Why does my Olympus OM-D E-M5 sometimes take a black first frame after power-on or setting changes?
Asked 12/29/2012
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My Olympus OM-D E-M5 sometimes produces a completely black first photo after I turn the camera on, or after changing ISO or aperture, even though the live view looks normal. This happens with some lenses more than others. I’ve updated the body firmware, but the problem remains. Could this be a lens issue, firmware issue, or a camera body fault, and what is the likely fix?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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This thread has a number of people describing very similar issues: http://www.flickr.com/groups/om-d_user/discuss/72157630018014187/
There is some info on there that looks like it might help you:
- "If you are able to turn on/wake up the camera, wait 15 sec, and still get a dark frame on your first shot, then I'd say your camera has an "issue," even if it only happens intermittently." .. "either exchange it or send it in for warranty service"
- "I have the same issue on my E-M5, and it seems to happen more with the 45mm."
- "Olympus confirmed that the issue was with my shutter when they replaced the mechanism and sent it back to me. No problems since then. Its possible that a couple of batches were affected with this problem."
- "The issue was not with the aperture but with the shutter itself. it was sticking, and was not performing to spec on fast shutter speeds (usually anything faster than 1/1000)"
Lots of people asked whether bracketing had been left on!
Originally by user4655. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4655
13y ago
0
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Based on the reported experiences, this is most likely a camera body issue, not a lens exposure problem. Similar E-M5 cases were traced to a faulty shutter mechanism: the live view appeared normal, but the first frame after wake-up or certain setting changes could come out black.
The fact that it may happen more often with one lens than another doesn’t necessarily mean the lens is at fault. One user reported Olympus confirmed the shutter was the problem and replaced the mechanism under service, which resolved it.
If the problem still occurs after the camera has been on for several seconds, and it happens intermittently across more than one lens, the practical solution is to have the camera inspected by Olympus/service center or exchange it if it’s still under warranty.
In short: this behavior points to a shutter fault in the E-M5 body rather than firmware or lens metadata.
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