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D I G I T A L   T E C H N I C A L   S U P P O R T  

 

O L Y M P U S   I M A G I N G   A M E R I C A   I N C .  

 

( 8 8 8 )   5 5 3 - 4 4 4 8  

 

h t t p : / / s u p p o r t . o l y m p u s a m e r i c a . c o m

 

 

©2008 Olympus Imaging America Inc. 

Page 14 of 26 

Last updated on February 28, 2008 

 

S-AF+MF (Simultaneous use of the S-AF and Manual Focus) – This mode allows 
the photographer the option of fine adjusting the focus using the lens focus ring 

after the shutter button has been pressed halfway and autofocus has been 
locked. This mode allows the photographer more creative control over the 

autofocus to focus on a specific area the autofocus may not have selected. 

 

C-AF+MF (Simultaneous use of the C-AF and Manual Focus) – This mode allows 

the photographer to manually focus before pressing the shutter button halfway to 
enable C-AF. It allows the photographer to pre-focus the lens closer to a focus 

zone to provide the autofocus with a more rapid response in situations such as 
sports or wildlife photography. 

The subject I want in focus doesn’t line up with any of the AF frames 
in the viewfinder.  How do I get the camera to focus on the subject? 

The Focus Lock function enables the photographer to prefocus on a specific subject, 
lock the focus, and then re-compose the image and shoot the picture.  

1.

 

Position the AF frame on the autofocus subject and press the shutter button 
halfway until the AF confirmation mark lights up.  The focus will be locked. 

2.

 

While holding the shutter button in the halfway position, recompose the image 
and press the shutter button all the way to shoot the picture. 

At first this may seem cumbersome, but with practice it can become a fluid movement. 

What is the difference between NORMAL and SMALL AF SENSITIVITY? 

NORMAL AF SENSITIVITY is used for most shooting situations. At this setting, the 
camera focuses within the selected AF area and on the surrounding area. SMALL AF 

SENSITVITY focuses only within the selected AF area. This setting can be useful in 
situations such as wildlife photography where it is necessary to photograph animals 

through tree branches in the foreground. Using a more precise AF area will reduce the 
chance of the autofocus system becoming confused by the branches. 

Is there a way to shoot if I don’t want to wait for autofocus to lock 
or the flash to recycle? 

Normally, the E-3 will not shoot while autofocus is operating or the flash is charging. 

However, situations may arise where the photographer would want to override the 
camera and force it to fire under marginal shooting conditions when the camera may not 

be ready to shoot. 
The Shutter Release Priority function will permit the camera to shoot even though 
normal shooting requirements are not met. The function is found in the 

 

menu under Custom Menu 1. Two options are available: 

 

RLS PRORITY S:  Set to ON to enable the camera to fire immediately, without 

waiting for focus confirmation, in the S+AF autofocus mode. 

 

RLS PRIORITY C: Set to OFF to force the camera to secure focus before firing 

in the C+AF autofocus mode. Predictive AF is not available for the first shot 
when this function is enabled.

  

Be advised that overriding the camera creates special considerations. Shooting before 

the flash has recycled may cause images to be underexposed if ambient light is 
insufficient to illuminate the subject. Shooting before autofocus has locked may result in 

blurry images, particularly when the subject is in motion. To compensate for the loss of 
autofocus, increase the depth of field by shooting with the smallest aperture that is 

practical for acquiring the shot. 

Summary of Contents for E-3

Page 1: ...thout worrying about dust ruining a shot the stunningly fast TruePic III processor and a 2 5 inch high resolution dual axis wide angle HyperCrystal screen for superior visibility even in direct sunlig...

Page 2: ...ith LIVE VIEW BOOST set to OFF while setting up a shot changes you make to the Exposure Compensation setting are previewed on the Live View monitor so you can see their effects before shooting The eff...

Page 3: ...than the higher quality settings For example it may be preferable to shoot using a lower quality setting when the shots are intended for use on the Internet where small file size is more important tha...

Page 4: ...anel the Control Panel or the camera menu RAW JPEG Four record modes in the E 3 save both a RAW and a JPEG image when a picture is taken This can be advantageous when shots are intended for use in mul...

Page 5: ...Custom White Balance CWB settings in the White Balance menu allow photographers to select more accurate color temperature settings Many commercially available lamps are labeled with color temperature...

Page 6: ...copy photography of old documents the yellow filter brightens the look of yellowed paper ORANGE The effect of the orange filter falls midway between that of the red and yellow filters GREEN The green...

Page 7: ...Custom Function menu Use the arrow pad to scroll through the functions that can be assigned The available functions are OFF This option disables function allocation V One Touch White Balance This func...

Page 8: ...ess to switch to the Underwater Wide shooting mode and to switch between the Underwater Wide and Underwater Macro shooting modes Alternatively turn the main dial while holding down the MODE button to...

Page 9: ...be facing outward When these prerequisites are met launch the software and click on the update function The update process will first poll the camera and lens to determine what firmware versions are...

Page 10: ...are unable to communicate with the firmware in the E System camera bodies Therefore their use in this fashion has the following restrictions Autofocus is not available OM series autofocus lenses canno...

Page 11: ...LCD screen The target area can be repositioned on another area of the image by using the arrow keys on the camera back Pressing the OK button causes the target area to be enlarged The degree of magni...

Page 12: ...kground for a visual effect in the image The result would be a sharply defined subject against a blurred background that might otherwise appear cluttered I have a lens from another manufacturer that h...

Page 13: ...stop determined by a flash meter reading or testing It also allows for use in exotic photographic situations such as scientific and engineering photography beyond the parameters of the camera firmwar...

Page 14: ...ween NORMAL and SMALL AF SENSITIVITY NORMAL AF SENSITIVITY is used for most shooting situations At this setting the camera focuses within the selected AF area and on the surrounding area SMALL AF SENS...

Page 15: ...he same as Spot metering but compensates toward overexposure allowing accurate white reproduction For example with normal Spot metering snow would be captured as grey rather than white The HI Spot Met...

Page 16: ...eras have a default noise filter that is always on Some photographers feel that this reduces detail so Olympus has included the option to not use a noise filter at all If the Noise Filter is set to OF...

Page 17: ...ory and overwrites the directory In both cases the actual digital images are still on the memory card until new images are shot that overwrite the old images Therefore if images are inadvertently eras...

Page 18: ...flashes have four control channels to choose from so the flashes and camera will not receive signals from other Olympus wireless RC flash systems operating nearby The photo below shows the main setup...

Page 19: ...ectronic flash Can I use it on the E 3 Flash units that are not part of the Olympus E System may pose problems if used on the E 3 Thyristor type flash units can be used with the E 3 s Manual shooting...

Page 20: ...e recording medium they are susceptible to damage from impact vibration and strong magnetic fields especially during recording and playback Be sure to carefully read the instructions that come with Mi...

Page 21: ...button on the RM 1 to open the shutter 4 Press the T button on the RM 1 to close the shutter Notes For best results the camera should be set up on a tripod If eight minutes elapse after the W button...

Page 22: ...s multiple lenses Why is this happening If the problem occurs with every shot taken with every accessory lens the camera may be broken However if the problem occurs sporadically and chiefly only after...

Page 23: ...y be too close to the subject matter for that particular lens Lenses have a minimum focusing distance and zoom lenses have different minimum focusing distances at different zoom settings If you back a...

Page 24: ...ity of photographers carry more than one memory card in the event that the memory card in the camera should fill up The E 3 also features an xD Picture Card slot to hold a second card If the capacity...

Page 25: ...function why do I only get one frame instead of three The camera s Drive mode is set to Single Frame shooting Configured this way which is the default setting the shutter button must be pressed for ea...

Page 26: ...may need to be changed for the remote control to be recognized by the camera With the camera on point the RM 1 at the Remote Control lamp on the front of the camera On the RM 1 press the CH button an...

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