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

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Sometimes when I turn off the E-3, I feel a slight vibration or hear a noise. Why is that?

When the camera is powered down, slight vibration and noise occur as the Supersonic Wave Drive (SWD™) motor resets the image sensor to its default position. The E-3 takes this action when shooting with the Image Stabilizer function set to I.S. 1 or I.S. 2. In either mode, the camera moves the sensor during shooting in order to counter the effects of camera shake. When the power is turned off, the camera moves the sensor back into the default position.

When Image Stabilizer is set to OFF, the sensor does not move during shooting and so does not need to be reset. However, if shooting with a zoom lens, some noise may still be heard when the camera is powered off as the lens resets its focus to infinity.

If both Image Stabilizer and Lens Reset are set to OFF, the camera will power down in silence.

What is the difference between the I.S. 1 and I.S. 2 image stabilizer?

In I.S. 1, the Image Stabilizer corrects for camera shake on both the horizontal and vertical planes. In I.S. 2, the Image Stabilizer only corrects for vertical camera shake. This is to allow a photographer to use a low shutter speed and pan horizontally for creative effect. Situations in which this technique can be applied include tracking rapidly moving subjects such as flying birds, running wildlife, racing cars, and athletes with the intention of blurring the background 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 has built-in optical image stabilization. Will I get more image stabilization if I mount it on the E-3 and enable its Image Stabilizer?

In such a scenario, it is recommended to use one or the other, but not both image stabilizers simultaneously. If both lens and body image stabilization are being used at the same time, the combination may be counter-productive because the camera image stabilization would be trying to compensate for the lens image stabilization and not be able to arrive at a stabilized image.

What are the P, A, S and M modes and how are they used?

The P, A, S and M modes are shooting modes. These modes allow the photographer creative flexibility by enabling more control over shutter speed and f-stop settings. The shooting modes enable total access to the menu options, unlike the AUTO and Scene modes found in Olympus consumer DSLRs. They are also the modes required for use with E-System flash accessories.

Briefly, the shooting modes and their applications are as follows:

•P (Program shooting) – This mode allows shooting using an aperture and shutter speed set by the camera. However, the Program Shift function allows some creative control. When powered on with this mode selected, the E-3 displays P in the upper left of the Control Panel screen. Rotating the main dial or the sub dial changes the P to Ps, which is Program Shift. This permits the selection of a shutter speed or aperture other than the default while maintaining the same exposure. If a higher shutter speed is selected, a wider aperture will be set. If a slower shutter speed is selected, a smaller aperture will be set. In effect, it is an AUTO mode that accepts input from the photographer.

©2008 Olympus Imaging America Inc.

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Last updated on February 28, 2008