Mastering the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

3 reviews for Mastering the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

1. 

   JetJockey.Les (verified owner) March 2, 2021

   I’ve owned many Olympus cameras over the decades, my first being an OM-1, 35mm film camera more than a half century ago. My current Oly body is the OM-D E-M1MarkIII. It is orders of magnitude more complex than my original 35mm Olympus. That being said, one needs a comprehensive reference to achieve the best results. That’s where Darrell Young’s “Mastering the Olympus OM-D E-M1Mark III” comes in.

   It’s true the camera comes with a manual, but the camera has so many important features that are challenging to master with only the included manual. I wouldn’t say the camera isn’t exactly user friendly, but it is quite complicated. It almost has to be because of the capabilities included in such a relatively small package. If you’re not an instruction manual-reader, you will never realize the full potential of this beast.

   I used Darrell’s previous Olympus book when I purchased the OM-D E-M1 Mark I, and it gave me a head start for transitioning to the Mark III body. The Mark III body does significantly more than the Mark I, and if you haven’t already mastered the Mark I or Mark II bodies, this book is essential. He explains every feature in detail and tells you what settings he recommends for almost every setting. That is invaluable and is something the included manual undestandably omits. I recommend at least purchasing the digital version of the book so you can always refer to it when traveling with your camera. The camera has so many features that you won’t be using each one all the time. Having a refresher source is invaluable when you know what you want to do but can’t quite remember how to do it.

   The book is well-written and easy to use as a reference if you are looking for a particular feature. It is money well spent if you want to realize the full potential of a camera in which you’ve already invested several thousand dollars including lenses. I have never met nor communicated with Mr. Young. I’m just a satisfied user.

2. 

   Gloria March 11, 2021

   Darrell Young is a proven good author of camera manuals so I look forward to reading this one, too. He is succinct, practical, and always useful in what he covers and how he expresses it. Young not only begins the manual with setting up the control panel, he also gives his opinion of what to use and when, also laying out the pros and cons. I appreciate that, because he has the experience we don’t have.

   The author’s section on initially configuring the camera is more useful than most such descriptions. He doesn’t miss anything you need to know and goes into enough detail so that you can have confidence in your set-up. For example, he gives a few pages on just to how to set up copyright information. I really appreciate his attention to that kind of detail. Young not only explains how to set up the camera and what the various Olympus symbols mean (how would we otherwise know?), he also gives us great instruction on how to use the camera to achieve unique results: for example, he has a super explanation of how to do multiple exposures. More than I would necessarily expect from a manual.

   At the end of this practical and easily understood manual, Young describes the playback menu listing all of the functions and describing them in full detail. Again, everything one could wish for to know how to use the playback function.

   Don’t forget to look at the appendices to this book because there is invaluable help there on figuring out what all the buttons mean! The author gives us a link to those appendices. This is a book to be read and reread over the life of your camera. I couldn’t catch anything the author left out that I would need and I appreciate his thoroughness. I often re-read books like this once or twice a year just to be sure I’m not missing anything and this book will be well worth it.

3. 

   ptolemee1 (verified owner) June 4, 2021

   When the two-pound, 499-page, brick of a book by Darrell Young landed on my desk I realized I was in trouble since I knew from experience that while the plot line of his books is often quite thin the progression from chapter to chapter is so intriguing and complete that the reader is easily drawn along and in so doing absorbs the details needed to successfully operate the OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 Mark III.

   Young’s organization takes you from introductory procedures though the basic tools to the final intrigue of the menu system and the customization of camera controls. At each step he offers his personal suggestions and explanations .All of this being well illustrated with full colour images covering every step. Illustrations have been improved with the elimination of the Lego figures. Modifications to the picture mode section are quite remarkable.

   On a practical note it must be noted that the book is designed to lie flat and the text does not disappear into the gutter. The optional PDF version is highly recommended since you avoid carting around the paper version when you desperately need to check a detail in the field.

   The author’s style is well structured but loose, often informal, giving the impression you are having a conversation. He even invites your personal comments (and complaints?) by offering his email and web page information.

   All told, a superlative book for a superlative camera.