book

Olympus® PEN E-PL1 For Dummies®

by Julie Adair King

August 2010

Beginner to intermediate

352 pages

9h 5m

English

For Dummies

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A Quick Look at What's AheadIcons and Other Stuff to NotePractice, Be Patient, and Have Fun!
1.1. Taking a Quick Tour1.1.1. Topside controls1.1.2. Back-of-the-camera controls1.1.3. And the rest . . .1.2. Working with Lenses1.2.1. Attaching and removing lenses1.2.2. Familiarizing yourself with the lens1.2.3. Retracting and unlocking the lens1.3. Working with Memory Cards1.4. Ordering from Camera Menus1.5. Monitor Matters: Customizing the Shooting Display1.5.1. Enabling and disabling display styles1.5.2. Zooming the live display1.6. Monitoring and Adjusting Photography Settings1.6.1. Setting your control screen preferences1.6.2. Switching between control displays1.6.3. Adjusting settings via the Live Control display1.6.4. Using the Super Control Panel (SCP)1.7. Reviewing Basic Setup Options1.7.1. Cruising the Setup menu1.7.2. Exploring setup options on the Custom menu1.7.3. Restoring default settings
2.1. Reviewing the Most Critical Options2.2. Setting the Shutter-Release Mode2.3. Changing Picture Proportions (Image Aspect Ratio)2.4. Stabilizing Your Shots2.5. Using Face Detection2.6. Choosing the Right Quality Settings2.6.1. Diagnosing quality problems2.6.2. Considering resolution: How many pixels are enough?2.6.3. Understanding file type (JPEG or Raw)2.6.3.1. JPEG: The imaging (and Web) standard2.6.3.2. Raw (ORF): The purist's choice2.6.4. Selecting and customizing the Image Quality setting
3.1. Going Fully Automatic with iAuto Mode3.1.1. Adjusting picture settings in iAuto mode3.1.2. Getting more creative with Live Guide3.2. Taking Pictures in SCN (Scene) Mode3.2.1. Checking out the scene(s)3.2.2. Taking a picture in SCN mode3.3. Becoming a Movie Mogul3.3.1. Shooting your first movie3.3.2. Understanding and modifying movie settings

4.1. Customizing Playback Timing4.2. Viewing Images in Playback Mode4.2.1. Viewing multiple images at a time4.2.2. Viewing pictures in calendar view4.2.3. Zooming in for a closer view4.2.3.1. Using Playback Close Up Mode 14.2.3.2. Zooming in Close Up Mode 24.2.4. Rotating a photo4.3. Viewing Picture Data4.3.1. Simplified display mode4.3.2. Overall display4.3.2.1. Interpreting a brightness histogram4.3.2.2. Reading an RGB histogram4.3.3. Histogram display4.3.4. Highlight and Shadow display4.3.5. Light Box display4.4. Protecting Photos4.5. Deleting Photos4.5.1. Setting Raw_plus_JPEG delete preferences4.5.2. Deleting images one at a time4.5.3. Deleting all photos4.5.4. Deleting a batch of selected photos4.6. Playing Movies4.7. Creating an In-Camera Slide Show4.8. Viewing Your Photos on a Television
5.1. Choosing the Right Photo Software5.1.1. Four free photo programs5.1.2. Four advanced photo-editing programs5.2. Sending Pictures to the Computer5.2.1. Connecting your camera to a computer5.2.2. Starting the transfer process5.3. Processing Raw (ORF) Files5.3.1. Processing Raw images in Olympus [ib]5.3.2. Processing Raw images in Olympus Master 25.3.3. Processing Raw images in the camera5.4. Planning for Perfect Prints5.4.1. Allow for different print proportions5.4.2. Check the pixel count before you print5.4.3. Get print and monitor colors in sync5.5. Preparing Pictures for E-Mail and Online Sharing
6.1. Kicking Your Camera into High Gear6.2. Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO6.2.1. Understanding exposure-setting side effects6.2.2. Doing the exposure balancing act6.3. Reading the Meter and Other Exposure Data6.4. Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode6.5. Setting ISO, f-stop, and Shutter Speed6.5.1. Controlling ISO6.5.2. Adjusting aperture and shutter speed6.5.3. Tweaking autoexposure results with Exposure Compensation6.5.4. Correcting lens vignetting with Shading Compensation6.6. Using Flash in P, A, S, and M Modes6.6.1. Understanding the flash modes6.6.1.1. Auto flash (P and A shooting modes)6.6.1.2. Fill-in flash (P/A/S/M)6.6.1.3. Red-eye reduction: Auto (P/A) or fill-in (S/M) flash6.6.1.4. Flash-off (P/A/S/M)6.6.1.5. Slow-sync flash (P/A/S/M)6.6.1.6. Slow sync with second-curtain sync (P/S/A/M)6.6.1.7. Manual flash6.6.2. Adjusting flash output6.7. Bracketing Exposure, ISO, and Flash
7.1. Understanding Focusing Basics7.1.1. Choosing an AF Mode: MF, S-AF, or C-AF?7.1.2. AF Area: One focus target or 11?7.1.3. Matching autofocus settings to your subject7.1.4. Autofocusing on stationary subjects: S-AF and Single Target7.1.5. Focusing on moving subjects7.1.5.1. Using tracking autofocus (C-AF+TR)7.1.5.2. Using regular continuous autofocusing (C-AF)7.1.6. Taking advantage of zoom-frame autofocus7.1.7. Using manual focus7.2. Manipulating Depth of Field7.3. Controlling Color7.3.1. Correcting colors with white balance7.3.2. Changing the White Balance setting7.3.3. Using One Touch White Balance7.3.4. Fine-tuning White Balance settings7.3.5. Bracketing white balance7.4. Choosing a Color Space: sRGB versus Adobe RGB7.5. Taking a Quick Look at Picture Modes
8.1. Recapping Basic Picture Settings8.2. Shooting Great Portraits8.2.1. Capturing action8.2.2. Capturing scenic vistas8.2.3. Capturing dynamic close-ups8.3. Coping with Special Situations
9.1. Altering Your Photos through the JPEG Edit Menu9.2. Removing Red-Eye9.3. Giving a Face the "Vaseline Lens" Treatment9.4. Tweaking Color Saturation9.5. Bringing a Subject Out of the Shadows9.6. Cropping to a New Composition9.7. Creating Monochrome and Sepia Tone Copies9.8. Exploring the Art Filters9.9. Creating a Multiple-Exposure Image9.9.1. Shooting a multiple exposure9.9.2. Using Image Overlay9.10. Adding a Voice Annotation to an Image
10.1. Assign New Tasks to the Fn and Movie Buttons10.2. Adjust Focus and Exposure Locking10.3. Use Custom Resets to Store Picture Settings10.4. Create Your Own Shooting Mode10.5. Create Personalized Filenames10.6. Speed Up the Image Delete Process10.7. Specify a Default Print Resolution10.8. Check for Faulty Pixels10.9. Change the Timing of the Battery Warning10.10. Expand Your Lens Kit

Content preview from Olympus® PEN E-PL1 For Dummies®

Chapter 8. Putting It All Together

In This Chapter

Reviewing the best all-around picture-taking settings
Adjusting the camera for portrait photography
Discovering the keys to super action shots
Dialing in the right settings to capture landscapes and other scenic vistas
Capturing close-up views of your subject

Earlier chapters of this book break down each and every picture-taking feature on the E-PL1, describing in detail how the various controls affect exposure, picture quality, focus, color, and the like. This chapter pulls together all that information to help you set up your camera for specific types of photography.

The first few pages offer a quick summary of critical picture-taking settings that should serve you well no matter what your subject. Following that, you get my advice on which settings to use for portraits, action shots, landscapes, and close-ups. But I want to stress that although I offer specific recommendations, there is no one "right way" to shoot a portrait, a landscape, or whatever. Don't be afraid to wander off on your own, tweaking this exposure setting or adjusting that focus control, to discover your creative vision. Experimentation is part of the fun of photography, after all — and thanks to your camera monitor and the Erase button, it's an easy, completely free proposition.