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Beyond frustrated trying to download photos from OM5 MarkIII

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Shelmana

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I seem to have an extraordinary amount of problems getting my photos to download to my computer. I have an EM-D OM-5 Mark III that I try to connect to my Mac (Apple M1 Pro running macOS 15.3) via USB but for the last 12 months I have been having quite a lot of difficulty doing so. It justs sits there without the camera connecting properly to the computer. It just keeps stalling with the message "One Moment" on the camera's LCD screen. This is incredibly frustrating as there is no point taking photos if you can't download them from the camera. I keep disconnecting and reconnecting numerous times and eventually it will connect but it tends to take a lot of effort and time. Does anyone else have this problem? What could be causing it. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the OM Workspace software but it still keeps happening.


“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
 
Shelmana said:
I seem to have an extraordinary amount of problems getting my photos to download to my computer. I have an EM-D OM-5 Mark III that I try to connect to my Mac (Apple M1 Pro running macOS 15.3) via USB but for the last 12 months I have been having quite a lot of difficulty doing so. It justs sits there without the camera connecting properly to the computer. It just keeps stalling with the message "One Moment" on the camera's LCD screen. This is incredibly frustrating as there is no point taking photos if you can't download them from the camera. I keep disconnecting and reconnecting numerous times and eventually it will connect but it tends to take a lot of effort and time. Does anyone else have this problem? What could be causing it. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the OM Workspace software but it still keeps happening.

“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Click to expand...
The common answer is to avoid cable connection to the camera and move the SD card to a built-in or accessory card reader to get images into the computer.

Windows only user so not sure what method or utility you might use in Mac world to do that.
 
Shelmana said:
I seem to have an extraordinary amount of problems getting my photos to download to my computer. I have an EM-D OM-5 Mark III
Click to expand...
I guess you are talking about an E-M5 Mk III. Everything OM came later.
Shelmana said:
that I try to connect to my Mac (Apple M1 Pro running macOS 15.3) via USB but for the last 12 months I have been having quite a lot of difficulty doing so. It justs sits there without the camera connecting properly to the computer. It just keeps stalling with the message "One Moment" on the camera's LCD screen. This is incredibly frustrating as there is no point taking photos if you can't download them from the camera. I keep disconnecting and reconnecting numerous times and eventually it will connect but it tends to take a lot of effort and time. Does anyone else have this problem? What could be causing it. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the OM Workspace software but it still keeps happening.
Click to expand...
About that downloading problem: I agree with Guy Parsons, use a card reader. I never experienced any problems that way (since 2002).

RL
 
Shelmana said:
I seem to have an extraordinary amount of problems getting my photos to download to my computer. I have an EM-D OM-5 Mark III that I try to connect to my Mac (Apple M1 Pro running macOS 15.3) via USB but for the last 12 months I have been having quite a lot of difficulty doing so. It justs sits there without the camera connecting properly to the computer. It just keeps stalling with the message "One Moment" on the camera's LCD screen. This is incredibly frustrating as there is no point taking photos if you can't download them from the camera. I keep disconnecting and reconnecting numerous times and eventually it will connect but it tends to take a lot of effort and time. Does anyone else have this problem? What could be causing it. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the OM Workspace software but it still keeps happening.

“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Click to expand...
Use a card reader. But if you must use a cable, try another. There is nothing special about the Olympus cable that comes with the camera. Just use a good quality one
 
Are you using the cable that came with the camera (chokes on each end)? Generally any good cable will work unless you have a lot of electromagnetic interference or radio frequency noise around your computer. The chokes filter it out.
 
Shelmana said:
I seem to have an extraordinary amount of problems getting my photos to download to my computer. I have an EM-D OM-5 Mark III that I try to connect to my Mac (Apple M1 Pro running macOS 15.3) via USB but for the last 12 months I have been having quite a lot of difficulty doing so. It justs sits there without the camera connecting properly to the computer. It just keeps stalling with the message "One Moment" on the camera's LCD screen. This is incredibly frustrating as there is no point taking photos if you can't download them from the camera. I keep disconnecting and reconnecting numerous times and eventually it will connect but it tends to take a lot of effort and time. Does anyone else have this problem? What could be causing it. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the OM Workspace software but it still keeps happening.

“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Click to expand...
Yes, but I have only Windows PC's, Mac may be worse, often is for this sort of problems.

It is the reason I have labelled my Olympus cables that came with the cameras with bright color labeller labels. As soon as you try to use a generic USB cable, even some expensive ones, all bets are off the table.

Genuine Olympus cables have been optimized for their cameras. Better shielded wires, and ferrite cores at both ends to suppress electromagnetic noise. I think they push transfer speed beyond the USB specification. Never had a problem when using the original USB cables. Take another cable and either no go, or takes several trials/time. I recommend especially for firmware updates to only use their original genuine cables.

The problem may not exist anymore with the new USB-C cables with a much greater bandwidth, but your EM5.3 (or OM5) still uses the older type of USB connector.
 
Last edited:
Bassam Guy said:
Shelmana said:
I seem to have an extraordinary amount of problems getting my photos to download to my computer. I have an EM-D OM-5 Mark III that I try to connect to my Mac (Apple M1 Pro running macOS 15.3) via USB but for the last 12 months I have been having quite a lot of difficulty doing so. It justs sits there without the camera connecting properly to the computer. It just keeps stalling with the message "One Moment" on the camera's LCD screen. This is incredibly frustrating as there is no point taking photos if you can't download them from the camera. I keep disconnecting and reconnecting numerous times and eventually it will connect but it tends to take a lot of effort and time. Does anyone else have this problem? What could be causing it. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the OM Workspace software but it still keeps happening.

“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Click to expand...
Use a card reader. But if you must use a cable, try another. There is nothing special about the Olympus cable that comes with the camera. Just use a good quality one
Click to expand...
Also check the USB ports for lint.
 
Buy a new usb cable, make sure it’s a ‘data’ capable cable too.

fyi - some usb cables are charge-only cables
 
normanthecorgi said:
Buy a new usb cable, make sure it’s a ‘data’ capable cable too.
Click to expand...
I suspect that would not work, because Olympus may be pushing data rate beyond what USB2 data cables are intended for. Their cable has two large heavy ferrite cores (15mm diameter and 30mm long) at each end, to suppress electromagnetic noise. It is 4mm thick, vs 3mm for an ordinary USB2 cable. And it is only 0.7m long, shorter than most cables that come with phones or PC's (shorter cables pick up less noise, and also allow higher transfer rates than longer cables. That is not an USB cable you can find at your average phone or computer store. It is purpose made for the task, and there is a reason for that. For example, it could well be that noise from the PC it attaches to, needs to be kept away from the camera interior.

I think the original Olympus cable is a safer bet, and it is not THAT expensive really if it has been lost. I have tried other cables, and they either do not work at all, or need several tries to connect and are not reliable.
normanthecorgi said:
fyi - some usb cables are charge-only cables
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I am using the original charging cable that came with the camera, however, I also have had to add an USB adapter as my Mac does not have a USB-A connection point (my big gripe with Macs)
 
Thanks for the idea, I think I'll try a card reader as I am using an original Olympus cable, albeit with a USB adapter as my Mac does not have a USB-A point


“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
 
cba_melbourne said:
normanthecorgi said:
Buy a new usb cable, make sure it’s a ‘data’ capable cable too.
Click to expand...
I suspect that would not work, because Olympus may be pushing data rate beyond what USB2 data cables are intended for. Their cable has two large heavy ferrite cores (15mm diameter and 30mm long) at each end, to suppress electromagnetic noise. It is 4mm thick, vs 3mm for an ordinary USB2 cable. And it is only 0.7m long, shorter than most cables that come with phones or PC's (shorter cables pick up less noise, and also allow higher transfer rates than longer cables. That is not an USB cable you can find at your average phone or computer store. It is purpose made for the task, and there is a reason for that. For example, it could well be that noise from the PC it attaches to, needs to be kept away from the camera interior.

I think the original Olympus cable is a safer bet, and it is not THAT expensive really if it has been lost. I have tried other cables, and they either do not work at all, or need several tries to connect and are not reliable.
cba_melbourne said:
fyi - some usb cables are charge-only cables
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I have the original Oly cable and an E-M5 III. The cable is USB3 w/5 pins. It is a good cable but it cannot exceed USB3 speeds. The Ferrite coils can and do reduce noise and will minimize error detection and correction (which happens unnoticed all the time).

I don't travel with the cable and if I forget to bring a card reader, I've used good quality USB3 cables instead without any trouble whatsoever.

I also own a used E-M1 III that came with no cable. I have done firmware upgrades and occasional image upload with a good quality cable, again without incident.

In short, don't fret if your alternative good quality cable lacks ferrite coils, nice to have to slightly increase data speed (by reducing mundane correctable errors) but they are a luxury, not a necessity.
 
Shelmana said:
Thanks for the idea, I think I'll try a card reader as I am using an original Olympus cable, albeit with a USB adapter as my Mac does not have a USB-A point

“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Click to expand...
That is useful to know. Card reader is your best option. I suppose Apple will charge you $250 for one :-(
 
Bassam Guy said:
Shelmana said:
Thanks for the idea, I think I'll try a card reader as I am using an original Olympus cable, albeit with a USB adapter as my Mac does not have a USB-A point

“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Click to expand...
That is useful to know. Card reader is your best option. I suppose Apple will charge you $250 for one :-(
Click to expand...
That's the price to pay to be in the club ;-)
 
Bassam Guy said:
Shelmana said:
Thanks for the idea, I think I'll try a card reader as I am using an original Olympus cable, albeit with a USB adapter as my Mac does not have a USB-A point

“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Click to expand...
That is useful to know. Card reader is your best option. I suppose Apple will charge you $250 for one :-(
Click to expand...
Even in expensive Oz with deflated $$ its cost is only AU$49 tax paid. https://www.apple.com/au/shop/product/MJYT2AM/A/lightning-to-sd-card-camera-reader

That today equates to about US$28.26 plus tax.

And sure enough in USA it is US$29 plus tax https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJYT2AM/A/lightning-to-sd-card-camera-reader
 
Shelmana said:
I seem to have an extraordinary amount of problems getting my photos to download to my computer. I have an EM-D OM-5 Mark III that I try to connect to my Mac (Apple M1 Pro running macOS 15.3) via USB but for the last 12 months I have been having quite a lot of difficulty doing so. It justs sits there without the camera connecting properly to the computer. It just keeps stalling with the message "One Moment" on the camera's LCD screen. This is incredibly frustrating as there is no point taking photos if you can't download them from the camera. I keep disconnecting and reconnecting numerous times and eventually it will connect but it tends to take a lot of effort and time. Does anyone else have this problem? What could be causing it. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the OM Workspace software but it still keeps happening.

“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Click to expand...
I never download from any camera....I always use a card reader and link to my computer. never fails.
 
Shelmana said:
Thanks for the idea, I think I'll try a card reader as I am using an original Olympus cable, albeit with a USB adapter as my Mac does not have a USB-A point
Click to expand...
I think this is a good idea!

Reminds me of a good old rule that helps avoiding problems:

After downloading the images to the computer, deleting images from the card / formatting the card always when it is back in the camera, but not via the computer while it is connected to the card/card reader!

RL
 
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I have had problems with some USB hubs that I was using for USB-C to USB-A conversion not maintaining connection for operations on external USB hard drives; could be a issue for the length of scanning a large memory card. I'd try a different USB adapter if you have one.
 
Shelmana said:
I seem to have an extraordinary amount of problems getting my photos to download to my computer. I have an EM-D OM-5 Mark III that I try to connect to my Mac (Apple M1 Pro running macOS 15.3) via USB but for the last 12 months I have been having quite a lot of difficulty doing so. It justs sits there without the camera connecting properly to the computer. It just keeps stalling with the message "One Moment" on the camera's LCD screen. This is incredibly frustrating as there is no point taking photos if you can't download them from the camera. I keep disconnecting and reconnecting numerous times and eventually it will connect but it tends to take a lot of effort and time. Does anyone else have this problem? What could be causing it. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the OM Workspace software but it still keeps happening.

“When you take pictures of nature with passion, nature poses for you more passionately!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Click to expand...
Something is wrong with the camera, computer, cable or software.

1. Try connecting the camera as a storage device. If the camera cannot be connected as a storage device, something my be wrong with the camera, computer or cable. If you can connect the camera as a storage device, you have a software specific error.

2. Try connecting the camera a different cable. If the camera cannot be connected with a different cable, something my be wrong with the camera or computer.

3. Try another computer. If the problem exists on more than one computer, it's an issue with the camera.
 
There's a well-known problem with OM Workspace, a Mac M1, and Oly/OM cameras. Some say it's a Mac USB driver issue. You can connect, transfer, update firmware over WiFi, or use a card reader to transfer images from the SD card(s).

I don't see later Mac users with M2 or greater processors reporting the problem.
 
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