GX7 - Histogram Info

[Ricoh]

Is it possible to set the GX7 so that in live view the histogram shows the effects of adjusting aperture, shutter speed, EV compensation?
Comparing the GX7 histogram with that of Olympus (EM5 and EP5), in live view it doesn't seem to offer much help to the user in determining the correct exposure. The histogram just seems to show what live view is showing, I.e a fairly unchanging value irrespective whether the aperture or SS is wound up or down. The histogram displayed during review is a different matter, it reflects under or over exposure.
I'm finding the out of the box setting pretty useless, what do I need to do to make it mimic the Olympus way of doing things?
Hope someone can help me on this.
Many thanks.

 

[norman]

You need to enable constant preview in the third menu and be in manual mode to get what you want. If you disable constant preview in manual mode then the histogram becomes nigh on useless again but there is a scale at the bottom that tells you roughly how far over/under you are to what it thinks is proper exposure.
In other modes the only info the histogram provides that I can see is it turns white when it thinks optimum exposure is reached and the histogram will move left or right when you adjust exposure compensation. So in my view the live histogram is only useful in manual with constant preview turned on, in all other scenarios you are better off without it.

Some users of the GX7 opt to adjust exposure from taking a quick shot and preview the image with blinkies turned on. Of course the preview is a jpeg so does not 100% reflect the histogram the raw file would have but it's close. With a little experimentation you can expose to the right a little more than the blinkies would indicate and still avoid blowing out highlights. This is not a method you can use if in a hurry but with practice and a bit of trial and error to begin with is probably more reliable than a live histogram.

 

[Ricoh]

Thank you Norman, very helpful of you.
It works as described in manual mode, but the live view dims or brightens in response to the selected exposure combination. Is there any way of keeping live view at optimum brightness whilst allowing the computer within the camera determining the exposure and the consequence of the combination displayed in the histogram (resulting in the aperture closing when the shutter is pressed, second position) ?

 

[norman]

Thank you Norman, very helpful of you.
It works as described in manual mode, but the live view dims or brightens in response to the selected exposure combination. Is there any way of keeping live view at optimum brightness whilst allowing the computer within the camera determining the exposure and the consequence of the combination displayed in the histogram (resulting in the aperture closing when the shutter is pressed, second position) ?

Sorry for the delayed reply.

I'm not sure what you mean in that 2nd sentence - it's quite a mouthful! Do you mean can you get a meaningful live histogram whilst maintaining a bright LCD? That doesn't seem possible with the GX7 and I'm not sure why. I tested my Sony 5N and with that the histogram clearly reflects changes to exposure but the screen brightness is also effected. With the Sony the histogram seems consistent whatever mode you are in. With the GX7 the live histogram is poorly implemented and of limited use. All it seems to do is evaluate the scene it is pointing at and ignores your exposure settings. All except manual mode with constant preview on.

How useful is the live histogram with the E-P5?