Micro 4/3 Heads-up: E-M5 III firmware update resets all settings!

Location
Switzerland
Name
Matt
See the title ...

It was a major nuisance to have to re-adjust everthing. Took me the better part of an hour because virtually *everything* was reset (down to date/time format and other basic stuff - beeps and lags like image review and all).

Also, Olympus' irritating tendency to reset the image name was also (again) in evidence; I have to rearrange my archive in order to acommodate for that, which I find a complete no-go. Swapping out the SD card in use can do this reset as well, though.

So, just beware of that if you do update. I'll look into extracting the settings and storing them off-camera - I've never bothered before (except once when I had to send in my D750 for repairs), but this is too much of a waste of time and nerves ...

M.
 
I do remember being irate about that whole system resetting on an earlier Olympus. I wonder why they haven't figured out a way to update but keep the old settings.
I think you're right - I remember not using the custom settings before for precisely that reason, but they weren't as useful then (with the E-M10 and E-PL7) as they're now.

Anyhow, it took me by surprise this time - and made me really quite angry. Especially since there is such an abundance of settings to be remembered ...

M.
 
Alright, I officially hate Olympus for this now. I spent an hour last night documenting my settings, updating to 1.1, and then reseting everything. Except I missed one thing - Raw+LF (the default is LF). So my shoot this afternoon was all JPEGs - which I never want. My documentation is correct, it's the error-prone copying of that into the camera that I got wrong.

I understand product management, and differentiating cameras on both hardware and firmware. But this really does a disservice to their customers - it makes it extremely inconvenient to install the firmware updates they distribute. One can only hope that they will change this in 1.2. Although we'll then have to go through this ridiculous exercise one more time.
 
The Olympus workspace has an option for saving settings, saves my E-M1 and Pen F.

I know it's a bit late now, but for future updates.
Thanks, David, I'll definitely look into that and learn how to use that feature.. If it's been around this long (since E-M1 days), it's bound to work.

On that note, we might want to make that solution a sticky; it's eminently helpful. Perhaps even a short new thread: "How not to lose your settings on upgrading Olympus firmware"?

M.
 
Thanks, David, I'll definitely look into that and learn how to use that feature.. If it's been around this long (since E-M1 days), it's bound to work.

On that note, we might want to make that solution a sticky; it's eminently helpful. Perhaps even a short new thread: "How not to lose your settings on upgrading Olympus firmware"?

M.
Well I should say E-M1.2 and I've only had the Pen F for a few months. So I have no idea exactly how long it's been there.
I could do a how to on it, but my FW is up to date on both. So I wouldn't be able to confirm that all the settings are maintained.
 
Well I should say E-M1.2 and I've only had the Pen F for a few months. So I have no idea exactly how long it's been there.
I could do a how to on it, but my FW is up to date on both. So I wouldn't be able to confirm that all the settings are maintained.
Okay, whoever updates next/first can do a reasonably short and/or comprehensive screenshot run-through. I'll be happy to do it if the E-M5 III gets updated any sooner than either the E-M1 II or the Pen-F.

I sincerely hope this'll solve the issue - because I really blew a fuse on this latest occasion (and lost a good half hour to get the camera back to my kind of normal ...).

M.
 
Yes, the E-M1.2 and the Pen F do save your settings via Olympus Workspace. The E-M5.3 doesn't.

Screen Shot 2020-02-24 at 6.36.59 PM.png


Here's the Support note I sent to Olympus USA this evening:

"Olympus OM-D cameras have more than 250 Settings that allow the user to customize the camera to meet their needs; this is great.

The E-M5 Mark III resets all Settings when you do a firmware update. Probably for the same reason, it doesn't allow you to save the settings using Olympus Updater (as other OM-D cameras do). This is terrible! This is not just a missing feature, it is effectively a bug - it makes the camera prone to operational errors.

While I understand that the E-M5 Mark III can't have all the features of more expensive models, this decision by you poses a severe inconvenience on your customers. I went out for a shoot on Saturday after updating to the 1.1 firmware and then going through the more than 35 Settings I changed from the defaults. Unfortunately, I discovered when I got home that I missed one and the shoot was very suboptimal. Having the Updater save the settings, and allowing the user to save settings when they choose, is really a requirement in a camera as complex as an OM-D.

You really should fix this ASAP!"


If enough of us complain, perhaps this bug can be fixed.
 
Here’s the response I got:

Thank you for contacting Olympus Technical Support and taking the time to share your thoughts on the the E-M5 Mark III.
I will forward your email to the OM-D Product Marketing Team for consideration.
Best Regards,
[ ]
Olympus Technical Support Olympus America Inc.
True to You. True to Society. True to LIFE.
 
If you don’t get a software solution, there is a pencil and paper solution. Go to wrotniak.net . He has a section on many Olympus cameras including a comprehensive listing of the cameras options. I’ve use that with my EM-5 (original model) for years. I printed out the list, and circled or written my settings there. That way I have an easily reproducible record if my settings get erased. His latest cheat sheet is for the EM-1 Mk II, but, close enough: wrotniak.net: E-M1 Mk.II setup cheat sheet
 
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Already did that. I've been using it since the original E-M5 as well. Nonetheless, this is really a bug that Olympus should fix. There’s no reason for it, and it wipes out work that the user has done. And correcting it by reentering all of the settings is error-prone.
 
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