make it work in M mode as well. It is a choice you can make.
In your case it is greyed out because you are still on the default setting, which is that it works in only PAS, not ALL or PASM.

Me thinks you missed my last post.

 

[kevinparis]

Right you are. I think that this indicates how comprehensive the options are and how deep the menu needs to be to cover all the options.

Actually I think its indicative of how poorly thought out and designed the UI is :smile:

Why is it as an option in the first place?... What situation would you not want the option of AutoISO when shooting manual? Why is the default state Auto ISO off for manual?

Surely if you are shooting Manual you are paying a little more attention to the settings and could easily move the ISO off of automatic?

I am all for customisation and deep levels of control but they should be presented in a way that actually makes sense

cheers

K

 

[OzRay]

Actually I think its indicative of how poorly thought out and designed the UI is :smile:

Why is it as an option in the first place?... What situation would you not want the option of AutoISO when shooting manual? Why is the default state Auto ISO off for manual?

Surely if you are shooting Manual you are paying a little more attention to the settings and could easily move the ISO off of automatic?

I am all for customisation and deep levels of control but they should be presented in a way that actually makes sense

cheers

K

I'll bet if it was set up so that in full manual mode, auto ISO was enabled, all the manual mode users would complain. It's called manual mode for a reason. If auto ISO was enabled by default in M mode, maybe it should be called Half-Pregnant mode.

I'm still waiting for someone to describe the perfect design for the Olympus menu system. There's lots of talk about how wrong it is, but no one has yet provided a comprehensive example of a menu that is 'perfect' and takes into account all the options that are available in the likes of the E-M1.

 

[kevinparis]

Ray

The Leica T is an example of the kind of direction I am thinking of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWD33Ba3-Yc

sure its not perfect - but it does look like they have spent some time thinking about how the photographer interacts with the camera and how to organise the controls in a way that is clear for the photographer to understand.

cheers

K

 

[Growltiger]

Yes, I missed your last post...

There are very good reasons why one wants the choice. For example when using a flash in A mode (SB800 in my case) it is essential to use M mode on the camera without AutoISO. On the other hand in normal use one may well want AutoISO in M mode.

The menu system seems pretty good to me apart from a couple of poor design areas which could easily be corrected. By far the most serious is the MySet section. Changing the word Set to Load/Save would do a lot to help. And the manual does not describe MySet operation properly. For example if you assign a Myset to a button, you press it once to activatwe the Myset, and press it again to remove the Myset and put it back how it was before you pressed the button. Same with assigning it to a wheel position. There is no way to assign a button to Set/Load a Myset into the normal state of the camera and leave it there, you have to use the menu. Difficult to explain in words.