How To Connect Olympus Camera To Smartphone

Olympus OI Share: Connect your Olympus camera to your telephone

June 17, 2020

For and against

+ 20-million-pixel JPEG transferred in ten secs (Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark 3 + iPhone XS)
+ iOS and Android
+ Supports raw file transfer
+ Extremely straightforward to use and intuitively designed
+ Bear upon AF
– Requires additional app for GeoTagging
– No exposure changes during video capture
– Touchscreen AF non enabled while video is recording

Information technology'south one of the oldest photographic camera Wi-Fi apps still to exist used under its original proper noun, and the Olympus Image Share app had a rather unusual start to life. Appear alongside
a number of Olympus cameras at Photokina in 2012, the original Olympus Image Share required the use of a FlashAir card. Manufactured past Toshiba, these cards are the same size as standard SD cards, but besides as offering data storage, they also incorporate a pocket-sized Wi-Fi chip that could be utilised by compatible cameras.

Much like the Eye-Fi cards that appeared around the same time, FlashAir cards weren't exclusive to Olympus cameras; they could in fact be used past many cameras to brand them Wi-Fi uniform. What Olympus added with its partnership with Toshiba was some image-transfer functionality that could exist accessed from within the camera's menu itself, which fabricated the process of getting images from carte to smartphone, or tablet, a lot simpler.

Roll on almost 8 years, and Olympus Paradigm Share is at present on version 4.41 for both Android and iOS. It is quite a comprehensive app in terms of its features, and works alongside the latest range of Olympus cameras to become your images equally chop-chop as possible on to your device.

Connectivity

First things first, I desire to give Olympus praise for how easy it is to set up Olympus Image Share and a camera for the start time. The process was as straightforward as it could exist, and the instructions provided by the app were very clear, beautifully illustrated and flawless in their execution.

As with well-nigh other gimmicky cameras, where possible, the Olympus Image Share app uses Bluetooth connectivity to pair a compatible camera and smart device. To make the initial pairing, y'all printing a button on the photographic camera screen which and so presents a QR code, which you then scan using the app, and the code contains all of the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi details for the camera you are trying to connect.

From here, the smart device and photographic camera brand a Bluetooth pairing, after which the app and so prompts you to connect the ii devices using Wi-Fi. The advantage of using the Bluetooth connexion is it uses very piddling free energy, in both the camera and smart device to which it's paired. Y'all'll find it switches over to a Wi-Fi connection when big amounts of information, such as a live view display or image transfer, are required.

One time the QR code has been scanned, everything else is simply a matter of pressing 'OK' when prompted past your phone to let access for the various connections to take place. It took virtually no time at all and worked flawlessly, allowing me to begin the process of selecting the images I wanted to transfer or setup remote shooting inside a matter of only a few minutes.

Live view and remote shooting using Olympus OI Share

With the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark Three and iPhone XS paired together, getting started using live view to shoot remotely was extremely straightforward. Simply hit the Remote Command selection on the dwelling screen of the app and a live view shooting screen is presented. Beneath the simple-looking live-view screen is a total complement of exposure and shooting settings that can exist changed. As yous'd await, shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, ISO, and white balance can all be tweaked to your liking. Every bit well every bit this, the burst speed and self-timer can also exist adjusted. The exposure mode can be changed from plan, aperture and shutter priority, as well as manual, and there is also the option to select any of the Olympus Art or Scene modes.

Olympus OI Share

Various screengrabs showing the resize and import settings as well as the remote camera control interface and pick to add geotags using the O.I Runway app

The virtual shutter button is located centrally at the bottom of the screen, and when pressed I found that there was very little lag between the printing and the camera shutter firing. Similarly, the on-screen display was also reasonably responsive to whatsoever movements with little lag, and certainly usable in all just the well-nigh time-sensitive situations.

Autofocus

It's possible to use the touchscreen of your smart device to quickly change the AF spot – a function I used a few times during my testing. I found that touching the screen of my iPhone XS apace shifted the focus betoken, making it useful for observing a bailiwick, quickly focusing and so firing a shutter. This fashion of working could also potentially work well in situations where you'd like to work on the sly, with street photography being one such instance. Whatsoever passerby may think that you are just using your telephone rather than taking an prototype.

Video

Focusing when shooting video is achieved using continuous autofocus. The focus point can be selected using the touchscreen, but the second that you start recording the focus signal is locked to that position and the continuous focusing goes nigh business every bit necessary.

Similarly all of the exposure settings are also locked as soon as recording starts. This means that yous cannot alter the aperture or sensitivity to adjust the exposure while recording, which was something I was particularly impressed with when using the Panasonic Lumix Sync app previously.

Videos can exist transferred to the photographic camera, but as usual this is field of study to the caveat of whether or not your smartphone or tablet is capable of playing back the video files.

Prototype Transfer

Sending files from the OM-D E-M5 Mark III to an iPhone XS was straightforward using the Olympus OI Share app, with the selection to send either single images or batches from camera to phone. There are a diverseness of different options when it comes to the size of epitome that y'all wish to transfer, with the option to share high-resolution 20MP raw images if you so wish. Obviously what y'all then do with these raw files is very much dependent on your smartphone and whether yous take compatible apps installed that let you view and edit them.

Transferring a raw prototype took approximately xv seconds, with a total-size JPEG paradigm taking effectually 10 seconds. There'due south also a 3MP option, which is perfect for social media snapshots. These smaller size files took just over iii seconds to transfer to my smartphone.

The Olympus OI Share app works with a wide range of cameras, including Olympus PEN models

The Paradigm Share app works with a wide range of cameras, including Olympus PEN models

Location data

Sadly, tagging GPS data from your phone to your images cannot exist done from within the Olympus OI Share app. Instead, Olympus has developed a standalone app for this job chosen O.I. Rail. The app is available for iOS and Android, and works in much the aforementioned way as other GPS tracking applications.

O.I Runway works by recording co-ordinates at regular intervals. When you start shooting, you connect your camera and the O.I. Runway app to make sure that the time is synchronised. Then simply leave the O.I Rails app running on your telephone in the groundwork and start taking photos. When you lot have finished shooting, terminate the O.I. Track app running and one time again connect your camera to the app. By cantankerous- referencing the time an epitome was taken with the GPS location O.I. Track recorded at that time, the location information is and then sent to the camera and embedded in the metadata.

How to Connect an Olympus Camera to Olympus OI Share

1 Search for the app
You'll want to kickoff by searching for the O.I. Share app from the Google Play or iOS App Store on your phone or tablet. When y'all find information technology, download the app on your phone and make sure that you accept both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.

2 Follow the piece of cake setup tips
Opening the app for the outset time will present you lot with an easy setup guide. This will walk you through the steps involved in establishing a connectedness between your smartphone and camera.

3 Ostend access to the camera
Press the Wi-Fi pairing button on the camera and when asked, requite the app permission to share access to your smartphone camera.

iv Plant Bluetooth pairing
Follow the on screen prompts and yous should discover that your phone makes a connexion with your camera via Bluetooth.

5 Connect via Wi-Fi
Once the Bluetooth connexion has been made, the app will ask permission to access photos on your device. It volition so attempt to connect to the camera via Wi-Fi. When prompted click 'Bring together' to allow the connection to have place.

half-dozen You're good to go
Afterwards a few moments, the connection should accept been fabricated and the app volition alert yous that the connection has been successful. You can now apply all of the features of the app, which are clearly listed from the master screen.

Camera How To guide

One of the more useful features of the Olympus OI Share app is the 'Photographic camera How To' guide. From inside this menu you tin download and admission the full educational activity manual for your camera, so yous can look annihilation up on the become.

At that place is also a 'Hints For Use' section which provides guidance for some of the key camera functions including 'Functions That Support Your Creative Intent', such as Focus Stacking and Live Blended Photography.

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