I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

[Greytop]

[Zuiko]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

That's disappointing, Huw. I agree you would expect a much better standard of finish on a camera costing that much - in fact on a camera of any price. This might be a general problem with the camera which will become increasingly reported as the weeks pass by, or it could be a faulty batch. Either way I'd be inclined to take it up with SRS or Olympus direct.

[gregles]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

Huw,

I have a ten year old guitar, it gets well and truly thrashed on a very regular basis and shows less wear on the finish than your camera does in one week.

Let us know how you get on

Greg

[Guest]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

Well now we know why the silver finish ones are in short supply, Olympus are waiting for the paint to wear off the black ones.

Sorry.

Seriously though I'd register the complaint with Olympus, sounds like a QA failure on a batch of components.

Nick

[Ross the fiddler]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

It may be a batch with paint faults, but I believe it is also a design fault having such a sharp edge where paint is supposed to stay. The silver model is (again I believe) also a powder coat paint & I would be interested to see how that will stand up to keeping paint on that sharp edge. So long as it isn't a general poor paint job with paint coming off everywhere (which might come off internally & onto the sensor), but just this sharp edge, then maybe that is something that should have been done better & it would be difficult to rectify all the units already sold. For myself, if it was only this area, I might be inclined to scrape a slight radius on the edge & retouch (with a brush) instead of further hassles, but I would still report it to SRS & Olympus (before doing it). I remember reading someone elses having paint coming off the hot shoe which maybe stainless steel & that doesn't hold paint well anyhow. Maybe there was a batch without undercoat (I'm half joking really).

I'm really sorry you are having these problems & hope your experience (as to pleasure) with it improves greatly & quickly.

I was having some second thoughts over the weekend, but feel better about it today after talking to a nice young lady at Oly Australia. I was a little concerned about the supplier (having already paid in full), but she reassured me they were good & that they were waiting for stock with all the other Aussie retailers & that there were at present more than 300 back-orders (I'm not sure if that was silver models only or all models) to be filled & growing by the day (with new stock coming in weekly), so I will be waiting to at least the end of this month for mine.

[jdal]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

Huw,

That doesn't look very good does it? It's not very nice having your confidence in a new bit of kit take a knock like this. It is a known problem, dpreview has at least one thread on it here.

I'd show it to SRS and get them to take it up with Olympus, but keep the body for a while. The aim being to prove your body's missing paint wasn't caused by mis-handling, but allowing you to wait a while for a replacement, later units may have the fault rectified.

[Greytop]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

Thanks for the comments, they pretty much sum up my feelings.
I've dropped Chris at SRS an email with a brief summary and a link to this thread.

I suspect Olympus are pretty much overwhelmed by the instant success of this little camera and perhaps QA in more than one area may be suffering a little as a result.

[Ulfric M Douglas]

USB compartment edge paint loss.

Thanks for posting about negative issues, it's all useful information.

...That body went back and was exchanged by SRS for one I now have which in operation is perfect in every respect (that's a thumbs up).....

Keep the well-operating-IS example you have, it might be a real good one and better than any replacement.

Ignore the paint problem (I too remember a post on DPReview about the same issue, the OP was even accused of trolling if I recall rightly. )

The wierd thing is I'd never have discovered the problem myself since I would never open that flap, I've never opened the USB flaps on any of my cameras, ever.
Can I resist forever? Probably.

[Zuiko]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

It really is in Olympus's best interests to raise this matter, they need to be aware of a problem which could give them a bad reputation for quality.

[Ross the fiddler]

Re: USB compartment edge paint loss.

I've never opened the USB flaps on any of my cameras, ever.
Can I resist forever? Probably.

I stuffed my E520 connector, separated the pins so I could still use the camera & taped the flap shut. That's interesting to hear your method in that respect, but now I always download my photos with a card reader (I have to from E520 anyhow ), however, the USB port is necessary to update camera & lenses. Does that mean you've never updated your camera or lenses? My last update was on the 70-300 lens this year for Feb 2012 update (done through the E30).

[Greytop]

Re: USB compartment edge paint loss.

Thanks for posting about negative issues, it's all useful information.

Keep the well-operating-IS example you have, it might be a real good one and better than any replacement.

Ignore the paint problem (I too remember a post on DPReview about the same issue, the OP was even accused of trolling if I recall rightly. )

The wierd thing is I'd never have discovered the problem myself since I would never open that flap, I've never opened the USB flaps on any of my cameras, ever.
Can I resist forever? Probably.

Hi Ulfric, wouldn't you open the flap to transfer images to your PC? I tend to use this method rather than ejecting the card.

Paint coming off a camera after only a few days is pretty hard for me to ignore, were it down to general wear and after a year or so I could accept it but this is clearly a defect in my book.

It really is in Olympus's best interests to raise this matter, they need to be aware of a problem which could give them a bad reputation for quality.

Agreed John

[snaarman]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

Hmm. I have the black version, and I haven't seen this yet, equally I eject the card most of the time.

I tend to agree that this should

[StephenL]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

I have the silver version, although it looks to me that the area in question is black on both cameras. Unless it's a different kind of black. Although I've exercised the flap dozens of times to eject the card, mine is showing no signs of wear. Must be very disappointing for you.

[bredman]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

I have the silver, and it looks fine here. Initially I thought that area was plastic.

[Greytop]

Re: I really don't like posting negative stuff but...

I have the silver version, although it looks to me that the area in question is black on both cameras. Unless it's a different kind of black. Although I've exercised the flap dozens of times to eject the card, mine is showing no signs of wear. Must be very disappointing for you.

Thanks Stephen, yes disappointed is a fair summary

Just so that everyone is clear, the defective paint work on mine is on the USB and HDMI connector side as opposed to the SD card door side of the camera.

I'll also add it is good to hear that most peoples cameras are OK which if develops into a trend would suggest it may be QA issue. One thing is for sure though the paint finish is not same robust crinkle black found on the E-5.
Just a shame it seems that I may have picked the short straw twice