Olympus Epic User Guide
Olympus Epic - Stylus - Camera Manual
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- Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 1
EPIC Pro User Guide © 2012 GigaPan Systems GigaPan and the GigaPan logo are registered trademarks of Carnegie Mellon University licensed for use by GigaPan Systems. © 2012 Carnegie Mellon University All rights reserved. - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 2
your equipment ready 17 2.2 Charge and Install Batteries 17 2.3 Mount the EPIC Pro on a tripod 19 2.4 Mount your camera and lens 21 2.5 Set up your camera 21 2.6 Align your camera to the EPIC Pro 22 2.7 Set the manual focus or auto focus 23 2.8 Minimize - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 3
6.7 My panoramas have vignetting 7. Tips and tricks 7.1 Shoot more than you need 7.2 Shooting in different environments 7.3 Night shots 7.4 City scenes 7.5 Create Games: Hide & Seek 7.6 Panoramas in Motion: Capturing a Crowd 3 55 55 55 56 58 59 60 61 - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 4
, software and website. The GigaPan EPIC Pro works seamlessly with the GigaPan Stitch capture, upload and share gigapixel panoramas. Zoom into thousands of stunning panoramas from around Pick a scene The GigaPan EPIC Pro automates the panorama-taking process by taking hundreds of images of the - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 5
2 GigaPan Pro User Guide 3. Stitch The Gigapan Stitch software assembles, aligns and blends the individual images into one large panorama. 4. The GigaPan Stitch software then uploads your panorama to - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 6
3 1.2 GigaPan EPIC Pro Parts - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 7
Pro User Guide Trigger cable port LCD Display Cancel/X button Directional Keys Power/OK Button Remote trigger port Battery Port Please see Chapter 2: Setting Up the EPIC Pro for more information about how to adjust the EPIC Pro parts to fit your camera and lens. EPIC Pro Body Camera Rail - Holds - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 8
- Plug the power cord into the battery port to charge the battery while it is in the EPIC Pro. 1.3 EPIC Pro Features HIGHLIGHTS DSLR camera compatible - EPIC Pro works with almost all digital DSLR cameras introduced after 2004. Large lenses are supported - Camera and lens combinations of up to 10 - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 9
6 GigaPan Pro User Guide 1.4 Navigate the EPIC Pro Menu Turn the EPIC Pro on by pressing the Power/OK Shutter Teach Start Del/trig Pic Order Timelapse/Series Battery Status Save/Load Config Language Factory Reset Expert Options Previous Save Previous Recall Camera Setup Move - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 10
provides a method to orient the EPIC Pro body in the same position. The reference point is in addition to placing the tripod in the same location. Camera Setup - Any time you change the camera, lens, or zoom lens focal length you need to do a camera setup. 'Camera Setup' determines the coverage of - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 11
8 GigaPan Pro User Guide Options Menu Time/Exposure - This was previously named 'Time per Pic' in firmware version 128.1 and is the amount of time that the EPIC Pro will wait until it moves the camera to the next position. It is important to allow enough time for the camera to process the current - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 12
The Remote setting will use the electronic trigger cable to connect the EPIC Pro to the remote shutter port on your camera. If the Manual method is used, the user must manually actuate the shutter and press the OK button on the EPIC Pro to advance to the next photograph. Shutter Length - The amount - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 13
Guide Pre-trigger Delay {0.0s, 0.5s, 1.0s, 1.5s, 2.0s, 2.5s, 3.0s} This delay is between the EPIC Pro movements and the electronic trigger signal to your camera. This allows a lens and camera body to settle after an EPIC are attached to the unit (e.g., battery charger, remote switch). Turning it OFF - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 14
settings to the EPIC Pro's memory, including an approximate reference point that will the quick menu items. Firmware version 171 Move Camera Time/Exposure Start Del/trig Mult Picture Brackets EV Step Lock-up Time Pic Order Timelapse Series Battery Status Motor Speed Motors Rigid Pretrigger Delay - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 15
Pro User Guide 1.6 Electronic Trigger Cable Compatibility Your EPIC Pro arrived with seven electronic trigger cables, which cover all currently compatible cameras: CANON N3, CANON/PENTAX E3, NIKON 10-Pin, MC-DC2, MC-DC1; OLYMPUS RM-UC1 and SONY RM-S1AM. The cable plugs into the camera's remote - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 16
. • A memory card reader, or your camera's USB cable 2.2 Charge and Install Batteries Your EPIC Pro will arrive with its battery ready to be charged. There are two ways to charge the battery - you can charge the battery while it is in the EPIC Pro or remove the battery to charge it on its own. To - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 17
14 GigaPan Pro User Guide To charge the battery on its own: 1. To remove the battery from the EPIC Pro , open the battery compartment by flip- ping the latch counter-clockwise. 2. Plug the connector end of the power cord into the battery and then plug the power cord into an AC wall socket. 3. Place - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 18
use it to help level the tripod. Tighten the adjustment screws on the tripod 2. Remove the tripod quick release plate and attach it to the EPIC Pro's tripod mount at the bottom. Quick-Release Plate Tripod Mount 3. Gently tighten the screw until the quick release plate is firmly attached to the - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 19
16 GigaPan Pro User Guide 2.4 Mount your camera and lens Use these steps below to mount your camera and lens on the EPIC Pro. Refer to the EPIC Pro diagram and part names in Chapter 1.2 as you follow these steps. 1. Turn the EPIC Pro on by pressing and holding the OK button for one to two seconds - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 20
Camera rail Camera rail adjustment knob 2.6 Set up your camera Follow the steps below to optimize your digital camera settings for panorama taking. 1. Turn on your camera and select the 'Manual camera. 5. Set the EPIC Pro 'Time per Pic' in the 'Options' submenu to ensure enough time for the camera - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 21
18 GigaPan Pro User Guide 2.7 Setting Functions on the EPIC Pro Every time that you change lenses, camera bodies, or zoom focal length, you must perform the 'Camera setup' function in order to give the EPIC Pro the angle of view for your lens and camera combination. You must also perform the ' - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 22
19 2.8 Set manual focus or autofocus Focus is very important when capturing panoramas with the EPIC Pro. By paying 5. Circle of confusion - diameter of circle considered to be one point. This is not a camera setting, but a definition of what is considered to be sharp. You need to pay attention to - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 23
20 GigaPan Pro User Guide Auto Focus There are situations when auto focus is a better choice, than manual focus for increasing the camera body that you are using. Potential subject problems Multiple objects at different distances - may need to reduce focus points used or temporarily switch to manual - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 24
is all right is to take a 2x2 panorama. Use the instructions in Chapter 3 to take a panorama, and preview the images in your camera. If you don't see a good overlap despite following the instructions, go back and adjust your EPIC Pro set-up. Good Overlap Insufficient Overlap 2.9 Minimize parallax - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 25
22 GigaPan Pro User Guide Approximate adjustments for minimizing parallax error 1. Adjust the height of the camera by loosening the two platform thumbscrews on the EPIC Pro arms. Move the camera mounting platform up or down until the midpoint of the camera lens is located at the same height as the - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 26
'Panorama Memory' if you have saved a previous set-up. Remember that you will need to repeat the camera set-up instructions in Chapter 2.7 if you change lenses or focal lengths. 3.1 Start a new panorama 1. Turn the EPIC Pro on by holding down the Power/OK button. The first menu item is 'New Panorama - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 27
24 GigaPan Pro User Guide 3.3 Repeat a previous panorama The EPIC Pro can save the data for your previous panorama, so you can repeat it and correct it if something went wrong with your first try, or if you just want to try the same panorama with a different camera setting. Following are different - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 28
25 4. EPIC Pro Additional Instructions and New Features 4.1 Exposure Bracketing to Capture HDR exposure by capturing multiple photographs with different exposures for each position. You do this by using the EPIC Pro 'Brackets' setting and the 'EV Step Size' setting. The panorama shown above is a - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 29
Pro to take a panorama as usual. While taking the panorama, the EPIC Pro will take multiple exposures at each location. Your camera will do the necessary adjustments of shutter speed to get the desired exposure levels. If the camera has trouble writing the images to the card before the next image - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 30
so as to not overexpose. 2. Configure to Pro to take a panorama. While taking the panorama the EPIC Pro will take multiple exposures at each location in the bracket sequence. If the camera has trouble writing the images to the card before the next image position, increase the bracket delay in the - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 31
28 GigaPan Pro User Guide Frequently Asked Questions 1. What changes exposure and why should I one EV. Set the metering mode on your camera to spot meter Please refer to your camera's user manual for specific information. See table below for instructions on setting the metering mode for each of the - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 32
II Small WB button on the top right hand side of the camera. Use the small dial on top of the camera to select spot meter. Canon Rebel T1i Press the set button in the middle of the directional buttons on the back right hand side of the camera using 1/3 EV shutter settings 1/80 1/60 1/50 1/40 1/30 - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 33
30 GigaPan Pro User Guide EV Distance from shadows to average exposure using 1/3 EV shutter settings 1"s 0"8 0"6 0"5 0"4 0"3 1/4 0 setting 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 EV 1/3 2/3 -1 EV 4/3 5/3 -2 EV Set your camera shutter speed to the brightest 1/160 second meter reading and then change the - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 34
adjusted so that an entire exposure bracket sequence is displayed on each row. Review the rows checking to see that features match and that you did not bit TIFF format before fusing them. Photomatix and HDR Expose can process camera RAW and other formats. When using the fusion or tone mapping - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 35
32 GigaPan Pro User Guide 4.2 Mirror Lock-up The 'Mirror Lock-up' function is used lens movement is magnified more, and more likely to cause blurry photographs. 1. Select the 'Options' submenu from the EPIC Pro 'Main Menu'. 2. Select the 'Mirror Lock-up' menu item and press OK. 3. Select the value ' - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 36
in time you want the it to take a photograph. Basic Settings 1. First, configure your camera with the bracketing or multiple exposure mode you wish for your panorama. 2. Next, select the 'Options' submenu from the EPIC Pro 'Main Menu' and press OK. 3. Scroll to the 'Shutter Teach' menu item and - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 37
34 GigaPan Pro User Guide 4.4 Timelapse/Series You can use the 'Timelapse/Series' function to take a series of panoramas over a period of time. You can use either the external trigger and a remote, or a timer to tell the EPIC Pro when to start each successive panorama. Basic Settings 1. Select the ' - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 38
35 Additional information Some things to consider before starting a time lapse series: • If you are mounting the EPIC Pro on a structure or a pole, is it secure? Will it present a danger to any people in the area if it falls? Safety first. • How are you going to power the EPIC Pro and the camera - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 39
GigaPan Pro User Guide 4.7 Shutter Feedback The 'Shutter Feedback' function tells the EPIC Pro whether the shutter that is less than 1/250s the camera will attempt to take a photograph the number of times set in the 'Shutter Retries' function. 1. From the EPIC Pro 'Main Menu', select the 'Options - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 40
37 5.1 View and Share At GigaPan.com, you can: • Explore thousands of GigaPans from around the world, take snapshots, comment and share. • Discover amazing ways GigaPans are being used to communicate, promote, document and provide an amazing new vision. • Learn how to create your own GigaPans, and - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 41
38 GigaPan Pro User Guide 5.2 Embed your panorama You can easily embed your panoramas on another website with all the functionality of the GigaPan Viewer to pan and zoom. 1. Log in to GigaPan.com, and select 'My Home' then 'My GigaPans' to view your panorama. 2. Choose a panorama, and click on the ' - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 42
39 5.3 Place your panorama on Google Earth Share your panoramas with the world in Google Earth. There is a GigaPan layer where you can explore GigaPan panoramas from around the world. Recording your panorama's location using GPS will make it easier. You'll need Google Earth 4.2 or higher to share - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 43
40 GigaPan Pro User Guide 4. There are three ways for you to specify the location the crosshairs are directly above the spot you took your photo from. Use the + and - buttons to zoom in and out of the map respectively. The coordinates will automatically populate in the longitude and latitude fields. - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 44
41 8. You will be prompted to download a file. (Some browsers will download this file automatically) 9. Save the kml file to your hard disk. 10. Open the downloaded KML file in Google Earth. You will most likely see your GigaPan hover in mid air. To appropriately position your panorama go back to - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 45
Guide 6. Troubleshooting Read on to find out how to fix common problems with the GigaPan EPIC Pro. If you don't find your solution here, contact technical support at GigaPanSystems.com. 6.1 My photos are blurry There could be several causes for blurry photos: 1. The EPIC instructions and camera. a. - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 46
pictures, or the first exposure There could be several causes for your camera to miss pictures: 1. The EPIC Pro's platform is moving faster than your camera can take pictures. a. Navigate to 'Options' > 'Time Exposure' in the EPIC Pro Menu. b. Use the directional keys to increase the time that the - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 47
that it is not full. 3. Verify that the camera is powered and that there is sufficient charge on the EPIC Pro battery to complete a panorama. (See Chapter 2.2 for checking battery status.) 4. If you plan on using manual focus, verify that the lens is in the manual focus mode. 5. If you plan on using - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 48
-up steps in Chapter 2. Note: Remember that you must repeat this every time you change the camera, lens or focal length. b. Make sure that your camera is tightly mounted on the EPIC Pro unit. c. Make sure that the EPIC Pro is firmly mounted on your tripod. d. Make sure that your tripod is on steady - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 49
. Nikon vignetting correction controls are located in the custom function menu. Newer Canon cameras support 'peripheral illumination' settings for certain lenses. 5. Increase the amount of overlap to an percentage higher than the EPIC Pro default of 30% using the 'Picture Overlap' setting in the - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 50
set your lower-right corner so that it's just after the point when the number of horizontal and vertical photos increases. For example, if the EPIC Pro shows you 20 horizontal and 10 vertical images, move it lower and to the right so that it reads 21 horizontal and 11 vertical - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 51
Guide or too dark, and manually set the exposure. Use a lower ISO if possible to reduce image noise. 5. Set your camera's White Balance to either Sunlight settle after the EPIC Pro moves and before actuating the shutter. 8. If there is substantial wind gusts, consider placing the EPIC Pro and - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 52
will be more of an issue if the indoor subject is close to your camera lens. Consider using a shorter focal length such as 50mm to 100mm so that lower focal length will help increase the depth of field. Another option with the EPIC Pro is to use autofocus if the subject is suitable. (See Chapter 2.8 - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 53
50 GigaPan Pro User Guide 7.3 Night shots Here are a few tips for shooting panoramas at night. The key is to Increase the exposure time for each photo and make sure that the EPIC Pro and your camera are free from vibrations. 1. If your camera body or lens has image stabilization, turn the feature - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 54
51 7.4 City scenes In cities, you need to be more aware of objects in motion-specifically vehicles and people. You may also find that buildings can get distorted when you stitch your panorama. To avoiding moving objects, watch for people or street traffic that might get in the way of your shots - - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 55
52 GigaPan Pro User Guide 7.5 Create Games: Hide & Seek Make your panorama fun to explore before shooting the panorama, or insert images into your panorama using image editing software. Just follow these instructions when you are uploading your panorama to turn it into a fun hide & seek game: 1. When - Olympus Epic | User Guide - Page 56
53 7.6 Panoramas in Motion: Capturing a Crowd Sporting events, races or crowds of people are great opportunities to take an epic shot that captures every detail of the moment. You'll be sure to capture every face in the crowd. When shooting a panorama of a sporting event
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© 2012 GigaPan Systems
GigaPan and the GigaPan logo are registered trademarks of Carnegie Mellon University licensed for use by GigaPan Systems.
© 2012 Carnegie Mellon University
All rights reserved.
EPIC Pro User Guide