New firmware available for E-M1X, E-M1 Mkii and E-M5 Mkiii

[djtaylor7]

Just noticed Olympus have released new firmware for these three cameras.

Principal change seems to be fixing the problems with the Auto EVF switch when the back screen is open.

https://cs.olympus-imaging.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/download/software/firm/e1/#fmzdl

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[Versuri]

Nothing for E-M5 II

 

[pdk42]

This is at last a fix to a bug they introduced some time ago.

 

[Mack]

Workspace and Capture software have also been updated.

Added:

I just performed the update. On Windows 10, Workspace would not connect to the cameras:, E-M1 Mark II & E-M1X both. All I'd get is a Retry or Close message on Windows.

I then tried using Olympus Updater 2.1.3 and it did connect and did the updates. Olympus Workspace has a kludgy "Connect to Server" on trying to update and it downlaods some updating software each time I check it. Really is a kludgy software updating process and maybe why it is stubborn to connect to the cameras too. Never have been able to update using it so I use the Oly.Updater 2.1.3 instead. I also had to remove the SD cards in both cameras as it seemed to want to process the images.

Fwiw, the E-M1X took a lot longer to load once the download finished before the OK appeared, maybe 10 minutes. Also, the E-M1X restarted with "Pick a Language" and I needed to also set the Month,Day, Year as well as Time. Also, once time was set, I had to go back and select the UST clock (I think it defaulted to Tokyo's time zone.) which reset the initial time setting too. The E-M1 Mark II was a lot easier in that respect as it rebooted without a lot of settings the E-M1X needed.

 

[NoTan2]

Just noticed Olympus have released new firmware for these three cameras.

I must have just missed this by minutes or perhaps an hour. I updated the firmware on my new E-M1 ii late yesterday and received v3.1. No big deal. I'll play with 3.1 for a while and then update again.

 

[Growltiger]

I upgraded Workspace to version 1.3 and then upgraded the E-M1 II to version 3.2, with no problems at all. All my settings were reloaded automatically.
I find the Olympus update system excellent and easy. I never have a problem.

I can't understand why people don't simply use what Olympus recommends. Use Olympus Workspace to do the updates. It installs and uses the latest updater version 2.2. I still read (see above) people using an old version of the updater, messing with SD cards, not getting their settings automatically restored for them etc. The last time I mentioned this I had replies saying things like "I would never install Workspace". Well why not, you don't have to use if for anything else, I don't.

People also complain about the cable. But the USB-C cable is standard, a very common standard and increasingly so. My phone uses it, not just my camera. My computer has it too.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

My version of Workspace wouldn't update (couldn't find the server), the EM1 II updated OK, lost my C1-C3 settings though (I usually do on updates).

 

[Matt Drown]

I can't understand why people don't simply use what Olympus recommends. Use Olympus Workspace to do the updates. It installs and uses the latest updater version 2.2. I still read (see above) people using an old version of the updater, messing with SD cards, not getting their settings automatically restored for them etc.

I had minor issues with Windows 10 accessing the SD cards each power cycle on my EM1.2, that caused problems. Simply ejecting them solved it. Depending on how you default behavior on win10 is, you may encounter problems.

Also, I think there is a mistake in the documentation, during the update process, it asks you to power the camera off/on before it backs up the settings. This caused it to crash each time for me, NOT powering the camera worked fine, settings all restored (Except the handful it doesn't EVF style, |O| setting).

Overall I've had good luck over the years with em1.1, pen-f, em1.2, and lens upgrades. So this wasn't a big deal, just an extra 2-3 minutes to resolve the problems.

Also, for anyone holding off, remember that their are usually other minor, non-documented, fixes in firmware upgrades. So it's usually good practice to update the cameras.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

that happened to me on first attempt. Started the app, "Couldn't connect", so I tried it again in a minute and the update downloaded. Their servers may be getting hammered now that everybody's trying to download the new versions. It'll smooth out over the week, I'm sure.

As for losing your settings, did you just lose the Mode dial settings or are the MySets wiped out as well? If so, you might not have followed the steps exactly as they show on screen. After the update applies, it tells you to turn the camera off, then back on again and click Next. After you've done that, it will restore the saved settings.

I could see that being easily overlooked once the firmware is flashed and the big OK display appears.

I always follow the onscreen directions, including the restart. It will always say that it saving the settings before the firmware update, it updates, then it will say that it is reloading the settings at the end, but they are never completely there.

 

[Vol375]

Thanks for the heads up. Just updated my Em1 MK2

 

[saladin]

i clearly forgot to do something. i just updated the 5iii through Workspace and have lost every setting id changed on the camera. D'oh!

 

[djtaylor7]

I always follow the onscreen directions, including the restart. It will always say that it saving the settings before the firmware update, it updates, then it will say that it is reloading the settings at the end, but they are never completely there.

The backup does warn that some settings "may not be saved", which I guess means they will not be recovered, but Olympus does not tell us which ones they are talking about.

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[djtaylor7]

i clearly forgot to do something. i just updated the 5iii through Workspace and have lost every setting id changed on the camera. D'oh!

That's why it is a good idea to save the settings to a file on the PC once you have it configured. Especially if like me you use the copyright fields.

When I got a second E-M1 Mkii I did a restore from the saved file for camera 1, and got it pretty well set up straight away, with copyright, C settings and customised buttons.

 

[Steven]

Also, for anyone holding off, remember that their are usually other minor, non-documented, fixes in firmware upgrades. So it's usually good practice to update the cameras.

Very true! One of the last EM5II updates restored ability to autofocus in Video Mode, which they somehow removed in a prior update. This was not mentioned in the update documentation.

 

[Growltiger]

i clearly forgot to do something. i just updated the 5iii through Workspace and have lost every setting id changed on the camera. D'oh!

You have to follow the instructions exactly. When it tells you, you must turn the camera off and on and then you wait and the settings are restored without you touching anything.
To be safe, save them yourself before doing the update, then you can restore them afterwards anyway.

 

[gbbiv]

I also received the "Couldn't connect to server error", turned off my VPN software for a sec and it worked fine.

 

[saladin]

When it tells you, you must turn the camera off and on and then you wait and the settings are restored without you touching anything.

Thank you. I don't even recall it asking me that, so clearly I wasn't paying attention. Next time....

 

[FrayAdjacent]

so all it changed was the auto-switching between the LCD and the viewfinder? I like the idea of disabling the viewfinder when the screen is not closed against the body with the screen facing out.... and it sucks that the update didn't give me the option to backup my settings.

 

[djtaylor7]

so all it changed was the auto-switching between the LCD and the viewfinder? I like the idea of disabling the viewfinder when the screen is not closed against the body with the screen facing out.... and it sucks that the update didn't give me the option to backup my settings.

Very strange. I did my E-M1 Mkii and it did an auto backup, then after the OK message, when I turned the camera off and on again, it restored everything.

 

[Growltiger]

so all it changed was the auto-switching between the LCD and the viewfinder? I like the idea of disabling the viewfinder when the screen is not closed against the body with the screen facing out.... and it sucks that the update didn't give me the option to backup my settings.

If you use Workspace and follow the instructions exactly it backs up and restores the settings automatically, it is not an option.
Although you didn't manage to restore them automatically, it should have backed them up. So you could probably restore them now. On the Workspace menu use Camera/Custom settings/Load.