For this driver, please select Olympus DSLR on the Setup tab.
Important: To use this camera you must install the Olympus drivers, which are included in C:\Program Files\Diffraction Limited\MaxDSLR\Olympus.
Important: Please read this entire section before attempting to use Olympus cameras. Due to various camera quirks, the following notes must be followed for the driver to operate:
Either plug in the camera to an AC power converter or have fresh batteries and turn on the Auto Power Off setting to Off so the camera won’t shut down. Otherwise the camera will unexpectedly stop working after it is idle for a period of time.
Set the camera mode to PC Connect for the E-1 and E-300. For the E-500 set it to Remote Control.
Maximum exposure time is 8 minutes.
The USB cable must be connected to the camera.
This driver uses threading to ensure that the user interface remains active at all times, except during image download. This means you may cancel the exposure while it is in progress; however, due to the design of the camera the image must still be downloaded and discarded. During this time the camera status will show Flushing.
Camera Model
This driver currently supports the Olympus E1, E-300, and E-500. These cameras are supported "out of the box" using the supplied USB connections. Long exposure bulb cables are not required for these cameras.
Imaging Mode
There are three controls that affect the imaging mode:
Image Mode: RAW for bayer-encoded, 12-bit data download and monochrome output; Developed Color for immediate color image display
Fast Mode (activated via Focus and Settings tabs) switches from the normal RAW format download (12-bit, bayer encoded data) to the faster but much lower quality JPEG format download
Binning (activated via Focus, Settings and Sequence tabs) when set to 2x2 reduces the image resolution. RAW images also have their Bayer encoding removed, so images cannot be converted to color.
When Image Mode is set to RAW, then Fast Mode and Binning have the following effets:
|
Image Mode is RAW |
Fast Mode Off |
Fast Mode On |
|
Binning 1x1 |
Bayer-encoded color image; appears monochrome until Convert RGB is applied 12-bit data download Highest image quality Slowest download speed |
Image is monochrome 8-bit data download Lowest image quality Fast download speed |
|
Binning 2x2 |
Image is monochrome 12-bit data download High image quality Slowest download speed |
Image is monochrome 8-bit data download Lowest image quality Fastest download speed |
When Image Mode is set to Developed Color, then Fast Mode and Binning have the following effets:
|
Image Mode is RAW |
Fast Mode Off |
Fast Mode On |
|
Binning 1x1 |
Image is color 12-bit data download High image quality, but dark subtraction should be performed in camera if possible Slowest download speed |
Image is color 8-bit data download Lowest image quality Fast download speed |
|
Binning 2x2 |
Image is color 12-bit data download High image quality Slowest download speed |
Image is color 8-bit data download Lowest image quality Fastest download speed |
For the best quality imaging, select Image Mode to RAW, Fast Mode to Off, and set Binning to 1x1. In this mode, the images are initially monochrome but have color information encoded in them by way of a Bayer matrix. Although color is not immediately visible, this mode provides higher bit depth (12 bits instead of 8), and dark frame subtraction will be superior on RAW images. The typical sequence is to acquire images, subtract dark frame (Calibration), convert color (Convert RGB), and then stack (Combine Files). Note that this mode is not suitable for use with the focusing tools.
If you set Image Mode to Developed Color, Fast Mode to Off, and Binning to 1x1, then the images appear immediately in color. This is not optimal for dark frame subtraction, though, so the RAW mode is preferred unless you set the camera to subtract dark frames internally. Some camera models have the capability of taking two frames for every exposure; one with the shutter closed and one with the shutter open; the images are subtracted prior to download. If you activate this mode, then the images take twice as long to collect, but they are already dark subtracted. This feature is best used with Developed Color, since it eliminates the color conversion step.
Focusing can be performed in any mode except for RAW, Fast Mode Off, Binning 1x1. In that mode, the Bayer matrix is present, and this will interfere with measurements on the Focus tab. Turning on either Fast Mode or Binning will allow the focus measurements to work. Fast Mode is extremely useful for focusing and centering, especially on the slower USB 1.1 models.
Please note that Binning only improves the download speed when Fast Mode is On.
Mirror Settle Time
When set to None, the shutter opens immediately after the mirror flips up. If you enter a delay time, there will be a delay before the shutter opens, to allow time for vibrations induced by the mirror motion to settle out.
ISO
The desired ISO setting can be configured from 100 through 3200. This is actually the camera gain; a low setting provides good quality but is less sensitive. A high setting provides the highest setting but also produces the noisiest images. This setting can adjusted on the Expose tab or Sequence tab.