Do I need to take my e-420 in for service.

While using my camera,

every now and then, not all the time, occasionally, especially in bright sunlight...

After taking a photo, the viewfinder would dim, or darken to a point where the camera can no longer focus, because it is too dark. This is in SAF mode. The only way to fix this is to put the camera to CAF mode, and take some shots till the viewfinder brightens up again, sometimes this takes 1 shot, sometimes 50 shots. Resetting, pulling out the battery, memory card, lens, does not fix it either.

Is this a problem with the camera? Or is it because I'm new to DSLR's and am missing something and have no idea.

Thanks.

Sounds to me like the lens aperture is sticking closed. Which lens are you using when this happens? Next time it occurs, look through the front of the lens and see if the aperture is stopped down.

I am using the lens that came with the camera, 14-42.

How do I check if the aperture is stopped down?

Thanks.

Look at this link on wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperture

The first illustration shows a lens with a stopped down aperture. With your camera the aperture is open wide (not visible) when framing and focusing, then stops down when the camera is taking a photo.

Another way to see a stopped down aperture is to set your Fn button to DOF preview, and with the camera in Aperture priority select a small aperture (like f/16) then look through the front of the lens while pressing the Fn button.

If your lens aperture is sticking it can fail to return to its wide open state between shots and this makes the viewfinder dim.

Thanks heaps,
that does look like what happened, but I will check next time to be 100% sure.

If this is the case, is this a fault with the lens or is it a fault with the camera?
I don't have a second lens, so cannot exactly test it.

Since I am not near a repair centre, I have to send it off, so would be easier if I knew what to send instead of sending both the camera and the lens.

It can actually be your own fault as well. Maybe you keep pressing the DOF preview button or you hold the camera with your fingers in front of the lens?

Could also be that the main mirror gets stuck in something and not falling down again after an exposure. Remove the lens, look into the mirror bay and take a few shots without the lens to check if the mirror travels all the way up and down every time. Just an idea...
--
http://www.olyflyer.blogspot.com/

Hello

Just a hunch,

When you say viewfinder....you mean viewfinder not the LCD screen on the back of the camera right?

--
Charlie
http://www.63images.com/blog

mizone said:

Thanks heaps,
that does look like what happened, but I will check next time to be
100% sure.

If this is the case, is this a fault with the lens or is it a fault
with the camera?

Click to expand...

If this is the case, it is a fault with the lens. Easy enough to know if this is the specific fault as when the viewfinder is dark the lens will be stopped down, and would remain stopped down even if you remove the lens from the camera.

mizone said:

I don't have a second lens, so cannot exactly test it.

Since I am not near a repair centre, I have to send it off, so would
be easier if I knew what to send instead of sending both the camera
and the lens.

Click to expand...