The Remote Control WiFi Feature on the Olympus OM-D E-M1

The Olympus Remote Control feature allows you to remotely control and take photos with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera over WiFi. The Olympus OI Share application is required to remotely control the Olympus OM-D E-M1 or the Olympus Pen E-P5 camera.

Using the remote control function of the Olympus OI Share application, many of the basic camera functions can be modified. Here are a list of the features that can be modified using remote control over WiFi.

Camera Functions that can be Controlled thru the OI Share App

Shooting Mode (iAuto, Program, Aperture, Shutter, and Manual)
Shutter Speed
Aperture
Exposure Compensation
ISO
White Balance
Sequential Shooting / Self Timer
You can also select “Touch to Focus” or Touch to Shoot” like on the LCD screen
Live Time and Live Bulb are also available in Manual Mode.

Test Results

Overall, I was pleased with the performance of the Remote Control WiFi feature of the Olympus OM-D E-M1. Below are a few finding and thoughts on Olympus Remote Control.

While tap to focus is included in remote control, it is difficult to tell that the subject is in focus from the mobile device screen. Once the image is taken, you can tell it is in focus but not during composition.
The WiFi range is fairly good on the device. I tested the WiFi from end to end in my house and it only dropped the signal twice. A rough estimate is that the signal was still good from 75 feet away.
The combination of Live Time and WiFi Remote Control is a great feature for night photography

While the features in the Remote Control function of the OI Share app are a great start, hopefully Olympus will continue to evolve the app with more robust features. Here is my wish list of new features for remote control.

Wish List

Landscape mode in the OI Share app on iOS
Manual Focus
Histogram on live view and on taken photos
Ability to change the focus mode
Zoom in to Focus (Zooming in and manual focus would be great for macro photography)

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