Problems connecting E-M1.3 to MacBook Pro M1

[bassman]

I've been using my E-M1.3 as a webcam since early in the pandemic era. First I used a AverMedia video interface, which worked fine. When Olympus released the Webcam Beta for Mac, I downloaded that and tried it on my iMac. That also worked fine, and simplified my setup for Zoom calls.

I recently acquired a MacBook Pro M1 for a number of reasons, among them to be able to have Zoom calls elsewhere than my office where the iMac lives and still use the E-M1.3 as a webcam. So I downloaded the Webcam Beta, and it worked. The wiring is a bit of a mess, as the MacBook M1 only has two USB-C ports and I didn't have a long enough USB-C to USB-C cable to connect the camera to the MacBook. So I used the original USB-C to USB-A cable which came with the E-M1.3, then a USB-A extension, then a USB-C hub which accepted the USB-A from the extension and plugged into the USB-C in the MacBook. This worked.

Last week I set up all the the kit for a Zoom, and the E-M1.3 wouldn't connect to the MacBook. I tried resetting all of the cables, etc. but couldn't get it to work. So I made that call using the webcam in the MacBook.

This morning I set everything up again to try and diagnose the problem. What I found is that I can still connect the E-M1.3 to my iMac, but - using the same cabling (simplified now, as I bought a longer USB-C/USB-C cable) - I can't connect to the MacBook. This extends not only to the "computer-camera" (the 4th choice on the USB screen) setting on the connection window, but also to the Storage setting. Selecting the Storage setting - which should mount the two SD cards as USB drives on the Mac - I get the "One Moment" screen, which lasts forever. Selecting the "computer-camera" sometimes goes into a loop where the LCD flashes between blank and showing the image from the lens, but never connects; other times (like right now) it just stays on "One Moment".

Again, this is now a very simple setup: camera - USB-C/USB-C cable - MacBook. It doesn't work, which with the iMac, it does. Both are Big Sur 11.2.

 

[Mack]

I got lost in your thread. Seems like you are using two different Apple computers? If one is old, then it might be due to Big Sur and some problems and bricking being done by it to older units as reported in the macOS forums: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...icking-some-older-macbook-pro-models.2268438/

I did some update to the iOS in my two iPads and now I cannot get any email from my att.net account in either one (times-out looking), but I can get email from gmail (Google.) quickly. My Android phone email still works fine as well as does my Windows 10 laptop, but Apple has killed my email ability. I've spent days trying to figure out why att.net email is being problematic, but to no avail. Apple sure can mess their stuff up on an update.

Not too happy about the loops to jump through to use the Affinity app in the ipads either. Importing and image off a SD card is a hassle that requires an intermediary app to get the Affinity software to find it (i.e. Using Apple Photo as an importer, short of hooking up to do an iCloud transfer which is pointless if no internet is available.). Affinity blames Apple for the issue of not being able to do it easily from within their app. Dunno.

Good luck!

 

[bassman]

I am using two Macs: a 2017 iMac 27”, and a 2020 MacBook Pro M1 13”. Both running Big Sur 11.2. The older machine works fine with Olympus Webcam Beta, the newer machine worked with it but now no longer works. Both machines seem to work fine otherwise.

No iPads involved at all.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

As crazy as it might sound, try flipping the USB-C connector on one end of your connection.

 

[bassman]

As crazy as it might sound, try flipping the USB-C connector on one end of your connection.

No ideas are too crazy. Sadly, this didn't help. Tried reversing the connector, then also tried reversing which end of the cable went into the camera.

Hmmm ... I just checked the firmware level and update 1.2 is waiting. I'll try installing that and see if it helps. I'll have to do this on the iMac, as the MacBook won't connect in Storage mode either.

Update: no change. Works on iMac, doesn't on MacBook.

 

[exakta]

If you go back to the old cabling kludge does it still work?

You wrote the new cable works with the iMac...what kind of port on the iMac is it plugged into? Tbolt3, USB-A?

I'd suspect your new USB-C cable. USB-C (the name of the connector, not the protocol it supports) cables come in a bewildering variety of actual compatibility of power delivery and max speed, which to me defeats the whole "one cable fits everything" premise.

 

[fortwodriver]

Olympus did post a fix to their software which otherwise prevented it from working with Big Sur, but I believe there still is no solution to get it working on an M1 Mac.

Someone tried to get it to work with Rosetta II, but I don't think they were ever successful.

 

[bassman]

If you go back to the old cabling kludge does it still work?

You wrote the new cable works with the iMac...what kind of port on the iMac is it plugged into? Tbolt3, USB-A?

I'd suspect your new USB-C cable. USB-C (the name of the connector, not the protocol it supports) cables come in a bewildering variety of actual compatibility of power delivery and max speed, which to me defeats the whole "one cable fits everything" premise.

The thing is that the original kluge worked on both the MacBook and the iMac, but no longer does on the MacBook. The kluge was solving a distance problem for me, which the new longer cable should have. However, the longer cable never worked on the MacBook, which I originally ascribed either a defective cable or my buying the wrong cable. But the longer cable works on the iMac, just not on the MacBook.

According to Apple, the iMac has (4) TB3 ports while the MacBook has (2) TB / USB4 ports. A cable (or combination of cables) which works on the iMac should work the same way on the MacBook. And in my case, did until last week. So something changed.

The camera didn’t change, unless the port somehow got damaged. But it works with the iMac. I subsequently updated the camera to the latest firmware (1.4?) which made no difference.

The cables didn’t change, again unless they got damaged. But they still work with the iMac.

The iMac was updated to the latest release of Big Sur, while the MacBook was one release back. The iMac worked and the MacBook didn’t, so I updated the MacBook. It still didn’t work.

The MacBook has a newer download of the Olympus Webcam Beta, but I can’t tell if it’s a different version or not than what is on the iMac. However, the Webcam software is definitely not the problem - the camera won’t connect to the MacBook at all - not for “camera to pc”, not for Storage. I usually don’t even get the menu on the camera asking me which connection type I want.

Of course both computers are connected to the internet and software can update things without you being aware. So it’s possible that some component on the MacBook changed without my knowledge. I could also have changed some setting which affected this.

 

[exakta]

Well, if the kludge no longer works then it's something changed in the MB setings...that's all I can think of.

 

[fortwodriver]

Of course both computers are connected to the internet and software can update things without you being aware. So it’s possible that some component on the MacBook changed without my knowledge. I could also have changed some setting which affected this.

Did you check in Security and Privacy with the camera plugged in to see if there's a note about the camera being blocked temporarily under the "General" tab?

 

[Lee Perrins]

I am using Webcam Beta on an M1 MacBook Air with no issues using my EM1.1 and the original Olympus USB cable via a USC-C adapter.

The issues I have had with webcam beta are:

1) There was an update early in the year that corrected an issue with the date changing to 2021 in the original release. Download and re-install webcam beta from Olympus.

2) You need a fair amount of free space on the SD card. Mine would not connect at all once - I deleted some stuff from the (almost full) card and it was fine again. You may also want to re-format it just to be sure.

I thought my cables might be faulty at one point but it all worked with Olympus Capture so I was able to rule that out as a problem.

 

[Patron]

@bassman , it’s an old thread but I’m having the same issue as you did trying to connect the em1 mk3 to my m1 MacBook Air.
I managed to get the camera connected to the computer a few times and mostly using the usb-c cable from the MacBook’s charger, but I need to try 10-20 times until it does connect, shutting the camera off and on, disconnecting and connecting the cable and eventually the camera will stay in the auto- storage-MTP-PC-Raw- USB-PD menu for long enough to choose an option. 9 out of 10 times the camera will switch between the download menu and the Lv making that sound every 5-10 seconds.
Tried another Belkin usb-c- usb-c cable I got from Best Buy, overpriced and should be able to transfer 40gb/s but no luck.

I bought the camera used from map camera in Japan, I’m still in the return window, but not sure if it’s a deal killer if not able to connect the camera to the computer since I rarely tether, and I can use a card reader to download the images, just bothers me that there is an issue, but maybe it isn’t the camera’s.
Did you ever find a way to reliably connect to you Mac?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bassman]

Honestly, I haven't had the need to. I have an Intel iMac as my primary and that's where I do most of the work.

Sorry.

 

[Patron]

Adding this comment just for closure and if anyone has a similar issue that I had, which was that when plugged in my newly acquired used em1 mkiii into my M1 macbook air, it just didn't want to open the storage menu where you pick the transfer and connection type you want, and kept cycling between the live view and the menu every 3-5 seconds never staying in one place.
Contacted the seller from Japan through ebay and informed them of the issue, since they offer 30 days returns and I was still in the return window. They responded quickly by advising to try a different cable. I did purchased an overpriced usb-c to usb-c from a local store and that didn't work either, tried my macbook's charging cable (also usb-c-usb-c) and it did connect a couple times out of 10s of times cycling the on-off, so not a reliable connection at all. I was kinda OK if I couldn't return the camera, because I can still use a card reader to download, but was disappointed because I wanted to tether as well and it was a mission to get that working.
The seller Ok'd the return. But then I came to the office and one of my co-workers was charging his phone, and the cable he used attracted my attention. It was a usb-a to usb-c from a DJI drone. He lent me the cable and I went home to try it with an adapter I had laying around and it connected immediately! Tried a few times, downloaded perfectly and tethered as it should. Obviously I thanked the seller for his response but cancelled the return since I do like this camera a LOT. Not sure if I can plug his info but if you search for used stuff on ebay you'll see it.
So there, if you do encounter this issue and you tried different cables, maybe this weird looking DJI lead will work for you too.
Just to add, I didn't receive the original cable that comes with the camera, possibly that will work too, but never tried it.