How to Set Up Your Olympus OM-D E-M5

Leica 25mm on OM-D

The amazing Olympus OM-D can do just about anything. Figuring out how to program it is another matter all together.

Fortunately, seasoned Micro Four Thirds veteran, Rohith Thumati, has written an excellent "set-up" guide to help you get started. In his post, Setting Up an Olympus OM-D E-M5, he takes you inside the menu system and explains how to activate the Super Control Panel, take control of autofocus, program the buttons, configure the Electronic Viewfinder, and a whole lot more. OM-D owners are going to want to bookmark his post.

A Few Additional Tips

In the year that I've been loving the OM-D, I have a few additional thoughts to share with prospective owners.

Protect the LCD - The touch LCD on the back of the OM-D is beautiful. I recommend that when you first get the camera, buy a quality protector for the LCD. That way you won't have to worry about surface scratches during use. I've used a crystal clear overlay without any problems at all.

Invest in the Power Grip - It's hard to pony up the additional $299 for the Power Battery Holder HLD-6, but it makes such a big difference in performance (two batteries now instead of one) and comfort. When traveling light, you can leave the grip at home. But the rest of the time I leave the grip on and love it. Also, there's an option to tell the OM-D to use the battery in the grip first. That makes changing batteries much easier.

Explore Lens Adapters - It's easy and fun to manual focus via the EVF, and I've had a blast repurposing my Zeiss prime lenses from the old Contax SLR. There are a ton of adapters available. I'm sure there's one that will allow you to repurpose some quality glass that you have stashed in the closet.


Take a look at the Olympus Micro Four Thirds Gear Guide for an overview of cameras, lenses, and accessories.

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