OM System OM-5 Viewfinder Grid Overlays

Grid overlays can be extremely useful for composing a shot. They can help with level and alignment, and they can help with composition with the placement of subjects in the frame. Here’s a rundown of the available options on the OM System OM-5.

OM System OM-5 Mirrorless Camera
By David Coleman
Last Updated:
Filed Under: Micro Four Thirds
Topics: Olympus / OM System, OM System OM-5

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Grid overlays can be extremely useful for composing a shot. They can help with level and alignment, and they can help with composition with the placement of subjects in the frame. They’re one of the first features I enable when picking up a new camera.

Olympus is now OM System

In 2020-21, the photography business of iconic camera brand Olympus was spun off and sold. The core remaining Olympus brand is focusing on medical and scientific products. The camera and photography side was then rebranded as OM System, with the first cameras and lenses under that brand coming out at the end of 2021.

Back in film days, we had to get similar effects by switching out the focusing screen—physically removing and replacing a matte screen with the markings etched on it. But it’s infinitely easier and less tedious with new digital cameras, and it has become a pretty standard feature of mirrorless cameras through the live view back screen and the electronic viewfinder. 1

Here’s the range of viewfinder grid options available on the OM System OM-5 Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera, a camera I’ve been testing out recently.

Viewfinder Grids on the OM System OM-5

These are the styles of viewfinder grids that are available on the OM-5.

This is a simple small bock grid of 4×5 squares. It’s useful for the alignment of verticals and horizontals. It’s also useful for spacing symmetry shots.
This is derived from the so-called golden ratio (which is often depicted as a spiral) and is sometimes known as the golden ratio grid or golden grid. The ratio is 1:0.618:1.
Another simple block grid, this one with 3×3 rectangles. In addition to alignment, it’s useful for conventional Rule of Thirds layouts.
The fine measurements on this style of crosshair grid are particularly useful for macro photography.
Diagonals.
This doesn’t look like much of a grid, but those horizontal lines at the top and bottom mark 16:9 aspect ratio frames. The OM-5’s native aspect ratio is 4:3 (i.e., it’s a Micro Four Thirds camera).

How To Enable & Select Viewfider Grids on the OM System OM-5

Here’s where to find the menu option to enable viewfinder grids and select which you want to use.

You can find the option under:

Custom Menu (gear/cog icon) > tab D3 > Grid Settings > Displayed Grid
  1. Some DSLRs also have this feature available through their optical viewfinder.[↩]
David Coleman / Photographer

David Coleman

I'm a professional freelance travel photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. My images have appeared in numerous publications, and you can check out some of my travel photography here. More »

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