Page 209 of the manual says that "shutter delay" can be set between 1 and 8 seconds "to reduce the influence of hand shake or shutter vibration". With this set, the shutter appears to operate in distinct stages. Has anyone tried this?
I don't use it on my GH3 as this is in electronic shutter mode most of the time anyway so its pointless. However it probably works in the same way as on the Oly EM5/1 cameras, in as much as when you want to take a shot, the first thing that happens is that the shutter CLOSES, and its this closure that often seems to give the most shock. Normally the shutter will then go through a standard open cycle that a mirrored DSPR would do, but with the delay mode, it waits after the initial closure, before it starts. So you'll hear an initial close clunk, then a delay, then the curtain will open and close to take the exposure. (and of course then its got to open again to allow live view!)
On many cameras, this delay is essential to try and minimise shutter shock. I have to leave it on all the time (on a 1/8th of a sec delay) on the EM5 to ensure sharp images. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to cure all the shock issues on the EM1 :-(
FWIW, I'm not buying another Olympus MFT camera until they implement a proper electronic shutter mode. Its not worth the risk.
Also - I'm rather concerned about the next batch of Panasonic cameras, because there is talk on the net that to increase the readout speed of the electronic shuttering mode (to avoid the jello effect), it may be that they switch to a 10bit readout mode instead of 12, causing less DR and noisier shadows. I've tested my G6 and GH3 cameras and they seem ok, but I've seen some samples from a GM1, and that did seem to give worse shadows, and apparently someone found the data sheet for the Gh4 sensor, and that mentions this 10 bit mode. Worrying for those seeking to pry as much quality as they can out of these smaller sensors. Both shutter shock and a reduced DR would be an unacceptable option as far as I'm concerned. The system is JUST about good enough now as far as I'm concerned, but to go backwards probably crosses this very fine threshold. YMMV of course.