The warning message has now been added ont he E-M1 firmware update page.
Our reader Enrico noticed one bug coming along the new E-M1 firmware update:
The recently released firmware version 2.0 for the Olympus E-M1 resets almost all current settings and deletes all Mysets (stored sets of settings) upon installation. Basically, the camera is back to factory defaults but still remembers the current image number and current date and time. Even things like the photographer’s name in the copyright field in metadata are gone.
This happened to me when updating from version 1.4. Aside from this, the update was uneventful and I have noticed no negative side effects of the new firmware.
Better write down all non-default settings in your Mysets before updating.
And an anonymous source just told me that Olympus will fix this with the next E-M1 firmware update.
34 Responses
No need Olympus, it’s been quite refreshing learning to set up the camera all over again! Still, if you can slip in a 4K upgrade along with the fix, I’ll take it….
Wow… major fail.
If it would have been a bug, something that happened by accident, there wouldn’t have been a warning since day one. To some degree it made sense because of new button functions. So I would doubt this rumor.
That’s nice, but it’d be even better if they also fixed the language around MySets to get rid of the silly set>set>reset in favor of something that means something, like Apply>Save>Delete. Come on Olympus – time to fix this!
It took Olympus software engineers a DECADE to solve the labelling of the burst + IS OFF menu item, so don’t expect to see this issue being solved before 2037.
We all know it takes a dedicated team of 142 people several years to change text in a menu item, such is the magnitude of the task.
But adding a bunch of art filters ? Piece of cake !
It’s not a bug – it’s clearly stated in the update notes, if you bother to read that (and I would always recommend that you do so). Still, it’s a shame, as from a programmers point of view it’s not difficult to retain such configurations through an update.
I read the notes, but went ahead anyway as I’d already made a manual list of my mysets. I would still welcome a means of exporting and importing settings to an SD card though.
This is indicative of a “features” and engineering mindset that many (most even) companies follow with regard to product instead of the user-centric approach that makes for truly great product experiences. Is it a deal breaker? Does it diminish an otherwise useful upgrade and stellar product? No. But it shows how the company thinks (or doesn’t think) about its users. Its a very fine line: you want to obsess on every nuance of the feature set, but never to the exclusion of how it is going to be received and used.
As you point out, if indeed this was trivial from an engineering perspective, then the product team dropped the ball.
I had downloaded a blank spreadsheet of the settings (can’t remember where) & wrote down all my previous settings first before updating & then it was a fairly quick & painless exercise in reloading them & also giving me time to rethink some of them.
As others already said, nothing out of the ordinary is happening here, Olympus’ firmware updates were always like that, and Olympus did never and would never admit that to be a bug.
With the ever-increasing amount of customization options, of Fn-Buttons and MyModes and MySettings and AF adjustment data sets, though, one should think Olympus would eventually be bound to recognize that losing all that data with a firnware update is not acceptable anymore.
Speaking of an update: I created a new hacked E-M1 firmware to test for you guys!
It should have better video. See for yourself and report if the improvements are visible to you.
Link: http://lightsnowdev.blogspot.com/
Damn, can’t wait to go back home and try it out. Thanks lightsnowdev! U keep the good work.
Good luck with your hack. If you crack it and get a stable version of 4k running, you’ll definitely create a lot of new sales for Olympus. I know I’d buy the camera that day if it happens.
Hopefully You can get a 25fps unlocked.
Is it possible that the firmware is partially shared with other camera models? So one base code for specific CPU that can have different features?
Why isn’t there the possibility to store all settings in a config file on the memory card?
This would give us the possibility to put the own config onto another camera of the same brand. The cam should recognize the config file and ask, if it should import the settings.
No more need to walk through endless menu settings and check every parameter…
What about different configs on different memory cards for special purposes? Stills or videos f.i.
Is any camera out there with such feature? I do not know any one! Where’s the problem?
Good points, have you suggested it to Olympus? After all, with a lot of people letting them know about tethering over the years, it is finally present again, now in the OM-D line.
No, net yet. When I first heard about the coming firmware update, I contacted our admin here and asked him to establish a thread for wishes regarding better firmware, but unfortunately no response. Too much to do? 😉
Maybe someone here has good connections to Olympus and could discuss that with them?
Storing current settings on the card is a truly novel concept, and one which will not occur to Olympus until sometime after the year 2000. IT is so radical, one should assume a manufacturer will stumble upon it just like that.
Let’s hope that one of the “minor” manufacturers realize the potential of such a novel concept before the major ones do…
Not big deal, but still, bad image to leave something as simple as keeping current settings. On the other hand, i really like 2.0, finally can use zoomed focusing. Really useful.
Does ut work in C-AF?
If it does it sould be usefull in quick focus stacking
This is not a ‘bug’ & the warning was always there, but most didn’t bother to read it & then complained afterwards.
Right, one should always read the instructions and remarks before performing any firmware update. Olympus is in the middle of the road in the information they provide. Some manufacturers provide no or essentially no information, a few provide a lot of detail – the latter generally get higher customer service kudos for that and their related services.
There is an old saying I like to use, “If all else fails, read the instructions!” 😀
Yep, RTFM stands for ‘read the “fine” (ahem) manual” but one can’t really say that given that Oly manuals are written for their own engineers, not users :-). The notes on the firmware were clear on this point, however.
Darn. I thought this camera was perfect, nearly on par with Panasonic.
Don’t worry, it is even better.
And how many has read the manual that lists in nice table what settings does MySet really store? As many say only Super Control Panel settings are saved, while it isn’t true. MySet can save a lot settings from Gear menu. And that is awesome when we can have different shutter speeds, guidelines, EV steps etc.
Software and customization is one big area where cameras can be vastly improved. Just imagine if you could assign arbitrary functions to buttons and dials, or choose your own bracketing steps or even implement your own modes, ala Pentax Tav mode (aka auto ISO in manual). Or load custom focus algorithms on the camera.
E-M1 fw update 2.0
I’m not quite sure yet, but C-AF focus confirmation works different after the update.
The manual says: “When the subject is in focus, the AF confirmation
mark lights up on the monitor and the beep sounds when the focus
is locked at the first and second time”. After the update there is only one beep. Whether this is a bug and has any consequences on the focus reliability needs further observation.
Has anyone observed the same thing? Any problems?
Did anyone have any issues with their teleconverter (rolling crop) in video mode? After the update, I can no longer activate my 2x teleconverter while recording…
OLYMPUS, if you are reading this, please give us the the pro video features the camera is able to do or it will be given to use unofficially by lightsnowdev.
It was written, so people were aware of this. Annoying, but not an issue.
And it will bring 4K video. This is an FT4 rumor guys!!!!
I have a spreadsheet of all my settings in each myset and which mysets are attached to the selector dial. Makes all the settings time consuming but consistent.