Mastering the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

7 reviews for Mastering the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

1. 

   Charles (verified owner) December 8, 2018

   Excellent book, plenty of detail about the various camera functions. I’ve bought other books by the same author, and find that he explains the technical stuff well. A great addition to the camera manual.

2. 

   David (verified owner) December 26, 2018

   This book is extremely helpful in working through the gazillion menu settings of the OMDEM1II. In addition to descriptions, the author presents recommendations for the settings he chooses and also the why. In addition to the print book, I also use the ebook which is both more portable on handheld and more searchable. Saved me lots of time in becoming familiar with the camera and am still often referring to it for refreshers as well as learning new material. Great book

3. 

   wepsphoto February 6, 2019

   I picked up this book with the intention to do a cover-to-cover reading, but I read it very differently. Young’s Mastering the Olympus OMD E-M1 Mark II is an amazingly comprehensive text that covers virtually everything you could want to know about this amazing flagship camera from Olympus. From setting the camera up for maximum efficiency to delving into rarely-used but nice-to-have features, this text is the essential guide for the photographer looking to fully use the powers built into this camera body.

   What makes this book most valuable are the step-by-step directions- and illustrations- of navigating menus to find the hidden gems of this body. Young has personal preferences that he shares as well, challenging the reader to discover new ways of maximizing your shoot effectiveness. His experience with the camera also allows him to critique how well the camera manages different challenges, like focusing and establishing an auto white balance, and he provides advice on best practices.

   With such in-depth exploration comes a challenge of how to approach the book- it’s not merely a reference guide, but the depth makes it hard to simply read novel-style. I found myself paging through the entire text, delving deep into explanations that I was seeking and then skimming other areas with brevity. Interestingly, it was the skimming that paid off the most, as I happened upon features that I had no idea existed and problem solving methods that I had never considered.

   Young has put together a superb text in Mastering the Olympus OMD E-M1 Mark II- it’s the best book I have found to empower my use of this amazing camera body.

4. 

   mfhigson May 29, 2019

   Really impressed with the way this book is written, it is a must have if you want to truly master your Olympus OM-D E-M1Mark ll. However I do get a little frustrated with moving to different pages for info on the same function?
   Author needs to check for contradictions! For example, recommended maximum ISO on page 23 camera does well up to 1600 and author would only exceed this in emergency. Then on page camera does well up to 3200? I realise that the level of noise generated by higher ISO is down to personal acceptance levels.
   Malcolm Higson
   United Kingdom

5. 

   Gloria November 27, 2019

   Tells you enough up front to use the new camera right outa the box!

   I was using a loaner Olympus and totally confused when I got this manual. I spent 20 minutes reading the author’s introduction and enough of the initial confusion was gone that I could actually use the camera – congrats to the author! He knows what’s important and gets to it right away so that you can begin using the camera immediately. I was hoping to use the camera with a back-button focus in which was what I use with my other cameras. I searched his Facebook info and found an excellent section. You won’t find back button focusing in the camera’s actual manual – at least I could not. But Young here covered it perfectly well.

   The author’s style is great, too. Plain English and complete explanations of what he’s talking about so you don’t find yourself running to the Internet every other page 🙂 As do most good authors of camera manuals, Young includes with his textual instructions shots of the menu he’s talking about from the outside of the camera, etc. Another great thing about Young’s writing is that there are no surprises when you go to operate the camera after reading about a particular process – the author is very thorough in explaining all the intricacies of camera operations, and especially the tricky ones.

   Later in the book Young gives us as complete as we could wish for discussion of customizing the menu in the Olympus. He walks us through each option, gives us considered opinions, and tells us how to achieve what we want. Excellent job!

   I should add that the author gives us a surprisingly useful color code in his book. For example, blue words are referring to the camera’s physical aspects while green is for the camera’s functions and settings. I’ve never seen that before but I have to say it was quite helpful in reading the book.

   In conclusion, I had three days of free use of the Olympus to see whether I wanted to buy it. This manual enabled me to use the camera immediately, thus giving me good use of the three days. Young is clear in his writing, he covers everything we need to use the camera like a pro, and he puts a heck of a lot of useful stuff right up front! Thank you, author. And yes, I will be buying the Olympus 🙂

6. 

   morrisbagnall (verified owner) June 29, 2020

   My previous camera was an Olympus E-30 and I found the menu in that a little overwhelming so when I finally sold it this year to get the OM-D E-M1 MkII you can imagine how I found THAT menu!

   However, I had done my homework and once the camera was in hand I immediately ordered this book (with download) and started to work my way through each section with the camera to hand. I found the way it was laid out, the super helpful images that accompanied each part and the easily understood explanations, meant that I truly understood what each menu selection option did and why I may or may not want to choose a particular setting. The authors preference also helped in my decision making as he explained why he made the choice he did.

   I am hopeful that there will be an addendum to the PDF version that includes the most recent firmware update which was a significant one. It would be nice if there was a way to contact the author to ask (and maybe there is and I have missed it).

   I downloaded the MOBI version to my phone so if I’m out and about and forget how to get to a particular setting I can simply reference the book on my phone. Especially handy when out in the hills and there’s no signal to find a YouTube video.

   I highly recommend this book if you have bought or are considering the E-M1 MkII, which by the way is a truly wonderful camera.

7. 

   jennifer-obrien (verified owner) March 2, 2021

   I actually have the OMD EM5 Mark II however was sent this book. Have reached out to your customer support who have been lovely and would be grateful for the correct edition for the camera I have. I live in Australia so this has been a long wait however postage back makes this difficult due to cost. Would love the ebook for the camera I have. Maybe one day I can work towards the OMD EM1