JD750

You are so right.

FilmFanatic

Sounds like a good explanation to me. I guess I will try to make some type of viewfinder cap to cover it when not holding it up to my eye. Kind of an annoyance but if it works, that's all that matters.

I've never heard of this yellow spot thing before. I wonder if the OP were to ask, if Olympus support department would tell them if they've seen this before in intense environmental conditions. Yet Olympus cameras are taken all over the world in extreme conditions and keep on working.

I'd like to know if any Olympus owners on UHH have experienced this, heard of anyone experiencing this, or if Google research would find people with this problem.[/quote]

Maracomarks......

Go to the dpreview link that RichardSM supplied in his reply to me and you will see what this "yellow spot thing" looks like. Someone somehow was able to show an actual image of one. That image doesn't show the multiple spots that can occur. And it doesn't show how they over time can BUILD UP on the inside of the viewfinder.

What is important here is how Olympus handles problems when they do occur. For some of us, this spotting issue is going to be a continuous problem and if we cannot resolve it ourselves we will be stuck with endless repairs. We can't resolve the problem ourselves if we do not know exactly what the problem REALLY is. The camera getting "too hot" is not the complete answer. What is it that happens when the camera gets "too hot." How many cameras have you owned that got "too hot"? I have used many inexpensive point and shoots that never got "too hot".

Seems like a whole newly manufactured batch of viewfinders made so that lubricant (or whatever) doesn't become mobile when the camera is handled would seem to make sense if this is indeed some type of lubricant problem.

Only Olympus knows what is going on here. It is hard to believe that they don't know that the problem exists. What makes a company credible is how they resolve problems....how accountable are they to their customers. If they kept track of how many viewfinders they have to reimburse their contracted repair place for, they would have a clue about the issue you would think.

I purchased my camera on the basis of the glowing reviews I read about it. But most of those reviewers review many cameras and don't necessarily continue using every one of them after the articles are written. As in the case of this issue, it sometimes takes a bit of shooting before the problem becomes noticeable.

RichardSM......

Thank you for the link. I had started that topic on dpreview some months back and didn't return. Looks like a lot of replies to my message there. My diopter is set on high also. So perhaps the real answer lies in keeping the viewfinder covered when not being used. I will give that a try. I am so used to how this camera works and handles that I hate to start over with another brand....not to mention the money invested in it. I wouldn't wish to pass the headache onto someone else by selling it.

To Armadillo and all who have replied.......

Precision Camera repairs cameras for Olympus and other camera manufacturers and is Olympus's designated repair place for my camera. They are the ones who have been doing the replacements and I have no issues with their work. This appears to be a manufacturing issue. It is my understanding that the viewfinder is a closed unit which makes me wonder what there could be inside of it that could create specks.

The camera works fine and there is no issue with the screen, just the viewfinder. Photos are not affected. Looks like something I will have to bring it up with Olympus somehow. It would be nice to resolve the mystery. That the camera can't "get hot" isn't sufficient enough of an answer.

I purchased an Olympus OM-D M1 camera last December. The camera works fine for the most part, but the viewfinder has issues. I wonder if now that other M1 owners have had their cameras for awhile whether they are experiencing the same problem.

The viewfinder gets yellow speck (splatters?) in it and thus has to be replaced. Only so many of those specks can build up before you can't see through it anymore.

The only explanation I have been given is that the camera can't get hot. First of all, I live in Phoenix, AZ. Also, I recently spent some time in Massachusetts where the weather never got above 85 degrees. Yes, the sun was shining (well, at least part of the time). I never had a camera before that couldn't handle "heat".

Considering the camera is now on its fourth viewfinder I guess this is going to be an ongoing problem. So far I haven't had to pay for the repairs because of the 6 month repair warranty I get each time it is fixed (replaced). However, if the next speck attack happens past the time allotment I am into having to pay up each time it reoccurs. Bummer.............

Do some research on the internet and youtube. Lots of great photo ops all over the place in Italy. You didn't say how long you were going to be there. Such a waste to travel all the way over there and not spend enough time to really immerse yourself in the experience. Just a week hardly scratches the surface. But maybe that might inspire you to return at another time. Ciao

He really has macro down to a science! It looks like some of his photos are arranged perhaps in a mini studio setup where there is water at the base with objects propped onto/into it and then the critter placed into the scene. Still beautiful and imaginative even if arranged. Others are obviously out of doors. Something to strive for, being that I love photographing that type of subject matter.

Well, even though I printed off the entire PDF manual for this camera it is not always much of a help because some things are left unexplained or are organized in the manual to where its hard to follow the peanut trail.

For anyone who might be following this post, "HP" means "home position". Just figured that out. Still haven't figured out why it stops the grid from working. I just assumed that HP would just bring the focus point back to wherever it was set but still keep the grid working. ????Doesn't seem like it.???

Thanks for the response johneccles. I finally figured out where the proper focus target grid was: MENU>2 togs>Button/Dial/Lever>Button Function>Fn2 Function>Multi Function>Auto Focus Area Select [...] There is no HP along side this one and now the grid works....the grid stays on long enough to make an auto focus target change. I still don't know what the significance of the HP represents but when it is present the grid doesn't work. One of those mysteries floating around in the murky Olympus menu abyss. ;)

I received my camera back from Olympus repair. Nice clean viewfinder again. :-D I put all my settings back the way I had them and everything now appears to be working the same as before except for the Fn2 button. The notes I made regarding the Fn2 button before sending the camera for repair shows just a series of dots with brackets like this "[...]" I did not record any "HP" to the right of it but now the only selection has the "HP" along side of it and the grid does not stay on so that I can change the location of the focus. Why isn't the grid staying on like it did before? :?

Perhaps you are to look for interesting PATTERNS within the image. When you magnify an image, like magnifying the eye of a fly and seeing the amazing pattern of the multiple eyes, it's like discovering another universe. Same goes for leaves, the veins in a rock, etc. You are exploring what most people pay no attention to. It sounds like that is what is wanted here. It doesn't all have to be a magnification, however. Even larger images can be cropped to reveal very interesting patterns. It is really quite fun. Or maybe it is about composition. You should ask for clarification from whomever it was that gave you that assignment if that is what it is.

See second message below. :roll:

:thumbup: :thumbup: And I'd go with a dark vignette. Ovals are not the only option....perhaps just a little dark vignetting around the straight edges of the full image.

Beautifully photographed!

What a fabulous photo and so well thought out.