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Strange issue with em1 mk3

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Neverland76uk

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Yesterday I cane back from a photo walk and I then switched a lens. The camera would come on, I would have the lcd screen come on. I could see through the lens. And then it would click and shut off again.



the battery was still 80% full but tried with another battery anyway. Same thing. Tried with another lens. Same thing. Tried with the first lens I had on during the walk. Same thing.



I then plugged in the camera to check the battery was really charged. The charging light went off straight away so fully charged. I then tried again and issue was resolved

not sure if it’s related but I’ve noticed that the viewfinder sometimes shows line horizontal lines when shooting or focusing. Like an old tv with bad reception back in the day.



not sure it’s just old age for the camera or the cold outside.
 
There's a chance of the camera battery being old & cold & not not delivering enough power at 80%. If charging up the battery fixed the problem then that was the most likey cause.

Or the electrical contacts between camera & lens need to be checked &, if necessary, cleaned very carefully with a dry cotton Q tip. In general use of isopropyl alcohol should be avoided.

9a407b6a6fb74de594dd6aac766dbf28.jpg

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The issue is fully back. Even without a lens on it it happens.



the viewfinder/lcd come on but there is no information on the screen. So I see image but no text. Few seconds and then it goes off. Menu does not come on if I press on the button (or any other button )
 
I tried all batteries (I charged all batteries over the weekend). On one occasion I get a black screen and the information text. But still went off. On all other occasions I got the view but not the text.
 
I reckon you've tested all possible options & beyond that I'm out of any ideas that might help. OM Systems do have a Customer Care Support line. It might be worth contacting them before doing something like a full factory reset.

Good luck with finding the problem.

PS.

I just remembered from other M43 members having odd camera issues & that is to see if the problem persists with the SD cards removed.
 
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I had indeed tried to take those out as I was worried I would lose my photos somehow.



Thanks for pointing me to the support. I just contacted them. Hopefully will hear back soon. We are on holiday and my epl 8 ran out of batteries already so I am cameraless
 
They came back based on my description saying I have to send it in cause it’s defect.



does anyone know if it’s worth doing. In other words what’s the expectation of how much repairs is going to cost me? These cameras on second hand market are not that expensive. Or is this the universe saying to get me an om3
 
Neverland76uk said:
They came back based on my description saying I have to send it in cause it’s defect.

does anyone know if it’s worth doing. In other words what’s the expectation of how much repairs is going to cost me? These cameras on second hand market are not that expensive. Or is this the universe saying to get me an om3
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The used prices of the E-M1.3 in the USA is a little over $700. The cost of repair would probably be significantly less than that in the USA and you would have the equivalent of a refurbished camera. However, the price of used and of repair maybe different in other markets.

Of course an OM1.2 or OM3 would offer significant advantages.
 
Neverland76uk said:
They came back based on my description saying I have to send it in cause it’s defect.

does anyone know if it’s worth doing. In other words what’s the expectation of how much repairs is going to cost me? These cameras on second hand market are not that expensive. Or is this the universe saying to get me an om3
Click to expand...
The last time I have seen that list about repair flat rates was in 2023; for the E-M1 MK III it said €272.76 https://olye.fotografierer.com/olye/download/tools/replistjul2023.pdf

In 2021 it was €235.62 https://olye.fotografierer.com/olye/download/tools/replistfebr2021.pdf )

Interesting when comparing both lists: In the 2023 list, the E-M1 MK I is no longer mentioned at all.

And I have no idea if that flat rate system is still in use in 2025. Might have changed meanwhile to a case by case system, I don't know.

Maybe listening to the universe is not such a bad idea! ;-)

Liewenberger
 
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Neverland76uk said:
Yesterday I cane back from a photo walk and I then switched a lens. The camera would come on, I would have the lcd screen come on. I could see through the lens. And then it would click and shut off again.

the battery was still 80% full but tried with another battery anyway. Same thing. Tried with another lens. Same thing. Tried with the first lens I had on during the walk. Same thing.

I then plugged in the camera to check the battery was really charged. The charging light went off straight away so fully charged. I then tried again and issue was resolved

not sure if it’s related but I’ve noticed that the viewfinder sometimes shows line horizontal lines when shooting or focusing. Like an old tv with bad reception back in the day.

not sure it’s just old age for the camera or the cold outside.
Click to expand...
You could try prying up the battery contacts with a small flathead screwdriver. My E-M1 III is fine but it has similar battery contacts to my E-PL5 that I fixed by prying them up as mentioned.
 
Sorry what does “prying up” mean? You think the little springs are making bad contact? And prying up means bending them up a little?
 
Neverland76uk said:
Sorry what does “prying up” mean? You think the little springs are making bad contact? And prying up means bending them up a little?
Click to expand...
If your USB charger (or power pack) is sufficient to power the camera, then you might try using it with the battery in the camera and see if it makes a difference. If it does, then it would imply that it is a power problem.
 
Neverland76uk said:
Sorry what does “prying up” mean? You think the little springs are making bad contact? And prying up means bending them up a little?
Click to expand...
Yes

Oxford says: pry(2) - "use force in order to move or open (something) or to separate (something) from something else"
 
Neverland76uk said:
Sorry what does “prying up” mean? You think the little springs are making bad contact?
Click to expand...
Neverland76uk said:
And prying up means bending them up a little?
Click to expand...
Yes, that's correct. It's just possile, over time, the springiness of these flexible contacts has softened & the contact pressure reduced.

On my E-M1 Mark II the height of the top of the contacts from the bottom of the battery compartment is 1/8" or 3mm. I wouldn't bend them up by more than that otherwise the excess pressure would wear the gold plating on the battery's connectors .

Actually, if the battery connectors show signs of wear, then I would not to do anything.

The last thing you want is a broken, unrepairable, connector inside the battery compartment.

Meanwhile I trust all else is going well on your holiday. In one instance I bought one of those Fujifilm film cassette cameras for about €25 so that at lease I had some pictures. Not sure if they still exist though.

Hope the weather is clear skies & following seas.
 
Re: spring contacts

With a torch and by eye I surmise it is possible to determine if one or more are depressed?

As afteral when putting the battery in it requires pressure against the springs to engage the locking latch and I would have thought that for whatever reason if a spring was so badly compressed that it failed to make contact it would be fairly obvious to see.

IIRC the OP mentioned trying more than one battery so that would exclude corrosion on the battery terminals.
 
You’ve had some sensible suggestions so far.

Corrupted or damaged SD cards can cause some very strange behaviour.

Before doing anything irrevocable like sending it in for repair, I’d strongly suggest switching off, then replacing the SD card with another, then switching back on and seeing how it goes. You’ve got nothing to lose.

If all then seems well, personally I’d then bin the faulty card, but I know of people who have just formatted it with apparent success.

The other procedure that has been reported to work sometimes by several people on the U.K. E-system forum, is to switch the camera on, let it settle, then pull the battery without switching off. Wait a few seconds, then replace it without switching off, let the camera settle, then switch off normally.

Again, I can’t see what you’ve got to lose in trying those.
 
I tried all of those things and alas nothing helps

i I will make the most of my holiday and try to get it repaired when I’m back in the UK next week.



thanks everyone for trying to help
 
I sent in my camera today. Was just under 300 pounds for repair. Let’s hope it comes back perfect.



will let you know
 
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