Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sometimes Unresponsive

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xcetra

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Hi,

My Olympus OM-D E-M5 occasionally is unresponsive underwater.


I just got a Olympus OM-D E-M5 with a Nauticam housing, Panasonic 8mm fisheye, Olympus 60mm macro lens. Firmware body 1.6.

My buttons/settings are configured same as:
http://wetpixel.com/...showtopic=48625

I've only dived with this setup about 10 times and 2 times my camera stopped working underwater. I shoot in Manual Mode. When the camera stops working, it doesn't respond to any button pushes except the LV button (changes from EVF to Monitor). Main dial and Sub-dial still changes Aperture and Shutter. Shutter release does nothing and I can't even turn off the camera. Camera EVF/Monitor stays on until camera runs out of battery; it doesn't fall asleep. Camera displays live image. The flash (lightning bolt) and focus confirmation (green dot) icons in the EVF/Monitor are stuck on. When I remove the battery and put it back in the camera works again. Anyone else have this problem?

No floods or leaks and my depth was around 30m deep. I notice this happening usually when I focus then try to take a picture. This problem has happened using both the Panasonic 8mm fisheye and Olympus 60mm macro lenses.

Anyone else have this problem or know of a solution?
 
I have not had that happen, and I have the same rig as yours. Does this happen ever on land?

Also, are you using the regular Oly battery? Sometimes the aftermarket batteries do odd things. I had a similar problem on my e-pl2 with a aftermarket battery.

Otherwise, it might need repair.
 
Hi Xcetra,

I just got the OMD (Nauticam housing) and took it to Bonaire - had something very similar happen - it 'locks-up' but I can turn it off and that seems to work. Not sure why it is locking-up either........I am using Olympus batteries....I was using the 12-50 lens.

Audrey
 
I never had this happen but am interested in the reason if any
 
I have not had that happen, and I have the same rig as yours. Does this happen ever on land?

Also, are you using the regular Oly battery? Sometimes the aftermarket batteries do odd things. I had a similar problem on my e-pl2 with a aftermarket battery.

Otherwise, it might need repair.

Hi,

No, the camera crash has never happened on land, though my button/dial settings are different for land. Underwater I used the shutter release and focus mapped to different buttons; on land I just use the shutter button (half pressed to focus). I have a feeling there might be a bug in the software using separate buttons for focus/shutter release.

I asked the same questions in Wetpixel and Phil Rudin had similar problems with unresponsiveness when he set his shutter release to the F1 button. Once he set it back to the shutter release button, no problems.

I tried to replicate the crash on land with my underwater settings but couldn't.

The crash is annoying because I can't turn off my camera underwater (on/off switch doesn't respond).

At first I was using a 3rd party battery then the second time the camera "crashed" I was using an Olympus battery and a different lens. So, it wasn't the lens nor the battery.

---------- Post added June 18th, 2013 at 10:05 PM ----------

Hi Xcetra,

I just got the OMD (Nauticam housing) and took it to Bonaire - had something very similar happen - it 'locks-up' but I can turn it off and that seems to work. Not sure why it is locking-up either........I am using Olympus batteries....I was using the 12-50 lens.

Audrey

Hi Audrey,

You were able to turn it off with the on/off switch? I have to remove the battery.
 
Hi Xcetra,

Yes - I could turn it off and on - so it would 'unlock' itself - I'm not sure what is causing it as I don't have the two different buttons set-up for focus and I use only Olympus batteries. Hopefully it is a 'bug' in the software and will be resolved in a release or two.

Audrey
 
did you guys report this to Olympus? you may have found an actual bug, and they may not know about it, so I suggest you report it and wait what olympus comes back with
 
Hi,

I just described the problem to Olympus USA via their technical support form. Not sure if this is the best most direct way to tell them there's a probably a software bug. Is there a better way?

Jason
 
I've just updated my OM-D body firmware to 1.7 so hopefully this helps with the crashes.
 
Hi.
This has happend to me 3 times under water. Not funny. I had to remove the battery (on the surface)
It seems that when i take photos to quick and just fireaway is the biggest risk.

I have ãpprox 45dives and 50h whit this setup.
I have more or less the same setup as above (wetpixel). Firmaware 1.5 Guess i have to update.
Oly batterie and sandisk ultra 64 or 32 GB.

Maybe the problem is that i am to triggerhappy and take raw and hires jpeg at the same time. Yes i know you dont have to take jpeg when you have a raw pic but sometimes i send pictures to friends when i am on vacation, and olympus raw is not so easy to handle.

Martin
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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