Anyone else have problems with a new OMD EM10?

[show]

Sorry, please bear with me here as I have a lot to cover. I recently purchased an OMD EM10 after reading all the reviews and wanting to step up from my EPM2, that's when the fun started. I ordered my EM10 new from Amazon on June 30 and received it july 2nd, needless to say I couldn't wait to start using it.

I put on a new lens, adjusted some of the camera settings along with the top dials and went to work. I was walking around my house taking random pictures when I walked into a darker room and decided to try out the on board flash. I opened it up and snapped a picture, all of a sudden a really loud pop went off along with the lens aperture and shutter locking closed. I also heard the hum you get right before you take a picture but it was constant. So I closed the flash, turned off the camera and pulled the battery. I then put the battery back in and turned the camera back on, the shutter opened, the hum stopped and the lens went back to normal. I tested it out and took a few pitures and also downloaded them, the pictures turned out just fine. However I decided to try to flash again and opened the flash back up, pressed the shutter button and nothing at all, no pictures taken. So I then closed the flash and snapped some more pictures, it takes a picture and works as it should when the flash is closed.

Ok, so I got a dud I can get over that. Amazons customer service is tremendous, so I fired off an email to Amazon got a replacement ordered next day shipping all is well. The replacement arrived today at noon, anxiously waiting I opened the box up to test it out and make sure everything works properly. I took the shutter cover cap off, low and behold there is a loose piece off of the backing for the shutter sliding around on top of the sensor! WTH? Seriously? Why? I Fired off another email to Amazon to get a replacement, this time I received a phone call profusely apologizing for number 2 being a lemon. I opted for another replacement with next day shipping and some cash back this time due to the hassle of this happening. It should be here monday due to the holiday weekend, so I will know by then if all is well.

My questions to you all are;
Has anyone had anything like this happen before if so what problems?
How well/sturdy are these things being built?
What would cause something like those things to happen?
Should I be worried about my purchase?
Should I have ordered it from another company or do I run the same risks ie bhphoto, adorama?

Attached is a photo of the second camera.

View attachment 371601

 

[pdk42]

Sometimes sh1t happens. I've had four Oly u43 cameras now, including an E-M5 and E-M1, and have had no problems at all.

I guess you've just hit some bad luck. Stick in there!

 

[scott2hot]

My E M10's rear control wheel always looked a bit wonky...works fine but just doesn't look straight! maybe QC on cheaper models just not quite upto snuff.
I will be keeping mine though ,as image quality right up there with any cam i owned.

 

[Medley]

I've had mine for a couple of months and haven't had any problems with it except for the stupid eye cup falling off, a common complaint with Olympus cameras apparently; buy a couple extras. I will say that the top dials just seem a little flimsy to me (ie not solid like good old fashion metal dials of old). They are more flexible (wobbly?) than I'd prefer. But we'll see. I don't tend to obsess about stuff like this too much, and spending too much time on the internet can make you truly paranoid. I'm leaving for a three week vacation in Europe next week. After that junket, I expect I'll have either more or less confidence in the durability of my new camera. Sure does take a nice picture though!

 

[MarkyM]

Sometimes sh1t happens. I've had four Oly u43 cameras now, including an E-M5 and E-M1, and have had no problems at all.

I guess you've just hit some bad luck. Stick in there!

Yes, my EM-10 arrived from Amazon yesterday and it is fine.

This can happen in this age of these highly complex devices where a small percentage will have issues. That's what warranties and return policies are for and Amazon is great about that. I agree, just bad luck. I would think (and hope) that the next one will be fine.

 

[dornblaser]

All good here, sorry that you had a problem one.

 

[Replytoken]

Sorry to hear of your problems. You may want to run a shutter count on your next body to make sure they are not sending out bodies that may have been returned.

Good luck,

--Ken

 

[Art]

I've used my E-M10 for months now, thousands of pictures taken. Not a single issue.

Amazon customer service is in a league of its own and it is one of the reasons why I will continue to pay for Prime membership even after they increased the fees.


Sent from my iPhone using Mu-43

 

[jurgen]

If you google "[camera name] issues," you can come up with a bunch of problems for pretty much any body by any manufacturer. The E-M10 is pretty notoriously unproblematic - remarkable in how few "endemic" problems there are. Fuji has QC issues, the E-M1 has rear dial + EVF failure, a number of Nikon cameras have a shutter mechanism that spews oil, 70D has focusing problems, A6000 has banding in backlit situations, A7 series has posterization/slow AF/shutter shock, and so on and so on. The E-M10 is the only camera in recent memory where I can't remember a single sort of, "hey, at least a couple people have this one exact problem" thread.

Sounds like you, unfortunately, just got a couple lemons. I would try to put it out of your mind, as yours are some of the first problems I've heard of!

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I've used my E-M10 for months now, thousands of pictures taken. Not a single issue.

Amazon customer service is in a league of its own and it is one of the reasons why I will continue to pay for Prime membership even after they increased the fees.


Sent from my iPhone using Mu-43

The same with me. I just checked my shutter count, and it's just shy of 10,000.

 

[drd1135]

Wow. That would certainly undermine my confidence. There are lemons and there's a certain chance you can get two in row, but being unlucky is hard to rationalize. Here's hoping third times the charm.

 

[leungw]

I needed to return my first one. The down arrow button was not responsive unless I pressed on it super hard.

The second one has been fine so far.

 

[twokatmew]

I ordered mine from Amazon several months back and had to return the first one because it had clearly been used and repackaged ... poorly I might add. The replacement was brand new, and so far just fine.

 

[biomed]

Sorry to hear of your problems. You may want to run a shutter count on your next body to make sure they are not sending out bodies that may have been returned.

Good luck,

--Ken

Shutter counts of 20 to 30 actuations are not unusual on new cameras.

 

[Replytoken]

Shutter counts of 20 to 30 actuations are not unusual on new cameras.

Very true, Mike. But if it was in the high hundreds or higher, it might possibly have been returned and resold.

--Ken

 

[speedandstyle]

Bummer! It is common for there to be issues with the first batches of anything. It takes a little time to work through the production problems. Heck BMW is having terrible problems with their new maxi-scooter with tons of pissed buyers. BMW has one of the best reputations so this can obviously happen to any company and any product. This is one reason why I wait to buy new things, that and I hate paying the full price.

 

[biomed]

Very true, Mike. But if it was in the high hundreds or higher, it might possibly have been returned and resold.

--Ken

Agree with you 100%.

Mike

 

[show]

Sorry to hear of your problems. You may want to run a shutter count on your next body to make sure they are not sending out bodies that may have been returned.

Good luck,

--Ken

First of all thanks everyone for your responses, it gives me a lot of confidence to keep my em10. I checked the shutter count on both cameras the first one that had the flash issue listed a 56 count with 2 flash shots. The second one with the shutter issue had 400ish which seems high for a new camera. Possibly a return or used that got restocked?
Regardless I am still looking forward to my latest em10 which should be here monday.

 

[GBarrington]

I have had absolutely zero problems with my E-M10.

I think what you are experiencing is a result of our internet centric camera marketing environment. It used to be that when most cameras were purchased in shops, the camera we purchased was often literally the one on display. and if not, the camera was unpacked in store and given one last final check before the customer took delivery. This final QC check was invaluable for weeding out the weak and poorly made cameras.

Any more, when a camera order comes in to Amazon, B&H, Adorama, or any other big internet vendor, somebody goes into the stockroom pulls a box from the shelf and prepares it for shipping. That last minute QC just doesn't occur.

And since the E-M10 seems to sell for list price everywhere in the USA, at least, there is no rational reason to really buy from the big mail order vendors. I bought my M10 from a local shop, and I'm glad I did. Oh sure, I paid an extra $80 in sales tax for buying in a B&M shop, but consider what I got in exchange for that.

1) That last minute QC check.
2) I literally got to hold and try out the camera I would buy. I understood if the ergonomics of the thing would work for me. This was important to me since I was a DSLR holdout looking for my first mirrorless. I didn't know if the thing was going to work with my smallish, yet gorilla like, hands.
3) And once I knew I was serious about this camera, I was able to go home and get my key legacy lenses, bring them back to the shop and try them out on the camera. That allowed me to know how well my current lenses were going to work.
4) The Sales clerk then allowed me to compare native m43s lenses to the equivalent lenses I already owned. When I left the shop with my new purchase, I knew exactly what I was getting in terms of a shooting experience compared to what I was giving up in my old gear.

To me, the extra value I got above, was worth the extra $80 or so I paid. I have had no down time waiting for a replacement, and I knew exactly what I was getting in exchange for my disposable income!

I'm not saying we should abandon the internet vendors, but I am saying that we think more about the money saved than we do about the value given up by saving that money, and maybe we need some more balance in that thought process.

 

[Braza]

Hello!

I have a little problem too. The back panel where you rest your thumb is creaking as if the back panel was properly attached. And I know that I already not alone with this.