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SD1M - portrait mode upside down?

Started Jan 16, 2022 | Questions
Bernhard_SD1M New Member • Posts: 4
SD1M - portrait mode upside down?

My SD1M exhibits a strange behavior: every time I take a picture in portrait mode with auto rotation enabled, the camera rotates the images 270 degrees to upside down.

Other than that, they're perfectly fine...? does anyone have the same behavior or an idea why? I rarely use the camera, so I'm happy to take 'stupid user' as a root cause... THX

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Sigma SD1 Merrill
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Ceistinne
Ceistinne Veteran Member • Posts: 3,256
Re: SD1M - portrait mode upside down?

Bernhard_SD1M wrote:

My SD1M exhibits a strange behavior: every time I take a picture in portrait mode with auto rotation enabled, the camera rotates the images 270 degrees to upside down.

Other than that, they're perfectly fine...? does anyone have the same behavior or an idea why? I rarely use the camera, so I'm happy to take 'stupid user' as a root cause... THX

Bernhard,

I usually leave Auto Rotate off as I like to see the bigger picture.

I did turn it on and took a few portrait images and they did not show upside down.

S

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Tom Schum
Tom Schum Forum Pro • Posts: 13,282
Re: SD1M - portrait mode upside down?

There are two ways to hold the camera in portrait mode.  One way is with the shutter button at the top, and the other way is with the shutter button at the bottom.

Have you tried it both ways?

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Tom Schum
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Ceistinne
Ceistinne Veteran Member • Posts: 3,256
Re: SD1M - portrait mode upside down?
1

Tom Schum wrote:

There are two ways to hold the camera in portrait mode. One way is with the shutter button at the top, and the other way is with the shutter button at the bottom.

Have you tried it both ways?

Tom,

I tried it both ways & the image stayed upright.

S

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Scottelly
Scottelly Forum Pro • Posts: 18,028
Re: SD1M - portrait mode upside down?

Bernhard_SD1M wrote:

My SD1M exhibits a strange behavior: every time I take a picture in portrait mode with auto rotation enabled, the camera rotates the images 270 degrees to upside down.

Other than that, they're perfectly fine...? does anyone have the same behavior or an idea why? I rarely use the camera, so I'm happy to take 'stupid user' as a root cause... THX

Interesting. I've never heard of this. Please let us know when/if you figure it out.

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Scott Barton Kennelly
https://www.bigprintphotos.com/

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OP Bernhard_SD1M New Member • Posts: 4
Re: SD1M - portrait mode upside down?
1

Thanks for the support here. To answer some of the questions here:

the function use to work fine for years. only very recently it shows this strange behavior?

I'm right handed so I use to have the release button in the top when shooting portrait mode. Thats when the picture is upside down now. When I have the release button in the bottom - the picture is displayed correct. so that would be a work around - however  that is not very ergonomic for me to hold the camera.

I tried the soft reset, a full factory reset and taking the battery out short and long (long enough that the camera moved back in time all the way to 2011) - no joy.

without knowing the insides at all - my layman guess is that the rotation sensor somehow stuck? I'm not sure if this is even possible form a technical point of view?

I, too will turn off the auto rotation for now and do it manually in post.

THX again for your support!

Bernhard

Tom Schum
Tom Schum Forum Pro • Posts: 13,282
Re: SD1M - portrait mode upside down?

Bernhard_SD1M wrote:

without knowing the insides at all - my layman guess is that the rotation sensor somehow stuck? I'm not sure if this is even possible form a technical point of view?

Thanks for reporting your experiences. I do not remember anyone posting in this forum, or the other forums I like, about a failure in the rotation sensor. So this is a first!

I might be mistaken but the sensor could be a small device with a little ball inside, and when you rotate the camera the ball shorts out different contacts. There would be at least 5 separate contacts in this sensor. One of them is a little bit dirty!

tilt-sensor.pdf (adafruit.com)

This is a low cost one axis version, but has a very good explanation. A camera might use four of these, or it might use an integrated optical detector such as this one:

RPI-1035 : Optical Sensors (rohm.com)

These use power though, so might not be that great.

I don't think this can be fixed unless you replace the entire sensor, so your workaround is the best solution.

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Tom Schum
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OP Bernhard_SD1M New Member • Posts: 4
Re: SD1M - portrait mode upside down?
1

I don't think this can be fixed unless you replace the entire sensor, so your workaround is the best solution.

Hi Tom, Thanks for that usefull information. Allthough I could have done without being 'a first'...

...and for sure I do not in intend to change the sensor. (On Xmas I changed the battery of an iPhone - this was 1.5h pure adrenalin and doubts to get this think up and running again! I'm done with dyi on electronics for the next months... )

yea, I guess the issue is too minor to bother too much - so the work around it is.

However - in case someone has an idea and/or solution: I'm still very interested

cheers

-B

Ceistinne
Ceistinne Veteran Member • Posts: 3,256
Re: SD1M - portrait mode upside down?

Bernhard_SD1M wrote:

I don't think this can be fixed unless you replace the entire sensor, so your workaround is the best solution.

Hi Tom, Thanks for that usefull information. Allthough I could have done without being 'a first'...

...and for sure I do not in intend to change the sensor. (On Xmas I changed the battery of an iPhone - this was 1.5h pure adrenalin and doubts to get this think up and running again! I'm done with dyi on electronics for the next months... )

yea, I guess the issue is too minor to bother too much - so the work around it is.

However - in case someone has an idea and/or solution: I'm still very interested

cheers

-B

Bernhard_SD1M,

Try reloading Firmware Ver 1.09 just in case it's a Firmware glitch.

S

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OP Bernhard_SD1M New Member • Posts: 4
Re: SD1M - portrait mode upside down?

hi Ceistinne,

I reinstalled the firmware - but the world is still upside-down...

Thanks for that tip

-B

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