Olympus Rear Dial Issue

[bobtrlin]

There is a huge issue with rear dials failing on Oly OMD cameras.  Most of the complaints appear to be related to the E-M1.  One just needs to google "Olympus rear dial" to see how extensive the problem is.  My E-M1 has recently been afflicted with the problem also although it is still usable.  It takes quite a few clicks to get the dial to respond.  Many have had their cameras repaired however with some, the problem has re-emerged.  Olympus in its typically inscrutable manner, is pretending there is no issue.  Before I take mine in for repair I'd like to know what the problem really is and that these is a permanent fix in place.  We can all guess but does anybody know for sure?

[TonyVentourisPhotography]

I have dealt with this on one of my E-M1 bodies.  This really only seems to be an E-M1 issue.  The rear dial most commonly for some reason.  It just stops registering every click.  I am not sure if its an encoder wheel or what exactly, but once they fixed it, it never came back.  It happened on my first E-M1 body which was a purchase closer to the original release time.  I have a later body that has not experienced this.  I can dig through my files and pull up the repair ticket to see if they actually listed what part was replaced if you are interested.

If the problem re-occurs, the repair should be warrantied.  Olympus actually has a couple contracted places where repairs get done, and not all have the best reputation.  Perhaps it was not done correctly the first time on some of those cases.  Would not surprise me unfortunately.  In the larger picture, Olympus has been very responsive to repair issues, and to correcting issues that the repair techs for a certain place were not able to take care of properly.  I am happy with them, but I would much prefer a system that models Canon CPS program, even at cost. 

[pcgpcg]

My E-M1 rear dial failed after a few months of use, in March of 2014. It was repaired under warranty, but I was without the camera for six weeks. Since then, over two years ago, it has worked flawlessly, and I use the rear dial more than any other part on the camera. So it seems that whatever part that fails, fails because it was initially a bad part. I love the camera, but was negatively impressed with how long the warranty repair took.

[Kevin Gallagher]

 Hi Bob, I've had no trouble with mine  (so far) but with that said, I also do a lot less shooting these days than I used to.


 Kevin in CT

[TonyVentourisPhotography]

I've had repairs take less than a week, and I've had repairs delayed because parts had to be ordered and they just weren't readily available.  I think the more these cameras that get out into the world, and the more people are using them seriously, the more the repair service will increase.  I hope.

Then again, this issue seems to plague most brands that are not doing repairs themselves in the US.  It's not an Olympus exclusive thing.  Just think how you'd feel when your brand new swedish camera goes back to europe for a 2 month stint...  Repair service as a whole needs to step up.

[bobtrlin]

I finally relented and took my E-M1 in for repair.  Luckily the Olympus Service Centre is not far away.  The guy assured me that there is a new improved part available and that the problem should not re-occur.  Earlier fixes that failed were probably due to the use of original replacement stock.  I asked for the camera to be returned within 3 weeks before the long weekend.  He will attempt to accommodate me.  We'll see.

[Mousecop]

It's the E-M1.

Try spinning the dial about 50 times in one direction, then 50 in the other direction. That fixes it for many people, including me.

[bobtrlin]

It's the E-M1.

Try spinning the dial about 50 times in one direction, then 50 in the other direction. That fixes it for many people, including me.

Did that.  It worked great for a while but the problem was back the next day.

[bobtrlin]

I put the camera in for repair late on 6th and had it repaired and delivered to my door on the morning of 9th.  There was no charge despite being out of warranty.  Fantastic service.  5 stars for Olympus Australia.  I guess they have had a lot of practice with this fix so I would recommend not hesitating to having it done.