EPL2 Question

[jghflash]

I'm trying to determine if I am missing something.........or if I have things figured on the "myset" feature of the EPL2. It seems to me that while you can preset up to 4 different myset mode settings, to use them you have to hold down the "fn" button while you take the picture. Is that the only way to make them work?

I got spoiled after shooting for five years with the C5060 and the mymode settings which could be pre-programmed (manual aperture and shutter speed, ISO, raw, flash slow2 sync, flash power output, etc., etc.) and then used as the prime setting at any time by selecting one of them. It made it very easy to be able to shoot with one setting for flash pictures (normal stuff) and quickly go to another setting for available light (big critters).

Seems to me we went backwards with the myset option on the EPL2......if it really works the way I think it does. Hopefully someone can enlighten me to another way to make them work. Otherwise I suspect you need to very carefully reset all the settings manually every time before you load the camera in the housing. That will be ripe for forgetting to adjust a setting. What am I missing?

 

[CheddarChick]

Great question.....Waiting for our answer

 

[jghflash]

Am I the only EPL2 owner trying to figure this out? Phil/Jack, I know you guys have this figured out!

 

[jetlife2]

I'm trying to determine if I am missing something.........or if I have things figured on the "myset" feature of the EPL2. It seems to me that while you can preset up to 4 different myset mode settings, to use them you have to hold down the "fn" button while you take the picture. Is that the only way to make them work?

I got spoiled after shooting for five years with the C5060 and the mymode settings which could be pre-programmed (manual aperture and shutter speed, ISO, raw, flash slow2 sync, flash power output, etc., etc.) and then used as the prime setting at any time by selecting one of them. It made it very easy to be able to shoot with one setting for flash pictures (normal stuff) and quickly go to another setting for available light (big critters).

Seems to me we went backwards with the myset option on the EPL2......if it really works the way I think it does. Hopefully someone can enlighten me to another way to make them work. Otherwise I suspect you need to very carefully reset all the settings manually every time before you load the camera in the housing. That will be ripe for forgetting to adjust a setting. What am I missing?

Fear not....! It can work the way you want it.

I too have moved up from a 5060 to an EPL2 so I know what you mean.

You are partially correct: page 33 in the manual. First if you hold down the Fn button, you can use one of the myset modes no matter what shooting mode you are in (i.e. what is on the top dial). So lets say myset 1 is 1/125 f8 manual. If you set the meaning of the Fn button to myset 1, you will be able to shoot with the myset 1 settings even if the top dial is set to P (or anything else). But as you point out that is only temporary. Release the Fn button and you are back to P.

But you can also use the msyet to permanently change the settings which is what you want. To do this, the top dial (shooting mode) must be in the same mode as the myset mode. So in this example, first change the dial to M. Now use the menu button to select myset 1 and it will stay there. In the 5060 you had to have the dial on mymode.

This is a bit inconvenient if your myset modes are different, such as 1M, 1 A (because it is now 2 steps, change the dial and call up myset). If they are various flavors of M settings, it is still only 1 step to select. For me I use the mysets for different M combinations (e.g. wide angle, macro, etc) so it is OK.

Hope that helps.

 

[DoNotDstrb]

IMHO, underwater you should be shooting manual/S-TTL flash or full manual......

I set the camera on manual, force fill-flash, and select anywhere between 1/60 and 1/125 shutter and f-stop from 5.6 and up to match the scene. With the strobes (twin YS-110a) set on TTL and connected via optical cables, the camera's flash controls the external strobes and does a pretty decent job of matching the light output to whatever shutter/aperture combination I selected. This works real well when the scene is filled with stuff to reflect back light...... when this is not the case, I go full manual and control the light output of the strobes to match the sutter/aperture. Criteria I use to select aperture is desired depth of field. Shutter, I use to control the "darkness" of the parts of the scene lit by ambient light and motion-freezing as a secondary criteria since the strobe does most of that. With a little practice, you can do "all this" faster than messing with pre-sets.....

 

[jghflash]

I agree with shooting manual, etc. I just don't want to have to set every single setting every time I get ready to load the camera in the housing. I like to use the slow2 flash setting, probably set to a minus 3 stop to lower the power, and that is one I know I would forget to set manually some day. Same with ISO, focus point, white balance, etc.

Jetlife, I think you cracked the code........it's not as user friendly as the 5060 mymode but it sure looks like it works! I like to have a couple of starting points for using CFWA, macro and no flash settings. Thanks for your help!